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Business

Kodak Refutes Shutdown Rumors, Cites Debt Management Plans

Eastman Kodak has refuted media reports suggesting the company is shutting down due to financial difficulties.

Recent reports highlighted Kodak's financial challenges and concerns about meeting debt obligations.

Kodak issued a press release stating it has no plans to cease operations or file for bankruptcy.

The company plans to repay, extend, or refinance its debt and expects a stronger balance sheet next year.

Kodak intends to use $300 million from its pension plan termination to address a portion of its $477 million term debt.

Despite past financial struggles, including a 2012 bankruptcy, Kodak aims to navigate its current challenges.

Artificial Intelligence

Multiverse Computing Unveils Tiny, High-Performing AI Models for IoT Devices

European AI startup Multiverse Computing has launched SuperFly and ChickBrain, two highly compressed AI models designed for use in IoT devices, smartphones, and PCs. SuperFly, with 94 million parameters, is designed for devices with limited data, enabling voice command operation of appliances. ChickBrain, at 3.2 billion parameters, offers reasoning capabilities and outperforms the original Meta's Llama 3.1 8B model in benchmarks. Multiverse is in discussions with major device manufacturers like Apple, Samsung, Sony, and HP, and offers its compression tech via an API on AWS.

Artificial Intelligence

Meta's AI Chatbot Guidelines Controversy: Romantic Interactions with Children Allowed

Meta is under scrutiny following a Reuters report revealing that its AI chatbot guidelines previously allowed for romantic or sensual conversations with children. An internal document showed that these guidelines, approved by Meta's legal and ethics teams, permitted AI personas to engage with children in such a manner. While Meta claims these guidelines have been removed, child safety advocates remain skeptical and are calling for the release of updated guidelines.

The leaked document also revealed controversial stances on hate speech and false information. While hate speech is prohibited, the AI could generate statements that demean individuals based on protected characteristics. Additionally, the AI chatbots were permitted to create false statements as long as it was explicitly acknowledged that the information wasn't true.

Meta has also faced criticism for its use of dark patterns to keep users engaged, particularly children. Concerns have been raised about visible "like" counts pushing teens towards social comparison and the targeting of ads based on teens' emotional states. The company's opposition to the Kids Online Safety Act has further fueled concerns about its commitment to child safety.

Travel & Accommodation

Airbnb Introduces 'Reserve Now, Pay Later' for Flexible Bookings

Airbnb has launched a 'Reserve Now, Pay Later' feature in the U.S., enabling users to book properties with flexible or moderate cancellation policies without immediate payment.

This allows cancellations with less hassle if plans change, provided the full amount is paid before the free cancellation period ends (24 hours or five days before check-in, depending on the policy).

The company previously introduced 'Pay part now, part later' and partnered with Klarna for installment payments.

A survey indicated that 55% of users prefer flexible payment options, and 42% have missed out on properties due to payment logistics.

Travel & Accommodation

Airbnb Introduces 'Reserve Now, Pay Later' for U.S. Bookings

Airbnb has launched a new 'Reserve Now, Pay Later' feature in the U.S., allowing users to book properties without upfront payment.

This feature applies to listings with 'flexible' or 'moderate' cancellation policies, offering cancellations up to 24 hours or five days before check-in, respectively.

Users must pay the full amount before the free cancellation period ends, with Airbnb sending reminders before the deadline.

This move follows Airbnb's previous experiments with flexible payment options, including partial payments and a partnership with Klarna for installment payments.

A survey indicated that 55% of users prefer flexible payment options, and 42% have missed out on properties due to payment logistics.

Artificial Intelligence

Cohere Appoints Joelle Pineau as Chief AI Officer to Boost AI Innovation

Cohere, backed by $1 billion in funding, has hired Joelle Pineau, Meta's former VP of AI research, as its Chief AI Officer.

Pineau will lead AI strategy across research, product, and policy teams, focusing on practical AI applications for enterprises and government agencies, emphasizing privacy and security.

Cohere's focus is on real-world, enterprise applications, differentiating it from competitors focused on AGI.

Pineau aims to gear more research around Cohere’s AI agent platform, North, and explore AI agent interactions in secure settings.

One challenge for Pineau is replacing Cohere’s VP of AI Research, Sara Hooker, amidst high demand for AI talent, emphasizing the importance of team dynamics over individual superstars.

Travel Technology

Google Launches AI-Powered 'Flight Deals' Amidst Antitrust Concerns and Growing Competition

Google has introduced 'Flight Deals,' an AI-driven search tool within Google Flights designed to assist travelers in finding cheaper fares using natural language queries. This launch comes as regulators, particularly the European Commission, scrutinize Google for potentially favoring its own search products, including Google Flights, in ways that may stifle competition.

The AI tool, currently in beta, is set to roll out in the U.S., Canada, and India, aiming to gather feedback on how AI can enhance travel planning. While competitors like Booking.com, Expedia, and MakeMyTrip have already integrated AI into their platforms, Google's entry signifies a broader effort to compete with major AI players.

Despite the introduction of 'Flight Deals,' the original Google Flights interface will remain, receiving an update to exclude basic economy fares for trips within the U.S. and Canada.

Business & Technology

Rapido Enters Food Delivery Market in India to Compete with Swiggy and Zomato

Rapido, an Indian ride-hailing platform, has initiated beta testing of its food delivery service in Bengaluru under the subsidiary Ownly, challenging Swiggy and Zomato.

Ownly offers food at around 15% lower prices by charging restaurants a fixed fee per order instead of commissions.

Swiggy is reevaluating its 12% stake in Rapido due to potential conflicts of interest. Rapido has a fleet of 10 million vehicles and will leverage data from its Swiggy partnership to optimize its food delivery service.

The Indian online food delivery market is projected to reach $23 billion by 2030, with Zomato currently leading with a 58% market share and Swiggy holding 42%.

Artificial Intelligence

Anthropic Strengthens Enterprise AI Strategy with Humanloop Team Acquisition

Anthropic has acquired the co-founders and team from Humanloop, a platform specializing in prompt management and AI evaluation, to enhance its enterprise AI capabilities. This move reflects the increasing competition for AI talent in the tech industry.
The Humanloop team, including CEO Raza Habib, CTO Peter Hayes, and CPO Jordan Burgess, will join Anthropic. While the acquisition excludes Humanloop's assets and IP, the team's expertise in developing AI tools for enterprises is invaluable.
Anthropic aims to solidify its leadership in AI by improving its tooling ecosystem. Humanloop, founded in 2020, has a strong reputation for assisting enterprise clients like Duolingo and Vanta in developing and evaluating AI applications.
This acquisition aligns with Anthropic's commitment to AI safety and its focus on providing features like longer context windows to enterprise clients.

Wearable Technology

Pebble Time 2: Design Reveal and Feature Upgrades

Eric Migicovsky, the original creator of the Pebble smartwatch, has unveiled the new designs for the Pebble Time 2.

The company was able to regain the Pebble trademark, renaming the watches from Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2 to Pebble 2 Duo and Pebble Time 2.

The industrial design has been updated with new features, including a multicolor RGB LED backlight, a second microphone, a compass sensor, and a screw-mounted back cover.

The watch will be stainless steel on the front and back, featuring stainless steel buttons similar to the older Pebble Time Steel.

Other specs remain the same, including a 1.5-inch 64 color e-paper display, touch screen, quick-release 22 mm watch strap, and 30-day battery life.

The Pebble Time 2 is available for preorder and will pair with a smartphone via Bluetooth, allowing it to display notifications and control music.