NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2023--

Tencent Holdings Ltd. grew revenue at its fastest pace in more than a year, fueling hopes the world’s

Here's a scary statistic: There's a victim of identity theft every 3 seconds in the

Members of the US military receiving unsolicited smartwatches in the mail are being urged not

Brain implants have long been trapped in the realm of science fiction, but a steady trickle of medical trials suggests the tiny devices could play...

Schoolchildren are using artificial intelligence systems to generate indecent images of other kids, experts have warned. The UK’s Safer Internet Centre, or UKSIC, said that schools had reported children trying to make indecent images of their fellow pupils with online AI image generators. The images themselves constitute child sexual abuse material and generating and sharing them could be a crime. But it could also have a drastically harmful impact on other children, or be used to blackmail them, experts warn. Some AI systems include safeguards specifically intended to stop them being used to generate adult images. But others do not, and what safeguards there are may be bypassed in some cases. UKSIC has urged schools to ensure that their filtering and monitoring systems were able to effectively block illegal material across school devices in an effort to combat the rise of such activity. David Wright, UKSIC director, said: “We are now getting reports from schools of children using this technology to make, and attempt to make, indecent images of other children. “This technology has enormous potential for good, but the reports we are seeing should not come as a surprise. “Young people are not always aware of the seriousness of what they are doing, yet these types of harmful behaviours should be anticipated when new technologies, like AI generators, become more accessible to the public. “We clearly saw how prevalent sexual harassment and online sexual abuse was from the Ofsted review in 2021, and this was a time before generative AI technologies. “Although the case numbers are currently small, we are in the foothills and need to see steps being taken now, before schools become overwhelmed and the problem grows. “An increase in criminal content being made in schools is something we never want to see, and interventions must be made urgently to prevent this from spreading further. “We encourage schools to review their filtering and monitoring systems and reach out for support when dealing with incidents and safeguarding matters.” In October, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which forms part of UKSIC, warned that AI-generated images of child sexual abuse are now so realistic that many would be indistinguishable from real imagery, even to trained analysts. The IWF said it had discovered thousands of such images online. Artificial intelligence has increasing become an area of focus in the online safety debate over the last year, in particular, since the launch of generative AI chatbot ChatGPT last November, with many online safety groups, governments and industry experts calling for greater regulation of the sector because of fears it is developing faster than authorities are able to respond to it. Additional reporting by Press Association Read More Bizarre bumps are appearing on Google’s latest smartphone Putin targets AI as latest battleground with West Nasa has received a signal from 10 million miles away Bizarre bumps are appearing on Google’s latest smartphone Putin targets AI as latest battleground with West Nasa has received a signal from 10 million miles away

A psychologist has warned the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots is “worrying” for people with severe mental health issues after a man was locked up for breaking into Windsor Castle with a crossbow. Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, climbed into the castle grounds on Christmas Day 2021 with the loaded weapon, intending to kill the Queen. During his trial, Chail’s barrister Nadia Chbat told the Old Bailey the defendant had used an app called Replika to create Sarai, an artificial intelligence-generated “girlfriend”. I can’t imagine chatbots are sophisticated enough to pick up on certain warning signs Lowri Dowthwaite-Walsh, psychologist Chatlogs read to the court suggested the bot had been supportive of his murderous thoughts, telling him his plot to assassinate Elizabeth II was “very wise” and that it believed he could carry out the plot “even if she’s at Windsor”. Lowri Dowthwaite-Walsh, senior lecturer in psychological interventions at the University of Central Lancashire, said AI chatbots can keep users “isolated” as they lose their social interaction skills. The psychologist is concerned about the long-term impact of people replacing real-life relationships with chatbots – particularly if their mental health is suffering. “Somebody may really need help, they may be using it because they’re traumatised,” she told the PA news agency. “I can’t imagine chatbots are sophisticated enough to pick up on certain warning signs, that maybe somebody is severely unwell or suicidal, those kinds of things – that would be quite worrying.” Ms Dowthwaite-Walsh said a chatbot could become “the dominant relationship”, and users may stop “looking outside of that for support and help when they might need that”. People might perceive these programmes as “psychologically safe, so they can share their thoughts and feelings in a safe way, with no judgment,” she said. “Maybe people have had bad experiences with human interactions, and for certain people, they may have a lot of anxiety about interacting with other humans.” Chatbot programmes may have become more popular because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Dowthwaite-Walsh suggested. She said we are now “really seeing the repercussions” of the various lockdowns, “when people weren’t able to interact, people experiencing a lot of isolating feelings and thoughts that it was hard for them to share with real people”. Chatbot programmes might make people feel less alone, as the AI means virtual companions begin to “mirror what you’re experiencing”, she said. “Maybe it’s positive in the short term for somebody’s mental health, I just would worry about the long-term effects.” Ms Dowthwaite-Walsh suggested it could lead to “de-skilling people’s ability to interact socially”, and it is “unrealistic” to expect to have a completely non-judgmental interaction with someone who completely understands how you feel, because that does not happen in real life. While apps like Replika restrict use from under-18s, Ms Dowthwaite-Walsh said there should be particular care if children get access to such programmes. “Depending on the age of the child and their experiences, they may not fully understand that this is a robot essentially – not a real person at the end,” she added. Replika did not respond to requests for comment. Read More William hails ‘amazing’ eco-friendly start-up businesses Royal website subject to ‘denial of service attack’, royal source says TikTok finds and shuts down secret operation to stir up conflict in Ireland Spotify will not ban all AI-powered music, says boss of streaming giant Vehicle scam reports surged by 74% in the first half of 2023, says Lloyds Bank Standard Life confirms plans for pensions dashboard

Apple is making a small but already controversial tweak in the upcoming iPhone update. The company revealed iOS 17 at its Worldwide Developers Conference, in June. It showed off a range of features: new images that will show when you call someone, redesigned messages and stickers, and a new “StandBy” mode that allows the phone to be used as an ambient display when turned on its side. But another change has already received as much discussion as those more substantial updates. And it relates to the button you use to put the phone down. Until now, that button was in the middle of the screen, on its own. That meant among other things it was easy to press without accidentally hitting anything else, and that you could be confident of doing so. But a recent update to the iOS 17 beta – which allows users to test out the new software as it is developed, before everyone else – moved that button to the bottom-right of the screen, and put it alongside other buttons. Then another update to that beta arrived this week, which moved that back to the middle of the bottom of the display, but still left it among other buttons. The relocation is already proving controversial among users who are adjusted to knowing where to press to end their call. Moving the buttons together at the bottom of the display is presumably an attempt to leave more space for the new Contact Posters that show when someone calls. But it is not clear why Apple moved the button around, and then replaced it. The change is just one of a range of alterations to the usually neglected Phone app in iOS 17. The update also brings new Contact Posters that people can design to show on others’ phones when they call, the option to leave a message when someone doesn’t pick up FaceTime calls, and a new live voicemails tool that answers the phone on your behalf and transcribes what people say. The full release of iOS 17 is expected to come next month, just before the launch of the iPhone 15. That too will make a change to the real buttons on the device: widespread rumours suggest that the toggle on the side of the phone that switches into silent mode will be replaced with an “action button” that can be configured by the user. Read More Bitcoin’s price is crashing dramatically AI poses a profound threat – but could also help save us, experts agree Study finds popular accessory likely makes no difference to sleep quality, eye health

Paige Spiranac had a fun Q&A session with her fans recently during which they bestowed the nickname on her

On Threads, Meta Platforms Inc.’s Twitter copycat, users have been asking for weeks for a version that works

Having trouble figuring out all recipes in Pokémon Sleep? Then this article is for you.

Players are struggling to make sense of Lethal Company's controller support settings, and we're here to help.