The Federal Trade Commission Is Investigating Microsoft’s Business Practices – DTH
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The Federal Trade Commission is investigating Microsoft's business practices for potential antitrust violations and interviews with Microsoft competitors are underway. A key focus is how Microsoft bundles office products with cybersecurity and cloud services, a practice that a recent ProPublica investigation linked to Microsoft's expansion in the U.S. government market while potentially excluding competitors.

The European Union's common charging solution, formerly known as Directive 2022/2380, goes into effect on Saturday, December 28th, that's tomorrow. It's intended to reduce e-waste and solve market fragmentation as well as make life for gadget enthusiasts a lot easier by mandating that most gadgets

that intentionally emit or receive radio waves for the purpose of communication and or radio termination, use a USB-C for power. The regulation explicitly covers handheld mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, handheld video game consoles, portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, and earbuds that are rechargeable with a wired cable and can operate with a power delivery of up to 100 watts.

The information reports that Microsoft and OpenAI have established a unique internal definition of artificial general intelligence, primarily focused on financial profitability. This definition hinges on OpenAI developing an AI system capable of generating at least $100 billion in revenue. This profit-driven definition significantly diverges from the more conventional understanding of AGI, which often involves complex criteria related to human-level intelligence, consciousness, and general problem-solving abilities.

This revelation stems from an agreement reportedly signed between the two companies last year, highlighting the significant emphasis placed on commercial success within their joint venture.

In other OpenAI news, the company announced plans to restructure as a public benefit corporation, a move aimed at distancing itself from its non-profit origins, a source of ongoing debate. While leaders have been privately discussing this change for months, details remain scarce. In a blog post Friday, OpenAI outlined plans to transition to a PBC model, a for-profit structure designed to prioritize public and social good, mirroring the approach of competitors like Anthropic and Elon Musk XAI.

Research by The Guardian has found that ChatGPT's search, an AI-powered search engine that went live earlier in December, can be fooled into generating completely misleading summaries. The Guardian found that it could get ChatGPT to ignore negative reviews and generate entirely positive summaries by inserting hidden text into websites it created as well as spit out malicious code using this method. Such hidden attacks are a well-known risk for large language models, but this appears to be the first time it was demonstrated on a live AI-powered search product.

Taiwan's science ministry issued a warning on Friday about potential funding cuts of $609.11 million for critical sectors like semiconductors, AI, and aerospace. This follows the passage of legislation by opposition parties in parliament mandating a reduction in economic and technology spending. The opposition's legislation aims to redirect funds from the central government to local municipalities, a move strongly opposed by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and thousands of protesters.

A NASA spacecraft has made history by surviving the closest ever approach to the Sun, passing just under 3.8 million miles from the solar surface. Moving in up to 430,000 miles per hour, the spacecraft endured temperatures of up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit as it traveled through the Sun's outer atmosphere.

NASA said, quote, This close-up study of the sun allows Parker Solar Probe to take measurements that help scientists better understand how the material in this region gets heated to millions of degrees, trace the origin of the solar wind, and discover how energetic particles are accelerated to near light speed, end quote.

The Verge is reporting that Hertz is asking some EV renters if they'd like to purchase their rented vehicles instead of returning them and the deals appear to be pretty good. One 2023 Model 3 renter shared on Reddit that they were offered a price of $17,913. Another renter was offered a 2023 Chevy Bolt for $18,442 while a Polestar 2 renter says they saw a $28,500 purchase price.

The used cars come with a limited 12-month, 12,000-mile power train warranty and a buyback offer within seven days. And finally, video games just might not be able to afford to look as good as they do. For decades, companies like Sony and Microsoft have bet that realistic graphics were the key to attracting bigger audiences, but cinematic games are getting so expensive and time-consuming to make that the video game industry has started to acknowledge that investing in graphics is providing a diminished financial return.

Optimizing cinematic games for a narrow group of consumers who have spent hundreds of dollars on a console or computer may no longer make financial sense. The studios are increasingly prioritizing games with basic graphics that can be played on smartphones already in everyone's pocket. For more analysis of the tech news of the day, subscribe to DailyTechNewsShow.com. You can find show notes and links to all the headlines there as well. Thanks for listening. We'll talk to you next time.

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