Well. Good morning everybody. It’s been a bit of a hell week in the world of tech. Let’s get you caught up.
1. Sam’s back
On Monday, it appeared former CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman had been ousted from the company. On Tuesday, he went to work for Microsoft’s AI division. And now, on Thursday, Altman’s back at OpenAI as CEO, once again. As reported by Reuters, Altman’s back in the top job with a restructured board. It has been speculated that Altman will have more leeway to create profit streams with the company, now that members of the company’s non-profit history have been ousted, but the dust is still clearing at the ChatGPT-maker.
2. Australia to deploy ‘roving teams of cyber experts’
As reported by ABC News, the Australian government is set to deploy cyber experts across the Pacific to combat growing digital threats from criminal organisations and other nations. $26 million will be spent on ‘rapid assistance’ teams, plus an additional $16.7 million will be allocated to allied Pacific nations to help rectify vulnerabilities. “As Pacific Island nations realise their economic ambitions and develop their connectivity, their exposure to that threat grows,” Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts told the ABC.
3. Aussie startups want YOU!
As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, Aussie startups are looking to fill sales team voids in their operations, with sales-focused employees in higher demand than engineers or technical talent. “Employers are crying out for talent, but universities and other education institutions aren’t today providing that talent pool. That’s our thesis in what we’re trying to build, which is a better business school for the tech industry,” Earlywork Academy co-founder Dan Brockwell said.
4. ‘Reasonable evidence’ Tesla knew self-driving tech was defective
As reported by The Guardian, a Judge in Florida has found ‘reasonable evidence’ that Tesla executives knew its self-driving technology was defective, in a case regarding the death of a man in Miami in 2019. Palm Beach county circuit Judge Reid Scott said that evidence had been found that Tesla “engaged in a marketing strategy that painted the products as autonomous.” The Judge also said that CEO Elon Musk’s public statements on the technology had a significant impact on belief about product capabilities. The result of a public trial, which the way has now been cleared for, could lead to a verdict with punitive damages, according to University of South Carolina law professor Bryant Walker Smith.
5. Watch along with Bard
Google’s AI Bard can now watch YouTube videos and answer queries based on the content in said videos. As reported by The Verge, the bot can now analyse videos to produce key points or recipe ingredients, without the user ever needing to press play on the video. The functionality is only available at the moment in the opt-in ‘Labs’ experience, and although it could save people time, it could also be problematic for creators that rely on their videos, you know, actually being watched by human beings.
BONUS ITEM: This week has been cooked, have this claw game cat.
THE CLAW!!! 👽 pic.twitter.com/U2qHaoEmlZ
— Tweets of Cats (@TweetsOfCats) November 22, 2023
Hang in there folks, there’s only one more day in the week.
Image: iStock