Existing benchmarks for conversational AI agents simulate single-control environments, where only the AI agent can use tools to interact with the world, while the user remains a passive information provider. This differs from real-world scenarios like technical support, where users need to actively participate in modifying the state of the (shared) world. In order to address this gap, we introduce $τ^2$-bench, with four key contributions: 1) A novel Telecom dual-control domain modeled as a Dec-POMDP, where both agent and user make use of tools to act in a shared, dynamic environment that tests both agent coordination and communication, 2) A compositional task generator that programmatically creates diverse, verifiable tasks from atomic components, ensuring domain coverage and controlled complexity, 3) A reliable user simulator tightly coupled with the environment, whose behavior is constrained by tools and observable states, improving simulation fidelity, 4) Fine-grained analysis of agent performance through multiple ablations including separating errors arising from reasoning vs communication/coordination. In particular, our experiments show significant performance drops when agents shift from no-user to dual-control, highlighting the challenges of guiding users. Overall, $τ^2$-bench provides a controlled testbed for agents that must both reason effectively and guide user actions.

CyberGuy explains why you should never give someone your phone number on dating apps. Online dating can sometimes lead to love, and it can sometimes lead to talking to a lot of weirdos on the internet. However, a weirdo is definitely better than a scammer. We received an email from one of our CyberGuy Report Newsletter subscribers who said they were having a typical conversation on Tinder before they were asked to share their number and move the conversation to WhatsApp. CLICK TO GET KURT'S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK TIPS, TECH REVIEWS AND EASY HOW-TO'S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER "Kurt, Some dating red flags: Scammers will say their husband was killed in a car accident, now they are living with their Aunt. Yesterday on Tinder I asked, "what do you do for a living?". The scripted questions that followed included, "My Aunt and I own a jewelry shop!", "what are you looking for on here?", "How long have you been on this dating site?" [The scammer] then lured me so to WhatsApp we could talk more. This happened 15 mins into the chat. Gave me her phone number and asked for mine. Very clever - easy to get pulled in".

A couple of weeks ago I created a ChatGPT chatbot on my tech help website. The bot was meant to help answer people's tech queries: it's ended up fielding questions way outside of its remit. In the fortnight it's been running, the chatbot has been asked how to build a magical potato, how to bring down totalitarian regimes and how to safely remove a remove USB stick from, shall we say, a delicate area. At least that query was tech related... Here's a round-up of the weirdest requests the AI bot has been forced to answer. Even though I explicitly instructed the AI bot not to answer questions that aren't related to tech, it sometimes can't help itself. Such as on this occasion, when it's dragged into a world of utter fantasy: AI: Sure, let's build a magical potato!

An easy way to keep two romantic lives separate is to buy two separate phones. That way, the cheater doesn't get confused and text the wrong person by mistake. A second phone is also a liability, even if expressed as a "work" or "emergency" phone. Another technique is to purchase a separate SIM card. Some phones allow you to have two SIM cards that can be a hassle.

An easy way to keep two romantic lives separate is to buy two separate phones. That way, the cheater doesn't get confused and text the wrong person by mistake. A second phone is also a liability, even if expressed as a "work" or "emergency" phone. Another technique is to purchase a separate SIM card. Some phones allow you to have two SIM cards but that can be a hassle. A much easier way is to get a Google Voice number that rings on the current phone. In this photo illustration, Apple's iPhone 12 seen placed on a MacBook Pro.

China Mobile is stepping up efforts to promote its 5G and artificial intelligence services by targeting "Generation Z" consumers. M-zone, a popular brand under China Mobile, has teamed up with pop idol Zhang Yixing to popularize new services, including co-branded Xback smartphone phone SIM cards, virtual photo-taking services supported by augmented reality and virtual reality technologies, as well as AI-enabled avatar services. Zhang has also become a partner with M-zone's 5G services and a promoter of its AI services. M-zone's Xback SIM cards are part of the company's broader efforts to better commercialize 5G technologies to create new value. Given Chinese pop idols' growing appeal to tech-savvy, young subscribers, China Mobile hopes pop idols can help boost the popularity of its 5G services.

In both the consumer and business worlds, technology is constantly and rapidly evolving. Unique and innovative new business, health and consumer technologies are emerging every day, but sometimes it takes a little time for the "next big thing" to get recognized and catch on. Google, for instance, launched the original iteration of G-Suite back in 2006--long before the cloud computing and real-time collaboration became the standard. As leaders in the tech field, the members of Forbes Technology Council are always on the lookout for emerging devices, programs and systems that could revolutionize their industry--even if the tech is still in its early phases. We asked a group of them to share the most impressive piece of tech from the last three years that most people aren't aware of yet.

Digital agencies today are brimming with ideas that can help brands integrate with voice-enabled technology. For Niraj Ruparel, National Head- Mobile, Mindshare India, conversational commerce using voice skill technology in India means serious business. In conversation with exchange4media, he delves into the nuances of voice technology, how brands can ensure that voice interaction for users is a seamless experience and what is working in the favour of Voice as the next big digital trend. The agency's tryst with voice began in January this year, explains Ruparel after global giants Google and Amazon recognised the potential for voice in India. "Voice is pretty big in Tier 2 markets, which is in terms of the penetration or how we reach out to audiences in the rural market. If you talk about the ecosystem per se, we're talking about close to 100 crore active sim cards in India and almost 450 million sim cards are resting on feature phones where the only mode of communication is Voice, so that plays a dominant role there. But now we see those 550 million SIMs which are sitting on 400 million smartphones, 30 per cent of those people have now started querying on Voice Assistants."

BANGKOK - An order for mobile phone users in Thailand's restive south to submit a photo of themselves for facial recognition purposes is causing uproar from opponents who see it as further curtailing the rights of the Muslim-majority population. But an army spokesman on Wednesday defended the move, saying the facial identification scheme is needed to root out insurgents deploying mobile phone-detonated home-made bombs. Thailand's three southernmost states -- Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat -- have since 2004 been rife with conflict between Malay-Muslim rebels and the Buddhist-majority Thai state, which annexed the region around a century ago. The tit-for-tat violence has claimed around 7,000 lives, mostly civilians of both faiths, and security forces have detained individuals suspected of being separatist rebels without warrants in the past. Now telecoms companies are requiring all users of the region's 1.5 million mobile numbers to submit a photo of themselves for facial recognition purposes following orders from the army -- a move that is drawing anger from rights groups as the deadline to register photos nears.

Now owned by barbeque maker Weber, the iGrill family of Bluetooth meat thermometers let you see the temperature inside your meat, via an app or small console. Summer officially starts June 21, and with the warmer weather upon us, many will be spending more time on a deck, patio, or in the backyard. But that doesn't mean you need to be without your tech. Oh sure, many will argue this is the time of year we should break free from the gadgets that bind us. But I'd argue choosing the right technology can, in fact, help you get more out of the Great Outdoors.