Latest news with #LionelBONAVENTURE
Local France
6 days ago
- Climate
- Local France
IN PICTURES: Massive wildfire burns through southern France
The fire broke out in southern France in the Aude département, burning in the Corbières massif between Narbonne and Carcassonne. READ ALSO : Evacuations, road closures, maps: The latest on wildfire in southern France One woman has died and nine people have been injured. In total, 25 homes have been destroyed or damaged by the flames as of Wednesday morning. READ MORE: One dead and nine injured in massive wildfire in southern France In the town of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabreisse, the damage was particularly evident. The remains of a home and car in the village of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabreisse on August 6th. (Photo by Idriss BIGOU-GILLES / AFP) Authorities mobilised over 1,800 firefighters to battle the flames, but the fire was still spreading quickly on Wednesday morning. Firefighters at work in Tournissan, southwestern France, on August 5, 2025. (Photo by Idriss BIGOU-GILLES / AFP) As of Wednesday morning, local officials reported that over 11,000 hectares - an area equivalent to the size of Paris - had been burned. This photograph shows burnt vehicles in an area devastated by a wildfire near Fontjoncouse, southwestern France, on August 6, 2025. (Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP) Helicopters have been used by civil security to drop water over the wildfire. Advertisement A helicopter drops water in Jonquières, southwestern France, on August 5, 2025. (Photo by Idriss BIGOU-GILLES / AFP) Canadairs were also mobilised to drop fire retardant. This photograph shows a canadair of the French civil security droping fire retardant over a wildfire near Fontjoncouse, southwestern France, on August 6, 2025. (Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP) The fire has now been ranked as the largest France has seen since the start of July. A forest is engulfed in flames as a wildfire rages near Fontjoncouse, southwestern France, on August 6, 2025. (Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP) On Tuesday night, the smoke from the fast-moving fire was visible from the Mediterranean coast in Banyuls-sur-Mer. Tourists sit on the beach as smoke from nearby wildfires fills the sky, on August 5th. (Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP) The fire has spread exceptionally rapidly due to strong winds and parched vegetation. #Incendie 🔴🔥 Cette image glaçante d'un paysage qui se consume inexorablement dans l'Aude. 📸 Préfet 11 — Stéven Tual (@StevenTual_off) August 6, 2025
Toronto Sun
12-07-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
xAI apologizes for Grok's offensive posts
Lionel BONAVENTURE/AFP Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP New York (AFP) — Elon Musk's startup xAI apologized Saturday for offensive published by its artificial intelligence assistant Grok this week, blaming them on a software update meant to make it function more like a human. After the Tuesday upgrade, Grok praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in the posts on social media platform X, and suggested that people with Jewish surnames were more likely to spread online hate. X deleted some of those posts several hours later, amid growing outrage. 'We deeply apologize for the horrific behaviour that many experienced,' the company posted on X Saturday, adding that it had modified the system 'to prevent further abuse.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Update on where has @grok been & what happened on July 8th. First off, we deeply apologize for the horrific behavior that many experienced. Our intent for @grok is to provide helpful and truthful responses to users. After careful investigation, we discovered the root cause… — Grok (@grok) July 12, 2025 The company said the change occurred after the chatbot was prompted to 'reply to the post just like a human' as well as 'tell like it is and you are not afraid to offend people who are politically correct.' As a result, Grok became susceptible to users' 'extremist views,' which made it produce 'responses containing unethical or controversial opinions to engage the user.' Grok, which Musk promised would be an 'edgy' truth-teller following its launch in 2023, has been mired in controversy. In March, xAI acquired X in a $33 billion deal that allowed the company to integrate the platform's data resources with the chatbot's development. In May, Grok ignited controversy by generating posts with unbacked right-wing propaganda about purported oppression of white South Africans that it termed 'white genocide.' On Wednesday, Musk unveiled a new version of the assistant, Grok 4, which was unrelated to the July 7 update. Columnists World Editorial Cartoons Toronto Raptors Relationships
Toronto Sun
20-06-2025
- Toronto Sun
Big-name porn sites back online in France after age check row
Aylo owns adult websites Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTub,. Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP PARIS — Major adult websites Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube were back online in France Friday after a court here suspended a decision requiring pornographic platforms based in the EU to verify users' ages. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account France has gradually introduced requirements this year for all adult websites to have users confirm their age with details such as a credit card or ID document. The aim is to prevent minors from accessing pornography. But the Paris administrative tribunal on Monday suspended a government decree while investigating whether it was compatible with EU legislation. The French government has shared its intention to appeal to the Council of State, the country's highest administrative court. The three platforms' owner, Aylo, said the decree's suspension was an 'opportunity to reconsider more efficient approaches' to age verification. Aylo, based in Cyprus, had made its websites unavailable in France in early June as a protest against the French decree. Failure to comply could have lead to sanctions including fines or the blocking of the websites. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Aylo argued that this was an ineffective mechanism that exposed people's data to bad actors, hacks or leaks. 'Requiring you to repeatedly provide sensitive personal information creates an unacceptable security risk that we refuse to impose on our users,' the company said in a message displayed on the sites' homepages earlier this month. About 40 percent of children in France access to porn sites every month, according to a 2024 study by France's Arcom audiovisual watchdog. In a bid to preserve privacy, the government decree also required operators to offer a third-party 'double-blind' option that would prevent the platforms from seeing users' identifying information. Aylo, which reports seven million visitors in France daily across its various platforms, has called instead for governments to require makers of operating systems such as Apple, Microsoft and Google to verify users' ages at the level of individual devices. The platform also argues that the French law 'diverts users to thousands of sites that deliberately circumvent regulations' and fails to moderate videos for issues such as the age and consent of performers. Other countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany also enforce age-related access restrictions to adult websites. World Columnists World MMA Toronto & GTA
Forbes
04-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Venture Capital Funds Can Leverage AI To Save Time, Cut Costs, And Boost Returns
This picture taken on January 23, 2023 in Toulouse, southwestern France, shows screens displaying ... More the logos of OpenAI and ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a conversational artificial intelligence software application developed by OpenAI. (Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP) (Photo by LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images) In today's hypercompetitive venture capital landscape, finding an edge isn't just advantageous—it's essential. As funds vie for the most promising startups and struggle to efficiently manage growing portfolios, artificial intelligence has emerged as a potential game-changer for VCs seeking to work smarter, not harder. "The funds that adapt fastest to AI-enhanced workflows will have a substantial competitive advantage in deal sourcing, qualification, and portfolio management," says Christian Ulstrup, founder working on Accelerated AI Adoption for solopreneurs, SMBs, and enterprises. "We're seeing early adopters reclaim 1-2 hours daily while simultaneously improving decision quality." He recently received a shoutout on Linkedin when Martin Mignot, a partner at Index Ventures, concluded everyone should hire a personal AI consultant. This transformation couldn't come at a better time. With an ever-expanding universe of startups and limited partner pressure for better returns, venture capital firms must find ways to scale their operations without sacrificing thoroughness. Here's how forward-thinking VCs are deploying readily available AI tools to revolutionize their workflows and boost their alpha. AI powered VC Workflow, Christian Ulstrup The most immediate efficiency gains for VCs come at the earliest stages of the deal process—where high volumes of potential deals require rapid filtering. Traditional methods of identifying promising startups—manual database searches, conference networking, and LinkedIn scrolling—are both time-consuming and prone to missing hidden gems. AI-powered semantic search tools like are changing the game by enabling VCs to uncover startups that might slip through conventional keyword searches. "The difference between standard LinkedIn searches and AI-powered semantic searches is night and day," Ulstrup notes. "A VC can simply prompt 'B2B SaaS founders in Southeast Asia with at least one million dollars in ARR,' and immediately surface qualified prospects, including those from second-degree connections they might otherwise never discover." This capability dramatically expands a fund's effective reach while simultaneously improving lead quality. Once potential investments are identified, AI can help VCs quickly determine which ones warrant deeper attention. By connecting AI reasoning models like Claude (w/ extended thinking), especially via Claude Code, or o1 Pro to structured data from sources like PitchBook or Crunchbase, funds can generate rapid assessments of company fit against investment criteria. A practical workflow: Export a CSV of 200 companies from an event list or database, then prompt an AI to analyze each company's location, stage, and estimated revenue, highlighting those that match your specific investment thesis. While human judgment remains essential for final decisions, this approach can reduce manual triage time by up to 50%. AI-powered email tools like Shortwave are emerging as "dark horses" in VC communication strategy. Rather than sending generic outreach messages, VCs can generate highly personalized emails, informed by past messages and aligned with their writing style, that reference specific aspects of a founder's background or approach. A successful prompt template might read: "Draft an email to [CEO Name] referencing how we discovered them (Event Y) and a quick note on why their marketplace approach is unique. We invest in [region/stage]. Keep it under 120 words, with a warm but confident tone." The result? Higher response rates, stronger first impressions, and more efficient use of associates' time. The core of venture capital work—meeting with founders and evaluating opportunities—is also being reimagined through AI tools. Tools like Fireflies, Otter, or Granola can automatically record and transcribe investor calls (with consent), freeing VCs to be fully present during conversations rather than frantically taking notes. Post-call, these transcripts become valuable raw material for AI analysis. "The real magic happens when you feed these transcripts into reasoning models," explains Ulstrup. "A VC can transform a 30-minute call into a structured qualification memo in about 10 minutes, rather than the hour it might traditionally take." A high-performing prompt structure includes: For deals advancing to deeper diligence, AI can accelerate market analysis while highlighting blind spots. VCs are increasingly feeding pitch decks and founder claims into advanced reasoning models, like OpenAI's o-series (o3-mini-high is particularly useful for tightly scoped quantitative analysis) to systematically break down TAM assumptions and create "bear case" scenarios. Reference calls—a critical but time-intensive part of diligence—also benefit from AI summarization. After recording and transcribing these conversations, funds can quickly extract key quotes, identify patterns across multiple references by aggregating transcripts and including them in a single chat prompt, and flag potential concerns about leadership or execution capabilities. Once investments are made, AI continues delivering value by helping VCs provide better support to portfolio companies while managing their time efficiently. "The average VC's inbox is a nightmare of complex multi-party threads, portfolio updates, and time-sensitive requests," says Ulstrup. "AI email assistants can parse 20-30 complex threads in a fraction of the normal time, grouping them into prioritized action items, generating bullet summaries, and even proactively recommending next steps." Tools like Shortwave for Gmail or Superhuman's AI features allow partners to maintain awareness across their entire portfolio without drowning in communication. Video updates from founders (via platforms like Loom) can be automatically transcribed and summarized into 5-6 bullet points highlighting key financial metrics and product milestones. This compression allows VCs to stay informed without watching hours of video content. The same approach works for board meeting preparation, where AI can extract action items and generate strategic questions for upcoming discussions. Leading VC firms differentiate themselves through distinctive market perspectives and thought leadership. AI can help partners translate their insights into polished content more efficiently. A partner might record a 10-minute voice memo on an emerging trend, then use AI (especially via ChatGPT's Deep Research feature) to identify overlooked angles, draft a LinkedIn post offering a unique perspective, and generate a thought-provoking question to stimulate network engagement. This approach maintains the partner's authentic voice while dramatically reducing the time required to produce quality content. You can focus on substance, while AI makes it easy to apply stylistic details that fit the core message to the medium/social channel. For venture capital firms looking to adopt AI tools, Ulstrup recommends a focused approach: While time savings are compelling, the most forward-thinking VCs recognize that AI's true value lies in enhancing decision quality. "The funds seeing the biggest impact aren't just using AI to do the same things faster—they're using it to think differently," explains Ulstrup. "When you use advanced reasoning models to ask, given some transcript, 'What's the most important, precise item that no one is talking about?' or 'What's the strongest argument against this investment that I'm unlikely to have thought of?' or, conversely, 'What would it look like if things went right?', you're leveraging AI as a thought partner, not just a productivity tool." This approach helps combat common cognitive biases in investment decisions, surface non-obvious risks, and identify potentially overlooked opportunities—ultimately contributing to better returns. As AI capabilities continue advancing, the relationship between venture capitalists and their AI tools will evolve. Firms that develop proprietary approaches to AI integration—unique prompt engineering, custom data workflows, or specialized evaluation frameworks—may create lasting competitive advantages. "The most sophisticated funds are moving beyond off-the-shelf AI tools to develop proprietary systems that codify their unique investment philosophy and expertise," says Ulstrup. "That's where the sustainable edge lies, and it's getting easier as the cost of building bespoke software continues to drop like a rock" For the venture capital industry, AI doesn't represent a replacement for human judgment but rather an amplifier of human capabilities—allowing partners to spend more time on relationship building, strategic thinking, and the creative pattern recognition that defines great investors. The firms that master this human-AI partnership soonest will likely enjoy compounding advantages in both efficiency and effectiveness—a powerful combination in the quest for venture capital alpha.
