List of All Articles with Tag 'tec'

By Raphael Satter ARLINGTON, Virginia Private spy firm Black Cube was behind a hidden video campaign that used

Humane has launched its AI Pin, one of the world’s most hyped tech products, and it has immediately made a public mistake. The AI Pin has been the subject of speculation promoted by Humane, a company that has remained somewhat mysterious and includes designers and executives who have worked at Apple and Microsoft. The system is intended to be attached to clothing and then makes use of a range of microphones, speakers and a display that can shine onto its owners hand to give information. That information is provided by artificial intelligence systems built on technology from ChatGPT creator OpenAI and Microsoft. The pin costs $699 and will be available later this year. It has been promoted by its president Imran Chaudhri as a response to both the prevalence of phones and the future of mixed-reality headsets, instead aiming to allow people to engage with the world around them. One of the features intended to do that is access to artificial intelligence systems that can be used to get answers to questions. Users can just press the AI Pin and speak into the air, which will then allow the computer to access the internet and show an answer. During its reveal event, executives showed the pin being used to answer one such question. “I can also use it to ask questions, like: when is the next eclipse, and where is the best place to see it?”, representatives said, explaining that it would be answered by “an AI browsing the web, or grabbing knowledge from all over the internet”. The AI Pin is then showed answering by saying that the best place to view the next total solar eclipse, in April 2024, would be Exmouth in Australia or East Timor. But next year’s solar eclipse will in fact be visible in North America, and in fact has been given the name “the Great North American Eclipse”. It will not be at all visible in Australia, and can only be seen in Mexico, the US and Canada. The system may have made the mistake because a total solar eclipse earlier this year was in fact best viewed from Exmouth and East Timor. That eclipse, in April, brought widespread coverage to the small Australian town – and that coverage was presumably used to train the artificial intelligence system that answered the question. Humane did not say which assistant was being used for that answer. The AI Pin is built specifically to call on a number of different assistants depending on what question is asked. The error recalls a similar error made by Google’s Bard chatbot when it was introduced at the beginning of the year. An ad showed Bard being asked about interesting discoveries by Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope, and replying that it had taken “the very first pictures of a planet outside of our own solar system” – which is not true. At the time, many noted that the error highlighted a central error with large language models. The systems tend to “hallucinate” – or confidently state falsehoods – and have no real way of being able to check whether the information they are given is true. Read More You can finally use one feature of the Apple Vision Pro headset – sort of ChatGPT creator mocks Elon Musk in brutal tweet Call of Duty launch sparks record traffic on broadband networks

A new iPhone update brings the first look at one of the key features of Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro headset. iOS 17.2, which is available to developers in an early version now, and is likely to be released later this year for everyone, brings support for spatial video on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. That will allow people to make videos with depth, that can then be viewed later on the augmented reality headset. Those spatial photos and videos were a key part of Apple’s introduction of the Vision Pro earlier this year. Taking a video is done in much the same way as any other video: users choose spatial video, and will be told that they need to turn the video to be landscape, as well as given warnings about potential low light or being too close to the subject. They can then make the video as normal. The videos will also appear as normal on the iPhone itself. Users can watch them in their Photos app, but there is no preview of the three-dimensional aspect, which must be seen on the headset. Apple announced that spatial video would be available in the new iPhones when they were unveiled in September. Until that point, only the Vision Pro had been announced as a way of taking the videos – leading to fears and some mockery that people would have to be wearing the augmented reality headset during important moments they wanted to capture. The new features are in the second beta of iOS 17.2 to be released to developers. It is likely to come to the public in December. iOS 17.2 also brings the journal app, which was first announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June but did not arrive in the full version of iOS 17. It also adds new widgets, Apple Music features including collaborative playlists, more Memoji options and improvements to the security of iMessage. The iPhone 15 Pro also gets another exclusive feature in that update. When it arrives, it will add a new option for the action button on the side, to allow it to open up translate, in addition to the current options that include the camera and torch. Read More Setback for Ireland as EU legal adviser recommends revisit of Apple tax case Apple just released an iPhone update you should download right now Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak rushed to hospital in Mexico after ‘possible stroke’

Sam Altman, the head of ChatGPT creators OpenAI, has mocked Elon Musk’s entry into the artificial intelligence market. This week, Mr Musk’s xAI company unveiled Grok, another chat-based AI system along the lines of ChatGPT. He claimed that the app was written to be irreverent and funny, and to avoid what he suggested was censorship on other platforms such as ChatGPT. But the creator of that rival hit back at Grok in a tweet that suggested grok “tell[s] jokes like your dad’s dad” and that it traded in “cringey boomer humour”. The system works in a “sort of awkward shock-to-get-laughs sort of way”, he said. Mr Altman’s post showed him programming a system of his own, using a new OpenAI feature, and showed a screen grab of the instructions he had given to the system. He joked that “GPTs can save a lot of effort” in reference to a new feature, named GPTs, which allows people to creat their own versions of his chatbot that include specific and custom characteristics. Mr Musk responded with what appeared to be a quote from his own Grok AI. That response joked that “humour is clearly banned at OpenAI”. The marketing of Mr Musk’s Grok has revolved primarily around the fact that it will answer questions that other systems will refuse, and its tone is more irreverent than rival systems such as ChatGPT and Google’s Bard. When it was launched, for instance, he shared an example of how it will answer “almost anything”, sharing a screenshot of it being asked how to make cocaine. “Grok is designed to answer questions with a bit of wit and has a rebellious streak,” a blog post announcing its launch noted. “Please don’t use it if you hate humour!” Grok is also different from those systems in that it has real-time access to posts and data from Twitter. Other AI firms were using that site to train their models, but Mr Musk has looked to cut them off, arguing that it is causing too much demand on the site. Read More ChatGPT goes offline ChatGPT update allows anyone to make their own personalised AI assistant How Elon Musk’s ‘spicy’ Grok compares to ‘woke’ ChatGPT

Google Earth has brought attention to some of the weirdest things we’ve ever seen on the internet – and that’s really saying something. But at times, it really helps to shine a light on truly awe inspiring places that most people would otherwise never even hear about. That’s certainly the case with Vostok island, which people on the internet have been focusing on recently. The uninhabited island is found in the Pacific Ocean and it’s become the subject of much speculation over recent times. But why are people suddenly obsessed with this random island in the middle of nowhere? Well, it’s because the way it’s presented on Google Earth, it looks like the island is “hollow”. Taking an initial look on there, it does look like the island could contain a deep lake or another unusual landform. However, it’s pretty common for areas to be blocked out on Google Earth for a number of reasons. Sometimes, the site just doesn’t have access to different places, or people have requested places to be removed. In the years since it first appeared on Google Earth, there have been all kinds of conspiracies surrounding the Island. Over more recent times, though, it’s become more and more clear that there’s nothing that mysterious about Vostok – and no, it’s not hollow. In fact, it’s part of the Republic of Kiribati, and it’s a remote haven for nature lovers. It’s still a relatively obscure island, given its location, but one National Geographic video does show a diver discussing the idyllic conditions among the island’s coral reefs. Strange things do, though, continue to fascinate people on Google Earth. From mysterious "pyramids” in Antarctica to a "UFO" near the home of Harry and Meghan, there's plenty for conspiracy theorists to get excited about. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel 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

(In Nov 8 item, corrects headline, first bullet point and story to refer to "registration" not "approval" or "certification" after

UK broadband providers have reported record levels of broadband network traffic sparked by the release of the latest Call of Duty video game. BT and EE, as well as Virgin Media O2, confirmed they saw major spikes on their networks after the game became available to download on Wednesday, ahead of its release on Friday. Virgin Media O2 said that Wednesday saw a new record for traffic on its broadband network, 22% higher than the previous record, which was set only a week ago with the return of the original map to popular battle royale game Fortnite. The internet provider said the large size of the new Call of Duty’s game file played a part of driving the traffic spike. Paul Kells, the provider’s network strategy and engineering director, said: “It has been an exciting couple of weeks for gamers, with the return of Fortnite’s original map and the much-anticipated arrival of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. “Both of these events have seen gamers getting online in their droves, with our customers setting two network records in less than a week. We are proud to make these moments possible with our gigabit network, backed up by our market leading wifi guarantee.” EE and BT also reported a similar spike, saying the video game launch led to the second highest overall peak in EE and BT home broadband history – behind only a night in February this year when multiple high-profile football matches were being streamed online and an update to Call of Duty’s popular battle royale spin-off Warzone was also being rolled out. The firm said the spike was the biggest single game contribution to a broadband peak it had ever seen. Sam Kemp, EE’s director of gaming, said: “As part of our mission to be the UK’s number one destination for gaming, we offer a full fibre network experience that features in-home wifi management services including Game Mode, that are built for gamers and which come into their own during AAA gaming calendar moments. “They don’t come much bigger than the latest Call of Duty drop, and as the official partner of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, we’ve seen unprecedented traffic across our network, however EE customers can be rest assured that they will be supported by the fastest speeds and most reliable network to get the best possible COD experience.” Read More Crypto investment fraud warning issued by major bank Council investigating extent of cyber attack that affected website and systems Setback for Ireland as EU legal adviser recommends revisit of Apple tax case

German lawmakers approved legislation to boost investment in the nation’s power and natural gas grids, a move that

By Harry Robertson and Yoruk Bahceli LONDON Global regulators and bond traders were on Friday trying to gauge

MUMBAI The Reserve Bank of India has sought an explanation from financial technology and data provider LSEG about

An ancient egg-laying mammal named after Sir David Attenborough that was thought to be extinct is actually alive and well, scientists have proved. Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna, which is thought to have been around since the dinosaur era, was caught on camera by an Oxford University expedition to Indonesia. The spiky, furry, beaked creature has been described as a “living fossil” because of how long it has been walking the Earth, about 200m years. Until the video, scientists had relied on a dead, decades-old museum specimen of the creature, as evidence that it was still around. Dr James Kempton, who led the expedition, said: “I was euphoric, the whole team was euphoric.” “I’m not joking when I say it came down to the very last SD card that we looked at, from the very last camera that we collected, on the very last day of our expedition.” Dr Kempton said he had been in touch with Attenborough about the rediscovery, and that the broadcaster was “absolutely delighted”. The expedition also discovered new species of insects and frogs on the trip, which took them through previously unexplored stretches of the Cyclops Mountains, a steep, high-altitude area of Papau, Indonesia. Scientists were twice affected by earthquakes over the course of their expedition, and had to climb narrow ridges with cliffs either side, often in heavy rain. Dr Kempton added: “You're slipping all over the place. You're being scratched and cut. There are venomous animals around you, deadly snakes like the death adder. “There are leeches literally everywhere. The leeches are not only on the floor, but these leeches climb trees, they hang off the trees and then drop on you to suck your blood.” He said he hopes the rediscovery will help promote conservation efforts in the Cyclops Mountains. The species is not currently protected in Indonesia, and scientists don’t know how many there are. “Given so much of that rainforest hasn't been explored, what else is out there that we haven't yet discovered? The Attenborough long-beaked echidna is a symbol of what we need to protect - to ensure we can discover it.” How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter 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.

Hi, it’s Lisa, your Pursuits correspondent in Dubai. A year ago, people here were looking at home prices