Latest news with #GOOGL.O
MTV Lebanon
15 hours ago
- Business
- MTV Lebanon
Five EU states to test age verification app to protect children
France, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Greece will test a blueprint for an age verification app to protect children online, the European Commission said on Monday, amid growing global concern about the impact of social media on children's mental health. The setup for the age verification app is built on the same technical specifications as the European Digital Identity Wallet which will be rolled out next year. The five countries can customise the model according to their requirements, integrate into a national app or keep it separately. The EU executive also published guidelines for online platforms to take measures to protect minors as part of their compliance with the bloc's Digital Services Act (DSA). The landmark legislation, which became applicable last year, requires Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google, Meta Platforms (META.O), ByteDance's TikTok and other online companies to do more to tackle illegal and harmful online content. Elon Musk's X, TikTok, Meta's Facebook and Instagram and several adult content websites are currently being investigated by EU regulators on whether they comply with the DSA. EU regulators said the new guidelines would help online platforms to tackle addictive design, cyberbullying, harmful content and unwanted contact from strangers. "Platforms have no excuse to be continuing practices that put children at risk," EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement. The effect of social media on children's mental health has become a growing global concern, with dozens of U.S. states suing Meta, while Australia last year banned social media for children under 16.
Ammon
5 days ago
- Business
- Ammon
OpenAI to release web browser in challenge to Google Chrome
Ammon News - OpenAI is close to releasing an AI-powered web browser that will challenge Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab market-dominating Google Chrome, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The browser is slated to launch in the coming weeks, three of the people said, and aims to use artificial intelligence to fundamentally change how consumers browse the web. It will give OpenAI more direct access to a cornerstone of Google's success: user data. If adopted by the 500 million weekly active users of ChatGPT, OpenAI's browser could put pressure on a key component of rival Google's ad-money spigot. Chrome is an important pillar of Alphabet's ad business, which makes up nearly three-quarters of its revenue, as Chrome provides user information to help Alphabet target ads more effectively and profitably, and also gives Google a way to route search traffic to its own engine by default. OpenAI's browser is designed to keep some user interactions within a ChatGPT-like native chat interface instead of clicking through to websites, two of the sources said. The browser is part of a broader strategy by OpenAI to weave its services across the personal and work lives of consumers, one of the sources said. The sources declined to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Led by entrepreneur Sam Altman, OpenAI upended the tech industry with the launch of its AI chatbot ChatGPT in late 2022. After its initial success, OpenAI has faced stiff competition from rivals including Google and startup Anthropic, and is looking for new areas of growth. In May, OpenAI said it would enter the hardware domain, paying $6.5 billion to buy io, an AI devices startup from Apple's former design chief, Jony Ive. A web browser would allow OpenAI to directly integrate its AI agent products such as Operator into the browsing experience, enabling the browser to carry out tasks on behalf of the user, the people said. The browser's access to a user's web activity would make it the ideal platform for AI "agents" that can take actions on their behalf, like booking reservations or filling out forms, directly within the websites they use. Reuters
USA Today
5 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
OpenAI challenges Google Chrome with new AI-powered web browser
OpenAI is close to releasing an AI-powered web browser that will challenge Alphabet's GOOGL.O market-dominating Google Chrome, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The browser is slated to launch in the coming weeks, three of the people said, and aims to use artificial intelligence to fundamentally change how consumers browse the web. It will give OpenAI more direct access to a cornerstone of Google's success: user data. If adopted by the 400 million weekly active users of ChatGPT, OpenAI's browser could put pressure on a key component of rival Google's ad-money spigot. Chrome is an important pillar of Alphabet's ad business, which makes up nearly three-quarters of its revenue, as Chrome provides user information to help Alphabet target ads more effectively and profitably, and also gives Google a way to route search traffic to its own engine by default. OpenAI's browser is designed to keep some user interactions within a ChatGPT-like native chat interface instead of clicking through to websites, two of the sources said. The browser is part of a broader strategy by OpenAI to weave its services across the personal and work lives of consumers, one of the sources said. OpenAI declined to comment. The sources declined to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Led by entrepreneur Sam Altman, OpenAI upended the tech industry with the launch of its AI chatbot ChatGPT in late 2022. After its initial success, OpenAI has faced stiff competition from rivals including Google and startup Anthropic, and is looking for new areas of growth. In case you missed it: Saying 'please' and 'thank you' to ChatGPT costs millions of dollars, OpenAI's CEO says In May, OpenAI said it would enter the hardware domain, paying $6.5 billion to buy io, an AI devices startup from Apple's AAPL.O former design chief, Jony Ive. A web browser would allow OpenAI to directly integrate its AI agent products such as Operator into the browsing experience, enabling the browser to carry out tasks on behalf of the user, the people said. The browser's access to a user's web activity would make it the ideal platform for AI "agents" that can take actions on their behalf, like booking reservations or filling out forms, directly within the websites they use. Tough competition OpenAI has its work cut out - Google Chrome, which is used by more than 3 billion people, currently holds more than two-thirds of the worldwide browser market, according to web analytics firm StatCounter. Apple's AAPL.O second-place Safari lags far behind with a 16% share. Last month, OpenAI said it had 3 million paying business users for ChatGPT. Other AI startups like The Browser Company and Brave have announced AI-powered browsers capable of performing actions on a user's behalf this year. Perplexity, a well-funded startup known for its search engine, also launched its AI browser, Comet, on Wednesday. Chrome's role in providing user information to help Alphabet target ads more effectively and profitably has proven so successful that the Department of Justice has demanded its divestiture after a U.S. judge last year ruled that the Google parent holds an unlawful monopoly in online search. OpenAI's browser is built atop Chromium, Google's own open-source browser code, two of the sources said. Chromium is the source code for Google Chrome, as well as many competing browsers including Microsoft's MSFT.O Edge and Opera OPRA.O. Last year, OpenAI hired two longtime Google vice presidents who were part of the original team that developed Google Chrome. The Information was first to report their hires and that OpenAI previously considered building a browser. An OpenAI executive testified in April that the company would be interested in buying Chrome if antitrust enforcers succeeded in forcing the sale. Google has not offered Chrome for sale. The company has said it plans to appeal the ruling that it holds a monopoly. OpenAI decided to build its own browser, rather than simply a "plug-in" on top of another company's browser, in order to have more control over the data it can collect, one source said. Reporting by Kenrick Cai and Anna Tong in San Francisco and Krystal Hu in New York; Editing by Stephen Coates and Nick Zieminski
NBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- NBC News
OpenAI to release web browser in challenge to Google Chrome
SAN FRANCISCO, July 9 (Reuters) — OpenAI is close to releasing an AI-powered web browser that will challenge Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab market-dominating Google Chrome, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The browser is slated to launch in the coming weeks, three of the people said, and aims to use artificial intelligence to fundamentally change how consumers browse the web. It will give OpenAI more direct access to a cornerstone of Google's success: user data. If adopted by the 500 million weekly active users of ChatGPT, OpenAI's browser could put pressure on a key component of rival Google's ad-money spigot. Chrome is an important pillar of Alphabet's ad business, which makes up nearly three-quarters of its revenue, as Chrome provides user information to help Alphabet target ads more effectively and profitably, and also gives Google a way to route search traffic to its own engine by default. OpenAI's browser is designed to keep some user interactions within a ChatGPT-like native chat interface instead of clicking through to websites, two of the sources said. The browser is part of a broader strategy by OpenAI to weave its services across the personal and work lives of consumers, one of the sources said. OpenAI declined to sources declined to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the by entrepreneur Sam Altman, OpenAI upended the tech industry with the launch of its AI chatbot ChatGPT in late 2022. After its initial success, OpenAI has faced stiff competition from rivals including Google and startup Anthropic, and is looking for new areas of growth. In May, OpenAI said it would enter the hardware domain, paying $6.5 billion to buy io, an AI devices startup from Apple's former design chief, Jony Ive.A web browser would allow OpenAI to directly integrate its AI agent products such as Operator into the browsing experience, enabling the browser to carry out tasks on behalf of the user, the people said. The browser's access to a user's web activity would make it the ideal platform for AI 'agents' that can take actions on their behalf, like booking reservations or filling out forms, directly within the websites they use. Tough competition Reporting by Kenrick Cai and Anna Tong in San Francisco and Krystal Hu in New York; Editing by Stephen Coates and Nick Zieminski OpenAI has its work cut out — Google Chrome, which is used by more than 3 billion people, currently holds more than two-thirds of the worldwide browser market, according to web analytics firm StatCounter. Apple's second-place Safari lags far behind with a 16% share. Last month, OpenAI said it had 3 million paying business users for ChatGPT. Perplexity, which has a popular AI search engine, launched an AI browser, Comet, on Wednesday, capable of performing actions on a user's behalf. Two other AI startups, The Browser Company and Brave, have released AI-powered browsers capable of browsing and summarizing the internet. Chrome's role in providing user information to help Alphabet target ads more effectively and profitably has proven so successful that the Department of Justice has demanded its divestiture after a U.S. judge last year ruled that the Google parent holds an unlawful monopoly in online search. OpenAI's browser is built atop Chromium, Google's own open-source browser code, two of the sources said. Chromium is the source code for Google Chrome, as well as many competing browsers including Microsoft's Edge and Opera. Last year, OpenAI hired two longtime Google vice presidents who were part of the original team that developed Google Chrome. The Information was first to report their hires and that OpenAI previously considered building a browser. An OpenAI executive testified in April that the company would be interested in buying Chrome if antitrust enforcers succeeded in forcing the has not offered Chrome for sale. The company has said it plans to appeal the ruling that it holds a monopoly. OpenAI decided to build its own browser, rather than simply a 'plug-in' on top of another company's browser, in order to have more control over the data it can collect, one source said.
GMA Network
01-07-2025
- Science
- GMA Network
Bezos-backed methane tracking satellite is lost in space
WASHINGTON —An $88 million satellite backed by billionaire Jeff Bezos that detected oil and gas industry emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane has been lost in space, the group that operates said on Tuesday. MethaneSAT had been collecting emissions data and images from drilling sites, pipelines, and processing facilities around the world since March, but went off course around 10 days ago, the Environmental Defense Fund, which led the initiative, said. Its last known location was over Svalbard in Norway and EDF said it did not expect it to be recovered as it had lost power. "We're seeing this as a setback, not a failure," Amy Middleton, senior vice president at EDF, told Reuters. "We've made so much progress and so much has been learned that if we hadn't taken this risk, we wouldn't have any of these learnings." The launch of MethaneSAT in March 2024 was a milestone in a years-long campaign by EDF to hold accountable the more than 120 countries that in 2021 pledged to curb their methane emissions. It also sought to help enforce a further promise from 50 oil and gas companies made at the Dubai COP28 climate summit in December 2023 to eliminate methane and routine gas flaring. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Scientists say capping leaks from oil and gas wells and equipment is therefore one of the fastest ways to start tackling the problem of global warming. While MethaneSAT was not the only project to publish satellite data on methane emissions, its backers said it provided more detail on emissions sources and it partnered with Google to GOOGL.O to create a publicly-available global map of emissions. Engineers investigating EDF reported the lost satellite to federal agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Space Force on Tuesday, it said. Building and launching the satellite cost $88 million, according to the EDF. The organization had received a $100 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund in 2020 and got other major financial support from Arnold Ventures, the Robertson Foundation and the TED Audacious Project and EDF donors. The project was also partnered with the New Zealand Space Agency. EDF said it had insurance to cover the loss and its engineers were investigating what had happened. The organization said it would continue to use its resources, including aircraft with methane-detecting spectrometers, to look for methane leaks. It also said it was too early to say whether it would seek to launch another satellite but believed MethaneSAT proved that a highly sensitive instrument "could see total methane emissions, even at low levels, over wide areas." Despite the efforts to increase transparency on emissions, methane "super-emitters" have rarely taken action when alerted that they are leaking methane, the United Nations said in a report last year. The pressure on them to do has decreased as the United States under President Donald Trump's second administration has effectively ended a U.S. program to collect greenhouse gas data from major polluters and rescinded Biden-era rules aimed at curbing methane.—Reuters
