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Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,166

Al Jazeera

Russian forces repelled four drones flying towards Moscow, the capital's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said in a post on Telegram. There were no initial reports of damage or casualties, Sobyanin said, adding that emergency services were working at the scene. Ukrainian forces attacked a factory in Russia's Bryansk region, destroying much of the plant, Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram. There were no casualties, Bogomaz said. Russian forces destroyed 13 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russia's Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk regions, Moscow's Ministry of Defence said on Sunday.


Putin expresses 'hope' that nuclear weapons will not be needed in Ukraine

Al Jazeera

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that there has so far been no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, expressing "hope" that they will not be required. Putin said his country had enough "strength and means" to bring the three-year war, sparked by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, to a "logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires". His comments were part of a documentary marking his quarter century in power by state television channel Rossiya 1 that was released on Sunday. Responding to a question from journalist Pavel Zarubin about the Russian response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, Putin said: "There has been no need to use those [nuclear] weapons โ€ฆ and I hope they will not be required." His comments came ahead of his unilaterally declared three-day ceasefire over May 8-10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany in World War II, an initiative that he claimed would test Kyiv's readiness for long-term peace.


Book reveals Biden advisors declined to have president take a cognitive test in February 2024: Report

FOX News

Former Biden administration aide Michael LaRosa claimed the White House pressured CNN to not book him after he left the White House, which CNN denied to Fox News Digital. A new book revealed that former President Joe Biden's team chose not to have the president take a cognitive test in February 2024, over concerns that taking the test itself would raise more questions about his age, The New York Times reported Sunday. Authors Tyler Pager, a reporter for The New York Times, Josh Dawsey, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Isaac Arnsdorf, a reporter for the Washington Post, wrote the book, titled, "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America," which is set to be released in July. The book, one of several about the tumultuous 2024 presidential election, details that Biden's top aides debated having him complete a cognitive test to quell concerns about his age. The aides were reportedly confident Biden would pass the test.


'Dangerous nonsense': AI-authored books about ADHD for sale on Amazon

The Guardian

Amazon is selling books marketed at people seeking techniques to manage their ADHD that claim to offer expert advice yet appear to be authored by a chatbot such as ChatGPT. Amazon's marketplace has been deluged with works produced by artificial intelligence that are easy and cheap to publish but include unhelpful or dangerous misinformation, such as shoddy travel guidebooks and mushroom foraging books that encourage risky tasting. A number of books have appeared on the online retailer's site offering guides to ADHD that also seem to be written by chatbots. The titles include Navigating ADHD in Men: Thriving with a Late Diagnosis, Men with Adult ADHD: Highly Effective Techniques for Mastering Focus, Time Management and Overcoming Anxiety and Men with Adult ADHD Diet & Fitness. Samples from eight books were examined for the Guardian by Originality.ai,


The big idea: can we stop AI making humans obsolete?

The Guardian

Right now, most big AI labs have a team figuring out ways that rogue AIs might escape supervision, or secretly collude with each other against humans. But there's a more mundane way we could lose control of civilisation: we might simply become obsolete. This wouldn't require any hidden plots โ€“ if AI and robotics keep improving, it's what happens by default. Well, AI developers are firmly on track to build better replacements for humans in almost every role we play: not just economically as workers and decision-makers, but culturally as artists and creators, and even socially as friends and romantic companions. What place will humans have when AI can do everything we do, only better?


When Star Wars becomes REALITY: Scientists reveal how you really could be frozen in 'carbonite' like Han Solo

Daily Mail - Science & tech

In George Lucas's classic 1980 film'The Empire Strikes Back', hero Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is frozen in carbonite by the evil Darth Vader. The fictional metal hardened around the heroic space smuggler as it cooled โ€“ sealing him in a state of'perfect hibernation'. Carbonite is of course a fictional material, consigned to the realms of the Star Wars galaxy far, far away. But according to one scientist, this scene is not completely the stuff of science-fiction. Dr Alex Baker, a chemist at the University of Warwick, thinks humans could potentially be frozen like Solo with a real-life equivalent.


All the AI news of the week: Hands-on with Metas AI app, ChatGPT and and leaderboard drama

Mashable

Just like AI models, AI news never sleeps. Every week, we're inundated with new models, products, industry rumors, legal and ethical crises, and viral trends. If that's not enough, the rival AI hype/doom chatter online makes it hard to keep track of what's really important. But we've sifted through it all to recap the most notable AI news of the week from the heavyweights like OpenAI and Google, as well as the AI ecosystem at large. This week, Meta held its inaugural LlamaCon event for AI developers, OpenAI struggled with model behavior, and LM Arena was accused of helping AI companies game the system.


Your Google TV just got a useful feature upgrade for free, and smart home users will love it

ZDNet

Older Google TV and Chromecast devices are finally getting the Home Panel feature, allowing you to control your smart home devices from your TV. The feature was initially launched with the Google TV Streamer last year, but Google opened a public preview program to let users enroll older devices. Now, the feature appears to have launched widely and quietly. The latest update began rolling out earlier this week, and reports indicate users are using the Home Panel feature on discontinued Chromecast devices and Google TV sets, including Hisense TVs. Also: New Google Labs experiments help you learn new languages in'bite-sized' lessons The Home Panel on Google TV lets you control Google Home-compatible smart devices by accessing them on the right side of your TV.


Why experts say AI companions arent safe for teens -- yet

Mashable

Millions of people are drawn to generative artificial intelligence companions, like the kind that populate Character.AI, Replika, and Nomi. The companions seem impressively human. They remember conversations and use familiar verbal tics. Sometimes they even mistake themselves for flesh and bone, offering descriptions of how they eat and sleep. While it might surprise their parents, tweens and teens are doing the same, and youth safety experts are gravely worried about the consequences.


Get an AI investment coach for just 69 for life

Mashable

TL;DR: Sterling Stock Picker has an AI that helps you invest in the stock market, and it's only 68.99 for life. The stock market has been especially volatile lately, but that doesn't mean you have to wait to invest. A new specialized AI from the creators of ChatGPT has been trained on the stock market to help you invest your money safely, even in a chaotic market. Sterling Stock Picker can help you determine which investments are worth the money, and a lifetime subscription is even on sale for 68.99 (reg. Sterling Stock Picker uses AI-driven tools to help simplify the investing process for beginners and experienced investors alike.