The European Union rolled out its mammoth data privacy regulation five years ago this week, and has since handed...

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The iPhone 15 could bring major changes to the battery life and charging speed of Apple’s handsets, according to new reports. The new phones could be charged at up to 35W speeds, according to a report from 9to5mac. That would allow the device to charge far more rapidly than its predecessors: the iPhone 14 Pro is limited to 27W, while the normal iPhone 14 is capped at 20W. Multiple rumours have suggested that Apple will be swapping the charging port in the bottom of the phone from the existing Lightning cable to USB-C, at least in some models. That could allow for the additional charging speeds. But that might also mean that the Pro and non-Pro versions of the upcoming device could charge at different speeds. Some rumours have suggested that all the new Apple devices will have the new port, but that some of its capabilities will be restricted to the more expensive Pro models, since they will have Thunderbolt built in. The charging might also require certified cables, rather than any USB-C wire. While the ports on the end of all USB-C cables are the same, the technology inside both the plugs and the wires themselves can be vastly different. The new charging rumours come after a run of reports suggesting that the iPhone 15 could come with increased battery capacity, too. Rumours have suggested that the devices could come with up to 18 per cent larger batteries. Alongside those changes, Apple is said to be preparing to bring a new hardware button to the side of the iPhone, improved cameras, and better chips – but, again, only for those premium, Pro models. Apple is widely expected to reveal the new phones in the second week of September, with them going on sale a week and a half later. As usual, it will probably do so from a livestreamed event hosted at its California campus. Around the same time, Apple will also make its upcoming iOS 17 update available, which comes with a wide array of new updates and a potentially controversial new change to the button used to put down the phone. Apple’s iPhone batteries have been the subject of a number of critical stories in recent weeks. Some have suggested that the most recent iPhone 14 Pro models are losing their battery capacity more quickly than predecessors, and the company is sending out payments to customers affected by Apple’s “batterygate” controversy. Read More iPhone owners to receive payouts from Apple iPhone 15: Global smartphone demand collapses as Apple aims to take top spot Something unexpected is happening to people’s iPhone 14s, owners claim

We could shoot lasers at the lunar soil to help us live on the Moon, scientists have proposed. By melting the lunar soil into a more solid, layered substance, we might be able to build paved roads and landing pads on the Moon’s surface, a new study suggests. Many space agencies including Nasa have plans to establish semi-permanent bases on the Moon, which would both allow us to better study it but also serve as a stop off on the way to Mars and elsewhere in the solar system. The Moon’s surface is a tough place t land and live, however. The dust of the soil tends to get kicked up by landers – and the low gravity means that it floats around after it is disturbed, potentially finding its way into equipment. As such, future Moon colonies may require robust roads and landing pads to allow for us to travel both to and around the Moon. But it is unlikely we would be able to transport materials to build them, given the cost of doing so, leading scientists to look at what is available there already. In the new study, scientists examined whether lunar soil could be turned into something more substantial by using lasers. And they had some success, finding that lunar dust can be melted down into a solid substance. They used a variety of different sized and types of lasers to see what they would produce. The best used a 45 millimetre diameter laser beam to make hollow triangular shapes that were about 250 millimetres in size. Those pieces could be locked together to create solid surfaces that could be placed across the Moon’s surface, they suggest, and then used as roads and landing pads. On the Moon, the same approach would require a lens of around 2.37 metres squared, which would have to be transported from Earth. That could then be used to concentrate sunlight, rather than using a laser, and so allow the material to be created with relatively small equipment. The plan is reported in a new journal article, ‘Laser melting manufacturing of large elements of lunar regolith simulant for paving on the Moon’, published in Scientific Reports. Read More Nasa opens up pieces of a distant asteroid transported back to Earth Earth hit by a huge solar storm that would devastate civilisation, trees show Incels using TikTok to spread ‘hateful beliefs’, research suggests

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is developing at a faster pace than laws can be drafted in response, an academic has warned. Although the technology has been around in some form for some time, the rate at which it is changing and improving is the new, key challenge, senators and TDs were told. The Oireachtas Enterprise Committee heard that AI can offer “profound opportunities” to help people, but can also be used to reduce white-collar employees’ salaries and even prompt diplomatic incidents. Professor of AI at Trinity College Dublin Gregory O’Hare cited cases including technology beating a world chess champion in 1997, as well as fake AI-generated images of Donald Trump being arrested and the Pope wearing a designer puffer jacket, as he outlined landmark moments in the development of the “disruptive technology”. He said there have been many previous “false dawns and unrealised promises” about the technology’s potential, and that ChatGPT has gathered 100 million users in two months and is the fastest-growing technology in history. He said white-collar professions like the law, academia, marketing, architecture, engineering, journalism and the creative industries will all be “profoundly affected”, and cited a recent study which estimated that two-thirds of all US occupations will be affected by AI. “In terms of the point around wages, I think there is certainly an opportunity for employers to reduce salaries,” he said. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) argued that unions should be involved at an early stage in any initiatives looking to address concerns around AI. Dr Laura Bambrick, of the ICTU, said the EU AI Act is not suitable to regulate AI and is “more than disappointing” from workers’ point of view, stating that the amendments tabled offer some comfort but “don’t go far enough”. “It only requires software providers to self-assess their own technology between low- and high-risk before putting it on the market, and did not include any rules on the use of AI in the workplace,” she said. The velocity of AI technology is, alas, fast exceeding the rate at which the law around AI can be framed Professor Gregory O'Hare, Trinity College Dubin Prof O’Hare said he believes the current legislative framework proposed to regulate AI is not “in a position to be able to respond with the speed that we need”. He added: “The velocity of AI technology is, alas, fast exceeding the rate at which the law around AI can be framed.” Cork East TD David Stanton said that statement is “quite scary”, and “science fiction is actually becoming science fact”. He suggested the topic is so serious and developing at such a pace that it could warrant setting up a dedicated Oireachtas committee to discuss it. During the session, committee chairman Maurice Quinlivan said he used ChatGPT to double-check that the three guests had not used ChatGPT to write their opening statements, with one TD remarking he was “using AI to check for AI”. Prof O’Hare said it is difficult to assess how AI comes to a particular conclusion, even for experts. “Not only is there typically not a set of algorithmic steps that one, even with a trained eye, could scrutinise, AI, and in particular deep AI, does not have an algorithmic basis. “So, even were it to be the case that someone like myself, a professor of artificial intelligence, were I to look at a particular AI application that was using deep learning, I would have great difficulty in being able to establish, on the surface, how it actually arrived at its deduction and its recommendation or conclusion.” It knows no political boundaries, it knows no geographic boundaries, no socio-economic boundaries. This is something that demands potentially a global position Professor Gregory O'Hare, Trinity College Dublin He added that, while it is crucial to engage with all stakeholders involved, it will take “some considerable time”, and the rate at which AI is developing “does not afford us that level of time”. Responding to the suggestion that the use of AI should be slowed down or halted to allow for consultation, he said: “We’re talking about something that knows no boundaries.” “It knows no political boundaries, it knows no geographic boundaries, no socio-economic boundaries. This is something that demands potentially a global position. So Ireland needs to find a way and a voice into that global discussion.” Ronan Lupton SC, of the Bar Council of Ireland, said that although AI has been around for some time, “where we’re moving to now, at the moment, is a sphere in an environment of extreme pace”, which is the “key challenge”. He said AI could help people with speech disabilities to communicate, but also warned of the dangers of misinformation. He said that newsrooms, instead of sending a draft article to a solicitor to check for defamation or other legal issues, are now using artificial intelligence technologies instead, which he said is “an interesting development”. Prof O’Hare agreed with the potential of AI to help people with disabilities and said it is “very important that we do not throw the baby out with the bathwater”. “This technology has profound opportunities, absolutely profound opportunities.” But he suggested that, because the technology has been put out “into the wild”, it could be used for “sinister” means which could have financial or political implications, such as boundary incursions – and even wars. “The question is will it always be used for good purpose, or is there a significant chance that it will be used for Machiavellian purposes?” he said. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Facebook Marketplace is most complained-about online retail platforms UKRI announces £50 million to develop trustworthy and secure AI ‘Last Beatles record’ was created using AI, says Paul McCartney

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Ordering supermarket groceries via a delivery app such as Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats could cost twice the price of buying directly from the same store, according to Which? Meanwhile, Amazon is charging up to 45% more for Morrisons products than if they were bought from the supermarket’s own website, the consumer group found. Which? acknowledged that ordering groceries from Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats is “undeniably convenient” and could be received in as little as 30 minutes, but warned it found “shocking” price differences across a range of products in its snapshot investigation. It compared the price of a basket of 15 popular grocery items at five major supermarkets against the cost of ordering the same basket from the same supermarket to the same postcode via a delivery app, not including delivery fees. Almost all of the items were either more expensive on the delivery apps or the same price. Ordering groceries from Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats is undeniably appealing but the cost of this convenience could be double what you'd pay if you cut out the middleman Ele Clark, Which? Which? also found that customers would pay on average 8% more for Morrisons groceries via Amazon than by ordering directly from the supermarket. In one case, a 250g pack of Country Life unsalted butter cost 45% more on Amazon. The rapid delivery apps also charged a premium of as much as 106% in one instance. The Which? basket, which included branded goods such as Doritos crisps alongside own-label milk and ready meals, would have cost £36.63 from Iceland, but getting the same items delivered from the same Iceland store by Just Eat would have cost £50.50, not including delivery fees – a 38% premium. In some individual price differences, own-brand Fairtrade bananas cost 85p at Sainsbury’s and £1.75 on the three apps, Warburtons Toastie Thick Sliced White Bread cost £1 on Iceland’s website but £2 on Just Eat and Uber Eats, while Hovis Best of Both Medium Bread cost £1.19 on the Morrisons website but £2.05 from Uber Eats. Other examples included Asda own-brand Pinot Grigio costing £7 on the supermarket’s website and £9.10 on all three apps. Which? retail spokeswoman Ele Clark said: “Ordering groceries from Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats is undeniably appealing but the cost of this convenience could be double what you’d pay if you cut out the middleman. “As well as the extra cost on your groceries, you’ll probably have a delivery fee too, so it’s worth weighing this up before ordering anything to your door.” Customers who choose to order groceries via apps like ours do so because of the convenience, speed and choice on offer from rapid delivery Uber Eats A Deliveroo spokeswoman said: “The prices for grocery items available on the Deliveroo platform are set by our grocery partners. “Deliveroo always seeks to deliver great choice, availability and value for money to our customers, and we have agreed price-matching with our grocery partners including Morrisons, Co-op, Asda and more across hundreds of items.” An Uber Eats spokeswoman said: “Everyone who partners with Uber Eats sets their own prices and we always encourage them to match the prices offered in-store. “Customers who choose to order groceries via apps like ours do so because of the convenience, speed and choice on offer from rapid delivery.” A Just Eat spokeswoman said: “At Just Eat, we want all of our customers to have a positive experience when ordering from our platform. We work with more than 75,000 partners across the UK, giving our millions of customers access to choice and convenience through a variety of local takeaway options, restaurant brands and grocery stores. “As independent businesses, any restaurant or grocer using Just Eat are in control of their menus and set the prices they charge. We continue to work closely with our partners to bring value to our customers.” Amazon said that all prices of products sold through the ‘Morrisons on Amazon’ service were set by Morrisons, and added that being able to shop for Morrisons groceries on Amazon offered customers fast delivery options and value. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Therapist develops secret app to help abuse victims Artificial intelligence warning over human extinction labelled ‘publicity stunt’ ‘I feel lost’ – AI pioneer speaks out as experts warn it could wipe out humanity