Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA
Anthropic’s Super Bowl commercial, one of four ads the AI lab dropped on Wednesday, begins with the word “BETRAYAL” splashed boldly across the screen. The camera pans to a man earnestly asking a chatbot (obviously intended to depict ChatGPT) for advice on how to talk to his mom. The bot, portrayed by a blonde woman, offers some classic bits of advice. Start by listening. Try a nature walk! And then twists into an ad for a fictitious (we hope!) cougar-dating site called Golden Encounters. Anthropic finishes the spot by saying that while ads are coming to AI, they won’t be…
Google just reported another blockbuster quarter, with its fourth-quarter revenue soaring past Wall Street expectations,That said, you might not think it to look at the stock, which took a dip after Google announced it planned to double its capital expenditure in 2026, predicting it will spend between $175 billion and $185 billion — far beyond analysts’ prior expectations.Some upbeat numbers softened the blow, with Google’s search advertising and cloud business running hot. Google announced its annual revenue had exceeded $400 billion for the first time, while quarterly revenue hit $113.8 billion, above estimates of $111 billion. Google Cloud became a…
By Chad Terhune and Julie SteenhuysenSPARTANBURG, South Carolina/CHICAGO, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Measles vaccinations have doubled in recent months in a South Carolina region hit hard by the disease’s worst outbreak in the U.S. in more than two decades, but health officials warned that far more immunizations are needed to contain the virus’ spread.The outbreak, like those in other regions, has been fueled by a rise in vaccine hesitancy since the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving many U.S. communities vulnerable to outbreaks of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases.The number of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine doses administered in Spartanburg County, near…
New federal data shows about two-thirds of the nation’s 3- to 5-year-olds are on track to enter kindergarten. But being ready for school involves a lot more than a child’s ability to count or recite their ABCs.The effort to get a snapshot of kindergarten readiness is part of the National Survey of Children’s Health, and that metric has been reported each year since 2022. Thousands of parents and guardians submitted answers about their child in five categories — early learning, motor skills, social-emotional development, self-regulation and health — with the goal of answering the big question: Is your child ready…
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Sandra Mosqueda watched with an amused smile as her 2-year-old son, Atreus, began sweeping the floor with a miniature mop.Atreus is part of the inaugural class of infants and toddlers receiving free preschool in a citywide program in San Antonio, Texas. It’s something his mother doesn’t take for granted. As a child, she herself wasn’t able to start preschool this young. In the case of her two older boys — now in first grade and kindergarten — the free preschool set them up for success in elementary school.The first five years of a child’s life are…
Alphabet declined to answer one of its investors buring questions about Google’s AI deal with Apple on Wednesday’s fourth-quarter earnings call. Instead of responding to an analyst’s question about how the tech giant is thinking about AI partnerships, such as the one with Apple to power AI for Siri, the question was completely ignored. That decision tells us something, though — Alphabet isn’t ready to talk about how this partnership will impact its core business, which is increasingly focused on AI. Over the years, the Google-Apple relationship has been mutually beneficial. The two companies’ search partnership saw the search giant…
The cuts at The Washington Post are brutal.They are brutal for the paper’s readers, who lose crucial coverage like sports and international reporting. And they are brutal for hundreds of Post employees, including lots of people whose work I pay to read with my Post subscription.The Post’s cuts have also led lots of people to point out the obvious — that Post owner Jeff Bezos, who is currently the world’s fourth-richest man, worth an estimated $261 billion, could easily fund the paper’s losses … forever, without ever noticing the tab.Jeff Bezos wealth in 2024: $194 billionJeff Bezos wealth in 2025:…
Google’s AI chatbot Gemini has surpassed 750 million monthly active users (MAUs), according to the company’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings. This figure illustrates the rapid consumer adoption of Gemini, which has quickly become a prominent player in the AI space. Last quarter, Google reported 650 million monthly active users for Gemini, indicating substantial growth in a short period. In comparison, Meta AI has reported nearly 500 million monthly users. However, while Gemini is gaining traction, it still trails behind its biggest rival, ChatGPT, which is estimated to have around 810 million MAUs in late 2025. The recently revealed number comes on…
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Pan American Health Organization, PAHO, issued a new epidemiological alert following a surge of measles cases across the Americas, with Mexico reporting the highest numbers. It also called for urgent vaccination campaigns, highlighting that 78% of recent cases involved unvaccinated people.The alert, announced on Wednesday, follows Canada’s loss of measles-free status in November — a setback the United States and Mexico could soon mirror. While both governments have requested a two-month extension to contain their respective outbreaks, the situation is complicated by the Trump administration’s January withdrawal from the World Health Organization, the parent agency…
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new kind of pill sharply reduced artery-clogging cholesterol in people who remain at high risk of heart attacks despite taking statins, researchers reported Wednesday.It’s still experimental but the pill helps rid the body of cholesterol in a way that today can be done only with injected medicines. If approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the pill, named enlicitide, could offer an easier-to-use option for millions of people.Statins block some of the liver’s production of cholesterol and are the cornerstone of treatment. But even taking the highest doses, many people need additional help lowering their LDL,…