Latest news with #GlennCHAPMAN
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Japan Today
OpenAI wins $200 mil contract with U.S. military
Sam Altman-led OpenAI winning its first contract from the US Department of Defense comes as big tech firms increasingly court the US military By Glenn CHAPMAN The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded OpenAI a $200 million contract to put generative artificial intelligence (AI) to work for the military. San Francisco-based OpenAI will "develop prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains," according to the department's posting of awarded contracts. The program with the defense department is the first partnership under the startup's initiative to put AI to work in governments, according to OpenAI. OpenAI plans to show how cutting-edge AI can vastly improve administrative operations such as how service members get health care and also cyber defenses, the startup said in a post. All use of AI for the military will be consistent with OpenAI usage guidelines, according to the startup. Big tech companies are increasingly pitching their tools to the U.S. military, among them Meta, OpenAI and, more predictably, Palantir, the AI defense company founded by Peter Thiel, the conservative tech billionaire who has played a major role in Silicon Valley's rightward shift. OpenAI and defense tech startup Anduril Industries late last year announced a partnership to develop and deploy AI solutions "for security missions." The alliance brings together OpenAI models and Anduril's military tech platform to ramp up defenses against aerial drones and other "unmanned aircraft systems", according to the companies. "OpenAI builds AI to benefit as many people as possible, and supports U.S.-led efforts to ensure the technology upholds democratic values," OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said at the time. © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Japan Today
Despite law, U.S. TikTok ban likely to remain on hold
Any deal to sell TikTok's business in the United States would need approval of the Chinese government amidst a trade war between the two countries By Glenn CHAPMAN U.S. President Donald Trump is widely expected to extend the Thursday deadline for TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban in the United States. It would be the third time Trump put off enforcing a federal law requiring its sale or ban, which was to take effect the day before his January inauguration. "I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok," Trump said in an NBC News interview in early May. "If it needs an extension, I would be willing to give it an extension." Trump said a group of purchasers is ready to pay TikTok owner ByteDance "a lot of money" for the video-clip-sharing sensation's U.S. operations. Trump has repeatedly downplayed risks that TikTok is in danger, saying he remains confident of finding a buyer for the app's U.S. business. The president is "just not motivated to do anything about TikTok," said independent analyst Rob Enderle. "Unless they get on his bad side, TikTok is probably going to be in pretty good shape." Trump had long supported a ban or divestment, but reversed his position and vowed to defend the platform after coming to believe it helped him win young voters' support in the November election. "Trump's not really doing great on his election promises," Enderle maintained. "This could be one that he can actually deliver on." Motivated by national security fears and belief in Washington that TikTok is controlled by the Chinese government, the ban took effect on January 19, one day before Trump's inauguration, with ByteDance having made no attempt to find a suitor. TikTok "has become a symbol of the U.S.-China tech rivalry; a flashpoint in the new Cold War for digital control," said Shweta Singh, an assistant professor of information systems at Warwick Business School in Britain. "National security, economic policy, and digital governance are colliding," Singh added. The Republican president announced an initial 75-day delay of the ban upon taking office. A second extension pushed the deadline to June 19. As of Monday, there was no word of a TikTok sale in the works. Trump said in April that China would have agreed to a deal on the sale of TikTok if it were not for a dispute over tariffs imposed by Washington on Beijing. ByteDance has confirmed talks with the U.S. government, saying key matters needed to be resolved and that any deal would be "subject to approval under Chinese law". Possible solutions reportedly include seeing existing U.S. investors in ByteDance roll over their stakes into a new independent global TikTok company. Additional U.S. investors, including Oracle and private equity firm Blackstone, would be brought on to reduce ByteDance's share in the new TikTok. Much of TikTok's U.S. activity is already housed on Oracle servers, and the company's chairman, Larry Ellison, is a longtime Trump ally. Uncertainty remains, particularly over what would happen to TikTok's valuable algorithm. "TikTok without its algorithm is like Harry Potter without his wand -- it's simply not as powerful," said Forrester Principal Analyst Kelsey Chickering. Meanwhile, it appears TikTok is continuing with business as usual. TikTok on Monday introduced a new "Symphony" suite of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools for advertisers to turn words or photos into video snippets for the platform. "With TikTok Symphony, we're empowering a global community of marketers, brands, and creators to tell stories that resonate, scale, and drive impact on TikTok," global head of creative and brand products Andy Yang said in a release. © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
09-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Apple plays it safe on AI despite Wall Street pressure
By Glenn CHAPMAN and Alex PIGMAN Apple on Monday remained on its cautious path to embracing generative AI even as rivals race ahead with the technology and Wall Street expresses doubts over its strategy. The pressure was on Apple not to disappoint at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) a year after the iPhone juggernaut made a promise it failed to keep -- to improve its Siri voice assistant with generative AI. The annual WWDC is addressed to developers who build apps and tools to run on the company's products. Despite last year's disappointment, Apple insisted on Monday it was still very much in the AI race, announcing incremental updates to its Apple Intelligence software, including the ability for app makers to directly access a device's AI capabilities. This would allow users to engage with apps using generative AI while offline, letting them interact ChatGPT-style with a hiking app, for example, while in remote areas without a connection. Apple CEO Tim Cook briefly mentioned that Siri's AI makeover was still under development and "needed more time to meet our high quality bar," which includes Apple's standards on privacy and data security. "We are making progress, and we look forward to getting these features into customers' hands," he added. For Gadjo Sevilla, senior analyst for Emarketer, "the delays to Apple's in-house AI efforts will continue to draw scrutiny." "Especially since rivals like Google and Samsung are moving ahead by introducing new on-device AI capabilities, or partnering with AI startups like Perplexity (in Samsung's case) to provide users with AI features," he added. The biggest announcement at the event was the renaming of Apple's operating systems so that releases better match their release year. The next operating system will be iOS 26 and will be available across all of Apple's devices -- including the Mac, Watch and Vision Pro headset -- in the fall, in time for the likely release of the next iPhone 17. Today, Apple's operating systems have vastly different nomenclatures across devices, including the current iOS 18 for the iPhone or macOS 15 for Mac computers. Apple also announced that the new operating system will be the first major iOS redesign since 2013, calling the new look "Liquid Glass." The relationship between Apple and app-making developers has been strained in recent years, with developers chafing at the iPhone maker's high fees for getting access to the App Store. A marathon lawsuit by Fortnite maker Epic Games ended with Apple being ordered to allow outside payment systems to be used in the U.S. App Store. Adding to doubts about Apple's direction is the fact that the legendary designer behind the iPhone, Jony Ive, has joined with ChatGPT maker OpenAI to create a potential rival device for engaging with AI. Apple also has to deal with tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump in his trade war with China, a key market for sales growth and the place where most iPhones are manufactured. Trump has also threatened to hit Apple with tariffs if iPhone production wasn't moved to the US, a change which analysts say would be impossible given the costs and capabilities required. Wall Street analysts remain divided on Apple's prospects, with the stock down about 17 percent since the start of the year, wiping over $600 billion from its market value and far outshone by its Big Tech rivals. While some analysts remain optimistic about Apple's long-term AI monetization potential, others worry the company's cautious approach may prove costly in the longer term. WWDC "was void of any major Apple Intelligence progress as Cupertino is playing it safe and close to the vest after the missteps last year," said Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities. "We have a high level of confidence Apple can get this right, but they have a tight window to figure this out," he added. © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
08-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Apple under pressure to shine after AI stumble
Apple is expected to lay out its path forward when it comes to artificil intelligence and its closely guarded 'ecosystem' of devices and software at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in Silicon Valley By Glenn CHAPMAN Pressure is on Apple to show it hasn't lost its magic despite broken promises to ramp up iPhones with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as rivals race ahead with the technology. Apple will showcase plans for its coveted devices and the software powering them at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicking off Monday in Silicon Valley. The event comes a year after the tech titan said a suite of AI features it dubbed "Apple Intelligence" was heading for iPhones, including an improvement of its much criticized Siri voice assistant. "Apple advertised a lot of features as if they were going to be available, and it just didn't happen," noted Emarketer senior analyst Gadjo Sevilla. Instead, Apple delayed the rollout of the Siri upgrade, with hopes that it will be available in time for the next iPhone release, expected in the fall. "I don't think there is going to be that much of a celebratory tone at WWDC," the analyst told AFP. "It could be more of a way for Apple to recover some credibility by showing where they're headed." Industry insiders will be watching to see whether Apple addresses the AI stumble or focuses on less splashy announcements, including a rumored overhaul of its operating systems for its line of devices. "The bottom line is Apple seemed to underestimate the AI shift, then over-promised features, and is now racing to catch up," Gene Munster and Brian Baker of Deepwater Asset Management wrote in a WWDC preview note. Rumors also include talk that Apple may add GenAI partnerships with Google or Perplexity to an OpenAI alliance announced a year ago. Infusing its lineup with AI is only one of Apple's challenges. Developers, who build apps and tools to run on the company's products, may be keen for Apple to loosen its tight control of access to iPhones. "There's still a lot of strife between Apple and developers," Sevilla said. "Taking 30 percent commissions from them and then failing to deliver on promises for new functionality—that's a double black eye." A lawsuit by Fortnite maker Epic Games ended with Apple being ordered to allow outside payment systems to be used at the U.S. App Store, but developers may want more, according to the analyst. "Apple does need to give an olive branch to the developer community, which has been long-suffering," Sevilla said. "They can't seem to thrive within the restrictive guardrails that Apple has been putting up for decades now." As AI is incorporated into Apple software, the company may need to give developers more ability to sync apps to the platform, according to Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi. "Maybe with AI it's the first time that Apple needs to rethink the open versus closed ecosystem," Milanesi said. Apple on defensive Adding to the WWDC buildup is that the legendary designer behind the iPhone, Jony Ive, has joined with ChatGPT maker OpenAI to create a potential rival device for engaging with AI. "It puts Apple on the defensive because the key designer for your most popular product is saying there is something better than the iPhone," Sevilla said. While WWDC has typically been a software-focused event, Apple might unveil new hardware to show it is still innovating, the analyst speculated. And while unlikely to come up at WWDC, Apple has to deal with tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump in his trade war with China, a key market for sales growth as well as the place where most iPhones are made. Trump has also threatened to hit Apple with tariffs if iPhone production wasn't moved to the U.S., which analysts say is impossible given the costs and capabilities. "The whole idea of having an American-made iPhone is a pipe dream; you'd have to rewrite the rules of global economics," said Sevilla. One of the things Apple has going for it is that its fans are known for their loyalty and likely to remain faithful regardless of how much time it takes the company to get its AI act together, Milanesi said. "Do people want a smarter Siri? Hell yeah," Milanesi said. "But if you are in Apple, you're in Apple and you'll continue to buy their stuff." © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
22-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Ads pressured to evolve as AI changes Google search
As Google tests weaving ads into its new AI Mode online search it remains to be seen how well marketing messages will be clearly and smoothly worked into results By Glenn CHAPMAN As Google races to lead in artificial intelligence, it faces the challenge of making sure the technology doesn't slow its profit-pumping advertising engine. The internet giant is dabbling with ads in its new AI Mode for online search, a strategic move to fend off competition from ChatGPT while adapting its advertising business for an AI age. "There's no question that AI is becoming more commonplace as a source for answers," IDC advertising and marketing technology research director Roger Beharry Lall told AFP. "That will inevitably result in a shift in terms of search and the opportunities to promote a brand." The integration of advertising has been a key question accompanying the rise of generative AI chatbots, which have largely avoided interrupting the user experience with marketing messages. However, advertising remains Google's financial bedrock, accounting for more than two-thirds of its revenue. "Google certainly needs to find a way to monetize AI search in the way that it has monetized its past versions of search," Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart told AFP at the tech giant's annual developers conference this week. A new AI Mode enables conversational interaction with Google during search queries, providing answers in diverse formats, such as video, audio or graphs. The internet giant said it is testing integrating ads into AI Mode responses, building on insights gained from AI-generated summaries, or "Overviews," introduced to search results a year ago. These Overviews display comprehensive AI-generated summaries of results above traditional website links and ads. "The future of advertising fueled by AI isn't coming — it's already here," stated Vidhya Srinivasan, Google's vice president of Ads & Commerce. "We're reimagining the future of ads and shopping: Ads that don't interrupt, but help customers discover a product or service." Google is extending ads in AI Overviews to desktop in the U.S., following successful mobile implementations. More than 1.5 billion users see AI Overviews monthly, according to the company. "Google's doing very good job of adapting," Beharry Lall said. "The move right now is to experiment and to gain traction, just as they have." Google's aggressive push into generative AI intensifies its competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT, which added search engine capabilities to its popular chatbot. Google announced it is making AI tools available to streamline the creation of online ads, mirroring similar initiatives by Facebook-owner Meta, Google's primary rival in online advertising. New features, available in the United States, will enable merchants to leverage AI for effective marketing campaigns and to "power an algorithm capable of targeting new searches and generating additional conversions," Google said. "AI helps a lot in advertising as far as targeting customers more precisely," Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi told AFP. Google should have opportunities to charge for AI tools for ad campaigns, and even for insights from data the tech firm has about its users' lives. "When you have AI agents doing things for you, those agents are going to need data," Milanesi said. "To get access to that data, you're going to have to pay." For example, Google knowing the kinds of restaurants or places someone has searched for online would have value for targeting ads, she said. Making money from AI tools and data could help Google diversify revenue sources at a time when its ad business is under pressure from regulators, according to Milanesi. "There could be entirely new business models around how a brand connects into those AI results," said Beharry Lall. "In the long run, it's going to be additive and beneficial to Google." How Google and other platforms make clear the difference between paid messaging and organic results generated by AI "is going to be the $64 million question," Beharry Lall said. "It'll be incumbent on regulatory bodies to develop guidelines," the analyst said. © 2025 AFP
