Author: arthursheikin@gmail.com

[ad_1] At the center of every empire is an ideology, a belief system that propels the system forward and justifies expansion – even if the cost of that expansion directly defies the ideology’s stated mission. For European colonial powers, it was Christianity and the promise of saving souls while extracting resources. For today’s AI empire, it’s artificial general intelligence to “benefit all humanity.” And OpenAI is its chief evangelist, spreading zeal across the industry in a way that has reframed how AI is built.  “I was interviewing people whose voices were shaking from the fervor of their beliefs in AGI,”…

[ad_1] Google faces a new lawsuit accusing the company of illegally using news publishers’ content to create AI summaries that damage their business. The lawsuit comes from Penske Media Corporation (PMC), which owns industry publications such as Rolling Stone, Billboard, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Vibe, and Artforum. While Penske’s suit is the first to target Google and its parent company Alphabet over showing AI-generated summaries in search, both publishers and authors have sued other AI companies over related copyright concerns. “As a leading global publisher, we have a duty to protect PMC’s best-in-class journalists and award-winning journalism as a source…

[ad_1] Like so many others, I moved to New York City chasing success, reinvention, and the fantasy of living in a Nora Ephron movie.But after the 2024 election and the rise of anti-Latino sentiment, I felt lost as a woman of Hispanic descent. Suddenly, the US didn’t quite feel like home — beyond that, life in New York was becoming unbearably expensive.Even as DINKs with decent incomes, my fiancé and I still felt the financial strain of living in a high-cost-of-living city that was only getting pricier.Then, while doom-scrolling one night, I came across a video of a couple who…

[ad_1] How much do foundation models matter? It might seem like a silly question, but it’s come up a lot in my conversations with AI startups, which are increasingly comfortable with businesses that used to be dismissed as “GPT wrappers,” or companies that build interfaces on top of existing AI models like ChatGPT. These days, startup teams are focused on customizing AI models for specific tasks and interface work, and see the foundation model as a commodity that can be swapped in and out as necessary. That approach was on display especially at last week’s Boxworks conference, which seemed devoted…

[ad_1] Jaque Silva | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesThe latest earnings season has addressed investors’ concerns about the artificial intelligence boom, thanks to the robust growth outlook and capital spending projections of many tech companies.Investors seeking exposure to companies that are well-positioned to capture AI-led growth can track the recommendations of top Wall Street analysts, who can help pick the stocks that can deliver attractive returns over the long term.Here are three stocks favored by the Street’s top pros, according to TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on past performance.BroadcomSemiconductor company Broadcom (AVGO) reported impressive fiscal third-quarter results and issued solid guidance,…

[ad_1] UBS has narrowed down its Chinese artificial intelligence plays to two leading companies. With several mainland companies having had a chance to monetize generative AI in the past two years, leaders and laggards are now emerging. “We favor AI-driven and alpha growth names with strong execution,” a team led by the investment bank’s Hong Kong-based strategist Eva Lee wrote in a report earlier this month. “We believe that the sector … has not fully priced in growth prospects yet.” “China’s internet leaders are accelerating AI monetization, backed by domestic chip development and LLM innovation,” the analysts said, referring to…

[ad_1] Remember SPACs? They are showing signs of life again. So far this year, 89 SPACs have launched IPOs, according to data from SPACInsider. That’s the busiest year since 2021, when a record-setting 613 SPACs came to market during the height of the investment craze. SPACs are special purpose acquisition companies , which raise capital in an IPO and use the cash to merge with a private company and take it public, usually within two years. The latest resurgence comes after a sharp, two-year slowdown as regulatory scrutiny , disappointing post-merger performance and rising interest rates dampened investor appetite. Many…

[ad_1] Skepticism is mounting about the viability of Oracle’s multiyear deal with OpenAI, a company that has yet to report a profit. Oracle’s stunning results on Tuesday inspired confidence from the market about the longer term viability of AI demand. Oracle shares ripped 36% higher on Wednesday for its best day since 1992 . But doubts are growing about the growth forecast given its customer concentration and its high leverage. Oracle said it has $455 billion in remaining performance obligations, or RPO, up 359% from a year earlier. However, the bulk of this tally is tied to just one customer:…

[ad_1] As he sprints up the middle of the field, the striker whizzes by the defenders and settles the perfect pass and fires into the upper corner out of reach of the diving keeper. He celebrates the goal with his teammates as they confidently jog back to midfield. Parents are cheering wildly on the sidelines. Simultaneously, the sideline referee raises the dreaded flag. Offsides. The goal is called back and the defending team heaves a sigh of relief.My 13-year-old son didn’t score that goal. He was the ref who called it back, but watching that happen was just as exciting…

[ad_1] Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook’s fight over her future is getting even more heated.After a federal judge blocked Trump’s attempt to fire her, Trump asked an appeals court to let his ouster of Cook go through before the Federal Reserve’s scheduled meeting on Tuesday.The Federal Open Market Committee, which includes Cook, is set to consider whether to cut benchmark interest rates during its two-day meeting in Washington. Most Fed watchers expect the central bank to cut rates after holding steady for all of 2025 thus far, though far short of the drastic cuts Trump has pushed.Here’s how Cook found…