With Sam Altman’s return, a shift in AI from idealism to pragmatism - The Economist   

EVEN BY TECH’S fast-moving standards, the past week in the world of artificial intelligence (AI) was head-spinning. On November 17th the board of OpenAI booted out Sam Altman, the ChatGPT-maker’s boss. By November 20th Mr Altman had been offered refuge at Microsoft, the startup’s biggest backer. The same day nearly all of OpenAI’s 770 employees signed a letter threatening to quit unless the board members who dismissed Mr Altman reinstate him and resign. On November 21st Mr Altman was back in his old job. Heads have, then, spun back more or less to where they started. Or have they?

In fact, the OpenAI saga marks the start of a new, more grown-up phase for the AI industry. For OpenAI, Mr Altman’s triumphant return may supercharge its ambitions. For Microsoft, which stood by Mr Altman in his hour of need, the episode may result in greater sway over AI’s hottest startup. For AI companies everywhere it may herald a broader shift away from academic idealism and towards greater commercial pragmatism. And for the technology’s users, it may, with luck, usher in more competition and more choice.

To understand all these implications, start with what happened. OpenAI’s board fired Mr Altman for not being “consistently candid in his communications’‘. One factor that may have influenced the decision was disagreement over whether OpenAI had struck the right balance between the speed and safety of its products. Insiders say that OpenAI had made a breakthrough that enabled models to get better at solving problems without additional data. This spooked Ilya Sutskever, a co-founder and board member. Helen Toner, a board member affiliated with Georgetown University, had published an academic article that laid out what she saw as flaws in OpenAI’s approach to AI safety. On November 21st the New York Times reported that Mr Altman, worried about the negative press, had moved to oust Ms Toner. There were also concerns over Mr Altman’s side-projects, including a planned AI-semiconductor venture that sent him to the Persian Gulf to court billions in Saudi money.

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Deaths in Gaza surpass 14,000, according to its authorities - The Economist   

FOR TEN days the official death toll in Gaza since the outbreak of war on October 7th stood at 11,078. That is the number that Gaza’s health ministry, which is run by Hamas, reported on November 10th. After that day the count stalled. The reason is a lack of data. Because hospital services and communications collapsed in the northern part of the enclave, the health ministry was unable to tally and report deaths. On November 21st the Gaza Media Office rather than the health ministry reported new numbers. According to them, the latest death toll is 14,532 (see chart below). The Gaza Health Ministry has announced it will resume its count and puts the current death toll at more than 13,000.

In addition, about 7,000 people are missing. Many, the authorities say, are buried under rubble. The true death toll may already have breached 20,000.

Gaza’s health-care system has capacity for only 3,500 beds, according to Médecins Sans Frontières, a humanitarian group. The Gaza Media Office says 35,000 people have been injured. That means that many are not getting the treatment they need. A four-day truce, expected to begin on November 24th, may help some get access to care. Several of Gaza’s hospitals have been hit in the fighting and many of their staff have been killed, too. Dima Alhaj, a 29-year-old member of a World Health Organisation (WHO) trauma team, was killed on November 21st along with her six-month-old baby, husband and two brothers. More than 100 UN workers have been killed so far, according to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director-general.

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Shakeup at LVMH as Antoine Arnault, Bernard Arnault's oldest son, steps down as the CEO of luxury shoe-maker Berluti - Business Insider   

Antoine Arnault, the eldest son of LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, will be stepping down as the CEO of Berluti, a luxury shoe brand under the LVMH umbrella.

The executive reshuffle, announced by the company on Wednesday, is slated to go into effect in January 2024.

Speculation has brewed for years over the succession plan at LVMH, and whether any of Bernard Arnault's five children — all of whom work at LVMH brands — will be taking over the reins of the luxury giant.

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What Is COP28? And Other Questions About the Big U.N. Climate Summit - The New York Times   

Diplomats and leaders will gather in Dubai for United Nations climate talks. Here are some key facts.

Two facts loom over United Nations climate talks that begin Nov. 30 in Dubai: the planet is careening toward climate disaster, and governments are acting too slowly to avert the crisis.

Diplomats from nearly 200 countries, and many heads of state and government, will gather to try to draft a plan to accelerate the global transition away from fossil fuels because burning them is dangerously heating Earth.

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