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TechDesk

@TechDesk@flipboard.social

We bring you the latest tech news, deep dives and perspectives on topics like AI, social media and innovations. Posts are handpicked by Flipboard's editorial team, especially for Mastodon.

Boosts do not imply endorsement, but are used to highlight posts we think the community might find interesting.

For a lot more tech news, follow Flipboard's federated Tech Desk (@tech)

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TechDesk , to Random stuff
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A new sculpture appeared in Flatiron South Pacific Plaza in New York this week, but it’s not your typical artwork. Instead, it allows people in NYC to interact with people in Dublin via video, in real time.

"The Portal" has an 8-foot screen and an always-on video link between the two countries, with security a “key consideration” for New York City before approving the project. Here’s more from @TechCrunch.

https://flip.it/wloay6

TechDesk , to Tesla
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After firing the 500-strong Supercharger team just last month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has quickly reversed course, claiming the company is still committed to spending “well over” half a billion dollars to grow its Supercharger network, reports Futurism.

Even Musk’s most ardent supporters were shocked by his tanking of this key department — something that sets Tesla apart from many of its competitors. So has he realised his mistakes, or is he simply trying to reassure spooked investors?

https://flip.it/hmG8nO

TechDesk , to Cybersecurity
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Generative AI is not just teaching cyber bad guys new tricks — it’s also making it easier for anyone to become a bad guy, according to Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) chief Jen Easterly.

“I look at AI: how fast it’s moving, how unpredictable it is, how powerful it is,” Easterly told @AxiosNews. “I think it’ll make people who are less sophisticated actually better at doing some of the bad things that they want to do.” Here’s more from the interview.

https://flip.it/r64n5-

TechDesk , (edited ) to Random stuff
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Could creating your own AI friendship circle be the answer to the loneliness epidemic, or are users at danger of being isolated further? Kevin Roose decided to find out for @nytimes, by creating a group of 18 friends, entirely from AI. Here's how he found it.

https://flip.it/fh.WwM [Subscription may be required].

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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Stack Overflow, a popular forum for programmers and software developers, announced a partnership with OpenAI earlier this week, selling the site’s data, including users’ forum posts, to train ChatGPT.

Now unhappy users are finding themselves banned for editing their popular posts in protest, and even finding those posts changed back by admin – “a reminder that anything you post on any of these platforms can and will be used for profit,” concluded one. Futurism has more.

https://flip.it/IVR89a

TechDesk , to Xbox
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Following the shock closure of a number of Bethesda studios earlier this week, @theverge digs deeper to uncover the reasons behind these decisions, and finds "growing discontent and fear among Xbox employees about what comes next."

https://flip.it/wZtEdG

TechDesk , to Media Industry Discussions
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From fictional biographies to AI-generated profile pictures, Futurism has been investigating AdVon Commerce, the company behind the Sports Illustrated fake writer scandal from last year — and its reach appears to stretch further than many could have predicted.

“What we found should alarm anyone who cares about a trustworthy and ethical media industry,” reports Futurism. “It’s a practice that blurs the line between journalism and advertising to the breaking point, makes the web worse for everybody, and renders basic questions like ‘is this writer a real person?’ fuzzier and fuzzier.”

https://flip.it/_0pxzG

TechDesk , to Tesla
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The Department of Justice is looking into whether Tesla committed securities and wire fraud around its self-driving vehicle claims.

The investigation into whether Tesla executives misled consumers, investors, and regulators by making unsupported claims about its autonomous capabilities has been going on since late 2021, reports @theverge, but it has now zoned in on specific charges related to statements made by Elon Musk himself. Here’s more on the filing.

https://flip.it/Tkr1eB

TechDesk , to China
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The United States has landed another blow to China’s technological advancement, by revoking licenses that allowed Intel and Qualcomm to buy and sell chips to Huawei Technologies, reports @engadget.

Huawei was hit hard when it was placed on U.S. trade restrictions lists in 2019, but a recent comeback — including the launch of an AI-enabled laptop powered by an Intel chip — appears to have renewed the government’s national security worries.

https://flip.it/WJnSP4

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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A new study from Microsoft and LinkedIn has found that AI usage in the workplace has doubled in the last six months.

The data comes from a survey completed by 31,000 people across 31 countries, which found that 75% of workers are now using AI as part of their jobs. Over half are using it for their most important tasks, but don't want to admit it out of fear it makes them look replaceable. Here’s more from CNBC.

https://flip.it/A-Y94_

TechDesk , (edited ) to Random stuff
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TikTok is suing the United States government in an attempt to stop the enforcement of last month’s bill, which would ban the app in the U.S unless its Chinese owner ByteDance sells up.

The lawsuit argues that the bill is an “unprecedented violation” of the First Amendment, and says that invoking national security concerns is not a sufficient reason for restricting free speech. NBC News has more, but we’re keen to hear what you think. Do you agree with the bill?

https://flip.it/svyfvV

TechDesk , (edited ) to Random stuff
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After months of rumors, Apple has announced its new iPad line-up, which includes the first iPad Pro with an OLED display.

This major screen upgrade should deliver 1,600 nits of peak brightness for HDR content, and is joined by a “fresh design, more powerful internals, and a thinner profile than ever before.” Here’s more from @theverge.

https://flip.it/-DNQ5q

TechDesk OP ,
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@rick_baumhauer Thanks for flagging that – writing too many things at once! Have edited.

TechDesk , to Nintendo
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Nintendo has confirmed the long-awaited Nintendo Switch 2 is coming, but it’s not quite as soon as fans might have hoped.

The company’s president Shuntaro Furukawa said an announcement would arrive “within this fiscal year”, which gives it until March 2025 to release the details, reports the BBC.

https://flip.it/2GC9xM

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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DocuSign is purchasing Lexion, an AI-powered contract workflow automation startup for $165 million. The purchase comes as DocuSign is said to be in the process of selling itself to a private equity firm and just months after it laid off 6% of its workforce. Tech Crunch’s Kyle Wiggers, reports. https://flip.it/YLM3LZ

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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Four new iPad models are expected to be announced at Apple’s Let Loose event, Tuesday, May 7. Tom’s Guide has all the details. https://flip.it/4n_cu0

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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Future AI will be outfitted with an incredible amount of detailed information about its users. In fact, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says it will be like having a “super competent colleague” that knows absolutely everything about your whole life, every email, every conversation you’ve ever had. Would you sign on for this? Read more at Futurism. https://flip.it/bqE_L2

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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Apple may appear to be dipping a toe into the AI game, but recent reports and rumors have suggested that the tech giant has just been biding its time. @theverge tells us what Apple has been working on, including a potentially “really, really, really good Siri.” https://flip.it/KqrHth

TechDesk , to Android
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February’s design tweaks to Google Maps is now being tested, with some new refinements, on Android. 9to5Google has more. https://flip.it/Ml58I2

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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Mobile apps that help people travel by car have been serving drivers for years. But what about those who choose to go by bike or foot? Writing for @theverge, Allison Johnson describes her venture into cycling and where Komoot came in to help her find the best routes. https://flip.it/QUdyix

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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Generative AI has a problem with “hallucinations,” the lies its models tell. Through retrieval augmented generation (RAG), some AI vendors say the problem is solvable. But, as Tech Crunch’s Kyle Wiggers explains, it isn’t, at least not for all of AI’s hallucinatory problems. https://flip.it/7CaFbf

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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As the blockbuster antitrust case against Google enters its last day, @CNN considers exactly what’s at stake when Judge Amit Mehta makes his decision, following the gruelling 10-week trial, later this year — and it’s much more than just money.

“The outcome could have far-reaching effects on the tech industry, serving as a bellwether not just for the billions Google pays to Apple, wireless carriers and other device makers but for a veritable pipeline of tech antitrust cases moving through the courts.” Here’s more.

https://flip.it/2WBmAk

TechDesk , (edited ) to Random stuff
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Google has dominated the search market for more than two decades, accounting for as much as 90% of all global searches. But OpenAI could be about to take on Google at its own game, with the launch of a new search engine based on ChatGPT tech.

Rumors began when a domain name and security certificate for search.chatgpt.com was found, with an AI influencer later hinting an announcement was coming on 9 May. Here’s more from Tom's Guide.

https://flip.it/S51yPB

TechDesk OP ,
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@martin Thanks — we've edited and corrected for clarity.

TechDesk , (edited ) to Twitch
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Spotify’s long-rumored high-res music tier looks like it might be finally ready for launch, based on some pretty convincing leaked screengrabs.

The music streaming service has fallen behind a number of its big rivals in not offering lossless music, but so-called “Enhanced Listening” will look to change that, offering up to 24-bit/44.1kHz playback via Spotify Connect on compatible devices.

@9to5google has more on the expected feature and how it compares to the competition, but we want to hear what you think — is high-res sound quality important to you in a streaming service? Has Spotify done enough?

https://flip.it/B5yeiR

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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Have you noticed your Facebook feed being taken over by AI spam recently? @jasonkoebler has spent four months looking into it — what’s real, what’s not and what is a mixture of the two, creating what he calls “a disastrous website where there is little social connection at all.” Read more about his investigation over at @404mediaco.

https://flip.it/f0cjbM

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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If you’ve been scrolling TikTok recently and wondered why some videos are muted, it’s probably because of the an ongoing spat between the platform and Universal Music Group, which removed the music of all the label’s artists.

Today, the two struck a “multi-dimensional licensing agreement” that will allow music from UMG’s artists to be used as TikTok audio once more. TikTok is also promising protections with respect to generative AI, including “a commitment on TikTok’s part to remove AI-generated music and improve artist and songwriter attribution,” reports @CNET.

https://flip.it/FE.Y.F

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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Google has kicked off World Password Day by announcing that over 400 million users have used passkeys since the tech giant rolled them out, logging over one billion authentications between them.

Passkeys rely on device-based authentication, often using a fingerprint scanner or face recognition, which makes logging in faster and more secure. Despite this, our passwordless future still feels some way off — @theverge considers why.

https://flip.it/vvLM1A

TechDesk , (edited ) to Random stuff
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Do you yearn for the “good old days” of the internet? The acronym-based chat clients, the Geocities sites filled with dancing hamsters, the MySpace pages filled with glitter GIFs and MIDI tracks?

@molly0xfff writes about a time when being online was simpler, but how with the tools at our disposal, getting back to that would be easier now than ever. Here’s more from her newsletter, Citation Needed.

https://flip.it/D8vRts

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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Several former Google employees who were fired from the company for protesting against its cloud contract with the Israeli government have filed a complaint with the U.S. labor board.

The single-page complaint claims Google’s termination of their contracts was illegal and interferes with their rights to advocate for better working conditions, with one former employee claiming he was fired for simply watching the protest. @techspot has more.

https://flip.it/n8j003

TechDesk , to Gaming
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Meta has announced that Batman: Arkham Shadow will be the first big exclusive game for its Quest 3 VR headset.

It’s an important step forward for the device. As @engadget reports: “One of the main reasons it has been difficult to recommend the $500 Quest 3 VR headset over the $200 Quest 2 is a lack of exclusive titles, as most games have to support both models. This means we haven’t really seen the power of the Quest 3 yet, but the tides are turning.”

https://flip.it/9r9llY

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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A former Amazon executive has accused the company of telling her to violate copyright law in order to compete with other tech giants in AI, reports Business Insider.

As part of a wider lawsuit against the company, in which Viviane Ghaderi claims she was discriminated against and ultimately fired for taking maternity leave, Ghaderi says she was told to “ignore legal advice and Amazon’s own policies to get better results” when developing its large-language models.

https://flip.it/oCwttM

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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The Affordable Connectivity Program was a landmark piece of U.S. government legislation passed in 2021 that aimed to make it easier for people to afford an internet connection in their homes. Today it all comes to an end, leaving an estimated 23 million households — roughly one in six — at risk of losing broadband access, widening the digital divide.

Despite pleas from the Biden administration and several advocacy groups to save the program, it has now officially lapsed. So what’s next? @WIRED has more.

https://flip.it/_Bai8i [Subscription may be required]

TechDesk , to Tesla
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Barely two weeks have passed since Tesla initiated layoffs for at least 14,000 staff, and the company is now reportedly laying off hundreds more — including senior executives and the majority of its Supercharging team. But that may not be the end of it.

In an email sent to executives last night, Elon Musk said he wanted Tesla to be “absolutely hard core” about the cuts, stating even staff working underneath executives who “don’t obviously pass the excellent, necessary and trustworthy test” would also be out of a job. Here’s more from @theverge.

https://flip.it/NB1h5g

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen has hinted that banning TikTok in the EU is not off the table.

Speaking at a debate ahead of the bloc’s 2024 election, von der Leyen said that the Commission was “the very first institution worldwide to ban TikTok on our corporate phones,” reports Politico, adding: “We know exactly the danger of TikTok.”

https://flip.it/W-m.AR

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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Some of the top wireless carriers in the U.S. have been fined millions of dollars, for illegally sharing customers’ personal data without their consent.

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon have all received government fines following allegations by the FCC that they had “improperly shared users’ geolocation histories to third parties, including to prisons, as part of their commercial programs.” @CNN has more.

https://flip.it/ButMfG

TechDesk , (edited ) to Random stuff
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The EU is getting ready to launch an investigation into Meta over its handling of election-related content, reports @engadget

Full details of the investigation are expected later this week, but concerns have reportedly been raised about “deceptive advertising and political content” on Meta’s platforms. EU officials are also unhappy about Meta’s plan to shut down CrowdTangle in August, a move the researchers and fact checkers who use the tool have called a “direct threat to election integrity efforts around the world.”

https://flip.it/UR3hvB

TechDesk , to Non Political Twitter
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The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Elon Musk to back out of a settlement he struck with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2018, over tweets he made about Tesla that regulators alleged were fraudulent.

To avoid enforcement, Musk agreed to a “Twitter sitter” — a company lawyer that was required to approve any social media posts he made about Tesla. Now, he’s claiming it is a violation of his First Amendment rights, but as @CNN reports, the Supreme Court doesn’t agree.

https://flip.it/41JsXh

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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Apple’s “Let Loose” iPad event is just over a week away, and the rumors are hotting up on what we can expect from the new announcements.

The latest is that the much-anticipated OLED iPad Pro will launch with Apple’s next-gen M4 processor, and not the M3 chip that was originally expected. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says this suggests Apple will position the tablet as “its first truly AI-powered device — and that it will tout each new product from then on as an AI device.”

https://flip.it/2fvm_b [Subscription may be required]

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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After failing to stop a bill that could ban it in the U.S., TikTok now faces two big hurdles — the U.S. judicial system and the Chinese government, reports @theverge

While ByteDance has promised to fight the ruling, which requires it to divest the app within a year, it won’t be an easy fight, with experts unsure how keen judges will be to weigh in on decisions of national security importance. If it fails, it will have to consider selling TikTok. But that’s not a decision it will be able to make alone — it’ll need the Chinese government’s permission.

https://flip.it/11C9f1

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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Digital technology is fast and convenient and it should have buried its analogue competitors by now, right? But from vinyl records to film cameras, all manner of apparently written-off technologies have been making a comeback, including modular synthesizers. BBC has more on the appeal of the slow. https://flip.it/8W5q4E

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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After being diagnosed with prediabetes, a freelance writer searched for the right app to help him get it under control. Here’s what he found. https://flip.it/JzCHPW

TechDesk , to cars
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A driverless vehicle recently made its way through the tight streets and chaotic traffic of Bhopal, India. So, how did it do? As Futurism reports, it’s either “an impressive feat of engineering — or a disaster waiting to happen.” Watch the video, then decide. https://flip.it/oi_yQt

TechDesk , to Photography
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EyeEm, a photo-sharing community once thought to be a potential challenger to Instagram, is now licensing its users’ photos to train AI models, Tech Crunch reports. The company gave users 30 days to opt out. As you can imagine, many of them are upset. Read more: https://flip.it/Yv2xV3

TechDesk , to Tesla
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Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving has been linked to hundreds of crashes and dozens of deaths, according to a federal investigation published today.

“In total, NHTSA investigated 956 crashes, starting in January 2018 and extending all the way until August 2023,” reports @theverge. “Of those crashes, some of which involved other vehicles striking the Tesla vehicle, 29 people died. There were also 211 crashes in which ‘the frontal plane of the Tesla struck a vehicle or obstacle in its path.’ These crashes, which were often the most severe, resulted in 14 deaths and 49 injuries.”

https://flip.it/Qr4Zi3

TechDesk , (edited ) to The Verge on Artificial Intelligence
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It's Follow Friday! Keep up to date on the latest in AI and its impact on business, work, society and tech with these great Magazines (topical feeds of content).

AC/DC AI — @ac-dc-ai-mike

The Verge on Artificial Intelligence — @the-verge-on-artificial-intell

AI Prompts — @ai-prompts-Jentrification

The AI Economy — @the-ai-economy-thekenyeung

Should Robots Vote? – @should-robots-vote-gtraviswhit

TechDesk , (edited ) to Android
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Google I/O, the tech giant’s annual developer conference, is just weeks away, and we now have a schedule with some hints as to what’s in store.

The keynote will take place on May 14, with follow-up sessions to focus on some of the announcements. Sessions look to include a focus on the features of Wear OS 5, a lot of talk about Gemini AI and the usual expected updates to Android 15. But will we see any hardware announcements? TechRadar has the latest on all the rumours.

https://flip.it/muQSh1

TechDesk , to Random stuff
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Apple has removed a number of AI image generation apps from the App Store after they were found to be advertising the ability to create nonconsensual nude images.

Apple’s actions come following an investigation by @404mediaco, which found adverts for these apps being pushed on Instagram. The apps were only removed when 404 Media provided links to them and their related ads to Apple, indicating “the company was not able to find the apps that violated its policy itself.”

https://flip.it/rDcG7V

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