Amazon tests humanoid robots in warehouses. Nokia to cut up to 14,000 jobs amid falling profits Leaked documents show Windows 11 adoption rates have been disappointing.
All that and how AI can bring you back from the dead, whether you like it or not.
These and other top tech stories about hashtag trends
I’m your host, Jim Love. He is the CIO of IT World in Canada and Tech News Day in the US.
Amazon is experimenting with a humanoid robot named Digit in its U.S. warehouses in an effort to further automate its operations.
These robots have arms and legs and can move, grasp, and handle objects like humans.
Despite concerns about job losses due to automation, Amazon maintains that its robotic systems have actually lost jobs. Created “Hundreds of thousands of new jobs will be created.”
Today, the company has more than 750,000 robots working alongside human staff, primarily for repetitive tasks. Ty Brady, chief engineer at Amazon Robotics, said: He emphasized that people remain at the center of the implementation process.
Amazon claims the initiative is aimed at “freeing up our employees to better serve our customers.”However, the move has drawn criticism from trade unions.UK trade union GMB said Amazon was Their employees have been fond of robots for years. ”
source: BBC
Leaked reports show that Windows 11 adoption has been slow, with recent data showing active device usage of the operating system has just surpassed 400 million.
This figure, leaked from an internal Microsoft document, is significantly lower than the adoption rate for Windows 10 at a similar stage in its lifecycle.
Microsoft hasn’t officially commented on these numbers, but the trends are consistent with other usage statistics. For example, Statcounter data from earlier this month showed that Windows 11 is lagging behind Windows 10. In particular, Windows 10 overtook its predecessor, Windows 7, within two years of its release.
In contrast, Windows 11, released in October 2021, has not been as successful. One of the main factors behind slow adoption may be that Windows 11’s stringent hardware requirements deter many users from upgrading.
Is there a bright side? It’s not Vista.
source: register
And, in more bad news, Nokia, the leading communications equipment maker, plans to cut up to 14,000 jobs after a sharp drop in net profit. The decision comes as the company faces challenges including a slowing economy, rising interest rates and customer reluctance to spend.
Nokia’s third quarter sales Sales were $5.25 billion, down 20% from the previous year. moreover, The company’s net income fell 69% to $140.3 million. Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark expressed confidence in the long-term market potential, but also acknowledged uncertainty in the near future. To address these challenges, Nokia aims to reduce expenses by $844 million over three years to $1.27 billion and increase operating margin by 2026. The target is 14%..The company employs 72,000 people This is a decrease of 77,000 people from the current 86,000.
source: register
And even the mighty Apple’s hardware sales are declining.
Leading Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported on Wednesday that Apple’s MacBook shipments are expected to decline by about 30% year-on-year and reach 17 million units in 2023. Significant decline in MacBook Air Following the back-to-school shopping season. the result, Apple’s fourth-quarter MacBook shipments are expected to be lower than the same period last year. previous year. This quarter is usually important for Apple due to the holiday season. Mr. Kuo said the decline in MacBook shipments was due to with remote workers Consumer interest in Apple’s mini-LED and silicon is waning. He also predicted sales would decline by more than 20%. This year’s 15-inch MacBook Air shipments. Kuo said Apple does not plan to release any new products in the fourth quarter, allowing the company to manage its inventory and plan its strategy for next year.
source: CNBC
And I don’t know if this is good news.
Today I read an article about how generative AI tools can be leveraged. ChatGPT and Midjourney are used to create it. Videos of deceased individuals, often without prior consent. This new trend not only brings comfort to grieving relatives and fans; Significant privacy and consent issues arise. Zelda Williams, the daughter of the late comedian Robin Williams, recently labeled her father’s AI deepfakes as “personally offensive.” She voiced her concerns in support of the strike by SAG-AFTRA officials. Highlights the ethical implications of using AI to recreate actors after their death.
Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian said on Twitter: It’s great that Kanye gifted him with an AI hologram of his late father on his birthday.
Using AI to “resurrect” a celebrity makes news, but using AI to clone a deceased person poses new challenges for society. While some find comfort in AI recreation, others warn of unintended consequences of blurring the line between life and death. Is your chatbot version really a good thing for grieving spouses? Who will maintain it? What will happen to those systems over time?
Meanwhile, Windows could bring comedian Henny Youngman back into commercials. “Please use Windows 11. Please.”
In the new AI era, there’s more to think about.
source: tech crunch
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