India PC Sales 📉, Emergency Alerts 🚨, Google AI Risks 🤖

Catch up on the latest in tech, business and startups - all in 5 minutes. [Newsletter Banner] Daily News Roundup Welcome to today's edition of the NextBigWhat Daily News! Today's top stories include India's PC sales decline, emergency alert system testing, and Google's AI risks. 💻 Help us reach your your friends and colleagues! Share the NextBigWhat newsletter. [Tweet it]( [Whatsapp]( India’s PC sales fall for the fourth consecutive quarter - Personal computer (PC) shipments decreased year over year (Y-o-Y) for the fourth consecutive quarter. Shipments totaled 3.2 million units in the second quarter of the calendar year 2023 (CY23). - Data from the Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker by IDC showed that this was up 5.9% quarter over quarter but down 15.3% year over year. WhatsApp Releases High Definition Photo Sharing and Prepares for HD Video - WhatsApp introduces new feature for sending high definition (HD) photos. - HD photos option is not default, users can choose as desired, HD videos feature coming soon. - Recent updates include video messages and screen-sharing during video calls, enhancing interactive experience. Masters of Scale - Reid Hoffman: Dropbox’s Drew Houston (Podcast summary) [NBW Newsletter Ad]( Read how he outmaneuvered the big guys. Startups can succeed against established companies by identifying and utilizing their unique advantages, rather than trying to compete on the same terms. [Get it]( YouTube Music updates ‘Play all’ feature and expands availability of Samples feed - YouTube Music now allows users to ‘Play all’ songs in select carousels on their Home feed. - Users can create a queue with all listed songs, rather than manually adding each of them as was previously required. - The ‘Play all’ feature is being rolled out on Android, iOS, and the web, and the Samples feed has been made more widely available. Arthur’s new tool ‘Arthur Bench’ assists in selecting top LLMs for specific data-sets - Arthur Bench is an open source tool for comparing different language learning models (LLMs). - It enables the testing of different prompts against multiple LLMs allowing firms to make more informed decisions. - While an open source project, a SaaS version will be available for those seeking larger testing capabilities. Get NBW News: The short news app for busy professionals. [App Store]( [Google Play]( Obfuscated servers strengthen VPN anonymity by masking usage - Obfuscated servers, as offered by NordVPN, hide VPN use by rerouting traffic, combating increasingly robust detection methods. - These servers can bypass restrictions in countries with VPN bans or services that block VPN traffic. - However, due to reduced bandwidth from the necessary disguise steps, NordVPN advises obfuscated servers be used only when needed. Government testing Pan-India Emergency Alert System; public need not panic - The Department of Telecommunication of India is sending test alerts to assess the emergency alert system. - The alert system will transmit vital information during emergencies to mobile users in specific geographical areas, irrespective of their residential status. - This system is used for emergencies like tsunamis, flash floods, earthquakes, etc. Many Venture Capitalists Lack Understanding of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Role - A large number of venture capitalists lack insight into the technical aspects of startup companies. - Despite the need for technical vetting, many investors only seek a ‘check box’ in the form of any technical co-founder. - This lack of technical understanding can lead to potentially misguided investments in the early stages of a company. iQoo’s inaugural Chief Gaming Officer appointment, two Zonal CGOs announced - Shwetank Pandey becomes iQoo’s first Chief Gaming Officer, chosen from 60,000 applicants following a three-month nationwide search. - iQoo also appoints Aojesh Shrivastava and Battu Nikhil Reddy as zonal CGOs, tasked with enhancing community engagement and user experience. - Pandey will receive a six-month salary of ₹10 lakh, while the zonal CGOs will each receive ₹2.5 lakh for their roles. Indian Government Imposes Police Verification on SIM Dealers, Ends Bulk Connections - Verification of police and biometric required for new SIM card dealers, a ₹10 lakh penalty for rule violators. - Government deactivates 52 lakh fraudulent connections, blacklists 67,000 dealers and files FIRs against 300 since May 2023. - Minister Vaishnaw announces the end of bulk connection provision, introduces a new business connection concept with KYC requirements. NY Times Explores Legal Action against OpenAI over Copyright Concerns - NY Times might take legal action against OpenAI to defend its intellectual property rights linked to its journalistic content. - Contentions arise from the AI tool, ChatGPT, using the Times’ reporting and writing for AI-generated responses and possibly impacting on website traffic. - This legal dispute could set a precedent in copyright protection in the context of generative artificial intelligence. Google’s search AI is generating false info and saying it’s true - Google’s AI-powered search inaccurately claimed no African countries begin with ‘K’, a mistake received from an AI-generated blog post. - Issues continued as it struggled with listing countries in North America starting with ‘M’, providing wildly inaccurate answers. - These errors reveal an inability to handle certain types of queries and demonstrate a significant gap in AI capability despite access to vast amounts of information. Google’s AI Unit Develops Tools for Life Advice Despite Potential Risks - Google’s DeepMind is reportedly developing multiple generative AI tools designed to offer life advice, planning and tutoring. - Concerns have been raised about users’ wellbeing and potential ‘loss of agency’ due to the dependency on these AI tools. - The work involves testing whether AI tools can offer relationship advice, with over 100 PhD holders contributing to the project. © 2023 Zakti Techmedia Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. | [Unsubscribe](