Google smartphones will no longer require an outstretched arm to get everyone in a group photo. Instead, users will now be able to take a photo from behind the camera – and simply add themselves in using AI. It is one of a host of powerful AI-enabled tools Google announced on Tuesday would feature in its latest Pixel 9 range of smartphones. To use the new'Add Me' tool, users first need to choose one person to take the group photo. They then hand the phone over to another member of the group, who takes a second shot of the same scene, this time with them in it.

In a rare move, Google is extending everyone access to subscriber-exclusive Photos tools. Free Google Photos users are getting its enhanced editing features without paying a minimum of 20 annually. This means all users will get a few of Google's AI-powered tools, such as Photo UnBlur, Magic Eraser and Magic Editor. Photo UnBlur works just as it sounds, giving greater clarity to a photo that's a bit fuzzy. The Magic Eraser tool lets you remove or camouflage people or things from pictures, like a rogue trash can or photo bomber. Magic Editor uses generative AI to move, stretch and resize objects.

Apple reportedly told employees its stores and authorized third-party repair shops will soon be able to resolve Face ID hardware issues without having to replace an iPhone entirely. Technicians may have access to a TrueDepth camera part that includes the Face ID and front-facing camera modules. They'll be able to swap it into an iPhone, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors. The company reportedly said the part may lower the number of whole-device replacements, which will help reduce the company's carbon footprint. Although Apple didn't mention pricing for such repairs in the memo, it would make sense for a new part to be less expensive than a replacement device.

Our world is changing at dizzying speed. With self-driving cars entering our highways and computers predicting our next likely purchase, we are entering an era where the cloud and machine learning are directly impacting our everyday lives. By merging with machine learning, cloud computing is in the midst of a pivot towards becoming more interconnected and intelligent. Below are five ways in which machine learning has been shaping the modern cloud. Cognitive computing is rapidly evolving the landscape of how we communicate and do business online.

Michigan would no longer require that someone be inside a self-driving car while testing it on public roads under legislation passed unanimously Wednesday by the state Senate, where backers touted the measures as necessary to keep the U.S. auto industry's home state ahead of the curve on rapidly advancing technology. The expansive bills, which are on track for final legislative approval by year's end, would make Michigan a rare state to explicitly end a requirement that a researcher be inside an autonomous test vehicle. The researcher would have to "promptly" take control of its movements remotely if necessary, or the vehicle would have to be able to stop or slow on its own. Supporters said the human-operator requirement is seen as an impediment that could put Michigan at risk of losing research and development to other states. Other provisions would allow for public operation of driverless vehicles when they are sold, ease the "platooning" of autonomous commercial trucks traveling closely together at electronically coordinated speeds and help create a facility to test autonomous and wirelessly connected cars at highway speeds at the site of a defunct General Motors plant that once churned out World War II bombers.

LANSING, Mich – Michigan would no longer require that someone be inside a self-driving car while testing it on public roads under bills up for a vote in the Legislature. The change is expected to win Senate approval Wednesday and likely reach Gov. Rick Snyder's desk within months. The legislation is designed to keep the U.S. auto industry's home state ahead of the curve on autonomous vehicles. A researcher wouldn't have to be present in a self-driving test car. But he or she would be required to "promptly" take control of its movements if necessary.

Flying a drone for commercial purposes will no longer require a pilot's license, the Federal Aviation Administration announced in new rules released Tuesday. Drones flown in for-profit uses will no longer require a special permit so long as they weigh no more than 55 pounds, soar no higher than 400 feet and fly no closer than 400 feet from buildings or structures, the guidelines stipulate. Previous rules required commercial drone operators to have a pilot's license and apply for an FAA waiver – a tedious process believed to have steered many businesses to use drones without proper permission. The new regulation, which takes effect in August, will allow anyone over the age of 16 to fly a commercial drone so long as they apply for a remote pilot certificate, which requires passing an aeronautics test at an FAA-approved facility and undergoing a background check. That threshold is far lower than a pilot's license – a move likely to encourage greater commercial use of drones, industry experts predict.