Companies drop DEI targets from bonus plans on pressure from conservatives

July 21, 2024

(FT) Criticism from asset managers is increasingly leading big employers to walk back diversity and environmental measures. Read more here.

California is a battleground for AI bills, as Trump plans to curb regulation

July 19, 2024

(Washington Post) With the GOP pledging free rein for the new technology and action in Congress stalled, Sacramento is pushing plans to put guardrails on AI. Read more here.

Texas’ Biggest Pension Fund to Pull Almost $10 Billion From Private Equity

July 18, 2024

(Bloomberg) Texas’ largest public pension fund has decided to shift almost $10 billion out of private equity investments, a blow to an asset class that has faced heightened scrutiny amid dwindling returns and a slowdown in exits for portfolio companies. Read more here.

OpenAI promised to make its AI safe. Employees say it ‘failed’ its first test.

July 16, 2024

(Washington Post) Employees said OpenAI rushed the release of its latest AI model, called GPT-4 Omni. Read more here.

Google AI heavyweight Jeff Dean talks about algorithmic breakthroughs and data center emissions

July 16, 2024

(Fortune) The longtime Googler gave an update on AI initiatives at the Alphabet owned company, including project Astra, and addressed the recent report that Google’s data center emissions have increased. Read more here.

Silicon Valley Wins Few Government Contracts

July 11, 2024

(WSJ) Total amount of awards received by country’s top national security startups less than half of what venture capitalists have invested. Read more here.

How Big Tech is swallowing the AI industry

July 1, 2024

(Verge) Amazon and Microsoft have shown how Big Tech is going to consolidate the AI industry one way or another. Read more here.

Sanctioned and exposed, Predator spyware maker group has gone awfully quiet

July 1, 2024

(CyberScoop) Sanctions, newspaper investigations and reports exposing the Intellexa alliance’s infrastructure all might have led to its diminished state. Read more here.

BlackRock to Acquire Data Provider Preqin for $3.22 Billion

July 1, 2024

(WSJ) The deal is part of the efforts by the world’s largest asset manager to bolster data capabilities as it expands into private-market investments. Read more here.

A lifelong media maven grapples with the misinformation crisis

June 30, 2024

(Washington Post) In his new book, Steven Brill points to a flood of bad information as the culprit behind the rise of polarization. Read more here.