(This article is part of Today’s Cache, The Hindu’s newsletter on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, innovation and policy. To get it in your inbox, subscribe here.)
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Apple to lay off employees
iPhone and MacBook maker Apple has reportedly taken the decision to lay off a small number of employees, according to a Bloomberg report. While Big Tech companies like Microsoft and Google have fired thousands of people across departments, Apple CEO Tim Cook had made it clear in the past that firings were a “last resort.”
The affected departments reportedly include some corporate retail teams, or more specifically, Apple’s development and preservation teams which take care of Apple store facilities worldwide.
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Apple is yet to formally confirm or deny the reports.
EU countries mull ChatGPT ban
Italy’s temporary ban on ChatGPT over privacy fears and concerns about minors using the viral AI-powered chatbot may not be a one-time incident, as other European regulators have reached out to learn more about Italy’s decision. EU regulators are also exploring whether the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) could successfully apply to generative AI models. While some countries are not considering a ChatGPT ban, the German commissioner for data protection is looking into one, according to Reuters.
However, the decision is not unanimous even in Italy, as the deputy prime minister expressed his disagreement and felt the ban was excessive.
Twitter’s logo change
Users who logged into Twitter via the web would have noticed the absence of the familiar blue bird mascot, which was replaced by the comical Shiba Inu dog most famously associated with the Dogecoin [DOGE] meme cryptocurrency.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who is known in the crypto community as the “Doge-father” had earlier promised to make this change. Musk has expressed his fondness for DOGE several times and also tweeted about the coin, which tends to spike around the time it receives attention from the Tesla billionaire. This week’s logo change led to DOGE rallying by more than 20% in a single day.