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| Here's a glance at today's Tech briefing: - A U.S. senator warns of foreign government spying through phone push notifications.
- Google's most advanced AI now powers Bard chatbot.
- Disney launches beta version of combined Hulu and Disney+ app.
- Apple may be exempt from EU law forcing iMessage interoperability.
Thanks for reading! Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Foreign governments are surveilling smartphone users through their push notifications, according to U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. In a letter to the Department of Justice, the Oregon Democrat raised concerns about foreign officials demanding push notification data from Google and Apple. More: - The notifications, which alert users to app messages and updates, typically pass through Google and Apple's servers, providing insights into how people use certain apps.
- For example, the records can reveal the timing of the notification, the associated account, and sometimes the unencrypted text in the alert.
- According to Wyden's letter, governments can compel Apple and Google to surrender the records. A source told Reuters that both foreign and U.S. government agencies have requested push notification data from Google and Apple.
- Wyden is asking the DOJ to change or repeal policies that block public discussion of this surveillance.
Zoom out: - In response, Apple said Wyden's letter now allows the company to share more information with the public about push notification monitoring.
- "Now that this method has become public we are updating our transparency reporting to detail these kinds of requests," Apple stated.
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| 2 | | Google's Bard chatbot is now being powered by Gemini, the company's most advanced AI model. According to Google, it's the biggest improvement to Bard since its launch in March. CEO Sundar Pichai said the model will eventually come to Google's search engine, ad products, Chrome browser, and beyond. More: - The upgrade is boosting Bard's abilities in tasks like understanding, summarizing, reasoning, brainstorming, writing, and planning.
- Initially, Bard is being powered by Gemini Pro, a tailored version of the large language model.
- According to Google, Gemini Pro outperformed OpenAI's GPT-3.5 in six out of eight industry standard benchmarks for AI models.
- Gemini is currently only in English, with other languages expected soon.
Related: - Starting Dec. 13, developers and business customers can access Gemini Pro through Google Generative AI Studio or Vertex AI in Google Cloud.
- Meanwhile, Google has developed Gemini Nano, a reduced version of the model, which is designed to run locally and offline on the Pixel 8 Pro.
- As of today, Pixel 8 Pro users will see Gemini Nano power Smart Reply on the Gboard keyboard and the auto-summarization feature in the Recorder app.
- Google Search is also already testing Gemini.
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| 3 | | Disney launched a beta version of its combined Hulu and Disney+ app on Wednesday, merging two major U.S. streaming services under one roof. Combined, Disney+ and Hulu account for nearly a quarter of the U.S. market share of SVOD services. Subscribers of both services can now find Hulu content in the Disney+ app. 
Details: The early version of "Hulu on Disney+" is now available to domestic subscribers of the Disney Bundle of streaming services. Hulu subscribers will now spot the Hulu logo within the Disney+ app, whether on mobile or streaming platforms. Disney is planning a formal rollout of the integrated service in March. Why it matters: Disney recently announced plans to buy Comcast's Hulu shares for $8.6B to become the sole owner of Hulu, allowing for the combined app. Disney CEO Bob Iger said he expects the combined app to boost engagement and reduce churn, as well as offer more advertising opportunities. This will increase Disney's overall margins as the company faces investor pressure to make its streaming business turn a profit. Disney has incurred over $10B in losses on its streaming service since its 2019 launch, and Iger said he now expects the streaming business to be profitable by Q4 fiscal 2024. | | | |
| 4 | | Apple's iMessage is likely to be exempt from the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which would have required the service to work with rivals like WhatsApp or Messenger, according to Bloomberg. Sources claim iMessage will be carved out of the rules due to its perceived lack of popularity among business users. More: - The DMA is a new law that imposes tougher obligations and restrictions on so-called technology "gatekeepers," including requiring those companies' platforms to be interoperable with competitors.
- The EU has identified 22 key gatekeeper services operated by big tech, including Apple's App Store, browsers like Chrome and Safari, WhatsApp, and Google Maps.
- iMessage was initially excluded from the DMA's scope in September, though the EU is still adding to the list.
- According to Bloomberg, EU officials are now considering exempting Apple iMessage from the DMA as part of a five-month investigation, which will end in February.
Zoom out: - The news comes after Apple announced that will add support for RCS messaging on iPhones in 2024, addressing one of the EU's concerns about iMessage lock-in.
- The move will let Android users send high-res media but their messages will continue to be displayed in green bubbles on iPhones.
- Meanwhile, Google and major telecom companies are still urging European regulators to classify iMessage as a "core" service, which could force iMessage to extend its features to Android users.
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| 5 | | U.S. antitrust officials continue to challenge a U.S. court decision that allowed Microsoft to close on its $69B acquisition of Activision Blizzard. While the mega-deal was finalized in October, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has appealed a judge's decision not to block the deal. More: - The FTC's hearing in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals begins today.
- The U.S. agency is expected to argue that the lower-court judge's ruling was overly strict by demanding proof of anticompetitiveness rather than just serious competitive concerns about the deal.
- However, the FTC will face an uphill climb, given that the EU and Britain have already approved the deal.
- Microsoft argues that the judge's ruling was correct and that the FTC failed to prove its case.
Zoom out: - Meanwhile, a total of 37 venture capital firms and investors are opposing the FTC's appeal, arguing that it endangers the investment and entrepreneurial cycle fueling the U.S. innovation economy.
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| 6 | | Elon Musk's AI startup, X.AI, is raising up to $1B in an equity offering, according to an SEC filing. The startup has already sold $134.7M in securities from four investors and has $865.3M left to sell. More: - The minimum investment for outside investors is $2M.
- According to the filing, Musk holds the position of executive officer and director at X.AI.
- Jared Birchall, formerly of Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley, is also listed as an executive
Zoom out: - Musk incorporated X.AI Corp. in Nevada on March 9.
- Several months later, he officially announced X.AI as a company that aims "to understand the true nature of the universe."
- The startup's team includes former engineers from Google, DeepMind, Twitter, Tesla, Microsoft, and OpenAI, who have worked on breakthrough projects like AlphaCode and GPT models.
- X.AI unveiled its first AI model, a called Grok, in November. The AI is modeled after "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and is designed to provide witty and occasionally rebellious answers to questions.
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| 7 | | QUICK HITS - The Kubernetes Cookbook is your comprehensive companion, equipping you with the knowledge and techniques to harness the full potential of Kubernetes.*
- The Beeper Mini app is now available on Google Play, letting Android users use iMessage features without an Apple ID.
- Apple is adding Qi2 charger support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models in iOS 17.2 RC, potentially enabling up to 15W wireless charging.
- The Calm meditation app debuted an AI-generated bedtime story narrated by Jimmy Stewart, recreated using AI voice-cloning technology with the consent of the late actor's family and estate. NOTE: Inside.com founder and CEO Jason Calacanis is an investor in Calm.
- Toast to 2024: Key affiliate marketing trends to help your campaigns start off on the right foot in the new year. Get the free report.*
*This is a sponsored post. | | | |
 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is a contributing editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters. She has written for notable publications like USA Today and the Arizona Business Gazette. During her time as a public policy reporter at The Arizona Republic, she received recognition with a Pulitzer Prize nomination and a First Amendment Award for her collaborative reporting on pension cost increases. Beth also authored a book on the solar photovoltaic industry in 2016. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia | |
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