Meta’s collaboration with universities propels VR education forward, utilizing Quest devices to provide unique learning experiences. The Meta for Education beta program connects institutions like Imperial College London and University of Leeds to immersive platforms.
The longstanding peering relationship between Deutsche Telekom and Meta, the company behind Facebook, has collapsed in a dispute over network fees. Deutsche Telekom accuses Meta of leveraging its power to undermine the telecom sector, while Meta claims Deutsche Telekom jeopardizes net neutrality.
Meta’s recent decision to resume using public content from UK users on Facebook and Instagram for AI model training showcases a strategic move to enhance its AI capabilities. This change, following regulatory discussions, aims to better reflect British culture and language, keeping Meta competitive in the AI landscape.
Vodafone and Meta have teamed up to tackle network congestion and enhance mobile user experience across Europe. Launched in June, this VoIP-optimized partnership spans eleven markets, focusing on video optimization to reduce network traffic. Initial tests in the UK show significant traffic reductions for Meta apps, freeing up resources for high-traffic areas.
The recent unveiling of Llama 3, Meta Platforms Inc.’s latest AI model, has stirred significant enthusiasm among technology and AI influencers. This launch on the ‘X’ platform has sparked discussions about democratizing AI, with a notable surge in conversations during the third week of April, according to GlobalData’s Social Media Analytics Platform.
Meta is ambitiously positioning itself to become the world’s top AI company, co-aligned with an increase in AI spending. The tech giant’s latest earnings reveal a climbing revenue and expenses, inciting mixed responses from investors. The landscape of optimistic forecasts and increased capital expenditures seems less rosy weighed against lower than expected Q2 revenue forecasts and significant investments into AI infrastructure. CEO Mark Zuckerberg points to an aggressive AI research expansion being instrumental in the fierce race against competitors OpenAI and Microsoft.
The EU’s strategic push under the Digital Markets Act has resulted in mega-tech firms Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft being labelled ‘gatekeepers’. With this new classification, pivotal changes are expected in the realm of digital services for end-users and businesses. Crucial guidelines centering around data transparency, competitiveness, and platform interoperability must now be adhered to. On the other side of the coin, brands such as Samsung have evaded the ‘gatekeeper’ tag.
Instagram’s new Threads app has garnered over 30 million sign-ups within 24 hours of its launch, along with a staggering 95 million posts and 190 million likes. While some features are missing, such as DMs and integration with ActivityPub, the impressive numbers indicate a promising start for Meta’s Twitter competitor.
Top tech giants, including Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft, have recently been identified by the European Commission under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA) as potential digital ‘gatekeepers’. These firms, commanding vast economic and influential prowess, now sit waiting during a 45 day review period that could officially brand them as such. Following the conclusion of the evaluation process, each company will need to navigate a six-month transition to achieve full compliance with the DMA directives. These guidelines are aimed at fostering competition and safeguarding both end-user rights and the interests of small scale businesses.
Meta introduces Channels, a privacy-centric feature for WhatsApp, enabling one-way broadcasts to followers without revealing personal information. With options to block screenshots and control discoverability, Channels may fill the market gap for a more private broadcast platform.
