Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Amazon.com Inc. merchants have found themselves caught in an economic vice. Earlier this year, the e-commerce giant rolled out changes to the fees its charges them—essentially shifting more of its operating costs onto the small businesses that account for most of the products sold on the site. Making matters worse for […]
Consumer & Gadgets
Wearable devices can now harvest neural data—urgent privacy reforms needed
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Recent trends show Australians are increasingly buying wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These electronics track our body movements or vital signs to provide data throughout the day, with or without the help of artificial intelligence (AI). There’s also a newer product category that engages directly with the brain. It’s […]
Apple apologizes for iPad ‘Crush’ ad after backlash
Apple said it won’t air the iPad ‘Crush’ ad on television as planned. Apple apologized on Thursday after an ad for its latest-edition iPad caused an uproar for showing an industrial press crushing objects linked to human creativity, infuriating artists. Social media users immediately criticized the ad, which was posted on X by Apple CEO […]
AI companions can relieve loneliness: Here are four red flags to watch for in your chatbot ‘friend’
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain It’s been seven years since the launch of Replika, an artificially intelligent chatbot designed to be a friend to human users. Despite early warnings about the dangers of such AI friends, interest in friendships and even romantic relationships with AI is on the rise. The Google Play store shows more than […]
Microsoft’s Xbox is planning more cuts after studio closings
Credit: CC0 Public Domain The sudden closure of several video-game studios at Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox division was the result of a widespread cost-cutting initiative that still isn’t finished. Xbox has begun offering voluntary severance agreements to producers, quality assurance testers and other staff at ZeniMax, which it purchased in 2020 for $7.5 billion, according to […]
iPad ‘Crush’ ad causes uproar amid AI anxiety
Credit: Apple An ad for the new iPad Pro caused an uproar Wednesday for showing an industrial-sized hydraulic press crushing objects linked to human creativity—such as a record player and trumpet—into a sleek tablet. Social media users immediately criticized the ad, which was posted on X by Apple CEO Tim Cook, as painfully tone-deaf at […]
‘Digital afterlife’: Call for safeguards to prevent unwanted ‘hauntings’ by AI chatbots of dead loved ones
A visualisation of a fictional company called MaNana, one of the design scenarios used in the paper to illustrate the potential ethical issues in the emerging digital afterlife industry. Credit: Dr. Tomasz Hollanek Without design safety standards, artificial intelligence that allows users to hold text and voice conversations with lost loved ones runs the risk […]
Research casts new light on bike safety in the age of self-driving cars
Credit: University of Glasgow Equipping self-driving cars with external displays that use colored lights to communicate their next maneuver could help keep cyclists safe on the roads of the future, researchers say. With autonomous vehicles becoming more common, reducing active human involvement in driving in the process, researchers from the University of Glasgow have been […]
Data privacy in the post-Roe era
Distribution of privacy concern levels towards different period tracking practices. Ordered by ‘Very concerned’ Ratings. Credit: Duke University In 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade—ending the constitutional right to an abortion—privacy advocates warned women against using smartphone apps to track their periods. The calls came out of concerns that the data […]
A view of a room with VR and AI for the field of interior design
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Bringing together virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to significant advancements in the field of interior design, according to research published in the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology. Such a technological merger could be used to improve the design experience, tailor designs through simulated indoor environments, […]
Meta will let advertisers create campaigns using new generative AI tools
Credit: Julio Lopez from Pexels Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms Inc. is testing new tools that will let advertisers create marketing material, including images and messaging, using generative AI prompts. If an advertiser uploads a photo of their product, Meta’s artificial intelligence tools can now generate new, different images of that product for […]
Apple’s biggest announcements from its iPad event: brighter screen, faster processors and new sizes
In this June 16, 2020 file photo, the sun is reflected on Apple’s Fifth Avenue store in New York. Apple will reports earnings on Thursday May 2, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File Apple on Tuesday unveiled its next generation of iPad Pros and Airs—models that will boast faster processors, new sizes and a new […]
Nintendo to announce Switch successor in this fiscal year as profits rise
This photo shows a balloon of the Mario character of Mario Bros. during an event in Tokyo, on Feb. 15, 2024. Japanese video-game maker Nintendo said Tuesday, May 7, 2024 that it will make an announcement about a successor to its Switch home console sometime before March 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File Japanese video-game […]
Research shows VR poses privacy risks for kids—parents aren’t as worried as they should be
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain New research finds that, while an increasing number of minors are using virtual reality (VR) apps, not many parents recognize the extent of the security and privacy risks that are specific to VR technologies. The study also found that few parents are taking active steps to address those security and privacy […]
Turing test study shows humans rate artificial intelligence as more ‘moral’ than other people
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A new study has found that when people are presented with two answers to an ethical question, most will think the answer from artificial intelligence (AI) is better than the response from another person. “Attributions Toward Artificial Agents in a Modified Moral Turing Test,” a study conducted by Eyal Aharoni, an […]
What to expect from the next generation of chatbots: OpenAI’s GPT-5 and Meta’s Llama-3
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Recently, there has been a flurry of publicity about the planned upgrades to OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI-powered chatbot and Meta’s Llama system, which powers the company’s chatbots across Facebook and Instagram. The technology behind these systems is known as a large language model (LLM). These are artificial neural networks, a type of […]
Electric vehicles are usually safer for their occupants—but not necessarily for everyone else, says researcher
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The future of automobiles is electric, but many people worry about the safety of today’s electric vehicles. Public opinion about EV crash safety often hinges on a few high-profile fire incidents. Those safety concerns are arguably misplaced, and the actual safety of EVs is more nuanced. I’ve researched vehicle safety for […]
Report finds e-bike incentives are worth the investment
Saanich e-bike incentive program participants said the e-bike opened up a new way to explore Saanich and other communities. Photo credit: District of Saanich. Credit: Photo credit: District of Saanich Electric bicycle rebates have exploded in popularity in North America as transportation planners try to get people out of their cars and into healthier, more […]
Study explores how African American English speakers adapt their speech to be understood by voice technology
African American English speakers adjust rate and pitch based on audience. Credit: Michelle Cohn, Zion Mengesha, Michal Lahav, and Courtney Heldreth Interactions with voice technology, such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google Assistant, can make life easier by increasing efficiency and productivity. However, errors in generating and understanding speech during interactions are common. When […]
EU says Apple iPad operating system to face stricter rules
Apple has six months to prepare to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. The EU on Monday said Apple’s operating system for iPads must comply with tougher new rules that Brussels is imposing to rein in the world’s biggest digital companies. The European Commission designated Apple’s iPadOS system as a “core” service under the […]
Cybersecurity researchers spotlight a new ransomware threat—be careful where you upload files
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain You probably know better than to click on links that download unknown files onto your computer. It turns out that uploading files can get you into trouble, too. Today’s web browsers are much more powerful than earlier generations of browsers. They’re able to manipulate data within both the browser and the […]
How electric vehicle drivers can escape range anxiety
Graphic: Three major mental models and associated refilling strategies were identified in this research: (A) Monitor gage, when low seek refill; this is the primary strategy for liquid fuel refilling. (B) The planning model, predominately used for EV long trips, o. Credit: Chalmers University of Technology | Willett Kempton Two of the biggest challenges faced […]
From shrimp Jesus to fake self-portraits, AI-generated images have become the latest form of social media spam
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain If you’ve spent time on Facebook over the past six months, you may have noticed photorealistic images that are too good to be true: children holding paintings that look like the work of professional artists, or majestic log cabin interiors that are the stuff of Airbnb dreams. Others, such as renderings […]
FTC sends $5.6 million in refunds to Ring customers as part of video privacy settlement
A person pushes the doorbell on his Ring doorbell camera, July 16, 2019, at his home in Wolcott, Conn. The Federal Trade Commission is sending $5.6 million in refunds to consumers as part of a settlement with Amazon-owned Ring, which was charged with failing to protect private video footage from outside access. Credit: AP Photo/Jessica […]
TikTok to crack down on content that promotes disordered eating and dangerous weight-loss habits
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Saying it does not want to promote negative body comparisons, TikTok is cracking down on posts about disordered eating, dangerous weight-loss habits, and potentially harmful weight-management products. The wildly popular social media app updated its community guidelines last week, introducing a slate of new rules that it hopes will make the […]