Factbox-Canadian companies halt ads on Facebook, Instagram after Meta blocks news access

(Reuters) – Several Canadian companies and government agencies have stopped advertising on Facebook and Instagram after Meta Platforms decided to stop news access on the apps over a law that requires payments to local news publishers. The “Online News Act”, which was approved by the Canadian parliament and received a royal assent on June 22,…

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Exclusive-EU’s AI lobbying blitz gets lukewarm response in Asia- officials

By Fanny Potkin, Sam Nussey and Supantha Mukherjee SINGAPORE/TOKYO/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – The European Union is lobbying Asian countries to follow its lead on artificial intelligence in adopting new rules for tech firms that include disclosure of copyrighted and AI-generated content, according to senior officials from the EU and Asia. The EU and its member states…

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White House partners with Amazon, Google, Best Buy to secure devices from cyberattacks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House on Tuesday along with companies such as Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet’s Google and Best Buy will announce an initiative that allows Americans to identify devices that are less vulnerable to cyberattacks. A new certification and labeling program would raise the bar for cybersecurity across smart devices such as refrigerators, microwaves,…

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Canada defends digital taxes but sees path for global deal

By Ismail Shakil and Steve Scherer OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada on Tuesday defended its decision to push ahead with its implementation of digital services taxes starting next year, citing national interest even as Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland expressed hope in reaching an international consensus. More than 140 countries were planning to implement a 2021 deal that…

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Republican lawmakers urge FTC to drop fight against Microsoft deal for Activision

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Twenty-two Republican lawmakers urged the Federal Trade Commission to drop its fight against Microsoft’s deal to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard, calling it “an example of the FTC’s rejection of sound antitrust policy.” The lawmakers, all members of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, in a letter sent on Monday to FTC…

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Teladoc expands Microsoft tie-up to document patient visits with AI

(Reuters) – Teladoc Health is expanding a partnership with Microsoft to use the tech giant’s artificial intelligence services to automate clinical documentation on the telehealth platform, lifting its shares 6% in premarket trade. The integration of AI including Microsoft’s services with technology from OpenAI, owner of viral chatbot ChatGPT, will help ease the burden on…

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Meta opens AI model to commercial use, throwing nascent market into flux

By Katie Paul NEW YORK (Reuters) -Meta is releasing a commercial version of its open-source artificial intelligence model Llama, the company said on Tuesday, giving start-ups and other businesses a powerful free-of-charge alternative to pricey proprietary models sold by OpenAI and Google. The new version of the model, called Llama 2, will be distributed by…

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