Google is talking to dolphins using Pixel phones and AI - and the video is delightful
Dolphins are among the smartest creatures on the planet, and a new AI model from Google combined with Pixel phones is helping researchers better understand their language -- and even hopefully communicate with them. Dolphin sounds fall into a few specific categories, such as whistles, squawks, and clicking buzzes, each linked to a different context and behavior. By analyzing these sounds, researchers can detect patterns and structure, just like human language. Researchers at the Wild Dolphin Project have been collecting data on this language for nearly 40 years. A collaboration with Google to use a new Google AI model called DolphinGemma lets them take that research a step further and actually predict what sound is coming next.
OpenAI is phasing out GPT-4.5 for developers
OpenAI has announced its phasing out GPT-4.5 from its developer API in favor of its new GPT-4.1 model. When it launched, OpenAI described GPT-4.5 as its best and most capable model so far, in part because it was a more natural conversationalist and could capably mimic some notion of emotional intelligence. Despite what its name suggests, GPT-4.1 is supposed to be better and more efficient. That means that if you won't find it as in option in the public-facing ChatGPT interface, but you could someday interact with an agent that leverages the model's improvements. GPT-4.1 is supposed to be better at coding and "long context understanding," according to OpenAI, with support for "up to one million tokens of context" and knowledge of the world up to June 2024.
Unboxing The New Nintendo Switch
Fox on Games takes an insider look at all the new features of the soon-to-be-released Switch 2. New York City โ In a bustling event on 5th Avenue that drew over 100 journalists, content creators, and industry insiders, Nintendo made waves by unveiling the much-anticipated Switch 2. The console is set to redefine gaming experiences worldwide, and Fox was there to capture the excitement. The Switch 2 is priced at 450 for the console alone, with an option to purchase a bundled package at 500, which includes the new racer "pack-in" game, Mario Kart World. Nintendo has listened to feedback from the initial Switch release and introduced significant upgrades to the Switch 2's hardware. The Joy-Con controllers now connect via magnets, eliminating the traditional track system. Enhanced with a gyroscope and a new mouse mechanic, players can simulate movement with precision, akin to rolling a ball across the floor.
Nvidia commits to 500bn AI server production in the US
Chipmaker Nvidia says it plans to build artificial intelligence servers worth as much as 500bn in the United States over the next four years with help from partners such as TSMC. Nvidia is the latest US tech firm to back a push by President Donald Trump's administration for local manufacturing. Monday's announcement includes the production of its Blackwell AI chips at TSMC's factory in Phoenix, Arizona, and supercomputer manufacturing plants in Texas by Foxconn and Wistron, which are expected to ramp up in 12 to 15 months. "Adding American manufacturing helps us better meet the incredible and growing demand for AI chips and supercomputers, strengthens our supply chain and boosts our resiliency," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said. "Manufacturing AI chips and supercomputers in the US will create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the coming decades," Nvidia said in a statement.
Meta will start using data from EU users to train its AI models
Meta plans to start using data collected from its users in the European Union to train its AI systems, the company announced today. Starting this week, the tech giant will begin notifying Europeans through email and its family of apps of the fact, with the message set to include an explanation of the kind of data it plans to use as part of the training. Additionally, the notification will link out to a form users can complete to opt out of the process. "We have made this objection form easy to find, read, and use, and we'll honor all objection forms we have already received, as well as newly submitted ones," says Meta. The company notes it will only use data it collects from public posts and Meta AI interactions for training purposes.
OpenAI's New GPT 4.1 Models Excel at Coding
OpenAI announced today that it is releasing a new family of artificial intelligence models optimized to excel at coding, as it ramps up efforts to fend off increasingly stiff competition from companies like Google and Anthropic. The models are available to developers through OpenAI's application programming interface (API). OpenAI is releasing three sizes of models: GPT 4.1, GPT 4.1 Mini, and GPT 4.1 Nano. Kevin Weil, chief product officer at OpenAI, said on a livestream that the new models are better than OpenAI's most widely used model, GPT-4o, and better than its largest and most powerful model, GPT-4.5, in some ways. GPT-4.1 scored 55 percent on SWE-Bench, a widely used benchmark for gauging the prowess of coding models.
GPT-4.1 is here, but not for everyone. Here's who can try the new models
Last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman teased that he was dropping a new feature. Paired with reports and spottings of new model art, many speculated it was the long-awaited release of the GPT-4.1 model. It turned out to be a massive ChatGPT update that introduced new memory capabilities -- but now, OpenAI's new family of models has finally arrived. On Monday via a livestream, OpenAI unveiled a new family of models: GPT-4.1, According to OpenAI, the family of models offers improvements in coding, instruction-following, and long-context understanding, and outperforms GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini "across the board."
Save 35% off the Amazon Echo -- its lowest price of the year
SAVE 35: As of April 14, get the Amazon Echo for just 64.99. We always have our eyes on Echo devices, the ultra popular smart home device that answer to your beck and call. Plus, with the recently rolled out Alexa, Echo devices are more capable than ever, able to execute tasks like making a dinner reservation or holding a conversation. As of April 14, the Amazon Echo is seeing its first discount of 2025. Now down to 64.99, that saves you 35 off its usual 99.99.
Don't forget to tip! The driverless taxi that could also get you a job โ or a date
Age: Founded in 2009 as the Google Self-Driving Car Project. How futuristic โ and they've been working on this since 2009? Actually, it goes back to 2004 and a prototype autonomous car built by Stanford University. The Google project became known as Waymo in 2016. Any idea how many more years until we see the first self-driving taxis? They already have them in San Francisco, LA and Phoenix, among other places.
I went to KubeCon London thinking it had peaked, but I was so wrong. Here's why
I have to admit, heading out to London for 2025 KubeCon CloudNativeCon Europe, I thought I might see the beginning of the downward trend for the event about building, deploying, and managing next-generation cloud applications and infrastructures. After all, the show turned 10 last year, and, in my experience, that's when conferences start to show their age. Plus, there has been lots of news around the effect of AI on application development, and while KubeCon isn't directly about dev, much of its focus is on applications and services. But boy, was I wrong. In fact, KubeCon 2025 in London was packed, with over 12,000 attendees.