Lawn Mowing Simulator joins a long line of popular simulation games of real-life activities. But why trim fake grass? We ask some cutting-edge expertsThere's a school of thought that insists video games are purely about escapism. Where else can you pretend you're a US Marine Force Recon (Call of Duty), a heroic eco warrior preventing a dodgy company from draining a planet's spiritual energy (Final Fantasy), or a football manager (Football Manager) - all from the comfort of your sofa?But the antithesis of these thrills-and-spills experiences are the so-called anti-escapist games. Farming Simulator, PowerWash Simulator, Euro Truck Simulator - these hugely successful titles challenge the whole concept of interactive entertainment as something, well, exciting. Now we have what at first glance appears the most boring of all, Lawn Mowing Simulator. Continue reading...

Centre for Long-Term Resilience calls on next government to log incidents to mitigate risksThe UK needs a system for recording misuse and malfunctions in artificial intelligence or ministers risk being unaware of alarming incidents involving the technology, according to a report.The next government should create a system for logging incidents involving AI in public services and should consider building a central hub for collating AI-related episodes across the UK, said the Centre for Long-Term Resilience (CLTR), a thinktank. Continue reading...

Windshield wiper and trunk bed trim problems cause more delays in the truck's promised mass launchTesla said on Tuesday it was recalling most Cybertrucks in the United States over issues with their windshield wipers and exterior trim.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says Tesla has now issued four recalls for its 2024 Cybertruck. Continue reading...

Mining companies accused of colonial divide and rule' tactics in their pursuit of the precious metal that lies under the country's salt flats Harriet Barber in the Salinas Grandes, Argentina. Photographs by John OwensIn the vast white desert of the Salinas Grandes, Antonio Calpanchay, 45, lifts his axe and slices the ground. He has worked this land since he was 12, chopping and collecting salt, replenishing it for the seasons ahead and teaching his children to do the same.All of our aboriginal community works here, even the elders," he says, sheltering his weathered face from the sun. We always have. It is our livelihood." Continue reading...

Team Asobi's Nicolas Doucet on creating PlayStation 5's next big game - and, he hopes, its next big mascotIt's the PlayStation 5's next big game, and Sony is in its DNA - but nonetheless there's something very Nintendo about Astro Bot. It's in the way that the game is designed so perfectly around the controller that you play with, taking advantage of all the DualSense controller's bells and whistles. The spacey aesthetic, where different planets represent different colourful worlds to jump into, recalls Super Mario Galaxy. And there's also the sense of pure joy that you feel when you play it. On a console whose most famous hits are rather self-serious - think God of War and The Last of Us - Astro Bot prioritises playfulness.I think Sony has the mindset of coolness in its product design, but there is also playfulness," says Nicolas Doucet, the studio director at Team Asobi, the Japanese studio behind Astro Bot. They're not mutually exclusive, or seen as antagonistic... The [PlayStation] hardware team really liked it, nobody was being precious. These are products that are highly crafted, so you could imagine their designers wouldn't want them to be tampered with - and there we were sticking eyes on a PSVR and turning it into a mothership." Continue reading...

Amazon pledged to create Earth's safest place to work'. Three warehouse workers speak about their experiencesAmazon workers left unable to work by injuries on the job have resorted to online fundraising campaigns to pay their bills as they fight for compensation and disability benefits.Three current employees, injured while working in the technology giant's warehouses, described a bureaucratic, terrible process" while they sought financial support. One was rendered homeless. Continue reading...

In this week's newsletter: If you don't like chatbots popping up everywhere, get ready to be peeved. But the latest version of Anthropic's shows AI is becoming more useful - and, crucially, affordableThe frontier of AI just got pushed a little further forward. On Friday, Anthropic, the AI lab set up by a team of disgruntled OpenAI staffers, released the latest version of its Claude LLM. From Bloomberg:The company said Thursday that the new model - the technology that underpins its popular chatbot Claude - is twice as fast as its most powerful previous version. Anthropic said in its evaluations, the model outperforms leading competitors like OpenAI on several key intelligence capabilities, such as coding and text-based reasoning.It shows marked improvement in grasping nuance, humor, and complex instructions, and is exceptional at writing high-quality content with a natural, relatable tone.As part of our commitment to safety and transparency, we've engaged with external experts to test and refine the safety mechanisms within this latest model. We recently provided Claude 3.5 Sonnet to the UK's Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (UK AISI) for pre-deployment safety evaluation. The UK AISI completed tests of 3.5 Sonnet and shared their results with the US AI Safety Institute (US AISI) as part of a Memorandum of Understanding, made possible by the partnership between the US and UK AISIs announced earlier this year. Continue reading...

Unsettling documentary considers whether the increasingly popular simulations of lost loved ones are really helping the bereavedIn the future, it's possible that you won't have to die. You'll simply upload yourself. Or download a deceased loved one. In fact, some of this stuff isn't even in the future; AI griefbots are already imitating the dead. Canadian writer Joshua Barbeau, devastated after the death of girlfriend Jessica, brought her back virtually using the website Project December. He uploaded some of Jessica's texts to give an impression of her messaging style, and the results were uncanny. His first text conversation with simulation Jessica lasted all night; when he woke up with his head next to his laptop, she was waiting for his reply. It was like a weight had been lifted, he says.Directed by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck, this intelligent, insightful, documentary looks into the digital afterlife industry, with an A-team lineup of expert contributors. Technology critic Sara M Watson explains how it all works, using large language models that trawl through everything anyone has ever written about something and filter that through how your deceased loved one talked about it. MIT sociologist Sherry Turkle ponders the implications: do griefbots offer a new death ritual or avoid the grieving process by pretending the dead are still with us? Continue reading...

Health service in England issues update saying there is no evidence' hackers published entire databaseStolen data published online has been confirmed as having come from the NHS provider Synnovis, NHS England has said.Synnovis, which manages blood tests for NHS trusts and GP services, primarily in south-east London, was the victim of a cyber-attack - understood to have been carried out by the Russian group Qilin - on 3 June. Continue reading...

European Commission finds iPhone maker broke new laws designed to protect smaller competitors against big tech platformsApple has been found to be in breach of sweeping new EU laws designed to allow smaller companies to compete and allow consumers to find cheaper and alternative apps in the tech business's app store.

GeoGPT developed as part of Chinese-funded earth sciences programme aimed at researchers in global southGeologists have raised concerns about potential Chinese censorship and bias in a chatbot being developed with the backing of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), one of the world's largest scientific organisations and a Unesco partner.The GeoGPT chatbot is aimed at geoscientists and researchers, particularly in the global south, to help them develop their understanding of earth sciences by drawing on swaths of data and research on billions of years of the planet's history. Continue reading...

Asus machine is best yet at being a laptop on the go and a dual-screen productivity beast at the deskPortable computers with multiple touchscreens have long been a feature of sci-fi films. But while several manufacturers in the real world have tried to make dual-screen laptops, none of them have really worked out.Typically this is because they have tried to do too much with too many compromises. Now Asus thinks it has cracked it with a new dual-screen machine that also has a full-size detachable physical keyboard. Continue reading...

AI that purports to read our feelings may enhance user experience but concerns over misuse and bias mean the field is fraught with potential dangersIt's Wednesday evening and I'm at my kitchen table, scowling into my laptop as I pour all the bile I can muster into three little words: I love you."My neighbours might assume I'm engaged in a melodramatic call to an ex-partner, or perhaps some kind of acting exercise, but I'm actually testing the limits of a new demo from Hume, a Manhattan-based startup that claims to have developed the world's first voice AI with emotional intelligence". Continue reading...

The end of the all-powerful social networks seems inconceivable, but the disintegration of the Soviet giant once did tooI was born two years before the USSR ceased to exist. The largest country in the world disappeared overnight, replaced by the new largest country in the world, Russia. But the footprint it left took longer to be washed away. I grew up with a duvet cover printed with a world map prominently featuring the ex-nation, reading books and atlases that were published after I was born but before it vanished, and voraciously consuming science fiction that assumed the Soviets would continue to exist far into the future.The USSR isn't the only such artefact, of course. Randall Munroe, author of the webcomic XKCD, once put together a flow chart to date almost any world map made since the 19th century to within a few years by answering some simple questions. Does it show Constantinople rather than Istanbul? Does Tokyo exist but not South Africa or Rhodesia? Is Bolivia landlocked? Then your map is from between 1884 and 1895. Continue reading...

The Iranian photographer sees both social documentary and art in his image of two girls at a bus stationIranian photographer Mohammad Nazari wasin a bus station when he took this shot. I was just leaving areligious ceremony inZanjan, which is nearthe capital of Tehran, when Ihappened upon this scene completelybychance," he says. The glass of thebus station separatedthese twoyoung girls - onewith her hand outstretched and placed on the glass, the other turning to look at her. The presence of a girl without a hijab in acrowd at an ancient religious ceremony created an interesting contrast. The feeling Iget from this photo isvery strange."Nazari took the photograph on amobile phone not out of choice but out of necessity. My country is facing very high inflation, and cameras are very expensive, so it's practically impossible for independent photographers like metobuy one," he says. Heinstead relies on mobile phones, adding that because this model didn't have a good enough zoom function,he hadto getinclose to his subects. Helater appliedsome minor edits to the contrast andsaturation. Continue reading...

Apple says competition rules that require functionality with rival products would compromise privacy and securityApple will delay launching three new artificial intelligence features in Europe because European Union competition rules require the company ensure that rival products and services can function with its devices. The features will launch in the fall in the US but will not arrive in Europe until 2025.The company said on Friday three features - Phone Mirroring, SharePlay Screen Sharing enhancements, and Apple Intelligence - will not be rolled out to EU users this year because of regulatory uncertainties due to the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). Continue reading...

National Crime Agency may take retaliatory measures after Qilin gang steals data covering 300m patient interactionsThe government is considering striking back against Russian hackers who have stolen records covering 300m patient interactions with the NHS, including the results of blood tests for HIV and cancer, the Guardian can reveal.The National Crime Agency (NCA) is weighing up the possibility of taking retaliatory action against Qilin, the Russian-based ransomware gang who put into the public domain early on Friday a huge tranche of highly sensitive NHS records they stole in a cyber-attack on 3 June. Continue reading...

FBI investigation found site amassed a catalogue larger than all the big streaming platforms combinedFive men face prison time after getting busted for operating Jetflicks, one of the largest illegal streaming services in the US.An investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Washington DC field office found the site hosted hundreds of thousands of reproduced television show episodes and movies, including those from Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and Vudu - amassing a catalogue larger than all of these streaming platforms combined. Continue reading...

Qilin stole information relating to 300m interactions with the NHS, which could be used in future scams

CDK said in a letter to its 15,000 customers that it did not have an estimated time frame for resolution'A cyber outage at a major retail software provider for automobile dealers entered its third consecutive day on Friday, delaying car sales throughout North America, the affected companies said. The software provider, CDK, said there was no end in sight.The CDK outage is impacting automotive dealerships across the US and Canada, including a portion of BMW Group dealers," a spokesperson for BMW North America told Reuters. Continue reading...

Focusing on phones and social media allows adults to ignore the real fears of adolescents, writes Dr Helen Care. Plus letters from Jo Johnson, Alison Watson and Arnold BrownLucy Foulkes makes an important point, having interviewed adults about their own past experiences: adolescence is bewildering to live through" and smartphones are only one piece of a large and complicated puzzle" (I'm an expert on adolescence: here's why a smartphone ban isn't the answer, and what we should do instead, 15 June). I work with teenagers, and they are fed up with the narrative that smartphones and social media are the cause of their mental health issues. It lets us adults off the hook.How much easier it is to blame phones and social media than to acknowledge the harm we do by taking away creative outlets in school such as art, music or sport, and focusing only on targets and rote learning. And how much easier it is not to take responsibility for fixing the other aspects of their lives that bring anxiety: the climate crisis; the lack of affordable housing; the cost of living crisis. Smartphones are a distraction from the real issue facing adolescents - they are fearful for their futures. Despite this, many of the young people I work with are hopeful, determined and courageous. Let's celebrate them and ask them what would help, instead of looking for an easy answer and taking their phones away.

Exclusive: Health service scrambling to set up helpline after Qilin gang put stolen data into public domain overnightRussian hackers have stolen records covering 300m patient interactions with the NHS, including the results of blood tests for HIV and cancer, the Guardian can reveal.The amount and sensitive nature of the data obtained by the Qilin hacking gang has caused alarm among NHS bosses, who are scrambling to set up a helpline to deal with inquiries from what could be a large number of worried patients and also health service staff. Continue reading...

As Elden Ring's much-anticipated final expansion is released, its designer gives a glimpse into how he crafts his harsh, beautiful, rewarding gameworldsMuch has changed for Hidetaka Miyazaki in the past 10 years. In May 2014, he was made president of FromSoftware - the Japanese game developer known for its breakout dark fantasy hits Demon's Souls (2009), Dark Souls (2011) and Bloodborne (2015), all games he himself directed. Back then, FromSoftware's games were critical darlings with devoted followings, but they were not enormous bestsellers, shifting a few million copies each. But in 2022, the company released the splendid, imperious Elden Ring, a collaboration with fantasy writer George RR Martin that is not only Miyazaki's masterpiece but also by far his most popular work: to date it has sold 25m copies. FromSoftware is no longer a niche maker of cult hits. It is now the home of a genuine blockbuster.Has this changed Miyazaki's outlook? Perhaps unsurprisingly, given how unforgiving and cold his games' worlds are, he is not the most optimistic person you'll ever meet. Elden Ring was in a league of its own in terms of the success and critical acclaim that it has seen, but what we try to do as a company is never assume that will happen again with our future games," he tells me in an interview in Los Angeles. No decision is based on any assumption that, hey, we did it once, it's going to happen again. Allowing for this rather conservative forecast gives us room to fail - and that in turn results in better games and better decisions. In a roundabout way, I think that assumption of not making another hit, that conservative outlook, is fuelling and aiding our game design." Continue reading...

Chinese firm recounts talks with US government that ended abruptly and says it spent $2bn to draft security agreementNew legal filings from the Chinese tech firm ByteDance have challenged the US government's unconstitutional singling out of TikTok", revealing fresh details about failed negotiations over a potential ban of the platform.Legislation signed in April by Joe Biden gives ByteDance until 19 January to either divest TikTok's US assets or face a ban. ByteDance claims in its new filings that such divestiture is not possible technologically, commercially, or legally" and accuses the US government of refusing to engage in any serious settlement talks after 2022. Continue reading...

Bills signed by Kathy Hochul lets parents restrict children from suggested posts and adds limits on use of minors' dataNew York's governor, Kathy Hochul, signed two bills into law on Thursday meant to mitigate negative impacts of social media on children, the latest action to address what critics say is a growing youth mental health crisis.The first bill will require that parents be able to stop their children from seeing posts suggested by a social network's algorithm, a move to limit feeds Hochul argues are addictive. The second will put additional limitations on the collection, use, sharing and selling of personal data of anyone under the age of 18. Continue reading...

A pair of queer nerds' obsessed with the American rock hero break down his legacy in Because the Boss Belongs to Us. Plus: five of the best podcasts about Britain Don't get Hear Here delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereBackfired

We pick through the best of the summer showcases to find interesting games to look out for in the near futurePC, smartphones; Starry Studio; Release: 9 July Continue reading...

The DJ, writer and TikTok's favourite toy collector has curated a list that is a time machine back to early YouTube - best played on a Nintendo Wii at a kick-on

A legitimate grievance' with big tech firms is being used by police as a pretext to undermine privacy, Meredith Whittaker says

GMB officials urge staff to together, vote yes' as month-long process begins which may result in first union recognition in UKOfficials from the GMB are urging staff at Amazon's Coventry warehouse to together, vote yes", at the start of a month-long ballot process that could trigger a historic union recognition deal.Officials from the union began visiting the West Midlands site on Wednesday after the GMB was granted the right to hold the legally binding ballot by the independent Central Arbitration Committee. Amazon had rejected a request for voluntary recognition. Continue reading...

While some of their language has changed, the sentiment of this latest aggressive movement is just as distressing. It's time for the games industry to stand up to it Don't get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereA few months ago I wrote about a consulting agency, Sweet Baby Inc, that found itself at the centre of a conspiracy theory: aggrieved gamers on a Steam forum had erroneously concluded that this small agency was somehow mandating the inclusion of more diverse characters in games. Depressingly but unsurprisingly, the result was a tremendous amount of targeted harassment towards the people who work at Sweet Baby and every journalist who reported on it (particularly the women). It was a disturbing echo of Gamergate, an online harassment campaign 10 years ago that initially sprung from the wild accusations of a game developer's vindictive ex-boyfriend.The language has changed a bit in the past decade: they used to be upset about SJWs", or social justice warriors, and now they've taken issue with a different acronym, DEI (diversity, equality and inclusion), or just good ol' woke". But the sentiment from this group is the same: games are for us, and for us only, and if you want games to change, or to tell stories outside the straightforward male-oriented power fantasies that we grew up with, then, well, that's not allowed. We won't stand for it. In fact, we will try to aggressively harass you out of this space entirely. Continue reading...

Cut-price Bluetooth Beats are small, comfortable and last a long time, with great Android and iPhone supportApple's latest Beats-branded earbuds offer the sound, fit and Android-loving features of its popular Studio Buds but in a smaller, much cheaper and longer-lasting package.The Solo Buds follow in the footsteps of last year's Buds+, offering full integration with Apple's various devices and Google's Android, making the best of both platforms.Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, SBC, AACBattery life: 18 hoursWater resistance: noneDrivers: 8.2mmEarbud weight: 5.7g eachEarbud dimensions: 16.7 x 18.5 x 18.9mmCase weight: 22gCase dimensions: 34.7 x 66.1 x 23.7mmCharging: USB-C Continue reading...

Measure passes 5-2 as Gavin Newsom calls for statewide ban on cellphones for students during the school dayThe Los Angeles unified school district board passed a resolution on Tuesday banning cellphones from district classrooms. As the second-largest school district in the US, the vote makes it the largest school district in the US to approve such a ban.As more educators across the US explore similar policies, California governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday called for a statewide ban on phones in class. Continue reading...

The Legend of Zelda: The Echoes of Wisdom will allow players to play as Princess Zelda, rather than the warrior Link, for the first timeNintendo surprised fans yesterday by announcing a new chapter in its 40-year-old Zelda saga, one of the Japanese video game titan's biggest franchises.During an event broadcast on the web, the firm said The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is scheduled for release on the Switch console on 26 September. Continue reading...

Chipmaker dethrones Microsoft and Apple as stock market surge boosts valuation above $3.34tnNvidia became the world's most valuable company on Tuesday, overtaking tech heavyweight Microsoft, as its chips continue to play a central role in a race to dominate the market for artificial intelligence.Shares of the chipmaker climbed 3.5% to $135.58, lifting its market capitalization to $3.34tn, just days after overtaking the iPhone maker Apple to become the second most valuable company. Continue reading...

The woman in charge of the secure communication channel remains implacably opposed to the disease' of surveillance - and concerned about the sharing of personal dataMeredith Whittaker practises what she preaches. As the president of the Signal Foundation, she's a strident voice backing privacy for all. But she doesn't just spout hollow words.In 2018, she burst into public view as one of the organisers of the Google walkouts, mobilising 20,000 employees of the search giant in a twin protest over the company's support for state surveillance and failings over sexual misconduct. Continue reading...

Apple's famous slogan that suggested total privacy is being tested in the age of AI. Plus: is it time to give up on smartphones all together?

PC, PlayStation 5 (version played), Xbox; The Chinese Room/Secret Mode

The University of Nairobi's new chancellor says the continent has vast potential - but to realise the promise of AI and green jobs, rich countries must honour their commitmentsAfrica has all the potential to meet pressing climate challenges with innovative solutions, according to one of the world's renowned environmentalists. With its vast natural capital and youthful population, this is Africa's century," according to Prof Patrick Verkooijen, chief executive of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), and the new chancellor of the University of Nairobi.But Verkooijen emphasises that support and investment from the global north is essential, highlighting that 65% of the world's uncultivated land is in Africa, a continent with immense promise in its population, set to make up one in four people globally by 2050. Continue reading...

Threat of EU tariffs may not be enough to slow carmaker in its attempt to challenge Tesla on global stage

While once there would be a lone photographer taking pictures of the happy couple, now videographers and content creators' are also invited to document the big day, and even the clergy have had enoughHiking to the top of the highest local peak in full wedding dress sounded dramatic, adventurous and romantic. A visual representation of feeling on top of the world; a jaunty juxtaposition between gorgeous wedding finery and the wilds of northern England. The resulting photographs were striking and memorable, recalls the photographer behind this scenario, Scott Johnson. The couple were lovely and it was one of his favourite jobs - but he wonders how their guests felt, having been left for two hours while they went off to hike up a hill. You're invited by the bride and groom to spend a day with them and they disappear, so I can see where the angst comes from," he says. But it's what the couple wants, so we have to say yes."Johnson, in his 40s, says he is old enough to remember when his wedding photography jobs lasted around three hours - he was there to capture the arrival at the church or register office, shoot the ceremony and take portraits and photographs for an hour or so afterwards. You didn't do any bridal preparation, or stay for the party." Now, he says, couples want coverage from early in the morning until midnight or later. I used to just take one camera and one lens," he adds; now he brings a van of equipment. Couples are much more aware of what can be done than ever before." And, anecdotally at least, many couples want much more. Some want the more stylised coverage," he says. You see wedding photography online where you're thinking, that's not a wedding, it's like a movie shoot." Continue reading...

Companies have touted AI as future of the industry, but technology has also resulted in viral videos of wrong ordersMcDonald's is ending its test of employing artificial intelligence chatbots at drive-thrus, raising questions over the fast food industry's rush to roll out the technology.The world's largest burger chain will remove automated AI-based order systems from over 100 locations around the US. Continue reading...

In LA last week, horror production company Blumhouse announced that it was entering the video game market with its indie horror label Blumhouse Games. Jason Blum, Louise Blain and Zach Wood discuss its approachA new indie video game publisher made its debut in Los Angeles last week: Blumhouse Games, a division of the horror movie production company co-founded by director Jason Blum in 2000. Unsurprisingly, its specialty will be horror. During the livestreamed Summer Game Fest showcase, Blum and creative lead Louise Blain announced a slate of six experimental horror games, the first of which, Fear the Spotlight, will launch later this year.Blum described the games label as going back to our roots, with a focus on indie horror, pushing boundaries and elevating new, original stories". Like the company's movies, from Paranormal Activity to M3GAN, its games are all low-budget productions with interesting ideas. The slate includes Project C, a new project from the creators of the brilliant and unusual cine-game Immortality; Grave Seasons, a farming-life game where one of the townspeople is a serial murderer; and Fear the Spotlight, a 90s-styled low-poly horror game about two teenaged girls and a seance gone awry, made by a two-person husband-and-wife team. Continue reading...

Once derided for saucy advertisements and romance novel plots, these mobile games are venturing into the mainstreamIn late May, in a $58m Bel Air hilltop mansion, influencers, reality stars and other Angelenos milled around Netflix-branded TV screens displaying choices to be made: Are you a Gemini or a Capricorn? What color are your eyes? What is your occupation? The party marked the launch of the streaming giant's latest offering: a slate of Choose Your Own Adventure-style mobile games inspired by its most popular reality television shows, and attendees were selecting the traits of their digital avatars.I better be a character!" Selling Sunset star Jason Oppenheim exclaimed as he paused near the top of a staircase that led to a reflecting pool with the Netflix logo floating in it. Continue reading...

The Guardian reveals FTX trustees, in charge after the CEO's downfall, allege payments were made with looted fundsMultiple events hosted at a historic former hotel in Berkeley, California, have brought together people from intellectual movements popular at the highest levels in Silicon Valley while platforming prominent people linked to scientific racism, the Guardian reveals.But because of alleged financial ties between the non-profit that owns the building - Lightcone Infrastructure (Lightcone) - and jailed crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried, the administrators of FTX, Bankman-Fried's failed crypto exchange, are demanding the return of almost $5m that new court filings allege were used to bankroll the purchase of the property. Continue reading...

Artificial intelligence is creating companions who can be our confidants, friends, therapists and even lovers. But are they an answer to loneliness or merely another way for big tech to make money?Could you fall in love with an artificial intelligence? When Spike Jonze's film, Her, came out 10 years ago, the question still seemed hypothetical. The gradual romance between Joaquin Phoenix's character Theodore and Scarlett Johansson's Samantha, an operating system that embraces his vulnerabilities, felt firmly rooted in science fiction. But just one year after the film's release, in 2014, Amazon's Alexa was introduced to the world. Talking to a computer in your home became normalised.Personified AI has since infiltrated more areas of our lives. From AI customer service assistants to therapy chatbots offered by companies such as character.ai and wysa, plus new iterations of ChatGPT, the sci-fi storyline of Her has come a lot closer. In May, an updated version of ChatGPT with voice assistant software launched, its voice's similarity to Scarlett Johansson's prompting the actor to release a statement claiming that she was shocked, angered and in disbelief" that the AI system had a voice eerily similar" to her own. Continue reading...

Less than half of Australian children and teens think they can tell real news stories from fake. So how well are we preparing them for a new media world order?Beneath an old Queenslander on the south side of the Brisbane River, beside a garage with a hand-painted sign that reads recording" and above a computer in a cluttered spare room, is a Post-it note.Sugar-coated broccoli," it reads. Continue reading...

A new essay on the rise of superintelligent machines pivots from being a warning to humanity to a rallying cry for an industrial complex to bolster American military defenceTen years ago, the Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom published Superintelligence, a book exploring how superintelligent machines could be created and what the implications of such technology might be. One was that such a machine, if it were created, would be difficult to control and might even take over the world in order to achieve its goals (which in Bostrom's celebrated thought experiment was to make paperclips).The book was a big seller, triggering lively debates but also attracting a good deal of disagreement. Critics complained that it was based on a simplistic view of intelligence", that it overestimated the likelihood of superintelligent machines emerging any time soon and that it failed to suggest credible solutions for the problems that it had raised. But it had the great merit of making people think about a possibility that had hitherto been confined to the remoter fringes of academia and sci-fi. Continue reading...

The student on the image she took while working on a series for her photography A-levelAleesha Coker, then 17, and her two younger sisters, Freda and Bintu, had stopped off at the corner shop for a snack on their way home from school. Coker had been working on a series for her photography A-level, shooting through glass from exterior to interior. As the girls passed by apayphone in Lorrimore Square, south London, Coker was inspired to set up a moment. She used an iPhone 12 set to portrait mode - I don't particularly enjoy using film cameras," she says - and was pleased with how themuted colours gave it anintimate feeling".As their older sister, I feel a responsibility to protect them and be a role model. Freda is 13. She's very quiet most of the time, but can be loud when she feels comfortable. Bintu is 10; she has a very bubbly character and can be outspoken. I don't think their expressions in the photograph necessarily reflect the excitable parts of their personalities," she says, but something deeper. When my little sisters gaze at the camera in this way, I'm reminded of how much they trust me." Continue reading...

Pope Francis is leaning on thinking of Paolo Benanti, a friar adept at explaining how technology can change worldAfter a gruelling first day discussing how to finance a prolonged war against an authoritarian dictator, G7 leaders in Puglia next turned for advice from someone who insists he is infallible, and for good measure thinks Ukraine should have the courage to wave the white flag.Normally when an 87-year-old claiming infallibility turns up at your door, the instinct is to give them a cup of tea and quietly ring social services. But when 1.3 billion other people, including your hostess, believe he is indeed infallible, the dynamic somewhat changes. Continue reading...