OpenAI CEO considers opening office as Japan govt eyes adoption

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman said on Monday he is considering opening an office and expanding services in Japan after a meeting with Japan's prime minister. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Altman exchanged views on the technological progress and merits of AI as well as its risks including privacy and copyright infringement, chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said. https://ift.tt/uYZQNxR

Amazon Prime Gaming content announced for April: Details

https://ift.tt/9VUDF5J

Google Chrome gets support for WebGPU: What it means for users

Google has added support for WebGPU in the latest beta for Chrome. The coming version of the browser, Chrome 113, will have WebGPU activated as a default API, allowing web applications to use the PC's graphics card to its full potential. According to Google, the first release of WebGPU will be compatible with ChromeOS, macOS, and Windows. https://ift.tt/PZLcKvx

Raspberry Pi launches the browser-based Raspberry Pi Code Editor in beta, initially supporting Python, aiming to help young people learn to code (Avram Piltch/Tom's Hardware)

Avram Piltch / Tom's Hardware:
Raspberry Pi launches the browser-based Raspberry Pi Code Editor in beta, initially supporting Python, aiming to help young people learn to code  —  New editor is integrated with Python lessons.  —  When we think about Raspberry Pi, we normally picture single-board computers …

Apple's Mac shipments fell 40.5% YoY globally in Q1 2023, the largest drop among PC makers, as combined PC shipments fell 29% YoY to 56.9M units (IDC)

IDC:
Apple's Mac shipments fell 40.5% YoY globally in Q1 2023, the largest drop among PC makers, as combined PC shipments fell 29% YoY to 56.9M units  —  Weak demand, excess inventory, and a worsening macroeconomic climate were all contributing factors for the precipitous drop in shipments …

WhatsApp may soon allow iPhone users to share status updates on Facebook Stories

Meta-owned instant messaging service WhatsApp is reportedly working on an optional feature that will allow users to sync their status updates with Facebook Stories while staying in the app. Users can control sharing automatic updates, and the feature is expected to arrive in a future update of the app. WhatsApp is currently developing this feature. https://ift.tt/6Nyog3e

Google to shut Nest Secure, Dropcam in 2024

Google has said that it will end the support for the Nest Secure and the Dropcam home security system starting April 8, 2024. Until that date, all current features will remain available and users can continue using their Nest Secure and Dropcam as they do now. "All features will remain available until April 8, 2024. Dropcam will no longer work after that date, and you will no longer be able to use your Nest app to check status," Google said in a blogpost. https://ift.tt/VGcZg04

Japan to add $2.3 billion subsidy to Rapidus for Chitose chip plant: Media

Japan's industry ministry is finalising a plan to provide state-backed chip maker Rapidus an additional 300 billion yen ($2.27 billion) in funding to build a semiconductor plant in the northern island of Hokkaido, a local paper reported on Saturday. Rapidus, which in February picked Chitose, near Sapporo, as the site for a cutting-edge two-nanometre chip factory, previously secured an initial 70 billion yen funding from the government. https://ift.tt/CX40Fd9

As Congress weighs regulating AI, consumer advocates and the tech industry converge on Washington, DC to influence US lawmakers, most of whom lack AI expertise (Cat Zakrzewski/Washington Post)

Cat Zakrzewski / Washington Post:
As Congress weighs regulating AI, consumer advocates and the tech industry converge on Washington, DC to influence US lawmakers, most of whom lack AI expertise  —  After years of inaction on Big Tech — and the explosive success of ChatGPT — lawmakers aim to avoid similar mistakes with artificial intelligence

In a reversal, Twitter lets users like and retweet Substack links, but searches including "Substack" still return results for just "newsletter" instead (Igor Bonifacic/Engadget)

Igor Bonifacic / Engadget:
In a reversal, Twitter lets users like and retweet Substack links, but searches including “Substack” still return results for just “newsletter” instead  —  In a reversal of a limitation the platform put in place earlier in the week, Twitter is once again allowing users to interact with Substack links freely.

A study based on the patent-filing history of 760K+ US inventors finds they produce fewer innovations after joining big firms vs. inventors hired by young firms (Christopher Mims/Wall Street Journal)

Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal:
A study based on the patent-filing history of 760K+ US inventors finds they produce fewer innovations after joining big firms vs. inventors hired by young firms  —  Big companies are hiring an ever-larger proportion of America's inventors, who are less productive once they join

Sources: in the past two weeks ~270 US Apple Stores held staff meetings on the risks of unionization, using the state of the Towson store as a cautionary tale (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: in the past two weeks ~270 US Apple Stores held staff meetings on the risks of unionization, using the state of the Towson store as a cautionary tale  —  Apple is continuing its push to keep retail stores from unionizing.  Also: A deep look inside efforts to diversify the company's product …

An ML scientist writes about the extreme strain of working in an AI industry collectively shaken up by ChatGPT, as he oscillates between motivation and burnout (Nathan Lambert/Democratizing Automation)

Nathan Lambert / Democratizing Automation:
An ML scientist writes about the extreme strain of working in an AI industry collectively shaken up by ChatGPT, as he oscillates between motivation and burnout  —  Fear, FOMO, and the scientific exodus driven by ChatGPT  —  Every single person I know working in AI these days …

An interview with Victor Wong, Google's senior director of product management for Privacy Sandbox, about replacing third-party cookies, Apple's ATT, and more (Thomas Germain/Gizmodo)

Thomas Germain / Gizmodo:
An interview with Victor Wong, Google's senior director of product management for Privacy Sandbox, about replacing third-party cookies, Apple's ATT, and more  —  To replace the cookie in Chrome and Android, Google has an offering for the world called “Privacy Sandbox.”  Here's an exclusive peek into how it will work.

Twitter replaces the "state-affiliated media" label on NPR's account with a new label describing the nonprofit media company as "government funded" (Aidan McLaughlin/Mediaite)

Aidan McLaughlin / Mediaite:
Twitter replaces the “state-affiliated media” label on NPR's account with a new label describing the nonprofit media company as “government funded”  —  Twitter removed the “state-affiliated media” label it had affixed on NPR's account this week, replacing …