Industry
Move Over, ChatGPT
You are about to hear a lot more about Claude Code. Over the holidays, Alex Lieberman had an idea: What if he could create Spotify "Wrapped" for his text messages? Without writing a single line of code, Lieberman, a co-founder of the media outlet, created "iMessage Wrapped"--a web app that analyzed statistical trends across nearly 1 million of his texts. One chart that he showed me compared his use of,,, and --he's an guy. Another listed people he had ghosted.
Civilization VII comes to Apple Arcade in February
Apple's Siri AI will be powered by Gemini Longtime fans of the franchise were disappointed in this latest installment. The App Store is a home for many kinds of apps (including, inexplicably, one that lets users undress strangers without their consent). But hey, it also has games! And soon the store's Apple Arcade service will include one more: the not-so-highly rated . Apple announced on Wednesday that will arrive almost exactly a year after launch . The game is already available for Apple devices, but its arrival on Apple Arcade will be a first.
California is investigating Grok over AI-generated CSAM and nonconsensual deepfakes
Apple's Siri AI will be powered by Gemini Governor Gavin Newsom called for an investigation into xAI. An illustration photo shows Grok logo displayed on a smartphone with the xAI logo in the background . California authorities have launched an investigation into xAI following weeks of reports that the chatbot was generating sexualized images of children. The statement cited a report that more than half of the 20,000 images generated by xAI between Christmas and New Years depicted people in minimal clothing, including some that appeared to be children. We have zero tolerance for the AI-based creation and dissemination of nonconsensual intimate images or of child sexual abuse material," Bonta said. "Today, my office formally announces an investigation into xAI to determine whether and how xAI violated the law.
California investigates Grok over AI deepfakes
California's top prosecutor has launched an investigation into the spread of sexualised AI deepfakes generated by Elon Musk's AI model Grok. Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement announcing the probe: The avalanche of reports detailing the non-consensual, sexually explicit material that xAI has produced and posted online in recent weeks is shocking. California's inquiry comes as British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warns of possible action against X. In Wednesday's statement, Bonta said: This material, which depicts women and children in nude and sexually explicit situations, has been used to harass people across the internet. The Democratic prosecutor urged xAI to take immediate action.
Neuroscientists Decipher Procrastination: A Brain Mechanism Explains Why People Leave Certain Tasks for Later
New research has discovered that a neural circuit may explain procrastination. Scientists were able to disrupt this connection using a drug. The brain avoids unpleasant tasks even if they promise reward, according to a recent study. The reason you decide to postpone household chores and spend your time browsing social media could be explained by the workings of a brain circuit. Recent research has identified a neural connection responsible for delaying the start of activities associated with unpleasant experiences, even when these activities offer a clear reward.
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Apple's Siri AI will be powered by Gemini Our top pick for the best premium VPN is fast and easy to use. ExpressVPN is back on sale again, and its two-year plans are up to 78 percent off right now. You can get the Advanced tier for $101 for 28 months. This is marked down from the $392 that this time frame normally costs. On a per-month basis, it works out to roughly $3.59 for the promo period.
Elon Musk's stubborn spin on Grok's sexualized images controversy
Elon Musk has been promoting Grok's popularity as if it were a piece of productivity software. Elon Musk has been promoting Grok's popularity as if it were a piece of productivity software. Today, we discuss Elon Musk's rosy depiction of Grok's image generation controversy; the seven-figure panic among Silicon Valley billionaires over a proposed wealth tax in California, though with one notable exception; and how AI and robotics have revitalized the Consumer Electronics Showcase. The firestorm over the Grok AI tool has been raging for more than a week now, and it shows no signs of dying down. Last week, I wrote about the rising backlash against Elon Musk's Grok AI tool, which in recent weeks has allowed users to generate thousands of sexualized images of women.
Mahmood has no confidence in police chief after Israeli fan ban
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she has lost confidence in West Midlands Police's chief constable after Israeli football fans were banned from a match against Aston Villa. Mahmood told MPs a damning review from the policing watchdog over the intelligence that led to Maccabi Tel Aviv fans being banned showed a failure of leadership. The force has apologised saying it did not deliberately distort evidence that was used by Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group for the 6 November game . Chief Constable Craig Guildford remains in post, but faces a meeting on 27 January to be questioned by Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster who has the authority to sack him. Mahmood told the Commons on Wednesday she intended to restore the power for home secretaries to dismiss chief constables who fail their communities.
Why banning of Maccabi fans raises questions about police integrity
When a police force is supposed to seek the truth and uphold the law, what happens when the evidence they present to officials and the public is, as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood put it, exaggerated or untrue? The police inspectorate has concluded the leaders of West Midlands Police fell foul of confirmation bias. In simple terms, that means senior officers had already reached a decision and were looking for intelligence to justify it. The list of errors and inaccuracies set out in an independent review of the decision-making that led to fans of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv being banned from attending a fixture at Villa Park in November have been described by Mahmood as damning. They include: A report of a football match in an intelligence report produced using AI which never happened; a twice-repeated denial by senior police leaders to MPs that AI had not been relied on to produce the inaccurate report; the claim that local Jewish groups had been consulted on the move when they had not been; inaccurately presenting evidence from Dutch police reports from a previous fixture involving the club.
Google Gemini can now access your digital life for smarter answers
Google launches Personal Intelligence for Gemini, allowing the AI to access data from Photos, YouTube, and Gmail to provide personalized recommendations and answers. PCWorld reports the feature initially requires Google AI Pro or Ultra subscriptions in the US, with broader availability planned for later. While offering enhanced convenience through data synthesis, Google warns users about potential inaccuracies and privacy considerations when enabling this opt-in feature. If you use Google apps like Gmail or Photos, Google already knows certain aspects of your life. The company is offering to make that knowledge more accessible via what it calls Personal Intelligence, which will synthesize that knowledge into Gemini.