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AI Minister Backs Anthropic’s ‘Responsible’ Mythos Rollout as Regulation Tightens

  Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon will meet with Anthropic leaders in response to concerns about the company’s new AI model. Canada’s Artificial Intelligence Minister says Anthropic is taking a “responsible and safety‑first approach” with its newly announced Mythos model family — a comment that comes as governments worldwide race to regulate rapidly advancing AI systems. According to public statements, the minister highlighted Anthropic’s emphasis on model transparency, safety evaluations, and controlled deployment , noting that these practices align with Canada’s push for clearer AI accountability standards. While the remarks were not tied to any specific policy change, they signal growing government interest in how frontier AI models could affect everything from cybersecurity to labour markets. For markets, the reaction has been modest but notable. AI‑linked equities — particularly cloud providers and chipmakers — saw small early‑morning gains , reflecting inves...

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US holiday retail sales grow 3.1%, down from prior year -Mastercard



US retail sales rose 3.1% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, rounding up a majority of the holiday sales for retailers, as shoppers looked for last-minute Christmas deals amid big promotions, a Mastercard report showed on Tuesday.

The increase is lower than the 3.7% growth Mastercard forecast in September, and has slumped from last year’s 7.6% as higher interest rates and inflation pressured consumer spending. Sales in the apparel and restaurant categories rose 2.4% and 7.8%, respectively, during the holiday shopping period, according to the Mastercard Spending Pulse report, while sales of electronics fell 0.4%.

Ecommerce sales grew at a slower pace of 6.3% from last year’s 10.6% as the popularity of online shopping came off pandemic highs, the report showed.

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