Christie’s sells its first AI portrait for $432,500, beating estimates of $10,000 | The Verge

The art of open source AI

"The artwork was created by a collective named Obvious. The three members of Obvious, a trio of 25-year-old French students, used a type of machine learning algorithm known as a GAN (generative adversarial network) to create the picture. The network was trained on a dataset of historical portraits, and then it tried to create one of its own. Obvious printed the image, framed it, and signed it with part of the GAN’s algorithm.
However, as The Verge reported earlier this week, the Belamy print has been the subject of controversy within the AI art world. Obvious admitted to using code from another AI artist, 19-year-old Robbie Barrat, to create the print. It’s not clear how much was borrowed, but experts say the amount was probably substantial. It’s also not clear if Barrat can make a claim for ownership of the artwork as his code was shared under an open-source license."

Christie’s sells its first AI portrait for $432,500, beating estimates of $10,000 | The Verge

The Amazon Selling Machine | The Atlantic

Just getting started...

"On Thursday, Amazon reported that the category of its business devoted to advertising and “sales related to our other service offerings” made nearly $2.5 billion in net sales in just the third quarter of 2018. In the third quarter of 2017, it made less than half that, $1.12 billion. A September report from eMarketer estimated that Amazon is now the number three digital-ad seller in the country, behind Facebook and Google. Brands will spend $4.61 billion advertising on the Amazon platform this year, the report estimated. Mike Olson, an analyst with PiperJaffray, anticipates that Amazon advertising revenue will reach $8 billion this year, a number that will double to $16 billion by 2020, and that will soon overtake in profitability Amazon’s big moneymaker, Amazon Web Services, which sells cloud-computing services.
Amazon is catnip to advertisers for the simple reason that it is already an integral part of the way we buy. About half of online shoppers start their product searches on Amazon. But the company also owns Whole Foods, Twitch, Zappos, Audible, and IMDb, and sells TVs, tablets, Kindles, Echos—what Helen Lin, the chief digital officer at Publicis Media, calls “this whole canvas of properties that allow brands to go broader.”"

The Amazon Selling Machine | The Atlantic

Amazon, Alphabet's Growth Engines Sputter, Spending Surges | Bloomberg

Could be worse; e.g., see Snap Continues to Struggle to Gain Users | NYT

"The growth engines of Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc., the world’s largest internet companies, sputtered last quarter, and after weeks of stock market jitters, investors were in no mood to give them a pass.
Amazon, the biggest online retailer, reported a second consecutive quarter of sales that fell short of estimates -- the first back-to-back revenue miss in almost four years. The company on Thursday also gave a disappointing revenue and profit forecast for the busy holiday period, sending shares down as much as 9.4 percent in extended trading. Even its highly profitable cloud-computing business, Amazon Web Services, didn’t grow as fast as it had in the previous three months.
Alphabet’s third-quarter sales missed analysts’ expectations and revenue growth from its main Google sites, including Search and YouTube, came in at 22 percent, slower than the prior period."

Amazon, Alphabet's Growth Engines Sputter, Spending Surges | Bloomberg

The Problem with Facebook and Virtual Reality | Stratechery

From an extensive Oculus reality check

"To that end, it is hard to not feel optimistic about Apple’s chances at eventually surpassing Oculus and everyone else. The best way to think about Apple has always been as a personal computer company; the only difference over time is that computers have grown ever more personal, moving from the desk to the lap to the pocket and today to the wrist (and ears). The face is a logical next step, and no company has proven itself better at the sort of hardware engineering necessary to make it happen.

Critically, Apple also has the right business model: it can sell barely good-enough devices at a premium to a userbase that will buy simply because they are from Apple, and from there figure out a use case without the need to reach everyone. I was very critical of this approach with the Apple Watch — it was clear from the launch keynote that Apple had no idea what this cool piece of hardware engineering would be used for — but, as the Apple Watch has settled into its niche as a health and fitness device and slowly expanded from there, I am more appreciative of the value of simply shipping a great piece of hardware and letting the real world figure it out."

The Problem with Facebook and Virtual Reality | Stratechery

Microsoft posts a record $29.1 billion Q1. Same old, same old | Ars Technica

Also see Grumbling about wobbly Windows 10? Microsoft can't hear you over the clanging cash register | The Register

"The numbers grow a bit bigger, but the story remains familiar: cloud services are growing, on-premises Office customers are adopting Office 365, and the corporate PC refresh cycle is bolstering some Windows revenue, partially offset by the continuing decline of the consumer PC market. Surface should start to reach new markets with the availability of the Surface Go, but thus far the revenue impact appears limited, leaving Microsoft's hardware division in this weird position: it's humming along steadily but still stuck at around that $1.1 billion-per-quarter mark, not shifting even when Microsoft adds new systems and price points to the mix."

Microsoft posts a record $29.1 billion Q1. Same old, same old | Ars Technica

Apple’s Radical Approach to News: Humans Over Machines | NYT

Curate different

"There are ambitious plans for the product. Apple lets publishers run ads in its app and it helps some sign up new subscribers, taking a 30 percent cut of the revenue. Soon, the company aims to bundle access to dozens of magazines in its app for a flat monthly fee, sort of like Netflix for news, according to people familiar with the plans, who declined to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. Apple also hopes to package access to a few daily-news publications, like The Times, The Post and The Wall Street Journal, into the app, the people said.

Apple’s executives grandly proclaim that they want to help save journalism. “There is this deep understanding that a thriving free press is critical for an informed public, and an informed public is critical for a functioning democracy, and that Apple News can play a part in that,” Ms. Kern said."

Apple’s Radical Approach to News: Humans Over Machines | NYT

Tesla turns a profit in what Musk calls ‘a historic quarter’ | The Washington Post

That profit level is more than six times the recent SEC fines for Elon Musk's "funding secured" tweet...

"The electric-car giant’s deliveries of its Model 3 sedan grew to 56,000 as America’s most valuable automaker surmounted production delays, delivery woes and a federal regulator’s lawsuit over Musk’s tweets.

Tesla logged a record $312 million in profit, swinging into the black for the first time since late 2016. It had $6.8 billion in revenue, compared with analysts' estimates of roughly $6.3 billion, and more than doubled its revenue compared with the same quarter last year. Tesla’s share price jumped 12 percent in after-hours trading."

Tesla turns a profit in what Musk calls ‘a historic quarter’ | The Washington Post

When Trump Phones Friends, the Chinese and the Russians Listen and Learn | NYT

Later in the article: "Foreign governments are well aware of the risk, and so leaders like Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin avoid using cellphones when possible." Also see China Mocks Report It Tapped Trump’s iPhone (and Plugs Its Own Competitor) | NYT

"When President Trump calls old friends on one of his iPhones to gossip, gripe or solicit their latest take on how he is doing, American intelligence reports indicate that Chinese spies are often listening — and putting to use invaluable insights into how to best work the president and affect administration policy, current and former American officials said.

Mr. Trump’s aides have repeatedly warned him that his cellphone calls are not secure, and they have told him that Russian spies are routinely eavesdropping on the calls, as well. But aides say the voluble president, who has been pressured into using his secure White House landline more often these days, has still refused to give up his iPhones. White House officials say they can only hope he refrains from discussing classified information when he is on them."

When Trump Phones Friends, the Chinese and the Russians Listen and Learn | NYT

The AI Cold War That Could Doom Us All | Wired

Final paragraphs:

"It is at least conceivable that Trump’s aggressive policies could, counterintuitively, lead to a rapprochement with Beijing. If Trump threatens to take something off the table that China truly cannot afford to lose, that could pressure Beijing to dial back its global tech ambitions and open its domestic market to US firms. But there is another way to influence China, one more likely to succeed: The US could try to wrap Beijing in a technology embrace. Work with China to develop rules and norms for the development of AI. Establish international standards to ensure that the algorithms governing people’s lives and livelihoods are transparent and accountable. Both countries could, as Tim Hwang suggests, commit to developing more shared, open databases for researchers.

But for now, at least, conflicting goals, mutual suspicion, and a growing conviction that AI and other advanced technologies are a winner-take-all game are pushing the two countries’ tech sectors further apart. A permanent cleavage will come at a steep cost and will only give techno-authoritarianism more room to grow."

The AI Cold War That Could Doom Us All | Wired

The Problem With Fixing WhatsApp? Human Nature Might Get in the Way | NYT

From a timely WhatsApp reality check

"Unlike Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, WhatsApp isn’t a social network. It is mostly a bare-bones texting app in which most conversations are private and unmediated by any kind of algorithm meant to amp up engagement. This design means WhatsApp has little control over what content takes off and what doesn’t; in most cases, the company cannot even see what is happening on WhatsApp, because the service encrypts messages automatically.

That means the real problem may be not so much WhatsApp the company or WhatsApp the product but something more fundamental — WhatsApp the idea.

When you offer everyone access to free and private communication, lots of wonderful things may happen — and WhatsApp has been a godsend to vulnerable populations like migrants, dissidents and political activists. But a lot of terrible things are bound to happen, too — and it might be impossible to eliminate the bad without muzzling the good."

The Problem With Fixing WhatsApp? Human Nature Might Get in the Way | NYT

Apple’s Tim Cook delivers searing critique of Silicon Valley | The Washington Post

Also see Tim Cook warns of ‘data-industrial complex’ in call for comprehensive US privacy laws | The Verge

"Apple chief executive Tim Cook on Wednesday warned the world’s most powerful regulators that the poor privacy practices of some tech companies, the ills of social media and the erosion of trust in his own industry threaten to undermine “technology’s awesome potential” to address challenges like disease and climate change.

In a searing critique of Silicon Valley — delivered from the well of European Parliament in Brussels — Cook began by stressing he remains optimistic that “new technologies are driving breakthroughs in humanity’s greatest common projects.”

But the Apple leader expressed alarm about divisive political rhetoric that proliferates on social media platforms, and rogue actors and governments that seize on algorithms to “deepen divisions, incite violence, and even undermine our shared sense of what is true and what is false.”"

Apple’s Tim Cook delivers searing critique of Silicon Valley | The Washington Post

Y Combinator plans to back carbon removal ventures | MIT Technology Review

See Carbon Removal Technologies | YC Request for Startups for more details

"Background: A growing amount of research concludes it will be nearly impossible for the world to avoid a dangerous 2˚C rise in global temperatures merely by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, given the concentrations already in the atmosphere and the slow pace at which nations are shifting to clean energy. At this stage, the UN’s climate change panel and other institutions have said various methods of capturing and storing carbon dioxide will be required as well.

The problem is that scientists and companies haven’t yet figured out a way to do so economically at anywhere near the scale required.

“It's time to invest and avidly pursue a new wave of technological solutions to this problem—including those that are risky, unproven, even unlikely to work," Y Combinator said in an announcement on Tuesday. "It's time to take big swings at this.”"

Y Combinator plans to back carbon removal ventures | MIT Technology Review

Wikipedia chief’s news website axes all its journalists | The Times

Also see Letter from Jimmy and Orit: What we have learned so far | WikiTribune

"Signs that the original approach was failing emerged in May when Mr Wales admitted that the site “didn’t get much work done”. He compared it to Nupedia, a Wikipedia predecessor he founded in 1999 but which closed in 2003, and which is seen to have failed because its rigorous quality standards discouraged public involvement.

“I listened to advice that we had to be very controlled. We had to have a complex review process. We basically ended up building Nupedia again. Doh! It was beautiful and what we published was of high quality, but we didn’t really have genuine community control, and we didn’t get very much work done,” he wrote."

Wikipedia chief’s news website axes all its journalists | The Times

Apple iPhone XR Review: Better than Good Enough | The Verge

Also see iPhone XR: The best $250 you ever saved on a new phone | The Washington Post, which starts "Lately, Apple has made shopping for an iPhone complicated. So let me simplify: If you’re in the market for an upgrade, buy the iPhone XR."

"If one thing is clear about the iPhone XR, it’s that Apple is going to sell tons of these. They’re huge upgrades from the iPhone 6 era of Apple phones, with the latest processors and cameras, a big screen in an updated design, and a competitive opening price of $750 for the 64GB model. That’s $50 less than the smaller Pixel 3. It’s priced to move.

When I first picked up the iPhone XR, it felt like the big questions would be about what the XR was missing compared to the XS. But now that I’ve used this thing for a while, that seem like the wrong way to think about it. The real question for iPhone buyers is whether the high-res OLED display on the XS is worth $250 more than the XR. Because otherwise, the XR offers almost everything you’d want in a 2018 phone."

Apple iPhone XR Review: Better than Good Enough | The Verge

Oculus Co-Founder’s Departure Could Mean Bad Things for Facebook VR | Gizmodo

Facebook senior exec exit of the week

"Facebook made a splashy entrance into VR when it purchased fledgling startup Oculus back in 2014 for $2.3 billion. However, even after putting out the first consumer-ready Oculus Rift in 2016, which was followed up by this year’s Oculus Go and the upcoming Oculus Quest, today’s departure of Oculus co-founder and former CEO Brendan Iribe casts doubts on the future of Facebook’s VR efforts.
[...]
Where things start to get spicy is that, according to TechCrunch, one of Iribe’s main projects was overseeing work on a second-gen Oculus Rift, an effort that reportedly was canceled last week after some “internal shake-ups.” Sources who spoke to TechCrunch claim that Iribe and the Facebook team had “fundamentally different views on the future of Oculus that grew deeper over time,” with Iribe apparently not wanting to participate in a VR “race to the bottom.”"

Oculus Co-Founder’s Departure Could Mean Bad Things for Facebook VR | Gizmodo

Amazon exec and Super Micro CEO call for retraction of spy chip story | The Verge

Perhaps it wasn't the best topic domain for a cover story... Also see Your move, Bloomberg | The Washington Post

"Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook called for Bloomberg to retract a report claiming that Chinese spies smuggled malicious microchips into a company server. In an unprecedented move, Cook sat down for an interview with BuzzFeed News last week in order to address the allegations proposed in the Bloomberg report. Cook said, “This did not happen. There’s no truth to this,” eventually calling for the publication to retract the story which he said Apple had been denying in conversations with reporters for months.

The other two companies named in the story, Amazon and Super Micro, decided to follow in Apple’s footsteps today, offering their own statements condemning the allegations."

Amazon exec and Super Micro CEO call for retraction of spy chip story | The Verge

Dyson Picks Singapore to Build Electric Cars Rivaling Tesla | Bloomberg

Later in the article: "Exactly what type of cars Dyson will be producing remains to be revealed. Construction is still ongoing at its test facility at Hullavington, England, which includes a now 400-strong automotive team, a handling track and an off-road route."

"The country also has a free trade agreement with China, the world’s largest market for electric cars. While Tesla last week took a step toward building an auto plant in Shanghai, Dyson’s founder, James Dyson, has complained about IP theft in China.
China will remain the top electric-vehicle market at least until 2040, when more than half of all new car sales and a third of the planet’s fleet -- equal to 559 million automobiles -- will be electric, according to a forecast by Bloomberg NEF. James Dyson said the company’s “center of gravity” has tilted toward Asia, which last year generated almost three quarters of revenue growth."

Dyson Picks Singapore to Build Electric Cars Rivaling Tesla | Bloomberg

Google Home Hub review: the smart display to buy | The Guardian

Also see Google Home Hub review: the best digital photo frame | The Verge

"The Google Home Hub is arguably the best smart display on the market. It’s much smaller than you might expect, with a really good-looking 7in screen that appears to be mounted into a small fabric cushion that’s only visible at the bottom.

It’s a simple, understated design that blends in well with furnishings, and would be as at home on a book case or mantle piece as on a table or work surface side. The lack of a camera is probably a plus point for those, like me, who will never video call anyone, and you can still do things on the touchscreen with the mic muted."

Google Home Hub review: the smart display to buy | The Guardian

Tech lobby outlines its own set of privacy regulations | Axios

See this ITI press release for details

"A leading tech lobbying group in Washington Monday introduced a plan for regulations to protect user privacy online, becoming the latest player to try to shape new legislation that the industry sees as increasingly likely.

The big picture: Lawmakers in Washington — spurred on by new rules enacted in Europe and California — are trying to craft their own privacy legislation. Industry groups are laying out their own guidelines for policymakers as they look to shape the debate.

Details: The framework from ITI, whose members include Google and Facebook, is designed to guide policymakers in the United States and around the world as they weigh concerns about data privacy online, said ITI president Dean Garfield."

Tech lobby outlines its own set of privacy regulations | Axios

Republicans Find a Facebook Workaround: Their Own Apps | NYT

Later in the article: "“It’s creating a safe space for people who share a viewpoint, who feel like the open social networks are not fun places for them.”" On a related note, see To Curb Terrorist Propaganda Online, Look to YouTube. No, Really. | Wired

"The apps deliver curated partisan news feeds on what are effectively private social media platforms, free from the strictures and content guidelines imposed by Silicon Valley giants. Some allow supporters to comment on posts or contribute their own, with less risk that their posts will be flagged as offensive or abusive.

Many apps have video-game-like features where users can earn points for making campaign donations or contacting their legislators. Amass enough points and a supporter can attain increasing status levels — like “BigLeague” or “Patriot” — or even gain a spot on the app’s leader board.

Crucially, these mini-platforms harness the powerful reach of platforms like Facebook and Twitter even while competing with them. Some apps give users the option of posting on Twitter or Facebook messages that are scripted by the campaigns, combining the seeming authenticity of organic social media posts with the message discipline of paid advertising."

Republicans Find a Facebook Workaround: Their Own Apps | NYT