EU AI LAW
With concerns about misinformation spreading online, European Union officials want to more closely regulate artificial intelligence, and they're asking the world's biggest tech companies for help. In mid-May, the EU passed a law that would regulate how companies create and train their artificial intelligence tools, but those laws won't go into effect for years. In the meantime, officials are asking companies like Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft to immediately begin labeling all AI-generated content, and for services that already incorporate AI, like Google's Bard, to safeguard against "malicious actors" who could attempt to spread harmful or false information.
MICROSOFT OUTAGES
Thousands of users on Monday reported not being able to access their emails through Microsoft Outlook on both the web and Outlook app. Other Microsoft 365 services, such as Teams, SharePoint, and One Drive, were also affected. By mid-afternoon on the East Coast, Microsoft confirmed on its customer service Twitter account that the issue should be resolved. The company did not explain what was behind the outage.
If you lived in a big city in the 90s, you're probably one of the unlucky people who was kept up at night on a regular basis by errant car alarms. But today, those in that same big city hear alarms far less often than you did. So where did car alarms go? How have they evolved, and did we ever need them to begin with?
The online used-car marketplace, Vroom, began trading on Nasdaq on Tuesday, doubling its IPO price.
The skyline of Washington D.C. is stunted. You've probably heard that D.C. can't build skyscrapers taller than the U.S. Capital Building or the Washington Monument. But those are both myths from a bygone era. Cheddar tells the real story.
IBM says it is getting out of the facial recognition business over concern about how it can be used for mass surveillance and racial profiling.
Contactless payments company Square has seen its clients forced to adapt to social distancing and stay-at-home orders with new technology.
Nikola motors goes public after developing zero emissions hydrogen and battery electric powered semi-trucks. A fleet of Nikola trucks are set to be manufactured in 2021 out of Germany.
Facebook employees are using Twitter to register their frustration over CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to leave up posts by President Donald Trump that suggested protesters in Minneapolis could be shot.
A growing number of writers, performers, musicians, and podcasters who have turned to fan-direct services such as Patreon, Substack, and OnlyFans to make a living. This trend has only been amplified under quarantine, as media consumption has increased dramatically worldwide.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Autotune was a staple in pop hits throughout the 2000s. T-Pain, Nelly, Daft Punk, and almost every major pop artist embraced the technology. But most of these famous tunes were actually using Autotune incorrectly. So who started this trend and how did something so despised become so popular?
