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Sounding alarms about artificial intelligence has become a popular pastime in the ChatGPT era, taken up by high-profile figures as varied as industrialist Elon Musk, leftist intellectual Noam Chomsky and the 99-year-old retired statesman Henry Kissinger. But it’s the concerns of insiders in the AI research community that are attracting particular attention. A pioneering researcher and the so-called “Godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton quit his role at Google so he could more freely speak about the dangers of the technology he helped create. Over his decades-long career, Hinton’s pioneering work on deep learning and neural networks helped lay the foundation for much of the AI technology we see today. There has been a spasm of AI introductions in recent months. San Francisco-based startup OpenAI, the Microsoft-backed company behind ChatGPT, rolled…

Even before he joined Lyft’s board in 2021, David Risher had taken hundreds of trips as a passenger so he felt like he knew a lot about the ride-hailing service. But he never expected to be thrust into the driver’s seat at a time when Lyft was running like a jalopy. “I really was gobsmacked,” Risher said during an interview as he recalled being recently asked to replace Lyft co-founder Logan Green as CEO. Risher quickly shook off his initial shock and is now making an effort to reverse the San Francisco company’s mounting losses and sagging stock price. Just days after taking over as CEO, Risher came up with a restructuring plan that includes laying off nearly 1,100 employees whose job losses could help him attain stock price incentives…

Osamu Furukawa has driven lots of Japanese cars for his business converting classic gasoline-powered models to electric. But his favorite ride is an import: A battery-powered SUV from China’s BYD Auto. BYD Auto is part of a wave of Chinese electric car exporters that are starting to compete with Western and Japanese brands in their home markets. They bring fast-developing technology and low prices that Tesla Inc.’s chief financial officer says “are scary.” Furukawa said he ordered an ATTO 3 when it went on sale Jan. 31, for its user-friendly features and appealing price of 4.4 million yen ($33,000) — or about one-quarter less than a Tesla. “It’s perfect,” Furukawa said in his office in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo. Other ambitious Chinese EV exporters include NIO, Geely Group’s Zeekr and…

The number of applications for visas used in the technology industry soared for a second straight year, raising “serious concerns” that some are manipulating the system to gain an unfair advantage, authorities said. There were 780,884 applications for H-1B visas in this year’s computer-generated lottery, up 61% from 483,927 last year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a message to “stakeholders.” Last year’s haul was up 57% from 308,613 applications the year before. Each year, up to 85,000 people are selected for H-1B visas, a mainstay for technology giants such as Amazon.com Inc., Google parent Alphabet Inc., Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. and International Business Machines Corp. Last year, the government began requiring workers who won the lottery to sign affidavits stating they didn’t try to game the system…

Apple and Google are teaming up to thwart unwanted tracking through Bluetooth devices that were created to help people find lost keys, keep tabs on luggage or to locate other things that have a tendency to be misplaced or lost. The two companies behind the iPhone and the software that powers Android phones submitted a proposal to set standards for combatting secret surveillance on Apple’s AirTag trackers and similar gadgets. The concept also has the backing of Samsung, which sells the most Android smartphones worldwide, as well as tracking products similar to the AirTag such as Tile, Chipolo, and Pebblebee. The $30 AirTag has become a popular item since its 2021 release, helping users pinpoint the locations of a wide variety of lost property. But stalkers have also deployed AirTags…

One of Apple’s most iconic products that has transformed the company’s fortunes is the MacBook. From its humble beginnings as a desktop computer under Steve Jobs, it has become a powerhouse product that has changed how we work and interact with technology. THE MACBOOK To truly understand the impact that the MacBook has had, it is important to look back at the history of the Macintosh and its development under Jobs. With his unique vision and innovative approach, Jobs transformed the personal computer market by introducing the Macintosh in 1984. This was a significant milestone in the evolution of computing, and it set the stage for the development of the MacBook. Over the years, Apple has continued to innovate and improve the MacBook, transitioning from a desktop computer to a…

Airbnb is making a renewed push into renting single rooms in a nod to its beginnings and a realization that renting an entire house is too expensive for many travelers, especially younger ones. The short-term rental company rolled out a new offering this week that it calls Airbnb Rooms. Guests can rent a room in the same house or apartment as their host at prices that Airbnb says will average $67 a night. “It is an admission that travelers care more about affordability than they did a year ago,” said CEO Brian Chesky. Airbnb has always listed single rooms in houses and apartments. The company said the new offering will give more biographical information about hosts, and consumers can sort listings to learn details including whether their bedroom door locks…

Dystopian storytelling goes underground this month with the arrival of Apple TV+’s “Silo,” a gripping, ambitious tale of Earth’s last population living far below the surface. Something terrible has happened to make the environment toxic so 10,000 people are hiding out in a massive, mile-deep underground silo until it’s safe to come out. They grow food, maintain a huge generator for power and recycle everything. But there’s also a sense of dread down here, too, and secrets, mysteries and suspicious murders. What exactly happened to the Earth? What is this talk about a rebellion 140 years ago? Where are all the books? Can we trust what the government is saying? “Life in the silo in many ways is pretty good. They’re part of this cause, which is basically just to…

Credit card rewards help our family save money on groceries, gas and other necessities. We also use rewards for airline tickets, hotel rooms and airport lounge access. We’re in good company. Most Americans have at least one rewards card, and nearly half of rewards cardholders are using their perks to help offset rising inflation, according to a 2022 Wells Fargo survey. But a recent review of our cards revealed that some are no longer worth their annual fees or have been eclipsed by better offerings. Credit card fees, reward rates and benefits change all the time. So do the ways we spend our money, which means a card that used to be a good fit may no longer work as well. Given all that, it’s not surprising that fewer than…

The tech entrepreneurs who flocked to San Francisco two decades ago bringing jobs and wealth, and also soaring housing prices and gentrification, are becoming a rising political force in a city they say is woefully off track. They are forming advocacy organizations — among them TogetherSF Action, Abundant SF and Grow SF — to pressure officials to tackle soaring housing costs, public drug dealing and other woes exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the organizations differ in their priorities, they all say a small group of power brokers, many of them progressives, have prevented the city from solving some of its most pressing issues. The groups are highlighting fissures among Democrats in this liberal stronghold that has struggled to rebound from the pandemic. “In San Francisco there’s a lot of…

It seems like there’s a new electric luxury SUV introduced every couple of months. But if you’re seeking old-school opulence, a luxury sedan might be more your speed. Luckily, automakers haven’t completely forsaken that category. Two recently introduced electric luxury sedans worth looking into are the Genesis G80 Electrified and the BMW i4. Both are based on existing conventionally powered models — the G80 and 4 Series Gran Coupe, respectively — and have much to offer the luxury-sedan shopper in their all-electric guise. Which extra-posh EV should you splurge on? The car specialists compare the two electrified four-doors to find out. PERFORMANCE & RANGE There are three versions of the BMW i4: the eDrive35, eDrive40 and M50. In this article, we’re using the top-line M50 for our comparison. It comes…

Big Tech companies such as Google and Meta might soon have to pay media outlets for posting and using their news content under a proposed California measure attempting to save local journalism. The bill, which cleared an important Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday with bipartisan support, would require Google and Meta to share with California media companies their advertising revenue stemming from the news and other reported content. The amount would be determined through an arbitration process. Supporters of the bill said it would provide a “lifeline” to local news organizations that have seen their advertising revenues nosedive in the digital era. Opponents, including trade groups and some journalism groups, said the legislation would be an unprecedented mandate that violates the First Amendment. The bill would mandate that at least…

When Peter “Star-Lord” Quill, while inspecting a murky extraterrestrial region, pressed play on Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love” in the first “Guardians of the Galaxy,” it would have been hard to imagine that James Gunn’s space opera would ultimately lead to something as sincere, poignant and kinda cornball as the trilogy-ending “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” But as Gunn has showed over over the course of these increasingly soupy sci-fi spectacles, the genetically spliced DNA of his chaotic, cartoonish cosmic vision is a double helix of opposites. Breezy ‘70s rock papers over extreme violence. Cynical exteriors cloak sentimental emotions. A ragtag group of outcasts, more so than even the cast of “Fast and the Furious,” talk a lot about “family” and “friends.” Against the odds, “Come and get…

The voices sound like well-known personalities, the music features trendy dance beats and hip-hop syncopations, and the jokes and laughter are contagious. But listeners of an offbeat Swiss public radio station repeatedly got the message: Today’s programming is brought to you by Artificial Intelligence. Three months in the making, the French-language station Couleur 3 (Color 3) is touting a one-day experiment using cloned voices of five real, human presenters — in what managers claim is a world first — and never-aired-before music composed almost entirely by computers, not people. From 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., the station said, AI controlled its airwaves. Every 20 minutes, listeners got a reminder. With an eerie, Sci-Fi movie-like track whirring in the background, a soothing, raspy female voice said: “AI is taking your favorite…