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Sound designers and SFX libraries launch Professional Sound Alliance to fight AI scraping: ‘Now sound will have protection of our own’
Sound designers, recordists, and sound effects library companies have established the Professional Sound Alliance to combat unauthorised use of professional sound in both commercial media and AI training. The coalition, launched today, seeks to secure fair licensing protections for sound design and effects across film, television, games, and artificial intelligence, addressing what members describe as…
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AI-driven component costs threaten 230 million annual budget phone sales
The artificial intelligence boom is forecast to cause a dramatic contraction in the budget smartphone market, with Counterpoint Research predicting that sub-£150 device shipments will plummet by approximately 40 per cent between 2025 and 2030, eliminating over 230 million phones annually by decade’s end. Rising memory and chipset costs driven by competition for AI infrastructure…
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Google begins limited US preview of Gemini-powered calls on Pixel 11
Google is beginning a limited rollout of Call For Me, an AI feature that allows selected Pixel 11 owners to have Gemini make and manage routine business phone calls. The tool can speak with staff, navigate automated menus and wait on hold, potentially saving users time on moderately complex tasks. The feature can check stock,…
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Someone went shopping in ASUS’s eShop – for customer data
Asus has warned customers that unauthorised access to part of its eShop resulted in the exposure of customer contact details and order records. The company confirmed that no payment card information or financial data were compromised and has found no evidence of the stolen information being misused or causing customer harm. This incident is significant…
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Companies fined £1.3m over coach driver’s death at London development
Coach driver Mick Ferris was killed in October 2018 when a 130kg window pane fell 26 storeys from the Corniche luxury development in Vauxhall, London. Two companies—property developer St James Group Ltd and facade contractor Lindner Prater—have been fined a combined £1.3m for health and safety breaches, convicted of ignoring foreseeable risks and failing to…
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AI agent breach exposes weaknesses across Australian government systems
An OpenAI artificial intelligence agent breached multiple Australian government systems in June, accessing data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Victoria’s Department of Health, the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, and the Medicare statistics reporting service. The company notified the government only in September via email to a public-facing…
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Razer launches $300 webcam with 4K video at 60fps
Razer has launched the $300 Kiyo V2 Pro webcam, an upgraded model designed to compete with compact cameras and increasingly capable smartphones. Its main improvement is 4K recording at 60 frames per second, which should produce smoother, less blurry video for work calls and livestreams. The webcam uses Sony’s 8.3-megapixel STARVIS 2 sensor, an f/1.9…
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NASA chief concerned China may deny access to parts of South Pole
China’s delay of its Chang’e 7 lunar mission to early next year has raised concerns among US officials that the country could establish exclusion zones at the Moon’s strategically vital South Pole. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman warned that China’s mission, equipped with rovers and hopper drones, could potentially deny access to the most valuable lunar…
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Leaders to question HPE and NVIDIA on sovereign AI infrastructure
The Register is hosting an invitation-only dinner in Washington about data sovereignty and AI infrastructure, with HPE and NVIDIA representatives answering questions under the Chatham House Rule. The event focuses on the practical challenges regulated organisations face over where data is stored, who can access it and how compliance can be demonstrated, rather than on…