AI tools ‘much hyped but not much used’, YouTube rolls out Playables
Very few people are regularly using “much hyped” artificial intelligence (AI) products like ChatGPT, a survey suggests. Researchers surveyed 12,000 people in six countries, including the UK, with only 2% of British respondents saying they use such tools on a daily basis. But the study, from the Reuters Institute and Oxford University, says young people are bucking the trend, with 18 to 24-year-olds the most eager adopters of the tech. Dr Richard Fletcher, the report’s lead author, told the BBC there was a “mismatch” between the “hype” around AI and the “public interest” in it. BBC
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence start-up xAI has closed a $6bn funding round at a valuation of $18bn, as investor fervour for new challengers to OpenAI continues unabated. Despite being little more than a year old, xAI’s financing vaults it into the richest tier of potential rivals to Microsoft-backed OpenAI, which has secured more than $13bn in funding. Measured by capital raised, xAI now ranks alongside Anthropic, which has raised more than $8bn since it was established in 2021. Musk was a co-founder of OpenAI before he split with its chief executive Sam Altman in 2018. FT.com
A couple of weeks ago, Tim Cook predicted that iPhone sales will grow in some markets, including China, and he was right on the money. A report from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) shows that shipments of foreign-branded smartphones are up 52% in April – and most foreign-branded phones in China have an Apple logo on their backs. So, while we don’t know the exact number, iPhone shipments saw a huge boost last month, which in turn is an improvement on the 12% increase in shipments in March. GSM Arena
Everybody’s getting into gaming these days. YouTube joins the slowly growing list of companies with gaming initiatives, rolling out its Playables program across mobile and desktop. To play, simply visit YouTube’s website or Android / iOS app and look for Playables in the sidebar. YouTube will let players save their progress and keep track of high scores. There are over 75 games to choose from, including chess and crossword games to more popular casual mobile titles like Angry Birds Showdown!, Trivia Crack, and Cut the Rope. The Verge
China’s BYD launched on Tuesday the latest version of a plug-in hybrid technology that improves fuel and cost savings, intensifying competition with the likes of Toyota and Volkswagen which still sell mainly gasoline cars. BYD’s chairman Wang Chuanfu unveiled the fifth generation of the hybrid technology that achieves a record low fuel consumption of 2.9 litres per 100 km (62.1 miles) on depleted batteries at an event in Shaanxi province’s capital Xian. With a fully charged battery and a full gasoline tank, the technology can ensure a driving range of 2,100 kilometers. Reuters
A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced former FTX executive Ryan Salame to more than seven years in prison, the first of the lieutenants of failed cryptocurrency mogul Sam Bankman-Fried to receive jail time for their roles in the 2022 collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange. Salame, 30, was a high-ranking executive at FTX for most of the exchange’s existence and, up until its collapse, was the co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets. The Guardian
