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Wendy's to test AI chatbot at drive-thru

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A fast food chain is teaming up with Google to add artificial intelligence to its menu.Wendy's is planning to launch an AI chatbot to automate its restaurants' drive-thrus, a representative for the company told Nexstar's WCMH on Tuesday. Dubbed FreshAI, the AI tech will hold limited conversations with customers, handling their food orders and answering frequently asked questions. The bot will integrate with the store's hardware and cash register systems for processing orders.A Wendy's drive-thru which would be capable of hosting the FreshAI chatbot for taking orders in the future. (Courtesy Photo/Wendy's)A Wendy's drive-thru which would be capable of hosting the FreshAI chatbot for taking orders in the future. (Courtesy Photo/Wendy's)The burger chain, founded in Columbus in 1969, tapped Google to power FreshAI with its existing cloud-based generative AI and large language models. The language models include the restaurant's menu as data, and will allow the dr...

Australia’s colossal bushfires likely made La Niña worse, study finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

By Kathleen Magramo | CNNSmoke from Australia’s worst wildfires in decades may have contributed to the rare triple La Niña weather event that impacted continents thousands of miles away, according to new research.Flames burned through 46 million acres from June 2019 to January 2020 — during Australia’s summer months — thrusting emissions into the Earth’s atmosphere and potentially shifting weather patterns, said a study published in Science Advances on Wednesday.The study, led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), said the disaster was “exceptional in both its severity and particulate emissions,” releasing smoke levels similar to a major volcanic eruption.Scientists John Fasullo, Nan Rosenbloom and Rebecca Buchholz from NCAR in the United States used new modeling to demonstrate how emissions from the bushfires may have shifted weather patterns.Their research suggests smoke emissions led to the formation of clouds over the s...

49ers’ Kyle Shanahan hails Brock Purdy’s future without condemning Trey Lance’s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

SAN JOSE — If Brock Purdy needs a vote of confidence to get through his elbow rehabilitation, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan sure gave him one Wednesday night.Shanahan, in leading off the Dwight Clark Legacy Series event at the California Theatre, glowed not only about Brock Purdy’s recovery but how he can be even better than last season’s rookie show.“As long as Brock’s elbow heals right, he’ll be the exact same guy, and when you have a clean break like that or a tear, it will be,” Shanahan said. “You can have a setback and something can go wrong, but everything’s been entirely on pace.“Just watching him now, he’s doing the same drills all the other quarterbacks are doing, he’s just using a towel to throw. But he’s still doing violent motions, he’s still moving it. He’s just not doing it with a football.”Purdy is two months into his prescribed six-month recovery, from having an internal-brace procedure repair ...

Photos: Season not over for Golden State Warriors in 121-106 win over Los Angeles Lakers in playoff Game 5

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

The Golden State Warriors won’t be taking their summer vacation just yet.The Warriors staved off elimination in their 121-106 win over Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Western Conference semifinals playoff Game 5 at the Chase Center in San Francisco Monday night.Both teams shot above 54% from the field and 50% from deep in the first two quarters. Those numbers tapered off in the second half, but the Warriors’ energy didn’t.Related ArticlesGolden State Warriors | How a more aggressive Andrew Wiggins can help the Warriors force a Game 7 Golden State Warriors | Lakers’ Anthony Davis exits in fourth quarter of Warriors’ Game 5 win Golden State Warriors | Warriors stave off elimination, send series back to LA Golden State Warriors | Lakers coach responds to Kerr comments on flops; Curry named to All-NBA second team Golden State Warriors | Warriors beat the Lakers in Game 5, keep series and season al...

Borenstein: Oakland should seize the A’s stake in the Coliseum through eminent domain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

The A’s and the city of Oakland are divorcing, but the team continues to cling to its ownership share in the family home.While billionaire ballclub owner John Fisher has declared his love for Las Vegas, he still holds rights to a half-interest in the Oakland Coliseum. For the city, the spurned spouse, that means future redevelopment of one of Oakland’s most valuable parcels could be blocked indefinitely.Fortunately, city officials have an option. They could — and should — wrest control of the property from the A’s owner through eminent domain to use it for a public purpose. The move would clear the way for economic revitalization of the 112-acre site, bringing needed housing and commercial development and a refurbished sports complex to one of the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods.It’s a travesty that, as Fisher works to move the A’s to another city, he can still control the destiny of a prime piece of once-public property with incredible transportation access, incl...

Opinion: The AI chatbots are coming for our voices. Are we ready?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

At a time when so many people want to project their voices as writers and speakers, and when many members of marginalized groups seek to finally make their voices heard, a technology has emerged — generative AI chatbots — that is perhaps the most effective voice silencer ever created.Communication is about coming together and having a common, intimate experience, not just sharing information. The vehicle for such experience is the individual, unique human voice, whether it’s someone telling stories around a campfire, giving a speech on a TED talk stage, or projecting their voice stylistically in the pages of a novel.AI can simulate human voices but only superficially. That’s because AI isn’t about human expression. It’s about the collection, aggregation and dissemination of information structured according to known and perhaps newly discovered patterns.From an artistic standpoint, there is great power and benefit to AI’s ability to synthesize and combine information. And...

2 Varsity Blues college admissions scam convictions reversed by US Appeals Court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

Two parents who had been convicted in the Varsity Blues college admissions cheating scandal scored a major win on Wednesday, as a federal appeals court reversed the high-profile convictions.The First Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the admissions scam convictions for former Staples exec and Massachusetts resident John Wilson, and for former senior gaming and hospitality exec Gamal Abdelaziz, of Las Vegas.Four years ago, Operation Varsity Blues led to federal charges against dozens of wealthy parents, including Hollywood stars Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. Those actresses, like many others charged in the bombshell case, pled guilty and spent time in prison.Wilson and Abdelaziz were the exception, fighting the charges and facing eventual convictions. On Wednesday, the federal convictions that were vacated were for mail and wire fraud, along with conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. Wilson’s conviction for filing a false tax return was upheld by the court.“I’m more ...

Detached house sells for $1.5 million in Milpitas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

299 Duarte Court – Google Street ViewA 1,634-square-foot house built in 1964 has changed hands. The property located in the 200 block of Duarte Court in Milpitas was sold on April 24, 2023. The $1,500,000 purchase price works out to $918 per square foot. The property features five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a garage, and one parking space. The backyard also has a pool. The unit sits on a 6,300-square-foot lot.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:A 1,166-square-foot home on the 1500 block of Arizona Avenue in Milpitas sold in November 2022, for $1,355,000, a price per square foot of $1,162. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Valmy Street, Milpitas, in March 2023, a 1,100-square-foot home was sold for $1,150,000, a price per square foot of $1,045. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In December 2022, a 1,295-square-foot home on Arizona Avenue in Milpitas sold for $1,150,000, a price per square foot of $888. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathroo...

San Jose metro area tops nation in fastest pace for hiring grads: report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

SAN JOSE — The San Jose metro area is the nation’s strongest region for the hiring of college graduates, according to a new report that offers a welcome counterpoint to a steady drumbeat of Silicon Valley cutbacks.Monthly employment for college graduates is up 9.6% in the San Jose metro region, which is defined as Santa Clara County, stated a report from Gusto, a San Francisco-based online platform that provides payroll, health care and human resources services geared primarily towards small businesses.“Across major metropolitan areas, hiring of new graduates is strongest in San Jose, where monthly employment has grown on average 9.6% over the past year,” the Gusto survey found.The South Bay’s robust employment picture for new college graduates has emerged at a time when the overall market for students who have completed their education is showing some signs of weakness.“Hiring in May 2023 is forecast to grow by 5.4%, compared to 7.2% growth in Ma...

CHP reports fatal crash in Vacaville near state prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

(BCN) -- The California Highway Patrol reports a fatal crash near the state prison in Vacaville early Thursday morning. Officers responded to a 5:03 a.m. report of a single-vehicle crash in the 2100 block of Peabody Road just east of California State Prison Solano. At 5:18 a.m. the CHP contacted the coroner. No further information was provided. This story is developing and will be updated. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.