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Election deepfakes and high-profile bankruptcies: Here’s what AI will bring in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:00 GMT

Brian Contreras | Los Angeles Times (TNS)If 2023 was the year that AI finally broke into the mainstream, 2024 could be the year it gets fully enmeshed in our lives — or the year the bubble bursts.But whatever happens, the stage is set for another whirlwind 12 months, coming in the wake of Hollywood’s labor backlash against automation; the rise of consumer chatbots, including OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Elon Musk’s Grok; a half-baked coup against Sam Altman; early inklings of a regulatory crackdown; and, of course, that viral deepfake of Pope Francis in a puffer jacket.To gauge what we should expect in the new year, The Times asked a slate of experts and stakeholders to send in their 2024 artificial intelligence predictions. The results alternated between enthusiasm, curiosity and skepticism — an appropriate mix of sentiments for a technology that remains both polarizing and unpredictable.Regulators will step in, and not everyone will be happy about it.When a surgeon or a st...

Silicon Valley startups had their worst funding year since 2019

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:00 GMT

By Sarah McBride | BloombergThe value of venture capital deals in the US last year fell to levels not seen since 2019, according to new year-end data highlighting startups’ chaotic 2023.Over the last 12 months, investors poured money into artificial intelligence startups, but the rest of the industry foundered. According to early data released by research firm PitchBook on Thursday, venture capitalists invested $170.6 billion in the US in 2023, over an estimated roughly 15,000 deals. That deal value is down by about 30% from 2022.The VC industry also declined globally last year. Around the world, investors put $345.7 billion into startups, down 35% from what they spent last year and the lowest outlay since 2017.Venture capital is an influential part of the global business ecosystem. Bets from VCs helped nurture transformative companies including Amazon.com Inc., Google and OpenAI. How venture dollars are raised and invested has an outsize impact on growth and innovation.But spending...

Why Kelly Clarkson needed a ‘fresh start’ from California

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:00 GMT

 Kelly Clarkson’s big move is working out well for her.The singer and talk show host, who is mom to daughter River Rose, 9, and son Remington Alexander, 7, recently relocated with her family from California to New York after her marriage to ex-husband Brandon Blackstock came to an end.“I was very unhappy in LA and had been for several years. I needed a fresh start,” she told People.Clarkson said she asked NBC to move “The Kelly Clarkson Show” across the country with her to help facilitate that change.“We told NBC, ‘I’m not trying to sound ungrateful, I just can’t stay here anymore for my mental health; for me and my kids.’ They weren’t doing well either,” Clarkson said of her children. “For the past few years, I’d just been showing up and smiling and doing what I’m supposed to do, but you can only compartmentalize so long until you break.”Clarkson said the energy of New York has revived her, and that she is in a much better place now.“We go walk the dogs a few times at the park. We’...

San Jose Sharks defenseman out for season after hip surgery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:00 GMT

The San Jose Sharks announced Thursday that defenseman Matt Benning has undergone hip surgery and that he is expected to miss the remainder of the season.The Sharks said the estimated time of recovery for Benning is approximately five months, and that the team, as of now, anticipates that he will be ready for the start of training camp in the fall.Benning had the surgery in December, per a Sharks spokesman. He is in the second year of a four-year, $5 million contract he signed with the Sharks as a free agent in 2022.Benning, 29, had been beset by injury for the majority of the season as he played in just 14 games of the team’s first 38 games. He played in eight of the Sharks’ first nine games in October, but missed 10 games from Nov. 2 to Nov. 22.Benning returned to the Sharks on Nov. 24, but played in just six games before he was again placed on IR.Benning will remain on the Sharks’ injured reserve list and not go on long-term injured reserve, per a source.Per Cap...

Three men charged in Tuan Le murder case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:00 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) -- Prosecutors are seeking to ensure that the accused killer of Oakland police officer Tuan Le will never see a day of freedom from a jail cell. Officer Le was fatally shot in the line of duty on Dec. 29, 2023, when a group of suspects ran from a burglarized business near Jack London Square. One person in the group opened fire on the undercover officer, and everyone at the scene evaded arrest, according to Oakland interim police chief Darren Allison.Detectives worked around-the-clock to identify who was in the group of fleeing burglars, and who pulled the trigger. Oakland Police Officer Tuan Le (Image courtesy Oakland Police Department) Investigators announced at a press conference Wednesday night that the suspected killers are 27-year-old Mark Demetrious Sanders and 28-year-old Allen Starr Brown. District Attorney Pamela Price said her office charged Sanders and Brown with murder, including special circumstance allegations. If found guilty at trial, the char...

Calavera Oakland Mexican kitchen and bar to close this week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:00 GMT

(KRON) -- Calavera, an upscale Mexican restaurant and bar located on Broadway in Oakland, is set to close this week. In a social media post, the restaurant said it would serve its last meal on Saturday Jan. 6.In the post announcing its closure, the restaurant cited a decline in foot traffic and decreased sales as among the factors for its shutting down, as well as the current business climate in Oakland. Thieves ram-raid San Francisco bank, steal cash "As you all know, the state of Oakland hasn't been kind to small businesses," the restaurant posted, "with less foot traffic and severely decreased sales, we cannot continue on."Opened in August of 2015, Calavera was a project from prolific Oakland restaurateur Chris Pastena, whose other projects included Chop Bar, Lungomare and Tribune Tavern. The restaurant was known for an extensive mezcal selection and for taking a deep dive into Oaxacan-style cuisine.

Pedestrian injured after SUV crashes into bank in Arlington

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:00 GMT

A man has serious injuries after being struck by a car that veered off the road and crashed into a bank in Arlington, Virginia, Wednesday evening.Arlington police said they responded to reports of a crash in the Crystal City area Wednesday just after 7 p.m.An initial investigation found that a man driving an SUV exited the roadway and drove onto the sidewalk, striking a pedestrian and crashing into a closed bank on 12th Street South.The man who was struck was transported to a hospital with serious injuries. The driver was not injured and remained on scene.The Chase bank where the SUV crashed into is temporarily closed on Thursday, according to the branch’s website.Social media posts from witnesses described how the vehicle missed the Pentagon City Metro station entrance, which is directly in front of the bank.Car crashed through the Chase Bank right at entrance to the Pentagon City Metro. No pedestrians struck from what I could see. Somehow the Jeep Cherokee made it through th...

Braves rework Sale’s contract, agree to $38 million, 2-year deal with ’26 club option

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:00 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves reworked the contract for newcomer Chris Sale, announcing Thursday a $38 million, two-year deal with the left-handed pitcher acquired last weekend from the Boston Red Sox.The contract, which also includes an $18 million club option for 2026, supersedes his previous deal that called for a $27.5 million salary this year, with $10 million of that deferred until 2039.In essence, the seven-time All Star gets an additional $10.5 million in guaranteed money without having to wait for a deferred payment, in exchange for committing to at least two seasons with the Braves rather than one.The 34-year-old Sale will make $16 million this season and $22 million in 2025. “They put their faith and trust in me,” he said. “This allows me to be more comfortable knowing I’m going to be here a couple of years and can get settled in.”As part of the trade that sent infield prospect Vaughn Grissom to Boston, the Red Sox agreed to send $17 million to the Braves ...

Guard Ricky Rubio says his NBA career is over. He stepped away from Cavs to work on mental health

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:00 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — Veteran guard Ricky Rubio, who stepped away from his playing career — and the Cleveland Cavaliers — this season to concentrate on his mental health, said Thursday his NBA career is over.The 33-year-old Rubio posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he’s “doing much better and getting better every day” but that his NBA career “has come to an end.”The Cavs have been in talks to buy out Rubio’s $6.1 million contract for this season. The Spanish native has spent the past two seasons recovering from a torn knee ligament, and was limited to just 33 games last season.He didn’t report to training camp this season, and Rubio posted on social media that “July 30th was one of the toughest nights of my life.”“One day, when the time is right, I would love to share my full experience with you all so I can help support others going through similar situations,” Rubio wrote. “Until then, I would like to keep it private out of respect for my family a...

White House: US has evidence Russia has used NKorean ballistic missiles against Ukraine and is seeking Iranian missiles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:08:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House: US has evidence Russia has used NKorean ballistic missiles against Ukraine and is seeking Iranian missiles.Source