You might think that such AI companionship bots--AI models with distinct "personalities" that can learn about you and act as a friend, lover, cheerleader, or more--appeal only to a fringe few, but that couldn't be further from the truth. A new research paper aimed at making such companions safer, by authors from Google DeepMind, the Oxford Internet Institute, and others, lays this bare: Character.AI, the platform being sued by Garcia, says it receives 20,000 queries per second, which is about a fifth of the estimated search volume served by Google. Interactions with these companions last four times longer than the average time spent interacting with ChatGPT. One companion site I wrote about, which was hosting sexually charged conversations with bots imitating underage celebrities, told me its active users averaged more than two hours per day conversing with bots, and that most of those users are members of Gen Z. The design of these AI characters makes lawmakers' concern well warranted.

China is using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to ramp up disinformation against Taiwan to "divide" Taiwan's public, the island's National Security Bureau said. Taiwan has accused China of stepping up military drills, trade sanctions and influence campaigns against the island in recent years to force the island to accept Chinese sovereignty claims. Taiwan strongly rejects China's sovereignty claims. China staged two days of war games and live-fire drills near the democratically governed island this month, triggering concern by the United States and many of its allies.

TL;DR: The Luminar Neo Lifetime Bundle is the perfect gift for photo lovers -- 89.99 gets them editing magic for life. The Luminar Neo Lifetime Bundle is on sale for 89.99 for a limited time. With its innovative AI-powered photo-editing tools and plenty of add-ons, it's everything they need to transform everyday photos into stunning works of art -- no complicated learning curve required. Luminar Neo makes photo editing effortless. The AI-powered tools allow users to replace skies, enhance lighting, and even retouch skin with ease.

A University of Tokyo team has said that it has managed to rapidly identify from photographs the size, location and shape of some 200,000 rocks on two asteroids using artificial intelligence technology. The photos of asteroid Ryugu were taken by Japan's Hayabusa2 unmanned asteroid probe, while those of asteroid Bennu were taken by the U.S. probe Osiris-Rex. The findings were published Monday in the British journal Scientific Reports. The team, including university project researcher Yuta Shimizu and professor Hideaki Miyamoto, hopes to apply its findings not only to planetary science but also the fields of civil engineering and disaster prevention on Earth.

Rumors circulated today that robotaxi company Waymo might use data from vehicles' interior cameras to train AI and sell targeted ads to riders. However, the company has tried to quell concerns, insisting that it won't be targeting ads to passengers. The situation arose after researcher and engineer Jane Manchun Wong discovered an unreleased version of Waymo's privacy policy that suggested the robotaxi company could start using data from its vehicles to train generative AI. The draft policy has language allowing customers to opt out of Waymo "using your personal information (including interior camera data associated with your identity) for training GAI." Wong's discovery also suggested that Waymo could use that camera footage to sell personalized ads to riders. Later in the day, The Verge obtained comments on this unreleased privacy policy from Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina.

Apple typically pushes out major iOS upgrades every September, alongside new iPhones--you may recall the launch of iOS 18. Those big software upgrades are followed by'point' releases that squash outstanding bugs, improve security and stability, and occasionally introduce new features. That's the case with iOS 18.4, which brings more with it than most minor iOS updates. From extra tools in Image Playground, to ambient music to relax you or send you off to sleep, here's what's new in the iOS 18 update. Apple Intelligence can now prioritize iPhone notifications, selecting which you need to see first and create AI-written summaries.

Tech expert Kurt'CyberGuy' Knutsson joins'Fox & Friends' to discuss the future of AI development in the United States. Vice President JD Vance honored his mother, Beverly Aikins, at the White House Monday to commemorate her reaching 10 years of sobriety. "I remember when I gave my (Republican National Committee) convention speech, which was the craziest thing, and I even said during the speech that we would have your 10-year medallion ceremony at the White House," Vance said in the White House's Roosevelt Room, according to the Washington Examiner. Vice President JD Vance, pictured here with his wife, Usha Vance, outlined his mother's battle with sobriety and substance abuse in his book, "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis." "Well, here we are," Vance said.

For a show that clings to a six-decade-old premise -- it's about the Doctor, an alien time traveler who can regenerate their body before death, the TARDIS, a time-and-space machine that's bigger on the inside, and the human companions along for the ride -- Doctor Who can seem surprisingly fresh when it's done right. Not because of the Doctor, as magnetically charming as the lead usually is (current charmer: Ncuti Gatwa). The Doctor may have doubts, setbacks, and mysteries to solve, but as any actor will tell you, very little in the way of character development. Freshness arrives via the companions, who provide the ever-shifting perspective of present-day culture. If the audience is not on board with a new companion by the time they step aboard the TARDIS, many will decline to take the trip.

Have you heard about the new Minecraft movie? The teens have -- and they're involving themselves in screenings of the movie at the theater a la The Rocky Horror Picture Show. According to IGN, teens attending screenings of A Minecraft Movie screamed "CHICKEN JOCKEY!" along with Jack Black's character, Steve, threw their popcorn around, and, in some theaters, police were even called. You can't actually spend much time on TikTok without being bombarded with proof. X is also full of reactions -- although most posts are admitting to the complete shock they experienced upon seeing all the pandemonium, the disappointment in the actual quality of the film, and, well, our ages.

Experts agree that artificial intelligence (AI) will change the workplace forever, but there's little consensus on how employees will cope with this transformation. Research suggests only 30% of C-suite leaders feel confident in their change capabilities, and even fewer (25%) believe their teams are ready to embrace change. Also: Is your business AI-ready? So, how can senior executives embrace the AI transformation successfully? Five business leaders share their strategies for managing teams effectively in an AI-enabled enterprise.