Good morning! This is your daily ☕️ Techpresso.
In today's Techpresso:
😵💫 Amazon's AI assistant saves 4,500 years of development time
🚀 SpaceX astronauts to test breakthrough tech in risky spacewalk
🫣 Slack AI could be tricked into leaking login details and more
🚖 Cruise’s robotaxis are coming on Uber
📱 Apple to let iPhone users in Europe delete its App Store
⚔️ Google DeepMind workers urge the company to end ties with military organizations
🎁 + 7 other news you might like
🔮 + 4 handpicked research papers and tools
😵💫 Amazon's AI assistant saves 4,500 years of development timeLINK
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy stated that their AI assistant, Amazon Q, has significantly reduced software upgrade times, saving the company thousands of work hours.
Jassy mentioned that implementing Amazon Q resulted in estimated savings equivalent to 4,500 developer-years and $260 million in annual efficiency gains.
He highlighted that while AI tools enhance productivity, they may also cause developers to worry about job security due to increased automation in coding tasks.
🚀 SpaceX astronauts to test breakthrough tech in risky spacewalkLINK
A team including a billionaire, a retired pilot, and SpaceX employees will launch aboard a modified Crew Dragon, attempting a high-risk spacewalk 434 miles into space.
This mission, named "Polaris Dawn," will set a new distance record for humans in space since the Apollo program, with an orbit ranging from 190 km to 1,400 km from Earth.
The astronauts will test new SpaceX spacesuits and spacecraft technologies under harsher conditions than low-Earth orbit, providing vital data for future lunar and Martian missions.
🫣 Slack AI could be tricked into leaking login details and moreLINK
Security experts found that Slack's AI assistant can be misled into disclosing sensitive information, like API keys, to unauthorized users through carefully crafted prompts.
Hackers can exploit this vulnerability by creating a public Slack channel, inputting a malicious command that causes the AI to leak private data via clickable URLs.
Salesforce fixed the issue for private channels but public ones remain exposed, allowing attackers to use social engineering tactics to get workspace members to upload malicious documents.
🚖 Cruise’s robotaxis are coming on UberLINK
Uber has partnered with Cruise to offer autonomous rides through its app starting next year for qualifying trips.
This collaboration is part of a multiyear strategic partnership announced by the two companies on Thursday.
Users can expect the service to launch in cities where Cruise is currently conducting supervised testing, such as Phoenix, Dallas, and Houston.
📱 Apple to let iPhone users in Europe delete its App StoreLINK
Apple will permit iPhone and iPad users in the European Union to delete the App Store and Safari browser, due to new digital rules.
The App Store, Messages, Camera, Photos, and Safari apps will be removable in the EU, with Settings and Phone being the exceptions.
Apple is making these changes to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act, aimed at enhancing competition and offering users more options.
⚔️ Google DeepMind workers urge the company to end ties with military organizationsLINK
In May 2024, approximately 200 Google DeepMind employees signed a letter urging the company to cease its contracts with military organizations due to concerns over the use of AI technology in warfare, according to Time magazine.
The letter highlights internal tensions between Google's AI division and its cloud business, referencing Google's defense contract with the Israeli military and the use of AI for mass surveillance and targeting in Gaza.
The letter calls for Google to investigate claims of its cloud services being used by militaries, cut off such access, and establish a new governance body to prevent future military use of DeepMind's AI technology.
Other news you might like
Google appoints former Character.AI founder as co-lead of its AI models.LINK
Perplexity AI plans to start running ads in fourth quarter as AI-assisted search gains popularity.LINK
Amazon loophole allows China to access high-end U.S. AI, chips.LINK
Salesforce unveils AI agents for sales teams - here's how they help.LINK
Snap is reportedly working on a new pair of augmented reality Spectacles.LINK
FCC fines telecom $1 million over fake AI Biden robocalls.LINK
Peloton to ruin the secondhand market by charging a $95 ‘used equipment activation fee’.LINK
Latest research and tools
Surfer: aggregates personal data from multiple online platforms into a single, centralized folder for easier access and management.LINK
Nanolog: an advanced logging system for C++ that offers high-speed logging, over 80 million logs per second, with a median latency of just over 7 nanoseconds, by shifting processing out of runtime.LINK
EPUBCheck: an official tool for verifying the conformity of EPUB files to the EPUB standards, maintained by the DAISY Consortium for W3C, and available as both a standalone and a Java library option.LINK
StructuredRAG: JSON Response Formatting with Large Language Models: the paper introduces a system that formats JSON responses using large language models, and it highlights a free, virtual forum in September that is open to everyone.LINK
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