Apple has acquired a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence startup called PullString that specializes in helping companies build conversational voice apps, according to a report from Axios. Pullstring was founded back in 2011 by former Pixar employees -- its CEO, Oren Jacob, is Pixar's former chief technology officer. Up until now, PullString was most well known within the tech industry as the software backbone behind voice systems for popular toys, like Mattell's talking Hello Barbie doll. It's not clear what Apple will be getting out of the deal, which is said to be worth under $100 million, but well over the $44 million in venture capital funding PullString has amassed thus far. But beyond toys, PullString has also worked on the enterprise end to help companies build skills and apps for Amazon's Alexa platform and Google Assistant.

Scientists have developed an algorithm that can spot dating scams. A team of researchers trained AI software to'think like humans' when looking for fake dating profiles. While the algorithm has only been deployed in a research setting, it could one day be used to protect users on popular dating services like Tinder and Match.com. Scientists have developed an algorithm that can spot dating scams. A team of researchers trained AI software to'think like humans' when looking for fake dating profiles Romance scams, where criminals create phony profiles to trick love-lusting victims into sending them money, are on the rise.

Dating is hard enough without the added stress of worrying about your digital safety online. But social media and dating apps are pretty inevitably involved in romance these days--which makes it a shame that so many of them have had security lapses in such a short amount of time. Within days of each other this week, the dating apps OkCupid, Coffee Meets Bagel, and Jack'd all disclosed an array of security incidents that serve as a grave reminder of the stakes on digital profiles that both store your personal information and introduce you to total strangers. "Dating sites are designed by default to share a ton of information about you; however, there's a limit to what should be shared," says David Kennedy, CEO of the threat tracking firm Binary Defense Systems. "And often times these dating sites provide little to no security, as we have seen with breaches going back several years from these sites."

Synchrony Financial, a bank and a provider of cobranded credit card programs, is deploying artificial intelligence in myriad ways: It's using machine learning to detect fraudulent transactions, robotics process automation to handle mundane operations tasks, and a virtual assistant named Sydney to answer basic questions by text chat. "We'll see AI across the company," Margaret Keane, Synchrony's CEO, said in an interview. "We've taken an active stance and worked with McKinsey to study the areas of our company that could be most impacted." At the same time, Keane says, the company is trying to be conscientious about how these deployments will affect employees. "Some people are saying 40% of jobs will go away," she said.

A data breach may have affected over 6 million app users looking for love. The company sent an email to users Thursday to address the issue. In the email, the company said that it learned an unauthorized party acquired some user data on Feb 11. It said the breach affected users' names and email addresses prior to May 2018. It did not say how the breach occurred, but emphasized that no financial information or passwords were compromised.

Apple has just bought up the talent it needs to make talking toys a part of Siri, HomePod, and its voice strategy. Apple has reportedly acquired PullString, also known as ToyTalk, according to Axios' Dan Primack and Ina Fried. The company makes voice experience design tools, artificial intelligence to power those experiences, and toys like talking Barbie and Thomas The Tank Engine toys in partnership with Mattel. Founded in 2011 by former Pixar executives, PullString went on to raise $44 million. Apple's Siri is seen as lagging far behind Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, not only in voice recognition and utility, but also in terms of developer ecosystem.

A popular dating app has become the latest victim of a major data breach after hackers exposed the details of 6 million of its users. Hacked information of Coffee Meets Bagel users appeared in a huge cache of data that appeared on a popular dark web marketplace earlier this week. The previously undisclosed breach has since been acknowledged by the dating app. Coffee Meets Bagel revealed details about the hack in an email to its users on Valentine's Day, explaining that members' names and email addresses had been exposed. "We recently discovered that some data from your Coffee Meets Bagel account may have been acquired by an unauthorised party," the email stated.

Welcome to Source Notes, a new Future Tense column in which Stephen Harrison explores Wikipedia, digital knowledge, and the search for a fact-based world. When I'm getting ready in the mornings, I often ask my Amazon Echo for the weather forecast or a flash news briefing. Lately, though, I've been experimenting with something else: "Computer, give me a quote." The Daily Quotes skill for Echo and other Alexa devices promises "quotes from celebrities and prominent figures to bring you a daily dose of fun and motivation." Rather than offering specific advice, the quotes usually speak to general inspirational themes like dreaming big and the value of persistence. After reciting the quote, Alexa will ask if you'd like to keep going.

You're not the only one who silently laments spending time searching through the Contacts app on your iPhone or other iOS device, hunting for that one person you barely remember yet need to get in touch with for whatever reason. It only gets worse when you realize their information is either incorrect, outdated, or not where you thought you saved it. Whether you're looking for a co-worker, a client, an acquaintance, or a long-lost friend you bumped into at a party, it's helpful to keep who's who in order in your Contacts app. And you just might find that the Contacts app is far more powerful when you take the time to get the most out of it. Filling out contact information beyond a person's name, email, and phone number might seem like overkill, but doing so can make Siri a more powerful tool when it comes to connecting with people.

Q: How Do I (Safely) Use Dating Apps? A: Happy Valentine's Day! Welcome to the delightful (and sometimes horrifying) world of dating apps. Flirting from your phone can be fun, as well as alluringly convenient--make a match on your morning commute!--but It takes time and effort to sort through the crowd to find someone you want to get a drink with, and you're certain to face disappointments along the way. The process also inherently requires sharing personal information with strangers, who may screenshot your photos or try to find you on other sites like LinkedIn and Facebook without your consent.