Business news

Business

Ubisoft shares jump following reports of Tencent, Guillemot family considering buyout

Shares of Ubisoft jumped more than 30% Friday, following reports that Tencent and the Guillemot family are considering a buyout of the video game maker.

Business

Solving the urban air mobility problem: Researchers develop an algorithm for future flying taxi companies

Urban air mobility (UAM) is a mode of transportation that avoids traffic congestion by flying people and cargo above it at low altitudes. It may sound like science fiction or something from the cartoon "The Jetsons," which ...

Business

Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court

Social media platforms such as Meta's Facebook must limit the use of personal data including someone's sexual orientation for targeted advertising, the European Union's top court ruled Friday.

Business

What next for OpenAI after $157 billion bonanza?

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has become an AI powerhouse after securing Silicon Valley's largest-ever funding round. The company now faces the challenge of delivering on its promise to become the next Apple or Google.

Business

Irish regulator to probe Ryanair use of facial recognition

Ireland's data watchdog said Friday it will probe whether budget airline Ryanair's use of facial recognition to check the identity of customers booking through third-party websites violates EU privacy laws.

Business

Green subsidies may have hidden costs, experts warn

Government subsidies for business practices and processes should be approached with caution, even when they seem to be environmentally friendly, writes a group of scientists and economists in this week's Policy Forum in the ...

Business

Google is working on reasoning AI, chasing OpenAI's efforts

Google is working on artificial intelligence software that resembles the human ability to reason, similar to OpenAI's o1, marking a new front in the rivalry between the tech giant and the fast-growing startup.

Business

Revolut urges Meta to step up on cyber fraud reimbursement

British online bank Revolut on Thursday urged Facebook owner Meta to reimburse victims of password security breaches, blasting the US tech giant's data-sharing partnership with several UK banks as "woefully" inadequate.

Business

PFF adds an in-game grading feature to its NFL analysis

Pro Football Focus changed how many fans followed the NFL by providing grades and advanced statistics to help quantify how every player performed on a play-by-play basis from high-profile quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes ...

Business

Dutch airline KLM unveils 'firm' cost-cutting measures

Dutch airline KLM on Thursday announced a sweeping package of "firm" cost-cutting measures it hopes will lead to a boost in operating profits of around 450 million euros ($496 million) "in the short term."

Business

Historic funding round values OpenAI at $157 billion

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, secured $6.6 billion in new funding, propelling its valuation to $157 billion and cementing its position as the world leader in artificial intelligence.

Business

Oracle to invest $6.5 bn in Malaysian cloud services region

Tech giant Oracle on Wednesday said it plans to invest more than $6.5 billion on cloud services data centers in Malaysia, joining a list of US titans rushing to build up their AI infrastructure in Southeast Asia.

Business

States debate whether to restrict—or invite—crypto mining

As cryptocurrency mining draws increased scrutiny on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., some state legislatures are considering proposals to restrict the industry over growing concerns about its energy use. Other states, though, ...

Business

The spy law that big tech wants to limit

Top tech companies are mounting a push to limit how US intelligence agencies collect and view texts, emails and other information about their users, especially American citizens.

Business

Gaming giant Tencent's 2022 annual net profit falls 16%

Chinese gaming giant Tencent's profits fell steeply last year, according to an earnings report released Wednesday, as the country's tech sector weathers a government crackdown and a shaky economy.

Business

Four AI trends to watch

This was a major week in AI, with some of the largest players releasing flagship models: OpenAI's highly anticipated GPT-4 made its debut, while Google put out its Med-PaLM 2, a new-and-improved medical model, as well as ...

Business

Dutch gov't staff discouraged from apps such as TikTok

The Netherlands is moving to stop central government employees having apps including popular video sharing service TikTok installed on their work phones, amid concerns over data security.

Business

UK food delivery app to axe more than 1,700 jobs

Food delivery platform Just Eat Takeaway unveiled plans Tuesday to axe more than 1,700 mostly courier jobs in Britain, as it slashes costs in the wake of huge annual losses.

Business

TikTok updates rules; CEO on charm offensive for US hearing

TikTok went on a counteroffensive Tuesday amid increasing Western pressure over cybersecurity and misinformation concerns, rolling out updated rules and standards for content as its CEO warned against a possible U.S. ban ...

Business

Italy orders probe into TikTok over dangerous content

Italy's competition watchdog said Tuesday it had opened an investigation into video app TikTok for failing to enforce its own rules on removing "dangerous content" related to suicide and self-harm.

Business

AI disentangles quantum patents

A new study in the International Journal of Intellectual Property Management demonstrates how so-called artificial intelligence (AI) techniques can be used instead of conventional text analysis to disentangle information ...

Business

BBC urges staff to ditch TikTok over data fears

The BBC said Monday that it had told staff to delete Chinese-owned video app TikTok unless it was needed for business reasons, with Western institutions increasingly taking a harder stance over data collection fears.