But can technology describe something so personal? But this week I've also been wondering how science and technology can help answer that question--especially when it comes to pain. In the latest issue of magazine, Deena Mousa describes how an AI-powered smartphone app is being used to assess how much pain a person is in . The app, and other tools like it, could help doctors and caregivers. They could be especially useful in the care of people who aren't able to tell others how they are feeling. But they are far from perfect.

ByteDance's Doubao app has overtaken DeepSeek, proving that user-friendly design often matters more than having the most advanced AI model. When Chinese AI startup DeepSeek became a global sensation in January, it not only shocked Silicon Valley but also startled ByteDance, TikTok's parent company. The Chinese tech giant had already launched Doubao, its own flagship AI assistant app with tens of millions of users. But when DeepSeek became the best-known Chinese AI company overnight, no one was talking about Doubao anymore. Now, ByteDance has gotten its revenge.

Before she goes to bed each night, Holly Wang logs on to DeepSeek for "therapy sessions". Ever since January, when the breakout Chinese AI app launched, the 28-year-old has brought her dilemmas and sorrows, including the recent death of her grandmother, to the chatbot. Its responses have resonated so deeply they have at times brought her to tears. "DeepSeek has been such an amazing counsellor. It has helped me look at things from different perspectives and does a better job than the paid counselling services I have tried," says Holly, who asked for her real name to be withheld to protect her privacy. From writing reports and Excel formulas to planning trips, workouts and learning new skills, AI apps have found their way into many people's lives across the world.

What a great idea I had for the first Plaintext of 2025. After following the frantic competition between OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Anthropic to churn out brainier and deeper "frontier" foundation models, I settled on a thesis about what's ahead: In the new year, those mighty trailblazers will consume billions of dollars, countless gigawatts, and all the silicon Nvidia can muster in their pursuit of AGI. We'll be bombarded by press releases boasting advanced reasoning, more tokens, and maybe even assurances that their models won't make up crazy facts. But people are tired of hearing about how AI is transformational and seeing few transformations to their day-to-day existence. Getting an AI summary of Google search results or having Facebook ask if you want to pose a follow-up question on a post doesn't make you a traveler to the neo-human future.

On an overcast day in Tokyo this week, three dozen men and women strolled through a botanical garden in groups of four, making awkward conversation as they searched for clues to a mystery-solving game -- and a potential partner for life. They are participants in one of the many matchmaking events the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been hosting for years in an attempt, so far unsuccessful, to reverse declines in marriages and births. Having organized parties and offered dating and fashion advice, the metropolis of 14 million now hopes for a broader reach and better results by releasing an artificial intelligence-powered dating app as early as this spring.

Acer is refreshing its Swift Edge 16 and Swift Go 14 laptops, showcasing one of the first instances of AMD's latest Ryzen 8000 mobile family of processors as well as a new AI app which Acer is preloading on the PCs. Acer will shift its updated Swift Edge 16 beginning in March, for 1,299 and up. Acer's Swift Go 14 with the latest Ryzen chips inside will cost 699 and up, and will ship in April. Acer's Swift Edge 16 shipped last year with the older Ryzen 7840U inside. PCWorld's Swift Edge 16 (2023) review assigned it four out of five stars, praising its inky black display, strong performance, and light weight, but frowning at its plasticky construction and keyboard.

Over the past decade, artificial intelligence (AI) methods in pathology have advanced substantially. However, integration into routine clinical practice has been slow due to numerous challenges, including technical and regulatory hurdles in translating research results into clinical diagnostic products and the lack of standardized interfaces. The open and vendor-neutral EMPAIA initiative addresses these challenges. Here, we provide an overview of EMPAIA's achievements and lessons learned. EMPAIA integrates various stakeholders of the pathology AI ecosystem, i.e., pathologists, computer scientists, and industry. In close collaboration, we developed technical interoperability standards, recommendations for AI testing and product development, and explainability methods. We implemented the modular and open-source EMPAIA platform and successfully integrated 11 AI-based image analysis apps from 6 different vendors, demonstrating how different apps can use a single standardized interface. We prioritized requirements and evaluated the use of AI in real clinical settings with 14 different pathology laboratories in Europe and Asia. In addition to technical developments, we created a forum for all stakeholders to share information and experiences on digital pathology and AI. Commercial, clinical, and academic stakeholders can now adopt EMPAIA's common open-source interfaces, providing a unique opportunity for large-scale standardization and streamlining of processes. Further efforts are needed to effectively and broadly establish AI assistance in routine laboratory use. To this end, a sustainable infrastructure, the non-profit association EMPAIA International, has been established to continue standardization and support broad implementation and advocacy for an AI-assisted digital pathology future.

Kurt'CyberGuy' Knutsson explains the value of an AI app for the visually impaired Have you ever struggled to see something in the dark, or to read a small print or to recognize a familiar face? If you have, you are not alone. Many people face these challenges every day, and they can affect their quality of life and independence. But what if there were a way to enhance your vision with the power of artificial intelligence? CLICK TO GET KURT'S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK VIDEO TIPS, TECH REVIEWS, AND EASY HOW-TO'S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER Seeing AI is an app that uses artificial intelligence to lend a hand when it's hard to see things around you.

Technology companies are racing to develop artificial intelligence that can run "unplugged" from the internet, providing users with a more personalized and private experience. During this year's Intel Innovation summit, company CEO Pat Gelsinger unveiled new "AI PCs" that will increase the use of AI on the devices themselves and not depend on the cloud, according to a report from Spectrum. The company is not alone in its quest to optimize its devices to run artificial intelligence "at the edge," unplugged from the internet and run on local hardware. Apple and Qualcomm have also been involved in the race, the report noted, leading a drive toward AI meant to act more as a personalized assistant for the end user. Most AI tools today rely heavily on data centers that require a stable internet connection, at times overburdening servers attempting to keep up with the growing demand.

Microsoft's Seeing AI app is available on Android devices for the first time starting today. The aim of the free app is to help blind and low-vision folks understand more of the world around them with the assistance of their smartphone's cameras and AI-powered narration. Microsoft says the Android app uses the company's latest advances in generative AI and it has the same features as the iOS version. Given that there are more than 3 billion Android users around the world, the app could help improve the quality of life of many people. Seeing AI's latest features were built with the help of feedback from users.