Author: Editor-In-Chief
An Amazon device is displayed at an Amazon Devices launch event in New York City on Feb. 26, 2025.Brendan McDermid | ReutersAmazon is axing its Rufus chatbot and making its Alexa assistant the centerpiece of its artificial intelligence shopping strategy. The company on Wednesday launched Alexa for Shopping, an e-commerce bot that can answer queries and take actions on behalf of users. Amazon said the tool brings together Rufus and Alexa+, and taps users’ shopping history and other data to be “the world’s best, most personalized AI assistant for shopping.”As part of the move, Amazon is adding Alexa to search…
US President Donald Trump participates in an arrival ceremony at Beijing Capital International Airport during his visit, May 13, 2026, in Beijing, China. Evan Vucci | ReutersUS President Donald Trump has arrived in Beijing for a long-awaited presidential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. President Trump’s visit included Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia Boss Jensen Huang.The president was greeted on the tarmac by a brass band and waving flags, then descended the steps of Air Force One as they played.On Thursday, President Trump is scheduled to participate in a welcoming ceremony, hold bilateral talks with President Xi, tour the historic…
Over the past few months, the geopolitical chessboard has tilted dramatically, with the steps being laid for the much-anticipated but asymmetrical summit between President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, which has now been officially set for May 13-15 following statements from both the White House and China’s Foreign Ministry. While Washington has repeatedly expressed the importance it attaches to the talks, Beijing approached them in a characteristically cautious manner, viewing the summit not as a breakthrough but as part of a broader need for “communication” and “strategic guidance” between the great powers.This subtle diplomatic maneuver speaks volumes about the changing…
Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said Wednesday that gunshots were heard at the Philippine Senate Building following a chaotic attempt to arrest a senator wanted by the International Criminal Court earlier this week. It is unclear who fired the shots in the incident. Senate Secretary Mark Landro Mendoza told reporters Wednesday night that no casualties were reported. “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know if we can keep our people safe here,” Cayetano said on a Facebook livestream from inside the Senate complex. “I’m going to go out. I’m going to confront anyone who tries to execute the…
Southampton could be excluded from the Championship play-offs and denied a chance of promotion to the Premier League if an independent panel upholds charges of spying on Middlesbrough’s training sessions as they prepare for the play-off semi-finals.However, it is possible that the commission will find Southampton not guilty and the charges will be dismissed. Between these two extremes there is a range of possible punishments. The timing of the hearing will be up to the committee, but Sky Sports News has been told that the committee is fully aware of the accommodations required at this stage of the season, as…
AI researchers have long anticipated the moment when AI systems will be able to self-improve better than humans. As investors pour money into a new generation of research-driven AI labs, more resources than ever are available to pursue your goals. Now, one of those neolabs has taken a big step toward making that a reality. On Wednesday, Adaption announced a new product called AutoScientist that allows models to quickly learn specific features using an automated approach to traditional fine-tuning. Although this technique can be applied to a wide range of fields, the Adaptation team is particularly focused on its potential…
Meat is seen on sale at a supermarket in Alhambra, California, on May 12, 2026. Frederick J. Brown | AFP | Getty ImagesWholesale prices in April recorded the highest annual rise in more than three years, suggesting inflation will worsen as pipeline costs soar.The producer price index rose a seasonally adjusted 1.4% for the month, well above the Dow Jones consensus estimate for a 0.5% rise and an upwardly revised 0.7% rise in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday. This was the largest monthly increase since March 2022.On an annual basis, the index rose 6%, the largest increase…
Red meat on display at a grocery store in Brooklyn, New York, May 12, 2026. Spencer Pratt | Getty ImagesHello, my name is Hui Jie from Singapore. Welcome to another edition of CNBC’s Daily Open.For weeks, Iran has dominated the headlines in your inbox. Today, another familiar ghost is back. That’s US inflation.Consumer price data for April was stronger than expected, raising the possibility of a Fed rate hike and slowing Wall Street’s record growth.Meanwhile, in Asia, investors are also keeping an eye on signals from the Trump-Xi summit as the US president arrives in Beijing this evening.Topics include arms…
Jaap Ariens | Nurfoto | Getty Imagesalibaba announced on Wednesday that its core profitability plunged in the March quarter due to heavy investments in technology and e-commerce.The Chinese tech giant announced that its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, amortization, and amortization (EBITA), a measure of its underlying profitability, totaled 5.1 billion Chinese yuan ($750.9 million), down 84% from a year ago. This financial metric strips out one-time gains and losses in order to focus on a company’s core business.Alibaba’s U.S.-listed shares initially rose in pre-market trading, but then turned negative. It has fallen by as much as 4%, and the…
US President Donald Trump departed for Beijing ahead of a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping after weeks of US efforts to persuade China to return Iran to negotiations and ease tensions around the Strait of Hormuz failed.The leaders of the world’s two largest economies are scheduled to meet on Thursday and Friday during Trump’s first visit to China since 2017, with talks expected to focus on trade, Taiwan, artificial intelligence and the war involving Iran.Recommended stories list of 3 itemsend of listHere’s what we know about the upcoming summit and the key issues expected to dominate the agenda.Why…