Author: i2wtc

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc | Digitalvision | Getty ImagesAt around the same time Accenture announced its investment in data labeling startup Snorkel AI to power its financial services clients in August, the startup announced it was laying off about 13% of its staff.It wasn’t alone.When Meta took a massive stake in Scale AI in June, the deal was billed as a sign of confidence in the fast-growing data-labeling company. It was also the catalyst that resulted in laying off 14% of its staff. Windsurf, a coding AI startup, offered buyouts to all of its employees after a failed OpenAI acquisition…

The U.S. government shutdown on Wednesday entered its 22nd day, becoming the second-longest federal funding lapse ever, with no end in sight.The milestone means that the two longest shutdowns have both occurred while President Donald Trump was in office.The longest shutdown began in December 2018, in Trump’s first term, and dragged on for nearly five weeks. That shutdown stemmed from a dispute about funding Trump’s contentious immigration policy.The current shutdown resulted from Senate Democrats refusing to vote for a short-term government funding bill sponsored by Republicans, because it lacks additional spending on health care and other provisions.Read more CNBC government…

Mary Barra speaks onstage during WSJ’s Future of Everything 2025 at The Glasshouse on May 28, 2025 in New York City.Dia Dipasupil | Getty ImagesNEW YORK — General Motors is targeting a suite of new software initiatives for its vehicles over the next three years, including an in-vehicle artificial intelligence assistant from Google and a driver-assistance system that can largely control the vehicle without human interaction or monitoring.GM said the conversational Google Gemini AI will begin launching in its vehicles next year, followed by the new driver-assistance system, which will allow drivers to be hands-free and take their eyes off…

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms.David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesMeta will lay off roughly 600 employees within its artificial intelligence unit as the company looks to reduce layers and operate more nimbly, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC on Wednesday.The company announced the cuts in a memo from its Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, who was hired in June as part of Meta’s $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI. Workers across Meta’s AI infrastructure units, Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Research unit and other product-related positions will be impacted.Axios was first to report the cuts.Meta has been aggressively overhauling its…

Vladimir Kramnik’s posts on X about Naroditsky’s death spark backlash for insensitivity and unfounded speculation Former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik has drawn widespread criticism after sharing a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) that linked the death of American Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky to unverified claims and conspiracies. Kramnik, who had publicly accused Naroditsky of cheating in 2024, published several posts shortly after reports of the 29-year-old’s death were confirmed by the Charlotte Chess Centre. The Russian Grandmaster shared screenshots he claimed were from a “friend and chess fan,” suggesting that Naroditsky appeared unwell during his final livestream and…

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said he wants to integrate ChatGPT artificial intelligence capabilities into the travel platform but the software isn’t ready.”The [software development kit] wasn’t quite robust enough for the things we want to do,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Wednesday. Chesky said the company would “probably” want to integrate ChatGPT eventually. Airbnb on Tuesday launched a series of new social features, such as direct messaging, to its platform. The update also included a personalized version of the company’s chatbot launched earlier this year that can cancel and change reservations for users in North America.In an interview with…

* Airbus on Wednesday inaugurated its latest Final Assembly Line (FAL) for A320 family aircraft in Tianjin, the second of its kind in China and Asia as a whole.* The new facility will double final assembly capacity for the A320 family in China, demonstrating Airbus’ confidence in the country’s thriving civil aviation market, resilient supply chain and favorable business climate.* The new facility is the latest example of foreign enterprises expanding investment in China in recent years.TIANJIN, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) — Airbus on Wednesday inaugurated its latest Final Assembly Line (FAL) for A320 family aircraft in the northern Chinese port…

In a significant development in the case concerning the killing and culling of stray dogs in Islamabad, the Islamabad High Court has directed the Capital Development Authority to vaccinate and care for the animals rather than kill them. Last week, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notices to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the city’s municipal corporation after an eyewitness informed the court that on 9 October she had seen a vehicle containing around 200 dead dogs near the CDA office. The court had earlier warned officials that a First Information Report (FIR) would be filed against them if…

Dario Amodei, Anthropic CEO, speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box outside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 21st, 2025. Gerry Miller | CNBCThis is CNBC’s Morning Squawk newsletter. Subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox.Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:1. To be, or not to beBuzzy artificial intelligence startup Anthropic has found itself at odds with the White House over regulatory policy for the AI industry. CEO Dario Amodei jumped into the discourse yesterday to push back on claims that the company is “woke.”Here’s what to know:Anthropic has largely struck a…

Warner Bros. Discovery has rejected three Paramount Skydance takeover offers as it fields broad buyout interest, CNBC’s David Faber reported Wednesday, citing sources.Paramount’s last offer was for just under $24 per share and was comprised of 80% cash, according to Faber, who previously reported a bid could come in at between $22 and $24 per share.Reuters on Tuesday reported WBD had rejected a bid for nearly $24 per share.WBD said on Tuesday it had received “unsolicited interest” from multiple parties and that it would expand its strategic review process to review all bids. At the same time, the company is…