Being nice to ChatGPT, breaking up Google, and the new space race: Tech news roundup

Being polite to your AI assistant could cost millions of dollars.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that showing good manners to a ChatGPT model — such as saying “please” and “thank you” — adds up to millions of dollars in operational expenses.

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The Justice Department said Monday that it wants a federal judge to break up Google (GOOGL) to address a ruling that found that the Silicon Valley giant has an illegal monopoly in online search — in part by paying web browsers and smartphone manufacturers to feature its search engine.

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Six women in royal blue spacesuits rocketed to the edge of space last week, with pop star Katy Perry vowing to write a song about her “highest high” and CBS’s Gayle King rejecting the “astronaut” title upon return. The 10-minute Blue Origin publicity flight delivered its promised social media moments: Perry kissed the ground while King waxed philosophical about Earth’s beauty. Fellow passenger Lauren Sanchez, who designed the sleek suits with luxury fashion house Monse, rushed to embrace fiancé (and Blue Origin founder) Jeff Bezos after touching down.

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No need to pull up your browser to search “strong quarter” — Google (GOOGL) parent Alphabet has the answer. The company’s first-quarter report beat Wall Street’s consensus expectations Thursday after the bell.

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Chatbots are so yesterday.

Many of artificial intelligence’s more traditional uses have been well-documented: recommendation systems, personalization, and, of course, message-based assistants. The technology also is being used in companions for the elderly, drug discovery, and even beekeeping.

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The European Union fined Apple and Meta a combined $800 million on Wednesday for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a 2022 landmark European antitrust law that addresses anticompetitive practices in the tech industry.

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Elon Musk has said he will be stepping back from his day-to-day involvement in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to focus on his other roles, namely as the CEO of Tesla.

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Instagram (META) said Monday that it will begin using AI to catch teenagers using its platform with adult settings as it works to remedy its many child safety issues.

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Intel (INTC) Corp. will announce a purge of 20% of its staff as it aims to pare back bureaucracy within the company, according to a new report. That would amount to about 21,0000 jobs being eliminated.

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