Technology

Zuckerberg: Meta Has Team Building “AI Personas”

The Verge reports: Meta now has a team dedicated to building tools powered by artificial intelligence, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in a post on Monday. This could eventually include “AI personas” designed to help people in “various ways” in addition to new AI tools across its apps and services. More specifically, Zuckerberg says the company is working on AI “experiences” …

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Apple Watches Face Import Ban In Patent Dispute

The Hill reports: President Biden has upheld an International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling that could result in an import ban on the Apple Watch, according to AliveCor, a medical device company that has accused Apple of patent infringement. The California startup said it was informed of Biden’s decision by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on Tuesday. It’s …

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Robot Dogs Dance In Pre-Game Super Bowl Show

Newsweek reports: Viewers were left “creeped out” by Jason Derulo’s robotic backup dancers during a pre-Super Bowl performance. Derulo performed at the NFL’s TikTok Tailgate event to get fans excited for Super Bowl LVII, but one aspect of his performance didn’t have the desired effect. Derulo was joined on stage by a number of human backup dancers, who in turn, …

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SEC Investigates Musk For False Self-Driving Claims

Bloomberg News reports: US regulators are investigating Elon Musk’s role in shaping Tesla Inc.’s self-driving car claims, the latest effort by watchdogs to scrutinize the actions of the world’s second-richest person. The review is part of an ongoing Securities and Exchange Commission probe of the company’s statements about its Autopilot driver-assistance system. He personally directed the creation of a 2016 …

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Robotics Outfit Displays Future Construction Workers

The Verge reports: Is Boston Dynamics slowly preparing to put its bipedal robots to work? In a glossy new video, the company has shown off its prototype Atlas robot tossing planks and tool bags around in a fake construction site. It’s a notable change in messaging from the Hyundai-owned company, which has never previously emphasized how its bipedal machines could …

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Tesla’s Self-Driving Mode Blamed For 8-Car Crash

ABC News reports: A driver told authorities that their Tesla’s “full-self-driving” software braked unexpectedly and triggered an eight-car pileup in the San Francisco Bay Area last month that led to nine people being treated for minor injuries including one juvenile who was hospitalized, according to a California Highway Patrol traffic crash report. CNN Business obtained the report detailing the crash …

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Walmart: Drone Deliveries Now Available To Millions

Via press release from Walmart: As of Dec. 15, 2022, Walmart drone delivery is available in select markets in Texas, Arizona and Florida. Many customers in the Tampa, Orlando, Phoenix and Dallas areas can take advantage of same-day delivery via drone. We continue to expand our delivery operations to help customers get the items they need when they need them, …

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On The Rise Of Drone “Skyvertising” Over US Cities

Axios reports: Increasingly sophisticated drone show technology — which enables massive swarms of tiny lit-up drones to fly in sync with one another displaying well-known logos, characters and so on — is pushing “skyvertising” to new heights. The company behind popular mobile game Candy Crush recently launched 500 drones from New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from downtown Manhattan, …

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MD Gov Bans TikTok For State Employees And Agencies

Baltimore’s NBC affiliate reports: Gov. Larry Hogan issued an emergency cybersecurity directive to prohibit the use of certain Chinese and Russian-influenced products and platforms, including the popular social media site TikTok. According to a release, it states that these entities present an unacceptable level of cybersecurity risk to the state, and may be involved in activities such as cyber-espionage, surveillance …

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Two Women Sue Apple Over “Stalking Via AirTags”

Bloomberg News reports: Apple Inc. was sued by two women who say its AirTag devices make it easy for stalkers to track and terrorize victims. An ex-boyfriend of one of the women who filed the lawsuit planted an AirTag in the wheel well of her car and was able to find out where she had moved to avoid his harassment, …

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Musk Company To Test Computing Brain Implants

Bloomberg News reports: Elon Musk’s Neuralink Corp. aims to start putting its coin-sized computing brain implant into human patients within six months, the company announced at an event at its Fremont, Calif. headquarters on Wednesday evening. Neuralink has been refining the product, which consists of a tiny device and electrode-laced wires, along with a robot that carves out a piece of …

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Vonage To Pay $100M For Making It Hard To Cancel

CBS News reports: Vonage will pay $100 million to settle claims it trapped customers in unwanted accounts by forcing people to call to cancel, keeping them on hold for hours and charging hundreds of dollars to end service, government regulators said Thursday. The New Jersey-based company, which provides internet-based phone services, made it easy for customers to sign up for …

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Startup Pitches One-Man Helicopters For NYC Tourists

AM New York reports: A Texas startup is hoping to zoom into New York’s aerial tourism business by letting customers fly personal, ultralight helicopter-like craft over city airspace — with no pilot’s license and less than an hour of training. Austin-based LIFT Aircraft has partnered with Charm Aviation, a local heli-tour company, on a proposal to bring personal electric vertical …

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Apple Will “Comply” With Universal Charger Mandate

The Verge reports: Apple has given its most direct confirmation yet that a USB-C-equipped iPhone will happen now that the European Union is mandating that all phones sold in its member countries use the connector if they have a physical charger. When asked by The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern if the company would replace Lightning, Apple’s senior VP of …

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Meta: 400+ Apps Will Steal Your Facebook Login Info

Axios reports: Meta will notify at least 1 million Facebook users that their login information may have been stolen if they downloaded one of hundreds of malicious mobile apps. Meta’s security team published a report this morning detailing how more than 400 mobile apps posed as innocuous tools, such as photo editors, to get people to share their Facebook login …

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Boston Dynamics Pledges Not To Weaponize Robots

Axios reports: Several robotics companies, including Boston Dynamics, are pledging not to support the weaponization of their products and are calling for others in the industry to do the same, according to a letter shared first with Axios. Robots, like drones before them, have a wide range of peaceful and even life-saving uses, but can be turned into war-fighting machines, …

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EU Parliament Votes To Mandate Universal Charger

Bloomberg News reports: Members of the European Parliament voted to force companies such as Apple Inc. to adapt products that don’t already feature a standard USB-C charger to use one. This would include iPhones, in Apple’s case. A total of 602 lawmakers voted for the plan on Tuesday, with 13 against, and eight abstaining. The deal, provisionally agreed in June …

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Elon Musk Debuts Prototype “$20K” Humanoid Robot

Reuters reports: Tesla CEO Elon Musk showed off on Friday a prototype of its humanoid robot ‘Optimus’, predicting the electric vehicle maker would be able to produce millions and sell them for under $20,000 – less than a third of the price of a Model Y. An experimental test robot that Tesla said was developed in February walked out to …

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Bruce Willis Sells His Likeness For “Deepfake” Usages

The Telegraph reports: Bruce Willis has become the first Hollywood star to sell his rights to allow a “digital twin” of himself to be created for use on screen. Using deepfake technology, the actor appeared in a phone advert without ever being on set, after his face was digitally transplanted onto another performer. Willis allowed US firm Deepcake, which makes …

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All-Electric Passenger Plane Makes Test Flight [VIDEO]

The Verge reports: A prototype all-electric passenger plane took off for the first time yesterday in a test flight that marks a significant milestone for carbon pollution-free aviation. The nine-passenger commuter aircraft called Alice took off at 7:10AM yesterday from Washington state’s Grant County International Airport. Alice is ahead of much of the pack when it comes to all-electric aircraft …

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