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

💥 Silicon Valley titans use ‘strong-arm tactics’ to get land for utopian city
🍎 What Apple announced at its ‘Scary Fast’ event
🤖 White House unveils AI.gov in a historic move towards comprehensive AI oversight
💸 One year after being bought for $44 billion, X is worth $19 billion
🔍 Google CEO defends paying billions to remain top search engine

💥 Silicon Valley titans use ‘strong-arm tactics’ to get land for utopian cityLINK

Flannery Associates, a company backed by prominent Silicon Valley figures including investor Marc Andreessen and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, has been accused by Solano County farmers of using pressure tactics to coerce them into selling their land.

The company, which aims to build a brand-new utopian city in northern California, has reportedly purchased 52,000 acres of land in the region.

The allegations against Flannery Associates emerged in response to a lawsuit they filed in May, accusing the local landowners of price fixing and overcharging for the land.

🍎 What Apple announced at its ‘Scary Fast’ eventLINK

Apple has unveiled new MacBook Pro and iMac models, both integrated with the company's novel M3 processor, which is claimed to enhance performance and energy efficiency, with a special focus on AI and machine learning capabilities.

The new MacBook Pro comes in 14-inch and 16-inch variants with options of M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chips while the M3 iMac is said to be double in speed compared to the previous iMac with M1, featuring a new design in seven colors.

MacBook Pro models are designed for various user levels, ranging from students and entrepreneurs to power users, expected to provide faster speeds and advanced graphics, with prices starting from $1,599, and the iMac starts at $1,299.

🤖 White House unveils AI.gov in a historic move towards comprehensive AI oversightLINK

The White House has launched AI.gov, a website dedicated to the federal government's efforts in artificial intelligence (AI), providing resources and guidance to researchers, developers, and the general public.

This initiative aligns with President Biden's broader strategy to promote development and adoption of AI in the U.S, ensuring an ethical approach and evidencing significant action towards responsible AI governance.

AI.gov aims to serve as a hub for AI safety information, recruitment for AI roles, and facilitating collaboration with academia, industry, demonstrating U.S.'s commitment to leading advancements in AI for global benefit.

💸 One year after being bought for $44 billion, X is worth $19 billionLINK

X Corp. is valued at around $19 billion, far less than what Elon Musk paid for it a year ago.

The company has offered stock grants to employees at $45 a share, which indicates a 55% drop compared to the previous takeover price.

Earlier this year, Elon Musk promised employees would get stock grants based on an approximate valuation of $20 billion.

🔍 Google CEO defends paying billions to remain top search engineLINK

Google CEO Sundar Pichai defended the company's decision to spend billions to remain the top global search engine, asserting that the aim is to give users a seamless experience rather than just to maintain monopoly.

The U.S. Department of Justice argued that Google's enormous payouts to tech companies, like the $18 billion to Apple in 2021 for being its default search engine, have fortified its market dominance, an allegation that Pichai refutes.

The ongoing anti-trust trial, which could extend until at least early 2024, could drastically impact Google's market power if the court rules in favor of the Department of Justice.

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U.S. Judge mostly dismisses copyright case against AI art generators Stability AI, Midjourney, and DeviantArt.LINK

Canada bans WeChat and Kaspersky on government devices due to significant privacy and security risks, despite no proof of compromised information.LINK

New U.S. export restrictions might force Nvidia to halt $5 billion in advanced chip sales to China, impacting Chinese AI resources.LINK

China removes anonymity of bloggers' accounts with more than 500,000 followers.LINK

Siemens and Microsoft are collaborating on an AI project to boost productivity, streamline human-machine interaction, and accelerate industrial processes across various sectors.LINK

Putin wants to know why Russia can only build 40 satellites a year.LINK

ESA says cultivated meat, grown from stem cells in bioreactors, is a promising, sustainable food source for long-term space missions.LINK

Just like your brain, ChatGPT solves problems better when it slows down.LINK

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