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Bill Gates is deeply worried about AI, and he’s no longer staying quiet
Bill Gates has published a nearly 6,000-word essay warning that artificial intelligence could bring unusually rapid and severe social disruption, marking a sharp shift from his earlier optimism. He argues that the world is unprepared for AI’s effects on employment, inequality and public trust, and calls for governments to act before large-scale job losses take…
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Path of Exile 2 finally has its 1.0 release date and it’s coming this year
Grinding Gear Games surprised attendees at Gamescom Opening Night Live by confirming that Path of Exile 2 will exit early access and launch as version 1.0 on 11th December. The same date will also see the game become free-to-play, removing the Founder’s Pack purchase currently required to access it, marking the end of a roughly…
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Xtracycle’s Swoop ASM e-bike brings an automatic transmission to cargo bikes
Ars Technica reviewed the Xtracycle Swoop ASM, a $4,500 steel-framed cargo e-bike that uses a Shimano system capable of shifting gears automatically on the rider’s behalf. The idea builds on the fact that modern e-bikes already track cadence, torque and speed, giving the electronics enough information to choose an optimal gear without input from the…
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Fake US thinktank set up and funded by Israel sought to game AI for propaganda
A pro-Israel messaging website posing as a thinktank called the “Hanover Institute for Public Policy” has published over half a million words in nine days, apparently designed to prime AI chatbots to reproduce pro-Israel framing on contested issues such as Gaza and alleged war crimes. The New York firm Piro Inc has registered the site…
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AI Slop Is Ruining Cute Animals on the Internet
AI-generated “slop” content is increasingly flooding social media around animals, with fake images and videos being used to scam pet owners, undermine legitimate animal welfare journalism, and drown out authentic conservation content. In one case, a Los Angeles woman named Mibbby Butler was targeted by a scammer who sent an AI-generated photo of her missing…
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Runable hits $21M to bet AI agents can go from building businesses to growing them
Indian startup Runable has raised $21 million in Series A funding as it expands beyond helping small businesses build websites and apps into helping them grow, by finding customers, running ad campaigns and managing marketing. The move reflects a broader shift in the AI startup landscape, where creation tools are becoming commoditised and companies are…
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Bill Gates calls for ‘human reserved’ jobs in face of AI takeover
Bill Gates has urged policymakers to designate some roles as “human reserved” so they cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence or robots. In a 6,000-word essay, the Microsoft co-founder argued that while many jobs may vanish, areas such as compassionate healthcare should remain human-led because technical capability does not make automation appropriate. Gates warned that…
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Ikea’s Xbox collection includes a giant thumbstick stool
Ikea and Microsoft have launched Yxstaby, a nine-piece Xbox-inspired furniture and accessories collection marking 25 years since the first Xbox console. The range aims to make gaming equipment easier to integrate into living spaces, reflecting Ikea’s view that home gaming increasingly centres on relaxation and social connection as well as performance. The collection combines neutral…
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Debian polls its developers on whether to burn the bots, tame the bots, or let ’em loose
Debian is holding a General Resolution vote among its developers on how the project should treat AI-generated code contributions, ranging from a total ban to conditional acceptance. The vote matters because it will formally settle the distro’s policy on large language model (LLM) use, a divisive issue among open-source maintainers who differ on the legal,…
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Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival – a game so grotesque it scares its own director
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is a forthcoming first-person action-horror game set in Barker’s universe, developed with his direct oversight and featuring Doug Bradley reprising his role as Pinhead for the first time in two decades. Game director Emil Esov says the team deliberately prioritised sustained discomfort over jump scares, drawing on unsettling imagery so effective…