Google is set to unveil its latest artificial intelligence offerings at its annual developers conference on Wednesday, alongside new products ranging from Pixel phones to the Android 14 operating system. Google I/O 2023 will offer Alphabet the chance to show what its massive investments into AI have delivered, as it seeks to take on OpenAI’s hugely popular ChatGPT chatbot. Integration of its Bard AI in to its Maps, Gmail and search is expected, while various leaks have hinted that the company will also launch a large language model (LLM) called PaLM 2, capable of operating in more than 100 languages. This AI tool is rumoured to be able to pass exams in everything from computer coding and mathematics, to creative writing and critical thinking. A live stream of the keynote will be available when it begins at 10am local time (6pm BST), which you can watch right here. Until then, you can follow all the latest news, updates and analysis in our build-up coverage below.

What’s the fastest way to share a Wi-Fi password with visiting friends and family? You

President Joe Biden will announce a $60 million investment from Enphase Energy Inc., a manufacturer of solar-energy equipment,

The Supreme Court's landmark decision to bar colleges and universities from considering race as a specific basis for admission will make it more difficult for schools to achieve a diverse student population, civil rights leaders and education advocates say.

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 19, 2023--

Scientists have been peering into the depths of space, looking right back at the early days of the universe, and they’ve found something very interesting indeed. Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope have come across a discovery that indicates some of the very earliest stars to ever form in the universe were staggering in scale, measuring 10,000 times bigger than the Sun. "Today, thanks to the data collected by the James-Webb Space Telescope, we believe we have found a first clue of the presence of these extraordinary stars," says astrophysicist Corinne Charbonnel of the University of Geneva in Switzerland, in research published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. These features are huge collections of between 100,000 and 1 million stars known as globular clusters, which all feature similar properties. Scientists estimate that they were all formed at the same time. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter They’re remnants of the ancient universe and have been described by researchers as "fossils". The cores of these stars are much hotter than those we see in stars today, and scientists suggest it could be down to an excess of hydrogen burning at high temperatures. It’s thought that smaller stars collided with the supermassive stars and relished their energy. However, now most of these global clusters are approaching the very end of their life spans. "Globular clusters are between 10 and 13 billion years old, whereas the maximum lifespan of superstars is two million years," said Mark Gieles, previously at the University of Surrey but now at the University of Barcelona, back in 2018. "They therefore disappeared very early from the clusters that are currently observable. Only indirect traces remain." The researcher states: "If the supermassive star scenario can be firmed up by future studies, this would provide an important step for our understanding of globular clusters and for the formation of supermassive stars in general, with numerous important implications.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

By Stephen Nellis CUPERTINO, California Apple on Tuesday unveiled a new iPhone 15 Pro with a titanium case

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 19, 2023--

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max could be easily its most expensive ever, according to numerous reports. A number of analysts have suggested that Apple could push the price of the more expensive phones up by $200, partly as a response to inflation but also because of a new strategy. Rumours have suggested that Apple is looking to offer new options at the very expensive end of its line-up, in an attempt to encourage growth of its profits. Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, appeared to confirmed that strategy during an earnings call earlier this year in which he said that he thought “people are willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category”. Apple has already seemingly attempted that strategy with the Apple Watch Ultra, a new and more expensive version of the wearable, which was released last year. It was a marked change from previous releases, which have seen Apple offer cheaper “SE” versions of the Watch and iPhone, as well as much smaller handsets. Various reports have suggested that Apple is planning to do the same with its iPhone line-up. That could eventually bring an “Ultra” version of the iPhone, reports have suggested, presumably with premium features and other changes intended to encourage customers to buy it. This time around, however, Apple will offer the same line-up as it did with the iPhone 14: a smaller and larger version of both the normal iPhone 15 and the premium iPhone 15 Pro. The larger version of the latter – the iPhone 15 Pro Max – will be the most expensive. This year, the iPhone 15 Pro Max could have even more features that set it apart from the rest of the line-up. Rumours have indicated that Apple is adding a “periscope lens” to the larger phone, which would allow it to offer more zoom without taking up more space. Numerous analysts and reports have suggested that those changes could bring additional cost to the price of the iPhone. The iPhone 14 Pro Max currently costs $1,099 and the new model could be $200 more than that, analysts have indicated. The changes are also set to raise the average selling price of an iPhone, according to a new report from analyst Dan Ives at Wedbush and reported by 9to5mac. It would take the average selling price to $900-$925, he suggested. Apple will reveal the new iPhones – and their price – at an event on Tuesday, 12 September. They are expected to go on sale the following week. The base iPhone 15 is expected to largely be brought in line with the current iPhone 14 Pro, borrowing its chip and the “Dynamic Island” at the top of the display. The iPhone 15 Pro is expected to get a new, more powerful chip, thinner bezels around the display, and an “action button” on the side of the phone. Apple is also expected to move the port at the bottom of of all the new phones from the current Lightning to USB-C. Read More Could China be about to take a big bite out of Apple’s iPhone business? Update your iPhone immediately Apple is dropping leather from iPhone cases and Watch bands, report claims

Yes, the world's most popular messaging app, Meta's WhatsApp, was having serious issues on Wednesday.

MUNICH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 5, 2023--

As net zero pledges proliferate, they’re often directly undermined by the lobbying activities of the companies making them,