Russian retailers have launched pre-sales of the iPhone 16, despite Apple’s ongoing export ban to the country. Leading companies M.Video-Eldorado and MTS have begun offering the devices at prices far higher than in the United States. Deliveries are expected to begin within the next week.
Apple had paused sales in Russia in March 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine, in line with Western sanctions targeting technology exports. Although Apple no longer operates in the region, Russian retailers are obtaining the new iPhones via grey imports. These imports are routed through countries like Turkey and Kazakhstan, where sanctions are not enforced.
Prices for the iPhone 16 in Russia start at 112,999 roubles ($1,225), significantly higher than the $799 price tag in the US The Pro Max version, with 1TB storage, is priced at 249,999 roubles ($2,710), more than $1,000 over the US price. Russian consumers continue to show demand for Western technology, despite sanctions.
The Russian government supports the parallel import scheme for products like the iPhone 16. Despite efforts to encourage domestic alternatives, Western goods remain popular, even though officials have been warned to avoid using iPhones due to alleged security concerns, claims Apple has denied.
Alibaba pushes forward with AI innovation, launching a wide range of open-source models and text-to-video technology. The Chinese tech giant’s latest release includes over 100 models from its Qwen 2.5 family, offering significant improvements in mathematics, coding, and multilingual support.
These models aim to enhance AI capabilities in various industries, including gaming, automotive, and scientific research. Alibaba has adopted a unique hybrid approach, combining open-source and proprietary methods, setting itself apart from competitors like OpenAI and Baidu.
With model sizes ranging from 0.5 to 72 billion parameters, Alibaba’s AI tools cater to diverse business needs. The company’s text-to-video technology, part of its Tongyi Wanxiang image generation family, positions it as a key player in the expanding text-to-video market.
As competition in AI technology intensifies globally, Alibaba’s new developments could challenge major players such as OpenAI and ByteDance. ByteDance recently launched a text-to-video app for Chinese users on Apple’s App Store, further highlighting the rising interest in this technology.
Runway, a generative AI startup, has announced a significant partnership with Lionsgate, the studio responsible for popular franchises such as John Wick and Twilight. This collaboration will enable Lionsgate’s creative teams, including filmmakers and directors, to utilise Runway’s AI video-generating models. These models have been trained on the studio’s film catalogue and will be used to enhance their creative work. Michael Burns, vice chair of Lionsgate, emphasised the potential for this partnership to support creative talent.
Runway is considering new opportunities, including licensing its AI models to individual creators, allowing them to create and train custom models. This partnership represents the first public collaboration between a generative AI startup and a major Hollywood studio. Although Disney and Paramount have reportedly been discussing similar partnerships with AI providers, no official agreements have been reached yet.
This deal comes at a time of increased attention on AI in the entertainment industry, due to California’s new laws that regulate the use of AI digital replicas in film and television. Runway is also currently dealing with legal challenges regarding the alleged use of copyrighted works to train its models without permission.
As restructuring unfolds, Intel is making significant changes to its photonics business by moving its Integrated Photonics Solutions (IPS) into the Data Centre and Artificial Intelligence division (DCAI). The main goal is to better align its R&D efforts with core business priorities. This shift follows recent advancements in integrated photonics technology, including the first fully integrated optical compute interconnect (OCI) chipset, representing a major leap in high-bandwidth interconnect for AI and high-performance computing.
Intel’s Integrated Photonics Solutions (IPS) division specialises in light generation and optical signal modulation, which are key to addressing signal loss in high-density transistors. By utilising optical signals rather than electrical ones, silicon photonics technology facilitates faster data transmission and increased bandwidth. Since its 2016 launch, Intel’s silicon photonics platform has delivered millions of photonic integrated circuits and on-chip lasers, with widespread adoption among major cloud service providers.
Integrating IPS with DCAI underscores Intel’s dedication to advancing silicon photonics, a field also being quickly developed by rivals such as AMD and TSMC.
Mistral AI has launched a new free tier for developers to fine-tune and test apps using its AI models, as well as significantly reducing prices for API access to these models, the startup announced on Tuesday. The Paris-based company, valued at $6 billion, is introducing these updates to remain competitive with industry giants such as OpenAI and Google. These companies also offer free tiers for developers with limited usage. Mistral’s free tier, accessible through its platform ‘la Plateforme,’ enables developers to test its AI models at no cost. However, paid access is required for commercial production.
Mistral has reduced the prices of its AI models, including Mistral NeMo and Codestral, by over 50% and cut the cost of its largest model, Mistral Large, by 33%. This decision reflects the increasing commoditisation of AI models in the developer space, with providers vying to offer more advanced tools at lower prices.
Mistral has integrated image processing into its consumer AI chatbot, le Chat, through its new multimodal model, Pixtral 12B. This model allows users to scan, analyse, and search image files alongside text, marking another advancement in the startup’s expanding AI capabilities.
At its annual Snap Partner Summit, Snapchat announced new AI-powered features to improve the user experience. The app’s My AI chatbot now functions similarly to Google Lens. It enables users to take pictures of menus in foreign languages for translations, identify plants, or understand parking signs using AI. These updates aim to make My AI more practical, moving beyond entertainment to become a helpful tool for users.
Snapchat is introducing AI-powered edits for Snapchat+ subscribers through the ‘My Selfie’ feature. This feature allows users to enhance saved Snaps with captions and creative lenses. For example, users can transform a selfie into a Renaissance painting. Additionally, users can choose to be featured in AI-generated images with friends, such as being portrayed as lawyers or athletes.
Snapchat is also introducing a new AI-powered lens that displays users’ possible future appearances in response to TikTok’s trendy old-age filter. Other updates include enhanced HD video calls, SnapMail for leaving messages when friends miss a call, and local time zone displays in chats to improve worldwide user connections.
Google’s advertising business has faced renewed scrutiny in the EU, with a recent proposal to sell its advertising marketplace, AdX, being rejected by European publishers. The tech giant offered the sale to resolve an antitrust investigation by the EU, which accuses Google of favouring its services. The investigation followed complaints from the European Publishers Council, and the European Commission has since charged Google with anti-competitive practices.
Publishers dismissed Google’s offer as insufficient, arguing that the sale of AdX alone would not address the broader conflicts of interest due to Google’s dominance across the entire adtech supply chain. These industry insiders suggest that more drastic measures may be needed to curb Google’s influence, but the EU has not yet demanded such extensive divestments.
Google, meanwhile, maintains that the Commission’s claims are based on a misinterpretation of the competitive nature of the advertising sector. Despite facing similar antitrust trials in the US over its advertising technology, the company continues to defend its business practices, where authorities have called for selling its Ad Manager product.
AdX, which allows publishers to auction unsold ad space to advertisers in real time, has become a key component in the ongoing investigation. The EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager previously suggested Google divest additional tools to resolve the issue. However, experts believe the Commission may first issue a simpler ruling to halt Google’s current practices before escalating to demands for asset sales.
With advertising contributing to 77% of Google’s $237.85 billion revenue in 2023, the company’s dominant position in digital advertising remains a central point of contention in the EU and globally.
Google is facing a billionaire lawsuit in London as Alphabet, its parent company, asked a tribunal to dismiss claims accusing the tech giant of abusing its dominance in the online search market. The lawsuit, which could amount to £7 billion ($9.3 billion), focuses on businesses’ costs when using Google’s search advertising services, which plaintiffs argue are ultimately passed on to consumers. The legal challenge is one of several targeting Google’s practices in recent years, including a similar case in Britain concerning its advertising market dominance and an ongoing antitrust trial in the United States.
Consumer rights advocate Nikki Stopford, representing the class of claimants, argues that Google’s overwhelming market presence allows it to increase costs unfairly. Her lawsuit also points to a €4.5 billion fine imposed by the European Commission in 2018 over Google’s restrictions on Android manufacturers, a decision currently being appealed. Furthermore, the lawsuit accuses Google of striking a deal with Apple to make its search engine the default on Apple’s Safari browser in exchange for a portion of mobile search ad revenues.
Google has dismissed these claims as unfounded. Its lawyer, Meredith Pickford, stated that the case is flawed, rejecting the notion that Google’s practices harmed consumers. Pickford also emphasised that Google’s agreement with Apple was legally sound and argued that the European Commission’s ruling was based on technicalities rather than substantive issues. The tribunal’s decision on whether the case will proceed to trial remains pending.
GSMA has launched its inaugural Responsible AI (RAI) Maturity Roadmap, marking a significant step toward ethical AI practices across the telecom sector. That initiative represents the first sector-wide effort to unify approaches to responsible AI use, providing telecom operators with a structured framework to assess their current AI maturity and set clear goals for future improvement.
The roadmap integrates global standards and regulations from organisations such as the OECD and UNESCO, ensuring its guidelines are comprehensive and internationally recognised. This alignment supports the creation of a robust framework that promotes ethical AI practices throughout the industry.
GSMA and industry leaders emphasise the substantial economic potential of AI, with projections suggesting up to $680 billion in opportunities for the telecom sector over the next 15-20 years. The roadmap focuses on five core dimensions—vision and strategic goals, AI governance, technical controls, third-party collaboration, and change management—providing a comprehensive approach to responsible AI. That includes best practices such as fairness, privacy, safety, transparency, accountability, and environmental impact.
Why does this matter?
Statements from GSMA Director General Mats Granryd and Telefónica Chairman José María Álvarez-Pallete López highlight the need for ethical guidelines to manage AI’s rapid development and set a precedent for other industries to follow in adopting responsible AI practices.
Donald Trump has unveiled a new cryptocurrency business, World Liberty Financial, during a live event on X Spaces. However, few details were provided about the company, its formation, or financing. The timing of the launch, just before the upcoming election, is unusual, but Trump aims to attract digital asset advocates.
The former president, once a critic of cryptocurrencies, has now embraced them, pledging to make the US the ‘crypto capital of the planet’. He promises minimal regulation and a national bitcoin reserve. This shift is seen as part of his strategy to appeal to tech-savvy voters.
Trump’s two sons, Eric and Donald Jr., have actively promoted the project, claiming it will revolutionise digital asset finance. Despite these bold statements, specifics about how World Liberty Financial will operate remain unclear.
Trump’s cryptocurrency move, combined with his evolving stance on digital assets, signals his focus on emerging financial technologies as a key aspect of his re-election campaign, looking to capitalise on the growing interest in the sector.
