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Apple tests AI tools
Apple is working on an artificial intelligence offering similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’a Bard. The company has developed its own framework, known as “Ajax”, to create large language models (LLMs) and is said to be testing a chatbot that is dubbed “Apple GPT”.
The company has so far held back from any big moves in AI and even avoided mentioning the buzzword at its developer conference in June. Apple has, however, subtly pushed advanced AI in some of its products such as Apple photos, on-device texting, and the recently launched mixed-reality headset Vision Pro.
Microsoft looks to close Activision deal
In a bid to wrap up its acquisition of game-maker Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has urged the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to withdraw a case against the deal that the agency had brought before an internal FTC judge.
Microsoft and Activision have extended the deadline to close their $69 billion deal by three months as they work to secure British approval for the biggest gaming deal in history. The FTC has been pursuing a two-pronged attack against the deal. The first case was in a district court, which refused to stop the proposed transaction, and the second before an FTC administrative law judge set to begin in August.
Netflix’s crackdown on password sharing works
Netflix enjoyed its biggest springtime spurt in subscribers since the early days of the pandemic, providing signs that its recent crackdown on password shading and rollout of cheaper subscription options are paying off.
The platform added 5.9 million subscribers during the April-June period, ending June with 238.4 million worldwide subscribers. Netflix has been trying to bounce back from a growth slowdown amid stiff competition and inflationary pressures that have caused many households to clamp down on spending, especially on discretionary items like entertainment. Netflix also announced it will be ending password sharing in India.
