Louise Matsakis | Semafor

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Events Email Briefings

D.C.
BXL
Lagos

Riyadh
Beijing
SG

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Louise Matsakis

Louise Matsakis

Former Deputy News Editor

Louise previously held editing and reporting roles at WIRED Magazine, NBC News, Vice, and Rest of World. Her work focuses on the global technology industry and the influence of Chinese-owned firms like TikTok and Temu. An investigation she co-wrote on the Chinese fast fashion giant Shein won the 2022 Society of Publishers in Asia award for excellence in business reporting.

Google lays off hundreds working on its voice-activated assistant

The tech giant is already working to reimagine the software with newer artificial intelligence technologies.

Generative AI will move from hype to actually being helpful

In 2024, companies will implement the technology in practical, meaningful ways, plus other predictions for the tech industry.

Inside the hottest event for recruiting AI talent

Chinese tech companies and Wall Street traders were among the firms looking to lure researchers at the NeurIPS conference, which is attended by over 10,000 people.

New group aims to professionalize AI auditing

Lawmakers have called for independent reviews of AI technology, but the industry remains a wild west.

AI.

Has ChatGPT really gotten ‘lazy’?

Power users say OpenAI’s chatbot is unable to complete tasks that it previously could, highlighting the risks of relying on black box models.

The reason behind Sam Altman’s ouster leaves OpenAI staff uneasy after his return

People familiar with the matter said the dispute made it impossible for directors to uphold their mission, even if it didn’t involve AI safety.

Sam Altman is returning to OpenAI

After a four-day standoff with the startup’s board of directors, OpenAI has has reached an “agreement in principle” for Altman to resume his job.

The AI industry turns against its favorite philosophy

An ideology built on message boards is now struggling in the boardroom.

Former OpenAI CEO Altman joins Microsoft

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the team will be led by Altman and Greg Brockman, the former president of OpenAI.

Former Twitch Chief Executive Emmett Shear to become interim CEO at OpenAI

The move comes after negotiations between Sam Altman and the board of OpenAI collapsed.

Sam Altman was raising a VC fund when OpenAI fired him

People familiar with the matter also said he was in good spirits in the days before the company’s board said it “no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”

TikTok says it’s ‘aggressively removing’ videos praising bin Laden letter

TikTok is also blocking the hashtag #LettertoAmerica after users posted videos promoting Osama bin Laden’s 2002 letter.

Why AI-assisted bioterrorism became a top concern for OpenAI and Anthropic

Leading AI companies say that making a biological weapon could become much easier with the help of large language models, but some experts argue the challenge of building a deadly pathogen is being underestimated

U.S. and China will likely set up a channel for talks on AI

The discussions could include guardrails for the rapidly advancing technology as Biden and Xi get ready to meet.

TikTok tells advertisers #Israel is trending, but not #Palestine

The hashtags #Israel and #supportisrael are categorized as news-related in TikTok’s trending list aimed at advertisers, while #Palestine and #supportpalestine aren’t categorized at all.

Asian and Middle Eastern users tilt TikTok balance toward Palestinians

An analysis of TikTok hashtag data by Semafor suggests that users outside the U.S. are posting and consuming more content about the Israel-Hamas war than those in the United States.

China denies censoring Israel on maps

Social media users in China had pointed out this week that Israel was not explicitly demarcated on Baidu and Alibaba’s online digital maps.

Biden to sign sweeping artificial intelligence order

The president’s directive tries to tackle the safety and privacy risks associated with AI, while harnessing opportunities presented by the technology.