Technology
Fox News AI Newsletter: Ashton Kutcher doubles down
![Fox News AI Newsletter: Ashton Kutcher doubles down](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/09/ashton_mila.jpg)
Ashton Kutcher attends the 9th annual Breakthrough Prize ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on April 15, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
Welcome to Fox News’ Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.
IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:
– Ashton Kutcher doubles down on AI comments after facing backlash: ‘Need to be prepared’ for what’s coming
– Artificial intelligence, proven in NASA and neurosurgery, could remake childhood education
– Pope Francis warns of AI in first-ever G-7 papal address
‘BE PREPARED’: Ashton Kutcher is addressing the backlash he’s faced after saying artificial intelligence could essentially replace a multitude of roles in the entertainment industry. Last week, Kutcher spoke with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt at the Berggruen Salon in Los Angeles, praising OpenAI’s generative video tool, Sora.
![Ashton Kutcher](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1200/675/AshtonKutcher.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Ashton Kutcher listens during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, on May 2, 2023. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
TEACHER’S AID: Artificial intelligence delivered advances to the U.S. space program and to medicine decades before it made headlines. Now, AI is poised to bring major improvements to American education, tech entrepreneur Alex Galvagni said in an exclusive interview in New York City with Fox News Digital.
AI BOOM COMING? Apple’s artificial intelligence features will push consumers to seek iPhone upgrades and be a boon for future sales, some analysts projected. “We believe Apple’s AI strategy will leverage its golden installed base around personalization and LLMs [large language models] on the phone that should change the growth trajectory of Cupertino as spur an AI driven iPhone upgrade cycle starting with iPhone 16,” Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives said in a research note after WWDC.
![Apple iPhone 13 Mini](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/08/1200/675/IPHONE-13-MINI.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Apple made a major artificial intelligence announcement this week. (Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
POPE’S AI WARNING: Pope Francis delivered the first-ever papal address at a G-7 conference on Friday, warning about the ethical pitfalls of artificial intelligence. The pope told the council of world leaders in Fasano, Italy, that AI offers immense benefit to the human race, but also threatens to dehumanize society.
![Pope Francis G-7](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1200/675/GettyImages-2156870694-scaled-e1718379722378.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Pope Francis delivers remarks as French President Emmanuel Macron (L), Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (R) and President Biden (bottom, back turned) take part in a working session on Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa-Mediterranean at the Borgo Egnazia resort during the G7 Summit in Savelletri near Bari, Italy, on June 14, 2024. (LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)
MUSK MOVES: Billionaire Elon Musk moved to drop his lawsuit against artificial intelligence (AI) firm OpenAI that accused the company of abandoning its original mission of developing AI for the benefit of humanity rather than financial profit.
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Technology
Redbox missed a multimillion-dollar payment it couldn’t afford to miss
![Redbox missed a multimillion-dollar payment it couldn’t afford to miss](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TIGPm8MHkCrtc2rcsHmx-YyHqds=/0x0:5000x3750/1200x628/filters:focal(2507x2264:2508x2265)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25501146/1135410896.jpg)
Redbox’s financial situation continues to spiral out of its control. On Thursday, a Los Angeles court entered a $16.7 million judgment against the company in favor of NBCUniversal, after Redbox failed to pay a scheduled installment of a settlement the parties reached earlier in May.
The missed payment bodes ill for the DVD kiosk company, which now owes the remaining balance in full. More importantly, the missed payment suggests the company simply did not have the requisite money on hand, and the prospect of bankruptcy may be looming for Redbox and its deeply indebted corporate parent, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment.
NBCUniversal sued Redbox over unpaid DVD and online rental royalties in February. The studio alleged in its complaint that Redbox had stopped paying royalties “around the summer of 2022” and that it was owed around $16.7 million altogether.
Chicken Soup took on $325 million in debt to acquire Redbox, and its financial situation has only gone downhill from there
After initially opposing the demand, Redbox settled the lawsuit with Universal in May, agreeing to pay the entire $16.7 million over three installments. An initial $4 million payment was supposed to be wired to Universal by June 10th but never arrived. As part of the terms of the settlement, Redbox agreed that if it should fail to make good, a court could enter a judgment against it for the full amount minus any payments made. After the missed payment, Universal asked the court to enforce the settlement and enter a judgment against Redbox and Chicken Soup — a request that was granted Thursday morning by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Holly J. Fujie.
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment took on $325 million in debt when it acquired the DVD kiosk company in August of 2022, and its financial situation has only gone downhill from there. The company ended Q1 with an accumulated deficit of $937 million and is being sued by a growing number of business partners over unpaid bills.
Chicken Soup had planned to raise $175 million this spring to pay NBCUniversal, settle other lawsuits, and service debt held by its largest creditor but was unable to do so. As a result, the company defaulted on its debt in early June but didn’t immediately seek bankruptcy protection. Instead, its CEO, Bill Rouhana, proceeded to fire the company’s entire board of directors, including his own wife.
All of this is happening as Redbox is facing another imminent crisis: the company that is leasing more than 400 cars to Redbox sued over unpaid bills as well and won the right to repossess these cars in early June. Redbox informed its staff this week that it would begin to turn over a subset of these cars to the fleet company — a step that company representatives have painted as “evolv[ing] our fleet strategy” in messages to staff reviewed by The Verge.
In an earlier court filing, Redbox’s attorneys were a lot less cavalier about the consequences of losing access to its leased cars, writing, “Redbox would be compelled to terminate hundreds of jobs and would be put out of business.”
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment did not respond to a request for comment.
Technology
AT&T is still on the hook for offering landline service in California
![AT&T is still on the hook for offering landline service in California](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JekL02kevmRw0VXfJyaADG9mZII=/0x0:2040x1360/1200x628/filters:focal(1020x680:1021x681)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24785180/STK158_ATT_01.jpg)
AT&T can’t pull the plug on landline service for customers across California. In a ruling on Thursday, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) rejected AT&T’s request to release it from its obligations as a Carrier of Last Resort (COLR), as reported earlier by Ars Technica and CBS News.
AT&T has had a COLR designation in California since 1996, which ensures everyone in the state has access to affordable and reliable telephone service. Some people in California — especially those who live in remote areas — have come to rely on their landline service, as it allows them to make emergency calls even when the power is out or cellular service isn’t available.
Earlier this year, AT&T asked CPUC to be released from its duties as a designated carrier, citing the wide availability of mobile service and VoIP. In its request, AT&T argues the “economic justification” for COLR no longer exists because alternative voice services with “reasonable rates” and “based on superior technologies” are available throughout the state. The company adds that it “bears substantial cost to maintain and operate” the copper landline network, while competitors don’t have to. AT&T says it would continue providing landline service in areas where there is no alternative available.
“AT&T failed to demonstrate the availability of replacement providers willing and able to serve as COLR.”
However, CPUC rejected AT&T’s request. The agency says “AT&T failed to demonstrate the availability of replacement providers willing and able to serve as COLR.” The decision also cites public commenters who brought up the “unreliability” of mobile service and VoIP. AT&T is now pushing for new rules that would change the way California designates a COLR.
“No customer will be left without voice and 911 services,” Marc Blakeman, president of AT&T California, says in an emailed statement to The Verge. “We are fully committed to keeping our customers connected while we work with state leaders on policies that create a thoughtful transition that brings modern communications to all Californians.”
Technology
Spotify’s $10.99 “Basic” plan drops the audiobooks
![Spotify’s $10.99 “Basic” plan drops the audiobooks](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0yqcZUaFgtYFDr7BbChGXEx_qEY=/0x0:2040x1360/1200x628/filters:focal(1020x680:1021x681)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23951390/STK088_VRG_Illo_N_Barclay_5_spotify.jpg)
Spotify just announced that it would be increasing prices in the US, but on Friday, it announced a new Basic plan that brings back a $10.99 per month tier. This new offering gives you the same ad-free music listening perks you’d get on the $11.99 Premium Individual tier, but you won’t get the 15 monthly hours of audiobook listening that’s also included with Premium.
Last year, Spotify bumped up the cost of Premium from $9.99 per month — the price the service launched at in the US more than a decade ago — to $10.99 per month. Now that Premium costs an extra dollar beyond that, the new Basic plan seems to indicate that Spotify sees demand for a cheaper option that drops audiobooks. It also creates a music-only offering that’s the same price as the $10.99 per month plans for Apple Music and Tidal.
Spotify also has a $9.99 per month Audiobooks Access Tier that gives you 15 hours of monthly audiobook time, but if you want to listen to music on that plan, you’ll have to hear ads.
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