Weekly Tech Recap: From Sam Altman’s rehiring to new Bard AI features and more

Sam Altman rehired as OpenAI CEO:

After his controversial firing last week, Sam Altman was finally reinstated as the CEO of OpenAI while the board that removed him was all but let go with the exception of Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo. 

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), OpenAI wrote, “We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo. We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this.”

iOS 17.2 update could solve the persistent Wifi bug: 

Apple introduced the iOS 17 update, prompting various reactions from iPhone users who encountered several issues. Among the reported problems, a significant number of users have expressed concerns about WiFi speed problems since updating their iPhones to iOS 17. Although the WiFi connectivity issue was not present before the latest iPhone update, users have consistently reported this problem across subsequent updates and attempted fixes. 

As per a report from MacRumors, individuals have consistently encountered issues with their WiFi connection and speed following the launch of the iOS 17 update. Despite the release of the 17.1.1 update, the problem remains unresolved, leading Apple to purportedly undergo testing for a new update internally, identified as iOS 17.1.2.

Reportedly, the upcoming release of the iOS 17.1.2 update is anticipated to address the Wi-Fi issues plaguing iPhones, though a specific rollout date has not been specified. Experts suggest that the forthcoming iOS 17.2 update will not only resolve the prominent issues reported by users but also introduce additional features to compatible iPhones.

Deepfakes row: Government will help citizens file FIR against social media companies

In a bid to battle the problem of Deepfakes, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) will develop a platform on which users can be notified about IT rule violations by social media platforms.

“The Rule Seven officer will be a person who will create a platform where it will be easy for citizens to bring to the attention of the Government of India their notices allegations or reports of violation of law by the platforms. And the Rule Seven officer will take that digital platform information and respond accordingly”, the minister said.

The FIR will be registered against the intermediary and if they disclose the details from where the content has originated then the FIR will be filed against the entity that has posted the content, the minister said.

Google’s Bard AI gets even more feature rich:  

Google is updating its Bard AI chatbot with new features including the ability to retrieve information from specific YouTube videos. Google says it is the most capable version of Bard to date and can help answer questions with greater quality and accuracy.

In a blog post, updating about the upcoming changes to YouTube extension, Google wrote, “We’re taking the first steps in Bard’s ability to understand YouTube videos. For example, if you’re looking for videos on how to make olive oil cake, you can now also ask how many eggs the recipe in the first video requires.”

“We’ve heard you want deeper engagement with YouTube videos. So we’re expanding the YouTube Extension to understand some video content so you can have a richer conversation with Bard about it.” the company added.

Google’s secret deal with Spotify: 

Music streaming giant Spotify pays Google a zero percent commission when users buy its subscription on Android if the payment is made using Spotify’s own payment system, and only a 4% commission if the payment is processed by Google, The Verge reported, citing a senior Google executive. The California-based company usually charges a 15% commission for in-app subscriptions, while the fee is reduced by 4% when app makers use the User Choice Billing programme, where they don’t use Google to process the payment.

The Verge report notes that the details of this generous deal offered by Google to Spotify were revealed during the Epic vs. Google antitrust trial being held in San Francisco. Interestingly, the company fought hard to keep the Spotify deal private, arguing that it could hamper its negotiations with other app developers who might want an even better rate.

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Updated: 26 Nov 2023, 11:49 AM IST