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Denmark on Wednesday laid out a framework that can help EU member states use generative artificial intelligence in compliance with the European Union’s strict new AI Act — and Microsoft‘s already on board.

A government-backed alliance of major Danish corporates, led by IT consultancy Netcompany, launched the “Responsible Use of AI Assistants in the Public and Private Sector” white paper, a blueprint that sets out “best-practice examples” for how firms should use and support employees in deploying AI systems in a regulated environment.

The guide also aims to encourage delivery of “secure and reliable services” by businesses to consumers. Denmark’s Agency for Digital Government, the country’s central business registry CVR and pensions authority ATP are among the founding partners adopting the framework.

This includes guidelines governing how the public and private sector collaborate, deploying AI in society, complying with both the AI Act and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), mitigating risks and reducing bias, scaling AI implementation, storing data securely, and training up staff.

Netcompany CEO André Rogaczewski said the provisions laid out in the white paper were primarily aimed at companies in heavily regulated industries, such as in financial services. He told CNBC he’s aiming to address one core question: “How can we scale the responsible usage of AI?”

What is the EU AI Act?

The EU AI Act is a landmark law that aims to govern the way companies develop, use and apply AI. It came into force in August, after previously receiving final approval from EU member states, lawmakers, and the European Commission — the executive body of the EU — in May.

The law applies a risk-based approach to governing AI, meaning various applications of the technology are treated differently depending on the risk level they pose. It’s been touted as the world’s first major AI law that will give firms clarity under a harmonized, EU-wide regulatory framework.

Though the rules are technically in effect, implementation them is a lengthy process. Most of the provisions of the Act — including rules for general-purpose AI systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT — won’t materialize until at least 2026, at the end of a two-year transition period.

“It is absolutely vital for the competitiveness of our businesses and future progress of Europe that both the private and public sector will succeed in developing and using AI in the years to come,” Caroline Stage Olsen, Denmark’s minister of digital affairs, told CNBC, calling the white paper a “helpful step” toward that goal.

Netcompany’s Rogaczewski told CNBC that pitched the idea for a white paper to some of Denmark’s biggest banks and insurance firms some months ago. He found that, though each organization was “experimenting” with AI, institutions lacked a “common standard” to get the most out of the tech.

Rogaczewski hopes the Danish white paper will also offer a blue print for other countries and businesses seeking to simplify compliance with the EU AI Act.

Microsoft’s decision to sign up to the guidelines is of particular note. “Getting Microsoft involved was important since generative AI solutions often involve algorithms and global tech,” said Rogaczewski, adding the tech giant’s involvement underlines how responsible digitization is possibility across borders.

The U.S. tech giant is a major backer of ChatGPT developer OpenA, which secured a $157 billion valuation this year. Microsoft also licenses OpenAI’s technology out to enterprise firms via its Azure cloud computing platform.

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Okta shares pop 18% on earnings beat, strong guidance

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Okta shares pop 18% on earnings beat, strong guidance

File photo of Todd McKinnon, chief executive officer of Okta Inc.

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Shares of Okta popped more than 18% in extended trading Tuesday after the identity management company released third-quarter results that beat analysts’ estimates and offered rosy guidance.

Here’s how the company did:

  • Earnings per share: 67 cents adjusted vs. 58 cents expected by LSEG
  • Revenue: $665 million vs. $650 million expected by LSEG

Okta helps companies manage employees’ access to applications or devices with features such as single sign-on and multifactor authentication. The company swung to profitability, reporting net income of $16 million, or 9 cents per share, during the quarter, compared with a net loss of $81 million, or 49 cents per share, in the same period last year.

Revenue increased 14% from $569 million a year ago, according to a release. The company reported $651 million in subscription revenue for the quarter, beating the $635 million average analyst estimate, according to Street Account.

“Our solid Q3 results were underpinned by continued strong profitability and cash flow,” Okta CEO Todd McKinnon said in a statement. “The focused investments we’ve made in our partner ecosystem, the public sector vertical, and large customers are materializing in our business with each of these areas contributing meaningfully to top-line growth.”

For the fourth quarter, Okta said it expects to report revenue between $667 million and $669 million, topping the $651 million average estimate, according to LSEG. The company expects to report earnings of 73 cents to 74 cents per share for the period, which also exceeded estimates.

Prior to the close, Okta shares were down 10% for the year, while the Nasdaq is up 30% over that stretch.

Okta will host its quarterly call with investors at 5 p.m. ET. 

WATCH: CNBC’s full interview with Okta CEO Todd McKinnon

Watch CNBC's full interview with Okta CEO Todd McKinnon

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Salesforce shares rise after earnings beat on revenue, fourth-quarter guidance

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Salesforce shares rise after earnings beat on revenue, fourth-quarter guidance

Marc Benioff, chief executive officer of Salesforce, speaks during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 18, 2024.

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Salesforce shares were up 9% on Tuesday after the company’s fiscal third-quarter earnings report showed revenue and fiscal fourth-quarter guidance that exceeded analysts’ expectations.

Here’s how the company did compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

  • Earnings per share: $2.41 adjusted vs. $2.44 expected
  • Revenue: $9.44 billion vs. $9.34 billion expected

The company’s revenue grew 8% year over year during the fiscal third quarter, which ended Oct. 31. Its net income was $1.5 billion in the quarter, up 25% from $1.2 billion a year ago.

Salesforce said it is expecting fiscal fourth-quarter sales of between $9.90 billion and $10.10 billion. Analysts were projecting $10.05 billion in fourth-quarter sales.

The company said it expects earnings per share of between $2.57 and $2.62 in the fourth quarter, compared with analysts’ expectations of $2.65.

Salesforce also raised the low end of its revenue guidance, expecting a range of $37.8 billion to $38 billion for its fiscal 2025. That’s up slightly from $37.7 billion to $38 billion previously. The new range puts the midpoint for Salesforce’s fiscal 2025 revenue guidance at $37.9 billion, ahead of analysts’ expectations of $37.86 billion.

“We delivered another quarter of exceptional financial performance across revenue, margin, cash flow, and cRPO,” Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said in a statement. “Agentforce, our complete AI system for enterprises built into the Salesforce Platform, is at the heart of a groundbreaking transformation.”

In a call with analysts, Benioff boasted about Salesforce’s latest artificial intelligence push, including the company’s AI-powered chatbots dubbed Agentforce, which investors are closely monitoring for growth. Salesforce’s Agentforce product is an example of so-called AI agent technology. Several companies have said they believe that these advanced chatbots represent the next logical step from ChatGPT and other related tools powered by large language models.

“We’re delivering these incredible Agentforce capabilities as well,” Benioff said. “This is a bold leap in the future of work, where AI agents let humans unite to transform all of our customer interactions.”

Benioff also revealed that he ruptured his achilles tendon on a recent birthday scuba-diving trip to Fakarava, an atoll in French Polynesia. Benioff expressed disappointment that the hospital that treated him couldn’t schedule his follow-up appointments using AI agents.

“That is the message to our customers, which is how are you going to give some of your people a break, let them get back to their strategic work, let them focus on what really matters,” Benioff said.

The company in August announced that Amy Weaver would step down from her role as chief financial officer but remain in the position until the company appoints a successor, after which she will become an advisor. That same month, activist investor Starboard Value revealed that it boosted its position in Salesforce by roughly 40% in the second quarter following the firm issuing a letter earlier in the year saying that Salesforce was continuing to move “in the right direction” in regard to improving its profit margin.

Starboard Value released a presentation in October in which it noted that Salesforce “can continue to become more efficient and more profitable.”

Watch: Salesforce has been short-term overbought, says Bespoke’s Paul Hickey

Salesforce has been short-term overbought, says Bespoke's Paul Hickey

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Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund loses one of first partners to emeritus role

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Peter Thiel's Founders Fund loses one of first partners to emeritus role

Entrepreneur Brian Singerman (R) and Noelle Moseley arrive at the Tenth Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California, on April 13, 2024. 

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Brian Singerman, one of the earliest employees of Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, said on Tuesday that he’s stepping down as a general partner.

Singerman, who joined the firm 17 years ago and became a partner four years later, wrote in a post on X that he’s moving into the role of partner emeritus and will stay on as an “investor and strategic advisor.” Singerman is best known for supporting the firm’s investments in Elon Musk’s SpaceX and defense-tech companies like Anduril.

In exiting the partner ranks, Singerman leaves Founders Fund with three general partners: Thiel, Napoleon Ta and Trae Stephens.

Thiel helped launch Founders Fund in 2005 and has since turned it into one of the leading venture firms in the country, thanks to early bets on Facebook, SpaceX and Palantir, which he co-founded. Keith Rabois left the firm earlier this year and returned to Khosla Ventures, where he worked before joining Thiel.

“From its inception and still today, FF is the place where talented, unconventional thinkers are encouraged to follow their convictions and make world-changing bets,” Singerman wrote in his post.

It’s been a tough few years for the venture industry, with IPOs virtually drying up in late 2021 due, at the time, to rising inflation and interest rates. There have been signs of life of late, with a few companies indicating plans to go public next year, but the highest-valued private companies have yet to indicate when they’ll test out the market.

Bloomberg reported on Monday that SpaceX is considering a tender offer that would value the rocket company at $350 billion, up from $210 billion earlier this year.

WATCH: SpaceX launches sixth test of Starship rocket

SpaceX launches 6th test of Starship rocket

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