Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

As Silicon Valley races toward a future where AI agents do most of the software programming, a new problem is created: finding the AI-generated bugs before they are put into production. Even OpenAI is dealing with such issues, a former employee has described.  Newly funded startup PlayerZero has created a solution: use AI agents trained to find and fix problems before the code is put into production, the startup’s CEO and sole founder, Animesh Koratana, tells TechCrunch. Koratana created PlayerZero while he was at the Stanford DAWN lab for machine learning under his adviser and lab founder, Matei Zaharia. Zaharia…

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas was arrested Wednesday along with five other people, including a suspected member of an Israeli organized crime group, on suspicion of hosting illegal high-stakes poker games at a Los Angeles mansion owned by Arenas, federal prosecutors said. All six defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and one count of operating an illegal gambling business, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. They are all scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon. Messages seeking comment were sent to an attorney and PR firm…

PITTSBURGH (AP) — When the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Ke’Bryan Hayes to a lengthy contract extension in the spring of 2022, both sides believed Hayes would be a vital part of a franchise-wide turnaround.Three years later, the last-place Pirates are still running in place, and Hayes is moving on.Pittsburgh traded the Gold Glove-winning third baseman to NL Central rival Cincinnati on Wednesday for veteran reliever Taylor Rogers, shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura and cash.The swap gives the Reds an elite defender at the hot corner with a manageable contract. Hayes will make $7 million in 2026 and 2027 and $8 million in…

AI-powered marketing automation startup Conversion, founded five years ago by two UC Berkeley dropouts, has raised a $28 million Series A led by Abstract, with participation from True Ventures and HOF Capital. The company’s founding story sounds like it could have been an episode of the HBO show “Silicon Valley.” The story begins all the way back when co-founder and CEO Neil Tewari, now 24, was in high school. He got busted one day watching a TechCrunch Disrupt livestream during class, was sent to the principal’s office, and had to stay late. Afraid to call his parents and tell them…

AI-powered marketing automation startup Conversion, founded five years ago by two UC Berkeley dropouts, has raised a $28 million Series A led by Abstract, with participation from True Ventures and HOF Capital. The company’s founding story sounds like it could have been an episode of the HBO show “Silicon Valley.” The story begins all the way back when co-founder and CEO Neil Tewari, now 24, was in high school. He got busted one day watching a TechCrunch Disrupt livestream during class, was sent to the principal’s office, and had to stay late. Afraid to call his parents and tell them…

When school starts in West Virginia next month, 240,000 students in districts large and small will notice something missing from their cafeteria trays.Gone will be red Jell-O fruit cups, yogurt topped with brightly hued sprinkles and Cool Ranch Doritos — all foods made with synthetic dyes.In their place will be foods that contain colors made only from natural sources — such as vegetables, spices and seeds — after West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed a sweeping new law in March banning seven artificial dyes from school meals.Other states have enacted similar laws that would strip artificial dyes from school meals,…

NEW YORK (AP) — A long-rumored and “unapologetic” memoir by Sen. John Fetterman will be released this fall, his publisher said.Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced on Wednesday that “Unfettered” is scheduled for Nov. 11.In the memoir, the Democrat will open up about his rise from mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, to national fame. The book also delves into his physical and mental health issues, including his stroke in 2022, and his clashes with both Republicans and members of his own party.One of Washington’s most recognizable politicians, known for his hoodies and for his imposing height of 6 feet,…

Observe, an observability platform, was founded in 2017 in response to the changing nature of software observability. Companies started pushing out new versions of their software more frequently — and producing significantly more data because of it. Now, Observe is responding to the latest big shift in technology: AI. San Mateo-based Observe helps companies get an inside look at the status of their software, which makes it easier for engineers to spot and solve disruptions and outages. The recent advancements in AI are both a blessing and a burden for the company. Observe’s observability product incorporates AI agents to help…

Google has confirmed it will sign the European Union’s general purpose AI code of practice, a voluntary framework that aims to help AI developers implement processes and systems to comply with the bloc’s AI Act. Notably, Meta earlier this month said it would not sign the code, calling the EU’s implementation of its AI legislation “overreach,” and stating that Europe was “heading down the wrong path on AI.” Google’s commitment comes days before rules for providers of “general-purpose AI models with systemic risk” go into effect on August 2. Companies likely to be affected by these rules include major names…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is freezing $108 million in research funding to Duke University as the federal government accuses the school of racial discrimination in the form of affirmative action, according to a person familiar with the matter.The National Institutes of Health halted the funding to the private university in North Carolina, said the person who spoke Wednesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Education Department sent a joint letter alleging racial preferences in Duke’s hiring and admissions. Duke is the latest institution…