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Here's the latest tech news from the last 24 hours:

🤖 Amazon bets $4 billion on OpenAI rival Anthropic
✍️ End of WGA strike: tentative deal reached
🎧 Spotify makes AI voice clones of podcasters and uses them to speak other languages
🗣 ChatGPT now supports voice and image uploads
🪐 NASA successfully delivers asteroid samples to Earth

🤖 Amazon bets $4 billion on OpenAI rival AnthropicLINK

Amazon plans a major investment in AI company Anthropic, starting with $1.25 billion and potentially increasing to $4 billion, setting the stage for competition with rivals like Microsoft, Meta, Google, and Nvidia in the AI field.

As part of the partnership, Anthropic will have access to Amazon Web Services' computational power and its machine learning chips Trainium and Inferentia, while Amazon's developers will be able to utilize Anthropic's models in their projects across Amazon's sectors.

Safety is a primary concern for both companies, with Amazon enhancing its cloud security measures and both companies collaborating with global AI safety groups, as well as endorsing the White House's AI safety initiatives.

✍️ End of WGA strike: tentative deal reachedLINK

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has reportedly reached a provisional three-year agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), potentially ending a 140-day strike.

Key issues for striking writers included residuals, streaming numbers, the size of writers' rooms, and AI protections, reflecting fears of the writing profession turning into a gig rather than a career.

While many see this as a significant step towards resolving the strike, the agreement still needs to be ratified by WGA members, leaving some uncertainty about the final outcome.

🎧 Spotify makes AI voice clones of podcasters and uses them to speak other languagesLINK

Spotify has developed a technology that clones the voices of its top podcasters and uses it to translate their podcasts into other languages.

The voice translation technology is currently available on a limited number of Spanish-language podcasts, with plans to expand it to French and German and include more podcasts.

The AI voice cloning is built on tools provided by OpenAI and was implemented to help build deeper connections and overcome barriers in storytelling, stated by Spotify's vice president of personalisation, Ziad Sultan.

🗣 ChatGPT now supports voice and image uploadsLINK

OpenAI is enhancing its ChatGPT chatbot with image and voice recognition capabilities to make it more 'human-like', with the ability to communicate about images and synthesize speech-to-text and text-to-speech.

The company's new feature, although not as responsive or capable as promotional videos suggest, is rolling out for Plus or Enterprise service users, and will be available on iOS, Android, and the web version within two weeks.

The developments place OpenAI in direct competition with tech giants like Google and Meta, as well as startups like Anthropic, all of whom are looking into integrating voice and image recognition into their AI services.

🪐 NASA successfully delivers asteroid samples to EarthLINK

A small capsule with pristine specimens from asteroid Bennu has successfully landed in Utah, marking the end of NASA's seven-year OSIRIS-REx mission.

The mission has brought back the largest unspoiled sample ever from beyond the Moon, an estimated 250 grams, collected from Bennu during a landing last year.

This is the first asteroid sampling mission for the United States and the third in history, bringing potential insights into the origins of life.

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Getty Images assures its latest generative AI, developed by Nvidia, won't use copyrighted content, offering legal protection from potential intellectual-property disputes to its users.LINK

Google expands its subsea cable infrastructure launching Nuvem in 2026, improving data transfer latency for cloud computing and video-streaming services.LINK

NYC's Mayor Eric Adams introduces an armless patrol robot for Times Square subway security, faces ridicule for attempting a heart gesture with it.LINK

Evernote reportedly shifted some users to costlier plans unknowingly, prompting discussions over switching to alternatives like Notion or downgrading to free tier.LINK

Google mourns the loss of Luiz André Barroso, a data center pioneer, accomplished musician and author, who significantly impacted modern cloud computing.LINK

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