Tech

Amazon extends moratorium on police use of facial recognition software

Published

5 years ago

May 19, 2021

Nearly one year ago, Amazon banned the use of its facial recognition software, Rekognition, from being used by US police departments, and now it seems like that ban is set to continue indefinitely.

The initial decision came after nationwide protests against police violence in the US, following the death of George Floyd.

It is unclear how many police departments use facial recognition technology to track down potential suspects or persons of interest.

Nathan Freed Wessler, a deputy project director at the American Civil Liberties Union, expressed support for Amazon’s move and called on federal and state governments to ban law enforcement’s use of the software.

“Face recognition technology fuels the over-policing of Black and Brown communities, and has already led to the false arrests and wrongful incarcerations of multiple Black men,”

Critics have noted research born out of a project called Gender Shades, which showed Rekognition struggled to determine the sex of individuals with darker skin tones. Amazon has contested this.

Pharmacy chain Rite Aid Corp has also suspended the technology at its stores.

Tech

OpenAI and Anthropic launch faster, smarter AI tools for enterprise coding

OpenAI and Anthropic launch advanced coding models, revolutionizing enterprise software development and intensifying the AI tooling competition.

Published

9 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Harvey Vargas

OpenAI and Anthropic launch advanced coding models, revolutionising enterprise software development and intensifying the AI tooling competition.

OpenAI and Anthropic have unveiled powerful new AI coding models aimed at transforming enterprise software development. GPT-5.3 Codex operates 25% faster than its predecessor, tackling complex tasks and following real-time directions without losing context.

Claude Opus 4.6 introduces ‘agent teams’, allowing multiple AI agents to work on tasks simultaneously. The update also includes a one-million-token context window, enabling large volumes of text and code to be processed in a single prompt.

GitHub now supports multiple coding agents, letting developers compare AI approaches on the same problems. Both OpenAI and Anthropic are pushing for enterprise adoption, highlighting the potential for professional applications across industries.

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#AI #MachineLearning #TechNews #EnterpriseTech #OpenAI #Anthropic #SoftwareDevelopment #Coding

Tech

Nvidia and Amazon explore massive OpenAI funding round

Nvidia CEO downplays $100B OpenAI investment, as Amazon eyes $50B stake in AI startup

Published

5 days ago

February 2, 2026

Harvey Vargas

Nvidia CEO downplays $100B OpenAI investment, as Amazon eyes $50B stake in AI startup

In Short:
– OpenAI aims to raise up to $100 billion, with Amazon considering a $50 billion investment.
– Funding will support Project Stargate and address projected losses of $14 billion by 2026.

Nvidia’s CEO has confirmed the company will participate in a major funding round for OpenAI, though the previously mentioned $100 billion commitment is not final.

This investment comes as OpenAI seeks to raise up to $100 billion, potentially valuing the AI startup at around $830 billion. Amazon is also reportedly in discussions to contribute up to $50 billion.

The funding is intended to support OpenAI’s ambitious $500 billion Project Stargate, aimed at pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence.

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News

Big Tech earnings spark investor unease over AI spending

Investors monitor Big Tech’s AI investments, with Meta thriving while Microsoft and Tesla face uncertainty over growth and returns.

Published

1 week ago

January 30, 2026

Harvey Vargas

Investors monitor Big Tech’s AI investments, with Meta thriving while Microsoft and Tesla face uncertainty over growth and returns.

Investors are reacting sharply to Big Tech earnings this week, sending a clear signal that massive spending must translate into real growth. Markets are becoming less forgiving as companies pour billions into artificial intelligence, data centres and future tech while returns remain uncertain.

Meta has delivered a standout performance, posting a 24 percent jump in revenue for the December quarter, fuelled by AI-powered advertising. The company is doubling down on its strategy, with aggressive investment in AI and infrastructure expected to drive a further 33 percent growth this quarter.

Microsoft and Tesla tell a more cautious story. Microsoft reported only modest growth in its Azure cloud business, raising questions about its exposure to OpenAI, while Tesla plans to double spending on AI and autonomous driving. Analysts warn of a widening gap between bold AI ambitions and what investors expect in returns.

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