is a senior policy reporter at The Verge, covering the intersection of Silicon Valley and Capitol Hill. She spent 5 years covering tech policy at CNBC, writing about antitrust, privacy, and content moderation reform. X’s Grok chatbot hasn’t stopped accepting users’ requests to strip down women and, in some cases, apparent minors to AI-generated bikinis. According to some reports, the flood of AI-generated images includes more extreme content that potentially violates laws against nonconsensual intimate imagery (NCII) and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Even in the US, where X owner Elon Musk has close ties with the government, some legislators are criticizing the platform — though clear action is still in short supply. Several international regulators have spoken out against Grok’s undressing spree. The UK communications regulator Ofcom said in a statement that it had “made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK,” and would quickly assess “potential compliance issues that warrant investigation.” European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said at a press conference that Grok’s outputs were “illegal” and “appalling.” India’s IT ministry threatened to strip X’s legal immunity for user-generated posts unless it promptly submitted a description of actions it’s taken to prevent illegal content. Regulators from Australia, Brazil, France, and Malaysia are also tracking the developments. Tech platforms in the US are largely protected from liability for their users’ posts under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, but even the co-author of the 1996 law, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), said the rule should not protect a company’s own AI outputs. “Given that the Trump administration is going to the mat to protect pedophiles, states should step in to hold Musk and X accountable,” Wyden wrote on Bluesky. Some of the images created by Grok could also violate the Take It Down Act....

In this article GOOGL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. Klaudia Radecka | Nurphoto | Getty Images Google and Character.AI will settle with families who sued the companies over harm to minors, including suicides, allegedly caused by artificial intelligence chatbots. According to court documents filed this week, the families and companies have agreed to work out settlement terms. In one case, plaintiff Megan Garcia sued Google and Character.AI after her son died from suicide. The complaint claims that Character.AI's chatbot engaged the plaintiff's 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III, in harmful interactions, and alleges negligence, wrongful death, deceptive trade practices and product liability. "Parties have agreed to a mediated settlement in principle to resolve all claims between them in the above-referenced matter," one filing says. "The Parties request that this matter be stayed so that the Parties may draft, finalize, and execute formal settlement documents." The settlement agreements this week also came from families in Colorado, Texas and New York, according to documents. Details have not yet been revealed. In August 2024, Google agreed to a $2.7 billion licensing deal and hired Character.AI founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, who both previously worked at the search company and were specifically named in the lawsuits. Shazeer and De Freitas joined Google's AI unit DeepMind. In the more than three years since OpenAI's launch of ChatGPT kicked off the generative AI boom, the technology has rapidly evolved from text-based chats to sophisticated pictures, videos and characters that respond to simple human prompts. Companies in the space now face the heightened challenge of dealing with the potential harmful consequences of the technology. Families have filed a flurry of cases involving suicides and deaths by people who turned to these products for companionship and therapy. In October, Character.AI announced that ...

Source: Bloomberg, 5:52

格隆汇1月8日｜美国众议院议长约翰逊证实，美国总统特朗普将于2月24日发表国情咨文。

NEW YORK, January 7, 2026, 15:49 EST — Regular session Apple slips in afternoon trade as investors weigh higher component costs and a split tape in megacap tech. Evercore stayed bullish with a $325 target, while Raymond James warned valuation caps near-term upside. Next catalysts include Friday’s U.S. jobs report and Apple’s results later this month. Apple shares fell 0.6% to $260.78 in afternoon trading on Wednesday, sliding to a session low. Evercore analyst Amit Daryanani stuck with a $325 target — about 25% above that level — even as he pointed to a projected 40%-50% jump in NAND flash and DRAM memory prices in early 2026, Barron’s reported. Barron’s The move matters because Apple remains a bellwether for big U.S. tech, and its next earnings report is close enough to shape positioning. Investors want proof the company can defend margins while selling expensive hardware into a more selective consumer. Alphabet rose 2.3% and Nvidia gained about 1.0% on Wednesday, while Dell slid 3.5% as device makers weighed the same cost backdrop. The split is feeding a familiar question: which megacaps get paid for AI, and which ones see it show up as higher bills. Raymond James analyst Srini Pajjuri, who resumed coverage earlier this month with a Market Perform rating, warned that the stock’s valuation leaves limited room for error. “Apple’s current valuation appropriately reflects these strengths, limiting near-term upside,” he wrote. Finviz For the near-term Apple stock price forecast, technicians are watching the $260 area after a run of declines since year-end. Shares are down about 4% from the Dec. 31 close and roughly 10% below the Dec. 3 intraday high of $288.62, price data show. A break under $260 could expose the mid-$250s, while a bounce would put the $267-$270 zone back in play. StockAnalysis Macro data are also in the mix: Wednesday’s ADP report showed U.S. private payrolls rose by 41,000 in December, well short of forecasts. The Labor Department’s schedule shows th...

Apple stock price forecast: AAPL slides as memory costs rise and earnings near TechStock²

OpenAI announced ChatGPT Health on Wednesday, which the company said will offer a dedicated space for users to have conversations with ChatGPT about their health. People already use ChatGPT to ask about medical issues; OpenAI says that over 230 million people ask health and wellness questions on the platform each week. But the ChatGPT Health product silos these conversations away from your other chats. That way, the context of your health won’t come up in standard conversations with ChatGPT. If people start chats about their health outside of the Health section, then the AI aims to nudge them to switch over. Within Health, the AI might reference things you’ve discussed in its standard experience. If you ask ChatGPT for help constructing a marathon training plan, for example, then the AI would know you’re a runner when you talk in Health about your fitness goals. ChatGPT Health will also be able to integrate with your personal information or medical records from wellness apps like Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal. OpenAI notes that it will not use Health conversations to train its models. The CEO of Applications at OpenAI, Fidji Simo, wrote in a blog post that she sees ChatGPT Health as a response to existing issues in the healthcare space, like cost and access barriers, overbooked doctors, and a lack of continuity in care. While the healthcare system has its drawbacks, using AI chatbots for medical advice creates a new slew of challenges. Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT operate by predicting the most likely response to prompts, not the most correct answer, since LLMs don’t have a concept of what is true or not. AI models are also prone to hallucinations. In its own terms of service, OpenAI states that it is “not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of any health condition.” The feature is expected to roll out in the coming weeks.

Nvidia Leapfrogs Google And AMD With Vera Rubin Forbes

White House says 'all options' are on the table for Greenland, including diplomacy toggle caption Evgeniy Maloletka/AP The White House is standing by President Trump's interest in Greenland, saying "all options" are on the table as the administration weighs a potential acquisition of the territory that's controlled by Denmark. "All options are always on the table for President Trump as he examines what's in the best interest of the United States, but I will just say that the President's first option always has been diplomacy," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday. Her comments come amid growing alarm among administration critics about the muscularity of U.S. foreign policy following the military operation in Venezuela on Saturday that led to the arrest of the nation's president, Nicolas Maduro. Sponsor Message Trump has repeatedly voiced support for the U.S. acquiring Greenland, dating back to his first term in 2019. Trump has said Greenland is vitally important to U.S. priorities in the Arctic, and expressed interest in the territory's large amounts of rare earth minerals. "Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place," Trump told reporters over the weekend. "We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it." The president's continued focus on Greenland is posing a test for trans-Atlantic relations. In a joint statement released Tuesday, the leaders of seven European nations defended Greenland's sovereignty, saying it "belongs to its people." "It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland," read the statement from the leaders of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the U.K. Several European leaders, including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, have fervently pushed back on Trump's comments, saying that an attack on Greenland by the U.S. military would jeopardize t...

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Uber stock has gained more than 6% over the past two trading days, as autonomous vehicles have captured attention at CES 2026. The post Why Nvidia's Robotaxi Offensive Could Be Good News For Uber appeared first on Investor's Business Daily .

Chasing SanDisk and Micron may be hazardous to your portfolio MSN

Man shot dead by police had been carrying air gun 15 minutes ago Share Save Henry Durand Local Democracy reporter Share Save Shaun Whitmore/BBC A section of woodland next to the A11 was taped off while investigators examined the area A man shot dead by police in Norfolk had been carrying an air gun, a watchdog has said. Tony Keeble was shot in the chest and abdomen by armed officers next to the Thetford bypass on 28 December because they believed he was carrying a handgun. The shooting is being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which has said the weapon recovered from the roadside was a "gas-powered air gun". The 61-year-old, who lived in the town, was given first aid but was declared dead at the scene at about 22:15 GMT. Jack MacLean/BBC A referral was made to the IOPC following the man's death Most air weapons do not require a licence, but no-one who has been sentenced to three or more years in jail can use one, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Norfolk Police was initially called to a crash between a Honda Jazz and a Mercedes van by the gates of Thetford cemetery on London Road at about 20:25 GMT. The Honda driver was found to have suffered minor injuries but declined to be treated at hospital. Officers received several reports from members of the public that a man carrying a handgun had left the scene and had been spotted on London Road. Keeble was found by armed officers next to the A11 near Sainsbury's, about a mile away. He was ordered to drop his weapon twice. Shortly after, two officers each fired a shot which struck him. Following the incident, part of the A11 was closed in both directions Police bodycam footage, as well as dashcam footage, has been reviewed by IOPC investigators. Initial statements have been given by the officers, with further statements set to be taken. All the officers are currently being treated as witnesses as there is "no indication" so far that policing standards of professional behaviour we...

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. will publish fiscal year 2026 second-quarter financial results after the close of the market on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, on the Microsoft Investor Relations website at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Investor/. A live webcast of the earnings conference call will be made available at 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Microsoft company logo. (PRNewsFoto/Microsoft Corp.) (PRNewsfoto/Microsoft Corp.) Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/microsoft-announces-quarterly-earnings-release-date-302655684.html

Microsoft’s next earnings reveal lands Jan. 28 — here’s when Stock Titan

Donald Trump has claimed he plans to crack down on executive compensation and shareholder payouts at military defense contractors, as his administration ramps up spending on the armed forces. In a post on social media, the US president said defense giants had been failing to swiftly deliver “vital” equipment to the US military and its allies across the world. The firms are paying “exorbitant” salaries to their top executives and vast dividends to shareholders while equipment is “NOT BEING MADE FAST ENOUGH”, Trump said. He said he would “not permit” dividends and stock buybacks by defense companies, or allow them to pay executives more than $5m, until they started to accelerate deliveries and build new and modern production plants. Trump’s intervention came days after US forces struck Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro. The Trump administration has also said it is examining “a range of options” to acquire Greenland, and noted that using the US military to do so is “always an option”. On Truth Social, Trump wrote: “All United State Defense Contractors, and the Defense Industry as a whole, BEWARE: While we make the best Military Equipment in the World (No other Country is even close!), Defense Contractors are currently issuing massive Dividends to their Shareholders and massive Stock Buybacks, at the expense and detriment of investing in Plants and Equipment. This situation will no longer be allowed or tolerated! “Executive Pay Packages in the Defense Industry are exorbitant and unjustifiable given how slowly these Companies are delivering vital Equipment to our Military, and our Allies,” he added. “Salaries, Stock Options, and every other form of Compensation are far too high for these Executives.” In fiscal year 2024, the CEOs of Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics received more than $23.7m each in total compensation, the RTX CEO received more than $18m, and the Northrop Grumman CEO received over $24.3m. General Dynamics declined to comment. Lockhe...

In this article AAPL GOOGL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Google CEO Sundar Pichai gives a thumbs up as he arrives to attend the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit at the Grand Palais in Paris, Feb. 11, 2025. Benoit Tessier | Reuters Google parent company Alphabet saw its market capitalization surpass Apple's for the first time since 2019. Alphabet's market cap closed at $3.88 trillion on Wednesday. Shares of Alphabet rose more than 2% on Wednesday, closing at $322.03. Meanwhile, Apple's market cap closed Wednesday at $3.84 trillion as shares slid more than 4% over the last five days. The positional inversion in market cap underscores the different directions that Alphabet and Apple are heading in when it comes to their respective strategies for artificial intelligence. Alphabet ended 2025 as one of the top performers on Wall Street after putting together the pieces for its AI comeback. In November, the company unveiled Ironwood, the seventh generation of its tensor processing units, a custom AI chip that has emerged as a potential alternative to Nvidia's offerings. Then in December, Google introduced Gemini 3 to rave reviews . Shares of Alphabet jumped 65% in 2025, the company's sharpest rally since 2009, when the stock doubled coming out of the financial crisis. CEO Sundar Pichai has repeatedly said the company is responding to soaring demand. On Alphabet's October earnings call, he said that Google's cloud business signed more deals over $1 billion in 2025 through the third quarter of the year than in the two prior years combined. Meanwhile, Apple has remained largely absent from the tech industry's AI race that kicked off when OpenAI launched ChatGPT in late 2022. Apple was supposed to launch the next generation of its Siri AI assistant last year, but the company wound up delaying that release. Apple has promised to launch the "more personal Siri" in 2026. Wall Street firm Raymond James this week downgraded Apple, saying gains will be hard to...

格隆汇1月8日｜道琼斯指数1月7日（周三）收盘下跌466.00点，跌幅0.94%，报48996.08点； 标普500指数1月7日（周三）收盘下跌23.87点，跌幅0.34%，报6920.95点； 纳斯达克综合指数1月7日（周三）收盘上涨37.10点，涨幅0.16%，报23584.27点。

Kelvin Chiang knew the five agentic AI models built by his team could in ten minutes do what used to take a private banker an entire day. With that in place, he went to show Singapore’s banking regulator the safeguards would sufficiently control the risks. Before rolling out the tool that drafts documents for relationship managers at the private wealth arm of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. , he took his team of data scientists less than a mile across the city’s downtown finance district to the Monetary Authority of Singapore . Chiang highlighted steps the bank would take if things went wrong with their blueprints and how staff would react if the system hallucinated. After the presentation and discussion with representatives at MAS, he left feeling that engineers at the regulator embraced it, said Chiang, 52, the head of financial crime compliance analytics at Bank of Singapore. “They were quite happy.” Singapore’s AI efforts underscore a unique balancing act: The government is working hand in glove with the country’s largest banks to teach new technology skills. The unspoken intent is to limit the large-scale job losses seen at some financial firms in the US and Europe. At stake is the future of thousands of bank workers at a time when giants of the industry, such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. , have told staff to expect more job cuts as they take advantage of AI. Companies around the world are turning to agentic AI as it’s more powerful than earlier technology iterations, with its models able to take actions independently and do multiple steps at once. In Singapore, the country is banking on a higher level of government involvement to help carve out a path for workers that focuses on improving skill sets and cushions the need for mass layoffs. Singapore’s Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat , who’s also deputy chairman of the MAS, has said the three large banks DBS Group Holdings Ltd. , OCBC and United Overseas Bank Ltd. are retraining all 35,000 of their ...

格隆汇1月8日｜雷神科技(RTX.N)美股盘后一度跌超3%，特朗普抨击该公司乐于分红。

美股三大指数收盘涨跌不一，纳指涨0.16%，标普500指数跌0.34%，道指跌0.94%。大型科技股多数上涨，英特尔涨超6%，谷歌涨逾2%，微软、英伟达涨超1%，亚马逊小幅上涨；Meta跌逾1%，苹果、特斯拉小幅下跌。

格隆汇1月8日｜美国总统特朗普：雷神公司是对国防部需求反应最为迟钝的，其产能提升速度最慢，且最热衷于向股东派息，而非满足美国军方的需求和要求。

当地时间7日，委内瑞拉首都加拉加斯举行大规模游行。数千民众聚集在一起，要求释放被美国强行控制的该国总统马杜罗。示威者手持写有“我们要他们回来”字样的标语牌参加游行，同时挥舞委内瑞拉国旗。此外，民众还表达了对临时总统罗德里格斯的支持。（央视新闻）