In our current connected world, technological advancement is constant, and the international tech landscape is reshaping itself at a rapid pace. With emerging tech trends and innovations, countries across the globe are striving to establish themselves as leaders in this digital revolution. Oftentimes, when we discuss technological powerhouses, areas like Silicon Valley, London, and Beijing immediately come to mind. However, theres a rising star quietly weaving its way into the tech scene: France. With a hefty investment in artificial intelligence (AI) development, France is on its way to becoming a significant player in the global tech community.

The French governments commitment to AI is truly remarkable. Recently, a striking 1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) budget was allocated towards AI research and development. The goal behind this massive investment is to transform France into a leading AI nation and create an AI ecosystem that drives innovation and encourages domestic and global collaborations. This endeavor has already begun attracting AI talent and startups from around the world, magnifying the buzz around France as a rising tech hub.

One notable approach France has taken is the introduction of the French Tech Visa, a non-restrictive, easy-to-get visa for tech talent worldwide. Aimed at attracting tech professionals, startup founders, and investors, this visa is a clear indication of Frances eagerness to foster an international tech environment.

Frances AI push is indeed altering the dynamics of the European tech landscape. It has brought a new level of competition to established tech hubs like London and Berlin. Despite the challenges ahead, the French initiatives are making waves. There is a palpable sense of momentum within the countrys tech industry, with promising AI startups popping up and global tech giants opening new research facilities.

Notably, Google and Facebook, two of the greatest tech behemoths have chosen France for their AI research facilities, further emphasizing the countrys growing prestige as a center for AI development. These companies role in driving AI innovation is undeniably significant, and their faith in France as a vital component in this arena signals a promising future.

Although still in its formative years, Frances AI industry shows great promise. The governments investment, combined with the appeal to international AI talent, has positioned the country as a burgeoning AI development hub. The arrival of major tech giants signals a critical juncture for Frances AI ambitions. Without a doubt, one can anticipate that France will continue to climb the ranks in the global technology stage. Its tech scene is one to keep an eye on, as its influence on the European and global tech market could be considerable.

As we move ever further into this digitally connected world, it will be the countries that invest in and foster technological innovation that will pace ahead. Harnessing the potential of AI and other emerging technologies is vital, and France is demonstrating world-class leadership in this arena. The impact of its efforts will not only enhance its technological prowess but may also pave the way for a better-connected, AI-driven world.

Liam Nguyen is a tech enthusiast and writer with a genuine passion for all things related to technology and the web. At the age of 32, Liam has already carved out a niche for himself as a go-to source for insights on emerging tech trends, gadget reviews, and practical advice for navigating the digital age. With a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from a well-known tech university, Liam combines his technical expertise with a clear, accessible writing style.

Starting his career as a software developer, Liam quickly realized that his true calling was in demystifying technology for the masses. He transitioned to tech journalism, where he now serves as a contributor to a popular online technology news platform. In his articles, Liam covers a broad spectrum of topics, from the latest smartphone releases to in-depth guides on cybersecurity, aiming to keep his readers informed and ahead of the curve.

Liams approach to writing is grounded in the belief that technology should empower and connect people. He has a particular interest in open-source projects and the democratization of technology, themes that frequently appear in his work. Liams ability to explain complex technical concepts in an engaging and straightforward manner has endeared him to a diverse audience, from tech aficionados to novices looking to get the most out of their devices.

Aside from his written work, Liam is active in online tech communities, participating in forums and social media discussions. Hes also been known to guest lecture at his alma mater, sharing his journey and inspiring the next generation of tech enthusiasts.

Liams dedication to the tech community and his knack for clear communication make him an influential voice in the tech and web category, always eager to explore how technology can make our lives better and more connected.

Read the original post:
France: the rising star in global artificial intelligence landscape - The National

Hardware stocks are the future, and will only to continue to grow with AI. Grow your portfolio forward with these three stocks

Source: Owlie Productions / Shutterstock.com

Its no secret that the hardware industry stands to gain a lot from the boom in artificial intelligence. After all, it is the continued growth of the tech hardware industry that makes developments, such asAI, more available to the public.

The global computer hardware market is expected to grow to $914.55 billion by 2028 at a 6.5% CAGR. While this growth comes from a myriad of factors, one of the more notable ones include the expansion of data centers.

All of the cloud serviceindustry leaders, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Google (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), have announced expansions of data centers for the storage and processing needs in hosting AI applications. Here are three hardware stocks for AI that I have identified as excellent picks.

Seagate (STX)

Source: Shutterstock

Seagate (NASDAQ:STX) is a data storage company that broadly covers the data storage industry. The companys focuses include cloud storage systems and services, hard drives and solid state drives. Yahoo! Finance has 27 analysts predicting a 1-year price range on STX to be between $55.00 and $119.00, with a mean of $99.60.

STX did not show strong revenue, but profitability for the company has greatly improved. While revenue suffered a year-on-year loss, net profit margin has increased 106.49% YOY. Evidently, the companys improvement in profitability is characterized in its 941.13% YOY growth in free cash flow. STX even shows signs of being undervalued with a -11.45 price to book ratio, well below the sector median.

STX is a great buy beyond the financials. Seagate has partnered itself with Ebay to expand its Hard Drive Singularity Program. By selling refurbished and recertified hard drives on Ebay, this program improves Seagate revenue while also promoting sustainability. Seagate has also launched a new hard drive platform: the Mozaic 3+. The 30 terabyte Mosaic 3+ Exos hard drive has the same carbon footprint as a standard 16 terabyte hard drive, maximizing efficiency and furthering sustainability efforts. STX is one of the hardware stocks for AI that investors have to add to their portfolios.

Arista Networks (ANET)

Source: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) is a computer networking company that develops and manufactures components for large data centers and high-performance computing. Yahoo! Finance reports 25 analysts predicting a 1-year price range on ANET between $220.00 and $389.00, with a mean of $323.77.

ANET has shown very strong financials for Q1 2024. The companys profitability has shown great improvement, as earnings per share is up 39.16% YOY. Revenue has shown excellent growth, as seen through a 46.1% YOY net income increase. Management has done an excellent job at increasing revenue while maintaining profitability, with revenue growth being more than double operating expenses growth.

Arista has partnered with NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) to develop an AI data center with lowered job completion times. Specifically, this network will streamline the use of generative AI applications for clients, saving clients time and growing ANETs revenue by being the first choice in AI data centers. Arista has also introduced Universal Network Observability (UNO) on its operational tasks platform CloudVision. UNO improves troubleshooting abilities for clients through AI-driven analysis and recommendations for network issues. ANET is one of the hardware stocks for AI for me because of its advancements and new services that emphasize improving client experiences.

Pure Storage (PSTG)

Source: Tada Images / Shutterstock

Pure Storage (NYSE:PSTG) is a data storage platform that aims to simplify IT and offer data security to its clients. The company has approximately 60% of the Fortune 500 as clients. Yahoo! Finance reports 19 analysts predicting a 1-year price range on ANET between $44.00 and $80.00, with a mean of $70.51.

PSTG boasts strong financials for Q1 2024. The company beat revenue and earnings expectations for Q1 2024, having demonstrated impressive jumps in both revenue and profitability. Revenue grew 17.68% YOY and EPS grew a whopping 300% YOY. This profitability growth is even more impressive when seeing the balance sheet, as management has made sure that asset growth has more than doubledliability growth YOY.

Pure Storage has made an investment in Landing AI, a visual AI solutions company innovating in the space of Large Visual Models. Additionally, Landing AI develops AI tools that analyze visual data. This aligns closely with PSTGs goal as a data storage platform, and the companies will share common interests. Pure Storage has enhanced its cybersecurity offerings with improved ransomware recover and AI-based anomaly detection. These innovations specifically boost data security. For instance, the anomaly detection analyzing historical data of clients anomaly patterns to identify threats faster. PSTG is one of the hardware stocks for AI for investors.

On the date of publication, Matthew Rodriguesdid not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines.

Matthew Rodrigues is a college student studying Business at UC Berkeley Haas. He believes detailed research and correct interpretation of current events is what leads to investment success.

Read more:
3 Hardware Stocks to Buy for the Artificial Intelligence Era - InvestorPlace

On Monday, Apple outlined ways its new artificial intelligence features will let you ask a remodeled Siri to pull up the latest episode of your favorite podcast, use the Mac email app to rewrite your clunky message and generate an AI-customized image in your group chat.

It all sounded useful or fun, in theory. But there are two nagging realities that make it tough to trust AI features that Apple executives described in a prerecorded video and notably, did not demonstrate live or allow many journalists to try.

First, other companies including Google, Amazon and Microsoft have bragged about similarly useful AI features that have not worked nearly as well as they promised. Second, Apple has a rocky track record in AI, including having foisted on you the dimwitted Siri for more than a decade.

If 2023 was the year when AI mania went into hyperdrive, 2024 must be the prove it year.

Too many companies have promised magically useful AI that instead has often been rushed, barely functional, not very useful, insecure or error-prone, including Googles new AI-powered search that suggested people eat glue. All this half-baked technology is a drain on your time, energy and faith in new forms of AI.

Apples new AI-powered features might be great. Most people wont get their hands on the Apple AI features until September or later, and you might need to buy a new iPhone to use them.

Apple discussed what are essentially two tiers of AI coming to some newer iPhones, Macs and iPads: the companys own AI and that of OpenAIs ChatGPT that will step in for tasks that Siri or Apples apps cant handle.

Apple showed, for example, that if you wanted AI help to write a custom bedtime story for your child, your phone might ask for your permission to share your written prompt with ChatGPT.

It wasnt clear to me, however, why it wouldnt be simpler just to use the ChatGPT app or website to generate the bedtime story. (Apples own AI may not be capable of this task yet, or Apple didnt want to risk its AI botching a childrens story.)

Stories to keep you informed

Apple also lowered the bar for itself by not promising an all-capable AI assistant that would let you skip the steps in planning your vacation or a grocery order.

No companys AI can do that, even the AI assistants from Microsoft, Google and OpenAI that say theyre all-capable. (AI cant even peer into all the places you have relevant information, including a Gmail message, Excel spreadsheet and travel invoice in Expedia.)

Instead, Apple said its AI will make what you already do with its apps and later, potentially other companies apps smarter and easier.

Several of the features Apple showed including AI writing helpers and AI for editing objects out of photos are now standard features from Google, Microsoft or Samsung.

Even with the lower bar, its not clear whether Apple can make solid and flawless AI. This is the company that made Siri, the clunky iTunes that even a top executive made fun of, unsuccessful driverless car software and auto-correct that thinks youre typing duck. Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

So much AI promises magic and instead is wildly flawed or useful mostly for a small number of tasks.

I dont blame any of you who arent regular users of the new forms of AI and thats most people. Only about 7 percent of Americans are using ChatGPT daily, according to a recent survey conducted for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

OpenAI announced a chattier version of its chatbot in May, but it didnt have most of the features the company discussed. Google this year scaled back both its AI image generator and the AI-powered search results after high-profile flubs. Meta AI is kind of dumb. Amazon showed an error-prone AI-upgraded Alexa last year and it hasnt been released yet. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Those goofs arent Apples fault, and the company is usually wary of releasing products before theyre polished.

But the backdrop for Apples AI glow-up is that it and other companies are under so much pressure to show off their AI expertise to investors, employees and business partners. Its hard to know if any AI is really made for you, or if its mostly for corporate self-interest.

Read more:
Can Apple Intelligence break the pattern of half-baked AI? - The Washington Post

Technology isnt just a medium through which communication happens. It has an editorial impact on how journalists collect, filter and ultimately prioritize information as well as how the audience receives and perceives it. This is the great insight from Marshall McLuhans phrase, The medium is the message.

Because of the pace of change, we already recognize the growth of generative artificial intelligence as a pivotal moment for news. What we havent braced for, and perhaps cant predict, is how the medium of generative AI will impact our message.

One of the most potent examples of technology playing the role of prime-editor the first external influence to have an effect on copy is the inverted pyramid, which has been a staple of journalism for seemingly forever. Its so foundational that it feels engrained in the nature of news itself. But the inverted pyramid as we know it today is a direct result of the technological marvel that was the telegraph.

A 2003 Poynter article titled Birth of the Inverted Pyramid: A Child of Technology, Commerce and History explains:

But the telegraph had a drawback. It was expensive to use. One of the first charges was a penny a character. Newspapers spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in telegraph costs to report the Civil War. That economic pressure more than anything else influenced a new kind of writing that departed from the flowery language of the 19th century it was concise, stripped of opinion and detail. Fueling the shift in writing style was a new type of news organization, named the wire service after the technology used to transmit the news.

This pattern, where technology acts as a prime-editor, has repeated itself through every technological revolution. Television brought us the anchorman. Search engines wrote countless boring headlines. And the wave of social sharing encouraged These 10 headlines that you have to click to believe.

When video came to social media, auto-playing silent videos with text overlays suddenly became ubiquitous. This shift, driven by platform algorithms rather than a deliberate editorial strategy, marked the pivot to video era. Ive written much about this in the past under the name of platform intelligence. Study the platform (the medium) and it will inform your editorial thrust.

With all that history to set the scene, the question again becomes: What will be generative AIs inevitable prime-editorial directive? Will it be as monumental and long-lasting as the inverted pyramid, or will it be a parallax scrolling fad? My hunch, shared by many, is the former, although the jury is technically still out.

The pace of change has been so fast that one can be forgiven for wanting to wait before declaring what the fallout of generative AI could be for news organizations.

In a provocative vision of the future, the influence of generative AI on editorial will flatten the value of producing formats. Today, a lot of time, energy and talent are spent on formatting information in just the right way. We craft stories written with grace, audio pieces meant to entice and tightly edited videos to engage. The cost of production in terms of formatting could drop dramatically.

Before we fear this future, Im not suggesting the value-add of journalism disappears, but rather shifts from production toward something else. Its that something else where the editorial influence of generative AI will become apparent.

For example, in a world where formatting and production are greatly eased, the emphasis for journalists is to find the new. What is the new information that can be formatted? When a local city council passes a bill, thats new information. The journalist should share that information and other context, such as reactions from supporters or opponents.

It wasnt too long ago when news organizations had local stringers who would call in information to the rewrite person. Some stringers probably couldnt write their way out of a paper bag, but they were great journalists who knew how to focus on the new.

With emphasis put on gathering the new, the role of the journalist is not only to be in the know but to also cultivate relationships, personal and digital, to help them stay in the know and, even more importantly, gather unique/proprietary information that will increase the value of future formatting work. If all of this sounds like shoe-leather 101, it is. The journalist-as-writer could shift back to journalist-as-person-who-turns-over-rocks.

Another second-order consequence we can imagine in the aftermath of decreased formatting costs would be a newfound emphasis on content that is provably human-created. If AI-created sales emails reach a fever pitch, we can expect to see a counterresurgence of in-person sales efforts. As cheap and dubious content spreads online, print may find a new value as a provably costly format (print production). Anything that can show the human touch could get new value, and that is the kind of editorial influence from generative AI that many folks who bleed black ink might welcome.

Generative AI will impact journalism on several fronts such as the business models and audience experience and, finally, the editorial focus/mission of news organizations around the world. The medium is the message, and I hope that as an industry we will use the momentum of this shift in our favor.

See the original post:
AIs coming inverted pyramid moment for journalism - Poynter