Techmeme
February 7, 2023, 8:40 PM

Top News

James Vincent / The Verge:
Microsoft unveils an updated Bing search engine and Edge browser powered by a next-gen custom OpenAI LLM, calling the duo an “AI-powered co-pilot for the web”  —  Microsoft has announced a new version of its search engine Bing, powered by an upgraded version of the same AI technology that underpins chatbot ChatGPT.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
A recap of Microsoft's event, where the company detailed the new Bing and Edge powered by OpenAI's next-gen model, AI progress, OpenAI partnership, and more  —  Microsoft is holding a surprise event at its Redmond headquarters today, where it's expected to focus on its OpenAI partnership and introduce a version of Bing with ChatGPT.
Joanna Stern / Wall Street Journal:
Hands-on with the new AI-powered Bing, which, when asked for the 2023 Grammys winners, made a list with citations in a minute; search will never be the same  —  Our columnist got an early look at the software's new ChatGPT-like powers  —  Bing with AI: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Why Search Is Changed Forever
Todd Bishop / GeekWire:
Microsoft rolls out the “new Bing”, which uses a next-gen OpenAI large language model and Microsoft's new Prometheus Model, in “limited preview” at bing.com/new  —  REDMOND, Wash. — Microsoft unveiled new versions of its Bing search engine and Edge web browser …
Ashley Capoot / CNBC:
Zoom plans to cut ~1,300 staff, or ~15% of its workforce, offering US employees up to 16 weeks severance, including salary, health care, and bonus; ZM jumps 5%+  —  - Zoom on Tuesday announced plans to cut about 1,300 workers, or 15% of its workforce, according to a blog post shared to the company's website.
Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:
Google plans to blur explicit images in search results by default “in the coming months” but let signed-in users over 18 turn off the new online safety feature  —  Google is introducing a new online safety feature to help users avoid inadvertently seeing graphically violent …
Bloomberg:
Sources: Meta asks many of its managers and directors to transition to individual contributor jobs or leave the company, “flattening” the organization  —  Meta Platforms Inc. is asking many of its managers and directors to transition to individual contributor jobs or leave …
New York Times:
Long an AI leader, Meta has been cautious with chatbots, closing Galactica in November over toxic content and misinformation, letting OpenAI take center stage  —  It has long had technology to rival chatbots like ChatGPT, but can't afford to back artificial intelligence that can spread misinformation and toxic content.
Joseph Cox / VICE:
Voice actors are increasingly being asked to sign away rights to their voices so clients can make synthetic AI versions that may eventually replace them  —  Motherboard spoke to multiple voice actors and advocacy organizations, some of which said contracts including language around synthetic voices are now very prevalent.
Reuters:
Former Coinbase manager Ishan Wahi pleads guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud after his brother Nikhil was sentenced to 10 months in January  —  A former Coinbase Global Inc (COIN.O) product manager pleaded guilty on Tuesday in what U.S. prosecutors have called …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Qustodio: kids aged 4 to 18 used TikTok for 107 minutes per day on average in 2022, up from 82 minutes in 2020, and 60% longer than YouTube's 67 minutes per day  —  For another year in a row, TikTok has found itself as the social app kids and teens are spending the most time using throughout the day, even outpacing YouTube.
More: Qustodio and Qustodio
Salvador Rodriguez / Wall Street Journal:
Memo: Meta is revamping Horizon Worlds and plans to open the app to users aged 13 to 17, seeking to improve user retention as metaverse competition intensifies  —  Memo highlights Facebook parent's plan to revitalize service amid user-retention issues  —  Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc …
Amanda Hoover / Wired:
Mastodon reports having ~1.4M MAUs, after climbing from ~380K in October 2022 to over 2.5M in November, as many newcomers complain the service is hard to use  —  Active users have fallen by more than 1 million since the exodus from Elon Musk's Twitter, suggesting the decentralized platform is not a direct replacement.

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