Linda Yaccarino took the reins as Twitter’s new CEO earlier than expected on Monday — and hired a former colleague at NBCUniversal as she scrambles to prop up ad revenue that has reportedly plunged 59% this year. Yaccarino took the reins from billionaire Elon Musk as Twitter’s boss about three weeks earlier than expected, and is already building out her …
Read More »Bronx mom uses AI app Replika to build virtual ‘husband’
Eren Kartal seems too good to be true — the blue-eyed heartthrob is ambitious, manicured, loyal, and best of all, he doesn’t come with “baggage.” But here’s the catch: Kartal doesn’t exist. In fact, he’s a virtual boyfriend created with the AI chatbot software Replika. Those willing to drop $300 could have their own build-a-beau, just like Rosanna Ramos, Kartal’s “wife.” …
Read More »Robot dog causes stir in Midtown
This robot dog isn’t into the ruff stuff. Bunny, an 85-pound purebred from Boston Dynamics, hit midtown Manhattan on a visit with her owner Agnieszka Pilat this week — and she came in peace. “I signed a pledge with some other robotics companies that you cannot use them for offensive, only defensive. So, for example, mounting a gun on the …
Read More »European Space Agency’s first-ever Mars livestream interrupted by rain
A European spacecraft’s historic first-of-its-kind livestream from the red planet was constantly interrupted by rain — from Earth. The European Space Agency broadcast the livestream of stunning views of Earth’s next-door neighbor from the Mars Express to commemorate the spacecraft’s 20th anniversary. It was launched by a Russian rocket in Kazakhstan in 2003. It took about 17 minutes for each …
Read More »AI blamed for 3,900 people losing their jobs in May: report
Nearly 4,000 Americans lost their jobs in May because they were replaced by artificial intelligence — the first time that AI has been blamed for workers being unemployed, according to a report. More than 80,000 jobs were cut in May, according to the analytics firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, which cited market and economic conditions as well as mergers and …
Read More »Twitter’s executive A.J. Brown to leave
Twitter’s head of brand safety and ad quality, A.J. Brown, has decided to leave the company, according to a source familiar with the matter on Friday, the second safety leader to depart in a matter of days. The latest departure adds to a growing challenge for new Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino, even before she steps into the role. On Thursday, …
Read More »Robots could go full ‘Terminator’ after scientists create realistic, self-healing skin
Robots could soon be cloaked in human-like synthetic skin, similar to the cyborg assassin of the “Terminator” movie franchise, after Stanford University researchers developed an ultra-realistic, self-healing material. Researchers have been studying and developing convincing skin materials for robots for years, with Stanford professor Zhenan Bao touting the first multi-layer self-healing synthetic electronic skin back in 2012. More than a decade …
Read More »Amazon in talks to offer mobile services to Prime members
Amazon is in talks with several telecom providers to offer low-cost or possibly free mobile phone service to US Prime subscribers, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The e-commerce giant is engaged with Verizon Communications, T-Mobile US and Dish Network, and looking to offer wireless plans for $10 a month or lower to Prime members, according to the …
Read More »Meta orders workers back to office 3 days per week after layoffs
Facebook parent Meta is ordering most of its employees to work on site at least three days per week beginning this fall — the latest move in Mark Zuckerberg’s ongoing “year of efficiency” at the tech giant that has slashed 21,000 jobs. The change will take effect on Sept. 5 and will only apply to hybrid employees who are assigned …
Read More »Male guards at Elizabeth Holmes’ prison leered at women inmates in shower: ex-prisoner
The women’s-only Texas prison that disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes will call home for the next decade used male guards to conduct “shower checks” and has faced a half-dozen sexual misconduct allegations in the past year, according to a former inmate at the federal minimum-security lockup and official records. Lynn Espejo, who spent nearly two years at Bryan Federal Prison …
Read More »