aws AWS Ends Support for DeepComposer AI Music Keyboard AWS is shutting down DeepComposer, its five-year-old MIDI keyboard and cloud service that allowed users to generate music using artificial intelligence. The service remains available until September 2025 before it disappears entirely.
audible Audible Enlists Narrators to Train AI for Synthetic Audiobook Production Amazon's audiobook platform Audible invites professional U.S. narrators to train AI on their voices to generate new audiobook recordings. Participating voice actors will receive royalty-based compensation and retain approval rights over the synthetic audio.
amazon Amazon Brings On Covariant AI Founders to Boost Warehouse Robotics Amazon hires the founders and a quarter of the staff from AI robotics startup Covariant while licensing their foundational robot models. The deal mirrors a recent strategy to absorb top talent and technology without triggering full acquisition antitrust scrutiny.
openai OpenAI and Anthropic Grant US Government Access to Test New AI Models Two leading AI startups agree to let the U.S. AI Safety Institute evaluate their latest models before and after public release. The partnership aims to establish safety standards and mitigate risks associated with advanced artificial intelligence.
openai OpenAI Rolls Out Lifelike Voice Feature for ChatGPT Paid Users OpenAI begins releasing a highly realistic voice mode for ChatGPT that allows for natural, real-time spoken conversations. The new feature aims to transform the chatbot into a true virtual assistant and challenges existing tech giants.
amazon FTC Opens Informal Inquiry Into Amazon's AI Startup Deal With Adept The Federal Trade Commission seeks more information about Amazon's recent agreement to license technology and hire executives from AI startup Adept. This probe reflects a broader regulatory push to scrutinize big tech investments in the artificial intelligence sector.
amazon US FTC Investigates Amazon's Acquisition of Adept AI Executives Federal regulators examine Amazon's recent hiring of top executives from AI startup Adept, signaling increased antitrust scrutiny over big tech talent acquisitions. The probe seeks to determine if the move functions as an illegal merger to eliminate market competition.
amazon Amazon Acquires Key Talent From AI Startup Adept For Work Automation Amazon brings on the co-founders and several employees from AI agent startup Adept to strengthen its AGI organization. The deal includes licensing Adept's multimodal models and datasets while the startup continues operating under new leadership.
amazon Amazon Acquires AI Startup Adept Founders and Licenses Agent Technology Amazon hires the co-founders of AI startup Adept and licenses their agent technology to boost its in-house generative AI efforts. Adept remains operational under new leadership as it pivots to focus exclusively on enterprise agentic AI solutions.
amazon Amazon Hires Covariant Founders in Latest Robotics Licensing Deal Amazon brings on the co-founders of AI robotics startup Covariant while securing a non-exclusive license to their foundational robotic technology. This strategic move represents Amazon's latest reverse acqui-hire as the company accelerates its warehouse automation efforts.
amazon Amazon Reports Strong Q1 2024 Earnings Driven by Faster Delivery and AI Growth Amazon reveals its first-quarter 2024 financial results, highlighting faster delivery speeds and strong demand for AWS artificial intelligence capabilities. CEO Andy Jassy and CFO Brian Olsavsky share key insights on the company's continued progress.
tech layoffs Tech Sector Starts 2024 With New Wave of Layoffs Fueled by AI Major technology companies like Google and Amazon are kicking off 2024 with a fresh round of layoffs. The ongoing job cuts raise concerns that the rise of generative AI is permanently altering the industry's growth trajectory.
google Google Workers Protest $1.2B Project Nimbus Cloud Contract With Israel Google employees stage office sit-ins to demand an end to Project Nimbus, a joint cloud computing contract with the Israeli government. Workers fear the artificial intelligence and technology services are being used to cause harm during the ongoing war on Gaza.
ai news Major Tech Firms Invest Heavily in AI Safety and Robotics August 2024 brings massive AI shifts as Amazon acquires top robotics talent from Covariant and Apple and Nvidia consider a landmark investment in OpenAI. Meanwhile, leading AI labs voluntarily share advanced models with the US government for safety testing.
scale ai Amazon and Meta Back Scale AI in Massive $1 Billion Funding Round Scale AI raises $1 billion in a Series F round led by Accel, with major tech giants Amazon and Meta joining as new investors. The funding doubles the data-labeling company's valuation to $13.8 billion as it expands its government and enterprise AI operations.