Emmett Shear, once at the helm of Twitch as its CEO, is reportedly embarking on a new venture in the realm of artificial intelligence, as discovered. The nascent company, Stem AI, remains under wraps, but available public records indicate its establishment in June 2023 and a trademark application filed shortly after in August. Shear's role as the CEO is confirmed in incorporation documents submitted to the California Secretary of State. The trademark filing hints at Stem AI's ambition to engineer software that fosters AI capable of comprehending, collaborating with, and aligning itself with human conduct, inclinations, biological makeup, moral compass, and ethical framework.

Recently, Google has unveiled an innovative "reasoning" AI model, Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental, which is currently in its experimental phase. While our initial tests indicate that there is significant room for enhancement, this model is a noteworthy development in the field. Available on AI Studio, Google's AI prototyping platform, Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental is described in its model card as being adept at "multimodal understanding, reasoning, and coding," with the capacity to tackle intricate problems across various domains such as programming, mathematics, and physics.

The digital landscape is on the cusp of a transformative shift, as Instagram's top executive, Adam Mosseri, has hinted at the introduction of groundbreaking generative AI capabilities for the platform. This move is set to empower content creators with unprecedented freedom and creativity, allowing them to modify various elements of their videos using simple textual commands. Driven by Meta's proprietary Movie Gen AI technology, these advanced editing tools are anticipated to revolutionize the way creators express themselves on Instagram, offering a new dimension of storytelling and visual expression.

An innovative application named Tapestry is on the horizon, aiming to consolidate social media, news, and RSS feeds into a single, unified platform. Developed by Iconfactory, the creative minds behind the once-popular third-party Twitter client, Twitterific, Tapestry was first introduced this year with the goal of streamlining today's fragmented online media landscape. It promises to enable users to monitor their preferred blogs, news outlets, and social networks from within a single application. Recently, Iconfactory provided an update on Tapestry's development, announcing their intention to release the app to the public in the early part of 2025. The update, posted on the project's Kickstarter page, stated, "While we're eager to expedite the process, there are still crucial tasks to complete and bugs to address." Instead of seeking external funding, Iconfactory has opted for crowdfunding to finance Tapestry's development, with over 3,360 supporters pledging more than $177,800 to date.

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology and innovation, Anysphere has emerged as a beacon of progress, capturing the attention of investors and developers alike with its AI-driven coding assistant, Cursor. The recent news of Anysphere securing a substantial Series B funding round of $100 million, elevating its post-funding valuation to an impressive $2.6 billion, is a testament to the company's rapid growth and the immense potential it holds in the AI-powered coding assistant market.

During the festive season, logistics emerges as a critical component: businesses that excel in timely delivery and efficient transportation are the ones that thrive. However, this demand masks a significant level of inefficiency and fragmentation within the industry. Is the logistics sector prepared to embrace artificial intelligence to enhance its operations? A startup named Boon believes the answer is affirmative. The company has secured $20.5 million in funding to demonstrate the potential of AI in streamlining services, by leveraging a platform that integrates data from various applications to optimize operations, planning, and overall efficiency. "Consider Boon as an additional team member in the back office," explained Deepti Yenireddy, Boon's founder and CEO. "Our AI acts as an extra colleague handling essential tasks, allowing staff to concentrate on activities that generate higher revenue." The investment has been provided by Marathon and Redpoint, who have previously supported Boon with a $15.5 million Series A round and an undisclosed $5 million seed funding.

Perplexity, an artificial intelligence-driven search engine, has reportedly completed a significant funding round, raising $500 million and achieving a valuation of $9 billion. According to Bloomberg, which cited insiders familiar with the matter, the investment round was spearheaded by Institutional Venture Partners and concluded in early December.

In 2023, OpenAI's Chief Executive Officer, Sam Altman, appeared before the U.S. Congress to discuss the potential risks associated with artificial intelligence. During his testimony, he reiterated a statement he had made on multiple occasions: that he holds no shares in OpenAI and is merely at the helm out of passion for the company. However, in a recent revelation, Altman admitted to having once possessed a stake in OpenAI through a Sequoia fund, which he has since divested. In a conversation with Bari Weiss, which was published on Thursday, Altman was inquired about the possibility of him holding equity if OpenAI were to transform into a for-profit entity.

In the digital age, where data is the new currency, the recent revelation about a critical security vulnerability at Rapido, a prominent ride-hailing service in India, serves as a stark reminder of the ever-present risks in our interconnected world. The breach, which exposed the personal details of users and drivers, underscores the delicate balance between technological innovation and data security. It highlights the need for vigilance, not just from the companies that collect and store data, but also from the users who entrust their information to these services.

It appears that the end was foreshadowed. On Wednesday, Sequoia Capital's Matt Miller declared his departure from the esteemed investment firm after a 12-year tenure, with plans to establish his own venture capital firm centered on European entrepreneurs. Miller indicated that he would continue to serve as a venture partner with Sequoia and retain his board positions while finalizing the details of his upcoming endeavors. London's venture capital community, including notable figures such as Saul Klein, Tom Hulme, Mattias Ljungman, and Miller's colleague Luciana Lixandru, extended their congratulations to Miller, who relocated to London in 2021 to spearhead Sequoia's foray into the European market. However, the news of Miller's departure was not entirely unexpected, especially considering his earlier confrontation with former colleague Michael Moritz. Miller was said to have attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to remove Moritz from the board of the fintech company Klarna shortly after joining it himself. Sequoia subsequently issued an apology for backing Miller's initiative and replaced him with another Sequoia investor, Andrew Reed.

Elon Musk, the renowned tech entrepreneur, revealed on social media that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had presented him with a settlement demand. This disclosure was accompanied by a letter from Musk's legal representative, Alex Spiro of Quinn Emanuel, addressed to SEC Chairman Gary Gensler. The correspondence detailed that the regulatory body had exerted pressure on Musk to accept a settlement agreement, which included a financial penalty, within a 48-hour timeframe or risk facing multiple charges related to "certain transactions and disclosures of Twitter shares." The SEC has been probing potential securities fraud by Musk or his associates in 2022, as the Tesla CEO disposed of shares in his electric vehicle company and increased his stake in Twitter prior to his leveraged acquisition of the platform, now rebranded as X.

On February 20, 2024, Adobe's Chief Executive Officer, Shantanu Narayen, addressed the media during an interview at the New York Stock Exchange. However, the following day brought a significant challenge for Adobe's investors as the company's stock price plummeted by 14%, marking its most substantial decline since September 2022. This downturn was triggered by Adobe's release of underwhelming revenue projections.

On Friday, OpenAI responded to its co-founder Elon Musk's legal challenge, which sought to halt the company's transition to a fully for-profit entity. In a detailed blog post titled "Elon Musk's For-Profit Vision for OpenAI," the company claimed that Musk had not only desired but actively established a for-profit structure for OpenAI back in 2017. The post stated, "When he failed to secure majority equity and complete control, he abandoned the project, predicting our failure." It continued, "Now, with OpenAI leading the field in AI research and Musk at the helm of a competing AI firm, he is attempting to use the courts to impede our progress in fulfilling our mission."

Before hitting send on your next text, consider the security of your message. It's advisable to opt for end-to-end encryption to enhance privacy. Many people rely on messaging services from tech giants like Apple, Alphabet, and Meta Platforms, which include iMessage, Google Messages, WhatsApp, and SMS. However, the level of security provided by these services can vary significantly. The U.S. government has raised concerns following a recent massive cyberattack on the country's largest telecommunications companies. In the previous month, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) exposed a cyber campaign by Chinese-linked hackers, known as Salt Typhoon, which targeted AT&T, Verizon, and others, marking one of the most extensive hacks of U.S. infrastructure in history. Following this revelation, CISA, the National Security Agency, the FBI, and international partners released a joint guide to assist Americans in protecting their digital communications. One key recommendation is the adoption of end-to-end encryption, a technique that bolsters the security of messages.

In the grand theater of American politics, where fortunes and friendships can turn on a dime, a new act unfolds with Amazon's announcement to contribute $1 million towards the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. The company's founder, Jeff Bezos, is expected to engage in a personal meeting with Trump, part of a broader effort by tech industry leaders to establish stronger ties with the incoming administration. This financial support, split between a cash donation and an in-kind contribution through live streaming the inauguration on Amazon Video, marks a significant thaw in relations after years of public sparring.

In the intricate dance of power and influence in American politics, a new chapter unfolds with Meta's substantial contribution of $1 million to the inaugural fund of President-elect Donald Trump. This development, confirmed by the company, follows a private meeting between Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, and Trump at the Mar-a-Lago estate, as reported by The Wall Street Journal . It signifies a remarkable shift in the relationship between the tech giant and the incoming administration.

Lila Ibrahim's initial passion may come as a surprise to some, especially considering her role as the inaugural COO of Google DeepMind. Contrary to expectations, her love does not lie with computers, artificial intelligence, or even coding. Instead, Ibrahim's first love is engineering, a field she believes has been instrumental in her success in a domain dominated by computing. "My journey into engineering was driven by the allure of a discipline that melds mathematics, creativity, and scientific inquiry," Ibrahim shared with Anna Stewart in a recent conversation at Google DeepMind's London headquarters. "Throughout my career, I've relished the opportunity to collaborate with others. The engineering profession has instilled in me the importance of questioning—what, why, and what are our goals? Understanding a problem thoroughly is the key to identifying the most appropriate solution, rather than indiscriminately applying solutions to an ill-defined issue."

Sony, the 78-year-old conglomerate that revolutionized the Walkman and PlayStation, has seen its stock market value soar to levels not witnessed since the Clinton presidency and the imminent launch of the PlayStation 2. Over the past two and a half decades, Sony has faced significant challenges as a trailblazer in consumer electronics. Despite the profitability of the PlayStation franchise, the company has grappled with rising production costs and waning demand for other electronics, while also missing out on the mobile phone revolution. However, with the emergence of streaming services, Sony is pivoting from a traditional electronics manufacturer to a content and entertainment powerhouse. This strategic shift has paid off, as Sony's stock has recently achieved record highs not seen since March 2000, reflecting investor confidence in the company's ability to diversify its gaming portfolio and expand into entertainment. According to Damian Thong, a research equity analyst at Macquarie, "If you look back 30 years, Sony was primarily an electronics company, renowned for its hardware sales. Today, however, the majority of its profits stem from entertainment sectors, including gaming, music, and TV and film production." Sony Group, the third most valuable company in Japan by market capitalization, has managed to reinvent itself by innovating in gaming beyond traditional consoles and through strategic acquisitions to bolster its intellectual property (IP) portfolio. Joost van Dreunen, an adjunct assistant professor at NYU Stern who specializes in the video game industry, notes that Sony's acquisitions of Crunchyroll, an anime giant, in 2021 and Bungie, an American video game developer, for $3.6 billion in 2022, are part of this transformation. Beyond Sony Interactive Entertainment, the creator of the PlayStation, the Sony Group also encompasses Sony Pictures, known for producing the Spider-Man film series, and Sony Music, which includes Columbia Records. Sony is striving to create synergies across its subsidiaries to produce original entertainment content for consumers, as van Dreunen explains. This strategy was evident at the 75th Emmy Awards, where the TV series "The Last of Us" garnered eight primetime awards, marking the first time a TV show adapted from a video game received significant recognition at a Hollywood awards show. Sony initially published "The Last of Us" as a video game in 2013 before it was adapted into a TV series that premiered on HBO and Max in 2023. Lacking its own streaming platform, Sony is licensing its IP and original content to compete with streaming titans such as Netflix, Disney, and Amazon. Robert Lawson, the chief communications officer for Sony Group, stated that since acquiring EMI publishing in 2018, making Sony Music the world's largest music publisher, the company has invested approximately 1.5 trillion yen into content IP across various entertainment sectors. Lawson highlighted the company's focus on "new collaborations between Sony sister companies," with a particular emphasis on the anime genre. In the fiscal year ending in March, Sony's entertainment division, which includes music, films, and games, accounted for 60% of total revenue, doubling from 30% a decade prior. This strategic emphasis on entertainment represents a departure from Sony's origins as Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation, founded in 1946 by Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka, which released Japan's first magnetic tape recorder in 1950 and later became Sony Corporation in 1958. Sony established its presence in the U.S. in the 1960s and over the next three decades became a household name in consumer electronics, producing iconic products such as the Trinitron color TV, the Walkman cassette player, and the world's first CD player. Sony's involvement with music dates back to the 1960s, with a joint venture with CBS that evolved into Sony Music Entertainment in 1991. However, it was the 1990s that marked a high point for Sony as it entered the gaming console market with the release of the PlayStation in 1994, disrupting the arcade and gaming industry. Since then, Sony has been a dominant force in video game consoles, with the PlayStation 5 outselling competitors like Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Nintendo's Switch, according to Ampere Analysis. Van Dreunen suggests that Sony is exploring new avenues in gaming beyond consoles, seeking new audiences and distribution methods. "We're currently in a softer period for gaming, which raises the stakes for companies to innovate and grow," he said. Thong notes that Sony has been successful as a profitable platform for third-party publishers to sell video games. Sony has diversified its gaming strategy, including the release of "Helldivers 2" across PlayStation 5 and PC, which sold over 12 million copies within three months of its release, according to Anna Kerr, a research manager for games at Ampere Analytics. In November, Sony reported a 69% increase in net quarterly profit, partly driven by its gaming segment. The company has experienced consistently strong financial quarters this year, fueled by the profitability of its games. Sony is also in discussions to acquire Kadokawa, a Japanese video game powerhouse known for producing the popular game "Elden Ring." Despite some setbacks, such as the underwhelming reception of the "Concord" video game and the latest Spider-Man film, these are seen as trial and error efforts and manageable costs for a company that has allocated 1.8 trillion yen ($11 billion) for acquisitions and stock buybacks through March 2027. At Sony's annual investor conference in May, Chief Executive Kenichiro Yoshida emphasized the company's embrace of a "creative entertainment vision." Sony's transition to an entertainment company was not guaranteed, with Thong acknowledging the company's "substantial pain" over the years. However, van Dreunen points out that Sony has seized opportunities to bring more of its IP to the big screen, as evidenced by the success of "The Last of Us" and the film adaptation of "Uncharted," a video game franchise first published by Sony in 2007. Sony also plans to adapt the "God of War" video game franchise, first published in 2005, into a film next year. While Sony remains in the electronics business, particularly with its image sensors used by companies like Apple and its high-end cameras, it has moved away from being a mass consumer electronics company. By 2025, Sony intends to spin off its online banking and insurance units, further focusing on its entertainment offerings. Sony's stock has risen almost 18% in the past month, outperforming entertainment giants like Disney and Netflix, and has been boosted by investor interest in the Nasdaq, which recently crossed the 20,000 mark for the first time.

Residents of New Jersey have been expressing alarm over recent nighttime sightings of what they claim to be "enormous drones" soaring through the skies. While local authorities have dismissed some of these observations as ordinary commercial flights, there are several applications available that could help dispel such uncertainties. Tools such as Flightradar24, Plane Finder, and FlightAware offer real-time tracking capabilities, allowing users to monitor the aircraft in their vicinity, including a myriad of commercial and private flights as well as helicopters that may be airborne at any given moment. In certain instances, these apps are also capable of identifying unmanned aerial vehicles, like commercial drones that broadcast their positions using the same technology as airplanes.

New Jersey has recently been abuzz with reports of large drones, akin to small cars in size, soaring through the night skies. Locals have been left puzzled and intrigued by these mysterious aerial visitors, with officials struggling to determine whether these sightings are indeed drones or perhaps a case of misidentification with regular aircraft. Regardless of the nature of the New Jersey phenomena, it is undeniable that large drones are a reality and possess a vast array of potential uses for enthusiasts, commercial entities, and military applications, as explained by unmanned aerial vehicle specialists. Ryan Wallace, an associate professor of aeronautical engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, emphasized the expansive utility of these devices, stating, "The applications are nearly boundless."