This week: Disney shutters its metaverse unit after a year, AI and tech experts call for a pause in development...

Do AI developers need to push the pause button? An open letter, co-signed by Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, and more than 1,000 tech executives and researchers, has implored developers to do just that, asking them to hold fire for six months while safety standards are agreed.

Walt Disney Co.’s metaverse division has hit the wall (-E) after just over a year of operation. The move forms part of a wider restructuring, with the company reportedly experiencing investor pressure to “make deep cuts to nonessential businesses”. Speaking of restructurings, Chinese tech giant Alibaba has announced it will split into six units, its biggest change in its 24 years of business.

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