A new study shows that including information about age, gender, and race can produce fairer outcomes.
Q&A with Atari CEO Wade Rosen on the company’s 50th anniversary, making use of its traditional IP, plans to focus on retro gaming hardware, licensing, and more (Dean Takahashi/VentureBeat)
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat: Q&A with Atari CEO Wade Rosen on the company’s 50th anniversary, making use of its traditional IP, plans to focus on retro gaming hardware, licensing, and more — Wade Rosen wants Atari to come back as one of the most valuable gaming brands. After all, there aren’t many 50-year-old game companies.
Sources: around 20 leaders at Clubhouse have left over the past year, including hires from Meta, Google, and others; Clubhouse continues to add “top talent” (Kaya Yurieff/The Information)
Kaya Yurieff / The Information: Sources: around 20 leaders at Clubhouse have left over the past year, including hires from Meta, Google, and others; Clubhouse continues to add “top talent” — Roughly 20 leaders have departed Clubhouse over the past year or so, including many of the notable hires …
Sources: China plans to create an agency to manage the country’s data stores, shifting from multiple ministries, seeking to streamline its regulatory structure (Keith Zhai/Wall Street Journal)
Keith Zhai / Wall Street Journal: Sources: China plans to create an agency to manage the country’s data stores, shifting from multiple ministries, seeking to streamline its regulatory structure — Beijing’s plan to streamline regulatory structure would bring all data-related issues under a single agency
A Privacy Hero’s Final Wish: An Institute to Redirect AI’s Future
Peter Eckersley did groundbreaking work to encrypt the web. After his sudden death, a new organization he founded is carrying out his vision to steer artificial intelligence toward “human flourishing.”
21 Best Vinyl Accessories (2023): Cleaning Gear, Mats, Displays, and More
From record cleaners to slip mats, these extras are for budding enthusiasts and die-hard collectors alike.
6 Best Cordless Vacuums (2023): For Carpet, Hardwood, and Hard-to-Reach Areas
Look Ma, no wires! These stick vacs are the best battery-operated dust suckers.
Scammers are using voice-cloning AI to impersonate family members in distress, sometimes spoofing specific numbers to further the ruse, and victims fall for it (Pranshu Verma/Washington Post)
Pranshu Verma / Washington Post: Scammers are using voice-cloning AI to impersonate family members in distress, sometimes spoofing specific numbers to further the ruse, and victims fall for it — Scammers are using artificial intelligence to sound more like family members in distress. People are falling for it and losing thousands of dollars.
An interview with Ask Jeeves’ co-creator Garrett Gruener, who says his original idea was similar to the chatbots Microsoft and Google are trying to build today (Charlie Warzel/The Atlantic)
Charlie Warzel / The Atlantic: An interview with Ask Jeeves’ co-creator Garrett Gruener, who says his original idea was similar to the chatbots Microsoft and Google are trying to build today — Garrett Gruener, the co-creator of Ask Jeeves, couldn’t beat Google, but he’s feeling just fine about the dawn of the chatbot era.
Sources and docs: Binance and Binance.US have been more intertwined than disclosed, sharing staff, finances, and an affiliated entity to buy and sell crypto (Wall Street Journal)
Wall Street Journal: Sources and docs: Binance and Binance.US have been more intertwined than disclosed, sharing staff, finances, and an affiliated entity to buy and sell crypto — The exchange was intertwined with an American firm portrayed as independent. Now, regulators are circling.
Microsoft uses ChatGPT AI to control flying drones and robot arms
Microsoft has used ChatGPT to create code for robotic arms and quadcopter drones from simple text commands given by humans, but experts warn that putting AI in control of such devices is a risky path
When It Comes to OnlyFans, Humans Can Outcompete AI
When people pay for sexual media, they’re seeking more than an anonymous image. AI cannot replicate the underlying desires that drive sex work.
An analysis of the EU Cyber Resilience Act, which covers every connected device and almost all software, causing open-source developers to worry about its scope (Bert Hubert/Bert Hubert’s writings)
Bert Hubert / Bert Hubert’s writings: An analysis of the EU Cyber Resilience Act, which covers every connected device and almost all software, causing open-source developers to worry about its scope — The EU’s new Cyber Resilience Act is admirable in its goal. And the EU is not alone in thinking something needs to be […]
Meta, Twitter, and Snapchat’s subscription fees and features are aimed at professional creators filling social feeds because regular users post too infrequently (Alex Kantrowitz/Big Technology)
Alex Kantrowitz / Big Technology: Meta, Twitter, and Snapchat’s subscription fees and features are aimed at professional creators filling social feeds because regular users post too infrequently — Monthly fees for Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat are not for ordinary users. They’re for the professionals who’ve taken over the feeds.
A presentation in FTX’s Chapter 11 case shows the exchange has identified assets of ~$2.2B in FTX.com wallets and a ~$9.3B net borrowing by Alameda Research (Nelson Wang/CoinDesk)
Nelson Wang / CoinDesk: A presentation in FTX’s Chapter 11 case shows the exchange has identified assets of ~$2.2B in FTX.com wallets and a ~$9.3B net borrowing by Alameda Research — So far, $2.2 billion in assets have been identified in the wallets of accounts associated with FTX.com, of which only $694 million are in […]
Heating water with computer servers could save UK homes £150 a year
Data centres often waste the heat generated by servers, but UK firm Heata intends to bring servers into people’s homes where the waste energy can be used to heat up people’s hot water for showers
Garmin Vivomove Trend Review: Wireless Charging!
Proprietary chargers suck. With wireless charging, Garmin’s Vivomove Trend is moving in the right direction.
How to Get Your Unruly Toddler to Sleep
You’re tired. They’re tired. Here’s how to get your tiny person to close their eyes.
The LastPass Hack Somehow Gets Worse
Plus: The US Marshals disclose a “major” cybersecurity incident, T-Mobile has gotten pwned so much, and more.
Source: Russia is circumventing sanctions by importing advanced chips through countries such as Turkey and the UAE; shipments from China to Russia have surged (Alberto Nardelli/Bloomberg)
Alberto Nardelli / Bloomberg: Source: Russia is circumventing sanctions by importing advanced chips through countries such as Turkey and the UAE; shipments from China to Russia have surged — Russia looks to be successfully working around European Union and Group of Seven sanctions to secure crucial semiconductors …
Meta is good at making VR hardware but is ignoring its core gamer audience, as it’s not clear the company realizes that games are driving its VR business (Alex Cranz/The Verge)
Alex Cranz / The Verge: Meta is good at making VR hardware but is ignoring its core gamer audience, as it’s not clear the company realizes that games are driving its VR business — Meta seems very committed to making hardware to usher in a whole new world and racing away from the games that […]
Bing Chat appears to have a hidden Celebrity mode, in which the chatbot answers questions while impersonating Biden, Trump, Tom Cruise, and other famous people (Lawrence Abrams/BleepingComputer)
Lawrence Abrams / BleepingComputer: Bing Chat appears to have a hidden Celebrity mode, in which the chatbot answers questions while impersonating Biden, Trump, Tom Cruise, and other famous people — A secret Bing Chat ‘Celebrity’ mode allows users to instruct the AI to impersonate celebrities, answering questions and talking like the person it imitates.
Wooden robot hand can lift objects and withstand high temperatures
Robot grippers made from soft plastics will melt in the heat, but a wooden alternative can do the job just fine
AI masters video game 6000 times faster by reading the instructions
An artificial intelligence has learned to master an Atari skiing game in days of playing time rather than the decades it took a specialist DeepMind AI, simply by reading the instructions written for humans before it started
The US imposes new rules requiring that CHIPS Act beneficiaries agree not to expand manufacturing capacity in “countries of concern”, like China, for 10 years (Demetri Sevastopulo/Financial Times)
Demetri Sevastopulo / Financial Times: The US imposes new rules requiring that CHIPS Act beneficiaries agree not to expand manufacturing capacity in “countries of concern”, like China, for 10 years — Commerce department imposes new rules on beneficiaries of $39bn programme — Chipmakers must agree not to expand capacity …
Q&A with OpenAI’s Sandhini Agarwal, Liam Fedus, Jan Leike, and co-founder John Schulman on training ChatGPT, dealing with virality, fixing problems, and more (Will Douglas Heaven/MIT Technology Review)
Will Douglas Heaven / MIT Technology Review: Q&A with OpenAI’s Sandhini Agarwal, Liam Fedus, Jan Leike, and co-founder John Schulman on training ChatGPT, dealing with virality, fixing problems, and more — Exclusive conversations that take us behind the scenes of a cultural phenomenon. — When OpenAI launched ChatGPT …
Some UK officials and SoftBank staff blame onerous FCA rules, complexity and cost, inflexibility, and political chaos for Arm’s decision to shun London listing (Financial Times)
Financial Times: Some UK officials and SoftBank staff blame onerous FCA rules, complexity and cost, inflexibility, and political chaos for Arm’s decision to shun London listing — Onerous rules said to have influenced rejection of UK float for chip designer in favour of New York
Amazon’s HQ2 Aimed to Show Tech Can Boost Cities. Now It’s on Pause
Arlington, Virginia, won a US-wide contest to host Amazon’s second headquarters. More than half of the giant project is now indefinitely delayed.
Jonathan Majors Is Enjoying His Villain Era
On the precipice of his biggest year yet—with starring roles in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Creed III—Majors is finally at peace.
The 36 Best Movies on Netflix This Week
From Bigbug to Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, here are our picks for the best streaming titles to feast your eyes on.
Silvergate says it’s discontinuing the Silvergate Exchange Network, an instant settlement service that its clients could use to move money to crypto exchanges (CoinDesk)
CoinDesk: Silvergate says it’s discontinuing the Silvergate Exchange Network, an instant settlement service that its clients could use to move money to crypto exchanges — The bank said it would delay its annual filing earlier this week. — Silvergate Bank announced Friday it was suspending its …
Sources: Stable Diffusion creator Stability AI seeks to raise money at around a $4B valuation after raising a $101M seed at a ~$1B valuation in October 2022 (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg: Sources: Stable Diffusion creator Stability AI seeks to raise money at around a $4B valuation after raising a $101M seed at a ~$1B valuation in October 2022 — With artificial intelligence booming, one key player in the fast-growing space is talking to investors about raising more money …
Intel moves to a two-year cadence for data center GPU releases, canceling the Rialto Bridge series and delaying its next release, Falcon Shores, to 2025 (Paul Alcorn/Tom’s Hardware)
Paul Alcorn / Tom’s Hardware: Intel moves to a two-year cadence for data center GPU releases, canceling the Rialto Bridge series and delaying its next release, Falcon Shores, to 2025 — Intel takes its GPU ambitions down a notch. — Image 1 of 2 — Intel’s VP and GM of the super compute group announced […]
Play VR games on a bus by wiggling your fingers as if they were arms
Waving your arms to control your actions in virtual reality can lead to you accidentally punching things in the real world, but now software can help you control your virtual limbs by wiggling your fingers
AI speeds up design of new antibodies that could target breast cancer
An artificial intelligence has designed new versions of trastuzumab, an antibody treatment against breast cancer, in just a few days – existing methods take weeks or months
On social media platforms, more sharing means less caring about accuracy
As a social media user, you can be eager to share content. You can also try to judge whether it is true or not. But for many people it is difficult to prioritize both these things at once. That’s the conclusion of a new experiment led by MIT scholars, which finds that even considering whether […]
QuARC 2023 explores the leading edge in quantum information and science
The second QSEC Annual Research Conference (QuARC) brought together MIT student and postdoctoral researchers, staff, faculty, and industry partners for a two-day exploration of the leading edge in quantum information science and engineering. Held on Jan. 23 and 24 at the Omni Mount Washington Resort in New Hampshire, QuARC featured keynote addresses from prominent thinkers […]
MIT Press announces inaugural recipients of the Grant Program for Diverse Voices
The MIT Press has announced the first recipients of the Grant Program for Diverse Voices. Launched in 2021 to expand funding for authors whose experience and knowledge of diverse communities informs books that meet the highest standards of peer-reviewed scholarship, the initiative provides support for the research and writing of new works. “The MIT Press […]
An Outcomes-Focused Approach to Mental Health Care
Five considerations for mental-health-care providers, insurers, and employers.
5 Ways Leaders Can Support Adoptive Parents
How employers do — or don’t — step up can have a major impact on employees and their families.
How to Become More Adaptable in Challenging Situations
We often fall back on old habits when facing tough problems. But that’s when we need new approaches the most.
Welcome to the Museum of the Future AI Apocalypse
The new Misalignment Museum in San Francisco is a memorial to an imagined future in which artificial general intelligence kills most of humanity.
As Kenya’s Crops Fail, a Fight Over GMOs Rages
Faced with extreme drought, Kenya’s president approved a controversial new crop for farmers. Then the legal backlash began.
The Sketchy Plan to Build a Russian Android Phone
Amid isolating sanctions, a Russian tech giant plans to launch new Android phones and tablets. But experts are skeptical the company can pull it off.
Q&A with former NYT photo editor Fred Ritchin on AI destroying the credibility of the photo, ensuring readers understand if an image is manipulated, and more (Amanda Darrach/Columbia Journalism Review)
Amanda Darrach / Columbia Journalism Review: Q&A with former NYT photo editor Fred Ritchin on AI destroying the credibility of the photo, ensuring readers understand if an image is manipulated, and more — b — In recent years, artificial intelligence engineers have used millions of real photographs—taken by journalists all over the world …
Sources: Foxconn plans to invest ~$700M on a new plant to make iPhone parts on a 300-acre site in Bengaluru, India; the plant is expected to create 100K jobs (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg: Sources: Foxconn plans to invest ~$700M on a new plant to make iPhone parts on a 300-acre site in Bengaluru, India; the plant is expected to create 100K jobs — Apple Inc. partner Foxconn Technology Group plans to invest about $700 million on a new plant in India to ramp up local production …
Shef, a chef-to-consumer marketplace, raised a $73.5M Series B in June 2022, including $7M in debt, led by CRV with participation from a16z and Amex Ventures (Christine Hall/TechCrunch)
Christine Hall / TechCrunch: Shef, a chef-to-consumer marketplace, raised a $73.5M Series B in June 2022, including $7M in debt, led by CRV with participation from a16z and Amex Ventures — In its quest to turn the culinary talents of passionate home cooks into small businesses, Shef, a chef-to-consumer marketplace, is now taking those efforts […]
ChatGPT can be made to write scam emails and it slashes their cost
The impressive capabilities of ChatGPT can be turned to cybercrimes like phishing despite safety precautions taken by OpenAI to prevent misuse, warn researchers
Robot armies duke it out in Battlecode’s epic on-screen battles
In a packed room in MIT’s Stata Center, hundreds of digital robots collide across a giant screen projected at the front of the room. A crowd of students in the audience gasps and cheers as the battle’s outcome hangs in the balance. In an upper corner of the screen, the people who have programmed the […]
16 Best Deals on Home Office Gear: Portable Monitors, Desks, Power Strips
Score discounts on our favorite stuff for working from home, from computer monitors to standing desks.