Technology

STMicroelectronics opens new 1-billion-euro credit line with EIB

Dec 11 (Reuters) - Chipmaker STMicroelectronics said on Thursday it had established a 1 billion euro ($1.2 billion) credit line with the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Social media

Australian teens boast after dodging new social media ban

Australia's world-first social media ban for under 16s had a bumpy start on Dec 10, with a number of young users saying they had managed to circumvent or escape the regulation just hours after it took effect.

Social media

Australia demands social media giants report progress on account bans for children under 16

Australian authorities on Dec 11 demanded some of the world's biggest social media platforms report how many accounts they have deactivated since a ban on accounts for children younger than 16 became law.

Technology

Bitcoin dips below $90,000 as AI worries dent risk appetite

SINGAPORE, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Cryptocurrencies tumbled on Thursday and bitcoin fell back below the $90,000 threshold in a renewed signal of market jitters as fresh concerns about artificial intelligence profits weighed on technology stocks.

Driverless vehicle

San Francisco woman gives birth in a Waymo self-driving taxi

Self-driving Waymo taxis have gone viral for negative reasons involving the death of a beloved San Francisco bodega cat and pulling an illegal U-turn in front of police who were unable to issue a ticket to a nonexistent driver.

AI

OpenAI’s ChatGPT now lets users edit images with Photoshop

If the user needs more functionality than what's made available in ChatGPT, they can jump from the chatbot to any of Adobe's dedicated apps.

Social media

Instagram users given new algorithm controls

Instagram on Dec 10 unveiled a new AI-powered feature that lets users view and adjust the algorithm shaping their Reels feed, calling it a pioneering move toward greater user control.

Facial Recognition

China public servants use face masks to bypass facial recognition to help each other skip work

Local level government staff make printouts of colleagues' faces to circumvent clocking-in system, triggering backlash.

Technology

Musk hints at possible SpaceX IPO in X post after media reports

Dec 10 (Reuters) - Billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday hinted at a possible SpaceX initial public offering in a social media exchange with Ars Technica space journalist Eric Berger, following reports of a possible listing of the rocket maker in 2026.

Technology

Crypto traders seek out extra security as kidnappings rise

As the price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has surged over the past three years, so too have so-called "wrench attacks" – the violent kidnappings, beatings, and even finger amputations used to coerce victims into surrendering their holdings.

Technology

Apple CEO pushes for changes in US child online safety bill, citing privacy concerns

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Apple CEO Tim Cook met U.S. House members on Wednesday to push back against federal legislation that could require the iPhone maker to authenticate users' ages and possibly collect sensitive data on children, lobbying instead to put the onus on parents to decide whether to tell app stores about a child's age.

Technology

Westpac director survives investor backlash over ASX ties

SYDNEY, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Westpac non-executive director Peter Nash was reelected to the bank's board on Thursday, surviving a sizeable investor backlash over his ties to the troubled Australian Securities Exchange.

Technology

Synopsys tops revenue estimates on strong demand for chip design tools

Dec 10 (Reuters) - Chip design software provider Synopsys beat analysts estimates for fourth-quarter revenue on Wednesday, driven by strong demand for its chip design tools, sending its shares up 5% in extended trading.

Technology

Google names Amin Vahdat as new chief of AI infrastructure buildout, Semafor reports

Dec 10 (Reuters) - Alphabet's Google has appointed longtime executive Amin Vahdat as chief technologist for AI infrastructure, Semafor reported on Wednesday, citing an internal memo, as tech giants pour billions into the computing backbone needed to power artificial intelligence.

Technology

Adobe sees upbeat annual results on AI, design software strength

Dec 10 (Reuters) - Adobe forecast fiscal 2026 revenue and profit above Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, signaling strong demand for the Photoshop maker's design tools and increasing monetization for its artificial intelligence offerings. 

Technology

OpenAI warns new models pose 'high' cybersecurity risk

Dec 10 (Reuters) - OpenAI on Wednesday warned that its upcoming artificial intelligence models could pose a "high" cybersecurity risk, as their capabilities advance rapidly.

Technology

Oracle forecasts miss Wall Street targets while spending rises, shares slide 10%

Dec 10 (Reuters) - Oracle forecast sales and profit that missed analyst estimates on Wednesday, while saying that spending would rise by $15 billion compared with earlier estimates - a sign that big capital outlays to chase AI cloud-computing customers is not turning into profit as fast as Wall Street had expected.

Technology

Big Tech warned over AI 'delusional' outputs by US attorneys general

WASHINGTON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Microsoft, Meta, Google and Apple were among the 13 companies that received a warning from a bipartisan group of state attorneys general, according to a letter from the state leaders, who said their chatbots' "delusional outputs" could be violating state laws.

Technology

Intel pursued deals that boosted CEO Lip-Bu Tan's fortune, sources say

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 10 (Reuters) - When the chairman of AI chip startup Rivos wanted Intel to bid for the company, he had no need to phone the chip giant. That's because the chairman of Rivos was also Intel's CEO: Lip-Bu Tan.

Technology

Reddit begins testing verified profiles to boost transparency

Dec 10 (Reuters) - Reddit said on Wednesday it had started testing verified profiles, a new feature aimed at increasing transparency on the social media platform.