San Francisco: The losses of Microsoft-backed OpenAI, the developer behind highly-successful AI chatbot ChatGPT, reportedly swelled to nearly $540 million last year and are likely to only keep rising.
According to The Information, OpenAI’s losses doubled as it developed ChatGPT and hired key employees from Google.
“The previously unreported figure reflects the steep costs of training its machine-learning models during the period before it started selling access to the chatbot,” the report noted.
OpenAI in February this year launched the new subscription plan, ChatGPT Plus, that is available for $20 a month.
However, the report mentioned that even if the revenue picks up, OpenAI’s losses are likely to keep rising as “more customers use its artificial intelligence technology and the company trains future versions of the software”.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has “privately suggested OpenAI may try to raise as much as $100 billion in the coming years to achieve its aim of developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) that is advanced enough to improve its own capabilities”.
Elon Musk, Twitter CEO and an early investor in OpenAI, tweeted late on Saturday: “That’s what he (Altman) told me”.
Musk, who has criticised OpenAI several times, last month created a new company called X.AI which will promote AI in the ChatGPT era.
It was Musk who initially invested $100 million in OpenAI, but later exited the company.
In recent months, ChatGPT and GPT-4 have become a rage worldwide.
OpenAI recently closed a more than $300 million share sale at a valuation between $27-$29 billion, according to reports.
New Delhi: Domestic air traffic touched an “all-time high” of 4,56,082 passengers in a single day on Sunday, with Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia saying that the skyrocketing passenger number is a sign of the country’s rising prosperity.
The country’s domestic air traffic has been on the recovery path for the past many months after being severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
भारतीय नागर विमानन क्षेत्र नित नए कीर्तिमान स्थापित कर रहा है – कोविड-उपरांत, आसमान छूती घरेलू हवाई यात्रियों की संख्या भारत के बढ़ते विकास और समृद्धि का संकेत है। pic.twitter.com/Iobij1asnk
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) May 1, 2023
“Indian Domestic Air Travel Hits New High, surpasses pre-Covid Average”, on April 30, the civil aviation ministry said in a tweet on Monday.
A total of 4,56,082 passengers flew on 2,978 flights on Sunday, as per the ministry. India’s domestic air traffic reaches new heights with an all-time high!” it said.
Prior to Covid, the average daily domestic passenger number was 3,98,579. In a tweet, Scindia said that the country’s civil aviation sector is setting new records every day.
Post Covid, skyrocketing domestic air passenger number is a sign of the country’s rising growth and prosperity, he added.
In March, domestic carriers flew 128.93 lakh passengers, an increase of 21.4 per cent compared to the year-ago period.
During the January-March period, the airlines carried 375.04 lakh passengers, according to the latest data from the aviation regulator DGCA.
Hong Kong: When Tim Cook arrived in India earlier this month to open Apple’s first physical store in the country, he was welcomed like a hero, media reports said.
Cook’s visit, the latest by a top global executive, exemplifies the rising tide of interest that corporations and governments are showing in doing business with India, CNN reported.
Just days after his landmark trip, Pret A Manger, a trendy British sandwich chain, set up its first outlet in the commercial capital of Mumbai, as it bet on the country’s growing middle class, CNN reported.
The case for investing in India – a nation of 1.4 billion – is clear, and only bolstered by recent geopolitical shifts. As Western leaders look to boost economic cooperation with countries that share similar values, India, the world’s largest democracy, stands to gain.
Until recently, many countries and companies “had put all their eggs in the China basket”, said Partha Sen, professor emeritus at the Delhi School of Economics. As tensions continue to flare between the West and Beijing, there is “a move to diversify away, and India fits right into it,” he added, CNN reported.
India’s so-called “demographic dividend,” the potential economic growth arising from a large working-age population, represents a major opportunity. Its vast consumer market and pool of affordable labor is also drawing more attention from global brands and trading partners.
In a bid to boost the industrial sector and lift exports, the Indian government has sought to sign free trade deals, a move that’s been warmly received around the world.
Since 2021, India has struck agreements with Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Mauritius. It is also negotiating deals with the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada, CNN reported.
Beyond geopolitics, India’s economic and demographic fundamentals are driving business interest, CNN reported.
The International Monetary Fund expects the South Asian nation to outperform all major emerging and advanced economies this year, logging GDP growth of 5.9 per cent. By comparison, the German and UK economies will stagnate, while the United States will grow only 1.6 per cent.
If it can maintain its momentum, India will overtake Germany as the world’s fourth largest economy in 2026 and knock Japan from the number three spot in 2032, according to analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, CNN reported.
India’s working-age population stands at more than 900 million, according to 2021 data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. In the next few years, its workforce could be bigger than China’s, according to Capital Economics, CNN reported.
Washington: As many as 44 Indian-American organisations have condemned the repeated attacks and instances of vandalism at various Indian institutions and the recent attacks on Indian diplomatic missions in San Francisco, London, and Brisbane, which they said have left the community in a state of shock and fear.
Under the banner of “Indian Diaspora Against Hate,” several eminent Indian-Americans and organisations from diverse backgrounds — cultural, linguistic and religious — across the country issued a signed letter condemning the violent attacks in which they called on all civic officials and federal, state and local law enforcement to take measures to ensure the safety of the Indian-American community.
Last month, a group of pro-Khalistan protesters attacked and damaged the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, prompting sharp condemnation from Indian-Americans who demanded immediate action against those responsible for it.
A group of protesters carrying pro-Khalistan flags and banners in support of radical Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh gathered at the Parliament Square in London last month.
Representing Indian Americans from various cities and geographical locations, the organisations and community members urged citizens to be cautious of hate groups and report them to the administration.
They have also urged the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice to monitor extremists’ activities, prevent hateful attacks and take decisive action against these perpetrators of hate.
“Many Hindu community leaders have been threatened and they even attacked my residence recently,” said Dr Romesh Japra, cardiologist and community leader.
Madhu H, Social activist from Southern California said: “Khalistani extremists have a long and tragic track record of violence, including being responsible for the downing of an Air India jet in 1985, killing more than 300 people.” Venu M, a Hindu Leader from California State Capitol Sacramento was remembering the desecration of Gandhi statue in the City of Davis, said “Indian-Americans are increasingly concerned about the lack of safety for Indian- American institutions in the wake of these attacks.” The letter welcomed the statement of the State Department condemning the attack against the Indian Consulate at San Francisco.
It also welcomes the statement of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, rejecting hatred and attacks on Hindu temples.
It said that the community is concerned that the failure to check the violence by people who are motivated to disrupt peace and create a condition of fear is only encouraging an escalation in aggression, a media release said.
“Indian Diaspora Against Hate” is a forum to collaborate with Indian-American organisations, institutions, and Hindu temples who are concerned about the safety, security and well-being of the Indian diaspora and voice their opinion to the civic and law enforcement agencies.
First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Emine Dzhaparova
New Delhi: Ukraine has indicated to India to recognise the danger of not stopping “impunity”, in an indirect reference to China and Pakistan.
As per reports, Emine Dzhaparova, Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister, told mediapersons at an interactive session held at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) on Tuesday that India also has a difficult neighbourhood with China and Pakistan and the Crimea episode has a lesson for India too.
“Whenever impunity happens and if it is not stopped, it becomes bigger,” Dzhaparova was quoted as saying by reports.
Her comments could be seen as referring to India’s territorial disputes with China and Pakistan.
The Ukraine minister’s reference to Crimea was in relation to the events preceding the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine last year.
Dzhaparova said that these developments could serve as an example of how to handle “difficult neighbours”.
She was further quoted as saying that “Ukraine really wants India and Ukraine to be closer. Yes, there is a history between us. But we want to start a new relationship with India”.
BRUSSELS — China and other powerful countries need to step up to help steer the world away from a potentially “catastrophic” hunger crisis this year, the new head of the United Nations’ World Food Programme said.
Cindy McCain, an American diplomat and the widow of the late U.S. Senator John McCain, also told POLITICO that the EU and U.S. should see world hunger as a national security issue due to its impact on migration. She furthermore accused Russia of using hunger as a “weapon of war” by hindering exports of Ukrainian grain.
McCain, formerly the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. food agencies, took the helm of the WFP on April 5 and begins her five-year term at a time of increasing world hunger. The number of people facing food insecurity around the world rose to a record 345 million at the end of last year, up from 282 million in 2021, according to the WFP’s figures, as Russia’s war in Ukraine deepened a food crisis driven by climate change, COVID-19 and other conflicts.
This year could be worse still, McCain warned, with the Horn of Africa experiencing its worst drought in 40 years and Haiti facing a sharp rise in food insecurity, among other factors. “2023 is going to be catastrophic if we don’t get to work and raise the money that we need,” she said. “We need a hell of a lot more than we used to.”
Non-Western countries, which have traditionally contributed much less to the WFP, need to step up to meet the shortfall, McCain said, pointing specifically to China and oil-rich Gulf Arab countries. China contributed just $11 million to WFP funds last year, compared to $7.2 billion donated by the U.S.
“There are some countries that have just basically not participated or participated in a very low fashion. I’d like to encourage our Middle Eastern friends to step up to the plate a little more; I’d like to encourage China to step up to the plate a little more,” said McCain. “Every region, every country needs to step up funding.”
Her entreaty may fall on deaf ears, however, given rising geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China. The WFP’s last six executive directors have been American, dating back to 1992, and Beijing may prefer to distribute aid through its own channels. Last summer, for example, China shipped food aid directly to the Horn of Africa following a drought there.
National security
Countries hesitant to throw more money into food aid should think about the alternative, McCain said, particularly those in Europe that are likely to bear the brunt of any new wave of migration from Africa and the Middle East.
“Food security is a national security issue,” she said. “No refugee wants to leave their home country, but they’re forced to because they don’t have enough food, and they can’t feed their families. So it comes down to if you want a stable world, food is a major player in this.”
The WFP is already having to make brutal decisions despite raking in a record $14.2 billion last year — more than double what it raised in 2017. In February, for instance, it said a funding shortfall was forcing it to cut food rations for Rohingya refugees living in camps in Bangladesh.
The problem is compounded by surging costs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, which sent already-high food prices soaring further, as grain and oilseed exports through Ukraine’s Black Sea ports plunged from more than 5 million metric tons a month to zero.
A U.N.-brokered deal allowing Ukrainian grain exports to pass through Russia’s blockades in the Black Sea has brought some reprieve, but Moscow’s repeated threats to withdraw from the agreement have kept prices volatile.
Moscow claims that “hidden” Western sanctions are hindering its fertilizer and foods exports and causing hunger in the Global South | Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images
The deal, initially brokered in July last year, was extended for 120 days last month; Russia, however, agreed to extend its side of the Black Sea grain initiative only for 60 days. Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov threatened, once again, to halt Moscow’s participation in the initiative unless obstacles to its own fertilizer and food exports are addressed.
Moscow claims that “hidden” Western sanctions — those targeting Russia’s fertilizer oligarchs and its main agricultural bank, as well as others excluding Russian banks from the international SWIFT payments system — are hindering its fertilizer and foods exports and causing hunger in the Global South.
Ukraine and its Western allies have countered that Russia is deliberately holding up inspections for ships heading to and from its Black Sea ports, creating a backlog of Ukraine-bound vessels off the Turkish coast and inflating prices.
These delayed food cargoes are hindering the WFP’s ability to respond to humanitarian crises, said McCain, who did not hold back on the issue.
“Let’s be very clear, there are no sanctions on [Russian] fertilizer,” she said. “It is not sanctioned and never has been sanctioned.”
Russia is “using hunger as a weapon of war,” said McCain. “it’s unconscionable that a country would do that — any country, not just Russia.”
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( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )
“Tensions are rising,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said during an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” “I think this is saber-rattling on the part of Putin.”
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) described Putin as “a dangerous man,” and said the threat demonstrates the need for U.S. leaders — and those vying for leadership — to see that threat as vital to U.S. interests.
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Warner said that if American support for Ukraine wavers, Putin could move on to threaten Poland or President Xi Jinping could take U.S. weakness as “more of a green light to potentially take action against Taiwan.”
“Anyone who doesn’t understand that is remarkably naïve, or not understanding the kind of geopolitical challenging times that we live in,” he said.
On Sunday, NATO criticized Russia for what it described as “dangerous and irresponsible” nuclear rhetoric, though a NATO spokesperson said the organization had not seen any changes in Russia’s nuclear posture.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
Despite having a Latina candidate in the race in Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Democrats’ Senate overall vote share in Nevada fell to 62 percent among Latinos, compared to fellow Sen. Jacky Rosen’s 67 percent among the demographic in 2018, according to exit polls.
And in Arizona, the ratio for Democratic Senate hopefuls fell even more dramatically. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema enjoyed a 70 percent victory over her Republican opponent in 2018 among Latinos, while incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly fought for his 58 percent from the same demographic. Biden won about 61 percent of the Latino vote in 2020 in both states.
Yet Latino voters still boosted Cortez Masto, Kelly and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs enough to victory over their Republican counterparts, who took larger shares of white voters who make up the voting majority — bridging gaps as high as the 18-point deficit between Cortez Masto and Adam Laxalt among white voters.
Voto Latino conducted the analysis because of the large impact the two states had in the midterms. By analyzing precinct data, the organization’s projections show even modest increases of Latino turnout by 2.5 or 5 percentage points would net a fraction of a percentage for Democrats in a two-way race — boosting someone like Cortez Masto’s vote shares that much more, in a race that ultimately saw her and Republican Adam Laxalt separated by less than 1 point.
Voto Latino president María Teresa Kumar said she was unsurprised by the results, adding that even a little more investment would have avoided such a “close contest.”
“The reason we did this analysis was, had there been some investment based on historical participation of the Latino community of the last several years, wiser decisions would have been made,” Kumar said.
Latinos have become a growing voting contingent that both Republicans and Democrats have sought in the past two cycles, from releasing more ads in Spanish to boosting congressional surrogates to turn out votership.
Outside of the close contests in Arizona, where Democrats lost their overall Congressional majority, candidates in majority-Latino districts were reelected — including Reps. Raúl Grijalva and Ruben Gallego, who has now announced his candidacy for Senate.
“What Nevada and Arizona really give you a very crisp picture of is how important every voter is when you’re looking at [increasingly] razor thin margins in many elections,” said Clarissa Martinez De Castro, vice president of the Latino Vote Initiative at UnidosUS. “Latinos are increasingly a factor in the winning equation in more places than people have traditionally thought, like… California, Texas, Florida. The reality is that the numbers are growing all over.”
Latinos are the nation’s youngest demographic, with a median age under 30 and a growing young adult voter base, millions of whom will newly be eligible to vote by 2024. Experts say they could be convinced to turn out to vote, and for Democratic candidates — if the party continues to adapt their playbook outside the “white soccer mom” mentality.
This is why the turnout factor has to include data-driven analysis, Kumar added. Among Latinos, many young people may not yet see voting as the first option to secure rights for their community, she said. But that doesn’t mean they are automatically and permanently low-propensity.
“The majority of Latino voters are under the age of 33,” Kumar said. “By default, they’re low-propensity. It doesn’t mean they’re detached — they’re just flowing into the process. They should be taken seriously because they have the ear of their family in a way no party does.”
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
New Delhi: Expressing concern over the rising number of instances involving unruly behaviours by passengers, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has called for concerted industry efforts to contain the problem.
Recently, Wilson had informed that incidents surrounding unruly behaviour by inebriated passengers are quite frequent, adding that the airline has now got strict and is reporting all such cases of unruly behaviours.
Wilson had said that the airline has learnt lessons and it could have reacted better to the issues surrounding the ‘peeing’ incident which occurred in November last year.
The Air India CEO said that the airline has realised the importance of reporting all such incidents. Stating that Air India is now investing more in technology, the CEO had told the media that there are many instances where the airline’s crew is at the receiving end when a drunk passenger misbehaves.
Talking to a news organisation, Wilson said that in the last six weeks alone, Air India had witnessed four incidents where people have either assaulted or threatened to physically assault its crew, and the airline is taking a zero-tolerance line on that.
He said that a rise in such cases globally had led even the industry body, International Air Transport Association (IATA), to take a serious view of the situation and call for industry-wide action to stem it.
In the instance of the ‘peeing’ incident onboard AI-102 operating between New York and Delhi on November 26, 2022, the concerned cabin crew and one pilot have been issued show-cause notices and were de-rostered pending investigation.
While addressing a virtual conference last week, the Air India CEO had said that the airline has enormous potential and efforts are on to make the group a significant international player.
Wilson said that Tata group-owned Air India’s order for a record 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing will be worth nearly $70 billion. The CEO also said that the process of integration of Vistara with Air India is underway and is now awaiting approval from the regulatory bodies.
