A few months ago, Derek Carrier started seeing someone and became infatuated. He experienced a “ton” of romantic feelings but he also knew it was an illusion. That’s because his girlfriend was generated by artificial intelligence. Carrier wasn’t looking to develop a relationship with something that wasn’t real, nor did he want to become the … Read more
Dozens of ride-share and food delivery drivers in Toronto staged a strike Wednesday, calling for more fair pay and better treatment after a recent report found that what some drivers make falls well below Ontario’s minimum wage. In a joint report published Monday, Ridefair Toronto and the Rideshare Drivers Association of Ontario (RDAO) said some … Read more
The federal government must move quickly to regulate artificial intelligence, said a top AI pioneer who warns the technology’s current trajectory poses major societal risks Yoshua Bengio, dubbed a “godfather” of AI, told members of Parliament Monday that Ottawa should put a law in place immediately, even if that legislation is not perfect. The scientific director … Read more
A Hong Kong court on Monday ordered the liquidation of property company China Evergrande Group, a move likely to send ripples through China’s crumbling financial markets as policy-makers scramble to contain the deepening crisis. Evergrande, the world’s most indebted developer with more than $300 billion US in total liabilities, sent a struggling property sector into a … Read more
Netflix took a big step into live events on Tuesday with a more than $6.7 billion ($5 billion US) deal that would make it the exclusive home of World Wrestling Entertainment’s Raw from January 2025 onward. The 10-year partnership will put Raw on the streaming platform in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom and Latin America, among other territories, the companies said. Outside … Read more
Rental firm Hertz Global Holdings said on Thursday it would sell about 20,000 electric vehicles, including Teslas, from its U.S. fleet due to higher expenses related to collision and damage, and will opt for gas-powered vehicles. Shares of the rental company, which also operates vehicles from Swedish EV maker Polestar among others, fell about four per cent. Tesla’s stock was down about … Read more
After a head-spinning and bizarre chain of events, U.S. financial regulators have formally approved new bitcoin exchange-traded funds. The move is being heralded as a landmark moment in the history of cryptocurrency and its acceptance into mainstream financial markets. In its approval announced on Wednesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) expressed its long-standing discomfort with cryptocurrencies. … Read more
The largest technology stocks that lifted the broader market last year are having a less-rosy start to 2024. The so-called Magnificent Seven, which includes Apple, Amazon.com, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Tesla and Nvidia, slipped for the last four trading days, the longest losing streak in a month, according to the Bloomberg Magnificent 7 Price Return … Read more
Apple on Tuesday fell nearly 3.6 per cent to a seven-week low after Barclays downgraded the shares of the world’s most valuable company on concerns that demand for its devices from the iPhone to the Mac will remain weak in 2024. Barclays is the second brokerage to have the equivalent of a “sell” rating on … Read more
New tax measures, and changes to existing ones, will begin affecting Canadians in 2024. But tax experts say the effects on most individuals are likely to be minor, unless they’re high-income earners. GST/HST exemptions, the elimination of deductions for some short term rentals, new alternative minimum tax rates and changes to Canada Pension Plan (CPP) … Read more
