Innholdsfortegnelse for #658 i Techlife News

Ahmed Othman isn’t on TikTok and doesn’t want to be. He and his younger sister got iPhones when they were in eighth and seventh grade respectively, but with no social media, just iMessage. Their parents, who are both computer scientists, spent the next year teaching them about social media, bombarding them with studies about its effects on teen mental health. “They really tried to emphasize social media is a tool, but can also be like your worst enemy if you so make it,” Othman said. Now 17, Othman credits his parents’ deep involvement for what he calls a “healthy relationship” with his phone. That includes staying away from TikTok. “The algorithm is so potent that I feel like, you know, TikTok might not benefit me,” he said. Othman, who’s originally…

The “No-Buy Year” trend has become a beacon of mindfulness and simplicity in an era dominated by consumerism. It encourages people to abstain from non-essential purchases, compelling them to evaluate their consumption habits and focus on what truly matters. The result is a balanced spending approach that fosters a healthier, more intentional lifestyle. THE CONSUMERISM CONUNDRUM Our modern world is inundated with advertisements, discounts, and the constant allure of new products. This pervasive culture of consumption can lead to overspending and a cluttered life filled with items we seldom use or need. In the United States, Americans waste an eye-watering $18,000 yearly on ‘non-essential items’ and purchases they’ll regret later. In the UK, hidden fees and forgotten subscriptions cost Britain £129 billion annually. 0 The No-Buy Year philosophy challenges this…

A group of OpenAI’s current and former workers is calling on the ChatGPT-maker and other artificial intelligence companies to protect employees who flag safety risks about AI technology. An open letter published this week asks tech companies to establish stronger whistleblower protections so researchers have the “right to warn” about AI dangers without fear of retaliation. The development of more powerful AI systems is “moving fast and there are a lot of strong incentives to barrel ahead without adequate caution,” said former OpenAI engineer Daniel Ziegler, one of the organizers behind the open letter. Ziegler said in an interview he didn’t fear speaking out internally during his time at OpenAI between 2018 to 2021, in which he helped develop some of the techniques that would later make ChatGPT so successful.…

Longtime technology news and review site Gizmodo has been sold for the third time in the past eight years, this time to a European publisher looking to expand its coverage of the digital scene. Switzerland-based Keleops didn’t disclose how much it paid for Gizmodo in its Tuesday announcement of the deal. Gizmodo was part of a $135 million deal in 2016 when Univision Communications bought its previous owner, Gawker Media, after that company filed for bankruptcy in the fallout from a losing legal battle with former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan. Univision subsequently sold Gizmodo and the satirical publication The Onion to Boston investment firm Great Hill Partners in 2019 at what was believed to be a fraction of the price paid in the 2016 deal. Great Hill formed G/O Media…

Artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT could soon run out of what keeps making them smarter — the tens of trillions of words people have written and shared online. A new study released Thursday by research group Epoch AI projects that tech companies will exhaust the supply of publicly available training data for AI language models by roughly the turn of the decade -- sometime between 2026 and 2032. Comparing it to a “literal gold rush” that depletes finite natural resources, Tamay Besiroglu, an author of the study, said the AI field might face challenges in maintaining its current pace of progress once it drains the reserves of human-generated writing. In the short term, tech companies like ChatGPT- maker OpenAI and Google are racing to secure and sometimes pay for high-quality…

It’s dangerous. It’s addictive. Get off your phone. Kids constantly hear about the downsides of social media from the adults in their lives, often in the form of dire warnings and commands. But these adults did not grow up with social media themselves. They didn’t get a phone handed to them as toddlers, just to keep them quiet in a restaurant. They didn’t join TikTok’s predecessor Musica.ly and do silly dances before they even learned to read. They didn’t have their schools shut down in a global pandemic, their connections to friends and peers relegated to phone and computer screens. Kids coming of age with social media are forging ahead in a whole new world. And now that they are getting older, they have some advice for their younger peers.…

General Motors has promoted two former Apple executives to run its software and services operations as it ramps up efforts to develop and market electric, autonomous and connected vehicles. Baris Cetinok was named senior vice president of software and services product management. The company also named Dave Richardson senior vice president of software and services engineering. Both joined GM last September, the Detroit automaker said in a statement this week. The promotions come as GM tries to execute big plans to grow revenue from software and services and move from internal combustion vehicles to those powered by batteries. Cetinok will run teams that oversee software products, while Richardson will lead all software engineering including digital products and partially automated driving systems. Cetinok has over a quarter-century of experience in product,…

When Michael Bommer found out that he was terminally ill with colon cancer, he spent a lot of time with his wife, Anett, talking about what would happen after his death. She told him one of the things she’d miss most is being able to ask him questions whenever she wants because he is so well read and always shares his wisdom, Bommer recalled during a recent interview at his home in a leafy Berlin suburb. That conversation sparked an idea for Bommer: Recreate his voice using artificial intelligence to survive him after he passed away. The 61-year-old startup entrepreneur teamed up with his friend in the U.S., Robert LoCascio, CEO of the AI-powered legacy platform Eternos. Within two months, they built “a comprehensive, interactive AI version” of Bommer —…

German software giant SAP has agreed to buy WalkMe in an all-cash deal valued at about $1.5 billion. The acquisition of WalkMe, a digital adoption platform operator that works with organizations on needs like improving productivity and lowering risk, would strengthen SAP’s business management portfolio — specifically with AI offerings, the companies said in a joint announcement Wednesday. “By acquiring WalkMe, we are doubling down on the support we provide our end users, helping them to quickly adopt new solutions and features to get the maximum value out of their IT investments,” SAP CEO Christian Klein said in a prepared statement. Dan Adika, CEO of Israel-based WalkMe, added that the deal would provide the software-as-service company with the resources and customer base necessary to expand its market reach — pointing…

Inspired by an 18th century Scottish philosopher and the modern scourge of misinformation, Suzanne Collins is returning to the ravaged, post-apocalyptic land of Panem for a new “The Hunger Games” novel. Scholastic announced Thursday that “Sunrise on the Reaping,” the fifth volume of Collins’ blockbuster dystopian series, will be published March 18, 2025. The new book begins with the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, set 24 years before the original “Hunger Games” novel, which came out in 2008, and 40 years after Collins’ most recent book, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” Lionsgate, which has released film adaptations of all four previous “Hunger Games” books, announced later on Thursday that “Sunrise on the Reaping” will open in theaters on Nov. 20, 2026. Francis Lawrence, who has worked on all…

Kate Bulkeley’s pledge to stay off social media in high school worked at first. She watched the benefits pile up: She was getting excellent grades. She read lots of books. The family had lively conversations around the dinner table and gathered for movie nights on weekends. Then, as sophomore year got underway, the unexpected problems surfaced. She missed a student government meeting arranged on Snapchat. Her Model U.N. team communicates on social media, too, causing her scheduling problems. Even the Bible Study club at her Connecticut high school uses Instagram to communicate with members. Gabriela Durham, a high school senior in Brooklyn, says navigating high school without social media has made her who she is today. She is a focused, organized, straight-A student with a string of college acceptances —…

Patients can now see an array of doctors without leaving their recliner thanks to telemedicine. But that doesn’t mean trips to the office should end. Finding the right balance between virtual and in-person visits can be a key to getting good care. Here’s what you need to know about which form of care may be right for you and when. WHAT IS TELEMEDICINE? This generally refers to diagnosing and treating patients remotely. It’s often done over a secure video connection provided by the doctor’s office. You can use your smartphone, tablet or computer. But telemedicine also can involve telephone calls or trading secure messages with someone from your doctor’s office to discuss test results or follow-up steps after an appointment. It can be used to diagnose new health problems and…

Google said it has made “more than a dozen technical improvements” to its artificial intelligence systems after its retooled search engine was found spitting out erroneous information. The tech company unleashed a makeover of its search engine in mid-May that frequently provides AI-generated summaries on top of search results. Soon after, social media users began sharing screenshots of its most outlandish answers. Google has largely defended its AI overviews feature, saying it is typically accurate and was tested extensively beforehand. But Liz Reid, the head of Google’s search business, acknowledged in a blog post that “some odd, inaccurate or unhelpful AI Overviews certainly did show up.” While many of the examples were silly, others were dangerous or harmful falsehoods. Adding to the furor, some people also made faked screenshots purporting…

Online marketplace behemoth eBay said it plans to no longer accept American Express, citing what the company says are “unacceptably high fees” and that customers have other payment options to shop online. It’s a notable blow to American Express, whose customers are often the most attractive among merchants and spend the most money per month on their cards. But it’s not the first time merchants have voiced opposition to AmEx’s business practices by walking away, most notably the warehouse chain Costco nearly a decade ago. “After careful consideration, eBay has decided to no longer accept American Express globally effective Aug. 17 due to the unacceptably high fees American Express charges for processing credit card transactions,” said eBay spokesman Scott Overland, in a statement. Overland said that eBay customers have become…