INSIDER
Cisco Systems joins Microsoft, IBM in Vatican pledge to ensure ethical use and development of AI
Read full article: Cisco Systems joins Microsoft, IBM in Vatican pledge to ensure ethical use and development of AITech giant Cisco Systems has joined Microsoft and IBM in signing onto a Vatican-sponsored pledge to ensure artificial intelligence is developed and used ethically.
Stock market today: Asian shares mostly fall despite solid signs of U.S. growth
Read full article: Stock market today: Asian shares mostly fall despite solid signs of U.S. growthAsian shares are mostly lower despite upbeat news on the U.S. economy, with Japan’s benchmark falling after the latest data showed inflation has been slowing faster than expected.
AI's future could be 'open-source' or closed. Tech giants are divided as they lobby regulators
Read full article: AI's future could be 'open-source' or closed. Tech giants are divided as they lobby regulatorsTech leaders have been vocal proponents of the need to regulate artificial intelligence, but they’re also lobbying hard to make sure the new rules work in their favor.
IBM, EU, Disney and others pull ads from Elon Musk's X as concerns about antisemitism fuel backlash
Read full article: IBM, EU, Disney and others pull ads from Elon Musk's X as concerns about antisemitism fuel backlashAdvertisers are fleeing social media platform X over concerns about their ads showing up next to pro-Nazi content, hate speech on the site in general or billionaire owner Elon Musk’s own posts endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory.
Autonomous Mayflower reaches American shores -- in Canada
Read full article: Autonomous Mayflower reaches American shores -- in CanadaA crewless robotic boat that had tried to retrace the 1620 sea voyage of the Mayflower has finally reached the shores of North America — this time in Canada instead of the Massachusetts coast where its namesake landed more than 400 years ago.
Robotic ship sets off to retrace the Mayflower's journey
Read full article: Robotic ship sets off to retrace the Mayflower's journeyMore than four centuries after the Mayflower departed from England on a historic sea journey to America, another trailblazing vessel with the same name has set off to retrace the voyage.
EXPLAINER: Will you need a 'vaccine passport' to travel?
Read full article: EXPLAINER: Will you need a 'vaccine passport' to travel?Airlines and others in the travel industry are throwing their support behind vaccine passports to boost pandemic-depressed travel, and authorities in Europe could embrace the idea quickly enough for the peak summer vacation season. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)Airlines and others in the travel industry are throwing their support behind so-called vaccine passports to boost pandemic-depressed travel, and authorities in Europe could embrace the idea quickly enough for the peak summer vacation season. Technology companies and travel-related trade groups are developing and testing various versions of the vaccine passports, also called health certificates or travel passes. Airlines are counting on vaccine passports to convince governments to drop some of those restrictions that discourage visitors. Airline and business groups are lobbying the White House to take the lead in setting standards for health passes.
Mixed finish on Wall Street as worldwide rally takes a pause
Read full article: Mixed finish on Wall Street as worldwide rally takes a pauseWall Street is tapping the brakes on its record-setting rally this week, as markets worldwide take a pause on Friday. (Courtney Crow/New York Stock Exchange via AP)BEIJING – Wall Street tapped the brakes on its recent record-setting rally Friday with a mixed finish for the major stock indexes, though the S&P 500 still ended the week with its third weekly gain in four. So did the Russell 2000 index of smaller companies, which traders have been favoring amid expectations of stronger economic growth later this year. It also gave a forecast for revenue and profit in the current quarter that matched or topped Wall Street’s. A big question on Wall Street is how much more it can climb before criticism blares even louder that stock prices have grown too expensive relative to corporate profits.
52 years later: IBM apologizes for firing tech pioneer, former UM professor for coming out as trans
Read full article: 52 years later: IBM apologizes for firing tech pioneer, former UM professor for coming out as transConway was a trailblazer in technology and transgender rights. She was fired from IBM in 1968 before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that transgender people are included in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “Pretty much immediately fired,” Conway recalled. “Because of what happened, the way it happened, I didn’t see my kids again until they were adults,” Conway said. In 2020, 52 years after Conway was fired, IBM awarded her with a lifetime achievement award and apologized.
Phishing ploy targets COVID-19 vaccine distribution effort
Read full article: Phishing ploy targets COVID-19 vaccine distribution effort(AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)BOSTON – IBM security researchers say they have detected a cyberespionage effort using targeted phishing emails to try to collect vital information on the World Health Organization's initiative for distributing COVID-19 vaccine to developing countries. The investment, in the works well before the pandemic, was accelerated to prepare for an eventual global rollout of coronavirus vaccines. There have been reports that Johnson & Johnson has been targeted by North Korean hackers, but Allison said that doesn't mean the attempts have been successful. On Wednesday, Britain became the first to country to authorize a rigorously tested COVID-19 vaccine, the one developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech. Unlike the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, Johnson & Johnson's requires refrigeration but does not need to be frozen.
Asian shares track Wall Street fall as virus aid hopes fade
Read full article: Asian shares track Wall Street fall as virus aid hopes fadeAsian shares fell moderately Tuesday, echoing Wall Street's decline as hopes faded Washington will come through with badly needed aid for the economy before the U.S. presidential election. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 dropped 1.6%, its worst day in more than three weeks. The S&P 500 fell 56.89 points to 3,426.92. The index has gained 7% so far this month, outpacing the 1.9% gain for the broader S&P 500. The benchmark S&P 500 has notched a gain in each of the past three weeks.
IBM to spin off $19B business to focus on cloud computing
Read full article: IBM to spin off $19B business to focus on cloud computingARMONK, N.Y. – IBM says it is breaking off a $19 billion chunk of its business to focus on cloud computing. The 109-year-old tech company said Thursday it is spinning off its managed infrastructure services unit into a new public company, temporarily named NewCo. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said the split will help IBM focus on its cloud platform and artificial intelligence, while the newly formed company will provide services to manage the infrastructure of businesses and other organizations. Once a household name for its personal computers, IBM shed its PC business in 2005 and has since become focused on supplying software services to big businesses, governments and other organizations. It has worked to strengthen its cloud computing business but has struggled to compete with top cloud rivals Amazon, Microsoft and Google.
Asian stocks follow Wall Street higher on stimulus hopes
Read full article: Asian stocks follow Wall Street higher on stimulus hopesAsian stock markets followed Wall Street higher on Friday on hopes Washington will provide more aid to the struggling U.S. economy. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)TOKYO – Asian stock markets followed Wall Street higher on Friday on hopes Washington will provide more aid to the struggling U.S. economy. Wall Street gained Thursday after President Donald Trump suggested he might be reversing his decision to halt talks on economic aid. “The on-and-off nature of the fiscal stimulus discussion in the U.S. hardly inspires lasting confidence,” said Mizuho Bank in a report. Stock rose Wednesday in response to that.
Microsoft joins Amazon, IBM in pausing face scans for police
Read full article: Microsoft joins Amazon, IBM in pausing face scans for policeMicrosoft has become the third big tech company this week to say it wont sell its facial recognition software to police, following similar moves by Amazon and IBM. Weve decided we will not sell facial recognition technology to police departments in the United States until we have a national law in place, grounded in human rights, that will govern this technology, Smith said. Smith said Thursday that Microsoft currently doesn't sell its face recognition software to any U.S. police departments. Microsoft, Amazon and IBM are calling on Congress to set national rules over how police use facial recognition something that's now being considered as part of a police reform package sparked by the protests following Floyd's death. "We need Congress to act, not just tech companies alone.
New York authorities test cyber defenses
Read full article: New York authorities test cyber defensesCNN image(CNN) - Two days after Louisiana officials declared a state of emergency following a massive cyber attack, authorities from New York conducted a "digital fire drill" to see how critical infrastructure would hold up during a security breach. The idea was to create a makeshift scenario where a cyber attack shuts down key infrastructure, causing anywhere from a loss of power to mass casualties. The drill was put on by organization called New York City Cyber Critical Services and Infrastucture (NYC CCSI), which is spearheaded by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the NYPD, NYC Cyber Command and the Global Cyber Alliance, an international nonprofit aiming to combat cyber attacks. Vance said his office would also need to function at a high level in case of a cyber attack. You're talking about subpoenas.