Nicole Kobie
Latest articles by Nicole Kobie
![Jeff Dean, chief scientist at Google DeepMind and Google Research, speaking at an event in 2020. He is pictured from the chest up with one hand raised, against a dotted background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oEeqYpQ4VLE7Jp7pvfSD7Q-320-80.jpg)
Google DeepMind's chief scientist says AI energy use not as bad as it looks
By Nicole Kobie published
News Jeff Dean admits energy use is rising, but says AI still makes up a small portion of data center use
![The OpenAI logo on the ITPro background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VP6YsDYx8KJNJyiEMYB2xC-320-80.jpg)
OpenAI dropped from AI copyright lawsuit
By Nicole Kobie published
News Developers still targeting Microsoft and GitHub in case now focused on open-source licensing agreements
![Open source generative AI concept image showing a digitized human brain elevated over a GPU and circuit board.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6TnYk7UCnK5uJ4Y74iBeSE-320-80.jpg)
Why generative AI is becoming a "tax" on enterprises
By Nicole Kobie published
The generative AI gold rush is driving IT spending, but not everyone is benefiting equally from the investment
![Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg pictured at a Congressional hearing in Washington DC, United States.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZkfyD2Lkk4YsZwcwSTRQuC-320-80.jpg)
Meta won't release multimodal AI models in Europe due to "unpredictable" privacy regulations
By Nicole Kobie published
News The "unpredictable nature" of EU regulations have prompted Meta to scrap plans to release its models across the region
![Software developers sitting at desks using Ai tools in an open plan office space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/T9PDUmvQUdkxNg5piBoSwc-320-80.jpg)
AI could be the key to solving the UK’s productivity problem
By Nicole Kobie published
News The UK's stagnant productivity could get a kickstart from AI, according to Workday
![Visitors sit at the stand of Russian antivirus software development company Kaspersky Lab on the opening day of the MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona on February 28, 2022](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bqfHFJ53ZLkb2TYPWFEnub-320-80.jpg)
Kaspersky to shut down US division ahead of sales ban
By Nicole Kobie published
News The Russian security company will exit the US and cut staff ahead of a government-imposed sales ban
![Intuit logo and branding pictured on a smartphone screen placed on top of a laptop keyboard](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hj4gEKo5us9bQickJq2GGF-320-80.jpg)
Intuit joins the ranks of companies cutting jobs to invest in AI
By Nicole Kobie published
News 1,800 jobs are set to be cut at Intuit, but all will be replaced over next year as part of an AI-fueled hiring spree
![Microsoft logo and branding pictured on the company office in Warsaw, Poland.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/H6fZxjxcQTFfuVArYQDmPf-320-80.jpg)
Microsoft has settled its European cloud complaint — but rivals are calling it a "pay off"
By Nicole Kobie published
News CISPE has accepted a $22 million settlement over Microsoft cloud licensing practices, but industry rivals aren't pleased at the announcement
![Microsoft logo and branding in English and Chinese pictured at the company's Beijing headquarters.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qcBTrzPysWBUjRydkd2cWj-320-80.jpg)
Microsoft has told workers in China to ditch Android and use iPhones – here’s why
By Nicole Kobie published
News Microsoft said it will buy employees iPhones to ensure they use verification or authentication apps when accessing corporate networks
![Close-up shot of the Peloton branding and logo pictured on a bicycle.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ERVjqwAYf2wWHhr2GCZs34-320-80.jpg)
Peloton faces lawsuit amid claims it allowed marketing firm to train AI on user chat data
By Nicole Kobie published
News Peloton is accused of allowing marketing firm Drift to read and process data without user consent
![An illustration of the earth seen from space, surrounded by data](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wrMoj4TgWhrEbtpkyTgBqU-320-80.jpg)
Why cutting-edge innovation is killing the planet
By Nicole Kobie published
In-depth AI and robots will do our work, we’ll get paid in cryptocurrency, and cars will drive themselves – but each of these technologies is a massive energy hog
![Woman wearing VR headset while holding smartphone](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kAas2eTNKiHwZKDmpcBNFL-320-80.jpg)
Why 2024 won’t be the year of AR, VR or any kind of immersive tech
By Nicole Kobie published
In-depth Whether it’s Apple’s Vision Pro or Meta’s continued metaverse push, many predict we’re at the turning point for mixed reality, but there’s little evidence to show for that
![The world's first driverless bus stationary](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/h7YVKfURH5ZUDkss6iTnGb-320-80.jpg)
Meet the CAVForth project: The world's first autonomous bus
By Nicole Kobie published
Case Study Edinburgh's AB1 route, in Scotland, lets the public catch a ride on an self-driving bus over the Forth Road Bridge. But is this really the future of public transit?
![A magnifying glass being held up against the Google Bard logo](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/48JZViJFc2aXyzi3YUFW2m-320-80.jpg)
Innovation is harder than it looks – we should go easy on tech firms
By Nicole Kobie published
Opinion From Google’s bungled generative Bard launch to Twitter’s ongoing troubles, we must remember the often-forgotten truth that innovation is slow and software is difficult to build
![GPT-4 on a smartphone in front of the Open AI logo](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/h4aAZvPg2TMsgTUKPQEDXe-320-80.jpg)
GPT-4 shouldn’t worry anybody – we just need to be better
By Nicole Kobie published
Opinion Although generative AI tools like GPT-4 and ChatGPT have many industries worried, humans just need to find new ways to prove their worth
![Mark Zuckerberg at a House of Representatives hearing](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zYJvFJfQmYeNgtTdYbwBjj-320-80.jpg)
Stop worshipping CEOs – tech is a team sport
By Nicole Kobie published
Opinion Tech leaders are showing themselves for who they are, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise
![A mouse cursor hovering over an 'Allow all' option on a cookie banner](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e9YTN5LRw9EdyV28khuZHn-320-80.jpg)
The Cookie Law is finally crumbling – good riddance
By Nicole Kobie published
Opinion The stalest of all laws is getting an overhaul after years of menacing the web, and its end can’t come soon enough
![Graphic showing quantum computing, with the earth imposed onto a cuboid](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ykGTYoNPo5dywgGrNN5xdL-320-80.jpg)
How quantum computing can fight climate change
By Nicole Kobie published
In-depth Quantum computers could help unpick the challenges of climate change and offer solutions with real impact – but we can’t wait for their arrival
![Person checking email inbox while sitting at a desk](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tj5NiwEuFpgdUpRqVJadVL-320-80.jpg)
The best email sign-offs and 14 to avoid
By Nicole Kobie last updated
Opinion There are good ways and bad ways to sign-off from your emails. Here's everything you need to know to avoid a digital etiquette misstep
![Rendering of a woman using digital features in her contact lenses](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wwGGJH3oRCUTg54rmpNwbV-320-80.jpg)
Smart contact lenses could kick AR into the mainstream
By Nicole Kobie published
In-depth Smart contact lenses will let you see directions, messages and data in the blink of an eye, leaving cumbersome headsets in the past
![The TikTok logo on an application store accessed from a smartphone](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SWZGB5pCATEVXed2beupWg-320-80.jpg)
Social media engineers should stop copying TikTok
By Nicole Kobie published
Opinion Instagram is foolish to mimic its rival instead of offering a calmer alternative better suited to its own users
![A frustrated office worker sitting on her desk in front of her monitor](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DdtSD8K4U7qvFMVJeBbDD-320-80.jpg)
No Wi-Fi is better than slow Wi-Fi
By Nicole Kobie published
Opinion Struggling with internet connections isn’t worth the time, but it’s hard to resist the temptation when it’s just within reach
![A raging fire in a forest](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/V97q2G5yGJH3pd8KXKwJ4k-320-80.jpg)
Fighting wildfires with sensors, AI and drones
By Nicole Kobie published
In-depth Wildfires are dangerous to battle, although machine learning predictions and sensor-based alerts could make fighting them safer and more successful