LIVERMORE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2023--

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's brain-chip startup Neuralink said on Tuesday that it has received approval from an independent

South Korea will send a 21-member team of government experts to Japan next week to visit the Fukushima nuclear power plant where they will review contentious Japanese plans to release treated but slightly radioactive water into the sea

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 15, 2023--

President Joe Biden isn’t planning to attend the COP28 climate summit later this week in Dubai, according to

Hollywood’s actors and writers have both gone on strike for the first time since 1960 to protest against a number of decisions by major studios that include not just job cuts but also a potentially unsettling future in which they could be replaced by artificial intelligence. The leaders of SAG-AFTRA, the Hollywood union representing 160,000 television and movie actors, went on strike on Thursday, joining the industry’s screenwriters who have already been picketing for over 70 days. Among the many issues flagged by both the writers and actors in the protests has been how generative AI tools could replace their roles in the industry. Over the last decade, AI has found several uses in the movie and television industry, from de-aging actors, analysing patterns and behaviours of viewers on streaming platforms, bringing back the voices of late actors and even helping stitch together entire movie trailers. One of the proposals, as explained by SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, feels like it is straight out of dystopian science fiction series Black Mirror. During a press conference on Thursday, Mr Crabtree-Ireland alleged that a proposal from Hollywood studios was to use “groundbreaking AI” to scan background performers and only offer them a day’s pay while the companies get to own the scans and use them for any project they want. “This ‘groundbreaking’ AI proposal that they gave us yesterday, they proposed that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get one day’s pay, and their companies should own that scan, their image, their likeness and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity on any project they want, with no consent and no compensation,” the executive said. “If you think that’s a groundbreaking proposal, I suggest you think again,” Mr Crabtree-Ireland said. A statement from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), that represents the studios, claims the “groundbreaking AI” proposal “protects actors’ digital likenesses for SAG-AFTRA members”. “We are being victimized by a very greedy enterprise... The entire business model has been changed by streaming and AI If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in jeopardy,” the actors’ guild president Fran Drescher said on Thursday. Follow along here for real-time updates on the SAG-AFTRA strike Writers who have already been protesting since May have also sought assurances from studios that their jobs would not be threatened by AI. With the steady rise of online streaming services looking to rack up user subscriptions by churning out endless amounts of digital content, writers on strike have sought new pay structures, guaranteed periods of work as well as better discussions on the limits of AI use. Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) shared concerns that producers may seek to use AI to write scripts or at least use the technology to complete unfinished screenplays, and have also urged production houses to agree to safeguards around its usage. Screenwriters fear AI could be used to churn out a rough first draft with a few simple prompts and writers may then be hired after this initial step to punch such drafts up – albeit at a lower pay rate. Without further dialogue with studios, writers have raised concerns there could be a number of new ways that AI could be used to craft outlines for stories, fill in scenes and even come up with mock-up drafts. “There are ways it can be useful. But too many people are using it against us and using it to create mediocrity. They’re also in violation of copyright. They’re also plagiarizing,” Michael Winship, president of the WGA East, said in May. With these risks in mind, the WGA seeks more safeguards on how AI can be applied to the screenwriting process. Read More Hollywood actors and writers strike after ‘disgusting’ studios turn down deal. Here’s what it means for you Hollywood in historic shutdown as actors union joins writers strike: ‘The eyes of the world are upon us’ Cast of Oppenheimer walk out of UK premiere ahead of actors’ strike announcement What happens next as striking actors send Hollywood into meltdown? Issa Rae and Jamie Lee Curtis lead A-listers voicing support for actors strike Hollywood in historic shutdown as actors union joins writers strike

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS U.S. chipmaker Broadcom secured EU antitrust approval on Wednesday for its $61 billion

SANTA CLARA, Calif. & ATHLONE, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 10, 2023--

The iPhone 15 could bring major changes to the battery life and charging speed of Apple’s handsets, according to new reports. The new phones could be charged at up to 35W speeds, according to a report from 9to5mac. That would allow the device to charge far more rapidly than its predecessors: the iPhone 14 Pro is limited to 27W, while the normal iPhone 14 is capped at 20W. Multiple rumours have suggested that Apple will be swapping the charging port in the bottom of the phone from the existing Lightning cable to USB-C, at least in some models. That could allow for the additional charging speeds. But that might also mean that the Pro and non-Pro versions of the upcoming device could charge at different speeds. Some rumours have suggested that all the new Apple devices will have the new port, but that some of its capabilities will be restricted to the more expensive Pro models, since they will have Thunderbolt built in. The charging might also require certified cables, rather than any USB-C wire. While the ports on the end of all USB-C cables are the same, the technology inside both the plugs and the wires themselves can be vastly different. The new charging rumours come after a run of reports suggesting that the iPhone 15 could come with increased battery capacity, too. Rumours have suggested that the devices could come with up to 18 per cent larger batteries. Alongside those changes, Apple is said to be preparing to bring a new hardware button to the side of the iPhone, improved cameras, and better chips – but, again, only for those premium, Pro models. Apple is widely expected to reveal the new phones in the second week of September, with them going on sale a week and a half later. As usual, it will probably do so from a livestreamed event hosted at its California campus. Around the same time, Apple will also make its upcoming iOS 17 update available, which comes with a wide array of new updates and a potentially controversial new change to the button used to put down the phone. Apple’s iPhone batteries have been the subject of a number of critical stories in recent weeks. Some have suggested that the most recent iPhone 14 Pro models are losing their battery capacity more quickly than predecessors, and the company is sending out payments to customers affected by Apple’s “batterygate” controversy. Read More iPhone owners to receive payouts from Apple iPhone 15: Global smartphone demand collapses as Apple aims to take top spot Something unexpected is happening to people’s iPhone 14s, owners claim

Anthony Taylor tries to take his shot with Pokimane after winning his MMA fight

India's space agency Isro's footage shows Chandrayaan-3's rover Pragyaan for the first time ever.

A brand-new patch for 'Star Wars Jedi: Survivor' will be released on all platforms on May 9