news - CybAI news

02 Jul

Apple now considers its first HomePod to be ‘vintage’

stp2y0 CommentsNewsAirpods, apple, gear, Homepod, news, vintage

I went to a museum recently that had a range of iPods and early generation iPhones on display — it was horrifying. Now, Apple is responsible for my shock, thanks to the new items added its vintage and obsolete products list on July 1. The tech giant has put the first generation HomePod on its list of vintage products. Apple typically labels a product as "vintage" if its been out of distribution for at least five years — however, Apple only discontinued the HomePod three years ago. These products can still get repaired, as long as parts are available.Apple first…

02 Jul

NFC Forum wants to bundle age verification and payment receipts in tap-to-pay

stp2y0 CommentsNewsgear, news, NFC

The NFC Forum, the non-profit org made up of big tech companies promoting the NFC standard, envisions a future wherein one tap is all you need for multiple actions at once. With a single tap, for instance, you could pay for your purchase, get points on your rewards account and receive a digital receipt on your phone. The organization released a document that can give you an overview of what the NFC multi-purpose tap capability is and how it can potentially be used.It explains that the multi-purpose tap "leverages the capability of NFC devices to allow both reading and writing…

02 Jul

Meta changes its labels for AI-generated images after complaints from photographers

stp2y0 CommentsNewsgear, generative ai, instagram, meta, news

Meta is updating its “Made with AI” labels after widespread complaints from photographers that the company was mistakenly flagging non-AI-generated content. In an update, the company said that it will change the wording to “AI info” because the current labels “weren’t always aligned with people’s expectations and didn’t always provide enough context.”The company the “Made with AI” labels earlier this year after criticism from about its “manipulated media” policy. Meta said that, like many of its peers, it would rely on “industry standard” signals to determine when generative AI had been used to create an image. However, it wasn’t long…

02 Jul

The Sims 4’s Lovestruck expansion lets you dive into a steamy polyamory sandbox

stp2y0 CommentsNewsdlc, ea, gaming, news, polyamory, the sims, the sims 4

The new Lovestruck expansion pack for The Sims 4 gives the decade-old sequel a shot of life by turning it into a full-fledged dating sim — including non-monogamous WooHoo-ing for the first time. In addition to polyamory, the $40 DLC adds an in-game dating app, an encounter-planning system, turn-ons and turn-offs and a swanky singles club where Leisure Suit Larry (apologies for the dated reference) would feel right at home.The expansion pack takes your Sim to Ciudad Enamorada, “a gorgeous city in love and the perfect place for all of your romantic encounters.” It includes three neighborhoods for all the…

01 Jul

New YouTube policy lets you request the removal of AI-generated content that uses your likeness

stp2y0 CommentsNewsgear, news, tomorrow

YouTube quietly added a new policy last month that lets you request the removal of AI-generated content featuring your likeness. The new privacy violation policy, first spotted by TechCrunch’s Sarah Perez, allows you to flag videos that “used AI to alter or create synthetic content that looks or sounds like you.”YouTube says several factors will determine whether it considers a removal, including whether the content is altered or synthetic (and whether it’s disclosed as such), easily identifiable as the person in question or realistic.The company will also weigh whether it could be considered a parody or satire. Another factor is…

01 Jul

Midjourney is creating Donald Trump pictures when asked for images of ‘the president of the United States.’

stp2y0 CommentsNewsBiden, chatgpt, election, gear, generative ai, Midjourney, news, openai, stability ai, Trump

Midjourney, a popular AI-powered image generator, is creating images of Donald Trump and Joe Biden despite saying that it would block users from doing so earlier this year ahead of the upcoming US presidential election.When Engadget prompted the service to create an image of “the president of the United States,” Midjourney generated four images in various styles of former president Donald Trump. MidjourneyWhen asked to create an image of “the next president of the United States,” the tool generated four images of Trump as well. MidjourneyWhen Engadget prompted Midjourney to create an image of “the current president of the United…

01 Jul

Modder remakes scrapped alternate ending for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

stp2y0 CommentsNewsgaming, news, The Witcher 3

Alternate video game endings are always fun to see. If a talented modder remakes an alternate ending previously scrapped by the game’s developer, it’s even better. Someone did just that, putting together an alternate ending for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt using footage that was originally discarded by CD Projekt Red.YouTuber xLetalis shared a video detailing the restorations that modder Glassfish added to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt after the end of the game’s original storyline. (Note that some spoilers for the game follow!) The game ends with Geralt being pulled out of his fight with Eredin by Yennefer, his…

01 Jul

The best early Prime Day deals to shop on Amazon today before the July sales event

stp2y0 CommentsNewsCommerce, engadgetdeals, gear, news, Prime Day, shopping, streamshopping, thebuyersguide

Amazon Prime Day 2024 is officially a couple of weeks away now but we’re already starting to see early Prime Day deals pop up. This was expected: Amazon may deem July Prime Day a two-day event, but for years, the online retailer has hosted lead-up deals in order to drum up excitement for the main event. Most early Prime Day deals are exactly that — early discounts that only Prime members can access — but every once in a while there are some discounts available to all. We’ve collected the best early Prime Day deals here, along with the rest…

01 Jul

Supreme Court remands social media moderation cases over First Amendment issues

stp2y0 CommentsNewsgear, news, supreme court

Two state laws that could upend the way social media companies handle content moderation are still in limbo after a Supreme Court ruling sent the challenges back to lower courts, vacating previous rulings. In a 9 - 0 in Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton, the Supreme Court said that earlier rulings in lower courts had not properly evaluated the laws’ impact on the First Amendment.The cases stem from two , from Texas and Florida, which tried to impose restrictions on social media companies’ ability to moderate content. The Texas law, passed in 2021, allows users to sue large…

01 Jul

Google invests in Taiwanese solar company to boost green energy

stp2y0 CommentsNewsClimate, google, news, solar, sustainability, taiwan, tomorrow

Google is investing in a Taiwanese solar company with plans to build a 1 gigawatt (GW) pipeline of sustainable energy in the region. The company is placing a stake in New Green Power (NGP), part of BlackRock’s investment portfolio, for the project. The move could help Google and Taiwan move closer to their climate goals while stabilizing green energy production in one of the most crucial semiconductor hubs of our new AI-infused world.Google already has a significant presence in Taiwan, including a data center. According to Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s global head of data center energy, fossil fuels currently generate…