Latest news with #ADL
Economic Times
5 hours ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Musk says xAI will make kid-friendly app 'Baby Grok'
Agencies Elon Musk-led artificial intelligence company xAI is working on a kid-friendly version of its Grok chatbot, the billionaire said in a post on social media platform X. 'We're going to make Baby Grok @xAI, an app dedicated to kid-friendly content,' Musk posted on Sunday. The new version is expected to launch as a separate application tailored for younger users, though further details are yet to be announced. The announcement comes days after X, also owned by Musk, temporarily disabled new Grok mentions on the platform to address spam-related Musk hinted at a new capability that would enable Grok to generate viral videos, further expanding its creative tools. Grok 4 capabilities xAI launched its latest flagship model, Grok 4, on July 10, positioning it as a significant upgrade following criticism over antisemitic responses from earlier versions. The backlash included concerns raised by users on X and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), after the chatbot was found praising Adolf Hitler in certain prompts. During a livestream event, Musk and the xAI team also introduced a $300-per-month AI subscription called SuperGrok Heavy, featuring the company's multi-agent version of Grok 4. The upgrade aims to improve performance across advanced reasoning and creative tasks. Benchmark performance Grok 4 recently topped the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, a benchmark suite assessing models across a range of capabilities: MMLU-Pro: Multitask language understanding GPQA Diamond: Graduate-level problem solving Humanity's Last Exam: General and existential reasoning LiveCodeBench: Real-time programming SciCode: Scientific computation and modeling AIME: Olympiad-level math reasoning Math-500: Advanced mathematical problem-solving Each of these benchmarks focuses on measuring the reasoning capabilities of next-generation AI models. Grok for government xAI also recently announced Grok for Government, a suite of its AI models made available for use by US federal agencies. The company said its inclusion in the General Services Administration (GSA) schedule will allow any federal department or agency to directly procure xAI the company is reportedly in talks to raise fresh capital at a potential valuation between $170 billion and $200 billion, according to the Financial Times. If finalised, this could make xAI one of the most valuable private AI companies US continues to lead the global AI race, producing 40 notable models in 2024 so far. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. What's keeping real retail investors out of the Nvidia rally If data is the new oil, are data centres the smokestacks of the digital age? The hybrid vs. EV rivalry: Why Maruti and Mahindra pull in different directions. What's best? Instagram and YouTube make billions off creators. Should they pay up for their mental health? Trent trips on the ramp. Is it still worth the splurge or time to change brands? Best way to deal with volatility, just ' Hold' for wealth creation: 7 large-cap stocks with an upside potential of up to 41% Stock picks of the week: 5 stocks with consistent score improvement with an upside potential of 16 to 38% in 1 year Headwinds, yes, but long-term story intact. 7 stocks from the engineering sector with upside potential from 21 to 42%
Axios
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Axios
America's largest teachers' union rejects proposal to ban ADL materials
An executive committee of the nation's largest teachers' union rejected a member-approved proposal to sever ties with the civil rights group Anti-Defamation League (ADL) over the war in Gaza. Why it matters: The rejection comes after nearly 400 Jewish groups urged the National Education Association (NEA) committee to reject a plan to no longer to use ADL material on antisemitism or Holocaust education. Driving the news: NEA President Becky Pringle said in a statement late Friday that the executive committee voted not to adopt the proposal "following the culmination of a thorough review process" under union rules. "It was determined that this proposal would not further NEA's commitment to academic freedom," she said. Pringle said rejecting the proposal wasn't an endorsement of the ADL's "full body of work" but acknowledged the rise of antisemitism. Catch up quick: NEA members voted last week to cut ties with the ADL at the 2025 Representative Assembly in Portland, Oregon. "NEA will not use, endorse, or publicize any materials from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), such as its curricular materials or its statistics," according to the proposal text. "NEA will not participate in ADL programs or publicize ADL professional development offerings." The members brought the proposal following criticism of the ADL for categorizing campus protests over the war in Gaza as antisemitic. Zoom out: After the vote, the proposal was sent to NEA's executive committee and met with strong opposition from Jewish groups. The groups wanted the NEA to issue a strong statement against antisemitism, which the organizations say is behind the proposal. Pringle then met with ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt "to clarify NEA's process and restate our commitment to combating the rise of antisemitism in our society." State of play: The ADL has also come under criticism from progressive-leaning and Reform Jewish leaders over the accuracy of its annual antisemitic incidents report. They say ADL unfairly lists criticizing the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians as antisemitic. The ADL defends its report and has pointed to antisemitic verbal attacks on some Jewish students during campus demonstrations. What they're saying: ""We welcome the NEA Executive Committee and Board of Directors' decision to reject this misguided resolution that is rooted in exclusion and othering, and promoted for political reasons," Greenblatt said in a joint statement with the leaders of other Jewish organizations.
Glasgow Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
'SNP government shouldn't be letting our own industry die'
They expanded into bus services and coachbuilding a century ago, in 1924, and grew to be one of the country's leading coachbuilders. Today, Alexander Dennis is a major player in the global bus industry, providing good, high-skilled manufacturing jobs across the country and exporting Scottish-built buses as far afield as Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, and the United States, with 31,000 ADL buses in service around the world, carrying 25,000 passengers every minute of each day. But this Scottish industrial success story is under threat as the ADL board now propose closing its Scottish manufacturing base and moving all production to Scarborough, citing a lack of demand from Scottish bus operators for their new electric buses. The closure of the Falkirk and Larbert factories would be a devastating blow for our country, with 400 job losses and another key Scottish industry gone. But this hasn't happened overnight – it is a direct result of the SNP government's self-defeating procurement policy that has failed to support this Scottish industry. Most of the new electric buses being bought by the likes of First Glasgow and McGill's are partially funded by Scottish Government subsidies. I recently asked the Scottish Government how many of these buses funded by the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund were made here in Scotland. While I knew that too often the government's procurement policy failed to bolster the domestic industry, I was shocked that less than a third of these buses were made in Scotland. Of the 523 electric buses funded through the Scottish Government subsidy scheme, more than two-thirds, 340 buses, have been manufactured overseas, with 287 buses – over half – made in China by Yutong. The reality is that while the Scottish Government has failed to support Alexander Dennis, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has bought over 160 Alexander Dennis electric buses to operate on the new publicly controlled Bee Network bus franchise. If the Mayor of Greater Manchester can buy Scottish buses, why can't the First Minister? The Scottish Government's public procurement policy is not fit for purpose as, unlike in every other part of the UK, it completely disregards the 'social value' that is created in the local area. They are asleep at the wheel while other countries take increasingly assertive measures to develop their industrial champions. The Scottish electric bus scheme is weighted primarily towards financial cost (40%) with 'wider community and decarbonisation benefit' – including job creation – receiving only a 10% weighting. Chinese firms like Yutong exploit lower labour costs and weaker employment rights, allowing them to substantially undercut Alexander Dennis on price. While the process did include criteria for job creation and wider community benefits, the weighting of just 10% was far too low to counterbalance the cost advantages of overseas suppliers. As a result, the Scottish Government effectively prioritised the cheapest bids, regardless of where the resulting buses were made or the domestic economic benefits they could generate. It's amazing that Alexander Dennis won any contracts at all, given how the government's scheme was so unfairly rigged against its own industrial base. This senseless and damaging procurement policy must urgently be reformed to unashamedly support critical manufacturers in Scotland by prioritising wider social value considerations over financial cost, which domestic firms would be better placed to meet, rather than the perverse situation where Scottish taxpayers are subsidising foreign competitors putting hundreds of our own workers out of a job. When the government buys a bus from Alexander Dennis, it doesn't just support that business. For every job in bus manufacturing, it is estimated that there is a multiplier effect of three to four jobs in the wider supply chain. The negative impact is already being seen. A major supplier to Alexander Dennis, Greenfold Systems in Dunfermline, has made 80 workers redundant after a key contract between the two firms was withdrawn. The lack of social value weighting and understanding of the multiplier effect goes beyond procuring new buses. Earlier this year, the Scottish Government announced that the new fleet of Loch-class electric ferries for Caledonian MacBrayne would be built by Remontowa in Gdańsk, Poland. The Scottish Government-owned Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow lost out on the contract, meaning the only thing keeping the lights on at that site is subcontract work for Type 26 Frigates from BAE Systems. The decision to award Remontowa the contract was based upon a weighting of 65% technical and 35% financial. At no stage was social value considered – the jobs that would have come from the contract or the positive economic boost to the west of Scotland. If Scotland is to reindustrialise, the Scottish Government must urgently embrace a more assertive, ambitious, and coordinated approach to industrial policy that is geared towards supporting Scotland's industrial champions, not foreign competitors. With Alexander Dennis recently extending the consultation on closure, it's still not too late; every avenue should be exhausted to safeguard jobs and save this crown jewel of Scottish industry.
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Ministers trying to drum up interest in Alexander Dennis orders, says Robison
The Prime Minister has been told more orders need to be placed at the bus manufacturer's Scottish bases. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scottish ministers are working with bus operators to drum up interest for much-needed orders from Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), the Finance Secretary has said. The bus manufacturer is currently consulting on proposals to close operations in Scotland and move to a single site in Yorkshire due to financial concerns, with 400 jobs potentially at risk. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Appearing before MSPs last month, Alexander Dennis managing director Paul Davies said the decision was not a 'done deal', but the company would need to see a significant rise in bus orders – between 70 and 100 by the end of the year and 300-400 next year – to remain open. Around 400 jobs in Scotland are at risk. | Michael Gillen/National World In a letter to Colin Smyth, the convener of Holyrood's Economy and Fair Work Committee, Finance Secretary Shona Robison said the Government is committed to looking at 'all viable options' and ministers are working with private bus companies. 'I agree about the importance of securing a short-term pipeline of orders,' she said. 'Please be assured that we are therefore liaising with commercial bus operators and local transport authorities to establish the current demand for double-deck buses in Scotland and are working alongside UK Government to identify demand in other parts of the UK. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I am in full agreement with you about the importance of Alexander Dennis to Scotland and of retaining the jobs of the highly-skilled workers. 'That is why we are continuing to work at pace with Scottish Enterprise and UK Government, and alongside the company and trade unions, to explore all viable options to support ADL to retain bus manufacturing in Scotland.' Ms Robison also suggested ADL could be forced to pay back money it has been given by the Government's commercial arm Scottish Enterprise for skills and technological development, though it would be for the agency to decide how to proceed. At Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, Sir Keir Starmer said the Labour Party is working with English mayors to put orders for zero emissions buses into Alexander Dennis in a bid to save the company from closure. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Alloa and Grangemouth MP Brian Leishman asked: 'Alexander Dennis needs commitment for orders in 2025 and 2026, and elected mayors are ideally placed to do this. 'Where things are made and by whom matters - can the Prime Minister assure Alexander Dennis and its workers that he believes bus manufacturing should have a future in Larbert and Falkirk?' In response, Sir Keir said: 'This is a deeply concerning time for workers and their families and I do agree. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We are working with mayors on delivering a pipeline for future orders for zero emission buses, that's an important aspect here. 'The local transport minister is hosting an urgent meeting with the bus manufacturing expert panel.' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer | Stefan Rousseau/Press Association The Prime Minister then hit out at the Scottish Government after it was revealed it had ordered new buses from China rather than from Alexander Dennis. He added: 'While Labour mayors in England are ordering Scottish buses, the SNP is ordering buses from China, just like they ordered ferries from Turkey and Poland.
Powys County Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Powys County Times
Ministers trying to drum up interest in Alexander Dennis orders, says Robison
Scottish ministers are working with bus operators to drum up interest for much-needed orders from Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), the Finance Secretary has said. The bus manufacturer is currently consulting on proposals to close operations in Scotland and move to a single site in Yorkshire due to financial concerns, with 400 jobs potentially at risk. Appearing before MSPs last month, Alexander Dennis managing director Paul Davies said the decision was not a 'done deal', but the company would need to see a significant rise in bus orders – between 70 and 100 by the end of the year and 300-400 next year – to remain open. In a letter to Colin Smyth, the convener of Holyrood's Economy and Fair Work Committee, Finance Secretary Shona Robison said the Government is committed to looking at 'all viable options' and ministers are working with private bus companies. 'I agree about the importance of securing a short-term pipeline of orders,' she said. 'Please be assured that we are therefore liaising with commercial bus operators and local transport authorities to establish the current demand for double-deck buses in Scotland and are working alongside UK Government to identify demand in other parts of the UK. 'I am in full agreement with you about the importance of Alexander Dennis to Scotland and of retaining the jobs of the highly-skilled workers. 'That is why we are continuing to work at pace with Scottish Enterprise and UK Government, and alongside the company and trade unions, to explore all viable options to support ADL to retain bus manufacturing in Scotland.' Ms Robison also suggested ADL could be forced to pay back money it has been given by the Government's commercial arm Scottish Enterprise for skills and technological development, though it would be for the agency to decide how to proceed. The Finance Secretary also stressed the issues the Government faces due to UK-wide state aid regulations, which govern the level to which ministers can intervene in private businesses. She said the Subsidy Control Act does not allow for subsidies which enforce the use of domestically-made goods and services, which would hamper the Scottish Government's efforts to force bus firms to use Alexander Dennis. 'Scottish ministers and officials consistently make representation on the development of the subsidy control regime for the benefit of Scottish businesses,' she said. 'However, as this is a reserved matter, it is ultimately for UK Government to make the final decision on any changes to the regime.'
