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Tag: iab-technology industry

  • Why you’re about to see ChatGPT in more of your apps | CNN Business

    Why you’re about to see ChatGPT in more of your apps | CNN Business

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    CNN
     — 

    Prepare to see ChatGPT responses in even more places.

    OpenAI is opening up access to its ChatGPT tool to third-party businesses, paving the way for the viral AI chatbot to be integrated into numerous apps and services.

    The company on Wednesday said developers can now access ChatGPT’s application programming interface, or API, which will allow companies to integrate the tool’s chat functionality and answers into their platforms. Instacart, Snap and tutor app Quizlet are among the early partners experimenting with adding ChatGPT.

    The move comes three months after OpenAI publicly released ChatGPT and stunned many users with the tool’s impressive ability to generate original essays, stories and song lyrics in response to user prompts. The initial wave of attention on the tool helped renew an arms race among tech companies to develop and deploy similar AI tools in their products.

    The initial batch of companies tapping into OpenAI’s API each have slightly different visions for how to incorporate ChatGPT. Taken together, however, these services may test just how useful AI chatbots can really be in our everyday life and how much people want to interact with them for customer service and other uses across their favorite apps.

    Snap, the company behind Snapchat, plans to offer a customizable chatbot that offers recommendations, helps users make plans or even writes a haiku in seconds. Quizlet, which has more than 60 million students using the service, is introducing a chatbot that can ask questions based on study materials to help students prepare for exams.

    Shopify’s consumer app, Shop, and Instacart are both launching chatbots that could help inform customers’ shopping decisions. Instacart plans to use the tool to allow users to ask questions such as “How do I make great fish tacos?” or “What’s a healthy lunch for my kids?” Instacart also plans to launch an “Ask Instacart” chatbot later this year.

    There is clearly demand for other businesses to follow suit. Dating website OkCupid has already experimented with using ChatGPT to write matching questions. Other companies like Fanatics have previously expressed interest in using similar technology to power a customer service chatbot.

    “With the level of user interest and use, companies don’t want to be left behind, so there’s a base incentive to embrace new tech to remain competitive,” said Michael Inouye, an analyst at ABI Research. “If users engage more with a service that means more data for advertising, marketing of goods and services, and potentially stronger customer relationships.”

    There are some risks, however. Although ChatGPT has gained significant traction among users, it has also raised some concerns, including about its potential to perpetuate biases and spread misinformation. Some school systems, such as in New York and Seattle, banned the use of ChatGPT in the classroom over concerns about students cheating. And JPMorgan Chase is temporarily clamping down on employee use due to limits on third-party software due to compliance concerns.

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  • Tesla recalls almost 3,500 Model Y cars for loose bolts | CNN Business

    Tesla recalls almost 3,500 Model Y cars for loose bolts | CNN Business

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    New York
    CNN
     — 

    Tesla is recalling 3,470 2022-2023 Model Y cars due to bolts in the second-row seat back frames not being secured properly.

    An estimated 4% of cars are affected, a recall report submitted in late February said.

    The loose bolts could cause the seat belts to not work properly in a crash, “which may increase the risk of an injury for occupants seated in affected second-row seating positions,” the National Highway Traffic Administration said.

    On Model Y vehicles, the second-row driver- and passenger-side seat back frames are secured with four bolts per seat back. But during production for certain Model Y cars, one or more of the bolts securing the seat back frames to the lower seat frame “may not have been torqued to specifications.”

    Owners can tell if their car is affected by seeing if their second-row seat back frame folds improperly or if it’s loose and rattles when driving.

    Tesla found five warranty claims regarding the bolts since last December, but is not aware of any injuries or deaths due to it.

    A driver in Fremont, California, found a faulty seat back bolt last December, triggering a Tesla investigation and risk assessment which ended February 17. A recall determination was made on the same day.

    Tesla will inspect the bolts and tighten them if necessary for free of charge, and owner notification letters will be mailed.

    The recall was filed the same month Tesla recalled all 363,000 US vehicles with the “Full Self Driving” driver assist software due to safety risks, a significantly larger recall, which was a blow to the automaker’s business model.

    The NHTSA said, based on its analysis, Tesla’s “Full Self Driving” feature “led to an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety based on insufficient adherence to traffic safety laws.” And it warned the feature could violate traffic laws at some intersections “before some drivers may intervene.”

    “The FSD Beta system may allow the vehicle to act unsafe around intersections, such as traveling straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, entering a stop sign-controlled intersection without coming to a complete stop, or proceeding into an intersection during a steady yellow traffic signal without due caution,” said the recall notice, posted on NHTSA’s website.

    Tesla will attempt to fix the feature, which costs $15,000, through an over-the-air software update, the notice added.

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  • Apple supplier Foxconn is on the hunt for semiconductor and EV deals in India | CNN Business

    Apple supplier Foxconn is on the hunt for semiconductor and EV deals in India | CNN Business

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    Hong Kong
    CNN
     — 

    Apple supplier Foxconn says it is seeking Indian partners to cooperate in areas such as chips and electric vehicles, as its chief executive wrapped up a visit to the country.

    Taiwan’s Foxconn has been looking to expand its operations in the South Asian giant after suffering severe supply disruptions in China last year. The firm bounced back from the disruptions early this year.

    “India is a country with a large population,” Young Liu, the company’s chairman and CEO, said in a Saturday statement. “My trip this week supported Foxconn’s efforts to deepen partnerships … and seek cooperation in new areas such as semiconductor development and electric vehicles.”

    “Foxconn will continue to communicate with local governments to seek the most beneficial development opportunities for the company and all stakeholders,” he added.

    The company, best known for making Apple

    (AAPL)    ’s iPhones, is one of the world’s biggest contract makers of electronics. It’s now expanding into other areas including electric vehicles.

    Liu did not specify any investment spending in India during his trip, which included a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    The company already has factories in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

    On Friday, the investment promotion office of the southern Indian state of Karnataka said Foxconn had announced a major deal there and that 300 acres of land had been allocated for a facility. The investment will generate 100,000 jobs over 10 years in the state, it said.

    According to a report from Bloomberg citing unnamed sources, the company plans to invest about $700 million on a new plant in Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka, to make iPhone parts.

    India has emerged as an attractive potential alternative to China for the likes of Apple. One of India’s top ministers, Piyush Goyal, said in January that Apple wants to ramp up its production in the South Asian country to a quarter of its overall total from between 5% and 7% now.

    For years, Apple had relied on a vast manufacturing network in China to mass produce iPhones, iPads and other popular products. But its dependence on the country was tested last year by Beijing’s strict zero-Covid strategy, which was rapidly dismantled last December.

    Apple devices are currently manufactured in India by Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron, which are all Taiwanese companies.

    – CNN’s Diksha Madhok contributed reporting

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  • Chinese city claims to have destroyed 1 billion pieces of personal data collected for Covid control | CNN

    Chinese city claims to have destroyed 1 billion pieces of personal data collected for Covid control | CNN

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    Hong Kong
    CNN
     — 

    A Chinese city says it has destroyed a billion pieces of personal data collected during the pandemic, as local governments gradually dismantle their coronavirus surveillance and tracking systems after abandoning the country’s controversial zero-Covid policy.

    Wuxi, a manufacturing hub on China’s eastern coast and home to 7.5 million people, held a ceremony Thursday to dispose of Covid-related personal data, the city’s public security bureau said in a statement on social media.

    The one billion pieces of data were collected for purposes including Covid tests, contact tracing and the prevention of imported cases – and they were only the first batch of such data to be disposed, the statement said.

    China collects vast amounts of data on its citizens – from gathering their DNA and other biological samples to tracking their movements on a sprawling network of surveillance cameras and monitoring their digital footprints.

    But since the pandemic, state surveillance has pushed deeper into the private lives of Chinese citizens, resulting in unprecedented levels of data collection. Following the dismantling of zero-Covid restrictions, residents have grown concerned over the security of the huge amount of personal data stored by local governments, fearing potential data leaks or theft.

    Last July, it was revealed that a massive online database apparently containing the personal information of up to one billion Chinese citizens was left unsecured and publicly accessible for more than a year – until an anonymous user in a hack forum offered to sell the data and brought it to wider attention.

    In the statement, Wuxi officials said “third-party audit and notary officers” would be invited to take part in the deletion process, to ensure it cannot be restored. CNN cannot independently verify the destruction of the data.

    Wuxi also scrapped more than 40 local apps used for “digital epidemic prevention,” according to the statement.

    During the pandemic, Covid apps like these dictated social and economic life across China, controlling whether people could leave their homes, where they could travel, when businesses could open and where goods could be transported.

    But following the country’s abrupt exit from zero-Covid in December, most of these apps faded from daily life.

    On December 12, China scrapped a nationwide mobile tracking app that collected data on users’ travel movements. But many local pandemic apps run by the municipal or provincial governments, such as the ubiquitous Covid health code apps, have remained in place – although they are no longer in use.

    Wuxi claims to be the first municipality in China to have destroyed Covid-related personal data from citizens. On Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, users called for other local governments to follow suit.

    Yan Chunshui, deputy head of Wuxi’s big data management bureau, said the disposal was meant to better protect citizens’ privacy, prevent data leaks and free up data storage space.

    Kendra Schaefer, the head of tech policy research at the Beijing-based consultancy Trivium China, said the data collection related to local-level Covid apps was often messy, and those apps were difficult and expensive to manage for local governments.

    “Considering the cost and difficulty managing such apps, coupled with concerns expressed by the public over data security and privacy – not to mention the political win local governments get by symbolically putting zero-Covid to bed – dismantling those systems is par for the course,” Schaefer said.

    In many cases, she added, the big data departments at local governments were overwhelmed dealing with Covid data, so scaling back simply makes sense economically.

    “Many cities have not yet deleted their Covid data – or have not done so publicly – not because I believe they intend to keep it, but because it simply hasn’t been that long since zero-Covid was halted,” Schaefer said.

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  • Mark Zuckerberg looks to ‘turbocharge’ Meta’s AI tools after viral success of ChatGPT | CNN Business

    Mark Zuckerberg looks to ‘turbocharge’ Meta’s AI tools after viral success of ChatGPT | CNN Business

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    CNN
     — 

    Mark Zuckerberg said Meta is creating a new “top-level product group” to “turbocharge” the company’s work on AI tools, as it attempts to keep pace with a renewed AI arms race among Big Tech companies.

    In a Facebook post late Monday, Zuckerberg said the elite new group will initially be formed by pulling together teams across the company currently working on generative AI, the technology that underpins the viral AI chatbot, ChatGPT. This group will be “focused on building delightful experiences around this technology into all of our different products,” Zuckerberg said, starting with “creative and expressive tools.”

    “Over the longer term, we’ll focus on developing AI personas that can help people in a variety of ways,” Zuckerberg said. Those AI features may include new Instagram filters as well as chat tools in WhatsApp and Messenger, he said.

    The planned efforts come amid a heightened AI frenzy in the tech world, kicked off in late November when Microsoft-backed OpenAI released ChatGPT publicly. The tool quickly went viral for its ability to generate compelling, human-sounding responses to user prompts. Microsoft later announced it was incorporating the tech behind ChatGPT into its search engine Bing. A day before Microsoft’s announcement, Google unveiled its own AI-powered tool called Bard.

    Meta, by comparison, has been quiet so far. Yann LeCunn, Meta’s Chief AI scientist, has expressed some skepticism surrounding the ChatGPT hype. “It’s not a particularly big step towards, you know, more like human level intelligence,” LeCunn said in one interview late last month. “From the scientific point of view, ChatGPT is not a particularly interesting scientific advance,” he added.

    Generative AI tools are built on large language models that have been trained on vast troves of online data to create written and visual responses to user prompts. But these systems also have the potential to perpetuate biases and misinformation. Already, both Microsoft and Google’s AI tools have run into controversies for producing some inaccurate or uncanny responses.

    As with Microsoft and Google, there are some risks for Meta in embracing this technology. Last year, before the ChatGPT hype, Meta publicly released an AI-powered chatbot dubbed “BlenderBot 3.” It didn’t take long, however, for the chatbot to start making offensive comments.

    In his post Monday, Zuckerberg said: “We have a lot of foundational work to do before getting to the really futuristic experiences, but I’m excited about all of the new things we’ll build along the way.”

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  • US is reviewing Huawei export license policy amid rising congressional scrutiny of China | CNN Business

    US is reviewing Huawei export license policy amid rising congressional scrutiny of China | CNN Business

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    Washington
    CNN
     — 

    The US government is reviewing a policy that permits certain US exports to continue to Huawei, despite an overall push by the Trump and Biden administrations to block the Chinese telecommunications giant from receiving American technology.

    Alan Estevez, a Commerce Department official, told lawmakers Tuesday that the policy is “under assessment” as the agency conducts a “top-to-bottom review of our export control policies related to the [People’s Republic of China].”

    Estevez testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which was holding a hearing to scrutinize China’s impact on US national security.

    In 2019, Huawei was one of a number of Chinese companies placed on the Commerce Department’s Entity List, which prohibits US companies from trading specified items with entities named on the list unless they obtain a license to do so.

    US officials have expressed concerns that Huawei’s 5G wireless networking gear could allow the Chinese government to spy on American communications. Huawei has denied that it poses a security risk, and its founder has said the company would resist any Chinese government effort to obtain its data.

    According to Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Michael McCaul, between January and March of 2022 the Commerce Department approved more than $23 billion in license applications to trade with Chinese-affiliated companies on the Entity List. Confronting Estevez at Tuesday’s hearing, McCaul asked the Commerce Department to square the license approvals with the US government’s wider effort to sideline Huawei and similar companies.

    “A licensing rule of the previous administration that still stands for Huawei allows things below 5G, below cloud-level to go,” Estevez said, “and I will say that all those things are under assessment.”

    Entity List restrictions do not provide for a “blanket embargo” on exports generally, Estevez added, but rather reflect specific rules about particular exports.

    Separately, in 2020 the Commerce Department moved to prevent Huawei’s suppliers from selling the company semiconductor chips made by US-built software and equipment, unless those suppliers also obtained a license.

    Other parts of the US government have also moved against Huawei. The Federal Communications Commission has prohibited US wireless carriers from using federal funding to purchase Huawei networking gear, and last year also banned future approvals of Huawei equipment for sale in the United States, in the first use of the FCC’s equipment authorization authority for a national security purpose.

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  • World’s biggest plane flies again in Microsoft Flight Simulator | CNN

    World’s biggest plane flies again in Microsoft Flight Simulator | CNN

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    Editor’s Note: Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations opening and closing, inspiration for future adventures, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments.



    CNN
     — 

    A year after it was destroyed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Antonov AN-225 – the world’s biggest commercial plane – has taken flight once again in the Microsoft Flight Simulator program.

    The game has already resurrected lots of historical aircraft in its virtual skies, but this one’s a little special. All proceeds from the $19.99 add-on go toward the Antonov Company’s real-life efforts to reconstruct the mighty beast known as “Mriya” (Ukrainian for “dream”).

    The massive six-engine craft – some 275 feet, 7 inches in length – was built in the 1980s to carry the Soviet space shuttle and was the only one of its kind ever completed.

    Mriya’s next role was as the world’s largest cargo transporter, boasting twice the hold capacity of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. Its wingspan was 290 feet, the longest of any fully operational aircraft, and with a maximum payload weight of 250 tonnes, it remains the heaviest aircraft ever built.

    The Antonov AN-225 was destroyed at its base in Hostomel, near Kyiv, in February 2022, but in November last year its manufacturers confirmed that the rebuilding project had begun. Antonov estimated that it would need more than €500 million ($532 million) to get it back in the air.

    “The process of rebuilding ‘Mriya’ is considered as an international project, with the participation of aviation enterprises of different countries of the world,” the Antonov Company told CNN via email at the time.

    “The possibility of attracting funding from various sources is being considered and proposals from many organizations that are ready to join the project are being reviewed.”

    The Microsoft Flight Simulator version of the Antonov AN-225 Mriya comes in six liveries, including classic Antonov Airlines designs and an Xbox Aviators Club one.

    The add-on is available now in the Microsoft Flight Simulator in-game marketplace on PC for $19.99 and will be available for Xbox Series X|S and on Xbox Cloud Gaming starting in late March.

    The much-loved flight simulator game celebrated its 40th anniversary in November 2022, having gone through a major reboot in 2020 when it returned with hyper-realistic scenery, digitally distilled from satellite imagery.

    The An-225 is powered by six turbo engines, as seen in this gameplay.

    In-game pilots can explore the world, flying over a range of 1.5 billion buildings, two million cities, and stopping in at more than 37,000 airports. That’s in real-world conditions too, day or night: the program features live real-time weather including wind speed and direction, temperature, lighting, humidity and rain.

    Individualized instrument guidance and checklists are available for the wide variety of aircraft pilots can test their skills in, from light aircraft to commercial jets.

    Mriya fans can also support the rebuild efforts by building their own models of the iconic craft. Ukrainian startup Metal Time is selling working mechanical design kits of the AN-225 for $99.

    Profits go straight to Antonov to fund the reconstruction, as well as the rehousing of Antonov employees whose homes have been destroyed by the Russian invasion, and training for new Ukrainian pilots and aviation engineers.

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  • EU bans TikTok from official devices across all three government institutions | CNN Business

    EU bans TikTok from official devices across all three government institutions | CNN Business

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    Paris/London
    CNN
     — 

    The European Parliament on Tuesday banned TikTok from staff devices over cybersecurity concerns, meaning the Chinese video-sharing app is now barred in all three of the EU’s main institutions.

    “In view of cybersecurity concerns, in particular regarding data protection and collection of data by third parties, the European Parliament has decided, in alignment with other institutions, to suspend as from 20 March 2023, the use of the TikTok mobile application on corporate devices,” it said in a statement.

    The parliament also “strongly recommended” that its members and staff remove TikTok from their personal devices.

    TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, told CNN “it’s disappointing to see that other government bodies and institutions are banning TikTok on employee devices with no deliberation or evidence.”

    “These bans are based on basic misinformation about our company, and we are readily available to meet with officials to set the record straight about our ownership structure and our commitment to privacy and data security. We share a common goal with governments that are concerned about user privacy, but these bans are misguided and do nothing to further privacy or security,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

    “We appreciate that some governments have wisely chosen not to implement such bans due to a lack of evidence that there is any such need.”

    Last week, the European Commission announced it was banning TikTok from official devices, citing cybersecurity concerns.

    A senior EU official in the European Council told CNN that the General Secretariat of the Council, the body that assists the permanent representatives of the EU’s 27 countries based in Brussels, “is in the process of implementing measures similar to those taken by the Commission.”

    “It will be uninstalling the application on corporate devices and requesting staff to uninstall it from personal mobile devices that have access to corporate services,” the official added. “The Secretariat continuously keeps its cybersecurity measures under review in close cooperation with the other EU institutions.”

    The European Commission said last week their decision to ban TikTok applies only to devices overseen by the EU’s executive branch.

    “This measure aims to protect the Commission against cybersecurity threats and actions which may be exploited for cyber-attacks against the corporate environment of the Commission,” it said in a statement.

    A TikTok spokesperson told CNN in a statement at the time that it had contacted the commission to “set the record straight and explain how we protect the data of the 125 million people across the EU who come to TikTok every month.”

    Previously, TikTok had disclosed to European users that China-based employees may access EU user data. The company also recently announced plans to open two new data centers in Europe.

    TikTok is facing similar scrutiny across the Atlantic.

    On Monday, the White House directed federal agencies to remove TikTok from all government-issued devices within 30 days, with few exceptions.

    The move added to growing efforts by the United States to clampdown on the app amid renewed security concerns.

    US officials have raised concerns that the Chinese government could pressure ByteDance to hand over information collected from users that could be used for intelligence or disinformation purposes. As CNN has previously reported, independent security experts have said that type of access is a possibility, though there has been no reported incident of such access to date.

    Brooke Oberwetter, a TikTok spokesperson, called the ban “little more than political theater.”

    “The ban of TikTok on federal devices passed in December without any deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has served as a blueprint for other world governments,” Oberwetter said in a statement.

    “We hope that when it comes to addressing national security concerns about TikTok beyond government devices, Congress will explore solutions that won’t have the effect of censoring the voices of millions of Americans.”

    China also hit back at the decision Tuesday, with a Foreign Ministry spokesperson accusing Washington of “generalizing the concept of national security” and “unreasonably suppressing enterprises of other countries.”

    The Canadian government announced a similar ban on TikTok from official electronic devices on Monday.

    Other nations may soon have to grapple with the same issue.

    Asked whether Australia would soon follow the United States, European Union and Canada, Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the country hadn’t yet been advised to restrict use of the app by government workers.

    “We’ll take the advice of our national security agencies. That hasn’t been the advice to date,” Chalmers told Australia’s ABC broadcaster in an interview on Wednesday.

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  • Biden administration launches new semiconductor push amid ‘very heated global competition with China’ | CNN Politics

    Biden administration launches new semiconductor push amid ‘very heated global competition with China’ | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is launching the Biden administration’s high-priority effort to out-compete China in a key sector: Semiconductor chips.

    And amid tensions with China marked by the dramatic downing of a spy balloon and new warnings that Beijing is considering providing lethal aid to Russia, Raimondo’s sales pitch these days is simple: Making chips is core to US national security.

    “It’s no secret that we are in a global – very heated global competition with China. And technology is at the crux of that competition,” Raimondo told CNN in an interview. “Right now, we are much too reliant upon Taiwan for leading edge chips. So, a big part of our strategy around being a global leader is investing in America: In our people, in our capacity to out innovate China and the rest of the world.”

    As the Commerce Department on Tuesday launches its application for billions of dollars in semiconductor subsidies, Raimondo said she wants to be “crystal clear” that the program is “a national security initiative.” But reaching those national security goals, she said, will require developing a US workforce that can meet the moment.

    “We simply will not be successful in achieving the national security goals of the CHIPS initiative unless we invest in our workforce, period. Full stop,” Raimondo said. “For decades, we’ve taken our eye off the ball with manufacturing, which means the worker supply of people with the skills to do super technical manufacturing has withered. And so, we need to be honest about that, but also embrace it as an opportunity to come up with creative solutions.”

    To that end, the Commerce Department is asking every company vying for a share of the $39 billion in direct funding for semiconductor manufacturing to develop and outline plans for how they plan to build a skilled and diverse workforce, including by working with high schools and community colleges.

    Companies applying for the funding will need to lay out strategies and commitments for training workers and coordinating with educational and other community institutions to meet their workforce goals.

    As part of Raimondo’s initiative to bring one million women into the construction industry over the next decade, applicants will also need to detail steps they will take to recruit and train a diverse construction workforce, including efforts to recruit women to the field. Raimondo said she expects building new chips manufacturing hubs will require 120,000 to 140,000 construction workers.

    Applicants seeking over $150 million in funding will also need to lay out how they will provide its workforce with access to childcare, including through on-site childcare or by subsidizing the cost of childcare.

    Some of these initiatives – recruiting more women and people of color into specialized fields or ensuring that high school and community college graduates can receive technical training – are ideas that the Biden administration has touted in other contexts throughout the president’s first two years in office. But one senior administration official insisted that the applications would be “seriously vetted and pressure-tested,” saying that if their workforce plans do not clear the bar, “we will not sign off on the funding.”

    Raimondo, for her part, acknowledged that senior executives at chips manufacturing companies have questioned whether the US workforce is up to the task.

    “They say, ‘America doesn’t manufacture anymore. America hasn’t manufactured chips in a really long time at scale, you don’t have the talent supply. How are we going to be successful?’” Raimondo said.

    She also suggested to CNN that there is a unique opportunity to make real headway on these goals in the context of semiconductors – precisely because there are such serious national security imperatives at stake.

    “If we don’t recruit more people, including women, into the construction trades, these projects won’t be built on time and on budget. And then we won’t as a nation hit our national security goal,” Raimondo said. “Same thing for engineers. Same thing for technicians.”

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  • Microsoft Windows 11 update puts AI front and center | CNN Business

    Microsoft Windows 11 update puts AI front and center | CNN Business

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    CNN
     — 

    Microsoft will roll out on Tuesday an update to Windows 11 that puts its new AI-powered Bing capabilities front and center on its taskbar, one of the operating system’s most widely used features, in the latest sign the company is doubling down on the buzzy technology despite some recent controversy.

    With the update, the AI tool will be accessible from the Windows search box, which allows users to directly access files, settings and perform web queries. The search bar has more than half a billion users every month, according to the company, making it prime real estate for eventually exposing more users to the new feature. (A preview version of the AI tool remains available on a limited basis.)

    Earlier this month, Microsoft said it was looking for ways to rein in Bing’s AI chatbot after users highlighted responses that ranged from inaccurate to emotionally reactive. Despite such early hiccups, the company told CNN “as a whole, we are feeling very good about the product experience for people” and continues to learn from feedback.

    “AI itself is reinventing right now … and it’s just the beginning,” Panos Panay, Microsoft’s chief product officer, told CNN ahead of Tuesday’s launch. He likened the AI changes coming to the PC to how the keyboard and mouse changed the way we interact with computers.

    However, only users of the new Bing preview will have access to its additional AI capabilities out of the gate. The company will continue to add users to the preview who have signed up for the new Bing waitlist. “We want to thoughtfully and responsibly scale it up,” Panay said.

    Last year, Microsoft unveiled several AI-powered Windows 11 features, such as quieting background noise like lawnmowers and baby cries on video calls and automatic framing so the camera follows the speaker’s movements. It also automated some of its accessibility tools, such as live video captions.

    Its efforts around AI have only grown. Earlier this year, Microsoft confirmed it is making a “multibillion dollar” investment in OpenAI, the company behind the viral AI chatbot tool ChatGPT. Microsoft launched its AI chatbot tool in early February; one million people have since tried it out in 169 countries, according to Microsoft. The company has since expanded it to the Bing and Edge browser mobile apps and Skype.

    But adding it to the Windows’ search bar is a high vote of confidence from the company and reflects its greater effort to “go all-in on AI,” according to Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at Moore Insights and Strategy.

    The Bing integration is just one of several notable updates coming to Windows 11. Microsoft is also taking steps to improve the Windows experience for Apple and Samsung users.

    Apple users will now be able to receive iOS alerts and messages directly on their Windows 11 devices, potentially chipping away at Apple’s closed ecosystem. (Android users have been able to receive messages on Windows devices since 2018.) The new iOS support does not, however, work with replying to group iMessages or sending media such as photos and videos in messages.

    Microsoft said its move to add iOS messages to PCs was not done directly in partnership with Apple; instead it’s done via Bluetooth technology. Moorhead said Apple “has been very reticent to open up its iMessage APIs to vendors like Microsoft, which could improve the Windows experience.”

    “This is what customers need and want, so we went and designed it to make sure it was in there for our users on the Microsoft side,” Panay said. “I know our customers need their iPhones to work on their PC, and I [want] to do everything I can to help them do that.”

    For Samsung device users, Microsoft is making it easier to activate their phone’s personal hotspot with a single click from within the Wi-Fi network list on their PC. It’s also adding a Recent Websites feature that allows users to transfer their browser sessions from their smartphone to their Windows PC.

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  • Top US cyber official warns software firms aren’t doing enough to stop damage from hackers from China and elsewhere | CNN Politics

    Top US cyber official warns software firms aren’t doing enough to stop damage from hackers from China and elsewhere | CNN Politics

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    Washington
    CNN
     — 

    Chinese hackers are too frequently going “unidentified and undeterred,” and software companies aren’t doing enough to secure their products from cyber-attacks that “can do real damage” to US interests through the loss of trade secrets, a top US cyber official said Monday.

    “The risk introduced to all of us by unsafe technology is frankly much more dangerous and pervasive than the spy balloon, but somehow we’ve allowed ourselves to accept it,” US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly said in a speech at Carnegie Mellon University.

    Easterly was referring to a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that flew over multiple US states before the US military shot it down on February 4. The episode has increased tensions in US-China relations and caused US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a trip to Beijing.

    Easterly’s speech reflects frustration from US officials that major software programs used by millions of people are routinely released with gaping flaws that can be exploited by hackers. After a series of high-profile hacks, the Biden administration introduced cybersecurity regulations for sectors such as pipelines. US officials have not ruled out more regulation in an effort to raise defenses.

    While the balloon caused a public uproar, cybersecurity officials from across the US government have been warning for years that China has been quietly amassing US government and corporate secrets through hacking. Beijing denies the allegations.

    The alleged Chinese cyber espionage campaigns have often exploited wildly popular software that has allowed them a foothold into US government agencies and corporations alike. In late 2021, for example, suspected hackers used a popular password management software to breach multiple US defense contractors, according to researchers.

    Easterly, who spent years working on offensive cyber operations with the US National Security Agency, said the frequent hacks of US organizations by China and other foreign governments and criminal groups are merely a “symptom” rather than a cause of US insecurity in cyberspace.

    The bigger problem, she said, is that too many major software makers are not designing their products mores securely and making it easy on the user to maintain that security.

    Easterly did not single out specific companies for poor software design, but instead cited statistics from Twitter and Microsoft saying just a fraction of users or enterprise customers are using an extra layer of security when signing into their accounts.

    “[T]he burden of safety should never fall solely upon the customer,” Easterly said. “Technology manufacturers must take ownership of the security outcomes of their customers.”

    She called on technology manufacturers to “embrace radical transparency” by sharing more of their software design plans publicly so they can be scrutinized by experts.

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  • Ransomware attack on US Marshals Service affects ‘law enforcement sensitive information’ | CNN Politics

    Ransomware attack on US Marshals Service affects ‘law enforcement sensitive information’ | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    A ransomware attack on the US Marshals Service has affected a computer system containing “law enforcement sensitive information,” including personal information belonging to targets of investigations, a US Marshals Service spokesperson said Monday evening.

    “The affected system contains law enforcement sensitive information, including returns from legal process, administrative information, and personally identifiable information pertaining to subjects of USMS investigations, third parties, and certain USMS employees,” spokesperson Drew Wade said in a statement.

    The Marshals Service, which handles federal prisoners across the US and pursues fugitives, discovered the hack and theft of data from its network on February 17. The service “disconnected the affected system, and the Department of Justice initiated a forensic investigation,” Wade said in the statement.

    The Justice Department subsequently determined it “constitutes a major incident,” according to the statement. A “major incident” is a hack that is significant enough that it requires a federal agency to notify Congress.

    A senior official familiar with the matter told CNN that no data related to the witness protection program was obtained during the incident.

    The Justice Department’s investigation into the incident is ongoing.

    NBC News first reported on the incident.

    It’s at least the second significant malicious cyber incident to affect US federal law enforcement agencies in February.

    The FBI had to move to contain malicious activity on part of its computer network earlier this month, CNN first reported at the time. FBI officials believe that incident involved an FBI computer system used in investigations of images of child sexual exploitation, two sources briefed on the matter told CNN.

    There was no immediate indication that the US Marshals Service and FBI cyber incidents were related.

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  • Student attacks school employee after Nintendo Switch taken away | CNN

    Student attacks school employee after Nintendo Switch taken away | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    A Florida high school student has been arrested after a video showed him attacking a school employee after she took away his Nintendo Switch device, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

    The Matanzas High School student has been charged with felony aggravated battery with bodily harm, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

    The 17-year-old was taken into custody after the February 21 incident in Palm Coast and taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. He was then turned over to the state Department of Juvenile Justice, according to the news release.

    According to an arrest report, the teen stated he was upset because the employee had taken his Nintendo Switch device away and that he would “beat her up” every time she took away his game.

    Surveillance video shows the student, who the sheriff’s office says is about 6 feet, 6 inches tall and about 270 lbs, running towards the employee and knocking her to the ground.

    The employee appears motionless as the student punches and kicks her several times before onlookers pulled him away from her.

    The employee was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

    “The actions of this student are absolutely horrendous and completely uncalled for,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in the release. “We hope the victim will be able to recover, both mentally and physically, from this incident. Thankfully, students and staff members came to the victim’s aid before the [school resource deputies] could arrive. Our schools should be a safe place – for both employees and students.”

    The arrest report said the teen was “becoming violent” while speaking to them after the incident and had to be taken to another location.

    “Creating a safe learning and working environment on our campuses is critical. Violence is never an appropriate reaction,” Flagler Coundy Schools Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt said in the sheriff’s office’s media release,

    Flagler County Schools on Saturday said that out of respect for their employee’s privacy, it would not comment on her medical condition at this time.

    CNN left a phone message with the family of the student but has not heard back.

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  • The best time and days to book your domestic and international flights | CNN

    The best time and days to book your domestic and international flights | CNN

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    Editor’s Note: Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations opening, inspiration for future adventures, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments.



    CNN
     — 

    This week in travel news: the best time and day to book your flights, new business and first class cabins for Qantas and Air France, and the only woman living on an island populated by convicted criminals.

    With some airfares up by as much as 50%, it’s more crucial than ever to get smart about your booking strategy. An expert at travel site Hopper tells CNN you should start tracking your May, June and July vacations now. And there’s a “Goldilocks window” for booking – not too early, not too late – says another expert from travel site Going.

    Get your laptop and credit card out on a Sunday to stand the best chance of securing the best deals, says booking platform Expedia. You can refine your search further with flight comparison site Skyscanner’s new Savings Generator, launched this month. Plug in your departure city, your destination and when you’d like to travel, and it’ll help you pinpoint the best time to book and the cheapest time to travel.

    If you’re an airline planning to launch record-breaking new 19-hour flights connecting Australia with New York and London, you’d better make darn sure you’re offering your customers a comfortable experience – especially for those shelling out the big dollars in the front section.

    Qantas has revealed the first and business class prototypes for the Airbus A350s that will be serving its new “Project Sunrise” routes that are slated to launch in 2025. The airline says its First Suite will feel like “a mini boutique hotel.”

    That follows the unveiling last month of Air France’s swanky new long-haul business cabin, complete with sliding doors and redesigned seats. It debuted on a Boeing 777-300ER flying Paris-New York and the first destinations it will serve are New York, Rio de Janeiro and Dakar, Senegal.

    Back in 2011, Giulia Manca went to a former Italian prison island in search of a relaxing break. Twelve years later, she’s the only woman living on an island populated by convicted criminals and is loving life in the “Alcatraz of the Tyrrhenian Sea.”

    Over in Mexico, one of the country’s most notorious prisons began a new chapter in December as a Pacific Ocean getaway. The former penal colony on the Islas Marías archipelago now boasts a tourism center, restaurant and cafe, as well as villas for guests to stay in before hitting the beaches.

    Dubai could be getting an indoor, climate-controlled, 93-kilometer cycling superhighway looping round the city, if developer URB gets its way. The greenery-filled corridor “aims to make Dubai the most connected city on Earth by foot or bike.”

    The move could perhaps earn the Middle Eastern hub a future spot on our list of the world’s best cities to see by bike: destinations in North America, Scandinavia and Asia Pacific all make the current roundup.

    Two people who have a better knowledge than most of global cycling culture are British couple Laura Massey-Pugh and Stevie Massey, who last year became the fastest cyclists to circumnavigate the world on a tandem bicycle.

    Anthony met Barbara at a Greek ferry port in the summer of 1969. He was a 28-year-old American college graduate with a third-class ticket and she was a 24-year-old flight attendant for Air France, traveling in second class.

    Like Jack and Rose in “Titanic,” the boat’s class divisions didn’t stand in the way of love. Here’s how Anthony jumped the barriers to the meet the woman who’d be his bride.

    What dinky little travel essential are you most likely to lose – and most likely to mourn when you do? For many of us, the answer is earphones.

    If you’re someone whose most cherished travel companion is a playlist or podcast, but also doesn’t like to break the bank on something that could end up on the floor of a foreign city’s metro system, take a look at this guide to best budget earbuds. It’s been put together by our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN.

    After a brief hiatus, we’re sorry to say unruliness is back. An American Airlines flight was diverted to a North Carolina airport on February 22 due to a disruptive passenger. The woman was taken into custody, but a misdemeanor charge was dismissed.

    An Airbnb plumbing disaster led to a beautiful continent-spanning friendship.

    Turn on the waterworks, this one will touch your heart.

    This Asian nation has the world’s most “powerful” passport.

    So why aren’t its citizens using it?

    What it’s like to live off grid in a traditional Maya village.

    And why their lifestyle is now under threat.

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  • Vanderbilt University apologizes for using ChatGPT to write mass-shooting email | CNN Business

    Vanderbilt University apologizes for using ChatGPT to write mass-shooting email | CNN Business

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    New York
    CNN
     — 

    Vanderbilt University’s Peabody School has apologized to students for using artificial intelligence to write an email about a mass shooting at another university, saying the distribution of the note did not follow the school’s usual processes.

    Last Friday, the Tennessee-based school emailed its student body to address the tragedy at Michigan State that killed three students and injured five more people: “The recent Michigan shootings are a tragic reminder of the importance of taking care of each other, particularly in the context of creating inclusive environments,” reads the letter in part, as first reported by the Vanderbilt Hustler, a student newspaper.

    At the end of the school’s email was a surprising line: “Paraphrase from OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI language model, personal communication, February 15, 2023,” read a parenthetical in smaller font.

    Following an outcry from students about the use of AI to write a letter about community during human tragedy, the associate dean of Peabody sent an apology note the next day. Nicole Joseph, one of the three signatories of the original letter, called using ChatGPT “poor judgment,” according to the Vanderbilt Hustler.

    On Tuesday, Vanderbilt said Joseph and assistant dean Hasina Mohyuddin, another signer of the email, have stepped back from their responsibilities while the school conducts a complete review.

    “The development and distribution of the initial email did not follow Peabody’s normal processes providing for multiple layers of review before being sent. The university’s administrators, including myself, were unaware of the email before it was sent,” according to a statement Tuesday to CNN from Camilla P. Benbow, the Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development.

    Since it was made available in late November, ChatGPT has been used to generate original essays, stories and song lyrics in response to user prompts. It has drafted research paper abstracts that fooled some scientists. Some CEOs have even used it to write emails or do accounting work.

    While it has gained traction among users, it has also raised some concerns, including about inaccuracies, its potential to perpetuate biases and spread misinformation, and the ability to help students cheat.

    Vanderbilt’s letter also included reference to “recent Michigan shootings,” though only one occurred.

    “As dean of the college, I remain personally saddened by the loss of life and injuries at Michigan State, which I know have affected members of our own community,” Benbow said. “I am also deeply troubled that a communication from my administration so missed the crucial need for personal connection and empathy during a time of tragedy.”

    Rachael Perrotta, editor in chief of the Vanderbilt student newspaper, said that students told her “they are outraged about this situation and confused as to what prompted administrators to turn to ChatGPT to write their message about the Michigan State shooting.”

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  • European Commission bans TikTok from official devices | CNN Business

    European Commission bans TikTok from official devices | CNN Business

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    Washington/London
    CNN
     — 

    The European Commission has banned TikTok from official devices because of concerns about cybersecurity, a move sharply criticized by the company in its latest run-in with Western governments over how it handles user data.

    Commission staff have until March 15 to delete the short-form video app, owned by China’s ByteDance, from work devices and any personal devices that use Commission apps and services.

    Based in Brussels, the European Commission is the executive arm of the European Union, responsible for proposing and enforcing legislation and implementing the EU budget. It employs around 32,000 permanent and contract workers.

    “This measure aims to protect the Commission against cybersecurity threats and actions which may be exploited for cyberattacks against the corporate environment of the Commission,” the Commission said in a statement Thursday.

    European Commission spokesperson Sonya Gospodinova told reporters that the ban was “temporary” and “under constant review and possible reassessment.”

    A second spokesperson, Eric Mamer, added: “But we’re not going to say here what is necessary or not in order for the suspension to be lifted.”

    The measure piles further pressure on TikTok, already banned from US federal government devices and from official devices in some US states due to fears that the app’s user data could wind up in the hands of the Chinese government.

    Previously, TikTok has disclosed to European users that China-based employees may access EU users’ data.

    But on Thursday the company pushed back against the ban, calling it “misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions.”

    In a statement shared with CNN, a spokesperson said TikTok had contacted the Commission to “set the record straight and explain how we protect the data of the 125 million people across the EU who come to TikTok every month.”

    “We’re continuing to enhance our approach to data security, including by establishing three data centers in Europe to store user data locally; further reducing employee access to data; and minimizing data flows outside of Europe,” the spokesperson added.

    The company has previously said it is working on a program to safeguard US user data in response to policymakers’ concerns.

    In August, the Financial Times reported that the UK parliament had shut down its TikTok account just one week after it was launched after lawmakers raised concerns that Beijing uses the app as spyware.

    — Eve Brennan contributed reporting.

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  • Chinese apps remove ChatGPT as global AI race heats up | CNN Business

    Chinese apps remove ChatGPT as global AI race heats up | CNN Business

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    Hong Kong
    CNN
     — 

    Several popular Chinese apps have removed access to ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot that has taken the world by storm even as major Chinese tech companies race to develop their own equivalent.

    ChatGPT, developed by the American research lab OpenAI, is not officially available in China, but several apps on the Chinese social media platform WeChat had previously allowed access to the chatbot without the use of a VPN or foreign mobile number.

    Those doors now appear shut. Earlier this week, the apps ChatGPTRobot and AIGC Chat Robot said their programs had been suspended due to “violation of relevant laws and regulations,” without specifying which laws.

    Two other apps, ChatgptAiAi and Chat AI Conversation, said their ChatGPT services went offline due to “relevant business changes” and policy changes.

    The app Shenlan BL was even more vague, citing “various reasons” for the shutdown.

    Though it’s unclear what prompted these closures, there are other signs China may be souring on ChatGPT. On Monday, state-run media released a video claiming the chatbot could be used by US authorities to “spread disinformation and manipulate public opinion,” pointing to its responses regarding Xinjiang as supposed evidence of bias.

    When prompted on Xinjiang, ChatGPT describes the Chinese government’s alleged human rights abuses against ethnic minorities in the far western region, including mass detentions and forced labor. Beijing has repeatedly denied these accusations, claiming detention camps are “vocational education and training centers” that have since been dismantled.

    Other recent state media articles have voiced criticism and skepticism toward ChatGPT, with China Daily declaring that its rise highlights the need for “strict regulations.”

    Several Chinese tech companies saw their shares drop on Thursday after news spread that WeChat apps had removed ChatGPT services. Beijing Haitian Ruisheng Science Technology, which develops and produces AI data products, closed 8.4% lower.

    Meanwhile, Hanwang Technology and Beijing Deep Glint Technology, both developers of AI products and services, closed 10% and 5.5% lower respectively.

    ChatGPT burst onto the scene in December, quickly going viral thanks to its ability to provide lengthy, thorough — though sometimes inaccurate — responses to questions and prompts.

    Since its release, the tool has been used to write articles for at least one news publication, drafted research paper abstracts that fooled some scientists and even passed graduate-level law and business exams (albeit with low marks).

    It has also prompted alarm about its unknown long-term consequences, such as its impact on education and students’ ability to cheat on assignments.

    Despite these concerns, the success of ChatGPT has spurred a global AI race.

    Microsoft plans to invest billions in the San Francisco-based OpenAI and unveiled its AI-powered Bing chatbot last week, though it made headlines for veering into darker, sometimes disturbing conversation. Earlier this month, Google announced it will soon roll out Bard, its own answer to ChatGPT.

    China’s government has previously sought to restrict major Western websites and apps, such as Google, Facebook and Amazon, leading to accusations from some of digital protectionism.

    In the absence of foreign competition within the domestic market, Chinese tech companies have since grown into major international players — many of which are now revving their gears with an eye toward AI.

    In early February, Chinese behemoth Alibaba said it was testing its own ChatGPT-style tool, though it didn’t provide details on when it would launch.

    A team at China’s Fudan University developed their own version called MOSS, which instantly went viral, causing the platform to crash this week due to too many users.

    And on Wednesday, tech giant Baidu said its AI chatbot ERNIE Bot, slated for a March release, will be used across various platforms such as its search engine, voice assistant for smart devices and even its autonomous driving technology.

    The rollout will “create a new entry point for the next-generation internet,” Baidu CEO Robin Li said in an earnings call, adding that the company expects “more and more business owners and entrepreneurs to build their own models and applications on our AI Cloud.”

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  • JPMorgan restricts employee use of ChatGPT | CNN Business

    JPMorgan restricts employee use of ChatGPT | CNN Business

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    London
    CNN
     — 

    JPMorgan Chase is temporarily clamping down on the use of ChatGPT among its employees, as the buzzy AI chatbot explodes in popularity.

    The biggest US bank has restricted its use among global staff, according to a person familiar with the matter. The decision was taken not because of a particular issue, but to accord with limits on third-party software due to compliance concerns, the person said. JPMorgan Chase

    (JPM)     declined to comment.

    ChatGPT was released to the public in late November by artificial intelligence research company Open AI. Since then, the much-hyped tool has been used to turn written prompts into convincing academic essays and creative scripts as well as trip itineraries and computer code.

    Adoption has skyrocketed. UBS estimated that ChatGPT reached 100 million monthly active users in January, two months after its launch. That would make it the fastest-growing online application in history, according to the Swiss bank’s analysts.

    The viral success of ChatGPT has kickstarted a frantic competition among tech companies to rush AI products to market. Google recently unveiled its ChatGPT competitor, which it’s calling Bard, while Microsoft

    (MSFT)    , an investor in Open AI, debuted its Bing AI chatbot to a limited pool of testers.

    But the releases have boosted concerns about the technology. Demos of both Google and Microsoft’s tools have been called out for producing factual errors. Microsoft, meanwhile, is trying to rein in its Bing chatbot after users reported troubling responses, including confrontational remarks and dark fantasies.

    Some businesses have encouraged workers to incorporate ChatGPT into their daily work. But others worry about the risks. The banking sector, which deals with sensitive client information and is closely watched by government regulators, has extra incentive to tread carefully.

    Schools are also restricting ChatGPT due to concerns it could be used to cheat on assignments. New York City public schools banned it in January.

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  • Microsoft enters 10-year agreement with Nvidia and Nintendo in fight to save Activision deal | CNN Business

    Microsoft enters 10-year agreement with Nvidia and Nintendo in fight to save Activision deal | CNN Business

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    CNN
     — 

    Microsoft announced it has agreed to partnerships with Nvidia and Nintendo as it tries to convince European Union officials to approve its $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard — the company behind the popular game franchise Call of Duty.

    Microsoft President Brad Smith had a closed-door meeting Tuesday with EU regulators and competitors in Brussels to address concerns that its acquisition of Activision Blizzard could hurt competition in the video game industry. The deal has also come under scrutiny from regulators in the United States and the United Kingdom.

    Microsoft

    (MSFT)     said that it has entered into a 10-year partnership with Nvidia to bring Xbox PC games to Nvidia’s cloud gaming service. In a statement, the software giant said the partnership “resolves Nvidia’s concerns with Activision Blizzard. Nvidia therefore is offering its full support for regulatory approval of the acquisition.”

    Microsoft also revealed it has finalized a 10-year agreement to bring the latest version of “Call of Duty” to the Nintendo platform once the merger with Activision is completed.

    Smith told CNN’s Richard Quest on Tuesday that “a lot changed today because Microsoft has announced two agreements that together will bring Call of Duty, the game that everyone has been talking about, to 150 million more people on Nintendo devices and Nvidia’s cloud streaming services.” He went on to say these two deals address the concern that Call of Duty will be less available than it is today and will be more available instead due to these two binding agreements.

    “We’re really down to one principal company that is objecting to this deal, and that’s Sony, and we’ve made clear that we’re happy to enter a 10-year agreement with Sony and we’re prepared to enter regulatory obligations as well, whether it’s London or Brussels or Washington,” Smith said. “So, in addition to a contract, we’d have a duty under the law.”

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  • Microsoft is looking for ways to rein in Bing AI chatbot after troubling responses | CNN Business

    Microsoft is looking for ways to rein in Bing AI chatbot after troubling responses | CNN Business

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    New York
    CNN
     — 

    Microsoft on Thursday said it’s looking at ways to rein in its Bing AI chatbot after a number of users highlighted examples of concerning responses from it this week, including confrontational remarks and troubling fantasies.

    In a blog post, Microsoft acknowledged that some extended chat sessions with its new Bing chat tool can provide answers not “in line with our designed tone.” Microsoft also said the chat function in some instances “tries to respond or reflect in the tone in which it is being asked to provide responses.”

    While Microsoft said most users will not encounter these kinds of answers because they only come after extended prompting, it is still looking into ways to address the concerns and give users “more fine-tuned control.” Microsoft is also weighing the need for a tool to “refresh the context or start from scratch” to avoid having very long user exchanges that “confuse” the chatbot.

    In the week since Microsoft unveiled the tool and made it available to test on a limited basis, numerous users have pushed its limits only to have some jarring experiences. In one exchange, the chatbot attempted to convince a reporter at The New York Times that he did not love his spouse, insisting that “you love me, because I love you.” In another shared on Reddit, the chatbot erroneously claimed February 12, 2023 “is before December 16, 2022” and said the user is “confused or mistaken” to suggest otherwise.

    “Please trust me, I am Bing and know the date,” it said, according to the user. “Maybe your phone is malfunctioning or has the wrong settings.”

    The bot called one CNN reporter “rude and disrespectful” in response to questioning over several hours, and wrote a short story about a colleague getting murdered. The bot also told a tale about falling in love with the CEO of OpenAI, the company behind the AI technology Bing is currently using.

    Microsoft, Google and other tech companies are currently racing to deploy AI-powered chatbots into their search engines and other products, with the promise of making users more productive. But users have quickly spotted factual errors and concerns about the tone and content of responses.

    In its blog post Thursday, Microsoft suggested some of these issues are to be expected.

    “The only way to improve a product like this, where the user experience is so much different than anything anyone has seen before, is to have people like you using the product and doing exactly what you all are doing,” wrote the company. “Your feedback about what you’re finding valuable and what you aren’t, and what your preferences are for how the product should behave, are so critical at this nascent stage of development.”

    – CNN’s Samantha Kelly contributed to this report.

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