Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA
The ability to forecast the future is a valuable sign of intelligence and a good test of AI’s capabilities. How good is ChatGPT at prediction?An answer to this fascinating question emerged recently when economist David Seif wrapped up an annual forecasting contest he runs for a secret group of economists, hedge fund investors, and tech executives.In its seventh year, the challenge requires contestants to predict roughly 30 events. The 2025 game kicked off in late 2024, when Seif sent out the list of events to predict in fields such as politics, business, science, economics, pop culture, and sports.One question asked…
By Jennifer RigbyLONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) – Malaria killed around 610,000 people in 2024, mostly young children in sub-Saharan Africa, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, warning of the risks of rising drug resistance, climate change and funding cuts.The toll was a slight increase from the number of deaths in 2023, and case numbers also went up, from 273 million to an estimated 282 million, according to the WHO’s annual malaria report.After vast progress in the early 2000s, the fight against malaria has been stalling in the last decade. While 47 countries have been certified as malaria-free, others are…
While the internet is buzzing over this year’s Spotify Wrapped — especially with its new “listening age” feature — another platform has slipped out its year-end recap with much less fanfare.YouTube unveiled “Recap” on Tuesday, its first attempt at a Wrapped-style experience. The platform said “Recap” is available to US users with a global rollout coming later this week.The feature compiles up to 12 cards that showcase users’ top channels, interests, and how their tastes have shifted over time. It also assigns them a viewing personality based on their watch history.Meanwhile, Spotify Wrapped kept its signature stats — minutes listened,…
Young people should redesign their careers every few years, says AT&T’s CEO.On an episode of the “In Good Company” podcast released on Wednesday, John Stankey said that the idea that you get a relevant college education is “quickly fading,” so young people should own their learning.”You think about how fast technology is moving, how fast business models are moving,” he said. “You have to think about your career in chapters that are four or five years.”Stankey has worked at the telecom giant for over 41 years and has been leading the company since 2020.Every few years, he said people should…
By Jennifer RigbyLONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) – Around 200,000 more children will likely die before their fifth birthday this year than in 2024 as international aid cuts undermine decades of progress, the Gates Foundation said on Thursday.The projected increase would mark the first rise in preventable child deaths this century, Gates said, from an estimated 4.6 million in 2024 to 4.8 million this year. Child deaths have roughly halved since 2000.”For decades, the world made steady progress saving children’s lives. But now, as challenges mount, that progress is reversing,” said Bill Gates, chair of the eponymous foundation, in a foreword…
NEW YORK (AP) — A high-stakes hearing in the New York murder case against Luigi Mangione continues Thursday, a year to the day after prosecutors say he gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to both state and federal charges. Before any trials get scheduled, his lawyers are trying to preclude the eventual jurors from hearing about his alleged statements to law enforcement officers and items — including a gun and a notebook — allegedly seized from his backpack.The evidence is key to prosecutors’ case. They have said that the 9 mm handgun matches the firearm…
By Deena Beasley and Julie SteenhuysenSAN DIEGO, Dec 3 (Reuters) – Details from two large trials of Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 drug semaglutide showed it provided no cognitive benefit for people with early Alzheimer’s disease, researchers said at a medical meeting on Wednesday, dashing remaining hopes that the widely used medication could help such patients.The Danish drugmaker said last week that the trials, which were designed to show that its semaglutide pill Rybelsus could slow progression of the brain-wasting disease by at least 20%, did not meet their goals.The joint studies showed some improvement in a few biological measures of the…
By Lisa RichwineLOS ANGELES, Dec 3 (Reuters) – A California doctor was sentenced to 2-1/2 years in prison on Wednesday for illegally supplying “Friends” sitcom star Matthew Perry with ketamine, the powerful sedative that caused the actor’s drug overdose death in 2023.Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 44, who ran an urgent-care clinic outside Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in federal court in July to four felony counts of illegal distribution of the prescription anesthetic. He could have faced up to 40 years in prison for the crime.Perry was found by his live-in assistant floating face down and lifeless in the jacuzzi of his…
Novo Nordisk says it still thinks GLP-1 drugs could be a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s, despite two major trials last month that found an older drug similar to Ozempic had no effect in slowing early-stage disease.While GLP-1 drugs have become synonymous with dramatic weight loss, they’ve also become one of the most closely watched experimental approaches for slowing Alzheimer’s, a disease with few treatment options.That’s why Novo Nordisk’s announcement last month that it discontinued two large trials — evoke and evoke+ — was viewed as a major setback for Alzheimer’s researchers and patient advocates.“This is not what we hoped for,”…
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei just roasted OpenAI and Google on low heat — with a sprinkle of salt.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman this week declared a “code red” at his company after Google, one of its chief rivals in the AI race, released Gemini 3 to much fanfare. Google had earlier announced its own “code red” when ChatGPT launched three years ago.Amodei, however, told Andrew Ross Sorkin at The New York Times Dealbook Summit on Wednesday that his company has felt no need to proclaim such emergencies.”We have a little bit of a privileged position where we can just keep growing…