Latest news with #Bard
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Chance to perform at the Globe ‘insane'
Former Trinity Catholic College student Phoebe Harris (left) and student Meadow Stewart, exchange tips on Shakespeare. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Last year, in front of school mates. This year, treading the boards at the Globe Theatre in London for the Bard. Former Trinity Catholic College student Phoebe Harris was the only student south of Canterbury to be selected among 24 high school actors from last year to perform at the prestigious theatre for the Young Shakespeare Company. She returned to Dunedin earlier this week after an "amazing" time in London. "It was one of the best experiences of my entire life," she said. "When we got there, I was like this is exactly where I'm supposed to be and it was insane that I got to perform on the Globe stage after watching all the professional actors perform there." It gave her the confidence to go back and do it again. "It just made me want to be a professional [actor] even more." The Company spent two weeks rehearsing with different tutors at the theatre and put on a midnight matinee of Romeo and Juliet. The actors learned how to project their voices and make eye contact with the audience at the theatre. Miss Harris was at the Ara Institute of Canterbury National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art this year. Former classmate Meadow Stewart, 17, was one of the 48 students selected from the National Shakespeare Festival to take part in the National Shakespeare Schools Production this year. Meadow was hopeful she would impress three leading New Zealand directors to be a part of the 24 actors selected to go to London next year. "It would be such a big step for me and a starting point for me to get into the industry because I am hoping to get into performing arts after high school." King's High School year 13 student Ethan Shaw-Wood, 18, was also selected to take part in the production this year.
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Red Sox Pitcher Who Returned to MLB After 7-Year Layoff Suddenly Retires
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Daniel Bard's latest attempt to return to Major League Baseball might have seemed far-fetched for some. The 40-year-old right-hander has faced longer odds before. Bard, forced out of MLB for seven years when a case of "the yips" derailed his career in 2013, made it back to the majors with the Colorado Rockies in 2017. Not only did Bard make it back, he spent the better part of the 2021 and 2022 seasons as the Rockies' closer. More news: Former MLB All-Star Announces Sudden Retirement, Aborting Comeback Bid After signing a minor league contract with Seattle in June, Bard was pitching for the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate this month when he decided to retire — a move that became official Friday, according to his minor league transactions page. Bard retires with a career record of 31-35 and a 3.74 ERA in 408 career games with the Boston Red Sox (2009-13) and Rockies (2020-23). He recorded 66 saves in his career. Pitcher Daniel Bard #52 of Team USA poses for a portrait ahead of the World Baseball Classic at Papago Park Sports Complex on March 07, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Pitcher Daniel Bard #52 of Team USA poses for a portrait ahead of the World Baseball Classic at Papago Park Sports Complex on March 07, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo byMore to come on this story from Newsweek Sports.
Hans India
6 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Scale AI Announces 700 Job Cuts After Meta's Multi-Billion Dollar Stake Amid Data Leak Concerns
Just weeks after Meta poured billions into Scale AI, the American data-labeling startup is undergoing a major shakeup. The company announced it will lay off approximately 200 full-time employees — around 14% of its workforce — and let go of an additional 500 contractors globally. The decision follows a broader internal restructuring effort and growing concerns over recent data security lapses. Confirming the layoffs, Scale AI spokesperson Joe Osborne said, 'We are streamlining our data business.' The restructuring appears to be a strategic shift in response to rapid expansion that proved unsustainable. In an internal email addressed to employees and reviewed by The Verge, Scale AI CEO Jason Droege explained the rationale behind the decision. 'The reasons for these changes are straightforward: we ramped up our GenAI capacity too quickly over the past year,' he wrote. 'While that felt like the right decision at the time, it's clear this approach created inefficiencies and redundancies. We created too many layers, excessive bureaucracy, and unhelpful confusion about the team's mission. Shifts in market demand also required us to re-examine our plans and refine our approach.' Founded in the U.S., Scale AI plays a pivotal role in helping major tech companies like Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta by labeling and processing training data for their AI systems. Much of this work is carried out by contractors based outside the United States. The announcement follows Meta's substantial $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI, securing a 49% stake in the company. As part of the deal, Meta brought back former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang to lead its new superintelligence lab. This new division is reportedly recruiting senior talent from leading AI labs. Despite Meta's deep involvement, Scale AI maintains that it continues to operate as an independent entity. However, the timing of the layoffs has raised eyebrows, especially as the company continues to face backlash over recent security failings. Last month, a damning investigation revealed that at least 85 Google Docs containing sensitive and confidential client information were inadvertently left publicly accessible online. Among the leaked documents were internal notes and training prompts for AI systems, including those for Google's Bard (now Gemini), and confidential data from Meta and Elon Musk's xAI. Shockingly, some documents also exposed personal information of contractors, including email addresses, payment disputes, and internal performance notes. One file titled 'move all cheating taskers' openly listed names flagged for misconduct and was editable by anyone with access to the link. While no major clients have publicly severed ties, reports suggest that several companies are reevaluating their relationships with Scale AI in light of the breach. According to a Business Insider report, some clients are growing increasingly cautious due to these lapses in data handling. As Scale AI navigates this turbulent phase, it remains to be seen whether its restructuring and Meta-backed ambitions can rebuild client trust and realign its mission in the evolving AI landscape.
India Today
6 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Tech layoffs 2025: After Meta invests billions, Scale AI to lay off 200 employees
Scale AI is laying off around 200 full-time employees, which is about 14 per cent of its workforce. This comes just a month after Meta invested billions into the startup. The job cuts are part of a larger restructuring plan, the company has reportedly said, and will also affect 500 of its global contractors. 'We are streamlining our data business,' Scale spokesperson Joe Osborne said, confirming the layoffs that were first reported by Bloomberg. advertisementJason Droege, CEO of Scale AI also wrote an email to his employees, which was reviewed by The Verge. The email reads: 'The reasons for these changes are straightforward: we ramped up our GenAI capacity too quickly over the past year,'. 'While that felt like the right decision at the time, it's clear this approach created inefficiencies and redundancies. We created too many layers, excessive bureaucracy, and unhelpful confusion about the team's mission. Shifts in market demand also required us to re-examine our plans and refine our approach,' it the uninitiated, ScaleAI is based in the United States and helps tech giants like Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta label and process training data for their AI models. Much of this work relies on large teams of contractors, many of them working from outside the US. The layoffs come shortly after Meta announced a $14.3 billion deal for a 49 percent stake in Scale AI and brought in its former CEO, Alexandr Wang, to head a new superintelligence lab. That lab is now being filled with senior staff reportedly poached from other leading AI labs. Despite this close partnership, Scale AI has said it continues to operate news of the lay-off also comes just weeks after the company came under some serious criticism for its data security practices. An investigation by last month revealed that at least 85 Google Docs containing confidential client information and internal notes were publicly accessible. These documents reportedly included details from AI training projects with major tech firms such as Google, Meta, and Elon Musk's the exposed files were training prompts meant for improving Google's Bard chatbot (now Gemini), internal feedback on the models' weaknesses, and even a confidential xAI project called 'Project Xylophone' designed to help train AI on conversation styles. There were also audio files tied to Meta's chatbot addition to project details, some spreadsheets reportedly contained personal information of contractors, including emails, payment issues, and notes on performance. One document titled 'move all cheating taskers' listed hundreds of names flagged for suspected misconduct, and was editable by anyone with the recent leaks have raised concerns among some of Scale's biggest clients. While no formal fallout has been reported. However, according to a Business Insider report, some companies were reconsidering their partnerships in light of the breach.- Ends
Mint
7 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas warns aspiring entrepreneurs: 'Big tech will copy anything that works'
Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of AI startup Perplexity, issued a stark warning to students and budding entrepreneurs at Y Combinator's AI Startup School this week, urging them to be prepared for the inevitability of Big Tech copying successful ideas. Addressing an audience of undergraduates, graduates, and PhD candidates, Srinivas underscored the competitive intensity of the AI sector, where larger companies such as Google, Meta, and OpenAI are constantly scouting for innovations they can replicate and scale. 'If your company can generate revenue in the hundreds of millions or even billions, you should always assume that a major player will try to copy it,' he cautioned, according toBusiness Insider. Reflecting on Perplexity's own journey, Srinivas revealed that at its initial launch, the company's chatbot was one of the first to feature real-time web browsing, a capability that has since been adopted by several of its larger rivals. 'We introduced real-time search to make our answer engine truly dynamic. Months later, others followed,' he noted. Launched in December 2022, Perplexity's platform positioned itself as an 'answer engine', a tool designed to provide clear and factual responses through up-to-date web searches. At the time, most AI chatbots operated using static, pre-trained data. However, the tide quickly shifted. Google added browsing to Bard (now Gemini) just three months later. ChatGPT integrated similar functionality in May 2023, and Anthropic's Claude incorporated real-time search earlier this year. Srinivas acknowledged that while imitation by tech giants can be daunting, it is also a marker of success. 'You will have to learn to live with that fear,' he said, encouraging founders to remain focused on speed, originality, and building trust with users, factors that can offer a competitive edge even in a saturated market. Meanwhile, OpenAI is reportedly developing its own web browser, set to debut in the coming weeks. The browser is expected to further blur the lines between chat and traditional internet navigation, allowing users to complete tasks like filling out forms or making reservations within a conversational interface. This move aligns with OpenAI's broader strategy to embed itself deeper into users' digital routines. As the AI arms race continues, Srinivas's message to the next generation of innovators is clear: disruption invites duplication and resilience is key.
