Mark Zuckerberg unveils 2016 plans for artificially intelligent butler

Mark Zuckerberg wants to build an artificially intelligent assistant in 2016 to help run his home and assist him at work, the Facebook Inc founder and chief executive said on Sunday. 

PHOTO: AFP

JAN 4, 201610:12 AM

[NEW YORK] Mark Zuckerberg wants to build an artificially intelligent assistant in 2016 to help run his home and assist him at work, the Facebook Inc founder and chief executive said on Sunday.

Mr Zuckerberg, who commits to a new personal challenge every year, revealed his plan in a Facebook post. "You can think of it kind of like Jarvis in Iron Man," Mr Zuckerberg wrote, referring to an artificially intelligent butler who appears in the Marvel comic books and movies.

Mr Zuckerberg will start the project by exploring existing technology, he wrote. He will then begin teaching the technology to understand his voice so that it will learn to control everything in his home, such as music, lights and temperature.

His plans also include teaching the assistant to let friends into his home by looking at their faces when they ring the doorbell, Mr Zuckerberg wrote.

See who is talking about FACEBOOK

Last 30 days:

• 12010
• 192
• 447

30 days avg

HOT COMPANIES

Sports Direct Intl +114% messages

• Tesco +58%
• Anglo American +16%
• Persimmon +16%
• 3i Group +11%
• Severn Trent +9%
• Barclays +8%
• Relx PLC +8%
• RSA Insurance +7%
• Carnival +6%

• Tesco +58%
• Anglo American +16%
• Persimmon +16%
• 3i Group +11%
• Severn Trent +9%
• Barclays +8%
• Relx PLC +8%
• RSA Insurance +7%
• Carnival +6%

The assistant will visualize data to support Zuckerberg at work, he wrote. "This should be a fun intellectual challenge to code this for myself," Mr Zuckerberg wrote. "I'm looking forward to sharing what I learn over the course of the year."

Other challenges Mr Zuckerberg has taken on in recent years have included reading two books every month and learning Mandarin.

REUTERS

    
 

Nokia bid for Alcatel-Lucent goes through: French regulator

France's stock market regulatory body said Monday that Finnish telecom group Nokia's all-share offer for French-American rival Alcatel-Lucent had been successful. 

PHOTO: REUTERS

JAN 4, 20165:22 PM

[PARIS] France's stock market regulatory body said Monday that Finnish telecom group Nokia's all-share offer for French-American rival Alcatel-Lucent had been successful.

Nokia now holds around 76 per cent of shares and voting rights in Alcatel, the French financial market authority, AMF, said in a provisional report.

It said the "minimal condition" for Nokia to control at least 50 per cent of shares and voting rights had been "satisfied".

"The offer therefore is proceeding positively," the French regulator said, adding that its final report was due Tuesday at the latest.

See who is talking about NOKIA CORPORATION

Last 30 days:

• 988
• 12
• 117

30 days avg

HOT COMPANIES

Sports Direct Intl +114% messages

• Tesco +58%
• Anglo American +16%
• Persimmon +16%
• 3i Group +11%
• Severn Trent +9%
• Barclays +8%
• Relx PLC +8%
• RSA Insurance +7%
• Carnival +6%

• Tesco +58%
• Anglo American +16%
• Persimmon +16%
• 3i Group +11%
• Severn Trent +9%
• Barclays +8%
• Relx PLC +8%
• RSA Insurance +7%
• Carnival +6%

Once the world's top mobile phone maker, Nokia hopes the merger will help it become the world's number one network equipment and service provider.

The acquisition will allow Nokia to expand from telecoms networks to Internet networks and "cloud" services to better compete with its global rivals, the Swedish group Ericsson and Huawei of China.

The merged group eyes a combined revenue of nearly 25 billion euros (US$27.3 billion).

Nokia's shareholders gave their consent in early December to the offer which has sparked fears of job cuts among staff both in Finland and France.

Under the public exchange offer, Nokia offered 0.55 Nokia shares for each Alcatel-Lucent share.

AFP

    
 

Alibaba's Ant Financial says seeking funds ahead of planned IPO

Ant Financial Services Group, the finance arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, said on Monday it is looking to raise funds from investors ahead of a planned initial public offering, the second time in less than six months the company taps investors to finance its growth. 

PHOTO: EPA

JAN 4, 20167:25 PM

[HONG KONG] Ant Financial Services Group, the finance arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, said on Monday it is looking to raise funds from investors ahead of a planned initial public offering, the second time in less than six months the company taps investors to finance its growth.

The funding round, which Bloomberg reported could reach at least US$1.5 billion, comes just months after Ant Financial's first major private placement completed in July. State media had pegged the previous round at up to $4 billion, when the company was valued at about US$45 billion.

"We can confirm Ant Financial Services Group has launched Round B financing, however we are not commenting on market speculations," said spokeswoman Miranda Shek, declining to discuss the funding size.

"In terms of the IPO, we do not have a timeline for Ant Financial's IPO." Ant Financial is among a series of financial technology companies tapping investors for pre-IPO financing to fund expansion as Chinese consumers move more of their banking, payments and investing online.

See who is talking about ALIBABA

Last 30 days:

• 13994
• 306
• 1050

30 days avg

HOT COMPANIES

Sports Direct Intl +114% messages

• Tesco +58%
• Anglo American +16%
• Persimmon +16%
• 3i Group +11%
• Severn Trent +9%
• Barclays +8%
• Relx PLC +8%
• RSA Insurance +7%
• Carnival +6%

• Tesco +58%
• Anglo American +16%
• Persimmon +16%
• 3i Group +11%
• Severn Trent +9%
• Barclays +8%
• Relx PLC +8%
• RSA Insurance +7%
• Carnival +6%

Online lending platform Lufax, backed by China's second largest insurer Ping An Insurance Group Co of China Ltd , has also sought funds from investors ahead of a planned IPO in Hong Kong worth up to US$5 billion in 2016.

REUTERS