Technology

Reddit’s advertising revenue grew to $315.1 million, while “other” revenue reached $33.2 million on account of “data licensing agreements signed earlier this year.” Both Google and OpenAI have cut deals with Reddit to train their AI models on its posts.

In a letter to shareholders, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman attributed the recent increase in users to the platform’s AI-powered translation feature. Reddit started letting users translate posts into French last year before expanding to Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and German. Now, Huffman says Reddit plans to expand translation to over 30 countries through 2025.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4231811

The UK Government has made substantial progress in removing China’s Hikvision surveillance cameras from sensitive sites, with over 50% of these devices already replaced, according to a report by the UK Defense Journal.

Efforts are ongoing to ensure full removal by April 2025 amid growing concerns about the security risks posed by Chinese-made technology in government buildings, the report by the UK Defense Journal said.

[...]

However, the security concerns extend beyond surveillance equipment. Lord Coaker’s letter also addressed potential risks posed by electric and connected vehicles, particularly those manufactured in China.

He clarified that while the focus has often been on Chinese-made technology, the security risks apply to specific on-board systems found in a variety of vehicles, not solely Chinese or electric models.

“The potential national security risks apply to specific on-board systems, and therefore, these risks are not exclusive to Chinese-made vehicles or electric vehicles,” on lawmaker said.

[...]

[Edit title for clarity.]

archive.is link

Earlier this year, WIRED asked AI detection startup Pangram Labs to analyze Medium. It took a sampling of 274,466 recent posts over a six week period and estimated that over 47 percent were likely AI-generated. “This is a couple orders of magnitude more than what I see on the rest of the internet,” says Pangram CEO Max Spero. (The company’s analysis of one day of global news sites this summer found 7 percent as likely AI-generated.)

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4219031

Chinese EV battery maker SVOLT Energy plans to shut its European operations by January 2025, in a move that clearly points to China’s retreat from the market - and declining EV sales in Europe.

In 2020, SVOLT announced plans to invest €2 billion in two battery plants in Germany’s Saarland, creating up to 2,000 jobs. However, it halted plans for a plant in Lauchhammer [in the German state of Brandenburg] due to losing a key customer and concerns over tariffs and subsidies.

[...]

A lawsuit and local protests have also delayed a planned factory in Ueberherrn [in the German state of Saarland] until 2027. SVOLT's Heusweiler plant [in Saarland], intended to produce battery packs, was set to open in July, but reports suggest the company has now ceased all production in Germany.

Meanwhile, just like in the U.S., the EV market in Europe is cooling. New car sales in the EU dropped 18% in August, with Germany down 28%, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. EV market share fell 44%, with Chinese brand BYD selling only 218 cars in Germany, or 0.1% of the country's EV sales.

[...]

SVOLT, spun off from Great Wall Motor in 2018, counts Geely Auto, XPeng, and Great Wall among its clients but has struggled financially, reporting a cumulative loss of 4.4 billion yuan ($618 million) from 2019 to 2022.

The company aimed to raise $2.1 billion through a Shanghai IPO in 2022 but abandoned the plan a year later.

In an interview on the StrictlyVC Download podcast, billionaire Frank McCourt shared his vision for transforming social media. By the potential sale footgear.

I read this…somewhere…but can't seem to find any info. Anyone know if this is possible?

There is a new method used to calculate the least and most intrusive social media. The social media that collects personal data most might surprise you; I said might.

Microsoft and OpenAI announced they’re offering a select group of media outlets up to $10 million ($2.5 million in cash plus $2.5 million worth of “software and enterprise credits” from each) to try out AI tools in the newsroom.

The first round of funding will go to Newsday, The Minnesota Star Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Public Media, and The Seattle Times.

These outlets will receive a grant to hire a two-year fellow who will work to develop and implement AI tools using Microsoft Azure and OpenAI credits. The program is part of a collaboration between Microsoft, OpenAI, and the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, which aims to promote local media.

This news comes while the two companies are still facing a slew of copyright lawsuits, including from The New York Times, The Intercept, Raw Story, AlterNet, the Center for Investigative Reporting, and the Alden Global Capital-owned New York Daily News and Chicago Tribune. Those have continued despite licensing deals reached with many media outlets, including The Verge’s parent company, Vox Media.

They can't sell the $699 AI party trick that requires a $24 subscription so they slashed the price to $499. Unfortunately it's still $500 too expensive for what's worth.

Maybe at $10 someone could buy it as a Halloween costume prop and even pay a whole month of subscription just to show off the novelty

How Ireland’s new safety code affects video sharing site like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, etc.