Amazon.com's Ring mishandled customers videos and will pay $5.8 million fine
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Amazon.com's doorbell camera unit Ring has reached a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission regarding privacy, according
2023-06-01 02:29
Amazon workers stage walkout over company's climate impact, return-to-office mandate
A group of corporate Amazon workers upset about the company’s environmental impact, recent layoffs and a return-to-office mandate is planning a walkout at the company’s Seattle headquarters
2023-06-01 01:59
Artificial intelligence warning over human extinction labelled ‘publicity stunt’
The probability of a “Terminator scenario” caused by artificial intelligence is “close to zero”, a University of Oxford professor has said. Sandra Wachter, professor of technology and regulation, called a letter released by the San Francisco-based Centre for AI Safety – which warned that the technology could wipe out humanity – a “publicity stunt”. The letter, which warns that the risks should be treated with the same urgency as pandemics or nuclear war, was signed by dozens of experts including artificial intelligence (AI) pioneers. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak retweeted the Centre for AI Safety’s statement on Wednesday, saying the Government is “looking very carefully” at it. Professor Wachter said the risk raised in letter is “science fiction fantasy” and she compared it to the film The Terminator. She added: “There are risks, there are serious risks, but it’s not the risks that are getting all of the attention at the moment. “What we see with this new open letter is a science fiction fantasy that distracts from the issue right here right now. The issues around bias, discrimination and the environmental impact. “The whole discourse is being put on something that may or may not happen in a couple of hundred years. You can’t do something meaningful about it as it’s so far in the future. “But bias and discrimination I can measure, I can measure the environmental impact. It takes 360 gallons of water daily to cool a middle-sized data centre, that’s the price that we have to pay. “It’s a publicity stunt. It will attract funding. It's a publicity stunt. It will attract funding. Professor Sandra Wachter “Let’s focus on people’s jobs being replaced. These things are being completely sidelined by the Terminator scenario. “What we know about technology now, the probability [of human extinction due to AI] is close to zero. People should worry about other things.” AI apps have gone viral online, with users posting fake images of celebrities and politicians, and students using ChatGPT and other “language learning models” to generate university-grade essays. But AI can also perform life-saving tasks, such as algorithms analysing medical images like X-rays, scans and ultrasounds, helping doctors to identify and diagnose diseases such as cancer and heart conditions more accurately and quickly. The statement was organised by the Centre for AI Safety, a non-profit which aims “to reduce societal-scale risks from AI”. It says: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.” Senior bosses at companies such as Google DeepMind and Anthropic signed the letter along with a pioneer of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, who resigned from his job at Google earlier this month, saying that in the wrong hands, AI could be used to to harm people and spell the end of humanity. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live ‘I feel lost’ – AI pioneer speaks out as experts warn it could wipe out humanity Cabinet approves Irish involvement in cyber-threat network Trust and ethics considerations ‘have come too late’ on AI technology
2023-06-01 01:29
Apple says its ecosystem is worth more than a trillion dollars a year ahead of major event and headset reveal
Apple says that its App Store has helped generate more than a trillion dollars for the first time, just days ahead of its major developer event. The App Store ecosystem facilitated $1.1 trillion in developer billings and sales last year, according to an independent study from The Analysis Group and commissioned by Apple. That is the result of rapid growth over recent years: that number rose 29 per cent on last year, and by 27 per cent in each of the two years before that. Those increases were partly a result of an increase in the apps that people use as the world opens up, such as taxi services, the report said. Apple’s announcement came just days ahead of its Worldwide Developers Conference, which begins on Monday. That is likely to see a whole new platform for developers to build apps for, with the launch of its new augmented reality headset. The report also comes amid increasing criticism over Apple’s power over the App Store, which is the only way to get apps onto the iPad and iPhone. Critics have argued that control means that Apple is able to make unfair demands on developers, including taking a cut from some sales made within apps and deciding what apps are available. Apple has commissioned a number of such reports in recent years, aimed at highlighting the economic impact of the App Store and the positive effects that can have for developers. The new report focused not on the money made by Apple, or through the store. Instead, it aimed to quantify how much money is made through the ecosystem built around the App Store, which includes billings and sales that are made through apps but without Apple’s involvement. More than 90 per cent of the billings and sales went specifically to the developers, with Apple not taking a cut, the report said. While Apple takes a cut from the sale of apps and digital goods and services within those apps, companies selling physical goods and other services are able to keep the full amount. Of the $1.1 trillion made last year, App Store developers generated $910 billion in total billings and sales from the sale of physical goods and services, $109 billion from in-app advertising, and $104 billion for digital goods and services, Apple said. Last year, that came particularly from travel apps and ride-hailing. Travel sales on iOS were up 84 per cent last year, the report said. It was not possible to say how much of that gain was the result of the world opening back up after lockdowns and other issues, compared with the specific work of Apple and those App Store developers, economists from Analysis Group said. The report also comes on the 15th anniversary of the App Store, which was launched in 2008. Apple said that iOS developers have earned more than $320 billion on App Store in those 15 years. “We’ve never been more hopeful about — or more inspired by — the incredible community of developers around the world,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “As this report shows, the App Store is a vibrant, innovative marketplace where opportunity thrives, and we’re as committed as ever to investing in developers’ success and the app economy’s future.” Read More Major leak reveals details of Apple’s VR headset days before unveiling Apple is going to reveal something else alongside its headset, rumours suggest Trust and ethics considerations ‘have come too late’ on AI technology New iPhone update ‘completely changes how the lock screen works’ Apple lays bare danger of losing your health data Apple is making a ‘mixed reality’ headset. Here’s what that future might look like
2023-06-01 01:24
FIFA 23 Ligue 1 TOTS Upgrade SBC: How to Complete
FIFA 23 Ligue 1 TOTS Upgrade SBC is now live during Team of the Season. Here's how to complete the SBC.
2023-06-01 01:18
TimTheTatman and NICKMERCS Warzone 2 Bundles: Price, Items
The TimTheTatman and NICKMERCS Warzone 2 Bundles, featuring Operator skins of the popular streamers, are now live in the Store for 2,400 COD points.
2023-06-01 00:50
Sleeping with your bedroom door closed is not a good idea according to experts
You might want to start leaving your door open at night, if new advice from sleep experts is anything to go by. New guidance might just change people’s choices when it comes to sleeping habits as we approach the warmer summer weather. While purchasing a fan is recommended for keeping cool when it comes to hotter temperatures, opening doors can do a lot when it comes to air circulation at night. “Surprisingly, only 60 per cent of adults sleep with their door closed meaning that 40 per cent sleep with their door open,” says Rex Isap, CEO and sleep expert at Happy Beds. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Explaining the implications of leaving doors open, Isep added [via Ideal Home]: “Firstly, a study found that those who slept with the bedroom door open reported a better and longer night’s sleep than those who slept with the door close. The reasoning behind this is that leaving the door open helped regulate the temperature in the room by making the temperature slightly lower, averaging 19 degrees Celsius.” Isap added: “Given that between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius is the ideal bedroom temperature, this naturally makes it easier for a person to fall asleep. It also makes it the ideal thing for a person to do if they suffer from night sweats, are going through menopause, or are generally overheating from the hot weather.” It’s not just a case of improving air flow and better maintaining temperatures either, as Sammy Margo at Dreams claims that leaving doors open also connects sleepers with the rest of their house and improves natural light in the mornings. Margo said: “Sleeping with an open door can also create a sense of openness and connection to the rest of your living space. It can alleviate feelings of isolation or confinement and promote a more positive and harmonious atmosphere in your home. It also opens the bedroom up to natural light from other areas of the house which can help in the morning!” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-06-01 00:48
US, Europe working on voluntary AI code of conduct as calls grow for regulation
The United States and Europe are drawing up a voluntary code of conduct for artificial intelligence, with a draft expected in weeks
2023-06-01 00:28
Twitter may be worth only a third of its pre-Musk value, Fidelity says
A Fidelity fund has slashed its estimate of Twitter's value amid ongoing chaos at the company, implying the social media platform may be worth only a third of its value compared to when Elon Musk acquired it in October.
2023-06-01 00:21
Monitoring equipment returns to only some Iranian sites -IAEA reports
By Francois Murphy VIENNA The U.N. nuclear watchdog has re-installed only some monitoring equipment originally put in place
2023-06-01 00:18
Humans Have Blown Past Key Limits for Earth’s Stability, Scientists Say
A team of Earth scientists first introduced the concept “planetary boundaries” almost 15 years ago to identify major
2023-05-31 23:59
Nvidia’s CEO Plans Trip to Meet China Executives Despite US Curbs
Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang is heading to China to meet with tech executives in the
2023-05-31 23:58