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Some Amazon employees will be forced to relocate to fulfill a company policy requiring three days per week of in-office work, according to sources speaking withBloomberg. Those affected will include workers hired for remote positions and those who moved during peak pandemic days.

Remote Amazon workers will have to report to “main hub” offices, including company headquarters in Seattle, New York and San Francisco (and possibly other locations), as The Wall Street Journalreported. However, decisions on who has to relocate, and where, will be decided on a departmental basis. The company reportedly hasn’t yet established how many employees will have to uproot themselves.

An Amazon representative told Bloomberg today that it observes “more energy, collaboration, and connections happening” since implementing the in-office mandate, which CEO Andy Jassy announced in February. Some of the company’s workforce viewed the policy as adding insult to injury, as it arrived around the same time as widespread layoffs starting in late 2022 that affected around 27,000 employees. Hundreds of workers staged a walkout in May, protesting the return-to-office policy and the company’s climate shortcomings.

“We continue to look at the best ways to bring more teams together in the same locations, and we’ll communicate directly with employees as we make decisions that affect them,” an Amazon spokesperson told Bloomberg.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-is-reportedly-making-employees-relocate-for-return-to-office-200435517.html?src=rss 

You no longer need to try a beta to stream Android apps on your Chromebook. Google has released a Chrome OS M115 update that makes Android app streaming available to many more people. If you have Phone Hub enabled, you can run an Android app directly from your mobile device rather than installing it on the computer. The update allows you to reply to a message or check your lunch delivery without the distraction of reaching for your handset.

The feature is still limited to a handful of Android 13-capable phones from Google and Xiaomi. From Google, you’ll need a Pixel 4a or later. Xiaomi fans, meanwhile, need at least a 12T. Both your Chromebook and phone must be on the same WiFi network and physically close by. Some networks might not support the feature, but you can use Chrome OS’ Instant Tethering to establish a link if need be.

As during the beta, you won’t want to use app streaming for games or other intensive Android apps. This is more for responding to notifications than any serious commitment — you’ll still want to install apps for that. It gives Chromebooks some of the phone integration you find in macOS and Windows, though, and may help you stay focused while you work.

The M115 upgrade also lets you sign PDF documents and save signatures to use later. Google has also redesigned the keyboard-oriented Shortcut app with a new interface and easier in-app search.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-rolls-out-android-app-streaming-to-chromebooks-following-beta-203014704.html?src=rss 

OpenAI’s trust and safety lead, Dave Willner, has left the position, as announced via a Linkedin post. Willner is staying on in an “advisory role” but has asked Linkedin followers to “reach out” for related opportunities. The former OpenAI project lead states that the move comes after a decision to spend more time with his family. Yes, that’s what they always say, but Willner follows it up with actual details.

“In the months following the launch of ChatGPT, I’ve found it more and more difficult to keep up my end of the bargain,” he writes. “OpenAI is going through a high-intensity phase in its development — and so are our kids. Anyone with young children and a super intense job can relate to that tension.”

He continues to say he’s “proud of everything” the company accomplished during his tenure and noted it was “one of the coolest and most interesting jobs” in the world.

Of course, this transition comes hot on the heels of some legal hurdles facing OpenAI and its signature product, ChatGPT. The FTC recently opened an investigation into the company over concerns that it is violating consumer protection laws and engaging in “unfair or deceptive” practices that could hurt the public’s privacy and security. The investigation does involve a bug that leaked users’ private data, which certainly seems to fall under the purview of trust and safety.

Willner says his decision was actually a “pretty easy choice to make, though not one that folks in my position often make so explicitly in public.” He also states that he hopes his decision will help normalize more open discussions about work/life balance. 

There’s growing concerns over the safety of AI in recent months and OpenAI is one of the companies that agreed to place certain safeguards on its products at the behest of President Biden and the White House. These include allowing independent experts access to the code, flagging risks to society like biases, sharing safety information with the government and watermarking audio and visual content to let people know that it’s AI-generated.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openais-trust-and-safety-lead-is-leaving-the-company-190049987.html?src=rss