Techmeme
December 20, 2023, 6:10 PM

Top News

Bloomberg:
Stanford researchers: LAION-5B, a dataset of 5B+ images used by Stability AI and others, contains 1,008+ instances of CSAM, possibly helping AI to generate CSAM  —  The dataset has been used to build popular AI image generators, including Stable Diffusion.  —  A massive public dataset used …
The Verge:
Memo: Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is leaving Microsoft on December 29; Activision's leadership remains and is being integrated into Microsoft Gaming  —  Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is stepping down officially December 29th.  Microsoft has not appointed a direct replacement …
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is ramping up Vision Pro production, aiming for customer-bound units to be ready by the end of January and a retail debut planned for February  —  - Overseas manufacturing of the headset is running at full speed  — Vision Pro debut will vault Apple into new product category
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Filing: the US ITC denies Apple's motion to stay the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 import and sales ban while awaiting an appeal; Biden can veto the ban  —  Apple has lost its bid to delay an import and sales ban on the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2.  In a filing on Wednesday …
Sam Tobin / Reuters:
The UK Supreme Court rules that AI can't be a patent “inventor”, denying a US computer scientist's bid for two patents for an AI's creations, in a landmark case  —  A U.S. computer scientist on Wednesday lost his bid to register patents over inventions created …
Greg S. Fink / Car and Driver:
Aston Martin and Porsche preview bespoke interfaces for the next generation of Apple CarPlay, which integrates into all the displays of upcoming vehicle models  —  Apple is working with automakers to make a brand-distinct CarPlay experience.  — Apple's next-generation CarPlay environment arrives in 2024.
Tim Bradshaw / Financial Times:
Sony has sold 50M PS5 consoles in the three years since its November 2020 launch, almost as fast as the PS4 reached 50M, and outsold Xbox by almost 3:1 in 2023  —  Sony outsells Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's Switch as sector recovers from post-pandemic slump
Saritha Rai / Bloomberg:
Researchers say AI robot CyberRunner outmaneuvers humans in the game Labyrinth, one of the first instances of AI beating humans at direct physical applications  —  - Robot learned in record time to guide a ball through a maze  — The AI robot used two knobs to manipulate playing surface
Cristiano Lima / Washington Post:
Jon Porter / The Verge:
The EU designates Pornhub, XVideos, and Stripchat as Very Large Online Platforms under the DSA, facing stricter rules to verify ages and stop illegal content  —  Porn sites Pornhub, XVideos, and Stripchat face stricter requirements to verify the ages of their users after being officially designated as …
Bloomberg:
Miami-based Bird files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, listing $100M to $500M in liabilities; the NYSE began delisting the e-scooter rental company in September 2023  —  The Miami, Florida based company listed assets and liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million in a court filing.
Reed Albergotti / Semafor:
Q&A with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth on generative AI reshaping Meta, facial recognition, regulations, open source, Llama, AGI, recruiting, Mistral AI, and more  —  Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth, better known in the tech industry as “Boz,” was teaching a class …
Ellen Huet / Bloomberg:
A look at the tech sector's obsession with longevity; Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman, Larry Page, and others have pledged millions to startups pursuing longer life  —  Tech titans, venture capitalists, crypto enthusiasts and AI researchers have turned longevity research into something between the hottest science and a tragic comedy.
David Shepardson / Reuters:
The US NIST seeks public input by February 2, 2024, for setting guidelines to ensure the safety of generative AI systems, as directed by President Biden's AI EO  —  The Biden administration said on Tuesday it was taking the first step toward writing key standards and guidance for the safe deployment …
Hannah Murphy / Financial Times:
Sources: X set up a 10-person team to help hit $100M in US political ad spend in 2024 to offset revenue losses, a goal that industry executives are skeptical of  —  Plans for new political ads team to hit $100mn in sales ahead of US presidential election are met with industry scepticism

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify: Revolutionizing Commerce with Winter Edition '26  —  Over 150+ new features transform how merchants build, design, and grow—with technology that amplifies creative vision.
Zoho:
Email fatigue is real: Here's how smart email tools help you regain control  —  Picture this: It's Monday morning.  You walk into the office feeling energized and ready to take on the week.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's 2026 Priority, Disney's AI Play, Datacenter Buildout Trouble
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Hard Fork:
Australia Kicks Kids Off Social Media + Is the A.I. Water Issue Fake? + Hard Fork Wrapped
The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
Access:
Why the next AI frontier is phone calls, with Beside CEO Maxime Germain
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Great Chat:
So what happens after AGI?
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
Lachlan Cartwright Started in Tabloids. Now He's a Must-Read Media Gossip.
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 6:10 PM ET, December 20, 2023.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Tim Hardwick / MacRumors:
Sopan Deb / New York Times:
Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch:

Earlier Picks

Sarah Zheng / Bloomberg:
Leah Nylen / Bloomberg:
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer: