Here are the top trending news from the world of technology. News that we feel every tech enthusiast should keep a track on.
1)
ChatGPT impact: Google announces its own Chatbot Bard A.I
It is official: Google has finally announced its own AI chatbot called Bard, which will directly compete with Open AI’s ChatGPT. In a blog post, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai has described Bard as “experimental conversational AI service” that will answer users’ queries in a conversational way. However, Bard won’t be available for users from immediate effect. It will be initially tested by group of testers before it is launched on a full-fledge basis. Although there is still no clarity about Brad’s actual capabilities, it is expected to give tough fight to ChatGPT. Meanwhile, slew of media reports claim that Google has also invested $400 Mn in a AI firm called a company Anthropic.
2)
Biden says Unsure whether U.S. would ban TikTok
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday that he is not sure whether his government would ban the popular Chinese short video app TikTok. Biden said while responding to a reporter, adding that the app is not on his phone. TikTok is facing allegations over data privacy concerns with several U.S. media reports accusing it of sharing the data of American users with the Chinese government. However, TikTok has denied these allegations and claimed that the data of its American users is 100% safe.
3)
Pakistan unblocks Wikipedia (updated)
Last week, Pakistan’s telecom regulatory body Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) blocked popular encyclopedia website Wikipedia, citing that the latter was running sacrilegious content. PTA said that it had approached Wikipedia on February 1 with a court order to remove blasphemous material from the website. However, presumably the popular encyclopedia website failed to fulfil the demand of the Pakistani authorities. The Wikimedia Foundation, which runs and manages the Wikipedia website, has confirmed that Pakistan has blocked Wikipedia website. Wikipedia’s English version receives more than 50 Mn page views in Pakistan. Pakistan is a conservative Muslim country and in the past it has blocked many popular websites and apps including TikTok over blasphemous content.
(please note that the latest media reports are claiming that Pakistan has unblocked Wikipedia)
4)
Tech Layoffs: Dell to Slash 6,650 Employees
Leading P.C manufacturer Dell has announced that it plans to sack nearly 6,500 employees as the P.C and laptop sales continue to plummet. Dell’s job cuts will affect nearly 5% of the company’s global workforce. Dell’s Co—Chief Operating officer recently stated to the Bloomberg that the company is facing challenging market conditions and unclear future. Dell’s latest decision adds to the recent gloom and doom surrounding the tech industry on account of mass layoff. Except for Apple, almost all big tech companies has opted for mass layoff to cope with the fallout of economic recession.
5)
Bill Gates criticizes Elon Musk’s Mars Colonization ambition
Microsoft founder and billionaire Bill gates has taken a swipe at Elon Musk’s audacious dream of sending humans to red plant. Gates said in a BBC interview that sending humans to Mars is not a good use of money, adding that funding vaccine development was a better use of money instead. Gates also said that Musk doesn’t qualify as a philanthropist but added that this may change in future. Gates and Musk have had several open feuds in the past, with both billionaires disagreeing on several contentious issues. Colonizing mars is one of the passionate dreams of Musk, something that he is pursuing through his company SpaceX.
