Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA
Hollywood’s biggest night is going to a streamer.The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday that YouTube will hold the global rights to the Oscars from 2029 through 2033.While that means they’ll no longer be on ABC starting in 2029, ending a more than 50-year run of consecutive broadcasts on the television network, the Oscars will continue to be available for free worldwide — just on YouTube and YouTube TV. As part of the partnership, red carpet coverage and other behind-the-scenes content from before the award show is also included.The news comes as streamers like YouTube, Netflix,…
The executive who led Amazon’s efforts to build top AI models is out. Rohit Prasad, SVP and head scientist, is leaving two years after launching a new Artificial General Intelligence group. CEO Andy Jassy said Prasad plans to depart at the end of the year. Prasad was elevated to report directly to Jassy in 2023 to lead the AGI team, which was tasked with developing Amazon’s “most ambitious” AI models, Business Insider reported at the time.Since then, Prasad helped launch Amazon’s Nova family of AI models. Although Nova models earned some praise for their efficiency, they still trail frontier models…
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced in a message to staff on Wednesday that longtime AWS executive Peter DeSantis will lead a new AI-focused organization within the company. This organization will be responsible for Amazon’s AI models like Nova, as well as silicon development and quantum computing, which help make AI tools faster and more efficient. DeSantis has spent 27 years at Amazon, including eight years as an SVP for AWS, the cloud provider that powers about one-third of the internet. At AWS’s recent re:Invent event, Amazon hammered home its commitment to AI for enterprise use, so it makes sense that…
Health insurance costs are expected to rise for Americans in 2026.ACA subsidies may expire, increasing marketplace prices for middle and low-income households.Here’s what to know about employer- and government-based health insurance coverage.As 2025 comes to a close, Americans are decorating for the holidays and agonizing over which health insurance plan to choose.The decisions are complex and personal, as enrollees think about which plans best fit their income and medical needs. And, regardless of whether they have private or public coverage, most households are budgeting for higher costs.Here’s what to know about insurance plans, enrollment deadlines, and policy changes in the…
NEW YORK (AP) — Teen use of alcohol, nicotine and marijuana remains at record lows, according to national survey results released Wednesday.They consume a lot of energy drinks, though. And there are slight, but concerning, increases in heroin and cocaine use.But overall, the findings indicate teens are drinking, smoking and using substances at much lower rates than in the past.Two-thirds of 12th graders this year said they hadn’t used alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes or electronic cigarettes in the previous 30 days. Thirty years ago — before the advent of e-cigarettes — the figure was closer to about one-third.Among 10th graders, 82%…
As a search continues for the person behind this weekend’s mass shooting, Brown University was planning to issue early-decision admission offers to applicants Wednesday evening.The Ivy League school delayed the release of the decisions, originally scheduled for Monday, after the shooting left two students dead and nine others wounded on Saturday. The university and public officials were facing mounting questions about security and the investigation as the hunt stretched on with the attacker still at large. Brown informed applicants by email and on social media that early decision offers would be posted online around 7 p.m. EST Wednesday. Under early…
Want a job at Anthropic? It might help to get a hobby.The AI boom is changing the job requirements for an engineer. Not only do they need to have coding skills, but they also must know how to operate vibecoding tools and stay up to date with new AI models.Anthropic leader Boris Cherny looks for something else: “Side quests.””When I hire engineers, this is definitely something I look for,” he said on “The Peterman Pod.”Cherny’s definition of side quests includes “cool weekend projects,” like someone who’s “really into making kombucha.” It’s a sign that the engineer is curious and interested…
The retail landscape is shifting quickly. After years of leaning heavily into e-commerce during and following the pandemic, major retailers are trying to pull shoppers back into stores, and they’re deploying a wave of new tech to make it happen.Foot traffic has been rising as consumers seek immediacy and hands-on experiences, but their expectations have changed. Shoppers want the convenience they’re accustomed to online, without sacrificing the ability to see products in person. That’s pushing retailers to layer AI and automation directly onto the store floor.Brick-and-mortar stores are rolling out tools like computer-vision inventory tracking, smarter shelves, autonomous checkout, and…
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The investigation into the Brown University mass shooting has dragged on for more than four days with no named suspect, motive, weapon or even a clear image of the assailant’s face that might help bring them to justice. Investigators have been hobbled by the lack of clear eyewitness accounts of the shooter and few, if any, cameras in the wing of the building where the attack happened. Despite these difficulties, frustration was mounting Wednesday over the lack of progress.Here are some answers to questions about the attack and investigation:How many students were shot? Who were they?The…
Google today released its fast and cheap Gemini 3 Flash model, based on the Gemini 3 released last month, looking to steal OpenAI’s thunder. The company is also making this the default model in the Gemini app and AI mode in search. The new Flash model arrives six months after Google announced the Gemini 2.5 Flash model, offering significant improvements. On the benchmark, the Gemini 3 Flash model outperforms its predecessor by a significant margin and matches the performance of other frontier models, like Gemini 3 Pro and GPT 5.2, in some measures. For instance, it scored 33.7% without tool…