Microsoft, Google strategy to test AI search ads irks some brands

By Sheila Dang (Reuters) – Alphabet’s Google and Microsoft are inserting ads into AI experiments without providing an option to opt out of participation, an approach that has already rankled some brands and risks further pushback from the industry, ad buyers told Reuters. The two tech giants are racing to revamp their search engines with…

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U.S. East Coast blanketed in veil of smoke from Canadian fires

By Tyler Clifford NEW YORK (Reuters) -Schools across the U.S. East Coast canceled outdoor activities, airline traffic slowed and millions of Americans were urged to stay indoors on Wednesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south, blanketing cities in thick, yellow haze. The U.S. National Weather Service issued air quality alerts for virtually the entire…

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Analysis-Boeing, Northrop face obstacles in commercializing flagship US rocket

By Joey Roulette WASHINGTON (Reuters) – NASA’s plans to turn over its flagship rocket to contractors Boeing and Northrop Grumman to find more buyers and bring down costs faces steep hurdles thanks to meager demand even from the Pentagon and a sprawling supplier network. The U.S. space agency is pushing ahead with plans to hand…

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Spreadsheet of the dead: counting the cost of war in central Ukraine

By Dan Peleschuk POLTAVA, Ukraine (Reuters) -In peacetime, Viktor Tkachenko tracks local tenders, court registries and other open sources for a news outlet in central Ukraine. These days, the reserved 33-year-old fills a spreadsheet with the names of Ukrainian soldiers from Poltava region killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion began – 1,072 at last count –…

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Australia to ban swastika, SS sign citing rise of far-right

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia said on Thursday it would introduce laws to the parliament next week banning public displays and sales of Nazi hate symbols, citing a rise in far-right activities at home. The swastika, one of the most recognisable symbols of Nazi propaganda, and the insignia of Schutzstaffel (SS), the paramilitary wing of the…

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FBI says artificial intelligence being used for ‘sextortion’ and harassment

By Raphael Satter WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned Americans that criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit images to intimidate and extort victims. In an alert circulated this week, the bureau said it had recently observed an uptick in extortion victims saying they had been targeted using…

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