A computer mouse that inspired Steve Jobs to create Apple's first mice has clicked with bidders at a $178,936 (£147,000) auction. The early mouse and coding keyset was created by computing legend Douglas Engelbart, a pioneer of the controller system. The lot sold for approximately 12 times its estimate of $14,640 (£12,000) in a sale by Boston-based RR Auction on Thursday. The rare, early three-button computer mouse designed by Engelbart utilises two metal discs which correspond to the X-axis and Y-axis on the bottom to locate the position of the cursor, rather than a ball or optical light that came to be used later. The coding keyset, features five keys, permitting 31 key-press combinations, for typing and entering commands.

In a recent exchange on The Late Show, host Stephen Colbert pressed iconic director Steven Spielberg to weigh in on the ever-evolving world of AI-generated art. Spielberg expressed his love for it, saying that he believes any time a person uses digital tools to express themselves and convey a message is fantastic. It was a rational and thoughtful response that mimicked those of Samuel Morse regarding photography in the 1840s. Colbert, however, wasn't satisfied with a measured answer. He pushed Spielberg further, suggesting that AI art was beginning to look more like a replacement for human creativity.

This article is an installment of Future Explored, a weekly guide to world-changing technology. You can get stories like this one straight to your inbox every Thursday morning by subscribing here. In January, Microsoft unveiled an AI that can clone a speaker's voice after hearing them talk for just three seconds. While this system, VALL-E, was far from the first voice cloning AI, its accuracy and need for such a small audio sample set a new bar for the tech. Microsoft has now raised that bar again with an update called "VALL-E X," which can clone a voice from a short sample (4 to 10 seconds) and then use it to synthesize speech in a different language, all while preserving the original speaker's voice, emotion, and tone.

Apple's big, high-quality smart speaker is back for a surprise second generation. But five years since the first model was launched, a lot has changed in the world of voice-controlled home hi-fi. Can the HomePod still cut it? The new HomePod has the same design as the old version: a marshmallow-like shape with a light-up disc at the top, fabric-covered body and a small silicone foot. The detachable power cable slots in the back but otherwise there are no ports or recesses. As with other HomePods, this speaker is for Apple users only.

Computer vision is a field of artificial intelligence that has become increasingly popular in recent years. It involves teaching machines to understand and interpret visual information, and it has many applications in areas like facial recognition, self-driving cars, and medical imaging. If you're interested in learning computer vision from scratch, here's a step-by-step guide that includes algorithms to get you started. Python is a widely used programming language in the field of computer vision. It's easy to learn, and there are many libraries available that make it easy to perform complex tasks.

Generative AI can help you write a rap song about your cat Fluffy in the style of Eminem. It can create a portrait of Elon Musk eating Hot Cheetos inside a rocket in space. But, can it do work tasks for us and produce finished products? Professionals across industries are experimenting with AI tools like ChatGPT, which produces conversational text using GPT-3 and GPT-4, and DALL-E, which creates images, to see if they might aid in their work. Creative jobs in industries such as marketing, writing, design and art may use AI to dream up ideas. Retail, sales and real estate sectors are trying to determine whether AI can speed up processes and get their products to market.

In a recent exchange on The Late Show, host Stephen Colbert pressed iconic director Steven Spielberg to weigh in on the ever-evolving world of AI-generated art. Spielberg expressed his love for it, saying that he believes any time a person uses digital tools to express themselves and convey a message is fantastic. It was a rational and thoughtful response that mimicked those of Samuel Morse regarding photography in the 1840s. Colbert, however, wasn't satisfied with a measured answer. He pushed Spielberg further, suggesting that AI art was beginning to look more like a replacement for human creativity.

Paris – Journalists had fun last year asking the shiny new AI chatbot ChatGPT to write their columns, most concluding that the bot was not good enough to take their jobs. But many commentators believe journalism is on the cusp of a revolution where mastery of algorithms and AI tools that generate content will be a key battleground. The technology news site CNET perhaps heralded the way forward when it quietly deployed an AI program last year to write some of its listicles. This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software. Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites.

Generative AI allows you to harness the power of machine learning to bring your creative vision to life. Using existing reference shots, you can create new, original images that are tailored to your brand, vision, and specific application. If you can describe it, Booth AI can bring it to life.

Victoria Baines, professor of information technology at Gresham College in London, says she can understand why some people think romantic fiction is "so formulaic". She adds that this is why it is in turn seen as a genre where you can get ChatGPT to "knock something out".