An anonymous reader shares a column: As the AI boom develops, consultants are in a tricky spot. The pandemic, inflation and economic uncertainty have encouraged many of their big clients to tighten expenditure. The U.S. government, one of the biggest spenders, has been cancelling multiple billion-dollar contracts in an effort to conserve cash. In March, 10 of the largest consultants including Deloitte, Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, IBM and Guidehouse were targeted by the Department of Government Efficiency to justify their fees. As a result, the largest listed players’ shares have collapsed by up to 30% in the past two years, against the S&P 500’s 50% jump.

AI is, in some respects, a boon. In September, Accenture said it had helped it cut 11,000 jobs, and CEO Julie Sweet is set to augment that with staff that cannot be retrained. Salesforce recently laid off 4000 customer support workers. Microsoft has halted hiring in its consulting business. Unfortunately, big clients are cottoning on to the advantages too. One finance chief of a large UK company outlined the issue for Breakingviews via an illustrative example. Say an outsourced project costs the client $1 million to do themselves, and Accenture and the like have historically been able to do the same job for $200,000. With the advent of machine learning, companies can do the same work for just $10,000. This gives clients considerable leverage. If consultants won’t lower their prices to near the relevant level, the client can find one who will. Or just do the job itself.

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This brand-new Microsoft Surface Pro 7 offers portability, flexibility, and power that still holds up for most people who want a dependable Windows machine without overpaying, and it’s on sale for $659.99 at StackSocial right now. The 12.3-inch PixelSense touchscreen remains sharp and responsive, with a 2736×1824 resolution that makes documents, spreadsheets, and streaming look crisp. It’s lightweight at 1.7 pounds, and the built-in kickstand turns it from tablet to laptop on demand—something the Surface line has always nailed.

The Surface Pro 7 is powered by a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, paired with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. That combination is no longer cutting-edge, but it’s still sufficient for everyday tasks like writing, browsing, video calls, and light creative projects. The battery is rated for up to 10.5 hours, which means you’ll likely get through a workday before needing to recharge. You also get a mix of ports that newer devices sometimes skip: both USB-A and USB-C, a headphone jack, and even a microSDXC card reader for quick storage expansion. Wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 ensure modern connections, and for those invested in the Surface ecosystem, it still works with accessories like the Type Cover keyboard and Surface Pen, though they’re sold separately.

This model won’t compete with the latest Surface Pro 11 or high-end ultrabooks if you’re looking for raw speed, and the cameras top out at 1080p video when many laptops now ship with 1080p or even 4K webcams. It also doesn’t come with a warranty, so the price reflects a final-sale deal. Still, for someone who needs a 2-in-1 that balances tablet portability with laptop functionality, the Surface Pro 7 remains a solid choice. It’s a way to get a brand-new Microsoft device with decent specs at a reasonable cost, if you’re willing to accept that it’s no longer the newest kid on the block.

Employees are using AI to generate fake expense receipts. Leading expense software platforms report a sharp increase in AI-created fraudulent documents following the launch of improved image generation models by OpenAI and Google. AppZen said fake AI receipts accounted for 14% of fraudulent documents submitted in September compared with none last year. Ramp flagged more than one million dollars in fraudulent invoices within 90 days. About 30% of financial professionals in the US and UK surveyed by Medius reported seeing a rise in falsified receipts after OpenAI released GPT-4o last year.

SAP Concur processes more than 80 million compliance checks monthly and now warns customers to not trust their eyes. The receipts include wrinkles in paper, detailed itemization matching real menus and signatures. Creating fraudulent documents previously required photo editing skills or paying for such services. Free and accessible image generation software has made it possible for anyone to falsify receipts in seconds by writing simple text instructions to chatbots.

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Since last year’s disastrous rollout of Google’s AI Overviews, the world at large has been aware of how AI-powered search results can differ wildly from the traditional list of links search engines have generated for decades. Now, new research helps quantify that difference, showing that AI search engines tend to cite less popular websites and ones that wouldn’t even appear in the Top 100 links listed in an “organic” Google search.

In the pre-print paper “Characterizing Web Search in The Age of Generative AI,” researchers from Ruhr University in Bochum and the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems compared traditional link results from Google’s search engine to its AI Overviews and Gemini-2.5-Flash. The researchers also looked at GPT-4o’s web search mode and the separate “GPT-4o with Search Tool,” which resorts to searching the web only when the LLM decides it needs information found outside its own pre-trained data.

The researchers drew test queries from a number of sources, including specific questions submitted to ChatGPT in the WildChat dataset, general political topics listed on AllSides, and products included in the 100 most-searched Amazon products list.

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Microsoft’s next Xbox console will run full Windows and allow users to exit the Xbox interface to access Steam, Epic Games Store, Battle.net, and other PC storefronts, according to Windows Central. The device will launch without a multiplayer paywall. Xbox CEO Phil Spencer told users last week to look at the Xbox Ally handheld for an indication of where Xbox is headed. The company has been using the Ally as a beta test to gather feedback on the experience that will power its next wave of console hardware.

The new Xbox will include the entire Xbox console library spanning original Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S titles. These games will run natively and launch through the Xbox launcher’s library. Users staying within the Xbox ecosystem will encounter an onboarding experience similar to current consoles. Those who choose to access Windows will be able to install PlayStation PC titles like God of War and Spider-Man purchased through Steam or Epic Games.

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Just in time for winter, a bundle including the fourth-generation Google Nest Learning Thermostat and a second-generation Nest temperature sensor is $70 off at Walmart. That brings the price down to $209.55 (originally $279.99). The smart thermostat allows you to customize your home’s heating and cooling schedule with AI, conserving energy and ensuring consistent temperatures throughout your entire home.

Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen) with Nest Temperature Sensor (2nd Gen)

$209.55
at Walmart

$279.99
Save $70.44

$209.55
at Walmart

$279.99
Save $70.44

This fourth-generation Nest thermostat offers several updates from its predecessor, including support for Matter, which allows compatibility with a wide range of smart home ecosystems (though it doesn’t support Thread). According to this PCMag review, it’s simple to install, comes with a remote room sensor, and uses AI to learn preferences and create a customized heating and cooling schedule that adjusts as your routine changes—though you can also manually make changes and reject suggested tweaks.

It has a larger display than the previous generation (2.7 inches with a 600×600 pixel resolution, compared to 2.1 inches with a 480×480 pixel resolution) with a thin stainless steel ring that allows you to scroll through menu options and adjust temperature settings or switch between modes like Comfort, Eco, and Sleep. The thermostat works with most 24V heating and cooling systems and includes ambient light, humidity, motion, and temperature sensors. You can control it via the Google Home app or Google Assistant voice commands.

This model also has a new version of Nest’s Farsight technology, which uses a motion sensor to turn on the display when you enter the room and adapts what’s shown based on how far away you are from the thermostat, showing more details as you get closer. Unlike more feature-rich options like the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, it can’t detect air quality or double as a home security hub when paired with sensors and cameras. 

Ultimately, this bundle—currently around 25% off—is worth it if you’re seeking a smart thermostat with a large display, a stylish aesthetic, and remote room sensing. If you value design and simplicity over maximum features, it’s a better choice than the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium.

AT&T committed a big no-no in its latest advertising campaign against T-Mobile, according to the organization that runs the ad industry’s self-regulatory system.

BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division said Friday that AT&T “violated Section 2.1(I) of the National Advertising Division (NAD)/National Advertising Review Board (NARB) Procedures for the US advertising industry’s process of self-regulation by issuing a video advertisement and press release that use the NAD process and its findings for promotional purposes. NAD has demanded that AT&T immediately remove such violative promotional materials and cease all future dissemination.”

The NAD said that AT&T’s action threatens the “integrity and success of the self-regulatory forum,” and “undermines NAD’s mission to promote truth and accuracy of advertising claims and foster consumer trust in the marketplace.”

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The movie industry has been in a tailspin for years, with many people foregoing the theatrical experience in favor of watching films at home. I get it. Going to the movies can be expensive and, let’s face it, dealing with other people can be annoying (it’s been 10 years and I’m still mad about those teenagers who would not stop giggling all the way through my first viewing of The Witch). But there’s nothing quite like going to a theater and getting lost in a great film for a couple of hours. In addition, large-scale formats are growing in popularity and theater chains are trying to accommodate moviegoers.

Cinemark is installing more IMAX screens, including ones that support 70mm film projection. The company is adding such screens to its locations in Woodridge, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago); Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Rochester, New York. It’s also adding four IMAX with Laser systems — a 4K laser offering — to other locations in the US in the coming months. It’s upgrading its other 12 IMAX screens across the Americas with that tech too.

According to Variety, Cinemark plans to have the new IMAX 70mm film screens set up by July 17, 2026. That’s the release date for Christopher Nolan’s next film, The Odyssey, which is the first theatrical release to be shot entirely in IMAX. As it stands, only 30 movie theaters on the planet can screen films in IMAX 70mm, which is Nolan’s preferred format.

IMAX is proving popular with cinemagoers who are looking for a large-format experience that would be impossible at home (at least not without an obscene private screen). Indeed, many IMAX 70mm screenings of The Odyssey sold out a year in advance.

IMAX 70mm isn’t the only format with limited availability that’s drawing audiences to theaters. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another is the first movie in 60 years to be projected in the VistaVision format, but only at a few locations. The film is currently being screened in IMAX 70mm in some cinemas too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/cinemark-is-adding-more-70mm-imax-screens-ahead-of-christopher-nolans-the-odyssey-194155824.html?src=rss