Business news, technology, media and finance reports – France 24

• Have we reached peak generative AI?
  A slew of announcements from OpenAI and Google this week brought us to the brink of human-like AI assistants. Generative artificial intelligence is getting faster, and being applied to an increasing number of tasks. But without a major breakthrough to the models underpinning such projects, it has led some to emerge from the parapets and ask […]
• China-Russia trade ties evolve amid Ukraine war, US sanctions
  Vladimir Putin hails 80 joint investment projects on his state visit to Beijing, as Xi Jinping walks a fine line between maintaining trade with Russia and avoiding harsh Western sanctions. US inflation cools after months of unexpectedly high readings, and Japan's economy shrinks in the first quarter.
• State of emergency in New Caledonia: Violence hits archipelago’s struggling economy
  France has declared a state of emergency in its overseas territory of New Caledonia. Violence over a planned constitutional reform is threatening its already struggling economy. Plus, Boeing may face the criminal prosecution it had avoided back in 2021, with the US Justice Department accusing the planemaker of violating the terms of the deferred prosecution deal. 
• US wary of Mexican gateway as it increases tariffs on Chinese EVs
  The United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai said on Tuesday her office is concerned with the possibility of seeing Chinese electric cars enter the US market via Mexico. This comes as the Biden administration is looking to shield its auto industry from Chinese competitors as makes its EV transition. Also, Google launches new AI features […]
• Biden administration quadruples import tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles
  US President Joe Biden has announced a raft of new tariffs on some 18 billion dollars’ worth of Chinese goods, including quadrupling the border tax on electric cars. The White House says the measures are carefully targeted at strategic sectors to protect American companies from unfair trade practices.  Beijing has strongly criticised the move. Plus, a new […]
• Gamestop ‘meme’ stock sees surge after cryptic social media post
  US video game retailer Gamestop closed trading 75 percent higher on Monday after investors boosted its shares following a social media post by Keith Patrick Gill, also known as "Roaring Kitty" on X. In this edition, we take a look at why Gamestop was the recipient of a previous social media-fuelled boom in 2020 and […]
• 'Choose France' Summit: France bags €15 billion in investment pledges
  French President Emmanuel Macron hosted around 180 global CEOs at the Palace of Versailles for the 7th edition of the 'Choose France' investment summit, where a record €15 billion across 56 projects were pledged. Macron however warned that Europe needs to rethink its business model in the face of rising protectionism in the US and […]
• 'Choose France' business summit looks to seduce foreign investors
  The 7th annual foreign investment summit known as "Choose France" kicks off at Versailles with €15 billion in new projects expected. Also in this edition, China prepares a $140 billion debt float to fund economic stimulus. Plus, hundreds of environmental activists storm Tesla's Gigafactory in Germany.
• Amazon, Pfizer, AstroZeneca to pledge billions at ‘Choose France’ summit
  US retail giant Amazon is expected to announce a €1.2-billion ($1.3-billion) investment in France, the French government said Sunday, while pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and AstroZeneca have pledged nearly €1 billion ahead of the annual Choose France summit on foreign investment starting Monday.