In a modified version of the Stanford marshmallow experiment (in which children were told they would receive a second marshmallow if they could avoid eating a first for a certain period of time), researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory at the University of Chicago have determined that cuttlefish can pass delayed gratification tests. This puts them in the ranks of humans and other primates, dogs, and some birds. Of course the experiment’s design seems flawed to me because they used a piece of far less desirable raw shrimp as the instant gratification reward, and a much more appetizing live shrimp as the delayed gratification reward. What cuttlefish wouldn’t be more attracted to a dinner that’s still moving? This isn’t hibachi, the chef isn’t about to flip a piece of shrimp into my mom’s hair. Also, just for the record, I have zero tolerance for delayed gratification. I will eat that first marshmallow as soon as you set it down and fight you for the second while I’m chewing.

If you have your PayPal account linked to your Google Wallet for purchases, you need to update your payment method ASAP. Google is ending its support for PayPal integration, and users in the U.S. will see their PayPal accounts and transaction histories deleted from their digital wallets on June 13.

That means that Google Wallet users will need to replace PayPal with an alternative payment method. If you have recurring payments, such as subscriptions, set up with a linked PayPal account, you’ll also need to go to the individual merchant site to manually update your payment information.

Connecting PayPal to Google Wallet allowed users to maintain and manage their cards and bank accounts centrally in PayPal rather than separately in their digital wallets. Google had already stopped new PayPal links as of April 11, though users were still able to pay via previously connected PayPal accounts from their Google Wallet.

Note that Google Wallet will support PayPal-branded debit cards, and full PayPal integration will still be available for Google Wallet users in Germany.

How to update your payment method in Google Wallet

To continue using Google Wallet after the PayPal integration ends, you need to have at least one credit or debit card added to your Google account.

To add a card, open the Google Wallet app and tap Add to Wallet at the bottom of the screen. Tap Payment card > New credit or debit card and either add the card information manually or use your camera to do so automatically. Tap Save and continue > Accept after reading the issuer terms and conditions. You may need to verify the payment method—via email, text, bank app, or temporary deposit, for example—to complete the link.

Alternatively, you can add cards from your bank’s app or website if “Add to GPay” is supported.

Reddit will now allow its users to do something it never before has permitted: to selectively “curate” their public-facing profiles by hiding some of their posting and commenting activity from other users.

Up to now, Reddit has included users’ full commenting and posting activity in profiles. So while most users are anonymous, others could easily check out their post history and see what communities they’re active in. The feature, which many users see as a key part of Reddit’s openness, has helped Redditors ferret out trolling, lying and numerous other types of bad (or merely embarrassing) behavior on the platform.

With the update, however, Reddit users will be able to “curate” their profile. The additional control will allow people to hide all their public posts and comments from their profile or hide public posts and comments in specific subreddits from their profiles. There is also a “NSFW” toggle, which would hide posts and comments in NSFW subreddits. The setting won’t hide a comment or post in the subreddit where it originally appeared, but it won’t be visible on a user’s profile.

The company notes that there will be some carveouts to these settings for moderators, who may rely on users’ past activity to suss out rule-breakers or decide who is eligible to join their community. “If you post, comment, send modmail, request to be an approved poster, or request to join a private subreddit, that mod team will have access to your full profile content history for 28 days after the interaction – regardless of your settings,” Reddit says in an FAQ.

Reddit

Despite that concession, many Redditors aren’t exactly happy about the changes, which could alter some of the core dynamics of the platform. “This seems like it’s going to lead to bad actors being able to more easily hide their behavior from the average user,” one of the most-upvoted comments on Reddit’s post says. “Unless you’re a mod, you won’t be able to see that they’re posting inflammatory misinformation across a dozen different subs, for instance.”

Others have noted the feature also means that creating an alt or throwaway account is somewhat less necessary, as it’s easier to hide posts you don’t want linked to your presence on the app. While that may be an added convenience for some, it also raises questions about the company’s approach to making new accounts. During the company’s most recent earnings call, CEO Steve Huffman suggested that Reddit was considering ways to “evolve” its “historically permissive account creation” process. Huffman didn’t elaborate on what that may look like, but said changes would be necessary to fight AI-powered “abuse or manipulation” of the platform.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-will-let-you-hide-posts-comments-and-nsfw-activity-from-your-public-profile-191956773.html?src=rss

Microsoft cut hundreds more jobs just weeks after its largest layoff in years, underscoring the tech industry’s efforts to trim costs even as it plows billions of dollars into artificial intelligence. From a report: More than 300 employees were told their positions had been eliminated on Monday, according to a Washington state notice reviewed by Bloomberg.

The cuts impacted a range of positions, including software engineers, marketers, product managers, lawyers and research scientists, a state document showed. A Microsoft spokesperson said the latest headcount reduction is in addition to the 6,000 job cuts announced last month.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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This year, Global Running Day is on June 4. Like most unofficial holidays, it is a day not only about celebrating our shared love of running—it’s also an excuse for brands to roll out deals and promotions on everything from shoes, to gear, to race registrations.

Whether you’re a beginner looking for your first real pair of running shoes or a veteran runner planning your next big race, it’s worth checking out the sales and discounts on offer before you stock up on gear or register for that half-marathon. I’ve scoured the web for this year’s best deals, found below, so you can celebrate Global Running Day with a fatter wallet (just don’t let it weigh you down during your next run).

Race registration deals for Global Running Day 2025

You might think you’ll never get into running organized races. I was like you, once: a casual runner who scoffed at the idea of paying money to run. Then I was coerced into running a 5k for charity. Then I experienced the high of crossing the finish line. Now, six marathons later, I understand why people budget races into their life. Because once you enter the world of racing, costs can quickly add up.

If you want to save on signup fees, Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series is hosting a 24-hour sale on race registrations, and offering some of the best prices of the year. These aren’t just any races—Rock ‘n’ Roll events are known for their incredible atmosphere, live music on the course, and post-race celebrations that make crossing the finish line even sweeter.

The timing couldn’t be better if you’re looking to sign up for a fall marathon or half-marathon. These races typically sell out, and with savings that can reach up to $130 off regular pricing, it’s worth checking out their destination events if you’re planning a run-cation. Think locales like Las Vegas, San Diego, Nashville, and Washington D.C. The sale starts June 4 at 12 a.m. PT.

The best Global Running Day sales on running shoes and gear

As someone who goes through two to three pairs of running shoes per year, I’ve learned to time my purchases well. I’ve done some digging, and can report there are significant discounts taking place in the running world right now, even if the shoe sales aren’t always explicitly tied to Global Running Day.

Running shoe sales

I’m a huge advocate for Saucony in general, and specifically the Ride 18 model, so I always speak up when they’re on sale. Light, soft, and responsive, these were my shoes of choice when I ran the NYC Marathon in 2023, and you can find them for a good discount at the moment.

Saucony Women’s Ride 18

$139.95
at Amazon

$139.95
at Amazon

Saucony Men’s Ride 18

$139.95
at Amazon

$139.95
at Amazon

Alternately, the HOKA Clifton 10 is perfect for runners seeking a comfortable running shoe that seamlessly transitions to casual wear. Right now, they are available for as low as $147.86 (women’s) and $149.18 (men’s).

Sales on running gear and Garmin fitness watches

Speaking of Hoka, their site has a “Global Running Day “tag filled with offers on shoes, shirts, and caps. Amazon similarly has a Global Running Day sale, and although it’s skimpy, it does feature a selection of lightweight shoes available for under $100.

There are also solid deals on running watches right now—specifically the Garmin Forerunners, aka the best dedicated running watches on the market. Here are the strongest deals I’ve seen as of this writing:

• The Forerunner 265 is $349.99 (down from $449.99)

• The Forerunner 255 is $299 (down from $399.99)

• The Forerunner 955 is $369.99 (down from $499.99)

Garmin Forerunner 265

$349.99
at Amazon

$449.99
Save $100.00

$349.99
at Amazon

$449.99
Save $100.00

Digital motivation and community

I do this one every year: Visit globalrunningday.org to sign up for the official NYRR Virtual Global Running Day 5K so you can “run with the world.” There’s something incredibly motivating about knowing runners across the globe are lacing up their shoes for the same celebration. Plus, it feels good to be part of all those names on the Strava leaderboard.

You can run the virtual 5K anywhere, anytime between May 31 and June 8. Race results will be available on the NYRR Results site and in your NYRR dashboard by Thursday, June 12.

My shopping strategy for maximizing my savings on running gear

Having navigated countless running sales over the years, I want to share my approach for scoring a deal: prioritize shoes first (they’re your most important and expensive piece of gear), then look for discounts on upcoming races you want to register for, and finally browse deals for gear and other items you’ve been putting off purchasing. In general, keep an eye out for curated packages from specialty running stores—they often provide great value and introduce you to products you might not have discovered otherwise.

Don’t get caught up in buying something just because it’s on sale. Stick to brands and models you’ve researched or used and loved before. The key is knowing what you need and acting quickly—the best deals tend to sell out fast, especially in popular sizes and colors. Set those alarms for early morning shopping, just like you would for a long training run.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some online shopping to do before I head out to log my Global Running Day miles.

Splitgate 2 will officially launch on June 6, after what must’ve been a successful beta. It’ll be available on a whole bunch of platforms, including PC via Epic, Windows and Steam. The game will also be playable on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It’s free, with optional in-game purchases.

As the name suggests, this is a sequel to the extremely popular 2021 arena shooter. Both the original and its sequel offer a fun gameplay hook. Players can create and jump through portals to surprise enemies or to traverse locations quickly. Otherwise, it’s a first-person shooter, so imagine a nice combination of Quake with, well, Portal.

There’s a new trailer to commemorate the official launch, which zeroes in on the story. Developer 1047 Games promises there will be a “metric ton of maps, weapons and modes” on June 6. It has also announced that any progression made during the beta period will carry over to the full release. Version 1.0 will include a map creator and “so much more.”

To that end, the dev team says there’s “one surprise left in store.” This will be revealed at Summer Game Fest, so stay tuned. The first Splitgate was a legit phenomenon, with over 10 million beta downloads before it was officially released.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/splitgate-2-will-exit-its-beta-and-get-an-official-release-on-june-6-185839801.html?src=rss

Senate Democrats are pleading with the Trump administration to stop delaying distribution of $42 billion in grants for construction of broadband networks in areas with poor Internet access.

The Biden administration spent about three years developing rules and procedures for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) fund and then evaluating plans submitted by each US state and territory. Republicans repeatedly alleged that Democrats should have distributed the grants more quickly, but the Trump administration halted progress after taking over.

“States are ready to put shovels in the ground and have been waiting for months to get started… Additional delays and onerous changes to the program at this stage threaten to further stall urgently needed deployment and leave communities behind,” Senate Democrats wrote in a May 30 letter to President Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The letter was sent by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.).

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If you’re still waiting on access to Google’s AI-driven Ask Photos feature, you’ll need to hold tight a little longer. Jamie Aspinall, a product manager for Google Photos, chimed in to a conversation on X to address some complaints about the feature. “Ask Photos isn’t where it needs to be, in terms of latency, quality and ux,” Aspinall wrote. He said the rollout was being paused “at very small numbers” and that a new version of Ask Photos is slated to ship in about two weeks.

Ask Photos was introduced at last year’s I/O conference and began select early access availability in September. The feature uses the Gemini AI chatbot to find images from a photo library based on natural language queries.

As with so many tech giants, Google’s implementation of AI-powered features to its services has hit several snags. The AI Overviews feature in search had a notoriously bad introduction to users and its image-generation tool offered some baffling results at launch. Google has also seen critiques from former leaders and current employees about its approach to artificial intelligence.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-has-paused-the-ask-photos-rollout-182409437.html?src=rss

T-Mobile announced Tuesday it will expand its fiber internet service to more than 500,000 households nationwide, offering three symmetrical speed tiers with five-year price locks starting June 5th. The plans range from 500 Mbps at $80 monthly to 2 Gbps at $110 monthly, with $5 autopay discounts for debit card payments. The expansion follows T-Mobile’s joint venture with fiber provider Lumos and its pending Metronet acquisition, positioning the wireless carrier to reach 12 to 15 million households by 2030 as it challenges AT&T and Verizon’s multibillion-dollar fiber investments.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

There’s a new tactical RPG coming down the pike, and it’s a doozy. Never’s End has a retro look that’s sure to please fans of iconic titles like Final Fantasy Tactics and boasts a fantastic pedigree. Masayoshi Nishimura, from Octopath Traveler, is on character design duties and the rapper/multi-instrumentalist Doseone made the soundtrack. He previously composed the music for Enter the Gungeon.

Indie developer Hypersect is making the game. It previously developed the creative puzzler Inversus, which ended up becoming a sleeper hit. The company hopes this will be something more than a clone of Tactics Ogre or the aforementioned Final Fantasy Tactics. Founder Ryan Juckett says that Never’s End was also inspired by the freeform gameplay of stuff like Divinity: Original Sin 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

To that end, the game features an open world and plenty of creative ways for players to tackle turn-based battles. The battle grids can be transformed via elemental magic. Players can drain rivers in the middle of a battle, for the purposes of navigation, or melt the ground to turn it into lava. Enemies can be frozen or set aflame. The company promises that “every battleground is unique, challenging you to find new ways to use magic and shift the odds in your favor.”

Hypersect

Customization seems to be the order of the day here. Players can “upgrade towns, temples and other locations to build businesses, establish trade routes, and recruit new companions.” As the story progresses, these locations will attract a growing community of weaponsmiths, tavern keepers, tanneries, logging camps and more.” Characters can also team up to unleash “tactical synergies.” Check out the trailer. It looks pretty fun.

Never’s End comes out in late 2025. It’ll be available for PlayStation consoles and PC via Steam. We don’t have a price yet but it can already be wishlisted on Steam.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nevers-end-is-a-retro-tactical-rpg-with-a-fantastic-pedigree-180020441.html?src=rss

We may never fully understand how TikTok’s “For You” algorithm works or why it sends users down the sometimes very specific rabbit holes it does. But the company is making it a bit easier to control what topics are likely (or not) to appear in recommendations.

The company is rolling out a setting to “manage topics” within the app to all users in an attempt to add more personalization to users’ feeds. The setting, which the company began offering in the United States last year, is a set of sliders that allow people to specify how often they want particular types of videos to appear in their recommendations. The sliders cover about a dozen general topics, like nature; food and drink; fashion and beauty; and pets. For each interest, you can drag the slider to “see more” or “see less.”

TikTok notes that these in-app controls “won’t eliminate any topics entirely,” so the sliders won’t, say, prevent any sports content from ever appearing in your feed. But the company says the setting “can influence how often they’re recommended as your interests evolve over time.”

For those who want more granular control over their feeds — at least when it comes to blocking specific types of content — TikTok is also expanding its keyword filtering option, which allows people to choose specific keywords they don’t want to see. Now, the app will use AI to make those filters smarter by adding extra keywords for similar content. For example, if you choose to filter “remodeling,” the app may also opt to add “renovations” to your filtered words. The app may also automatically block alternate spellings of topics, like “cat” or “c@t.” The company says it expects these “smart filters” to “get increasingly precise as more people use it over time” and that it will eventually allow users to add up to 200 keywords.

Both features are available now in TikTok’s settings in the app’s “content” preferences section.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-is-making-it-easier-to-control-what-is-and-isnt-in-your-for-you-feed-175301931.html?src=rss

Epic Games held its annual State of Unreal event today, offering a first look at some exciting new features coming to Unreal Engine 5 through a tech demo set in the world of The Witcher IV.

The team at Epic Games, together with CD Projekt Red — developers of the Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077 — premiered a roughly ten-minute gameplay and cinematic demo that follows Ciri through a snowy mountain pass in Kovir and into the bustling port of Valdrest. The visuals in the demo are not truly final scenes from The Witcher IV but serve as a proof of concept intended to highlight the cutting-edge graphics and tech behind the new Witcher installment.

The demo ran on a PlayStation 5 at 60 frames per second with ray tracing enabled. This was made possible by a slew of new open-world building features coming to Unreal Engine 5.6, including a new “Fast Geometry Streaming Plugin.” Epic says the new plugin should help open-worlds load faster, though exactly how much faster is unclear. A marketplace scene set in Valdrest brimming with life also underscored the ability to create scenes full of high-fidelity characters and visual effects.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the demo was the vast foliage that made up the forests of Kovir. This is thanks to Nanite Foliage, a new system that renders every leaf and branch as real 3D geometry instead of flat textures. This new feature, slated for release with Unreal Engine 5.7, allows for dense high-fidelity foliage without a huge hit to performance.

Unreal Engine 5.6 is now available though many of the tools announced today are marked as experimental, including the Fast Geometry Streaming Plugin, new Control Rig Physics, improved motion capture tools and more. There is no specific release date for Unreal Engine 5.7 yet. As for The Witcher IV, we know not to expect it before 2027.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-witcher-ivs-lush-world-is-on-display-in-unreal-engine-56-demo-174048532.html?src=rss

Many Arsians are the go-to IT support representative for family and friends. If you’re lucky, your loved ones’ problems are easily resolved with a reset, update, or new cable. That wasn’t the case for a son who recently had to break the news to his father that the 20TB portable hard drive he purchased for about $50 was mostly just a plastic box with weights and a PCB.

Ars Technica spoke with the Reddit user who posted about his father bringing him a “new 20T[B] HDD to see if I could figure out what was wrong with it.” The Redditor, who asked that we refer to him by his first name, Martin, revealed that his dad paid £38 (about $51.33) for what he thought was a portable HDD. That’s a red flag. HDDs have gotten cheaper over the years, but not that cheap. A 20TB external HDD typically costs over $200, and they’re usually much larger than the portable-SSD-sized device that Martin’s father received. A 20TB HDD in a portable form factor is rarer and can cost well over $300.

Taking a hammer to the device revealed that the chassis was nearly empty, save for some iron wheel weights sloppily attached to the black plastic with hefty globs of glue and a small PCB with some form of flash storage that could connect to a system via USB-A.

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Meta has struck a 20-year deal with energy company Constellation to keep the Clinton Clean Energy Center nuclear plant in Illinois operational, the social media giant’s first nuclear power purchase agreement as it seeks clean energy sources for AI data centers. The aging facility, which was slated to close in 2017 after years of financial losses and currently operates under a state tax credit reprieve until 2027, will receive undisclosed financial support that enables a 30-megawatt capacity expansion to 1,121 MW total output.

The arrangement preserves 1,100 local jobs while generating electricity for 800,000 homes, as Meta purchases clean energy certificates to offset a portion of its growing carbon footprint driven by AI operations.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is scheduled from June 9 to 13 this year, and you can expect several big announcements to come out of it. Although WWDC 2025 is a developer-focused event, Apple is expected to reveal new features for its operating systems for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and other devices, which makes it a fun watch for anyone who owns an Apple device. That said, don’t expect any major hardware releases. Here’s everything you can expect from WWDC 2025.

New names for all of Apple’s operating systems

According to a Bloomberg report from Mark Gurman, Apple is expected to rename all of its operating systems to align more with the calendar year than their actual version number. This means that the successor to iOS 18 could end up being iOS 26, presumably named after the year 2026. Similarly, if this prediction pans out, you can expect similar rebrands for macOS 26, watchOS 26, iPadOS 26, tvOS 26, and so on. It’s not uncommon for software (or even video games) to use the upcoming year in the product’s name (think Windows 95), and it looks like Apple is trying to simplify its naming conventions as the number of its operating systems increases with each new product category it enters.

Expect a new look and feel for iOS, macOS, and more

Along with new names, Apple’s rumored to be revamping the look and feel of most of its operating systems. These include both iOS 26 and macOS 26, which are expected to follow the design language of visionOS (the operating system for the Apple Vision Pro headset). You can expect to see “squircle” icons (square icons with prominently rounded corners), translucent window elements, and some 3D elements. Apple has also already revealed the accessibility features coming to its products, which includes Vehicle Motion Cues coming to the Mac and a new Accessibility Reader for the iPhone. 

YouTuber FrontPageTech has also shown off what looks like a redesigned iOS 26 Camera app. If the leak turns out to be real, you may see fewer options when you first open the Camera app, with swiping dedicated to switching between Photos and Videos. Tapping is likely to reveal more photo and video options, though. Still, it’s impossible to know for sure until Apple makes it official.

Apple Intelligence updates

The merging of Siri and Apple Intelligence is expected to continue this year, although no one knows when the AI’s final form will be released. When it’s out, you can expect a contextually aware Apple Intelligence that’s on par with competing AI services. However, quite a few Apple Intelligence features have been postponed, and it’s clear that Apple is still playing catchup, so you shouldn’t expect rapid progress here until you see some evidence. There’s a chance that we could hear more about Apple Intelligence integrations with the Health app, according to another Bloomberg report.

Enhanced battery life

Apple is reportedly planning to use AI to improve your iPhone’s battery life. The report claims that an AI-powered battery management mode will analyze how you use your iPhone and make tweaks to conserve battery life accordingly. That sounds great in theory, but so far my observation has been that enabling Apple Intelligence on my devices has led to a decrease in battery life. 

A desktop mode on your iPhone

One leak suggests that you may soon be able to connect your iPhone to external displays and use the secondary display for presentations, viewing content on a larger screen, or video editing. This could be a game-changer for some, especially those who use Samsung’s DeX. Although the iPhone already already supports mirroring via AirPlay, it has a lot of limitations. A wired connection to larger display will theoretically be a lot less laggy.

Live translation for AirPods

Rumors also suggest that Apple may announce a live translation feature for your AirPods. This feature could be made available for the AirPods Pro 2. For anyone who travels to different countries, this feature could be immensely useful, so here’s hoping that it does get launched and that it works well. While there are no leaks that hint at a new AirPods Pro yet, I really hope to hear some news about a new model in the lineup. Perhaps we’ll have to wait until the iPhone launch event for more news on this front.

For better or worse, Fortnite will let creators make NPCs that ditch the script and go freestyle. A new tool in the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) will allow developers to create their own generative AI-powered NPCs. Their voice types, delivery styles and personality traits are all customizable.

Epic demoed the tech on Tuesday during its “State of Unreal” keynote. The company said the NPC generated its responses in real-time during the presentation. It was created using “about 20 lines” of prompt text.

The demoed character, Mr. Buttons, was created solely to persuade the player to press a large red button in a room. After the presenter asked about the signs in the environment warning against pressing the button, the AI bot persisted. “Signs, you say? Mere suggestions from those who lack imagination. After all, rules are made to be gently nudged aside. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Impressive as it was, the demo also showed the tech’s current limitations. First, it’s a turn-taking AI chat, not a live one with interruptions and overlapping. In addition, the presenter could only speak when holding a button to activate the microphone. After each question, Mr. Buttons would pause for a few moments to process. It tried to mask this with vocal fillers like “Hmmm,” “Ahhhh,” and “Ummm.”

Epic Games

The tech builds on Darth Vader’s appearance last month in Fortnite: Galactic Battle. Gemini 2.0 Flash generated the Sith Lord’s dialogue, which was made to sound like James Earl Jones’ voice using ElevenLabs AI tech. (His estate approved it.)

How did it go? Well, AI Vader went viral for… probably not the reasons Epic hoped. On the bright side, it didn’t quite devolve into AI Seinfeld levels of offensiveness. But a widely shared video showed Darth dropping an F-bomb. In response to a streamer using “freaking” and “fucking” in a voice prompt, Vader repeated the words. (Ironically, he then scolded the player for using harsh language.) Epic pushed a hotfix and promised it wouldn’t happen again.

Fortnite creators will be able to make the NPCs in the UEFN Editor later this year. You can check out the Mr. Buttons demo below.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-is-about-to-unleash-ai-powered-npcs-172728548.html?src=rss

Animal cloning has evolved from experimental science into a thriving commercial industry producing thousands of genetic copies across nearly 60 species, despite sustained public opposition to the technology. ViaGen Pets & Equine, the world’s leading producer of cloned cats, dogs and horses, charges $50,000 to clone a pet and $85,000 for a horse, with customers joining waiting lists for the service.

The technology has found applications ranging from preserving exceptional beef cattle genetics to creating armies of polo horses. Top polo player Adolfo Cambiaso owns more than 100 clones of his best mare and once fielded an entire team riding copies of the same horse. West Texas A&M professor Ty Lawrence successfully cloned superior beef cattle from meat samples, with ranchers subsequently purchasing thousands of straws of semen from his cloned bulls. A 2023 Gallup survey found 61% of Americans still consider animal cloning “morally wrong,” nearly unchanged since Dolly the sheep’s 1996 debut, yet the industry continues expanding globally.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.