Ridley Scott, the acclaimed director behind the original Gladiator, is raising the stakes with Gladiator II, promising some of the biggest action sequences of his career. In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Scott revealed that the film begins with an enormous action scene, surpassing even his work on Napoleon. Paul Mescal stars in the sequel, alongside Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington, taking audiences on a thrilling new adventure two decades after the Oscar-winning original.
Scott embraces advanced technology, including AI, to bring his vision to life. One of the standout sequences features Paul Mescal’s character, Lucius, facing off against a massive rhino. Scott shared that he used a combination of computerisation and AI to create a lifelike model of the rhino, which was mounted on a robotic platform capable of impressive movements, adding a new layer of realism to the film’s action.
The director’s shift in attitude towards AI is notable, given his earlier concerns about the technology. Last year, Scott expressed fears about AI’s potential to disrupt society, but now he acknowledges its role in filmmaking. Despite his previous reservations, Scott seems to have found a balance between caution and innovation, using AI to push the boundaries of what’s possible on screen.
A decentralised blockchain and AI startup, Sahara AI, has successfully raised $43 million in a Series A funding round. The round saw significant backing from prominent investors including Pantera Capital, Binance Labs, and Polychain Capital. Samsung NEXT also joined the funding alongside Matrix Partners, dao5, and Geekcartel.
The funds will be utilised to expand Sahara AI’s global team, improve the platform’s performance, and grow its developer ecosystem. By leveraging its decentralised platform, Sahara AI aims to reward users, data sources, and AI trainers, rather than just the companies that create AI models. The company’s approach is seen as a shift from the traditional model, promoting transparency and fair compensation.
Founded in April 2023, Sahara AI has already partnered with leading tech firms such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Snap. These collaborations highlight the startup’s rapid growth and the increasing interest in its unique decentralised approach to AI.
As the use of AI continues to rise, concerns around data privacy, copyright, and ethical issues have become more pronounced. Sahara AI’s approach seeks to address these challenges by ensuring transparency and fairness in how AI models are developed and utilised.
SoftBank has abandoned its plan to develop an AI chip in partnership with Intel, according to a report by the Financial Times. The Japanese tech investor had intended to collaborate with Intel to challenge Nvidia, but the deal fell through after Intel failed to meet SoftBank’s requirements, as reported by sources familiar with the situation. SoftBank attributed the breakdown of negotiations to Intel’s inability to deliver on speed and production volume demands.
As a result, SoftBank has shifted its focus to discussions with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker. The report noted that the collapse of talks occurred before Intel’s significant cost-cutting measures, including massive layoffs in early August.
Why does this matter?
These events highlight the intensifying competition in the AI chip market, where companies like Nvidia currently dominate. SoftBank’s decision to abandon its partnership with Intel and shift focus to TSMC underscores the challenges Intel faces in keeping pace with AI-driven innovations. The move also signals potential shifts in global chip production dynamics, with TSMC further solidifying its role as a key player. Additionally, it reflects the broader implications of Intel’s internal struggles, such as meeting demand and cost-cutting, on its competitiveness in critical emerging technologies like AI.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has finalised a rule prohibiting companies from buying or selling fake online reviews. New regulation allows the FTC to impose fines of up to $51,744 per violation, targeting deceptive practices that harm consumers and distort competition.
The rule addresses various forms of manipulation, including fake reviews from non-existent customers, company insiders, or AI. It also bans purchasing fabricated views or followers on social media and using intimidation to remove negative reviews. While the rule does not require platforms to verify consumer reviews, it represents a significant step towards a more honest online marketplace.
Trade groups and businesses like Google, Amazon, and Yelp have supported the rule. Yelp’s General Counsel, Aaron Schur, stated that enforcing the rule would improve the review landscape and promote fair competition among businesses.
Consumer advocates, such as Teresa Murray from the US Public Interest Research Group, praised the rule as essential protection for online shoppers. The hope is that the fear of penalties will encourage companies to adhere to ethical practices, benefiting both consumers and businesses.
California Democrats are urging the Biden administration to halt plans for new restrictions on US technology exports to China, arguing that unilateral measures could harm American businesses while benefiting foreign competitors. These lawmakers, including Senator Alex Padilla and Representative Zoe Lofgren, expressed concerns that further controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment could lead to a ‘death spiral’ for longstanding US companies, especially as allies like Japan and the Netherlands have not matched the most stringent US restrictions.
The Commerce Department reportedly plans a new rule to expand US power over exports to China while exempting Japan and the Netherlands, sparking concern among California’s representatives. They argue that additional unilateral export controls should be paused until their impact on US competitiveness in the semiconductor industry is fully assessed.
Why does this matter?
The letter from California Democrats highlights growing resistance to Biden’s semiconductor policies, especially from a state home to major chipmaking equipment firms like LAM, Applied Materials, and KLA. The lawmakers are not seeking to reverse existing restrictions on China but are calling for a more coordinated approach with US allies to ensure that American companies are not disadvantaged.
Talen Energy is shifting its focus towards data centre development, driven by rising demand from AI and cloud computing sectors. The company is considering moving away from its crypto mining operations, which it no longer sees as a strategic asset. This shift comes as Talen’s shares have surged nearly 100% since the start of the year, reflecting the company’s successful adaptation to the growing power needs of data centres.
The company has revised its earnings and free cash flow forecasts upwards, benefiting from increased power usage, higher prices, and payments from PJM Interconnection. The warm weather during the second quarter also contributed to this positive outlook. Talen now expects to generate $720 million to $780 million in adjusted EBITDA for 2024 and has adjusted its free cash flow estimates to between $245 million and $285 million.
Talen is also anticipating $670 million in capacity revenues for the 2025/2026 planning year, a significant increase of $470 million compared to the previous year. The company expects the release of $300 million from an Amazon data centre escrow in the third quarter. The data centre development is under scrutiny from regulated utilities concerned about potential cost increases for regular power customers.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is currently reviewing the interconnection agreement for the data centre and plans to hold a technical conference on co-located data centres this autumn. Despite the ongoing regulatory review, Talen’s CEO remains optimistic about receiving approval for the amended agreement.
India’s telecom regulator has ordered service providers to halt all promotional calls from unregistered numbers immediately and to blacklist these callers in response to a growing number of spam and phishing scams. These fraudulent calls often involve scammers posing as representatives of well-known companies like FedEx and Blue Dart to steal sensitive financial information by sending phishing links to retrieve lost packages.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) emphasised that all promotional calls from unregistered telemarketers must be stopped immediately. Unregistered callers will face blacklisting for up to two years. Telecom service providers must report their actions against scam callers on the 1st and 16th of each month to ensure compliance and combat this issue effectively.
The US Department of Justice is exploring various options, including potentially breaking up Alphabet’s Google, after a recent court ruling found the tech giant guilty of illegally monopolising the online search market. The ruling was considered a significant victory for federal authorities challenging Big Tech’s dominance, which determined that Google spent billions to establish an illegal monopoly as the world’s default search engine.
Among the remedies the DOJ considers are forcing Google to share data with competitors and implementing safeguards to prevent the company from gaining an unfair advantage in AI products. Discussions have also included the possibility of divesting key assets such as the Android operating system, the AdWords search ad program, and the Chrome web browser.
Why does this matter?
The following case is part of a broader effort by federal antitrust regulators, who have previously taken action against other tech giants like Meta Platforms, Amazon, and Apple, accusing them of maintaining illegal monopolies. Alphabet and the DOJ have not yet commented on the ongoing deliberations.
Huawei Technologies is on the brink of releasing a new AI chip, Ascend 910C, to challenge Nvidia’s dominance in the Chinese market. The company has made significant strides despite US sanctions, with Chinese internet firms and telecom operators recently testing the processor.
Huawei claims that the Ascend 910C rivals Nvidia’s H100, a powerful AI chip that has been unavailable in China.
Why does this matter?
The development signals Huawei’s ongoing efforts to circumvent restrictions and bolster its position in the AI sector.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a lawsuit against cryptocurrency company NovaTech and its founders, Cynthia and Eddy Petion, accusing them of fraudulently raising over $650 million from investors worldwide. The SEC claims that the Petions assured investors their funds would be secure, with promises of profits from the outset. However, the lawsuit alleges that the couple used new investments to pay off earlier investors and commissions to promoters while diverting millions for personal use. The scheme reportedly continued for four years until NovaTech collapsed in May 2023.
The legal dispute follows a separate lawsuit by New York Attorney General Letitia James in Manhattan, where the fraud was estimated to exceed $1 billion. Both regulators have labelled the operation a pyramid scheme, noting that NovaTech enticed victims through religious appeals on social media, often using platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp to target Haitian-American communities. Cynthia Petion was known to portray herself as the ‘Reverend CEO,’ suggesting NovaTech was part of a divine plan.
The SEC has also charged six NovaTech promoters with fraud, accusing them of continuing to recruit investors despite numerous warning signs, such as delayed withdrawals and regulatory actions in the US and Canada. One promoter, Martin Zizi, has agreed to pay a $100,000 civil fine, though his legal representation has not commented.
The lawsuits in Miami and New York seek restitution for the defrauded investors and civil penalties. The Petions, believed to reside in Panama, have yet to be located for comment, and no legal representatives have been identified. Both cases highlight the significant legal challenges NovaTech faces as authorities seek accountability for the alleged misconduct.
The SEC’s case against NovaTech is being heard in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The lawsuits aim to recover losses for investors and impose financial penalties on those involved in the fraudulent scheme.
