Don’t give smartphones to kids under 11, UK mobile phone firm says
London, United Kingdom - One of Britain's biggest mobile network operators said on Sunday it will warn parents they should not...
Gross written premium rises by 12.7% in Q4 2023 to US$14bn, says CBUAE
ABU DHABI, UAE - The UAE insurance sector continued to grow in Q4 2023, as reflected by the increase in...
Economy
Arts & Culture
AI and death: Sundance films grapple with our digital afterlife
Park City, United States -- Artificial intelligence promises to make death "optional," as the technology learns to perfectly emulate our personalities,...
- The filmmakers found themselves empathizing with the customers after hearing their tragic stories of bereavement.
- Western society is terrible at dealing with grief, they said, and technology can appear to fill the gap left by religion for many.
Business
Healthcare industry globally faces data hacking threat
DUBAI, UAE - In an age where data is a cornerstone of modern healthcare, the industry faces an escalating threat...
- The IBM Cost of Data Breach Report reveals that in 2023 the average global cost of healthcare data breach reached $10.93 million.
- In the Middle East, the cost implications of data breach reached $9.18 million in 2023, above the regional average across all sectors.
World Economic Forum
In Davos, AI excitement persists but fears over managing risks
A recent IMF report said AI would affect nearly 40 percent of jobs around the world, and some 60 percent...
- Over the course of the week, more than 3,000 policy makers, business executives, academics and innovators discussed some of the world's most pressing issues at the annual meet.
- The Forum announced it will hold a special meeting, hosted by Saudi Arabia, on “Global Cooperation, Growth and Energy for Development” on 28-29 Apr 2024 in Riyadh.
Business
Google CEO says more layoffs are likely this year
SAN FRANCISCO, US - Google CEO Sundar Pichai has warned employees that more layoffs are in store at the search engine...
- Google laid off around 12,000 people this time last year, about six percent of its workforce, in the face of inflation and rising interest rates.
- The company confirmed it is eliminating "a few hundred" positions from its global ad team, amid a push to use AI for efficiency and creativity.
Arts & Culture
Japan literary laureate admits using ChatGPT for her novel
TOKYO, JAPAN - The winner of Japan's most prestigious literary award has acknowledged that about "five percent" of her futuristic novel...
- The 33-year-old author of Tokyo-to Dojo-to openly admitted that AI heavily influenced her writing process as well.
- Set in a futuristic Tokyo, the book revolves around a high-rise prison tower and its architect's intolerance of criminals.
Business
Aramco Digital, Intel to join hands
The aim is to help develop of Open RAN technologies.
- The facility is expected to drive innovation, foster technological advancements and contribute to the digital transformation landscape in the Kingdom.
- This collaboration aims to align with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which focuses on technological advancements and economic diversification.
World Economic Forum
IMF chief at Davos: AI holds risks, opportunity for global economy
Artificial intelligence poses risks to job security around the world but also offers a "tremendous opportunity" to boost flagging productivity...
- "We must focus on helping low-income countries in particular to move faster to be able to catch the opportunities that artificial intelligence will present," Georgieva told AFP.
- Georgieva said 2024 is likely to be "a very tough year" for fiscal policy worldwide, as countries look to tackle debt burdens accumulated during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Business
Global personal computer shipments decline 14.8 percent in 2023
DUBAI, UAE - Worldwide PC shipments totaled 63.3 million units in the fourth quarter of 2023, a 0.3 percent increase...
- PC shipments reached 241.8 million units in 2023, a 14.8 percent fall from 2022.
- This is the first time that shipment volume has dipped below 250 million since 2006.
Business
EU court’s adviser says $2.6bn fine on Google be upheld
Google suffered a legal blow at the European Court of Justice when the body's adviser recommended that a US$2.6 billion...
- The opinion will feed into a legal battle Google has been waging to overturn the fine the European Commission hit it with in 2017.
- The commission determined that Google abused its dominant position by favoring its own Google Shopping service.
Business
Chinese experts decode Apple’s encrypted AirDrop messaging
Beijing, China - Chinese state-backed experts have found a way to identify people who use Apple's encrypted AirDrop messaging service, according...
- AirDrop allows users to send content to Apple devices in close proximity without an internet connection, encoded so they cannot be viewed by other people
- Chinese officials said experts "cracked the tough technological problem of the transmission of inappropriate information with anonymous traceability via AirDrop"
Don’t give smartphones to kids under 11, UK mobile phone firm says
London, United Kingdom - One of Britain's biggest mobile network operators said on Sunday it will warn parents they should not...
Company News
Du, Samsung ink agreement
Business
Latest News
Potential investors value Telegram at $30bn, says co-founder Pavel Durov
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – The Telegram is valued by potential investors at more than US$30 billion, the co-founder of the social...
Business
Abu Dhabi launches technology investment company MGX
ABU DHABI, UAE – The Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council (AIATC) announced on Monday the creation of MGX, a...
Business
Cryptocurrency Ether witnesses meteoric rise since launch
NEW YORK, US – Bitcoin has captured the limelight in recent weeks as it surged to a new record high, yet...
Business
Most Read
AI tools still permitting political disinfo creation, NGO warns
The success of ChatGPT, from Microsoft-backed OpenAI, has over the last year ushered in an age of popularity for generative...
- The non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) tested various AI models with directions to invent images
- Using programs such as Midjourney, ChatGPT, DreamStudio and Image Creator, researchers found that "AI image tools generate election disinformation
Science
Scientists launch hub to channel quantum power for good
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Scientists will work to channel the huge emerging power of quantum computers for the common good at a...
- Quantum computing combines advances in scientific understanding of the subatomic world with leaps in information theory.
- The first commercial quantum computers are still believed to be up to a decade away.
Geostrategy
Facebook, Instagram services restored after widespread outages
More than half a million users across the globe reported issues earlier in the day, with many saying they were...
- A Meta Spokesman said the issue was resolved for "everyone who was impacted"
- Facebook is the world's largest social media platform with three billion active users