Hello friends, welcome to Thursday. Let’s jump right into your morning tech news roundup.
1. Optus partners with Starlink for mobile connectivity
Optus announced yesterday that it had signed an agreement with SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, for the former to provide mobile connectivity via the latter’s Starlink satellite technology. This partnership will enable customers to use their existing 4G phones for direct-to-mobile communication. Optus is the only telco in Australia offering this service. While there is no confirmed launch date or price yet, Optus plans to launch SMS services by late 2024, followed by voice and data services by the end of 2025. Telstra also recently signed a similar deal with Elon Musk.
2. Musk announces xAI, alternative to ChatGPT
Elon Musk made another announcement, but this time it’s not about his kids’ names. He revealed the launch of xAI, an AI company aimed at competing with other AI developers like OpenAI (which he also founded) and Google’s Bard. According to Musk, the goal of xAI is to understand the true nature of the universe. You can read more about it on their website.
3. Microsoft Says Chinese Hackers Breached US Government Emails
Microsoft reported earlier this week that a cyberattack originating from China breached email accounts belonging to various government agencies in Western Europe. The threat named Storm-0558 primarily targets government agencies using espionage tactics to steal data and access credentials. Following complaints of compromised consumer accounts affecting approximately 25 organizations, Microsoft initiated an investigation into email activity on June 16th. The internal investigation revealed that Storm-0558 gained access to users’ emails by forging authentication tokens and obtaining consumer signing keys associated with Microsoft accounts.
4. Reuters will dabble in AI
In an interesting turn of events, Reuters Chief Sue Brooks stated that she would be “astonished” if artificial intelligence was not used to report certain news, such as financial results, by the end of the year. Although Reuters has introduced various AI features to its services, Brooks emphasized the importance of having a human in the loop to ensure complete accuracy.
5. Plastic Surgeon In Ohio Live Streamed Surgery And Thought It Would Be Okay
In a bizarre case from Ohio, an article from The Associated Press reports that a plastic surgeon’s state medical license was permanently revoked after it was discovered that she harmed patients while live-streaming her surgeries on TikTok. Yes, you read that right – she livestreamed her surgeries on TikTok. You can read more about this shocking incident here.
BONUS ARTICLE: I’m obsessed and wanted to show you.
That concludes today’s tech news roundup. For more information on these topics and other tech-related news, be sure to check out the source. It is widely mentioned that, there is always something interesting happening in the world of technology. See you tomorrow!
