Meta Platforms

The AI video arms race and why Google and others are paying YouTube creators for footage

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The AI video arms race and why Google and others are paying YouTube creators for footage

YouTubers and other digital content creators are selling their unused video footage to artificial intelligence companies seeking exclusive videos to better train their AI algorithms, often netting thousands of US dollars per deal. OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google, Moonvalley and several other AI companies are collectively paying hundreds of content creators for access to their unpublished videos, … Read more

Meta to cut 5% of workforce based on performance

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Meta to cut 5% of workforce based on performance

Meta Platforms will trim about 5% of its “lowest performers” and plans to hire for the impacted roles this year, a company spokesperson said on Tuesday. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also warned employees about more such job cuts this year to “raise the bar” on performance management, the spokesperson said. The Facebook parent had a … Read more

CES 2025: Chinese firms show leading AI-powered robots, EVs, smart glasses

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CES 2025: Chinese firms show leading AI-powered robots, EVs, smart glasses

Chinese companies made their presence felt at the tech industry’s annual flagship event CES 2025, in terms of the number of participants and their smart products ranging from robotics and smart glasses to electric vehicles (EVs) and home appliances. Chinese companies made up about a quarter of the 4,500-odd exhibitors at the annual tech trade … Read more

China’s AI disrupter DeepSeek bets on low-key team of ‘young geniuses’ to beat US giants

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China’s AI disrupter DeepSeek bets on low-key team of ‘young geniuses’ to beat US giants

DeepSeek, the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up that took the tech world by surprise with its powerful AI model developed on a shoestring, is betting on its secret weapon of “young geniuses” to take on deep-pocketed US giants, according to insiders and Chinese media reports. On December 26, the Hangzhou-based firm released its DeepSeek V3 … Read more

Alibaba splits AI team to sharpen consumer and business focus

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Alibaba splits AI team to sharpen consumer and business focus

Alibaba Group Holding has separated the team in charge of developing applications for its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Tongyi Qianwen from the team that builds its large language model (LLM), in a bid to better serve the consumer-facing market, according to Chinese tech media outlet 36Kr. The AI chatbot team will transition to the Intelligent … Read more

Ireland fines Meta €251 million for data breach impacting 29 million users

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Ireland fines Meta €251 million for data breach impacting 29 million users

Ireland’s data protection commission (DPC) fined Meta Platforms’ Irish arm €251 million (US$264 million) following two inquiries into a personal data breach that it said impacted 29 million users worldwide. The breach was reported by Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (MPIL) in September 2018. It impacted data including full names, email addresses, phone numbers, posts on … Read more

US tech firms warn Vietnam’s proposed new law to hamper social media, data centres

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US tech firms warn Vietnam’s proposed new law to hamper social media, data centres

US technology companies have warned Vietnam’s government that a draft law to tighten information-protection rules and limit data transfers abroad would hamper social media platforms and data centre operators from growing their businesses in the Southeast Asian country. The draft law, being discussed in the country’s parliament, is also designed to ease authorities’ access to … Read more

Alibaba cuts ‘dozens of employees’ at metaverse unit as hype in sector cools down

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Alibaba cuts ‘dozens of employees’ at metaverse unit as hype in sector cools down

Alibaba Group Holding is scaling down its metaverse operations, according to a source familiar with the matter, making it the latest Big Tech company to pull back resources from the once-popular sector. Dozens of employees at Yuanjing, the metaverse unit of e-commerce giant Alibaba, have been laid off, as part of a restructuring that aims … Read more

OpenAI, Broadcom working to develop AI inference chip

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OpenAI, Broadcom working to develop AI inference chip

OpenAI is working with Broadcom to develop a new artificial intelligence chip specifically focused on running AI models after they have been trained, according to two people familiar with the matter. The AI start-up and chipmaker are also consulting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest chip contract manufacturer, said the people, who asked … Read more

Meta Platforms will produce virtual reality headsets in Vietnam

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Meta Platforms will produce virtual reality headsets in Vietnam

Facebook parent Meta Platforms will produce its next-generation virtual and augmented reality headsets in Vietnam, creating more than 1,000 jobs, the company said Tuesday. The announcement comes as Vietnam looks to boost its attractiveness as a destination for investment by the world’s biggest companies and a key part of the global supply chain. Speaking at … Read more