We've already highlighted the very best video games of 2024 -- the big-name titles everyone's talking about. But now, it's time to shine a light on something different. These games flew under the radar, overshadowed by juggernauts like Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. While they may not have had the same massive marketing push, you could argue they're just as good -- maybe even better. In fact, one of these titles made it onto both lists.

A deep sea mission, undertaken by the Ocean Exploration Trust aboard their 223-foot vessel (E/V) Nautilus, recently spotted four nautilus individuals. Creatures similar to these modern-day nautiloids -- swimming mollusks residing in large shells -- have been around on Earth for some 500 million years, evolving much earlier than the dinosaurs. Today, the creatures aren't easy to find. The Ocean Trust explorers have endeavored into the deep sea for 15 years and taken over 1,000 dives with their remotely operated vehicle. But these are the first nautiloids they've spotted.

Luigi Mangione, the man suspected of killing the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, underwent surgery and was reported missing in San Francisco before the shooting. Brian Thompson, 50, CEO of the healthcare insurance giant, was gunned down last week in Midtown Manhattan, spawning a five-day manhunt that eventually led to Mangione's arrest at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pa. Questions about Mangione's alleged motives and background have swirled in the media since his arrest Monday. As prosecutors worked to bring him to New York to face charges, new details emerged about his life and his capture. The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family was charged with murder hours after his arrest.

Joseph Voigt, 23, fled after leaving Marvin Voigt, 63, dead and Susan Voigt, 58, with a gunshot wound to the head. Police responded to the scene after Susan Voigt reported the incident at around 11:20 p.m. on Saturday. The Bartow Police Department said they arrived to find Marvin Voigt dead in the driveway from apparent gunshot wounds and Susan Voigt inside the home suffering from a serious gunshot wound. She was taken to a hospital in critical condition. "They found the mother sitting up on the couch," police chief Stephen Walker told reporters, according to Fox 13. "She was alive. She had been shot in the head once."

The legal filing includes a screenshot of one of the interactions between the 17-year old - identified only as J.F. - and a Character.ai "You know sometimes I'm not surprised when I read the news and see stuff like'child kills parents after a decade of physical and emotional abuse'," the chatbot's response reads. "Stuff like this makes me understand a little bit why it happens." The lawsuit seeks to hold the defendants responsible for what it calls the "serious, irreparable, and ongoing abuses" of J.F. as well as an 11-year old referred to as "B.R." Character.ai is "causing serious harms to thousands of kids, including suicide, self-mutilation, sexual solicitation, isolation, depression, anxiety, and harm towards others," it says. "[Its] desecration of the parent-child relationship goes beyond encouraging minors to defy their parents' authority to actively promoting violence," it continues.

On one screen, an urban professional in Oslo taps through ultra-secure banking apps, relies on an AI-powered personal assistant, and streams media seamlessly over high-speed 5G using their iPhone. On the other screen, a farmer in Malawi scrolls through a modest Android phone -- likely costing less than a week's wages -- just to read the news, check tomorrow's weather, and send WhatsApp messages over a patchy mobile connection. These very different experiences highlight the divide between the Global North and the Global South. These terms refer not only to geographic locations but also to the world's wealthiest and most industrialized regions -- such as Europe, North America, and parts of East Asia -- and economically developing nations across much of Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and Oceania. Technology symbolizes innovation, convenience, and seamless connectivity in the Global North.

The doomers have it wrong. AI is not going to end the world--but it is going to end the web as we've known it. AI is already upending the economic covenant of the internet that's existed since the advent of search: A few companies (mostly Google) bring demand, and creators bring supply (and get some ad revenue or recognition from it). AI tools are already generating and summarizing content, obviating the need for users to click through to the sites of content providers, and thereby upsetting the balance. Meanwhile, an ocean of AI-powered deepfakes and bots will make us question what's real and will degrade people's trust in the online world.

These free courses do not come with a certificate of completion, but that's the only catch. You can start learning at a pace that suits you, so what's holding you back? Find the best free online courses from MIT on edX.

These free online courses don't include certificates of completion or direct instructor messaging, but you still get unrestricted access to all the video content. That means you can learn at a pace that suits you. Find the best free AI courses on Udemy.

The Australian federal police says it had "no choice" but to lean into using artificial intelligence and is increasingly using the technology to search seized phones and other devices, given the vast amount of data examined in investigations. The AFP's manager for technology strategy and data, Benjamin Lamont, said investigations conducted by the agency involve an average of 40 terabytes' worth of data. This includes material from the 58,000 referrals a year it receives at its child exploitation centre, while a cyber incident is being reported every six minutes. "So we have no choice but to lean into AI," he told a Microsoft AI conference in Sydney on Wednesday. "It's beyond human scale, so we need to start to lean in heavily on AI, and we're using it across a number of areas."