China's AI catch-up begins to look inevitable: podcast
NEW YORK, March 6 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Beijing's leap in developing silicon smarts, embodied in DeepSeek's shockingly cheap model, will challenge US attempts to restrict cutting-edge technology. In this week's Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists debate whether it will destabilize the AI market.
Follow @JMAGuilford, opens new tab on X
FURTHER READING/LISTENING
How to sort winners from losers in AI's civil war: podcast
Nvidia benefits from a first-mover disadvantage
Why China may struggle to unlock the power of AI
AI agents have clear mission, hazy business model
AI's civil war will force investors to pick sides
Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement, opens new tab for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices, opens new tab to opt-out of targeted advertising.
Editing by Oliver Taslic and Aditya Srivastav
Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Telstra forces ALL of its staff to use AI in eerie new mandate
Telstra staff have been told they will be expected to use artificial intelligence every day in their jobs, while continuing to enjoy the option of working remotely from anywhere. 'Flexible working is absolutely a core part of how we operate,' chief executive Vicki Brady said on Thursday, describing the company's push to embed AI into all roles as part of a broader strategy to 'radically innovate' its operations. For employees, that means finding ways AI can boost productivity, regardless of whether they work from home or in the office. Ms Brady has been a vocal supporter of hybrid work, breaking ranks with other business leaders calling for a full return to the office. 'We've got to really radically innovate in the core of our business. And hybrid working, I would say, for me, it's one of those things,' she said. 'That looks different for different teams across our business, but absolutely some time together, face-to-face, is part of that in bringing the best out of teams.' Like Commonwealth Bank boss Matt Comyn, Ms Brady is an active user of AI and expects her staff to follow suit. Telstra has become Microsoft's largest Australian customer for its Copilot AI assistant, securing 21,000 licences, and has launched a data and AI academy to train employees. 'That's a big investment, but that's an investment in our teams to really gain that experience in how to apply AI in every job across our business. And when I say every job, I mean every job,' she said. 'That's the expectation that all of us need to be adopting AI in how we operate.' She said practical use was key to unlocking AI's benefits. 'One of our early lessons here was you can learn the theory of it, but you've got to have that practical, hands-on ability to try it, to use it, to figure out how it can deliver benefits for you,' she said. Ms Brady pointed to one team that used Copilot to transform a lengthy market analyst report into a 30-minute podcast, making the information far easier to digest. 'Some of those tips and tricks are definitely the things that we're finding is working. And we're absolutely finding our teams really curious and eager to learn.' Her comments came as Telstra posted its slowest mobile growth in four years following the shutdown of its 3G network. Annual net profit surged 31 per cent to $2.34bn, driven largely by aggressive cost-cutting, including 550 job cuts announced in July on top of nearly 1900 roles shed earlier in 2024. Revenue was flat at $23.9bn. Despite the soft mobile performance, Telstra will return $1bn to investors through a share buyback and lift its full-year dividend 5.6 per cent to 19 cents. It follows a $750m buyback just two months earlier. 'We are focused on continuing to deliver value for our shareholders … carefully consider[ing] the balance between investing in the growth of our business and the potential for additional shareholder returns,' Ms Brady said. The announcement comes as the Victorian Government proposes mandating two days a week working from home for eligible staff, a move opposed by major business groups, which say such rules interfere with employer-employee agreements.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Taxman uses AI to snoop on social media posts of suspected tax cheats
HM Revenue and Customs is using artificial intelligence to snoop on suspected tax cheats' social media accounts, it has emerged. The taxman is using AI tools to scour social media posts for evidence of tax fraud and inconsistencies in income. It's the latest revelation of a government body using AI for its decision-making and processes. But if you abide by the rules you won't have to worry about AI snooping on your Instagram posts. The tax office is adamant AI tools are only used for social media monitoring in criminal investigations and with legal oversight. This isn't a new process – AI has been used to monitor social media accounts for 'years', HMRC says. But this fresh revelation has sparked a wave of concern from experts and politicians who say there is a risk AI could get it wrong - and accuse innocent households of evading tax, the Telegraph reports. Tax experts say that this could spark case of mistaken identity if AI is used to collate information about an individual from social media. Plus, there is a risk that accounts could be hacked or fake accounts could be created which could complicate the process. But officials maintains that there are robust checks and balances in place. An HMRC spokesman said: 'Use of AI for social media monitoring is restricted to criminal investigations and subject to legal oversight. 'AI supports our processes but – like all effective use of this new technology – it has robust safeguards in place and does not replace human decision-making. 'Greater use of AI will enable our staff to spend less time on administration and more time helping taxpayers, as well as better target fraud and evasion to bring in more money for public services.' AI is currently used to 'streamline' administrative tasks at the Revenue including internally using chat assistants to allow better access to information and also to summarise calls for advisers so they can cut down the time it takes to wrap up a call. The revelation of HMRC's AI use comes as it is under pressure to close the tax gap – the difference between the amount of tax that HMRC should be raking into its coffers and the amount it actually does. It's thought the use of AI in the Revenue will become widespread on the quest to rake in more money as it was last month revealed AI tools will spread to 'everyday' tax processes. It is hoped this will pull in an additional £7billion for the tax office. One of HMRC's new processes will be using AI tools to identify suspected tax evaders and nudge them to pay what they owe. It says AI tools will allow its staff to focus on more complex work instead of replacing jobs – it says it will hire some 5,500 compliance staff.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Apple to bring blood oxygen feature to some US watches with software update
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Apple will bring a blood oxygen measurement feature to some of its watch models via a software update after receiving approval from the U.S. government amid a protracted legal dispute over the technology, it said on Thursday. The move will allow users of Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States to view their blood oxygen levels on a paired iPhone. It comes after years of legal wrangling with Irvine, California-based Masimo, which has accused Apple of hiring its employees and stealing its pulse oximetry technology after discussing a potential collaboration. Masimo won a ruling at the U.S. International Trade Commission to block imports of watches with the feature, which prompted Apple to remove the feature and set off a lengthy appeals process. The watch models affected Thursday did not have the blood oxygen feature when shipped, but Apple said U.S. Customs had approved the software update. With the update, a user can start a session in the blood oxygen app on Apple Watch, and the Apple Watch sensors will collect data that will be used by the iPhone to calculate and display the levels, Apple said. Apple first introduced pulse oximetry in its Series 6 Apple Watches in 2020. Masimo released its blood oxygen tracking W1 watch in 2022. Masimo convinced the ITC to block imports of Apple's Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in 2023, based on the commission's determination that Apple's technology for reading blood oxygen levels infringed upon Masimo's patents. Apple temporarily resumed sales of the watches the next day after persuading the Federal Circuit to pause the ban. The Federal Circuit reinstated the ban the next month, leading Apple to remove pulse oximetry capabilities from its watches in the United States. Masimo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
