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At Telluride Film Festival, Bill Gates Compares Lack of Control Over AI to HAL in ‘2001’: ‘You Could Say “Please Shut Down,” and It Would Say, “OK, I Took That Under Advisement, But…”‘
Speaking at the Telluride Film Festival, Microsoft founder Bill Gates warned that current AI systems lack meaningful human control, comparing them to HAL 9000, the rogue computer from “2001: A Space Odyssey” that ignored direct commands. He argued that instructions to AI systems get weighed against everything else the model has read or been told,…
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GSC Game World says there’s a reason it didn’t give Stalker 2 more time in the oven: ‘To make something better, you need to receive feedback, and this feedback should be fresh’
GSC Game World has explained why it chose not to delay Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl any further before release, saying that feedback from players needed to be gathered while it was still fresh and relevant to ongoing development. The Ukrainian studio’s comments speak to the wider pressures developers face when weighing extra polish time…
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Stella Parton condemns AI misinformation following her sister’s death
Stella Parton, sister of the late country music icon Dolly Parton, has publicly criticised what she called “fake AI garbage” and “snarky tweets” circulating in the wake of Dolly’s death. In an Instagram post, she thanked fans for genuine expressions of support but condemned strangers exploiting the family’s grief with AI-generated content and misinformation, saying…
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Political heavyweights clash over Budget tax plans and Trump’s Falklands signals
Laffer warns Labour against “taxing Britain to death” as Burnham backs public control; Hitchens questions the special relationship; plus Katie Taylor’s retirement, gambling site data breaches and a big Premier League weekend.
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How to find your iPhone even when it’s off
Apple’s Find My feature can still locate a lost or stolen iPhone even after it has been switched off or run out of battery, but only if certain settings are enabled in advance and the user acts quickly. This matters because a thief’s first move is often to power down a stolen device to prevent…
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Boox’s tiny Picco e-reader should land in November
Boox has revealed further details of its Picco e-reader at IFA, a compact device positioned as a rival to the popular Xteink X4, though pricing remains unannounced. The device is notable for departing from Boox’s usual Android-based approach in favour of a stripped-down Linux OS, and for lacking onboard storage, relying instead on a microSD…
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Mouse on Mars’ Jan St. Werner Taps Justin Vernon and Sufjan Stevens for New Album
Jan St. Werner, one half of German electronic duo Mouse on Mars, has announced a new solo album, Squares Will Fall, out on 13 November via Thrill Jockey. The record brings together an eclectic cast of collaborators, including Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, Beirut’s Zach Condon and the National’s Ben Lanz, marking a notable…
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TechCrunch Mobility: Tesla Cybercab hits the road — and a snag
Tesla began operating its first Cybercabs — robotaxis without steering wheels or pedals — on public streets in Austin, but the launch was quickly overshadowed by a federal safety investigation and a muted market reaction. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe into Tesla just hours after the vehicles hit the road, since…
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The pros and cons of using an iPad as a laptop
Apple’s iPad has matured into a genuinely capable laptop substitute for many users, though it still falls short for anyone with more demanding or specialised computing needs. For everyday tasks such as email, web browsing, video calls and writing, an iPad paired with a keyboard now performs almost indistinguishably from a laptop, especially since iPadOS…
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Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Devs Say Ending Is Best ‘Not Explained To You By Someone Else’
At a PAX West panel, developers of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation urged fans to experience the trilogy’s ending for themselves rather than seek out explanations from others, with game director Naoki Hamaguchi and battle director Teruki Endo stressing that the conclusion should feel like a personal experience rather than one spoiled or interpreted by outsiders.…