Report: Twitter to Hike Blue Pricing to $11 for iPhone App Users

People wearing face masks are pictured at an Apple Store on the day the new Apple iPhone 13 series goes on sale, in Beijing, China, September 24, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
People wearing face masks are pictured at an Apple Store on the day the new Apple iPhone 13 series goes on sale, in Beijing, China, September 24, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
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Report: Twitter to Hike Blue Pricing to $11 for iPhone App Users

People wearing face masks are pictured at an Apple Store on the day the new Apple iPhone 13 series goes on sale, in Beijing, China, September 24, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
People wearing face masks are pictured at an Apple Store on the day the new Apple iPhone 13 series goes on sale, in Beijing, China, September 24, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Twitter Inc plans to change the pricing of its Twitter Blue subscription product to $11, from $7.99, if paid for through its iPhone app and to $7 if paid for on the website, the Information reported on Wednesday, citing a person briefed on the plans.

The move was likely a pushback against Apple Inc's 30% cut on any payments made by users via apps on the iOS operating system, Reuters quoted the report as saying.

The lower pricing on the website was also likely to drive more users to that platform as opposed to signing up on their iPhones, the report said. It did not mention whether pricing would change for the Android platform as well.

Tesla Inc chief Elon Musk, who took ownership of Twitter in October, is planning to roll out the micro blogging site's verified service with different colored checks for individuals, companies and governments, after a botched initial launch led to a surge in users impersonating celebrities and brands on the platform.

Twitter, Apple and Google, which owns the Android operating system, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Musk, in a series of tweets last week listed various grievances with Apple, including the 30% fee the iphone maker charges software developers for in-app purchases.

He also posted a meme suggesting he was willing to "go to war" with Apple rather than paying the commission.

Musk later met Apple chief executive Tim Cook at the company's headquarters and later tweeted that the misunderstanding about Twitter being removed from Apple's app store was resolved.



ICAIRE Launches Global ‘AI Glossary Challenge’ to Promote Responsible Innovation

The initiative aims to promote the ethical use of modern technologies across international contexts
The initiative aims to promote the ethical use of modern technologies across international contexts
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ICAIRE Launches Global ‘AI Glossary Challenge’ to Promote Responsible Innovation

The initiative aims to promote the ethical use of modern technologies across international contexts
The initiative aims to promote the ethical use of modern technologies across international contexts

The International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE), a Riyadh-based UNESCO affiliate, has launched the AI Glossary Challenge, inviting researchers, students, and practitioners to develop knowledge tools that support a responsible AI ecosystem.

By standardizing concepts and establishing a shared knowledge base, the initiative aims to promote the ethical use of modern technologies across international contexts.

The challenge comprises three specialized tracks: AI Glossary Tools for developing digital applications such as APIs and governance dashboards; Dataset Creation for building high-quality, bias-free cultural datasets; and Cultural Hallucinations Tools to detect and interpret contextual errors in large language models, enhancing their global adaptability.

Hosted on the Kaggle platform, the competition offers prizes to winning teams to foster a specialized community dedicated to AI ethics.


Florida Launches Criminal Probe into OpenAI and ChatGPT Over Deadly Shooting

This illustration photograph taken in Mulhouse, eastern France on February 11, 2025, shows the logo of OpenAI's artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. (AFP)
This illustration photograph taken in Mulhouse, eastern France on February 11, 2025, shows the logo of OpenAI's artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. (AFP)
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Florida Launches Criminal Probe into OpenAI and ChatGPT Over Deadly Shooting

This illustration photograph taken in Mulhouse, eastern France on February 11, 2025, shows the logo of OpenAI's artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. (AFP)
This illustration photograph taken in Mulhouse, eastern France on February 11, 2025, shows the logo of OpenAI's artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. (AFP)

Florida ‌Attorney General James Uthmeier said on Tuesday the state was launching a criminal probe into OpenAI and its artificial intelligence app ChatGPT over a deadly shooting last year that killed two people at Florida State University.

A gunman killed two people and wounded six others at Florida State University in April last year before he was shot by officers and hospitalized. The suspect was charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted ‌murder.

"The chatbot advised ‌the shooter on what type ‌of ⁠gun to use, on ⁠which ammo went with which gun, on whether or not a gun would be useful at short range," Uthmeier said in a press briefing.

"If it was a person on the other end of that screen, we would be charging them with murder."

Uthmeier's ⁠office said the investigation will determine whether "OpenAI ‌bears criminal responsibility for ‌ChatGPT's actions in the shooting."

The Office of Statewide Prosecution subpoenaed OpenAI ‌for some information and records, it added.

The rise ‌of AI has fed a host of concerns ranging from worries that electricity demand by data centers could raise power prices for consumers, to fears that the technology could cost ‌workers their jobs or be used to disrupt the democratic process, turbocharge fraud ⁠or help ⁠people plan criminal activities.

An OpenAI spokeswoman told US media that the shooting was a tragedy, but the company had no responsibility. The spokeswoman said that after learning of the incident, OpenAI identified a ChatGPT account believed to be associated with the suspect and "proactively shared this information with law enforcement."

"In this case, ChatGPT provided factual responses to questions with information that could be found broadly across public sources on the internet, and it did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity," the OpenAI spokeswoman said.


SK Hynix to Invest about $13 Bln in a New South Korea Plant to Meet AI Memory Demand

The SK Hynix logo appears in this illustration taken August 25, 2025. (Reuters)
The SK Hynix logo appears in this illustration taken August 25, 2025. (Reuters)
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SK Hynix to Invest about $13 Bln in a New South Korea Plant to Meet AI Memory Demand

The SK Hynix logo appears in this illustration taken August 25, 2025. (Reuters)
The SK Hynix logo appears in this illustration taken August 25, 2025. (Reuters)

SK Hynix said on Wednesday it plans to invest 19 trillion won ($12.85 billion) in a new manufacturing plant in South Korea for advanced packaging, to meet rising global demand ‌for AI ‌memory, with construction starting ‌this ⁠month.

The Nvidia supplier, ⁠one of the world's largest memory chipmakers, has been expanding production capacity to keep up with strong demand for ⁠artificial intelligence data centers.

The ‌South ‌Korean chipmaker said in a ‌statement that the new fab ‌plant will be dedicated to advanced packaging, a process essential for manufacturing AI ‌memory products such as high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips.

Earlier this ⁠year, ⁠SK Hynix said it has accelerated capacity expansion, including bringing forward the opening of a new memory chip plant in South Korea, as it seeks to meet surging demand.