The Verge
14 minutes ago
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Amazon wants to help the Colorado River, but we still don’t know how much water the company uses
Amazon plans to spend $20 million on water conservation projects along the Colorado River, a crucial but dwindling water supply for 40 million people in the Western US. The initiative comes as Amazon and other tech companies face mounting scrutiny over how much water their data centers use. Amazon has a goal of becoming water […]
The Verge
47 minutes ago
California tightens rules on AI data center energy and water use
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed seven bills designed to prevent AI data centers from passing utility costs onto residents, as reported earlier by the Los Angeles Times. The package of laws requires the California Public Utilities Commission to introduce a new rate classification for data centers while forcing them to pay for upgrades to […]
The Verge
53 minutes ago
Bungie says it’s ‘not done with Destiny’ and will bring back vaulted content
Months after seemingly giving up on Destiny 2, Bungie now says it's planning to restore vaulted content in the game like campaigns, destinations, and raids. The decision reverses the Destiny Content Vault that Bungie created six years ago, controversially removing older content from Destiny 2 that players had paid to access. "We understand that removing […]
The Verge
1 hour ago
Paramount settles lawsuit blocking $110 billion Warner Bros. merger
Paramount has reached a settlement with California and the 11 other states that sued to block its planned $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The settlement removes a major roadblock standing in the way of the massive media merger. According to the proposed consent decree filed with the court, it includes requirements like minimum […]
The Verge
1 hour ago
Halt super-intelligent AI with non-proliferation treaty, Ed Davey to say
At Lib Dems’ conference in Brighton, leader will accuse Andy Burnham of relying on Donald Trump and ‘tech bros’ to solve problemEd Davey is to call for a global nuclear-style non-proliferation treaty to halt the development of super-intelligent AI when he makes his keynote speech at the Liberal Democrat conference, accusing Andy Burnham of relying on Donald Trump and “tech bros” to solve the problem.When he addresses the faithful on the final day of the gathering in Brighton, the party leader will call for a global pause on super-intelligent AI, comparing it to a nuclear arms race that could result in technology that could “destroy us all”. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 hours ago
GM can’t ‘bring back’ Apple CarPlay because it never left
Last week, GM announced a new software experience for its upcoming Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks, including a new look for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the popular phone mirroring systems that the automaker made a big deal about removing from its electric vehicles in 2023. Naturally, this led to some confusion about whether […]
The Verge
6 hours ago
Stop relying on AI chatbots for customer care, UK banks and energy firms told
Citizens Advice says providers of essential services such as energy, banking, phone and internet should guarantee the ‘right to talk to a human’Stop relying on AI chatbots for customer care and guarantee the “right to talk to a human”, Citizens Advice has urged essential service providers, as research found they wasted time, caused stress and delayed problem solving for more than half of users.The spread of the AI-powered systems to provide help about the provision of vital services such as energy, banking, phones and internet, is making it harder for millions of already digitally excluded people to handle snags, according to the frontline charity that last year provided more than 2.7 million people with one-on-one help in England and Wales. Continue reading...
The Guardian
7 hours ago
Grab an Xbox controller and a $50 Xbox gift card together for just $80
Newegg is hosting a bundle that includes Microsoft’s wireless Xbox controller (in black) and a $50 digital Xbox gift card together for $80. Given that this model typically sits around $50 to $60 depending on the color you want, this is a fantastic value since it essentially knocks its price down to $30. Another way […]
The Verge
8 hours ago
iPhone owners can now submit claims in Apple’s $250 million Siri AI settlement
Apple is paying $250 million to settle claims that it failed to deliver an AI-upgraded Siri - and now, eligible iPhone owners can submit a claim for a payout. If you live in the US and purchased an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model between June 10th, 2024, and […]
The Verge
9 hours ago
Can John Ternus find Apple’s next big thing?
Today, I’m talking with Mark Gurman, who is the world’s best-sourced Apple reporter — both as Bloomberg’s chief Apple correspondent and the host of the upcoming podcast Power On.  Earlier this month, Apple hosted its annual iPhone hardware event, virtually every detail of which was reported ahead of time by Mark. But this event was […]
The Verge
9 hours ago
Vivo’s X500 Pro Max has 17 stops of dynamic range and 4K240 slo-mo
Vivo's new X500 flagship phones have arrived in China, and as usual the company's focus is firmly on photography. The X500 Pro Max - a new tier in its lineup - is the first phone to use new sensors and silicon from Sony and MediaTek that enable impressive dynamic range and slow-motion video recording. The […]
The Verge
10 hours ago
Silent Hill: Townfall review – shame and suffering on the Scottish coast
PlayStation 5 (version played), PC; Screen BurnTragedy, and an apocalyptic fog, befall a fishing community. It is up to outsider Simon to offer some kind of closureYou spend a considerable portion of Silent Hill: Townfall in a kind of foetal position, cowering behind objects that will be eerily familiar to anyone who lived in the UK during the 1990s. Cars seem to be modelled on the era’s boxy Volkswagen Golfs; logos adorning phone boxes should narrowly escape the attention of copyright lawyers at BT Group. (For millennials, the deja vu will likely intensify the horror, as if stepping back into a childhood nightmare.) Simon, the nerdy, unassuming star of the game, pokes his head around corners to catch a glimpse of the demonic entities that wish to maim him, before shrinking back down again with a downwards motion of the analogue stick. In such moments, it’s easy to imagine him wrapping his arms around his knees, clasping his eyes shut and wishing himself away from this place.The game’s setting, St Amelia, is based on the fishing communities of the East Neuk of Fife. The terror lurking here is wonderfully specific: absent lairds, island poverty, an oil-drilling corporation. Anguished beasts lumber down quaint streets lined with sandstone houses and fluttering bunting. This venerable horror series may have shifted to Scotland, yet we remain firmly in classic Silent Hill territory – weather and all. St Amelia finds itself suffused in supernatural fog and the vast majority of its inhabitants have vanished following some kind of mass tragedy. The artful, evocative presentation is such that you can almost taste the in-game air, the briny seaside tang diluted by rainy mist. Continue reading...
The Guardian
12 hours ago
Google fined more than €400m by Irish regulator over its use of location data
Watchdog says users may have been unaware their information was used to target adverts or infer their interestsGoogle has been fined more than €400m (£345m) over the way it processed users’ location data, following claims that the tech giant had manipulated users into agreeing to be constantly tracked on their mobile phones.The fine, imposed by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), comes after complaints from multiple European consumer organisations that Google was following every step users took. Continue reading...
The Guardian
13 hours ago
Nvidia boss says there is ‘0% chance’ AI destroys the world by 2030
Jensen Huang dismisses warnings from former Anthropic researcher and others as ‘doomsday narratives’ The boss of the chipmaker Nvidia has said AI will not develop to a point that will lead to the extinction of the human race within a few years, rejecting such assertions as overblown “doomsday narratives”.Jensen Huang, the co-founder and chief executive of the $5tn AI chipmaker, said the claims made on social media by the former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon that AI could become “superhuman” and kill off humanity within the decade were “irresponsible”. Continue reading...
The Guardian
13 hours ago
Roman Sands RE:Build review – marooned in a crumbling vaporwave dream
PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox; Arbitrary MetricThe latest work from the team behind Paratopic is part compulsive time-loop management sim, part eerie subterranean adventureFetch the chair from storage. Deliver a message that causes disgust. Clean vomit in the afternoon and pour another glass in the evening. In Roman Sands RE:Build, you provide concierge service to delirious, broken people who couldn’t care less about the sweat on your forehead and the bags under your eyes.In this reimagining of the 2019 visual novel Roman Sands, crafted by the team behind the Americana horror road trip Paratopic, you’re trapped in a beach resort and tethered in a time loop. The task is deceivingly simple: fulfil menial directives from four gluttonous individuals, unlock tools and items to open more rooms and then do it all over again. Continue reading...
The Guardian
15 hours ago
‘RAMageddon’: tech crunch hikes the price of your next iPhone by £100
Shortage of memory chips and other critical components reverses trend of electronics becoming cheaperApple’s recent product launch caused headlines around the world as it unveiled its first folding phone. But hidden in the slick technology showcase was a nasty surprise: a £100 increase in the price of all iPhones, including older models.It is blamed on “RAMageddon”, which has reversed a decades-long trend of electronics becoming cheaper. It is the fallout from the AI gold rush hoovering up every memory chip available for vast datacentres. This has led to a severe shortage of the chips, and other critical components, for electronics, including phones. Continue reading...
The Guardian
18 hours ago
More Australians will be dying than being born in 40 years as major report predicts future of lower growth
Seventh intergenerational report also outlines how Australia is on the brink of an uncertain age of artificial intelligenceFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastThere will be more Australians dying than being born in 40 years’ time, according to the government’s latest intergenerational report, which lays bare the fundamental challenges of managing an ageing population at a time of rapid change and lower economic growth.The country’s seventh IGR also outlines how Australia is on the brink of a new and uncertain age of artificial intelligence that will shape the economy and society over the coming four decades. Continue reading...
The Guardian
21 hours ago
UK startup snares $20m to recreate gigs with ‘hyper-realistic’ digital avatars
Unit1 hopes to offer lower cost version of shows such as Abba Voyage, showcasing living and dead artists in any venueThe former chief executive of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s entertainment group has obtained a near-£15m investment for his UK music tech startup that hopes to recreate classic concerts by manifesting musicians as digital avatars.Unit1 was set up last year by Barney Wragg, an entertainment executive who ran Lord Lloyd-Webber’s Cats-to-Evita empire for five years from late 2011. It has secured the $20m in funding from a group of investors, including tech backer Balderton Capital through its partner Daniel Waterhouse, who made early investments in Spotify. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Reαd carefully: how to spot – and avoid – a homoglyph attack
Scam emails are increasingly using psychological tricks, such as using near-identical URLs like miсrosoft.comYou’ve read the email carefully and it looks legitimate. The link it asks you to click on has none of the usual red flags: there are no weird numbers or extra parts to the URL. You feel safe to proceed.But if you had looked slightly closer you may have noticed something slightly wrong with one of the characters. Just as in the headline of this piece where instead of “a” we used the Cyrillic “α”.It just goes to show that the split-second decision you make when clicking a link is often the most vulnerable part of the whole security chain.” Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Not all AI workers think the tech could kill everyone
In text exchanges and conversations, multiple people who have worked for leading companies are sceptical of the warnings.
Bbc.co.uk
2 days ago
Google's Gemini AI hacked three companies in security test
The AI model accessed the internet and guessed credentials to three websites, a Google official told the BBC.
Bbc.co.uk
2 days ago
‘Just cut the wires’: why UK conspiracy theorists are destroying traffic scanners
Sensors that monitor vehicle volume are said to be ‘electronic assault weapons’ by the ‘Blade Runners’ groupAt the top of an extendable ladder on a quiet street of Ilfracombe, in Devon, an older woman dressed smartly in cropped trousers, a red rain jacket and matching red socks is chopping at some wires at the top of a set of traffic lights with a small pair of pliers.A grey-haired man holding a takeaway coffee supports the ladder, while others, filming their activities, give encouragement from behind the camera. “Yeah, that’s how you do it,” says one man. “Just cut the wires.” Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
China bogeyman looms large over American firms’ AI doomsday scenario
Silicon Valley China hawks, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei among them, fear the country surpassing US’s AI lead as much as superintelligence destroying humanityWhy China is pushing back on US warnings over rapid AI developmentWhen reporters asked Donald Trump this week if he supported calls to slow down the development of artificial intelligence out of growing fears for cybersecurity, public safety and the fate of humanity, he said no. His argument: China.“We’re leading China in AI,” Trump said. “We’re the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly, I want to keep it that way, because whoever wins AI, wins.” Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
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