WASHINGTON/BOSTON One of two current members of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission raised questions on Thursday for companies like Snap Inc that offer shareholders unequal voting rights, saying the agency should "focus on how some innovations may prove detrimental to investors."

Amazon.com Inc has launched a new programme to help students build capabilities into its voice-controlled assistant Alexa, the company told Reuters, the latest move by a technology firm to nurture ideas and talent in artificial intelligence research. The e-commerce company said it is paying for a year-long doctoral fellowship at four universities for an undisclosed sum. Working with professors, the Alexa Fund Fellows will help students tackle complex technology problems in class on Alexa, like how to convert text to speech or process conversation. Amazon, Alphabet Inc's Google and others are locked in a race to develop and monetize artificial intelligence. Unlike some rivals, Amazon has made it easy for third-party developers to create skills for Alexa so it can get better faster - a tactic it now is extending to the classroom.

LOS ANGELES As shares of California-based Snap Inc began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, two dozen residents of the company's adopted home of Venice Beach protested outside its offices, accusing the growing tech company of spoiling their seaside community.

Amazon.com has launched a new program to help students build capabilities into its voice-controlled assistant Alexa, the company told Reuters, the latest move by a technology firm to nurture ideas and talent in artificial intelligence research. The e-commerce company said it is paying for a year-long doctoral fellowship at four universities for an undisclosed sum. Working with professors, the Alexa Fund Fellows will help students tackle complex technology problems in class on Alexa, like how to convert text to speech or process conversation. Amazon (amzn), Alphabet Inc's Google (goog) and others are locked in a race to develop and monetize artificial intelligence. Unlike some rivals, Amazon has made it easy for third-party developers to create skills for Alexa so it can get better faster--a tactic it now is extending to the classroom.