Google has issued its 2024 Environmental Report, a more than 80-page document describing all of the massive company’s efforts to apply tech to environmental issues and to mitigate its own contributions. But it totally dodges the question of how much energy is AI using — perhaps because the answer is “way more than we’d care to say.”You can read the full report here (PDF), and honestly it’s got a lot of interesting stuff in it. It’s easy to forget how many plates a company as big as Google keeps spinning, an ...

Meta plans to bring more generative AI tech into games, specifically VR, AR and mixed reality games, as the company looks to reinvigorate its flagging metaverse strategy. According to a job listing, Meta is seeking to research and prototype “new consumer experiences” with new types of gameplay driven by generative AI, like games that “change every time you play them” and follow “non-deterministic” paths. In parallel, the company aims to build — or partner with third-party creators and vendors to use — gener ...

Preliminary findings by the European Commission investigating a controversial binary choice Meta has forced on regional users of its social neworks, Facebook and Instagram, since last fall does not comply with the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Failure to abide by the ex ante market contestability regulation, which has applied on Meta and other so called “gatekeepers” since March 7, could be extremely costly for the adtech giant. Penalties for confirmed breaches can reach up to 10% of global annual turno ...

Adept, a startup developing AI-powered “agents” to complete various software-based tasks, has agreed to license its tech to Amazon and the startup’s co-founders and portions of its team have joined the ecommerce giant.Geekwire’s Taylor Soper first reported the news. According to Soper, Adept co-founder and CEO David Luan will join Amazon, along with Adept co-founders Augustus Odena, Maxwell Nye, Erich Elsen and Kelsey Szot and other Adept employees. Adept isn’t closing up shop, however. Zach Brock, head of ...

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Thursday that the company will begin to surface AI characters made by creators through Meta AI studio on Instagram. The test will begin in the U.S. The social media company’s announcement comes on the same day as a16z-backed chatbot company Character.ai is rolling out the ability for users to talk with AI avatars over a call. In a post on his broadcast channel, Zuckerberg noted that these chatbots will be clearly marked as AI to inform users.“Rolling out an early test ...

Amazon is folding its Amazon Clinic telehealth service into its primary care business One Medical, the company announced on Thursday. The company explained in today’s blog post that, to simplify Amazon’s primary care offering for customers, the service has now been rebranded to Amazon One Medical Pay-per-visit, and now offers more affordable per-visit pricing. Customers can pay $49 for a video call visit or $29 to text message a doctor.  Under the One Medical brand, Amazon is offering customers two options ...

Amazon is facing another competition lawsuit in the UK. The latest claim, which was filed Thursday, is seeking more than £2.7BN in damages — or around $3.4BN at current exchange rates — before the UK’s Competition Appeals Tribunal.The case is being brought by Andreas Stephan, a professor of competition law at the University of East Anglia and head of its Law School, on behalf of more than 200,000 UK third-party sellers on Amazon. The lawsuit argues Amazon has abused a dominant position in the supply of ma ...

Core Viewpoint - Apple has shifted towards prioritizing durability over repairability in its product design, reflecting a response to sustainability concerns and the right to repair movement [1][4]. Repairability and Durability - Apple emphasizes that while repairability is important, optimizing solely for it may not yield the best outcomes for customers or the environment [2]. - The ideal device should be both durable and easily repairable, minimizing the need for repairs in the first place [2]. Recent Developments - Apple has expanded its user repair service, now offering Diagnostics for Self Service Repair in 32 European countries, including the U.K., France, Germany, and the Netherlands [3]. - The company has made used components available for repairs, although it clarifies that third-party parts may not always have the same system access [3]. Parts Pairing Policy - Apple’s parts pairing policy is designed to ensure security and proper calibration of components, rather than blocking third-party parts [4]. - The company argues that prioritizing longevity over repairability is more sustainable, as not all components require frequent repairs [4][5]. Component-Specific Insights - Displays and batteries are highlighted as components that are more likely to require repair, thus should be easier for users to access [5]. - An internal study showed that the iPhone charging port rarely requires replacement, suggesting that making it individually replaceable would increase carbon emissions unnecessarily [5]. Addressing Planned Obsolescence - Apple counters accusations of planned obsolescence by noting that hundreds of millions of iPhones have been in use for over five years, and the company has a long history of providing free updates to extend product life [6].

GM’s Cruise has appointed Marc Whitten — a video game veteran who was a founding engineer at Xbox and Xbox Live— as CEO. The Cruise CEO position has been vacant since December when co-founder Kyle Vogt resigned as part of a broader executive shakeup following an October 2 incident that saw one its robotaxis drag a felled pedestrian 20 feet. Whitten, who will start July 16, has a long history developing tech products, particularly in the world of video games. He most recently worked at video game engine mak ...

Core Insights - VW Group will invest $1 billion into EV startup Rivian, with potential expansion of the deal up to $5 billion [1] - Rivian's shares surged over 36% in after-hours trading following the announcement of the investment [1] - The partnership aims to create a joint venture focused on next-generation electrical architecture and software technology [1][2] Investment Details - The initial investment of $1 billion will be made via an unsecured convertible note, which will convert into Rivian's common stock upon certain conditions [1] - VW Group is expected to invest an additional $4 billion as part of the transaction [1] Strategic Benefits - Rivian aims to lower manufacturing costs and strengthen its balance sheet while scaling production of existing EVs and developing the next-generation R2 line [2] - VW Group seeks to enhance its software development capabilities and bring software-defined vehicles to market [2] Technological Advancements - Rivian has recently started producing the next-generation R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV, featuring significant upgrades in various components [3] - The new electrical architecture reduces the number of electronic control units (ECUs) from 17 to 7, allowing for a reduction of over 1.6 miles of wiring and a weight savings of 44 pounds per vehicle [3]