TL;DR
- Amazon may replace 500,000 human workers with automated systems by 2027.
- OpenAI launched ChatGPT Atlas, a web browser integrating AI for online activity.
- Apple faces engineering challenges for a foldable iPad, potentially delaying its release.
Good morning. And the award for “funniest effect of the AWS outage” goes to…Eight Sleep, a so-called sleep fitness company based in New York City.
The company's internet-enabled items, such as a smart mattress cover, blanket, and a boxspring-like “base”, are said to have turned on and off with abandon, halted or initiated cooling or warming, and otherwise got stuck in position throughout Amazon's Extended cloud service disruption.
According to an entrepreneur put it: “Imagine not being able to adjust your mattress temp coz it requires checking if your subscription is active and server is sleeping lol.”
Today’s tech news below. —Andrew Nusca
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Amazon is potentially looking to substitute 500,000 human workers with automated systems.
Who would've thought we'd be concerned about AI taking over from people?
A new report in the New York Times according to Amazon, which is the second-biggest employer in the United States. With almost 1.2 million employees—is on the cusp of “replacing more than half a million jobs with robots.”
The automated systems would enable the firm to bypass the need for over 160,000 American workers. By 2027, the company would need fewer employees than it otherwise would have, based on documents reviewed by the Times, saving “about 30 cents on each item that Amazon picks, packs, and delivers to customers.”
Amazon is said to be targeting the automation of three-quarters of its operations.
Executives at the company haven't hesitated to detail how robots might benefit its extensive e-commerce operations.
At Fortune’s London will host an AI event this year, featuring chief roboticist Tye Brady. Was careful to say that its robotic breakthroughs—including ‘bots that can “feel” goods on warehouse shelves—wouldn’t replace long-serving human workers, but longstanding human tasks.
“We aim to eliminate … every menial, mundane, and repetitive job out there,” he said, adding: “We will never run out of things to do for our employees. We want them to focus on higher-level tasks.” —AN
OpenAI introduces a web browser, surprisingly.
OpenAI unveiled a web browser on Tuesday aiming to position its ChatGPT AI product as the primary gateway for online activity and solidify its role as a cornerstone of the internet's economic structure.
The new browser, named ChatGPT Atlas, offers a familiar look and feel to standard web browsers but integrates generative AI features across the entire user experience, making ChatGPT a central component for all tasks, from From online searches and digital commerce to electronic mail.
“The browser is already where a ton of work and life happens,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a livestream announcement and demo of the new browser on Tuesday. “We think that by having ChatGPT be a core way to use that… we can take this pretty far.”
The Atlas browser includes an Ask GPT button among its features. Visitors can interact with it to request further details or perspectives from the AI bot concerning the web page they are currently viewing.
Initially, ChatGPT Atlas will be accessible on Mac computers, with subsequent support planned for Windows, IOS, and Android devices.
Alphabet's stock, the parent company of Chrome, the globe's leading web browser, dropped 3.6% following the announcement. —Alexei Oreskovic
Developing a foldable iPad presents significant engineering challenges.
It's said that Apple intends to release a foldable iPad, which would join its rumored foldable iPhone, though achieving this successfully presents greater challenges than one might expect.
The company has “hit development hurdles” significant enough to threaten its planned launch date, according to a new Bloomberg report.
“The company has been working on the device—projected to cost around $3,000 for several years and had most recently aimed for a 2028 release,” the report reads.
“But engineering challenges tied to weight, features and display technology have pushed its potential debut to 2029 or later, according to people familiar with the matter.”
Apple is reportedly collaborating with Samsung on a massive 18-inch device. This new product is expected to utilize the same OLED technology currently present in iPads, aiming to reduce the visible crease for a more integrated screen experience. The current iPad Pro versions are available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes.
This idea has been tried before. Foldable mobile devices are currently available from Samsung (Galaxy Z Flip), Google (Pixel 10 Pro Fold), Motorola (Razr), and Huawei (Mate X6).
Apple's objective is evident: to revitalize its product offerings in pursuit of expansion. IPad sales, accounting for roughly 7% of Apple's worldwide income, have seen a decline from their 2021 high, with Mac sales experiencing a corresponding increase. —AN
More tech
—Google and Anthropic are reportedly in talks on a multibillion-dollar cloud computing deal.
—Apple Vision Pro M5, reviewed: “The price hasn’t lowered.”
—Judge orders Zuckerberg and Spiegel to testify in a trial over child social media safety.
—Meta and Blue Owl Capital form JV to fund the Hyperion data center in Louisiana.
—HBO Max prices go up. A dollar or two more monthly. Oof, Madone!
—Netflix shares drop 6%. Third-quarter earnings matched expectations, though operating profit was negatively impacted by a situation in Brazil.
—Dario Amodei steps into the fray. While prominent figures in Silicon Valley, holding differing political views, debate Anthropic's contribution to the AI revolution, its CEO offers an additional perspective: “We're ready to work in good faith with anyone of any political stripe.”