美国恐怖故事第三季

Choice Hotels offers nearly $8B for rival Wyndham Hotels & Resorts as travel booms_我的网站

爱与罚

一 | 　　今年国际上发生的两件大事：伊朗最高领袖哈梅内伊遇袭身亡；委内瑞拉总统马杜罗被美军强行控制。 Choice Hotels International is asking shareholders of rival chain Wyndham Hotels & Resorts to sign off on a buyout worth nearly $8 billion after Wyndham broke off negotiations, the company said Tuesday. “A few weeks ago, Choice and Wyndham were in a negotiable range on price and consideration, and both parties have a shared recognition of the value opportunity this potential transaction represents, said Choice CEO Patrick Pacious. ”We were therefore surprised and disappointed that Wyndham decided to disengage. While we would have preferred to continue discussions with Wyndham in private, following their unwillingness to proceed, we feel there is too much value for both companies’ franchisees, shareholders, associates, and guests to not continue pursuing this transaction."Wyndham did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Tuesday. Choice, based in Rockville, Maryland, is offering $49.50 in cash and 0.324 shares of Choice common stock for each Wyndham share they own, a 20% premium to Wyndham's last closing price. Choice's proposal allows Wyndham shareholders to choose either cash, stock, or a combination of cash and stock. The proposal also includes giving Wyndham two seats on the combined company’s board. The deal has a total value of about $7.8 billion. When including debt, it's valued at approximately $9.8 billion. Choice first approached Wyndham in April, offering $80.00 per share, with 40% of that cash and 60% Choice stock, but was rejected, Choice said. It bumped the offer to $85 per share, then to $90 per share as the board chairs and CEOs of each company met. But, according to Choice, Wyndham voiced concerns about regulatory approval in September and also the value of Choice stock. Choice operates about 7,500 hotels in 46 countries. It's seeking to absorb a much larger chain in Wyndham, which operates nearly 9,300 hotels under a host of brands including Days Inn, Howard Johnson, La Quinta, Ramada, Super 8 and Travelodge. Wyndham, based in Parsippany, New Jersey, posted a profit of $355 million last year with revenue of $1.5 billion. Like most hotels, it has benefited from booming travel in recent years. The uptick in travel has lead to snarled airports and pilot shortages. That has cooled a bit this year as people become more cost conscious about their trips due to inflation and after spending more freely for more than a year. Wyndham's shares are up more than 170% since it stock price tumbled close to $25 each at the start of the pandemic. Shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Inc. jumped more than 15% before the opening bell Tuesday, to $82.40. Shares of Choice Hotels International Inc. fell more than 2%.。据外媒报道，美军在上述行动中都使用了人工智能。　　然而，短短数月时间，五角大楼却被AI搞得焦头烂额。　　据《纽约时报》报道，7月中旬，美国空军向各大军事承包商发出了一封措辞十分严厉的信函，要求他们在9月1日前，必须彻底清除掉所有武器和控制系统软件中Anthropic公司的人工智能产品，否则将面临终止所有五角大楼业务的风险。　　然而，近日，承包商们又收到了一封撤回令，信中称：“他们可以，至少目前可以，无视先前关于清除Anthropic产品的指令。”　　一个月内，禁令下达又撤回。到底用不用AI？军事承包商心里没数，下达命令的五角大楼心里也没数。　　这场混乱的源头，要从五角大楼和Anthropic的纠葛说起。

二 | 去年这家公司和OpenAI、谷歌等一起拿下了五角大楼的军事AI合同。　　但Anthropic坚持要保留美军使用的AI模型中的限制，而美军拒绝被一家私企凌驾到自己头上，于是今年2月底，五角大楼正式将该公司列为“供应链风险”，终止了其2亿美元的国防合同。　　有已离职的美国高级官员称，当时美国政府正在用该公司的大模型进行关键测试，停止使用相当于“单方面解除武装”。　　布伦南司法中心的研究报告显示，自2016年以来，美国国防部已经拨款至少750亿美元给人工智能驱动的项目。

三 | 实际应该会更高，因为很多机密项目的投入经费无法被统计。　　美国花如此大价钱在军事AI上，得到的回报却不尽如人意。

四 | 　　五角大楼的旗舰AI项目“Maven计划”，即用AI分析卫星和无人机影像、快速锁定轰炸目标，在实际战场上的表现远没有宣传中的那样神奇。　　数据显示，Maven的算法在天气良好的情况下识别坦克的准确率约为60%，而在恶劣天气或能见度差等不利条件下，这一准确率将会骤降至30%。　　这意味着即使有天时地利，用AI来打击目标，10次里也只有6次能成功。　　有多家外媒报道分析，美以伊冲突中美军误炸当地小学造成160多名儿童死亡的惨剧，正是因为美军AI调用的攻击目标坐标来自十多年未更新的旧数据库，而这所小学所处的位置在十多年前是伊朗海军基地。　　美军自己也无法信任手中的AI。　　据CBS报道，在摩洛哥“非洲雄狮2026”演习中，美军测试了Overland AI公司的全自动战斗车辆ULTRA。但参与演习的一名军官表示：“我绝不会放心地把需要我做出的决定委托给电脑。”　　即便前线频频发出“失控预警”，五角大楼的决策层却选择充耳不闻，加速将AI推向战场。　　今年美国国防部发布了《人工智能加速战略》，提出要用AI重塑未来战争形态，“以战时速度运作”加快AI军事化。