Ford has called its 20,000 employees back to work now that it has reached a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW). The two parties have agreed on a new four-year labor contract that include a 25 percent pay increase for employees over that period, according to Reuters and The New York Times. With the cost-of-living wage adjustments the union has also successfully negotiated, the total pay hikes would amount to 33 percent, the UAW said. In addition to a wage hike, the contract also has stipulations for higher pensions and the right to strike over company plans to close factories. 

Based on those rates, the highest-paid employees at Ford will ultimately be earning more than $40 an hour, up from $32, and have a base pay of $83,000 for a 40-hour-a-week workload. Meanwhile, recent hires will see their pay double over the next four years. As The Times notes, Ford initially offered to pay its workers 23 percent more, telling the union that it’s what the company could afford without making big changes to its business. However, the UAW pushed for a bigger percentage and managed to reach this agreement with Ford by having thousands of its workers walk out over the past few weeks. 

Approximately 8,700 personnel at the company’s largest truck plant in Kentucky had stopped working, along with another 10,000 in Illinois and Michigan. Around two weeks after the strikes began, Ford suspended the construction of a Michigan battery factory for electric vehicles “until [it’s] confident about [its] ability to competitively operate the plant.”

Ford, like other automakers, are taking steps to electrify its fleet in hopes of having an all electric vehicle lineup over the next 10 years or so. The automakers affected by the strike, which also include GM and Stellantis, previously said that their electrification efforts currently costing them billions of dollars would be affected by the union’s demands. “Toyota, Honda, Tesla and the others are loving the strike, because they know the longer it goes on, the better it is for them,” Ford executive chairman William C. Ford Jr. said. Tesla and the Japanese automakers aren’t unionized, but the UAW argued that its success with the current strikes could give it the momentum it needs to expand and organize at other companies. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ford-reaches-a-tentative-agreement-with-striking-auto-workers-052421002.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Ford reaches a tentative agreement with striking auto workers

Meta’s increasingly aggressive push to promote Threads seems to be paying off. Mark Zuckerberg said the app currently has “just under” 100 million monthly active users, and that he thinks there’s a “good chance” the app could reach 1 billion users in the next couple of years.

“I thought for a long time, there should be a billion-person public conversations app that is a bit more positive and I think that if we keep at this for a few more years, then I think we have a good chance of achieving our vision there,” Zuckerberg said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call.

Threads’ growth has been closely watched since its July launch. The app saw 100 million sign-ups in its first week, but quickly saw engagement drop off amid complaints about limited functionality and feeds flooded with posts from brands. But Meta has steadily added new features, and engagement seems to have rebounded in recent weeks as Elon Musk makes unpopular changes to X, like stripping headlines from links. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Threads has recently succeeded in attracting former “power users” from X.

Threads’ growth wasn’t the only bright spot for Meta, which reported just over $34 billion in revenue for the quarter, a 23 percent increase from last year. There are no 3.9 billion people who use one of the company’s each month, a new high for the social media company. During a call with analysts, Zuckerberg said that Meta’s recent focus on “efficiency,” which resulted in the company shedding more than 20,000 jobs over the last year, has been an effective strategy that will continue as the company faces “a very volatile world.”

Zuckerberg also shared that Meta would be increasingly focused on generative AI going forward. “We’re going to continue deprioritizing a number of non-AI projects across the company to shift people towards working on AI instead,” Zuckerberg said.

Those AI investments, however, won’t come at the expense of new spending on the metaverse. Reality Labs, Meta’s division overseeing its AR and VR spending, continued its multibillion-dollar losing streak. Revenue from Reality Labs sank to just $210 million, with losses climbing to $3.7 billion for the quarter and more than $11 billion since the start of 2023. Meta CFO Susan Li said the losses were expected to accelerate further in the coming year due to “ongoing product development efforts in augmented reality/virtual reality and our investments to further scale our ecosystem.”

Zuckerberg, who has recently attempted to highlight AI advancements within AR and VR, said that the technology has the potential to reshape all of the company’s services. “Generative AI is going to transform meaningfully how people use each of the different apps that we build,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mark-zuckerberg-threads-has-just-under-100-million-monthly-active-users-222548501.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Mark Zuckerberg: Threads has ‘just under’ 100 million monthly active users

Data from a meteorite impact on Mars that was recorded by NASA’s InSight lander in 2021 is now helping to clear up some confusion about the red planet’s interior makeup. A pair of studies published today in the journal Nature separately determined that Mars’ iron-rich core is smaller and denser than previous measurements suggested, and it’s surrounded by molten rock.

The now defunct InSight lander, which arrived on Mars in November 2018, spent four years recording seismic waves produced by marsquakes so scientists could get a better understanding of what’s going on beneath the planet’s surface. But, estimates of the Martian core based on InSight’s initial readings from nearby quakes didn’t quite add up. At the time, scientists found the core’s radius to be somewhere between 1118 and 1149 miles — much larger than expected — and that it contained a perplexingly high amount of lighter elements complementing its heavy liquid iron.

The numbers for those light elements were “bordering on the impossible,” said Dongyang Huang of ETH Zurich, a co-author of one of the studies. “We have been wondering about this result ever since.” Then, a breakthrough came when a meteorite struck Mars in September 2021 all the way across the planet from where InSight is positioned, generating seismic waves that ETH Zurich doctoral student Cecilia Duran said “allowed us to illuminate the core.”

Based on those measurements, the two teams have found that Mars’ core more likely has a radius of about 1013-1060 miles. This, the ETH Zurich team notes, is about half the radius of Mars itself. A smaller core would also be more dense, meaning the previously inexplicable abundance of light elements may actually exist in smaller, more reasonable amounts. This is all surrounded by a layer of molten silicates about 90 miles thick, the teams found, which skewed the initial estimates. And, it’s unlike anything found in Earth’s interior.

According to Vedran Lekic from University of Maryland, a co-author of the second paper, the layer serves as somewhat of a “heating blanket” for the core that “concentrates radioactive elements.” Studying it could help scientists uncover answers about Mars’ formation and its lack of an active magnetic field.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mars-core-looks-bigger-than-it-is-because-its-wrapped-in-radioactive-magma-211359695.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Mars’ core looks bigger than it is because it’s wrapped in radioactive magma

It’s finally happening: X (formerly known as Twitter) has begun rolling out yet another feature nobody asked for. Now, users will have the option to call each other via audio and video calls on the platform. This doesn’t come as a total surprise, as CEO Linda Yaccarino previously confirmed that video chat would be coming to the social media site back in August. It’s just the latest step in X’s evolution to becoming the “everything” app overlord owner Elon Musk wants it to be.

After opening X, some users are greeted with a prompt announcing “Audio and Video calls are here!” The prompt also included instructions on how to review who can call or make other changes to how the feature works. These options can be found in the settings section of your Direct Messages. If you have no interest in allowing people on X to call you, you can go to your DMs and look for the Settings menu, which looks like a tiny gear. From there, you can disable the calling option. However, if you do want to keep it on, you can choose to allow calls from verified users, people in your address book or just people you follow.

X doesn’t have the best track record of creating a safe space, especially for minority communities, so it’s not hard to see why many people would prefer to opt out of using this feature. Additionally, not everyone will receive the prompt about the new calling feature, which is enabled by default. It’s probably smart to see if it’s already available on your account then you decide whether you’d like to keep it on.

Perhaps the folks at X will rethink this one, and maybe we can trade this feature to save Circles. But if this is a feature that must exist, it would have been a better move to allow users to turn it on themselves, instead of having it on automatically. Some users may not find out about the feature until a random troll decides to call and antagonize them.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-is-rolling-out-audio-and-video-calling-feature-nobody-asked-for-205836943.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – X is rolling out audio and video calling feature nobody asked for

The Biden Administration is reportedly set to unveil a broad executive order on artificial intelligence next week. According to The Washington Post, the White House’s “sweeping order” would use the federal government’s purchasing power to enforce requirements on AI models before government agencies can use them. The order is reportedly scheduled for Monday, October 30, two days before an international AI Safety Summit in the UK.

The order will allegedly require advanced AI models to undergo a series of assessments before federal agencies can adopt them. In addition, it would ease immigration for highly skilled workers, which was heavily restricted during the Trump administration. Federal agencies, including the Defense Department, Energy Department and intelligence branches, would also have to assess how they might incorporate AI into their work. The report notes that the analyses would emphasize strengthening the nation’s cyber defenses.

On Tuesday evening, the White House reportedly sent invitations for a “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence” event for Monday, October 30, hosted by President Biden. The Washington Post indicates that the executive order isn’t finalized, and details could still change.

PHILIP FONG via Getty Images

Meanwhile, European officials are working on AI regulations across the Atlantic, aiming for a finalized package by the end of the year. The US Congress is also in the earlier stages of drafting AI regulations. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) hosted AI leaders on Tuesday at the second AI Insights Forum.

AI regulation is currently one of the most buzzed-about topics in the tech world. Generative AI has rapidly advanced in the last two years as image generators like Midjourney and DALL-E 3 emerged, producing convincing photos that could be disseminated for disinformation and propaganda (as some political campaigns have already done). Meanwhile, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Google’s Bard and other advanced large language model (LLM) chatbots have arguably sparked even more concern, allowing anyone to compose fairly convincing text passages while answering questions that may or may not be truthful. There are even AI models for cloning celebrities’ voices.

In addition to misinformation and its potential impact on elections, generative AI also sparks worries about the job market, especially for artists, graphic designers, developers and writers. Several high-profile media outlets, most infamously CNET, have been caught using AI to compose entire error-ridden articles with only the thinnest of disclosures.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-white-house-will-reportedly-reveal-a-sweeping-ai-executive-order-on-october-30-200558649.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The White House will reportedly reveal a ‘sweeping’ AI executive order on October 30

The Bigscreen Beyond is miraculous. I expected the first hardware from Bigscreen, a company known mainly for its VR movie-watching app, to be merely a noble effort. You know, a brave attempt by a newcomer to make a splash in the niche world of VR – something that deserves golf claps and little more. They say hardware is hard for a reason; how can a small software company take on titans like Valve and Meta?

Despite everything stacked against it (and it’s not without some freshman stumbles), the Bigscreen Beyond stands out. It’s less a headset like the original Oculus Rift, and more akin to an oversized pair of glasses that can still immerse you. Consequently, it’s the most comfortable VR solution I’ve ever tested. It also has some of the sharpest displays I’ve ever seen, thanks to cutting-edge Micro-OLED panels (Meta, meanwhile, has fallen back on cheaper LCD displays for the Quest 3).

Somehow, a small VR app company built a truly compelling upgrade from the Valve Index, which is still one of the best VR headsets around. That deserves more than just golf claps.

With all that being said, the Bigscreen Beyond also isn’t something I can recommend to most people. The average gamer doesn’t need a Ferrari, after all. While Meta is aiming for the masses with the $299 Quest 2 and $499 Quest 3, the $999 Bigscreen Beyond is squarely targeted at Valve Index owners and VR enthusiasts who demand more comfort and better screens. It’s meant for a niche of the niche. The Beyond is even harder to justify if you’re stepping into high-end VR for the first time, since it requires two SteamVR base stations ($300 for a pair) and Valve Index controllers ($279). A $1,578 setup isn’t exactly the best introduction to VR.

Nothing about the Beyond is easy. That makes it best suited for people who are already used to the inconveniences and indignities of PC VR. Upon ordering it, you’ll need to create a 3D scan of your face via a mobile website. That process took around five minutes for me, but it requires an iPhone – Android users will need to borrow one or sneakily scan their faces at an Apple Store.

Once your face is scanned, Bigscreen 3D prints an eyepiece cushion that’s built specifically for you. That process also determines the interpupillary distance, or IPD for the headset’s lenses. Instead of being adjustable like some competitors, Bigscreen has 18 (!) different models of the Beyond to fit IPDs between 55 millimeters and 72mm. The company says being so rigid about IPD sizes allows it to reduce weight – I can only imagine the logistical nightmare that creates. (That extreme customization also means it’ll be tough to share the Beyond with others.)

I’ll admit, I was shocked how well it fit the first time I tried the Beyond. It barely felt like I was wearing anything at all, since the weight was evenly distributed across my face. There was no pressure around my eyes, or on the bridge of my nose, issues I’ve come to expect from heavy VR headsets. There was also no light leakage either, something that can easily kill immersion, and the cushions easily clamp onto the headset using magnets.

According to Bigscreen founder and CEO Darshan Shankar, the company developed a unique skin-safe foam material for the face cushion. It can be washed with soap and water, making it potentially more sanitary than the sweat-absorbing pads on other headsets. Shankar says he’s been using one foam pad for several years, and, surprisingly enough, he doesn’t try to protect it while traveling. If you do need a replacement, though, you can order one from Bigscreen for $49.

Given how small it is, the Beyond also doesn’t have room to fit glasses like the Quest 3. Instead, prescription glasses wearers will have to order custom lenses from the company. I can’t speak about that ordering process much — Bigscreen just shipped me prescription lenses alongside my review unit — but it’ll involve plugging in your prescription alongside your order. (Snagging lenses for the Quest 3 from Zenni Optical is no different than ordering a normal pair of glasses.) The Beyond’s lenses magnetically snap onto its displays without any effort, and they’re also easy to remove for cleaning.

You can tell that the Bigscreen Beyond isn’t like any other VR headset on the market with one glance. Imagine chopping off the top and bottom of the Valve Index, leaving only the displays behind. It looks suitably futuristic, with transparent plastic alongside the front and a few LEDs to let you know when it’s powered up. It also weighs just 127 grams (0.28 pounds), slightly more than a deck of playing cards. In comparison, the Valve Index comes in at 1.8 pounds, while the Quest 3 weighs 1.1 pounds. The Beyond ships with a rear head strap, which was tight enough to stay secured on my head, but there’s also a top strap in the box for those who need it.

If you look closely at Bigscreen’s promotional photos for the Beyond, you may notice something that’s missing: Headphones. It doesn’t include any built-in speakers of its own, so you’ll have to come up with your own solution. I was able to fit Arctis’s Nova Pro headphones on top of the Beyond, but that defeats the purpose of having such a light headset. I eventually paired my AirPod Pros to my Windows PC — something I never do otherwise — and that worked just fine. Bigscreen plans to release a $129 audio strap later this year but, for now, Beyond buyers should plan to have wireless earbuds handy.

So clearly Bigscreen managed to create a unique headset, but how well does it handle VR? Simply put, it’s far better than I expected from the company’s first stab at hardware. Its Micro-OLED displays are bright and feature far more contrast than the Quest 3’s LCD panels. They’re also noticeably sharper than the Index’s. The Beyond offers 2,560 by 2,560 pixels per eye, while the Valve headset delivers 1,440 by 1,600 pixels per eye.

That difference was particularly stark while replaying Half-LIfe: Alyx, a game I’ve already spent dozens of hours immersed in while testing the Index years ago. On the Bigscreen Beyond, it felt more like I was stepping into Alyx’s dystopian world. I could barely feel the headset on my face, and everything just looked more realistic. I had a far easier time reading small text on newspapers strewn about the game—something that took a lot of squinting on the Index.

True to Bigscreen’s original mission, the Beyond is also a fantastic headset for watching Netflix, YouTube or a handful of 3D films. It’s not quite as relaxing as my home theater, since I’m stuck in an office chair tied to my computer, but it’s certainly the best PC VR headset I’ve encountered for watching media. It’s tough for me to choose between the Beyond and the Quest 3, though. Bigscreen’s headset has far better optics, but I can’t lay on the couch or in bed while wearing it. Meta probably wins when it comes to sheer convenience.

As great as the Beyond’s screens are, they still occasionally display reflections and artifacts like every other VR headset. Shankar says that’s a symptom of the Beyond’s pancake lenses — the Quest 3 and Quest Pro also have similar reflections. Older headsets like the Index often exhibited “god rays” in bright scenes, which typically showed up as extra glare. I can live with visual imperfections during genuine VR experiences, but they’re distracting while watching movies, which look far more pristine on a big screen TV and home theater projector.

Ironically enough, Bigscreen managed to create a VR headset that’s better at gaming than it is for watching media. But if you’re stuck in an apartment without room for a large TV, or you want to recreate the experience of sitting front row in a theater using the Bigscreen app, the Beyond still delivers a decent sense of immersion. It’s sort of like going to a theater with a projector on the fritz — you learn to live with it just to see something on an enormous screen.

I’ll reiterate: Most people should not buy the Bigscreen Beyond. The Meta Quest 3 is right there! (And the Quest 2 is even cheaper!) But if you’re a VR fanatic for something lighter, brighter and sharper than the Valve Index, it’s a genuinely compelling upgrade… As long as you don’t mind shelling out another $999.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bigscreen-beyond-review-gunning-for-vr-throne-valve-index-190004793.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Bigscreen Beyond review: Gunning for the VR throne

Intel may have downplayed a killer feature for its new 14th-gen processors, which can reach 6GHz. The company hasn’t marketed the chips’ new Intel Application Optimization (APO), but an enterprising Reddit user (via Tom’s Hardware) reports that it offers attention-grabbing performance boosts for supported games. Why the lack of advertising for such a potent feature? One guess is that APO seemingly only supports two older titles at launch: Rainbow Six Siege (2015) and Metro Exodus (2019).

One of the more dramatic examples of APO upgrading performance was detailed in the Intel subreddit by u/LightMoisture. With their setup using the Intel i9-14900K, the feature boosted Metro Exodus’ frame rate from 273 FPS to 339 FPS, a 24 percent increase. Rainbow Six Siege had even more eye-opening gains, going from 659 FPS to 867 FPS, a nearly 32 percent enhancement.

The Redditor notes that they ran the games in 1080p resolution on low settings with a high-end memory setup to test what APO can do in ideal conditions. It won’t likely reproduce those numbers on higher settings, and we don’t know how it would handle newer and more graphically demanding games.

The Verge’s Tom Warren tested the feature on “very high” presets at 1080p resolution. APO boosted Rainbow Six Siege (with a Core i9-14900K system and an RTX 4090 GPU) from 615 FPS to 688 FPS, nearly a 12 percent increase. Meanwhile, Metro Exodus Enhanced on the same rig rose from 177 FPS to 207 FPS, almost a 17 percent rise. Those numbers aligned closely with Intel’s guidance, which estimated a 13 percent increase in Rainbow Six Siege and a 16 percent increase in Metro Exodus.

Unfortunately, in addition to APO’s slight problem of supporting just two games at launch, the feature also has a clunky setup. You’ll need to track down motherboard drivers (always a fun task) that support Intel’s Dynamic Tuning. (To make matters worse, not all vendors have posted them online.) Once you find and install the right ones, navigate to your PC’s BIOS settings to enable the feature.

After that, you’ll want to install the APO app from the Microsoft Store, which lets you manage settings and toggle it quickly. Adding even more joy to the task, several Redditors reported that following external links to the Microsoft Store won’t work and that you’ll need to open the storefront and search for Intel APO manually. In addition, if you haven’t installed all of the necessary drivers, the app installation will reportedly fail. However, once set up, the feature should automatically detect compatible games (hopefully more than two before long) once you launch them. If future setups are easier and Intel adds new game support regularly, it could wind up outshining 6GHz as the new chips’ marquee attraction.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/an-overlooked-feature-for-intels-14th-gen-chips-boosts-gaming-performance-with-one-click-183335312.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – An overlooked feature for Intel’s 14th-gen chips boosts gaming performance with one click

Apple has released iOS 17.1. The iPhone update, which is available now for all users, brings improvements to AirDrop, more control options for StandBy, new Apple Music features and further customization for Photo Shuffle on the Lock Screen. It also brings a slew of bug fixes.

The iOS 17.1 update is available now for all recent iPhones (2018 and later), and can be downloaded by going to Settings > General > About > Software Update. The most notable addition with iOS 17.1 is an improvement to AirDrop that will allow content to continue transferring over the internet even if you leave AirDrop range, which should help to cut down on the headache of failed transfers.

It also brings some new features for Apple Music, now giving users the option to add songs, albums, and playlists to their Favorites, and have these show in their library. Apple Music is also getting new color-changing cover art collections, and song suggestions at the bottom of playlists. These features are also coming to Apple Music on Mac with the macOS Sonoma 14.1 update, which was released today as well.

With iOS 17.1, Apple has also added Home key support for Matter locks, fixed a pairing issue with the Apple Watch that caused users’ Significant Location privacy setting to reset and resolved issues with keyboard responsiveness, among other things. Apple released iOS 17.1 today alongside watchOS 10.1, which brings the Double Tap gesture to the latest Apple Watch lineup, and macOS Sonoma 14.1.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ios-171-is-here-with-improvements-to-airdrop-and-new-flair-for-apple-music-180740395.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – iOS 17.1 is here with improvements to AirDrop and new flair for Apple Music

Apple is planning to update its entire lineup of AirPods in 2024 and 2025, Bloomberg reports. The company will apparently begin with new versions of its “regular” AirPods and AirPods Max headphones next year. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also reports that a new AirPods Pro model will follow in 2025.

The company’s current lineup includes the second-generation AirPods that debuted in 2019, priced at $129, and the third-gen model that arrived in 2021. The more recent version is pricier at $169, but it comes with an updated design, longer battery life, wireless charging and better sound quality of its own. However, Bloomberg explains that customers don’t see the benefit in the third-generation model as the cheaper second-gen version and the noise-canceling AirPods Pro are better sellers.

For this reason, Apple will reportedly replace both the second- and third-gen models in 2024 with two new versions with more varied spec sheets. Bloomberg reports that the two new models will have a design that blends the 2021 AirPods with the look of the AirPods Pro and both with have short stems. What’s more, the more expensive version will offer active noise cancellation (ANC) and speakers in the case for Find My sounds — both of which are features of the current AirPods Pro. Both of the new models will have a better fit, but Bloomberg reports that neither of them are expected to have replaceable tips. Unsurprisingly, the fourth-gen models will make the switch to USB-C on the charging cases following this year’s update to the Pro.

Rumors of an AirPods Max refresh have been circulating for a long time now, mostly focusing on the timing of an updated model rather than any real details. Bloomberg reports that Apple will make the change to USB-C for its over-ear headphones late next year, with some new colors but not much else. A new version of the AirPods Pro isn’t coming until 2025, according to the report. The outlet explains that Apple is working on new health features for AirPods Pro centered on hearing. The company debuted its H2 chip in the second-gen AirPods Pro last year, a component that powers features like Adaptive Audio, Personalized Volume and Conversation Awareness.

Engadget has reached out to Apple for comment and will update this article if we hear back.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-will-reportedly-bring-anc-to-its-regular-airpods-next-year-180153720.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Apple will reportedly bring ANC to its ‘regular’ AirPods next year

Apple’s buy now, pay later system is finally available to all customers in the US after its soft launch back in March. To pay later and begin making equal payments over the course of six weeks, you must be set up on Apple Pay with an eligible debit card.

There is a limit, though. Pay Later only works for purchases that cost between $75 and $1,000 made on iPhone or iPad through a vendor that accepts Apple Pay. The company says during the repayment period you won’t accumulate interest and there are no late fees. However, in the fineprint, Apple says your bank could charge you extra fees “if your debit card account contains insufficient funds to make loan repayments.” After opting to finance a purchase during checkout, your Pay Later loan and payment history gets shared with credit bureaus.

In a video tutorial, Apple breaks down how to start. Simply choose between paying in full through Apple Pay or paying later. If you choose the latter, the tool will automatically tell you how much each payment will cost every two weeks, which is subject to approval. You need to confirm your personal information and ‘Agree & Apply’ before beginning a repayment program.

Once you start making payments, Apple makes it easy to track your progress. Your total remaining balance, upcoming and previous payments are all laid out through the Wallet app. Here, you can set up autopay and change the bank or debit card you’re sourcing your payments from and if you’d like to, tap to pay early. Apple also integrated the calendar tool with the Pay Later feature so that an iPhone user can see everything they owe in a single place to keep tabs on progress.

The introduction of Pay Later puts Apple in competition with other digital repayment apps like Afterpay, Klarna and Affirm, which partnered with big tech giants like Amazon to expand their services. Roughly three in four US iPhone users have activated Apple Pay, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The popularity of the company’s tap-to-pay tool among iPhone users could help it gain a foothold in this new market.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-pay-later-is-available-to-everyone-in-the-us-174654047.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Apple Pay Later is available to everyone in the US

The latest version of watchOS 10 is here and it brings a key feature to Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. The Double Tap capability that Apple showed off when it revealed the new devices in September is now available.

Double Tap affords you some control of your watch without having to touch the display or the Digital Crown. The idea is to make it easier for you to carry out the primary action in an app when your other hand is perhaps occupied.

Let’s say you wear your Apple Watch on your left wrist. If you’re, for instance, carrying groceries in your right hand but want to answer (or end) a call or pause what you’re listening to, all you’ll need to do is to tap your left thumb and forefinger together twice. You can also use Double Tap to call up Smart Stack widgets while your watch face is active and do things like snooze alarms and start or stop timers.

We weren’t able to spend much time testing out Double Tap before publishing our Watch Series 9 review, but it seems like a useful feature (especially to help get used to Apple moving more toward gestures as a way of controlling devices). However, it might take you a little while to learn the right cadence for triggering an action with a Double Tap.

It’s worth noting that Double Tap follows the accessibility-minded Assistive Touch feature that arrived on Apple Watch devices in 2021. Apple designed this to help folks with a range of mobility needs to more easily use their Watch by using hand gestures. There’s long been a similar feature on iOS.

If your Apple Watch is set up for automatic updates, you can wait for your device to install watchOS 10.1. If you want to check out Double Tap sooner, there are a couple of ways to install the update manually.

On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app. Tap the My Watch tab, then General > Software Update. You may need to enter your iPhone or Watch passcode during the installation process.

To update watchOS directly on your Apple Watch, you’ll first need to make sure that you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network. Open the Settings app, then tap General > Software Update > Install. The latter prompt will be available whenever there’s a new software update ready to download.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-rolls-out-watch-series-9-and-ultra-2s-useful-double-tap-feature-170912230.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Apple rolls out Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2’s useful Double Tap feature

Back in May, Google announced it was working on a feature called “about this image” that gives users verified data regarding any photo on the internet. Well, it just rolled out as part of search, so you won’t be able to get away with passing off somebody else’s photo of a 1988 Burger King Alf plushie as your own.

Here’s how it works. Just use Google Search, select an image and click on the three dots on the right-hand corner to access the tool. You’ll receive a whole gob of useful information, including when the image was originally published, if it’s been published since then and where it’s popped up throughout the years. A veritable cornucopia of metadata.

The obvious use case scenario for this is verifying whether or not an image used to accompany a news event is legit, or if it’s been taken out of context from something that happened in 2007 to drum up misinformation. To that end, the tool also shows you how other sites use and describe the image, similar to how search already handles factual information via the “perspectives” filter and the “about this result” tab. Google says you can also access the feature by clicking on the “more about this page” link, with more options to come.

Of course, there’s a little thing sweeping the world right now called artificial intelligence. The images generated by AI platforms can be tough to distinguish from the genuine article, so Google’s tool also lets you know if an image has been AI-generated or not. However, this depends on the metadata including this information, so the original image creators would have to opt-in. Google says its own AI-generated images will always feature the appropriate metadata.

That’s not the only tool Google’s rolling out to provide increased nuance for image searches. Fact Check Explorer, a handy app for journalists, will soon expand to include images. As for non-image based searches, the tech giant also announced software that creates AI-generated descriptions of websites, helping users research lesser-known entities.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-new-image-verification-tool-combs-metadata-to-find-context-and-sniff-out-ai-fakes-165339778.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Google’s new image verification tool combs metadata to find context and sniff out AI fakes

Amazon is rolling out a new beta feature that lets advertisers create AI-generated image backgrounds for products. The company describes it as “a generative AI solution designed to remove creative barriers” while boosting ad performance. “It’s a perfect use for generative AI — less effort and better outcomes,” Colleen Aubrey, senior vice president of Amazon Ads Products and Technology, wrote Wednesday in an announcement blog post.

The company views the feature as an ideal alternative to product shots in front of generic white backgrounds (or bad Photoshop jobs). Amazon says the process is easy and requires no technical expertise. It provides the example of the toaster above. It floats in a grayish-white void on the left, while the AI-generated environment on the right adds some life to the scene. However, as The Verge points out, that “fork” on the lower right looks like it has about six or seven extra tines.

Amazon says data backs up the tool’s effectiveness (funky fork and all). “When that same toaster is placed in a lifestyle context — on a kitchen counter, next to a croissant — in a mobile Sponsored Brands ad, click-through rates can be 40% higher compared to ads with standard product images,” the company wrote.

Time comes for us all. There’s no escape from getting older and the inevitability of our bodies and minds slowing down. For many of us, that might mean having to re-examine how we tackle games, especially those that demand quick reactions.

That thought has been at the forefront as I’ve been playing Ghostrunner 2. Like the original, it’s a high-octane, first-person slasher with a big focus on traversal. It feels like a blend of Doom Eternal and a cyberpunk take on Mirror’s Edge.

Ghostrunner 2 is an intense, often-tough game that’s absolutely kicking my tail. This is a fragile world in which both you and most enemies die in one hit. You will perish often. In the third level, I died (without exaggeration) 164 times.

I don’t tend to stick with overly challenging games. I’m sure I could beat the likes of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Cuphead eventually, but there are too many games to play and not enough time for me to master the skills and knowledge needed to conquer some of the tougher titles out there.

That said, there are a few reasons I’ve kept with Ghostrunner 2, which arrives during an astonishingly busy spell for big game releases. Developer One More Level has generously dotted checkpoints around each stage, which makes the frequent deaths at the hands of enemies and environmental hazards easier to stomach. You can respawn instantly after dying or at any other time with the press of a button.

Most importantly, it’s a blast to play. It’s immensely satisfying to finally beat a section after dozens of failed attempts and to squeeze protagonist Jack’s new motorbike through several narrow gaps. The propulsive, pounding soundtrack keeps driving me forward, even when I’m on the verge of tossing my controller on the couch and giving up for the night. One More Level has crafted a satisfying gameplay loop that’s hard to walk away from.

I see Ghostrunner 2 mostly as a puzzle game. Sure, there are doors to unlock and objects to move around before you can access certain areas. But every enemy confrontation is a conundrum to overcome.

Whenever you respawn, enemies and obstacles reappear in the same place, so you can adjust your approach to tackling them as necessary. Rather than bolting headfirst into the middle of a combat area, using the mini map and Jack’s strafing, wallrunning, air dashing and sliding abilities to get the lay of the land and enemy positions is a smart way to go. But even once I’ve figured out my plan of attack, it still typically takes me several attempts before I can wipe out all of my opponents and move onto the next area.

You’ll need to be on your toes no matter what. Melee-focused enemies can quickly surround you and you’ll need to be alert for incoming fire. You can’t simply hold down the block button either, as that drains what’s effectively a stamina meter. It’s important to get used to the parry timing quickly, especially if you use an ability that redirects all deflected shots toward an attacker.

I was able to try Ghostrunner 2 on both PC and PS5. While I prefer the precision of a mouse for first-person games, this absolutely sings on a PS5 (especially compared with my three-year-old mid-range gaming laptop). The high framerate mode lets you play at 120 frames per second on PS5 if you have a compatible display. I felt like I needed every one of those frames to overcome some sections, and I was glad to have that advantage.

Trying to take things slow goes against the spirit of the game, but I’m finding it a more satisfying way to play Ghostrunner 2 for the most part. Taking a breather to explore the environment is also a good idea for all players, since it’s worth searching for upgrades that can unlock powerful abilities.

Accessibility settings are important for many folks too, including those who are getting older. My reaction times aren’t the same in my 30s as they were when I was a teenager, but I can hold my own for the most part. I’d like to keep playing games for as long as I can, though, and there will be a point in my life where I will need certain accessibility functions to navigate whatever challenges that developers throw at me.

One More Level added some useful accessibility features to the original game several months after its debut in late 2020. Those included the ability to slow down time, as well as being able to take an extra hit before perishing. I played much of Ghostrunner before those options arrived. I got stuck at a rotating tower that fires lasers in nearly every direction, with those beams killing me hundreds of times. It was only when One More Level introduced the Assist Mode that I was able to conquer it.

Unfortunately, One More Level hasn’t brought those Assist Mode options to Ghostrunner 2 yet. The only real gameplay modifier as things stand is an aim assist. But despite my many, many deaths as Jack, I haven’t hit a true roadblock. So far, I’ve been able to slowly work my way through the levels. I may eventually need more help to navigate tougher sections, so here’s hoping Assist Mode shows up in the sequel soon (and not just for my sake). One thing’s for sure, at least: I won’t be winning any prizes in the game’s $10,000 speedrunning contest.

Ghostrunner 2 will hit PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on October 26.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ghostrunner-2-is-brutally-punishing-but-it-feels-too-good-to-give-up-on-160456973.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Ghostrunner 2 is brutally punishing, but it feels too good to give up on

Honda and GM are abandoning their plan to develop a line of affordable electric vehicles together. Under the program, which was announced in April 2022, the two had committed to building compact crossover EVs that would start at less than GM’s upcoming $30,000 electric Chevrolet Equinox. The first models were expected to start releasing in 2027.

Toshihiro Mibe, CEO of Honda, confirmed the project’s cancellation in an interview with Bloomberg, saying “we decided that this would be difficult as a business, so at the moment we are ending the development of an affordable EV.” Both companies will separately continue exploring options to bring down EV costs, Mibe said.

The decision comes amid industry wide EV production slowdowns and an ongoing United Auto Workers strike, which has GM at its center. Just this week, GM announced it would be delaying the production of EVs that use its Ultium battery pack, including the Equinox, Silverado and GMC Sierra EVs. As part of the now-scrapped affordable EV program with Honda, the companies intended to develop Ultium-based small crossover SUVs to compete with Tesla.

It was just one of several projects Honda and GM have been working on together, and it doesn’t seem its dissolution will have any effect on the others. The companies a few days ago announced they’ll be working with Cruise to launch a driverless ride-hailing service in Japan in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/honda-and-gm-have-given-up-on-their-plan-to-co-create-affordable-evs-154535464.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Honda and GM have given up on their plan to co-create affordable EVs

We knew Netflix had snagged the iconic roguelike/metroidvania Dead Cells for its ever-growing games library, and now we know when it’ll release. Dead Cells: Netflix Edition will be available on October 31. That’s Halloween, to those who don’t mess with the dark pagan arts. This is the full game, along with every paid DLC release, including the Castlevania crossover.

A standard Netflix subscription gives you access to the game on both iOS and Android devices, so you can finally see what all the Dead Cells fuss is about without spending any extra cash. As for that Halloween release date, this launch is part of the streamer’s “Netflix and Thrills” promotional event. Dead Cells isn’t a scary game, but it is steeped in a certain kind of classic gothic horror, like its forebear Castlevania.

Here’s a quick run down. You play as a headless blob/human hybrid, attempting to escape an island prison. It’s a sidescrolling action platformer. Every time you die, you start over and the world’s layout changes, which makes it a roguelike. However, you do get permanent upgrades that carry over from run to run and power ups that let you access new areas, which is where the Metroidvania part comes in. It’s extremely addictive, like calling in sick to work addictive.

Apple is jacking up the prices of several of its subscription services in the US and some other markets. The price increases to Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and Apple News+ will take effect immediately for newcomers. “Existing subscribers will see these price increases 30 days later, on their next renewal date,” Apple told Engadget in a statement. “We are focused on delivering the best experiences possible for our customers by consistently adding high-quality entertainment, content, and innovative features to our services.”

In the US, the price of Apple TV+ is going up by $3 per month to $10. The annual TV+ plan has risen from $69 to $99. Apple Arcade is now $7 per month instead of $5. As for Apple News+, that’ll now run you $13 per month for a standalone subscription, up from $10. Apple Music and Apple Fitness+ pricing remains the same.

As MacRumors points out, these are the first price increases for Apple Arcade and Apple News+ since the company debuted those services nearly four years ago. The cost of an Apple TV+ subscription last changed in October 2022, when it went up from $5 per month to $7, meaning that the price of the service has doubled in just over 12 months.

In line with the increases on individual services, Apple is also modifying the prices of Apple One plans. An individual subscription now costs $19.95 per month (up by $3) and it includes Apple Arcade, Apple Music, Apple TV+ and 50GB of iCloud storage. A family plan, which is shared between up to six people and includes 200GB of total iCloud storage, is now $25.95 per month (also an increase of $3).

The highest Apple One tier is Premier, which folds in Apple Fitness+ and Apple News+ access and bumps up iCloud storage to 2TB for up to six people. That now costs $37.95 per month, which $5 more than before.

Services such as these have become an increasingly important part of Apple’s business over the last few years. In the second quarter of 2023, Apple’s Services revenue (which also includes things like AppleCare and the App Store) hit an all-time high of $21.2 billion. Services are second only to the iPhone when it comes to Apple’s moneymakers these days.

Apple announced the price increases just ahead of revealing its earnings for the July-September period, which it will do on November 2. The company has also lined up another product event for October 30, during which we’re expecting to see new MacBook Pro and iMac models.

Update 10/25 11:34AM ET: Added Apple’s statement to clarify when the price changes will take effect for current subscribers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-tv-prices-have-doubled-in-just-over-a-year-150156333.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Apple TV+ prices have doubled in just over a year

Most Americans already know what they need to know about Black Friday — it’s a day to use up all of that stored energy from consuming turkey and sides on Thanksgiving by shopping for as many deals as possible. What you might not know is that you can get some pretty good deals in the days and weeks leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, thanks to retailers kick-starting the holiday shopping season earlier in recent years. And despite its gross show of consumerism that may make you cringe, Black Friday can be an important day for those who want to buy thoughtful, useful gifts for their loved ones while also sticking to a strict budget. If that sounds like you, or you have just vowed never to pay full price for something when you don’t have to, we’ve got some tips and buying advice that can help you prepare for Black Friday 2023.

When is Black Friday 2023?

Black Friday 2023 lands on November 24 this year, with Cyber Monday 2023 following up a few days later on November 27. However, the early deals have already begun. If you’re organized, you can shop some decent pre-Black Friday sales as soon as mid-October. The entire month of November might as well be renamed Holiday Shopping Month as that’s when companies really start to get serious with their discounts.

Black Friday shopping strategies

Use a price history tracker

This is just good shopping advice, period — especially when it comes to consumer electronics. Price history trackers like CamelCamelCamel and Keepa monitor price changes and can show you things like the lowest price an item has ever been and when it was last discounted that much. The main catch here is that both Camel and Keepa only work on Amazon listings. That’s extra convenient if you shop on Amazon often because both have pretty handy Chrome extensions you can install to make price monitoring super easy.

But even if you’re not an Amazon aficionado, you can still reference those price history charts when shopping elsewhere on the internet — that way you’ll know if one retailer’s “hot deal” is precisely that, lukewarm or ice cold. Another similarly handy tool is Honey, a browser extension that lets you compare product prices across many retailers, apply digital coupons easily and more.

Sign up for company newsletters

Listen, we wouldn’t tell you to intentionally clutter your inbox if we didn’t think it would be seriously beneficial. Now more than ever, companies offer things like exclusive and early-access sales, special discount codes, free expedited shipping and other perks to their inner circles of customers — namely, those that sign up for newsletters, text alerts and the like. If there’s a particular item you want to snag on sale, like a pair of Sony headphones or a Razer laptop, we recommend signing up for the company’s newsletter just for the duration of the holiday shopping season. That increases your chances of being among the first to know about exclusive deals and other offers, or, in the case of early-access sales, among the first to actually buy what you want before sales diminish or things sell out. Don’t immediately trash those emailed sale alerts either. Once you get the goods you want, you can go back to that message and immediately unsubscribe from the newsletter if you wish.

Use any membership or credit card perks you already have

There’s a good chance you have perks and benefits from services you already use that you’re not taking full advantage of. Amazon Prime and Walmart+, for example, both offer early access to specific sales and deals throughout the year and we expect there to be similar exclusive sales at both retailers ahead of Black Friday. You may have a credit card that gives you additional cash back on certain product categories, or integrates seamlessly with retailers so you can use your accumulated cash back immediately when placing orders. Take stock of the services you use regularly and check to see if they’re offering anything additional during the holiday shopping season, or if there are benefits you may not have needed to use until now.

Shop early

As mentioned previously, retailers have already started throwing deals and sales online in the lead-up to Black Friday. As we get closer to the actual day, we expect to see even more early Black Friday deals pop up across the web. If you have items on your list that are absolute must-haves — maybe you thought of the perfect gift for your hard-to-shop-for parent — don’t wait to buy those things. We estimate that you have the best chance of getting a truly good deal within two weeks of Black Friday, so start looking in earnest then. There’s always a chance an item is marginally cheaper on Black Friday than it is one or two weeks prior, but with all of the early deals we’ve seen over the past few years, there’s less of a chance that the Black Friday price drop will be so significant that you’ll regret your early purchase.

Our advice: make a list of all the gifts and other items you want to pick up during the holiday shopping season and then designate each of those items as “high” or “low” priority. High-priority items should be the ones you buy first as soon as you see them go on sale, while low-priority things can wait until closer to Black Friday.

The best early Black Friday deals to look out for

While some sales have already begun, we believe the best early Black Friday deals will begin in November. The bigger the retailer, the more likely it is that they will have early Black Friday deals going on throughout the entire month of November. We expect to see companies like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and others roll out early deals once November hits, with an uptick occurring within a week or two of Black Friday proper.

As far as the types of items that will go on sale before Black Friday, it’ll be a bit of a mixed bag. Since we focus on tech here at Engadget, we can confidently presume that most of the big, flagship items you may be itching to buy — a pricey smartphone, a new OLED TV or a high-end pair of headphones — will probably not be significantly discounted until, at the earliest, a week before Black Friday. Sure, gadgets will be peppered among the early holiday sales at the start of November, but the best deals on (what we consider to be) the best tech will likely come closer to Black Friday. In the past, we’ve seen some of the best Black Friday deals drop on Thanksgiving — with some selling out before Black Friday proper even began.

We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention Cyber Monday. Over the past few years, Cyber Monday has almost become “Black Friday 2.0,” with most of the best Black Friday deals carrying over through the end of Cyber Monday (if they don’t sell out first). There are always a few Cyber Monday exclusives, particularly in the tech space, so the shopping event is not without its own unique offers. But make no mistake: most of the best deals will be available on Black Friday, with a couple of extras thrown in on Cyber Monday.

Engadget will be covering the entirety of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping period. That means you can come back to Engadget over the next few weeks to find the best early Black Friday deals on headphones, laptops, gaming gear and more as we inch closer to the actual sale dates. On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, expect us to surface only the best tech deals that the internet has to offer — that means the lowest prices we can find on the tech we think is actually worth your money.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/black-friday-2023-the-best-early-deals-what-to-expect-and-shopping-strategies-from-our-experts-150013315.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Black Friday 2023: The best early deals, what to expect and shopping strategies from our experts

Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) once again played host to Silicon Valley’s AI leaders on Tuesday as the US Senate reconvened its AI Insights Forum for a second time. On the guest list this go around: manifesto enthusiast Marc Andreessen and venture capitalist John Doerr, as well as Max Tegmark of the Future of Life Institute and NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson. On the agenda: “the transformational innovation that pushes the boundaries of medicine, energy, and science, and the sustainable innovation necessary to drive advancements in security, accountability, and transparency in AI,” according to a release from Sen. Schumer’s office.

Upon exiting the meeting Tuesday, Schumer told the assembled press, “it is clear that American leadership on AI can’t be done on the cheap. Almost all of the experts in today’s Forum called for robust, sustained federal investment in private and public sectors to achieve our goals of American-led transformative and sustainable innovation in AI. 

Per National Security AI Commission estimates, paying for that could cost around $32 billion a year. However, Schumer believes that those funding challenges can be addressed by “leveraging the private sector by employing new and innovative funding mechanisms – like the Grand Challenges prize idea.” 

“We must prioritize transformational innovation, to help create new vistas, unlock new cures, improve education, reinforce national security, protect the global food supply, and more,” Schumer remarked. But in doing so, we must act sustainably in order to minimize harms to workers, civil society and the environment. “We need to strike a balance between transformational and sustainable innovation,” Schumer said. “Finding this balance will be key to our success.”

Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and John Kennedy (R-LA) also got in on the proposed regulatory action Tuesday, introducing legislation that would provide more transparency on AI-generated content by requiring clear labeling and disclosures. Such technology could resemble the Content Credentials tag that the C2PA and CAI industry advocacy groups are developing.

“Our bill is simple,” Senator Schatz said in a press statement. “If any content is made by artificial intelligence, it should be labeled so that people are aware and aren’t fooled or scammed.”

The Schatz-Kennedy AI Labeling Act, as they’re calling it, would require generative AI system developers to clearly and conspicuously disclose AI-generated content to users. Those developers, and their licensees, would also have to take “reasonable steps” to prevent “systematic publication of content without disclosures.” The bill would also establish a working group to create non-binding technical standards to help social media platforms automatically identify such content as well.

“​​It puts the onus where it belongs: on the companies and not the consumers,” Schatz said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “Labels will help people to be informed. They will also help companies using AI to build trust in their content.”

Tuesday’s meeting follows the recent introduction of new AI legislation, dubbed the Artificial Intelligence Advancement Act of 2023 (S. 3050). Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Todd Young (R-IN) all co-sponsored the bill. The bill proposes AI bug bounty programs and would require a vulnerability analysis study for AI-enabled military applications. It’s passage into law would also launch a report into AI regulation in the financial services industry (which the head of the SEC had recently been lamenting) as well as a second report on data sharing and coordination.

“It’s frankly a hard challenge,” SEC Chairman Gary Gensler told The Financial Times recently, speaking on the challenges the financial industry faces in AI adoption and regulation. “It’s a hard financial stability issue to address because most of our regulation is about individual institutions, individual banks, individual money market funds, individual brokers; it’s just in the nature of what we do.”

“Working people are fighting back against artificial intelligence and other technology used to eliminate workers or undermine and exploit us,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said at the conclusion of Tuesday’s forum. “If we fail to involve workers and unions across the entire innovation process, AI will curtail our rights, threaten good jobs and undermine our democracy. But the responsible adoption of AI, properly regulated, has the potential to create opportunity, improve working conditions and build prosperity.”

The forums are part of Senator Schumer’s SAFE Innovation Framework, which his office debuted in June. “The US must lead in innovation and write the rules of the road on AI and not let adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party craft the standards for a technology set to become as transformative as electricity,” the program announcement reads.

While Andreesen calls for AI advancement at any cost and Tegmark continues to advocate for a developmental “time out,” rank and file AI industry workers are also fighting to make their voices heard ahead of the forum. On Monday, a group of employees from two dozen leading AI firms published an open letter to Senator Schumer, demanding Congress take action to safeguard their livelihoods from the “dystopian future” that Andreessen’s screed, for example, would require.

“Establishing robust protections related to workplace technology and rebalancing power between workers and employers could reorient the economy and tech innovation toward more equitable and sustainable outcomes,” the letter authors argue.

Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) had, the previous month, called on leading AI companies to “answer for the working conditions of their data workers, laborers who are often paid low wages and provided no benefits but keep AI products online.”

“We covered a lot of good ground today, and I think we’ll all be walking out of the room with a deeper understanding of how to approach American-led AI innovation,” Schumer said Tueseay. “We’ll continue this conversation in weeks and months to come – in more forums like this and committee hearings in Congress – as we work to develop comprehensive, bipartisan AI legislation.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-us-senate-and-silicon-valley-reconvene-for-a-second-ai-insight-forum-143128622.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The US Senate and Silicon Valley reconvene for a second AI Insight Forum

TikTok has had a major impact on the music industry over the last few years, with many songs that have gone viral on the platform becoming major mainstream hits. The service is now making a bigger push into music by hosting its own festival.

Dubbed as the platform’s first “live global music event,” TikTok In The Mix will take place in Mesa, Arizona on December 10. The headliners are Cardi B, Niall Horan, Anitta and Charlie Puth, all of whom are popular figures on TikTok. The service says there will be surprise guests and performances by emerging artists, some of whom are involved in the TikTok Elevate program for up and coming musicians.

Followers of the four headliners will get presale codes to buy In The Mix tickets starting on October 27. The general sale will start on November 2.

Of course, TikTok will stream the event live on its app. The service also says it will bring the For You feed to life at In The Mix through “a range of activities inspired by our community’s favorite trends.” Some creators will be present too.

Similar platforms might be more inclined to sponsor an existing music festival than to go it alone. However, TikTok has carved out a space for itself as a destination for music discovery, so it makes sense for it to host its own event with a blend of established names and fairly fresh faces.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktoks-first-live-global-music-event-will-feature-cardi-b-and-charlie-puth-141212595.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – TikTok’s first live ‘global music event’ will feature Cardi B and Charlie Puth