ICT news

• Walmart To Roll Out New Prepaid Phone Service From Boost Founder

  26-09-2023 23:21 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Walmart is expanding its offerings of prepaid phone plans with MobileX, a wireless service launched earlier this year by Boost cofounder Peter Adderton. Walmart will be MobileX's first and exclusive retail partner, the companies said in an announcement Tuesday. From a report: MobileX, which uses Verizon's network through a wholesale agreement, will be available on Walmart's website and in stores starting Tuesday, the companies said. It will offer unlimited pay-as-you go plans starting at $14.88
  
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• Windows 11's Next Big Update Now Available With Copilot, AI-powered Paint

  26-09-2023 22:40 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft is releasing one of its biggest updates to Windows 11 today. It includes access to the new Windows Copilot, AI-powered updates to Paint, Snipping Tool, and Photos, RGB lighting support, a modernized File Explorer, and much more. From a report: Windows Copilot is the big new feature for this Windows 11 update, bringing the same Bing Chat feature straight to the Windows 11 desktop. It appears as a sidebar in Windows 11, allowing you to control settings on a PC, launch apps, or simply ans
  
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• Microsoft is Trying To Lessen Its Addiction To OpenAI as AI Costs Soar

  26-09-2023 22:01 via slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft's push to put artificial intelligence into its software has hinged almost entirely on OpenAI, the startup Microsoft funded in exchange for the right to use its cutting-edge technology. But as the costs of running advanced AI models rise, Microsoft researchers and product teams are working on a plan B. The Information: In recent weeks, Peter Lee, who oversees Microsoft's 1,500 researchers, directed many of them to develop conversational AI that may not perform as well as OpenAI's but th
  
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• OpenAI Seeks New Valuation of Up To $90 Billion in Sale of Existing Shares

  26-09-2023 21:25 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  OpenAI is talking to investors about a possible share sale that would value the artificial-intelligence startup behind ChatGPT at between $80 billion to $90 billion, almost triple its level earlier this year, WSJ reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the discussions. From the report: The startup, which is 49% owned by Microsoft, has told investors that it expects to reach $1 billion in revenue this year and generate many billions more in 2024. OpenAI generates revenue mainly by charging
  
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• Private Equity Is Piling Debt on Itself Like Never Before

  26-09-2023 21:20 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Private equity firms have been increasingly adding another layer of debt to their complex borrowing arrangements, raising concern among some investors about potential risks to the wider industry and the financial system. Bloomberg: Hit by a drought of deals and dwindling cash, some buyout firms are starting to resort to backroom financing to help meet fund commitments or enable succession planning. The loans -- backed by assets including the promise of future income -- carry interest of as much
  
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• Apple Defends Google Search Deal in Court: 'There Wasn't a Valid Alternative'

  26-09-2023 20:42 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Eddy Cue, in a dark suit, peered down at the monitor in front of him. The screens in the Washington, DC, courtroom had briefly malfunctioned and left witnesses with only binders, but now the tech was up and running -- showing an image of three iPhones, each demonstrating a part of the phone's setup process. Cue squinted down at the screen. "The resolution on this is terrible," he said. "You should get a Mac." That got some laughs in an otherwise staid and qui
  
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• FCC To Reintroduce Rules Protecting Net Neutrality

  26-09-2023 19:31 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  New submitter AsylumWraith shares a report: The US government aims to restore sweeping regulations for high-speed internet providers, such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, reviving "net neutrality" rules for the broadband industry -- and an ongoing debate about the internet's future. The proposed rules from the Federal Communications Commission will designate internet service -- both the wired kind found in homes and businesses as well as mobile data on cellphones -- as "essential telecommunica
  
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• CIA Builds Its Own AI Chatbot in Rivalry With China

  26-09-2023 19:21 via slashdot.org
  
  US intelligence agencies are getting their own ChatGPT-style tool to sift through an avalanche of public information for clues. From a report: The Central Intelligence Agency is preparing to roll out a feature akin to OpenAI's now-famous program that will use artificial intelligence to give analysts better access to open-source intelligence, according to agency officials. The CIA's Open-Source Enterprise division plans to provide intelligence agencies with its AI tool soon. "We've gone from news
  
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• FTC and 17 States Sue Amazon, Alleging Illegal Online-Marketplace Monopoly

  26-09-2023 18:19 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The Federal Trade Commission and 17 states on Tuesday sued Amazon, alleging the online retailer illegally wields monopoly power that keeps prices artificially high, locks sellers into its platform and harms its rivals. WSJ: The FTC's lawsuit, filed in Seattle federal court, marks a milestone in the Biden administration's aggressive approach to enforcing antitrust laws and has been anticipated for months. The agency's chair, Lina Khan, is a longtime critic of Amazon who wrote in the Yale Law Jour
  
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• Signal President Says AI is Fundamentally 'a Surveillance Technology'

  26-09-2023 18:00 via slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Why is it that so many companies that rely on monetizing the data of their users seem to be extremely hot on AI? If you ask Signal president Meredith Whittaker (and I did), she'll tell you it's simply because "AI is a surveillance technology." Onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023, Whittaker explained her perspective that AI is largely inseparable from the big data and targeting industry perpetuated by the likes of Google and Meta, as well as less consumer-focus
  
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• Airlines Are Just Banks Now

  26-09-2023 17:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Delta Air Lines earlier this month revamped its SkyMiles program to prioritize dollars spent over miles flown for status. This shift positions SkyMiles more as a program for high spenders than frequent flyers, causing dissatisfaction among many, including industry insiders.
  Historically, airline regulations, controlled by the government, ensured fair pricing until deregulation in 1978. This deregulation spurred airlines to introduce competitive strategies, transforming frequent-flyer programs in
  
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• Getting Data From NSA Takes 'Days' So Federal Counterintelligence Agency Turned To Private Company, Documents Show

  26-09-2023 16:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Slash_Account_Dot writes: A federal counterintelligence agency tracking hackers has bought data harvested from the backbone of the internet by a private company because it was easier and took less time than getting similar data from the NSA, according to internal U.S. government documents. According to the documents, going through an agency like the NSA could take "days," whereas a private contractor could provide the same data instantly. The news is yet another example of a government agency tu
  
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• EU's Breton Tells Apple CEO To Open Its Ecosystem To Rivals

  26-09-2023 16:02 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  EU industry chief Thierry Breton on Tuesday called on Apple CEO Tim Cook to open up the iPhone maker's fiercely guarded ecosystem of hardware and software to rivals. From a report: Breton's comments came after meeting Cook in Brussels. "The next job for Apple and other Big Tech, under the DMA (Digital Markets Act) is to open up its gates to competitors," Breton told Reuters. "Be it the electronic wallet, browsers or app stores, consumers using an Apple iPhone should be able to benefit from compe
  
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• Ford Pauses Construction On $3.5 Billion EV Battery Plant In Michigan

  26-09-2023 15:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Ford Motor Company on Monday halted construction of a $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant project in the Marshall area amid months of battles with local residents, Republicans in Congress over its use of Chinese technology and an auto industry strike in its second week. "We're pausing work, and we're going to limit spending on construction at Marshall until we're confident about our ability to competitively run the plant," Ford spoke
  
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• The World's Oldest Active Torrent Turns 20 Years Old

  26-09-2023 12:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Twenty years ago, a group of friends shot a Matrix fan film on a limited budget. Sharing their creation with the rest of the word initially appeared to be too expensive, but then they discovered a new technology called BitTorrent. Fast forward two decades and their "Fanimatrix" release is the oldest active torrent that's still widely shared today. Ernesto Van der Sar writes via TorreantFreak: The oldest surviving torrent we have seen is a copy of the Matrix fan film "The Fanimatrix." The torrent
  
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• US Exploring Potential Space Force Hotline With China

  26-09-2023 09:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  The United States Space Force reportedly discussed setting up a hotline with China to prevent crises in space, according to Reuters, citing U.S. commander General Chance Saltzman. From the report: The chief of space operations said a direct line of communication between the Space Force and its Chinese counterpart would be valuable in de-escalating tensions but that the U.S. had not yet engaged with China to establish one. "What we have talked about on the U.S. side at least is opening up a line
  
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• FBI Agents Are Using Face Recognition Without Proper Training

  26-09-2023 05:33 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has done tens of thousands of face recognition searches using software from outside providers in recent years. Yet only 5 percent of the 200 agents with access to the technology have taken the bureau's three-day training course on how to use it, a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) this month reveals. The bureau has no policy for face recognition use in place to protect privacy, civ
  
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• Nvidia Hints At Replacing Rasterization and Ray Tracing With Full Neural Rendering

  26-09-2023 03:25 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Mark Tyson writes via Tom's Hardware: A future version of [Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology] is likely to include full neural rendering, hinted Bryan Catanzaro, a Nvidia VP of Applied Deep Learning Research. In a round table discussion organized by Digital Foundry (video), various video game industry experts talked about the future of AI in the business. During the discussion, Nvidia's Catanzaro raised a few eyebrows with his openness to predict some key features of a hypothetical
  
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• Facebook Can Be Sued Over Biased Ad Algorithm, Says Court

  26-09-2023 02:45 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Emma Roth reporting via The Verge: Facebook can be sued over allegations that its advertising algorithm is discriminatory, a California state court of appeals ruled last week. The decision stems from a class action lawsuit filed against Facebook in 2020, which accused the company of not showing insurance ads to women and older people in violation of civil rights laws. The case centers around Samantha Liapes, a 48-year-old woman who turned to Facebook to find an insurance provider. The lawsuit al
  
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• Does the iPhone 15 Have an Overheating Problem?

  26-09-2023 02:02 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Some early adopters of Apple's iPhone 15 have taken to social media to complain about overheating issues. Digital Trends' Bryan Wolfe writes: Over the past few days, various user complaints have popped up online by iPhone 15 owners saying their new devices are overheating. Some, for example, have taken to the Apple discussion groups to express their dismay, while others have left messages on Reddit and elsewhere. New smartphones commonly heat up more than usual during setup and in the first 24 h
  
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• Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin To Replace CEO Bob Smith With Amazon Exec Dave Limp

  26-09-2023 01:20 via science.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNBC: Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin will replace CEO Bob Smith with outgoing Amazon executive Dave Limp, CNBC has learned. Smith is retiring effective Dec. 4 and will remain with the company until Jan. 2 for the CEO transition, according to notes to Blue Origin staff written by Smith and Bezos that were obtained by CNBC.Limp joins Blue Origin at a key phase of the company's multiple space projects. Blue needs to ramp production of its BE-4 rocket engines, retur
  
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• Google Is Retiring Its Gmail Basic HTML View In January 2024

  26-09-2023 00:40 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Bill Toulas writes via Bleeping Computer reports: Google is notifying Gmail users that the webmail's Basic HTML view will be deprecated in January 2024, and users will require modern browsers to continue using the service. After that date, all users of the popular webmail service will automatically be redirected to the more modern Standard view, which supports all the latest usability and security features.The basic HTML view is a stripped-down version of Gmail that does not offer users chat, sp
  
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• Tesla Bot Can Now Sort Objects Autonomously

  26-09-2023 00:00 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  The official Tesla Optimus account shared an update video showing the progress its humanoid robot has made since it was announced in August 2021. In a video that looks like CGI, you can see Optimus sorting blocks and performing some yoga poses, among other things. Interesting Engineering reports: The video begins with the Tesla Bot aka the Optimus robot performing a self-calibration routine, which is essential for adapting to new environments. It then shows how TeslaBot can use its vision and jo
  
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