Technology
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Technology
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Amazon makes big investment in AI startup
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Amazon plans to invest up to $4 billion in Anthropic, an artificial intelligence (AI) startup, the company announced on Monday.
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The multibillion-dollar investment marks the tech giant’s latest effort to compete with rivals like Google and Microsoft on the rapidly developing frontier of AI.
As part of its agreement with Anthropic, Amazon will gain a minority ownership position in the company, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) will become the start-up’s primary cloud provider.
“We have tremendous respect for Anthropic’s team and foundation models, and believe we can help improve many customer experiences, short and long-term, through our deeper collaboration,” Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said.
Earlier this year, Microsoft similarly announced its plans to invest billions of dollars into OpenAI, the company behind the popular ChatGPT generative language tool.
While the two companies declined to offer specifics at the time, several outlets reported that the deal was for $10 billion.
Read more about Amazon’s investment in Anthropic in a full report at TheHill.com.
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Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we’re Rebecca Klar and Julia Shapero — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.
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How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:
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Bob Smith, the current CEO of Blue Origin, a U.S.-based aerospace company founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is stepping down from his position with the company by the end of the year. In a memo obtained and published by the Washington Post Monday, Smith said that he’ll step down from his position by December 4, noting that he’ll remain with the company until Jan. 2, 2024 as part of the transition period. Smith, …
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The United States is considering creating a hotline with China to avoid crises in space amid broader tensions, Reuters reported. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman told Reuters on Monday the U.S. has had internal discussions about setting up a hotline to mitigate crises in space. However, he noted the U.S. has not yet engaged with China on the matter. The U.S.-China relationship has been strained by numerous …
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President Biden is making the case that fighting climate change can create jobs, countering a key Republican narrative surrounding the autoworker strike. The president’s GOP opponents have sought to paint climate action as a job-killer, seizing on concerns over worker pay in the transition to electric vehicles in light of the ongoing United Auto Workers (UAW) strike. But Biden, who has argued throughout his …
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An increase in COVID-19 cases has spawned a corresponding flare-up of conspiracy theories around the virus, a phenomenon that experts warn will only get worse as the 2024 election approaches.
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News we’ve flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:
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ChatGPT gains new voice, image capabilities
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ChatGPT can now interpret images, engage in conversations and even tell bedtime stories with its newly unveiled voice and image capabilities, Mashable reports.
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Getty Images launches image generator tool
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Getty Images is jumping into the world of generative AI with a new image generator tool, trained on its vast content library and marketed as “commercially safer” than other alternatives, TechCrunch reports.
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Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:
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The House Oversight and Accountability Committee will hold a hearing on “Combating Ransomware Attacks” on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET.
- The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration will hold a hearing titled “AI and the Future of our Elections” on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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Branch out with other reads on The Hill:
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To TikTok or not to TikTok? One GOP candidate joins the app even as he calls it ‘digital fentanyl’
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Republican presidential hopefuls have largely shunned TikTok, the hugely popular video-sharing app that some in both parties allege is a potential spy mechanism for China. But entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy recently became the first 2024 candidate to join the platform, which says it has over 150 million …
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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Just a few years ago, artificial intelligence got barely a mention at the U.N. General Assembly’s convocation of world leaders. But after the release of ChatGPT last fall turbocharged both excitement and anxieties about AI, it’s been a sizzling topic this year at …
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Two key stories on The Hill right now:
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Republicans will kick off their first impeachment hearing with a trio of witnesses, asking a forensic accountant, former Justice Department tax attorney, … Read more
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Senate leaders are headed toward unveiling a short-term government funding stopgap measure that will be relatively clean and is not expected to include … Read more
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Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill:
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You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!
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