Florida jury throws huge fine at Tesla in Autopilot crash
Plaintiffs argued that the company massively oversold the assisted-driving capabilities of its cars
After two weeks of testimony, a Florida jury has found Tesla partially responsible for the death of one person and causing serious injuries to another in a crash where the driver was using the company's much-touted Autopilot system.…
Atlassian Terminates 150 Staff With Pre-Recorded Video
Atlassian laid off 150 employees via a pre-recorded video. "While not specifically outlined, the affected staff seem to be from the company's European operations, with The Australian saying that Cannon-Brooke's overshared that it would be difficult to axe its European staff due to contract arrangements, but that the company had already begun moving in that direction," reports CyberDaily. While the company claims the cuts weren't directly caused by AI, it has simultaneously rolled out AI-enhanced customer service tools and emphasized automation as a key part of its digital transformation strategy. From the report: Atlassian CEO and co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes sent the video titled "Restructuring the CSS Team: A Difficult Decision for Our Future" to staff on Wednesday morning (30 July), informing them that 150 staff had been made redundant. The video reportedly did not make it seem that the decision was difficult, but rather said it would allow its staff "to say goodbye." The video itself did not announce who was leaving, but it told employees they would have to wait 15 minutes for an email about their employment. Those who were terminated had their laptops blocked immediately. They reportedly will receive six months' pay.
"AI is going to change Australia," [said former co-CEO and co-founder Scott Farquhar]. "Every person should be using AI daily for as many things as they can. Like any new technology, it will feel awkward to start with, but every business person, every business leader, every government leader, and every bureaucrat should be using it." He also said that governments should be implementing AI more broadly. [...] Commenting on the termination, Farquhar said the mass termination was due to the customer service team no longer being needed in the same capacity, as larger clients required less complex support following a move to the cloud.
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Inside millionaire neighborhood tearing itself apart after American Idol exec was murdered: Illegal parties, naked women and gunfire
Robin Kaye and her husband were tormented by 'illegal' wild parties next to their mansion in the years prior to their horrific murders, according to friends of the tragic couple.
How to profit from the cheap investment trusts that are bouncing back
The failure by Wall Street hotshot Boaz Weinstein to acquire seven investment trusts cheaply this year is sparking a rebound of the sector.
Love Island fans in shock as fan favourite couple are DUMPED in brutal eviction - before return of ex-Islanders is teased in dramatic twist
The couple became the latest Islanders to get axed just days ahead of the final on Monday as the final days in the villa get well and truly underway.
Love Island fans shocked over 'pathetic' budget in-villa final dates as lavish experiences are scrapped for second year: 'Are ITV broke?'
Love Island fans have been left shocked over the budget in-villa dates experienced by the islanders during Friday's show, branding them 'pathetic'.
And Just Like That... it's over! Woke Sex and The City reboot to END after three seasons amid fan backlash
Controversial Sex and The City reboot And Just Like That... will end after three seasons, following years of fan backlash.
Major James Bond update as creator of huge BBC series is confirmed to write the latest 007 film as they claim it's a 'bucket list' job
The creator of a huge BBC series has been confirmed to write the latest James Bond film, it's been revealed.
Amazon CEO Wants To Put Ads In Your Alexa+ Conversations
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy sees an opportunity to deliver ads to users during their conversations with the company's AI-powered digital assistant, Alexa+, he said during Amazon's second-quarter earnings call Thursday. "People are excited about the devices that they can buy from us that has Alexa+ enabled in it. People do a lot of shopping [with Alexa+]; it's a delightful shopping experience that will keep getting better," said Jassy on the call with investors and Wall Street analysts. "I think over time, there will be opportunities, as people are engaging in more multi-turn conversations, to have advertising play a role to help people find discovery, and also as a lever to drive revenue."
[...] Amazon has made Alexa+ free for Prime customers (who pay $14.99 a month) and added a $20-a-month subscription tier for Alexa+ on its own. Jassy suggested on Thursday that Alexa+ could eventually include subscription tiers beyond what's available today -- perhaps an ad-free tier. Up until now, ads have only appeared in Alexa in limited ways. Users may occasionally see a visual ad on Amazon's smart display device, the Echo Show, or hear a pre-recorded ad in between songs on one of Alexa's smart speakers. But Jassy's description of an AI-generated ad that Alexa+ delivers in a multistep conversation, which could help users find new products, is uncharted territory for Amazon and the broader tech industry. Marketers have expressed interest in advertising in AI chatbots, and specifically Alexa+, but exactly how remains unclear. [...] Jassy is betting that users will talk to Alexa+ more than Alexa, which could drive more advertising and more shopping on Amazon.com. However, early reviews of Alexa+ have been mixed. Amazon has reportedly struggled to ship some of Alexa+'s more complicated features, and the rollout has been slower than many expected.
There's a lot to figure out before Amazon puts ads in Alexa+. Like most AI models, Alexa+ is not immune to hallucinations. Before advertisers agree to make Alexa+ a spokesperson for their products, Amazon may have to come up with some ways to ensure that its AI will not offer false advertising for a product. Jassy seems enthusiastic about making advertising a larger part of Amazon business. Amazon's advertising revenue went up 22% in the second quarter, compared to the same period last year. Delivering ads in AI chatbot conversations may also raise privacy concerns. People tend to talk more with AI chatbots compared to deterministic assistants, like the traditional Alexa and Siri products. As a result, generative AI chatbots tend to collect more information on users. Some users might be unsettled by having that information sold to advertisers and having ads appear in their natural language conversations with AI.
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Pregnant Pixie Lott shows off her growing baby bump in a sophisticated suit as she takes to the stage at Kendal Calling 2025
The singer, 34, who recently announced she was expecting her second child with husband Oliver Cheshire , happily showed off her growing bump in a grey two-piece.
Delta plane crash was caused by UNDERQUALIFIED pilot being allowed to fly jet, flight attendant claims
Vanessa Miles, 67, claimed she suffered severe injuries when a Delta plane crash-landed in Toronto and flipped upside down on February 17.
Trump deploys two nuclear submarines near Russia after 'foolish and inflammatory' taunts in major escalation
Trump announced that he had ordered the deployment of a pair of U.S. nuclear submarines angry exchanges with a top Russian official over his deadline to end Russia's war in Ukraine.
India To Penalize Universities With Too Many Retractions
India's national university ranking will start penalizing institutions if a sizable number of papers published by their researchers are retracted -- a first for an institutional ranking system. Nature: The move is an attempt by the government to address the country's growing number of retractions due to misconduct. Many retractions correct honest mistakes in the literature, but others arise because of misconduct.
India has had more papers retracted than any country apart from China and the United States, according to an analysis of the public database maintained by Retraction Watch of retractions over the past three decades. But whereas less than 1 paper is retracted for every 1,000 papers published in the United States, more than 3 are retracted for every 1,000 published in China, and the figure is 2 per 1,000 in India. The majority in India and China are withdrawn because of misconduct or research-integrity concerns.
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Exact date 'alien probe' is set to arrive at Earth as chilling warning is issued
A scientist has warned that if the mysterious interstellar object in our solar system is actually an alien probe, it may be carrying a weapon designed to attack Earth.
Rampant emoji use suggests crypto-stealing NPM package was written by AI
Kodane code was either machine-generated or done by a teenager
An NPM package packed with cryptocurrency-stealing malware appears to have been largely AI-generated, as evidenced by its liberal use of emojis and other telltale signs.…
Watch shares plummet as tariffs hurt Switzerland
The stock fell 6.8 per cent, or 23.8p, to 326.8p, deepening the gloom around the luxury industry.
Donald Trump hits out at Federal Reserve as US jobs fall
The world's largest economy added just 73,000 jobs in July - fewer than the 110,000 expected - reviving hopes of a September interest rate cut.
Euronext eyes Stock Exchange bid amid deals frenzy
Euronext operates across Europe and recently offered to buy Athens Stock Exchange for £360m.
Ark of the Covenant mystery blown wide open as 'biblical relic' is discovered
Archaeologists have made a breakthrough in the hunt for the Ark of the Covenant, which vanished from the biblical record before the Babylonian sack of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
Google Has Just Two Weeks To Begin Cracking Open Android, It Admits in Emergency Filing
An anonymous reader shares a report: Yesterday, when Epic won its Google antitrust lawsuit for a second time, it wasn't quite clear how soon Google would need to start dismantling its affirmed illegal monopoly.
Today, Google admits the answer is: 14 days. Google has just 14 days to enact major changes to its Google Play app store, and the way it does business with phonemakers, cellular carriers, and app developers, unless it wins an emergency stay (pause) from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals as it continues to appeal. It must stop forcing apps to use Google Play Billing, allow app developers to freely steer their users to other platforms, and limit the perks it can offer in exchange for preinstalled apps, among other changes.
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