Plus: Drake deletes track with AI-generated Tupac vocals.
| For April 26, 2024 |  |
| Here’s a look at today's tech briefing: - NHTSA opens probe into Tesla Autopilot.
- Alphabet shares rise 10% after strong earnings.
- Microsoft revenue grows 17% YoY.
- Shein now subject to strict EU online rules.
- Google releases schedule for next month's I/O,
- Drake deletes track with AI-generated Tupac vocals.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into safety concerns about Tesla's Autopilot driver assistance software. The launch coincided with the closure of another investigation into Autopilot. That NHTSA probe attributed the crashes to driver error but noted that the software failed to prioritize driver attentiveness. More: - The findings of the three-year investigation were released Friday.
- The NHTSA looked into 956 crashes involving Autopilot, finding that a "critical safety gap" in the software contributed to at least 467 collisions, including 13 fatalities.
- While the agency concluded that the accidents resulted from driver misuse, it said drivers were not "were not sufficiently engaged" due to Tesla's failure to ensure their attention on driving.
- It also said "Autopilot" could "lead drivers to believe that the automation has greater capabilities than it does."
New investigation: - The NHTSA will now look into the effectiveness of Tesla's software update as part of a December recall.
- The update for 2 million+ vehicles, nearly all those sold in the U.S., limited where "Autosteer" can be used and added more alerts to encourage drivers to remain attentive
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| 2 | | Alphabet's shares rose 10% on Friday after strong Q1 results and the announcement of its first dividend and a $70B stock buyback. The Google parent company reported a 15% jump in quarterly sales, beating analysts' estimates. More: - Profit rose 36% to $23.7B, exceeding analysts' $18.9B estimate.
- Ad sales for YouTube rose 20% to $8.1B, its highest ever for the quarter.
- Google Cloud sales jumped 28% to $9.6B.
- Google's Search and associated revenue grew by 14% to $46.2B.
- CEO Sundar Pichai said there is "early confirmation" that the company's AI can improve search.
Zoom out: - Alphabet's board approved a dividend of 20 cents per share, payable on June 17 to shareholders.
- It also approved the repurchase of an additional $70B in stock.
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| 3 | | Microsoft reported a 17% rise in revenue and a 20% surge in profit for the first quarter, exceeding Wall Street's estimates. Its cloud services experienced 31% growth last quarter, with generative AI services contributing 7 percentage points. More: - Microsoft's revenue grew 17% year-over-year in the quarter ending March 31.
- Much of its growth and AI progress is happening on its Azure cloud.
- Microsoft has been integrating OpenAI's technology across products and driving Azure cloud subscriptions with new AI services.
- Its gaming consumer product grew over 50% to $5.5B, largely fueled by its $69B acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year.
- Xbox content and services revenue was up 62%. However, Xbox hardware sales were down 31% YoY.
Zoom out: - Microsoft expects its AI "Copilot" assistants for Windows, Office, and other products will experience significant revenue growth in the future.
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| 4 | | Shopping app Shein is now large enough to fall under the EU's strictest online safety rules, according to the European Commission. The retailer reached over 45 million monthly users in the EU, earning it the status of "very large online platform" alongside Amazon, Meta, TikTok, and others. More: - Shein recently posted 108 million monthly active users in the EU.
- The status means Shein is subject to stricter online content moderation, user privacy, and safety regulations under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA).
- The DSA restricts targeted ads at children, bans manipulative "dark patterns," and requires platforms to clarify algorithms, among other measures.
- Shein must comply by the end of August or face fines up to 6% of its global revenue.
- The company said it was committed to complying.
Zoom out: - The EU lists 22 major tech platforms like Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Amazon, and Google Search for strict supervision under the DSA.
- The bloc is already investigating TikTok over an app rewards program and social platform X over potential illegal content.
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| 5 | | Google could unveil the Pixel 8A, Android 15, and AI updates during next month's I/O conference. Google today released the schedule for the annual developers event. More: - Google will announce new hardware and software features at the May 14 keynote.
- After the keynote, developer breakout sessions will take place on May 14 and 15.
- The schedule suggests announcements about Android 15, ChromeOS, Wear OS, and Google AI's tools, including its Gemini chatbot.
- On the hardware side, the company could reveal its latest mid-range smartphone, the Pixel 8a, and a possible relaunched Pixel Tablet.
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| 6 | | Drake deleted a song featuring AI-generated vocals of Tupac Shakur from his social media accounts. The removal came a day after Shakur's estate threatened to sue Drake, whose legal name is Aubrey Drake Graham. More: - The track, "Taylor Made Freestyle," features AI-created voices of Shakur and Snoop Dogg.
- A lawyer representing Shakur's estate issued a cease-and-desist letter this week, demanding Drake remove the track from all public platforms.
- The letter claimed a "flagrant violation" of the late rapper's publicity and legal rights of his estate.
- Drake "created the false impression" that Shakur's estate endorsed the lyrics, the lawyer said.
- While the song was taken down from Drake's socials, it still been reposted elsewhere on the internet.
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is a contributing editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters. She has written for publications including USA Today, the Arizona Business Gazette, and The Arizona Republic, where she received recognition with a Pulitzer Prize nomination and a First Amendment Award for collaborative reporting on state pension cost increases. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Beth Duckett | |
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