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1. EU agrees on landmark AI regulation, targeting ChatGPT and Bard

After 40 hours of negotiations, the European Parliament, EU member states, and the European Commission reached an agreement on a draft regulation for artificial intelligence (AI). The regulation aims to regulate AI comprehensively, providing better conditions for the development and use of the technology, and imposing a series of controls on generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Bard.

The regulation allows for real-time facial scanning, but with safeguards and exemptions, and prohibits biometric scanning based on sensitive characteristics such as political or religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or race. The draft regulation still needs to be formally approved by EU member states and the parliament, and is expected to come into force early next year, with full implementation two years later.

Commentary:

This regulation is a major innovation and regulation in the field of AI. The controls on generative AI tools are likely to have an impact on platforms such as ChatGPT and Bard, potentially limiting their use and expansion in the European market.

2.OpenAI chief scientist in awkward position, Musk: "Come work for me"

OpenAI chief scientist and co-founder Ilya Sutskever is currently in an awkward position. Last month, he voted to fire CEO Sam Altman, but Altman was reinstated five days later with the strong support of employees and investors. A recent report suggests that Sutskever is currently in a state of "confusion" and has become "invisible" at OpenAI. Sutskever has not been seen at OpenAI's San Francisco office in over a week since Altman's return. Elon Musk publicly invited him to join Tesla or his AI company xAI.

Commentary:

OpenAI's internal turmoil reflects the agency's dilemma in balancing the pursuit of AI research and commercialization. Musk's invitation could be a sign of support and comfort for Sutskever, or it could be a form of poaching and exploitation, aimed at luring Sutskever to his AI venture.

3. Apple plans to introduce more advanced components to widen gap between iPad Pro and iPad Air

According to tech journalist Mark Gurman, Apple is looking to widen the gap between OLED iPad Pro and iPad Air with a new design, upgraded internals, and great accessories. Gurman believes that the current iPad Air design is almost identical to the iPad Pro. Additionally, the smaller 11-inch iPad Pro model also uses an LCD display similar to the Air, with one of the most important differentiating elements between the two being the 120Hz ProMotion display. However, that will soon change with the introduction of the OLED iPad Pro. The OLED iPad Pro is expected to launch in March 2024 and will offer upgraded features.

Commentary:

This move will also strengthen Apple's competitive advantage in the tablet market, creating a larger gap with rivals such as Samsung.

4. X reportedly in talks to partner with Amazon: Small businesses to become target customers for ad business

X Platform is reportedly in talks with online shopping giant Amazon to integrate X Platform's ads into Amazon's ad-buying software. This would allow Amazon's small businesses or enterprises to directly purchase X advertising services and display their products on X. The partnership is still in the early stages of discussion and could still fail. X and Amazon have not commented on the matter. If the deal is finalized, a large number of small businesses will flock to the X platform, becoming a key driving force for X's advertising business.

Commentary:

The partnership between X and Amazon is a win-win strategy that will bring X more advertising revenue and user traffic, while also providing Amazon with more advertising channels and services.

5. Astronomers unveil mystery of Magellanic stream stars after nearly 50 years of searching

Astronomers have recently unveiled a half-century-old scientific mystery, identifying the stars associated with a cosmic gas stream emitted by a pair of neighboring galaxies. For nearly five decades, astronomers had been unable to find stars in the Magellanic Stream. The Magellanic Stream is a giant gas plume that stretches across the southern sky for nearly 300 lunar visual diameters, trailing behind the Magellanic Cloud galaxies, which are the two nearest cosmic neighbors to the Milky Way. Researchers from Harvard University and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Center have identified the location of 13 stars. The positioning of these stars has determined the true distance of the Magellanic Stream, revealing that it extends from 150,000 light-years to over 400,000 light-years.