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Showing posts from September, 2024

OpenAI's mission to develop AI that 'benefits all of humanity' is at risk as investors flood the company with cash

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OpenAI is at risk of straying from its lofty mission. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images OpenAI may be planning a corporate restructuring within the year. Once a nonprofit that "benefits all of humanity," OpenAI shifted to a "capped-profit" model in 2019. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is now considering lifting that cap, prioritizing investors over humanity. Sam Altman founded OpenAI in 2015 with a lofty mission: to develop artificial general intelligence that "benefits all of humanity." He chose to be a nonprofit to support that mission. But as the company gets closer to developing artificial general intelligence, a still mostly theoretical version of AI that can reason as well as humans, and the money from excited investors pours in, some are worried Altman is losing sight of the "benefits all of humanity" part of the goal. It's been a gradual but perhaps inevitable shift. OpenAI announced in 2019 that it was adding a for-profit arm — to h

The Port of Seattle says the Rhysida ransomware operation was behind an August 24 cyberattack and that it appears "some Port data was obtained by the actor" (Sergiu Gatlan/BleepingComputer)

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Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer : The Port of Seattle says the Rhysida ransomware operation was behind an August 24 cyberattack and that it appears “some Port data was obtained by the actor”   —  Port of Seattle, the United States government agency overseeing Seattle's seaport and airport, confirmed on Friday … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/XK5Td03

JD Vance repeats claims about Haitian immigrants in Ohio, says he has to 'create stories' to get media's attention

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Sen. JD Vance. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images JD Vance repeated claims that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating pets during an interview on CNN. Vance said he had to "create stories" to get the media's attention. City officials in Springfield debunked the claims during a press conference. Sen. JD Vance on Sunday again claimed that Haitian immigrants were eating local pets in Springfield, Ohio. The state's Republican governor said the claim was "garbage." The Ohio Republican and vice-presidential candidate repeated the assertion during an interview with CNN's Dana Bash, just days after former President Donald Trump amplified it nationally during a televised presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. Vance said the claims were based on "firsthand accounts from my constituents" and that American media had ignored his attempts to discuss the "problems in Springfield for months." "The American media totally

The FAA has hit 'unruly' flyers with $20 million in fines since the pandemic — a huge increase compared to pre-2020

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The FAA has issued millions of dollars in fines against "unruly passengers" since 2020. J. David Ake/Getty Images The FAA has fined 'unruly passengers' over $20 million since 2020. The number of passengers misbehaving on airlines spiked during the height of the pandemic. The FAA told Business Insider it has a "zero-tolerance policy toward unruly passengers." Misbehaving airline passengers are paying a steep price. Data shared by the Federal Aviation Administration showed that it has fined "unruly passengers" over $20.9 million since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. Air travel in the United States came to a near-total halt in 2020 after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first COVID-19 case that January. That year, the FAA levied $0.6 million in fines against "unruly passengers." That number skyrocketed in 2021 to $5 million. At that time, COVID-19 vaccines had become more accessible, and border

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold teardown: impressive repairability for a foldable, with a modular design that separates high mechanical wear parts like the USB-C port (Shahram Mokhtari/iFixit News)

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Shahram Mokhtari / iFixit News : Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold teardown: impressive repairability for a foldable, with a modular design that separates high mechanical wear parts like the USB-C port   —  The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has come a long way since the first generation Pixel Fold.  That's because unlike other foldable smartphones … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/s7jCOXS

Apple's new iPhone 16 won't have AI when it rolls out, but its new button is getting early users all excited instead

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Early testers have been impressed by the camera control button. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Apple's iPhone 16 will include a new camera control button, which has generated significant buzz. The button allows users to open the Camera app and zoom like a DSLR camera. Apple Intelligence features will roll out later, enhancing the camera control button. Apple's iPhone 16 has been touted as being a new frontier for the company — complete with AI. In fact, Apple Intelligence is being hailed as the feature that will drive iPhone sales over the next year. But while the handset became available for preorder on Friday and will be in users' hands by the end of next week, Apple Intelligence won't actually roll out until October. Sure, that might be kind of a letdown for some. However, the tech reviewers and content creators who descended on Apple Park to be the first to test out the iPhone 16 had something else that caught their eyes: the iPhone 16's new butto

I went to Big Lots and saw why the chain is closing stores and filing for bankruptcy

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The reporter outside of a Big Lots store in Maryland. Alex Bitter/Business Insider Big Lots filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week and is planning hundreds of store closures. Private equity firm Nexus Capital Management plans to acquire the retailer. I visited a Big Lots store in Maryland to see what it's like to shop there. Big Lots is facing some big problems. The discount retail chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday after postponing its earnings report. It's also planning to shutter 295 of its roughly 1,400 stores, according to a filing in Delaware's bankruptcy court. Private equity firm Nexus Capital Management plans to acquire Big Lots for an undisclosed amount after it emerges from bankruptcy, the retailer said on Monday. Nexus already owns several consumer brands, including Dollar Shave Club and shoe brand Toms. Big Lots cited high interest rates and inflation among the factors that have held back its sales in a statement announcing the C

German prosecutors open a sexual harassment probe into SAP CTO Jürgen Müller, after SAP said he'd resign at the end of September due to "inappropriate" behavior (Bloomberg)

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Bloomberg : German prosecutors open a sexual harassment probe into SAP CTO Jürgen Müller, after SAP said he'd resign at the end of September due to “inappropriate” behavior   —  - Müller to step down this month due to ‘inappropriate’ behavior  — SAP says it will fully cooperate with the investigation from Techmeme https://ift.tt/9DMJht1

Filing: 23andMe will pay $30M to settle a lawsuit for failing to protect the privacy of 6.9M customers whose personal info was exposed in a 2023 data breach (Jonathan Stempel/Reuters)

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Jonathan Stempel / Reuters : Filing: 23andMe will pay $30M to settle a lawsuit for failing to protect the privacy of 6.9M customers whose personal info was exposed in a 2023 data breach   —  23andMe (ME.O) will pay $30 million and provide three years of security monitoring to settle a lawsuit accusing the genetics testing company … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/pxYaP5v

The 6 best coffee grinders to get cafe-quality brews

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When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more We tested burr and blade grinders to find the best coffee grinders for every brew. Baratza's Encore; Baratza's Sette 270; OXO's Conical Burr; Gilbert Espinoza/Business Insider Brewing coffee is a scientific process, and the more consistent your variables are, the closer you'll get to achieving your perfect cup day in, day out. Besides using the best coffee maker and fresh beans, the next key element is one of the best coffee grinders. Burr grinders are pricier with more uniform results, while blade grinders are cheaper and easier to use.  We've been testing coffee grinders for years to find the best ones out there. Our top pick is the Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder because it's easy for beginners to use even with 40 settings and grinds coffee consistently and quietly. The best budget coffee grinder we tested is the OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinde