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Google's AI answers are starting to look like ads

PCWorld

PCWorld reports that Google's AI services are increasingly resembling advertisements, with new premium offerings like the $100/month Spark AI agent for digital life management. Google has shifted Gemini to a compute-based usage model while introducing advanced AI glasses that raise significant privacy concerns due to integrated cameras.


I found a better way to explore America's National Parks online

PCWorld

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. I found a better way to explore America's National Parks online TrailVerse helps you plan hikes, road trips, and park visits all in one simple, clean interface. When I'm not at work hunting down and writing about cool sites and apps for you folks, I can usually be found exploring the great outdoors. And I'll take any chance I can get to go poking around National Parks. But, if you're like me, you know how quickly planning a park visit can get out of hand and turn into a dozen open tabs.


Inside the UK's first AI-powered fertility clinic using state-of-the-art technologies to help women get pregnant - as one couple says 'artificial intelligence allowed us to hold our baby in our arms'

Daily Mail - Science & tech

Police probe Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor over'sex offences': Stunning update on investigation of former prince as officers appeal for potential'victim survivors' to come forward Trump celebrates Stephen Colbert's final show with brutal'no talent' swipe as bitter host takes one last jab at CBS on way out door Trump warns of possible military action in Cuba and says'I'd be happy to do it' as Marco Rubio declares the nation a'US national security threat' Dangerous truth about melatonin side effects... the astonishing dose you SHOULD be taking... and a new natural grocery store alternative hailed by doctors CIA Nostradamus warned Trump about Iran... now he's calling the President's doctors. Dirty secret Hollywood's Cool Girls don't want you to know. Mom-of-two abandons home in Pennsylvania to live on board CRUISE SHIP year-round - and her kids have'zero concept' their life isn't normal This quiet announcement from Prince William was missed by most... but this is why royal insiders tell me it spells disaster for Harry and Meghan's future: RICHARD EDEN White man charged after he was filmed screaming at black female neighbor and using the phrase'You people' Shock moment'slurring' Britney Spears is arrested for DUI after failing sobriety test Astonishing secret list of elite Hollywood liberals conspiring to elect Spencer Pratt revealed to KENNEDY by her LA moles. Suspected Somali fraudster filmed leaping off Minnesota balcony and driving away in luxury Genesis sedan after feds announced they were charging him with alleged $3.3m scam Inside Pizza Hut restaurant that's still EXACTLY like it was in the 90s... complete with checkered tablecloths, arcade and famous buffet Stephen Colbert's final Late Show episode leaves fans unimpressed as Ryan Reynolds leads series of surprise celebrity cameos How Meryl Streep's husband really feels about her secret relationship with Martin Short: Their years of agony... his hard red line... and why she won't divorce him Look away now, Carrie Bradshaw! Fears for Ariana Grande: Insiders lift the lid on Ethan Slater's costly sacrifice... her private nightmares... and what's really keeping them apart Inside the UK's first AI-powered fertility clinic using state-of-the-art technologies to help women get pregnant - as one couple says'artificial intelligence allowed us to hold our baby in our arms' If you were asked to think about artificial intelligence ( AI), visions of killer robots, dodgy chatbots, or deepfakes might spring to mind.


This one-time 24 AcePDF purchase could save you from years of PDF frustration

PCWorld

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Get lifetime access to AcePDF Converter & Editor for $23.99 with promo code PDF20 PDF tools have a way of turning simple tasks into unnecessary extra steps -- especially when basic features are locked behind subscriptions or usage limits. Right now, though, AcePDF Converter & Editor is available for a one-time payment of $23.99 with promo code PDF20 Whether you're merging pages, converting files to Word or Excel, or extracting text from scanned documents, this software gives you all the PDF power you need in one place. It's fast, reliable, and trusted by individuals and businesses to make daily document workflows way smoother. If PDFs are part of your daily grind, this is an easy one-time investment that will pay for itself the next time you need to edit or convert a document.


'Creepy' Listening Tool for Targeted Ads Didn't Actually Work, FTC Says

WIRED

'Creepy' Listening Tool for Targeted Ads Didn't Actually Work, FTC Says Three firms will pay nearly $1 million for selling "Active Listening" technology that they claimed tapped people's phones for advertising. The FTC alleges the "tech" was just pricey email lists. The Federal Trade Commission announced on Thursday that Cox Media Group and two other marketing companies, MindSift LLC and 1010 Digital Works, have agreed to collectively pay nearly $1 million to settle allegations that they deceived their customers--other businesses--by claiming that they could help target ads based on audio recordings collected from consumers' smart devices via a marketing service called Active Listening. In a statement to WIRED, a spokesperson for CMG says, "We are pleased to have this matter resolved. Our local marketing team relied on marketing materials provided to us by a third-party vendor about their product. We withdrew the materials expeditiously and stopped further use of the product."


Meta Is in Crisis, Google Search's Makeover, and AI Gets Booed by Graduates

WIRED

Meta Is in Crisis, Google Search's Makeover, and AI Gets Booed by Graduates This week on, the team discusses Meta's recent layoffs and what they've been hearing from employees about the increasingly grim vibes at the company. They also talk about Elon Musk losing his lawsuit against OpenAI and share highlights from Google's annual conference--including an ambitious AI vision to change how people search the web. Finally, what do recent college graduates and women whose spouses work in AI have in common? Google Search Goes Agentic--and Doesn't Need You Anymore Write to us at [email protected] . You can always listen to this week's podcast through the audio player on this page, but if you want to subscribe for free to get every episode, here's how: If you're on an iPhone or iPad, open the app called Podcasts, or just tap this link . We spoke to more than a dozen employees and it turns out the job cuts are far from the only reason why Meta employees are really going through it. He lost his lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI in really as full a way as you can, as dramatically as possible. I know, Zoë, you're looking forward to talking about that. We're going to get into why young adults might be using AI, but they have very complicated feelings about it. And later in the show, we're going to hear about why women married to AI bros have had enough . This week, the company is letting go of roughly 10 percent of its workforce, which is about 8,000 employees total. It's the latest round of job cuts, adding to the roughly 25,000 jobs that have been cut in the past few years as part of Mark Zuckerberg's Year of Efficiency that started in 2023 and now the latest AI-forward workplace, which he is trying to develop and impose. And while these latest cuts are not as big as some of the rounds of layoffs that have already happened, they're getting a ton of attention because Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO, has said that the reason they're happening, in part at least, in large part, is because the company is spending so much money on AI and data centers.


A Windows 11 bug blocks all updates since February. Here's what to do

PCWorld

PCWorld reports a Windows 11 bug has blocked all updates since February for some users, creating serious security vulnerabilities and potential system issues. The problem stems from January's Preview Update and affects download timeouts, leaving systems without crucial monthly security patches and upcoming Secure Boot certificate updates. Microsoft recommends performing a Known-Issue Rollback (KIR) to revert the faulty update and restore normal update functionality. Problems with Windows updates are nothing new, but right now there's a seriously annoying bug that's affecting certain Windows 11 users--they haven't been getting any Windows updates for months. According to BleepingComputer, the issue started after installation of the January Preview Update. This means that those affected have not received a single Windows update since February, and that includes all the monthly security updates that should be keeping them safe. As if that weren't bad enough, we're also at a critical juncture just weeks before Secure Boot certificates expire on older Windows machines. Microsoft has been distributing updated certificates via Windows Update, which must be installed on PCs before June in order for Secure Boot to continue working as intended.


Ugreen's Find My trackers are 5 each. Get 4 for less than one AirTag

PCWorld

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Ugreen's Find My trackers are $5 each. This 4-pack of Ugreen FineTrack Air tags is just $20 on Amazon. They're Apple Find My certified, compatible with iPhones and iPads. Admit it: there have been so many times when you wondered where your keys were, or where your luggage ended up, or where you accidentally left your bag.


Why the world's banks are so worried about Anthropic's latest AI model

AIHub

Why the world's banks are so worried about Anthropic's latest AI model The legendary American bank robber Willie Sutton spent 40 years robbing banks because, as he claimed in his autobiography, he loved doing it. And when asked why he chose banks of all places to rob, he allegedly replied "Because that's where the money is." Back in 2017, I wrote a book predicting it wasn't just lovable rogues like Sutton who would soon be robbing banks, but artificial intelligence (AI). That day, it appears, could now be about to arrive. Banks around the world are seriously worried cyber criminals will soon take advantage of the latest advances in AI to try to rob them.


Waymos in Atlanta and San Antonio keep driving into flooded roads

Engadget

The company has suspended operations in a second city. Autonomous cars are getting more capable all the time, but they remain a bit too willing to fight mother nature and lose. Case in point: Waymo has halted its robotaxi service in a second US city in the past fortnight due to issues with heavy rain and flooding. First reported by, the company has paused its operations in Atlanta after one of its self-driving vehicles was seen driving through a heavily flooded street, where it eventually got stuck for around an hour. This comes after Waymo also temporarily suspended its San Antonio service last week and issued a voluntary recall for nearly 4,000 robotaxis.