Why admitting Ukraine into the EU is tricky
FT News Briefing
Forhecz Topher
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 8 August 2023
⏱️ 10 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Meta has axed a team that used artificial intelligence to create the first database of more than 600mn protein structures, and PayPal is launching a stablecoin. Plus, the FT’s Henry Foy explains why it’s so difficult for the EU to admit new members, Ukraine in particular.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Meta disbands protein-folding team in shift towards commercial AI
PayPal pushes deeper into crypto payments with stablecoin launch
The ‘monumental consequences’ of Ukraine joining the EU
FT Weekend podcast: David Byrne on Talking Heads and ‘Here Lies Love’
The FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Josh Gabert-Doyon, Monique Mulima, Monica Lopez, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The FT News Briefing is supported by Equinole, the UK's energy partner. |
| 0:06.3 | Learn more at equinole.co.uk |
| 0:12.1 | Good morning for the Financial Times. |
| 0:13.7 | Today is Tuesday, August 8. |
| 0:15.6 | And this is your FT News Briefing. |
| 0:19.3 | Meta is prioritizing artificial intelligence projects that make it money. |
| 0:23.7 | And PayPal says it's launching a stablecoin. |
| 0:27.1 | Plus, there may be a lot of chatter about Ukraine joining the European Union. |
| 0:31.8 | But the FT's Henry Foy explains there are a lot of roadblocks. |
| 0:36.8 | It's not just about Ukraine reforming its economy, its political structure, |
| 0:41.0 | its judicial structures to join the EU. |
| 0:43.6 | This is about how the EU reforms itself. |
| 0:46.6 | I'm Mark Filipino and here's the news you need to start your day. |
| 0:56.6 | Facebook's parent company Meta ditched the first database of more than 600 million protein |
| 1:07.2 | structures. The social media giant had employed about a dozen scientists and used artificial |
| 1:12.2 | intelligence to predict protein structures. |
| 1:14.9 | The project could have helped develop new drugs and treatments. |
| 1:18.5 | But sources told the FT that the group was cut this spring as part of broader layoffs |
| 1:23.0 | across the company. The reason this is a big deal is because it shows that Meta is abandoning |
| 1:28.8 | purely scientific goals. Sources say that the company is focusing more on AI projects that can |
| 1:34.8 | generate revenue. PayPal announced on Monday that it's launching a stablecoin tied to the US |
| 1:46.9 | dollar. It's the first major financial institution to get into crypto payments. |
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