Xiaomi announces Summer Service Camp 2023: Here’s what the users will get

Xiaomi has announced a new service for its customers. The Chinese smartphone maker has announced the Summer Service Camp for 2023. The service camp will start on June 1 and it will be held at over 1000 authorised Xiaomi service centres in the country. https://ift.tt/wqN5DOG

How the Shoggoth, a character from a 1936 H.P. Lovecraft novella, became a meme among AI workers as a metaphor for not fully understanding LLMs' inner workings (Kevin Roose/New York Times)

Kevin Roose / New York Times:
How the Shoggoth, a character from a 1936 H.P. Lovecraft novella, became a meme among AI workers as a metaphor for not fully understanding LLMs' inner workings  —  The Shoggoth, a character from a science fiction story, captures the essential weirdness of the A.I. moment.

Google officially ends support for 1st-generation Chromecast

Google launched its 1st generation Chromecast in 2013. The tech giant has now quietly announced that the company has ended support for the device. This means that Google will no longer offer updates to the 1st generation Chromecast. https://ift.tt/xhK0C9J

An investigation into Papa, a TaskRabbit-like service for seniors that has raised $240M, finds dozens of allegations of harassment, assault, theft, and more (Priya Anand/Bloomberg)

Priya Anand / Bloomberg:
An investigation into Papa, a TaskRabbit-like service for seniors that has raised $240M, finds dozens of allegations of harassment, assault, theft, and more  —  If you've been to an annual open enrollment fair in the past few years, you may have noticed a new eldercare benefit with the unusual name of Papa.

Foxconn predicts "triple-digit growth in AI servers" in H2 2023 as demand skyrockets; in 2022, Foxconn made ~$36B in server revenue out of its $215B total (Kathrin Hille/Financial Times)

Kathrin Hille / Financial Times:
Foxconn predicts “triple-digit growth in AI servers” in H2 2023 as demand skyrockets; in 2022, Foxconn made ~$36B in server revenue out of its $215B total  —  Apple's largest manufacturer says demand for servers needed to run ChatGPT-like services will double this year

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger says the company had "serious issues" in leadership, people, and methodology, discusses the rough turnaround, competitors, and more (Asa Fitch/Wall Street Journal)

Asa Fitch / Wall Street Journal:
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger says the company had “serious issues” in leadership, people, and methodology, discusses the rough turnaround, competitors, and more  —  Rivals such as Nvidia have left the chip company far behind.  CEO Pat Gelsinger aims to reverse firm's fortunes by vastly expanding its factories.

Why Amazon is joining hands with UP Police for these Nukkad Nataks

The Uttar Pradesh Police and Amazon India are coming together to tackle the menace of online shopping scams with a consumer education and awareness campaign, Mission GraHAQ. The two partners are collaborating to explore several joint initiatives aimed at empowering consumers to shop online with greater confidence. https://ift.tt/YAPFOxd

A viral clip from Nintendo's Tears of the Kingdom shows Link unfurling a bridge, wowing game developers; Nintendo reportedly spent a year polishing the game (Nicole Carpenter/Polygon)

Nicole Carpenter / Polygon:
A viral clip from Nintendo's Tears of the Kingdom shows Link unfurling a bridge, wowing game developers; Nintendo reportedly spent a year polishing the game  —  What looks simple is actually very hard to make  —  There's a bridge to cross the lava pit in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Marakuguc Shrine, but it's broken.

Binance names Richard Teng to run all regional markets outside the US, a swift ascension for the executive that joined in August 2021, as CZ comes under fire (Suvashree Ghosh/Bloomberg)

Suvashree Ghosh / Bloomberg:
Binance names Richard Teng to run all regional markets outside the US, a swift ascension for the executive that joined in August 2021, as CZ comes under fire  —  Binance tapped Richard Teng to head all its regional markets outside of the US, a swift and steady ascension for the executive …

Chegg, Duolingo, and other edtech companies insist generative AI has the potential to enhance their products, despite the threat of being undercut by cheap AI (Bethan Staton/Financial Times)

Bethan Staton / Financial Times:
Chegg, Duolingo, and other edtech companies insist generative AI has the potential to enhance their products, despite the threat of being undercut by cheap AI  —  Groups including Chegg and Duolingo say new tech presents opportunities as they fight to compete

Arm transitions to a comprehensive 64-bit platform with new mobile CPU core designs Cortex-X4, Cortex-A720, and Cortex-A520, built on its Armv9.2 architecture (Gavin Bonshor/AnandTech)

Gavin Bonshor / AnandTech:
Arm transitions to a comprehensive 64-bit platform with new mobile CPU core designs Cortex-X4, Cortex-A720, and Cortex-A520, built on its Armv9.2 architecture  —  Throughout the world, if there's one universal constant in the smartphone and mobile device market, it's Arm.

AMD Radeon Pro W7000 series graphics cards now available

AMD has launched the world's first professional graphics cards built on the advanced AMD chiplet design, the Radeon Pro W7000 series graphics cards. The two available GPUs promise to deliver advanced image fidelity and colour accuracy while running graphics and heavy apps concurrently without disrupting workflows. The Radeon Pro W7900 and Radeon Pro W7800 graphics cards will be sold for $3,999 and $2,499 respectively, with support for higher refresh rate displays and more than 68 billion colors. https://ift.tt/rRgqF3J

MediaTek partners with Nvidia to add Nvidia's GPU chiplets and software to MediaTek SoCs used in automotive infotainment systems (Joseph White/Reuters)

Joseph White / Reuters:
MediaTek partners with Nvidia to add Nvidia's GPU chiplets and software to MediaTek SoCs used in automotive infotainment systems  —  Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) and MediaTek Inc (2454.TW) on Monday said they will collaborate on technology to power advanced vehicle infotainment systems that can stream video …

Source: HSBC intends to rebrand Silicon Valley Bank UK as HSBC Innovation Banking, and plans to announce the change during London Tech Week in June (Mark Kleinman/Sky News)

Mark Kleinman / Sky News:
Source: HSBC intends to rebrand Silicon Valley Bank UK as HSBC Innovation Banking, and plans to announce the change during London Tech Week in June  —  Europe's biggest lender will next month announce that SVBUK is being renamed HSBC Innovation Banking, Sky News learns.  —  City editor @MarkKleinmanSky

Google removes 'Slavery Simulator' game from Play Store, here's why

Google has removed a controversial game called Slavery Simulator from Play Store. The game allowed players to buy and sell black characters and inflict various forms of torture on them, which caused outrage in Brazil due to the country’s legacy of slavery. Magnus Games launched the game on 20th April, and although it had been downloaded 1,000 times, it received a rating of four out of five stars. https://ift.tt/Gk9rRcF

A look at hCaptcha, a reCAPTCHA alternative used by Discord and others that is using AI-generated images to train ML systems and generative adversarial networks (Matthew Gault/VICE)

Matthew Gault / VICE:
A look at hCaptcha, a reCAPTCHA alternative used by Discord and others that is using AI-generated images to train ML systems and generative adversarial networks  —  Discord's captcha is asking users to identify a ‘Yoko,’ a snail-like object that does not exist and was created by AI.  —  Matthew Gault

Analysts and others say Wind Information, described as a Chinese alternative to Bloomberg terminal, is limiting international users' access to some information (Rebecca Feng/Wall Street Journal)

Rebecca Feng / Wall Street Journal:
Analysts and others say Wind Information, described as a Chinese alternative to Bloomberg terminal, is limiting international users' access to some information  —  E-commerce shopping trends, satellite images are no longer available to foreign users of Wind

Starting July, NYC will enforce a law requiring firms using AI in hiring to notify candidates of its use and have independent auditors check for bias annually (Steve Lohr/New York Times)

Steve Lohr / New York Times:
Starting July, NYC will enforce a law requiring firms using AI in hiring to notify candidates of its use and have independent auditors check for bias annually  —  New York City's pioneering, focused approach sets rules on how companies use the technology in work force decisions.

Hands-on with Meta's Quest 3 prototype: lighter, thinner, faster, and with better video pass-through than the Quest 2, but similar clarity of VR displays (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Hands-on with Meta's Quest 3 prototype: lighter, thinner, faster, and with better video pass-through than the Quest 2, but similar clarity of VR displays  —  This week, I go hands-on with Meta's yet-to-be-announced Quest 3 and explain how it may be the biggest challenger to Apple's new headset.

Apple's MR headset could succeed where others failed by adding more 3D content and interfaces but faces a challenge in balancing computer power with wearability (Christopher Mims/Wall Street Journal)

Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal:
Apple's MR headset could succeed where others failed by adding more 3D content and interfaces but faces a challenge in balancing computer power with wearability  —  Augmented and virtual reality have mostly been dead ends so far.  How Apple's vision could succeed where others have failed.

Accel and Sequoia check whether their portfolio companies in India and SE Asia are exposed to AI disruption; 75%+ of Sequoia India's new deals are AI related (Saritha Rai/Bloomberg)

Saritha Rai / Bloomberg:
Accel and Sequoia check whether their portfolio companies in India and SE Asia are exposed to AI disruption; 75%+ of Sequoia India's new deals are AI related  —  Global investors at the world's largest venture capital firms including Accel and Sequoia Capital India are asking their portfolio companies …

A New York lawyer faces sanctions after his legal brief, written using ChatGPT, had "bogus judicial decisions, with bogus quotes and bogus internal citations" (Benjamin Weiser/New York Times)

Benjamin Weiser / New York Times:
A New York lawyer faces sanctions after his legal brief, written using ChatGPT, had “bogus judicial decisions, with bogus quotes and bogus internal citations”  —  A lawyer representing a man who sued an airline relied on artificial intelligence to help prepare a court filing.

The median gain in Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Tesla, Apple, and Nvidia stocks is 43% since January, almost 5x the S&P 500, bolstered by AI optimism (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg:
The median gain in Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Tesla, Apple, and Nvidia stocks is 43% since January, almost 5x the S&P 500, bolstered by AI optimism  —  Rarely does a tech-powered stock rally come along that isn't pilloried for the fragility of its foundation.

Brazilian lawmakers file a complaint against Google for letting users download "Slavery Simulator" game on Google Play for about a month before taking it down (María Luisa Paúl/Washington Post)

María Luisa Paúl / Washington Post:
Brazilian lawmakers file a complaint against Google for letting users download “Slavery Simulator” game on Google Play for about a month before taking it down  —  For about a month, Google Play users in Brazil could download a game that simulated what the South American nation looked …

Microsoft brings Bing Chat widget to Android: How to use

In one of the Microsoft Bing blog posts, the company said that it has launched a new Bing Chat widget that will enable Android users to add it to their devices' Home screen. Once installed, selecting the Bing icon will take them directly to chat. Widgets allow users to quickly get to their favourite content by customising Home screens. https://ift.tt/XtSkQvV

'You can run but you can't hide': EU's message to Twitter on disinformation code

"Twitter leaves EU voluntary code of practice against disinformation. But obligations remain. You can run but you can't hide," Breton said in a tweet. "Beyond voluntary commitments, fighting disinformation will be legal obligation under DSA as of August 25. Our teams will be ready for enforcement," he added. Meanwhile, a former public relations firm for Twitter has sued the social media company for not paying its bills since Elon Musk's $44 billion acquisition. https://ift.tt/qwHRB70

In a policy reversal, a Portuguese government document outlines rationale for banning Huawei equipment in the country's 5G network, deeming it "high risk" (Financial Times)

Financial Times:
In a policy reversal, a Portuguese government document outlines rationale for banning Huawei equipment in the country's 5G network, deeming it “high risk”  —  Lisbon's new security assessment could deal blow to Chinese telecom equipment group's ambitions in Europe

Nothing Phone (2) to launch in July: 2 specs the company has confirmed about the upcoming phone

Nothing is set to launch its new premium smartphone, Nothing Phone (2) in July, that will be equipped with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset for better optimisation and a 4700mAh battery. The upcoming smartphone is placed above the mid-range, Nothing Phone (1) which was released in 2022 and has a Snapdragon 778G+ chipset with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. https://ift.tt/6VmGaKi

Google lists three ways generative AI can make search better and more interactive

Google is expanding access to Search Labs, a new program providing access to experimental search features, to a waitlist of users. Three generative AI features have been listed, comprising improved understanding of complicated topics, quick tips for specific queries, and an enhanced shopping experience. Search has been designed to break down complex topics into more digestible parts, generate top-level pointers for key information and provide a range of options to explore. The features represent Google's initial foray into applying generative AI to Search. https://ift.tt/yQSRxFw

Krafton announce Road To Valor: Empires Open Championship: Details inside

The South Korean video game developer Krafton has announced the first Road To Valor: Empires Open Championship with a total prize pool of Rs 10 lakhs. The company claims that strategy gaming in India has witnessed a surge and this tournament aims to provide a platform for players to refine their skills and make a mark in the world of Esports. https://ift.tt/2urAoqv

Sources: the record $279M whistleblower award issued by the SEC earlier this month stemmed from a 2019 bribery case in which Ericsson paid a $1.1B settlement (Mengqi Sun/Wall Street Journal)

Mengqi Sun / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: the record $279M whistleblower award issued by the SEC earlier this month stemmed from a 2019 bribery case in which Ericsson paid a $1.1B settlement  —  The largest-ever award in the SEC's cash-for-tips program was related to Ericsson's bribery case

Russia-linked malware can cause electric power disruption in multiple countries: Report

Cybersecurity company Mandiant said that it identified novel operational technology (OT) / industrial control system (ICS)-oriented malware, which it tracks as COSMICENERGY. It said that the malware was uploaded to a public malware scanning utility in December 2021 by a submitter in Russia. The malware can cause electric power disruption by interacting with devices such as RTUs. https://ift.tt/n5DmFiH

The UK CMA says Meta has offered to limit use of other businesses' ad data for Facebook Marketplace to address the regulator's competition concerns (Reuters)

Reuters:
The UK CMA says Meta has offered to limit use of other businesses' ad data for Facebook Marketplace to address the regulator's competition concerns  —  UK's competition watchdog on Friday said social media giant Meta Platforms Inc had offered to limit the use of other businesses' advertising data in order to address its concerns.

Interviews with 30+ sources detail issues at billionaire Tom Siebel's AI startup C3.ai, leading to product delays; the company is on its third name since 2009 (Brody Ford/Bloomberg)

Brody Ford / Bloomberg:
Interviews with 30+ sources detail issues at billionaire Tom Siebel's AI startup C3.ai, leading to product delays; the company is on its third name since 2009  —  The AI hype cycle has birthed innumerable boosters.  An unlikely member of this group is Silicon Valley billionaire Tom Siebel.

Xiaomi Civi 3 with dual 32MP front cameras launched in China: All the details

Xiaomi has announced a new smartphone in the Civi series, the Civi 3. The smartphone focuses highly on the cameras, featuring a 32MP dual camera setup on the front and a 50MP led camera setup on the back. Here’s everything you need to know about the Xiaomi Civi 3. The Xiaomi Civi 3 starts at 2,499 yuan (around Rs 29,200). https://ift.tt/iOUZdGB

Pegasus was used in the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict to target a government worker, a UN official, and others in 2021 and 2022, the first known use in a war (Access Now)

Access Now:
Pegasus was used in the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict to target a government worker, a UN official, and others in 2021 and 2022, the first known use in a war  —  The Armenia spyware victims include a former Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia (the Ombudsperson) …

Google DeepMind shows how its visual language model Flamingo is generating descriptions for YouTube Shorts based on metadata, helping improve discoverability (Jay Peters/The Verge)

Jay Peters / The Verge:
Google DeepMind shows how its visual language model Flamingo is generating descriptions for YouTube Shorts based on metadata, helping improve discoverability  —  Google just combined DeepMind and Google Brain into one big AI team, and on Wednesday, the new Google DeepMind shared details …

You may soon be able to set a unique username on WhatsApp

WhatsApp has been working on numerous useful features which promise to enhance the user experience. Now a new report has surfaced online suggesting that WhatsApp is working on other interesting features. The Meta-owned platform will soon enable users to add a unique username to their WhatsApp account. https://ift.tt/pUorV0W

Vivo S17, Vivo S17 Pro confirmed to launch in China on May 31

Vivo is to expand its product portfolio in the Chinese market. The company has announced the launch dates of the Vivo S17 and Vivo S17 Pro models. The series succeeds the Vivo S16 series launched in China in December 2022. Recently, Vivo introduced the Vivo S17e in its home market. The Chinese smartphone maker has scheduled the launch date of the Vivo S17 series in China on May 31. https://ift.tt/EHGNwpP

A look at AI-generated podcasts, like "The Joe Rogan AI Experience" and "Myself, I Am and That", created using AI voice tools from ElevenLabs and other startups (Kate Knibbs/Wired)

Kate Knibbs / Wired:
A look at AI-generated podcasts, like “The Joe Rogan AI Experience” and “Myself, I Am and That”, created using AI voice tools from ElevenLabs and other startups  —  Inside the strange world of podcasts made by artificial intelligence, where even creators aren't sure who wants to hear robot chit-chat.