Technology

Under pressure from European regulators, Apple took a step back in its feud with Epic Games on Friday, clearing the way for Epic to put its own game store on iPhones and iPads in Europe. Earlier this week, Apple had taken steps to block Epic from starting up a store and bringing back the popular game Fortnite, which Apple removed …

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman will return to the ChatGPT-maker’s board along with three new directors, the world’s most prominent artificial intelligence company said on Friday. An investigation by law firm WilmerHale into the events surrounding Altman’s November firing has concluded, and the company has created new governance rules and strengthened its conflict of interest policy. The board said it …

WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives will fast-track a vote next week on legislation that would give China’s ByteDance six months to divest from short video app TikTok or face a US ban after a committee unanimously approved the measure Thursday. The Energy and Commerce Committee 50-0 vote represents the most significant momentum for a US crackdown on TikTok, which …

NEW YORK: Image creation tools powered by artificial intelligence from companies including OpenAI and Microsoft can be used to produce photos that could promote election or voting-related disinformation, despite each having policies against creating misleading content, researchers said in a report on Wednesday. The Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit that monitors online hate speech, used generative AI …

WASHINGTON: Bitcoin soared to a new record high on Tuesday, fuelled by investors pouring money into US spot exchange-traded crypto products and the prospect that global interest rates may fall. The world’s largest cryptocurrency hit a high of $69,202, topping November 2021’s all-time peak of $68,999.99. Investor interest has increased since the Securities and Exchange Commission approved 11 spot bitcoin …

WASHINGTON: US authorities announced sanctions on Tuesday on parties associated with Intellexa Consortium, citing their role in making and distributing commercial spyware used to target US officials, journalists and others. Commercial surveillance tools “increasingly present a security risk to the United States and our citizens,” said Treasury Under Secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence Brian Nelson. In particular, the Intellexa …

KENNEDY Space CENTER: Three American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut blasted off on Sunday night from Florida for a six-month mission on the International Space Station. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 10:53pm from the Kennedy Space Center, lighting up the night sky with a long, bright plume of orange flame. Just minutes after the launch, as the …

Jennifer spent her weekend calling California voters, urging them to cast their ballot in Tuesday’s primary election for Democrat Peter Dixon. But unlike her human counterparts, Jennifer is a creation of artificial intelligence (AI), allowing her to make thousands of calls without taking a break or losing her cool. “Hello there. My name is Jennifer and I’m an artificial intelligence …

BRUSSELS: Changes Apple is making to its services in the European Union “make a mockery” of new antitrust rules in the bloc, 34 digital organisations complained to the European Commission this week. They include app makers Epic Games and Spotify. “We are very concerned that Apple’s proposed scheme for compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA)…will not meet the law’s …

ISLAMABAD: While there are serious concerns among users over the continued disruption of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) for over a fortnight now, a member of the upper house of parliament has called for a permanent ban on all social media. Meanwhile, there are reports that the authorities are considering a blanket ban on all Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), prompting …