A guy with no background in film or artificial intelligence is working on making an entire movie -- in a provocative attempt to demonstrate that generative AI art models can open ambitious levels of filmmaking to the masses. German tech entrepreneur Fabian Stelzer told PC Magazine that his 70s-style sci-fi film "Salt" will feature all artificial voices except his own, and that generative models will also create the film's footage and sound effects, too. From what Stelzer's been posting to Twitter to tease his progress, the film apears to be about space travelers who encounter a planet with an overgrowth of bizarre salt -- but beyond that basic premise, the neuroscientist is allowing his Twitter followers to determine which specific directions the film will go in a sort of "Choose Your Own Adventure" style for the AI age. "I definitely want to have a'Director's Cut' at some point, or a'Community's Cut,' but the real goal is to transcend the medium of film into something new," he said. "Like enable everyone in the community to eventually use a model that lets them write their own scenes."

For PC Magazine's charter issue(Opens in a new window) in early 1982, the newly minted editor-in-chief and publisher David Bunnell flew to Seattle to interview a fresh-faced, 26-year-old Bill Gates, the president and co-founder of a little software company called Microsoft. Bunnell's goal with this exclusive interview was to understand the part Microsoft and its software played in the development of the groundbreaking IBM PC that was born less than a year earlier. After all, that IBM PC was the namesake of Bunnell's new publication. In the interview, the two discuss how much fun it was for Bill and his team to contribute to the IBM project, how gratifying it was to have been part of it, and how the IBM and Microsoft teams worked together to actually get it done. They even speak of shooting jokes back and forth via an early form of email used for communication between the two teams. Besides recalling many of the gritty details of how the software and hardware were developed together (it was a two-hour interview!),

File photo: Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos laughs as he talks to the media while touring the new Amazon Spheres during the grand opening at Amazon's Seattle headquarters in Seattle, Washington, U.S., January 29, 2018. If a "top-secret" Amazon plan comes to fruition, the online retail giant's next big thing might be home robots. Citing unnamed sources familiar with the company's plans, Bloomberg reports that Amazon is getting serious about building a domestic robot. Think Alexa, but with the ability to move around your home autonomously. The project, codenamed "Vesta" after the Roman goddess of the hearth, home, and family, reportedly kicked off years ago, but has been gaining steam of late.

Matthew is PCMag's UK-based editor and news reporter. Prior to joining the team, he spent 14 years writing and editing content on our sister site Geek.com and has covered most areas of technology, but is especially passionate about games tech. Matthew holds a BSc degree in Computer Science from... See Full Bio

Artificial intelligence is a fascinating but not particularly accessible technology. Project DataREACH, currently in trial mode in Cameroon, wants to change that by giving doctors in all corners of the globe access to advanced AI to help diagnose illnesses and spot troubling health trends. "Our goal is to bridge the gap between the medical data now being gathered on the ground in developing nations, and the cutting-edge [AI] research and application...from the West," Project DataREACH founder and CEO Vikash Singh told PCMag. Singh's app allows clinicians to collect patient data like height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, family history, and location. That data is then analyzed via machine learning to assist physicians in evaluating the risk of noncommunicable diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular issues.

Rumors have been swirling as of late that Apple is getting ready to release its new Amazon Echo and Google Home rival very soon, and now we have an official launch date for the HomePod. Apple on Tuesday announced that the $349 HomePod will hit store shelves on Feb. 9. The Cupertino tech giant will start taking pre-orders on its website this Friday, Jan. 26, in the US, UK, and Australia. The Siri-backed smart speaker is slated to arrive in France and Germany this spring. Getting to this point has already been a long road for Apple, which unveiled the HomePod in June and planned to start selling it in December, in time for the holidays.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has flown beneath the radar for the first six decades of its development, and just recently it's exploded into public consciousness, according to Neil Jacobstein. The AI & Robotics co-chair at Singularity University and former CEO of Teknowledge Corporation believes the combination of humans, AI, and good business processes is disrupting the very ground we stand on in financial technology (Fintech) and beyond as we already use machine learning tools to augment the power of the human brain. At Singularity University's Exponential Finance conference today, Jacobstein pointed to examples like Google's AlphaGo wiping the floor with world champion Lee Sedol, and how quickly the world shifted from a state of shock to seizing the scientific opportunity. Soon after seeing its human champion so thoroughly beaten by a machine, South Korea announced a plan to spend $840 million by 2020 to boost AI research and development (R&D), and to create a research institute where six of the country's highest profile tech companies--Samsung, LG, SK Telecom SKT, KT, Naver, and Hyundai--will each invest up to $3 billion in AI R&D. He also mentioned Facebook's DeepText AI language comprehension and categorization, as well as Viv, saying that calling it another personal assistant misses the point.

File photo: People stand in front of a logo at Facebook's headquarters in London, Britain, December 4, 2017. Step aside, Amazon Echo Show: Word has it that Facebook is developing its own home video chat device. According to a report from streaming news service Cheddar, the new voice-controlled device, dubbed Portal, may be priced at $499. Cheddar's sources say Facebook is planning to unveil the device in early May and begin selling it via pop-up stores and online in the second half of the year. It will reportedly feature a screen on the front like Amazon's Echo Show and Lenovo's new Android Assistant-equipped Smart Display, plus a camera with a wide-angle lens and facial-recognition technology that will help users connect with their Facebook accounts.

Matthew is PCMag's UK-based editor and news reporter. Prior to joining the team, he spent 14 years writing and editing content on our sister site Geek.com and has covered most areas of technology, but is especially passionate about games tech. Matthew holds a BSc degree in Computer Science from Birmingham University and a Masters in Computer Games Development from Abertay University.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has flown beneath the radar for the first six decades of its development, and just recently it's exploded into public consciousness, according to Neil Jacobstein. The AI & Robotics co-chair at Singularity University and former CEO of Teknowledge Corporation believes the combination of humans, AI, and good business processes is disrupting the very ground we stand on in financial technology (Fintech) and beyond as we already use machine learning tools to augment the power of the human brain. At Singularity University's Exponential Finance conference today, Jacobstein pointed to examples like Google's AlphaGo wiping the floor with world champion Lee Sedol, and how quickly the world shifted from a state of shock to seizing the scientific opportunity. Soon after seeing its human champion so thoroughly beaten by a machine, South Korea announced a plan to spend 840 million by 2020 to boost AI research and development (R&D), and to create a research institute where six of the country's highest profile tech companies--Samsung, LG, SK Telecom SKT, KT, Naver, and Hyundai--will each invest up to 3 billion in AI R&D. He also mentioned Facebook's DeepText AI language comprehension and categorization, as well as Viv, saying that calling it another personal assistant misses the point.