Monzo co-founder Jonas Templestein has commenced a new journey with a fresh startup seeking to put software developers out of business.

With fundraising efforts underway and drawing support from OpenAI and Index Ventures amongst others, Nustom wants to take full advantage of artificial intelligence (AI), in return for low or no-code web development. The company has launched its website, is recruiting and has set out its vision, stating within the next decade “the majority of software will be made by people with no technical background, collaborating with an AI.”

It is presenting an end-to-end SaaS offering for “those who want software made, but don’t have experience building or running it.”

The new direction for Templestein, comes at a time when Monzo is thriving. He is joined by co-founder Oliver Beattie, formerly Monzo’s VP of architecture.

Founded in 2015, the digital bank now boasts more than nine million customers and has reached a stage where it is profitable.

The company is said to be on the cusp of selling an additional stake to one of Singapore’s sovereign wealth funds, on the back of securing a £4 billion valuation last month. The top-up to the recent funding round is expected to bring in an additional $50 million from the Singaporean entity, in exchange for the issue of new shares.

Does this mean Nustom won’t be working with software developers?

Not quite, not yet anyway.

Despite the lofty ambitions of the startup, the company will “have human engineers guarantee the quality of the software until our AI agents are reliable enough to do it without assistance.”

Maria Campbell has become the third executive at Nustom, taking up the position of COO. She joins her former colleagues and Monzo alumni, having also worked at GoCardless and banking-as-a-service fintech Griffin.

The founding team at Nustom is completed with two engineers.

Fred Jonsson is another with a background at Monzo, whilst Eugenio Marchiori is the only individual not to have such a link. He is a PhD computer scientist with over ten years of experience at Google.

Image credit: Monzo

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DraftKings has confirmed executive changes at the company with Jason Park taking up the newly created position of Chief Transformation Officer to lead strategic initiatives for additional growth, including a targeted acquisition of Jackpocket.

Park’s existing role as Chief Financial Officer will be filled by Alan Ellingson, who is elevated from his current position as Senior Vice President of Finance and Analytics. 

The changes will take place as of 1 May 2024, with the rationale explained by Jason Robins, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of DraftKings.

“I have asked Jason Park to take on a new role at DraftKings to address and capture large efficiency opportunities that I expect will generate significant incremental profitability over the coming years,” he said.

“Jason’s unique skill set, based on his accomplishments over the last five years as our Chief Financial Officer and 11 years as a private equity Operating Partner, will allow us to further improve how we operate. In addition, I’m confident he will unlock the benefits of our proposed acquisition of Jackpocket following its closing to strengthen DraftKings’ position in U.S. online gaming.”

Robins indicated the company is set to move with the times to exploit transformational artificial intelligence (AI) applications which have the potential to deliver a long-term advantage for betting platforms.

He continued, “I am very excited to elevate Alan Ellingson to Chief Financial Officer and have him continue to lead the Company on the very clear path that we have laid out. Alan has been with DraftKings for more than four years, has extensive experience across our finance and analytics teams, and most importantly, deeply understands our core value drivers and focus on maximizing shareholder value.”

Further expansion for DraftKings

Last week, DraftKings announced the launch of its online sportsbook in North Carolina, the 27th US state in which it now operates.

The company detailed the latest expansion for the gambling platform, as the arrival of online and mobile DraftKings betting in North Carolina follows on from an agreement earlier this year with NASCAR, which opened up its initial foray into digital sports entertainment and gaming in the state. 

Image credit: DraftKings

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Xbox Game Pass has added another title with the arrival of Lightyear Frontier in early access mode, today, 19 March.

The indie game combines a farming sim with mech elements as players roam to discover the landscape on a solo run, or together with up to three additional users.

To get started on the game developed by Frame Break, players are urged to choose a flat area in The Meadows to set up camp. This allows space for building, farming and proximity to water for efficient resource management.

This step will be required once you have located and repaired the damaged Mech you fell from the sky in.

One of several tasks to be completed in the gameplay is to restore Pine Heights, a multi-step process, including using the map to locate the area, collecting tools with your Mech, and utilizing specific tools.

Jump inside and wander around the map until you have collected all the tools it tells you to. You can spot them on the terrain because they will be issuing colored smoke from the wreckage.

How does Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass work?

Xbox Game Pass gives gamers a diverse game library accessible across Xbox consoles, PCs, and compatible devices.

Subscribers enjoy a constantly refreshed selection of AAA and indie titles, making it a versatile gaming solution. This subscription model has revolutionized the gaming industry, offering a cost-effective and flexible way for players to access a wide range of gaming experiences without needing to buy individual titles.

It’s not without drawbacks, however. The rotating library, which sees games removed or added sporadically, is not for everyone, and this lack of ownership may be a concern for those who prefer to have a permanent collection.

Other games coming to Xbox Game Pass in March 2024

Final Fantasy 14 Online – Starter Edition (Xbox Game Pass Perk (21 March)

The Last Case of Benedict Fox: Definitive Edition (26 March)

Diablo 4 (28 March)

Open Roads (28 March)

Image credit: Lightyear Frontier/X

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A US safety body for artificial intelligence (AI) experts has admitted a researcher from China-owned ByteDance was mistakenly added to an online discussion channel.

The worker, employed by the parent company of TikTok, was granted access to a Slack group chat used by members of the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

It is an embarrassing incident for the organization given that TikTok is currently embroiled in a high-profile national debate in the States on whether or not the popular video-hosting app is an asset for the Chinese government to spy on, or influence a significant number of American citizens.

TikTok is said to have almost 150 million users in the US, its most important market, with the company ready to strongly defend its status after the House of Representatives passed a bill that could result in the social media platform being banned in the US within six months unless the company divests from its Chinese ownership.

The proposed legislation will now proceed to the Senate, where the outcome is less predictable.

A spokesman for the Beijing government implored the US has “never found evidence that TikTok threatens national security,” and the prohibitive action “will inevitably come back to bite the United States itself.”

How has NIST responded to the news?

The researcher, supposedly based in California, was added to a Slack conversation between members of NIST’s US Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Consortium, which is said to be made up of around 850 users.

An email from the safety body has set out how it has reacted to the mishap.

“Once NIST became aware that the individual was an employee of ByteDance, they were swiftly removed for violating the consortium’s code of conduct on misrepresentation,” it read.

The specific working group on AI safety developments is a multi-agency collaboration, set up to address concerns and measure risks of the evolving technology. The Institute comprises involvement from various American big tech firms, researchers, startups, NGOs, and others.

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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has reiterated his disdain for Elon Musk as he commented on a gesture the Tesla billionaire made toward Amazon chief Jeff Bezos in 2021.

When Musk surpassed Bezos as the richest person in the world, he sent him an emoji of a silver medal to outline his own new-found status in a manner typical of the controversial South African-born entrepreneur.

Altman’s comments, during an interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, extended to complaints over a lack of collaboration on artificial intelligence (AI). His comments mark another chapter in the ongoing dispute between the influential pair, on the back of recent legal action taken by Musk to sue Altman and OpenAI for supposedly reneging on its original mission of developing responsible AI technology.

As expected, the Microsoft-backed company made a court filing to counter the lawsuit.

What did Sam Altman say about Elon Musk?

In a conversation on the Lez Fridman podcast, the host put to Altman that all of the AI heavyweights should be working together on matters of interest and toward the goal of artificial general intelligence (AGI) but the boss of the ChatGPT maker said this wasn’t “really the thing [Musk is] most known for.”

He continued, “I was thinking, someone just reminded me the other day about how the day that he surpassed Jeff Bezos for richest person in the world, he tweeted a silver medal at Jeff Bezos.”

“I hope we have less stuff like that as people start to work towards AGI,” said Altman.

Bezos would later retake the number one spot, after a surge in the price of Amazon shares, but the oneupmanship witnessed in this incident is a theme that extends to Musk’s business dealings and relationships, just like he wants to have the upper hand on OpenAI, the company he co-founded with Altman before a parting of the ways led to the creation of his own xAI startup.

This week, it confirmed the open release of its Grok artificial intelligence (AI) model, detailing the weights and architecture of the system.

Image credit: Canva

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Irdeto has confirmed the launch of a new technology designed as a “watermarking solution” to act as a bulwark against gaming leaks.

TraceMark for Games comes from the same company responsible for the contentious Denuvo digital rights management system, with the new release able to add markers to video game content to act as invisible identifiers.

These tags allow content to be traced back to the source, as already utilized across media output such as sports broadcasts, TV shows, and movies.

Irdeto, the digital platform cybersecurity firm, has placed faith in the qualities of TraceMark, taking the view it will act as a deterrent to dissuade individuals from leaking game content when accessing early play tests, beta, or reviews.

Its features include flexible watermark generation to match specific requirements, with quick and easy deployment to the user’s consumer base and a wide range of devices and platforms.

Irdeto positions TraceMark for Gaming as the solution for clients to “enjoy peace of mind throughout the content lifecycle, from development to distribution.”

What’s the problem with hacks and leaking?

The video game industry has been beset with hacks and leaks in recent times, with even non-disclosure agreements being broken as was the case with Skate when early content surfaced. Grand Theft Auto VI is another prominent title to be impacted, with hacks resulting in leaks of the long-awaited release, undermining the official release more than a year later.

TraceMark isn’t being presented as a cure for all ills on leaks, nor does it claim to be. It most likely won’t have a significant impact on the unwanted, unauthorized flow of content from headline gaming titles but for the early stages and development of many new releases, it could prove to be a useful tool.

TraceMark for Gaming will be supported by Windows, Xbox, iOS, and Switch.

Image credit: Ideogram AI

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Hackers have targeted the esports final of online shooter game Apex Legends, causing significant disruption to the closing stages of the North American tournament.

The competition was thrown into disarray after unwanted cheats were deployed in-game with clips shared by pro players, showing their consternation toward the outside interference.

Apex Legends is a free-to-play, team-based battle royale shooter developed by EA-owned Respawn Entertainment, the studio synonymous with Star Wars: Jedi Survivor.

As the action was unfolding, Apex pro player Noyan “Genburten” Ozkose announced his game was being hacked with cheats used on his profile. A video clip from the player’s Twitch livestream showed a cheat program’s settings menu appear, resulting in a frantic Genburten outburst, “I’m getting hacked, I’m getting hacked!”

The malicious actors were witnessed repeatedly typing into the chat box from his account, “by Destroyer2009 & R4ndom” and “Apex hacking global series.”

Another high-profile player, ImperialHal, shared a similar response to the experience of the cyber attack.

Official reaction to the hack on Apex Legends

A comment was made on the X account of Apex Legends, late on Sunday night.

“Due to the competitive integrity of this series being compromised, we have made the decision to postpone the NA finals at this time. We will share more information soon.”

At present, the origin of the hack is unknown, whether Apex Legends’ servers or game may have been exploited, or if the incident has stemmed from its Easy Anti-Cheat software, with online suspicion of a possible remote code execution (RSE) attack.

We have investigated recent reports of a potential RCE issue within Easy Anti-Cheat. At this time – we are confident that there is no RCE vulnerability within EAC being exploited. We will continue to work closely with our partners for any follow up support needed

— Easy Anti-Cheat (@TeddyEAC) March 18, 2024

This attack appears to have come from an outside source, but players have previously broken protocol to insert cheat modes into the game. Due to concerns around this issue, Apex streamer Lindsey “LuluLuvely” has implored developers at Respawn to urgently fix an “out of control” cheating situation, suggesting the kernel-level anti-cheat system doesn’t go far enough.

This hacking controversy surfaced just days after EA disposed of around 23 staff working on Apex Legends, as part of a cut to the workforce also impacting an estimated 200 QA testers on the game.

Image Credit: Apex Legends/EA

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Playstack and LocalThunk have confirmed their highly popular roguelike deckbuilder Balatro has exceeded one million sales, less than a month after its release.

The poker-inspired title launched for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on 20 February, proving to be an instant smash hit after it grossed $1 million in just eight hours.

A press release from Playstack, via its parent company Tru Fin, confirmed Balatro has been its “fastest selling game to date” with Harvey Elliott, company CEO stating, “We’re incredibly grateful for the support and enthusiasm from players worldwide.”

“The game’s success is a testament to the quality and creativity that the indie sector can deliver, proving that even in uncertain times, innovative games can thrive. We extend our deepest thanks to every player who has joined us on this adventure.”

Developer LocalThunk posted on Steam to express gratitude for the landmark achievement.

“I’m so grateful to all the players and people that have made this happen. I still can’t grasp the response to this game, and I am overjoyed that so many people have been able to have fun with my silly creation. I’m so fortunate that I can continue working on my passion as a career. Thank you!”

This morning Balatro hit a momentous milestone…

ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD!

We still have some fun things planned for the future, but for now… pic.twitter.com/S7PEb0qjeG

— Balatro (@BalatroGame) March 18, 2024

What recognition had Balatro received?

Balatro has gained a sought-after “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating on gaming marketplace Steam, achieved thanks to more than 17,000 positive reviews in addition to a commendable rating of 90 on Metacritic, the reputable critic aggregator.

The game also enjoys a rank of 10th in peak CCU (concurrent users) among all Steam games with the ‘roguelike’ tag, listed in between Warm Snow (44.7k CCU) and Hades (37.7k CCU).

On the ‘roguelike deckbuilder” tag, Balatro is second to the free-to-play roguelike battle royale title Gene Shift Auto, which is not necessarily considered to be a deck-building game, and listed above games such as Slay the Spire (33k CCU) and Backback Battles (36.5k CCU).

Image credit: Balatro/X

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Image credit: Ideogram

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xAI has confirmed the open release of its Grok artificial intelligence (AI) model, detailing the weights and architecture of the system. 

Elon Musk’s company detailed the Grok-1 version as a “314 billion parameter Mixture-of-Experts model trained from scratch by xAI.” In addition, the San Francisco-based startup outlined how the model had been instructed on a large volume of text data rather than tailored toward any specific task.

No training code is required, as users can head directly to Git Hub to get started with the large language model (LLM). 

In an effort to solicit input from the research community on potential enhancements, companies like xAI can make their LLMs either fully open-source or available through limited open-source releases.

Grok has also been available to premium subscribers on X, the prominent social media platform formerly known as Twitter before Musk’s takeover.

What is the legal dispute between Elon Musk and OpenAI?

Last week, the billionaire announced xAI would open-source Grok at a time when he is embroiled in a bitter legal battle with rival firm OpenAI, which he was previously associated with as a co-founder.

Musk, 52, walked away to take a different direction in AI development and now he has sued the maker of ChatGPT and its incumbent CEO, Sam Altman, for allegedly reneging on its original purpose to build AI for the benefit of humanity and not for the pursuit of profit.

In response, OpenAI has rebuked the legal action, stating it is based on “convoluted – often incoherent – factual premises”, in a court filing as part of the counterclaim.

An official blog post that accompanied an email to company employees appeared to dismiss the early influence and impact of Musk on Open AI. 

The firm implored it has stayed true to its mission “to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity, which means both building safe and beneficial AGI”, “every step of the way”.

It was penned collectively by Altman, Greg Brockman, John Schulman, Ilya Sutskever, and Wojciech Zaremba, and detailed how the firm had raised less than $45 million from Musk, despite his pledge to bring in up to $1 billion in funding.

Image source: x.ai

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Apple could be set to introduce a touchscreen for the iMac, in what would be a reversal of a long-standing policy.

A report indicated an updated patent application has been lodged, revealing an iMac design complete with a pivot stand. An iMac like this would become more portable and easier to use if you need the device to move with you.

In the Microsoft Surface Studio, we could already have the ‘model’ for a touchscreen iMac, which would appear to be a good fit to modify this design for Apple and take on a rival product. A rehash of a previous Apple product seems unlikely, as the tech giant tends not to go to its back catalog for design inspiration.

If the company opts for a similar design to the Surface Studio, it becomes a natural fit for creatives, given how popular Apple’s existing range of static computers and laptops are with those tasked with video editing and other creative roles.

Time for Apple to test the market with touchscreen

In 2016, Apple’s SVP of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller, made a firm remark, dismissing the prospect of a touchscreen product, “Can you imagine a 27-inch iMac where you have to reach over the air to try to touch and do things? That becomes absurd.”

Almost a decade later — now could well be the time to test the market and the popularity of such a release following in-house experimentation. It could also steal a march on Microsoft, which hasn’t followed up with a new version of the Surface Studio since 2020.

A touchscreen iMac would genuinely be a new addition to Apple’s family of devices with enough appeal to make an impact. The updated patent provides encouragement, but hopefully, more information will follow soon on what could be an exciting new venture for Apple.

Image credit: Ideogram

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New Unreal Engine pricing and licensing is coming in late April

Get ALL the details in our blog: https://t.co/yidori2Bqq pic.twitter.com/zb4une6lOu

— Unreal EngineGDC (@UnrealEngine) March 12, 2024

Image credit: Epic Games

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According to reports in the Washington Post, former president Donald Trump asked Elon Musk if he would be open to buying his Truth Social network.

A conversation is said to have taken place last summer, months after the Tesla and SpaceX billionaire had closed a $44 billion deal for the Twitter social media platform, which he went on to rename ‘X,’ as part of an ongoing drive to deliver “an everything app.”

The official website describes Truth Social as “America’s Big Tent’ social media platform that encourages an open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating based on political ideology.

What was discussed between Trump and Musk?

Two sources indicated dialogue did take place between the prominent figures, but not to the extent that a deal was likely or even if there was any genuine interest from Musk. They are also said to have discussed politics and business.

With a clear line of communication established, it is an intriguing situation — with the most recent conversation said to have taken place earlier this month. Key Republican donors were also present at the Palm Beach, Florida sitting. Still, Musk is on record as saying that he is “not donating money to either candidate for US President.”

When quizzed on his links to Truth Social and the sojourn to Florida, Musk only stated that he had “never been to Mar-a-Lago,” Trump’s estate and residence in Palm Beach.

Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of the social media site, did not respond to the claims but instead rebuked the Washington Post, the source of the inquiry. Shannon Devine, the Trump Media spokeswoman, stated, “We heard Trump and Musk were actually discussing buying the Washington Post, but they decided it had no value.” 

Interestingly, Trump has not actively posted on X since his account was reinstated. One reason is that he wants to create and keep financial value for his Truth Social site, which he is said to diligently monitor. The presidential candidate for the upcoming election is keen to push and promote the network, telling advisers that he wants to break the news on the platform as a means to bring in more users.

As things stand, it remains an uphill task for Truth Social to secure a breakthrough in the crowded social media space.

Image credit: Ideogram

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Google has confirmed restrictions on its Gemini chatbot in relation to responses to queries on crucial general elections to take place this year, including the race for the White House.

The Alphabet-owned company is taking steps to control the dissemination of misinformation (and to prevent it as much as possible) by limiting the output of its generative AI assistant. Images, video, and audio have recently been created to maliciously impact the democratic process or for electioneering purposes.

Concerns around the spread of such content have led to governments sitting around the table, often with the involvement of the big tech firms, to find solutions to the challenges and regulate the overall AI landscape.

For the upcoming US presidential election later this year, Google previously stated it would be taking action, and that has materialized. If you attempt to ask Gemini about the face-off between incumbent President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, it will respond with:

“I’m still learning how to answer this question. In the meantime, try Google Search”.

A Google spokesperson was quoted by Reuters on the motivation for limiting their chatbot service.

“In preparation for the many elections happening around the world in 2024 and out of an abundance of caution, we are restricting the types of election-related queries for which Gemini will return responses.”

What other elections are taking place, and what has already happened?

Crucial national polls are set to take place worldwide, in addition to the US.

The UK’s general election will take place later in the year, with a date still not fixed, while important elections will take place in South Africa and India, the world’s largest democracy.

In the case of the latter, tech companies have been prompted to secure government approval before releasing AI software that is “unreliable” or still in development.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan blasted fake AI-powered audio, which had the potential to incite trouble on the streets, while deepfake electioneering saw the return of the feared dictator Suharto for the recent election in Indonesia, with a video address to the electorate.

Google’s collective focus on this issue will have been sharpened recently after its CEO Sundar Pichai sent an internal memo to staff, stressing Gemini errors were “completely unacceptable” after the artificial intelligence (AI) app embroiled the company in controversy.

The tech giant suspended its image creation function on Gemini after it generated offensive and historically inaccurate results.

Image credit: Ideogram

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Elon Musk has confirmed X is on its way to your smart TV, in the next stage of the social media platform’s ambition to develop into an app for everything.

It appears the Tesla billionaire has Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streaming services in his sights with the rollout of the new medium for X. In recent days, Musk replied “Coming soon” to a post indicating you will soon be able to watch long-form X videos on a TV app.

A report has suggested the launch will first be hosted on Samsung TVs as well as Amazon’s Fire TV platform.

Coming soon https://t.co/JlnlSL7eS9

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 9, 2024

What will X TV look like?

X on TV will not be rivalling the heavyweight streamers with its offerings immediately but it is likely to have some similarities to those platforms, with an initial focus on video hosting like YouTube, whilst it could aim to later bid for live events and other forms of entertainment, as found on Netflix or Amazon Prime to establish itself within the market.

In the ongoing diversification of X, since Musk completed his takeover of Twitter, it was announced in December 2023 that his Grok AI chatbot would be opened up to premium subscribers on the app. It also has Twitch in its crosshairs with the hosting of monetized live streams.

X has also introduced audio and video calling, now available to all users on Android and iOS. Any user of the social media platform can receive a call but only paid users can make a call.

This targeted upscaling is likely to be influenced to some extent by WeChat, the Chinese app which acts as a one-stop shop combining social media and instant messaging with a mobile payment functionality and more.

Musk has frequently remarked on his intentions to deliver “the everything app,” when he acquired Twitter.

He stated, “In the months to come, we will add comprehensive communications and the ability to conduct your entire financial world. The Twitter name does not make sense in that context, so we must bid adieu to the bird.”

Featured image: Ideogram

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As far as extolling the virtues of artificial intelligence (AI) goes, in tandem with promoting a strong, vibrant brand identity, Microsoft appears to have dropped a masterclass on how not to do it.

The US tech giant has been ridiculed after a developer shared what some called a “hideous” AI image, with significant potential to go viral on social media.

The Microsoft update from its Windows Develop account on X was intended to detail support information when migrating from UWP to WinUI 3 platforms but it appears something has been lost, in transit perhaps?

What's supported when migrating from UWP to WinUI 3

WinUI 3 and the Windows App SDK are new technologies and, when compared to UWP, there are some features that aren't supported. This topic lists which features are supported before you attempt migration.https://t.co/oLF44YayNv pic.twitter.com/2yQ6u9MGxe

— Windows Dev Docs (@WindowsDocs) March 11, 2024

An AI image depicted the movement of boxed goods from one large vehicle to another, to represent the named platforms.

However,  it is fair to say the reaction online has ranged from amusement to mockery.

Microsoft met with derision over AI image

One Twitter user, @oacoello_ stated, “Microsoft UWP app development is as lazy as this AI image.” Another fired back with “That image is hideous. Don’t use AI for this.”

@douglascamata was sharp in his commentary, opining “Running too short in cash to get a human designer to do properly illustrate this? The worst is that MS thought that this would be accepted on the internet without becoming an instant meme and source of mockery.”

Then in a rather scathing and succinct critique, @pyke_64 unleashed the rebuke, “If this is a sign of the quality of your upscaling tech for PC, don’t bother.”

That is just a selection of the responses on X, alone.

Please tell me where I can get those versions of Windows pic.twitter.com/kcXr8doItL

— Bronze (@Bronze87415846) March 12, 2024

It may have been intended as an informal or fun image to accompany the developer information, serving a purpose but the impact has been an unwanted one from a brand and PR perspective.

Image: @WindowsDocs/X

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Covariant has announced the launch of an artificial intelligence (AI) program with a difference, described as what is “basically a large language model (LLM), but for robot language.”

Peter Chen, co-founder and CEO of the Berkeley, California-based company spoke to TechCrunch to introduce RFM-1, and the aim of “giving robots human-like reasoning capabilities.”

A press release detailed the full development of the foundation model which Covariant wants to utilize to deliver the next phase of robotics beyond carrying out fairly basic, repeated tasks.

RFM-1 has been delivered thanks to a vast collection of data gathered from Covariant’s Brain AI program, which has been harnessed with customer consent to build up a ChatGPT for robots.

“The vision of RFM-1 is to power the billions of robots to come,” said Chen.

“We at Covariant have already deployed lots of robots at warehouses with success, but that is not the limit of where we want to get to. We really want to power robots in manufacturing, food processing, recycling, agriculture, the service industry and even into people’s homes.”

Very excited to share what our research team at Covariant has been working on: RFM-1, our latest Robotics Foundation Model. Built on top of high-quality multimodal data the Covariant robotics fleet has collected over the years, this project embodies our commitment to pushing the… pic.twitter.com/RoVh55BVKR

— Rocky Duan (@rocky_duan) March 11, 2024

Will human job functions be impacted?

With human-like reasoning, comes risks to human functions. There will be significant challenges to come, in line with the advances of AI. If robots are to be scaled up for human job roles like those listed above, companies like Covariant will need to be part of the conversation as to how the human workforce can be upskilled and prepared for a different future.

Chen tried to allay fears on just what is meant by human-like reasoning, in this instance it’s the ability of the robots to process real-time information and choose the best course of action for the relevant task.

The CEO tempered that his firm is not quite at the stage they are ultimately aiming for.

“We do like a lot of the work that is happening in the more general-purpose robot hardware space,” Chen explained.

“Coupling the intelligence inflexion point with the hardware inflexion point is where we will see even more explosion of robot applications but a lot of those are not fully there yet, especially on the hardware side. It’s very hard to go beyond the staged video. How many people have interacted with a humanoid in person? That tells you the degree of maturity.”

Image credit: Covariant.AI

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The European Commission’s use of Microsoft software is in breach of data protection laws.

Following a probe by the European Union’s (EU) privacy regulator, the bloc’s executive body was also made aware that it had failed to put in place adequate safeguards for the transfer of personal data to non-EU states.

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) announced its findings after the investigation began in May 2021. The infringements relate to several data protection rules.

“In particular, the Commission has failed to provide appropriate safeguards to ensure that personal data transferred outside the EU/EEA are afforded an essentially equivalent level of protection as guaranteed in the EU/EEA,” wrote the EDPS.

“Furthermore, in its contract with Microsoft, the Commission did not sufficiently specify what types of personal data are to be collected and for which explicit and specified purposes when using Microsoft 365.”

The EEA, or European Economic Area, consists of the 27 EU countries and Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. The EU has data accords in place with 16 countries, including Argentina, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the US.

In its investigation, the #EDPS @W_Wiewiorowski has found that the @EU_Commission has infringed several key data protection rules when using Microsoft 365. In its decision, the EDPS imposes corrective measures on the Commission. Read Press Release:https://t.co/XsMDnsfSGk pic.twitter.com/shvufa3KUx

— EDPS (@EU_EDPS) March 11, 2024

European Commission response to EDPS censure

The European Commission has been instructed to cease all data flows through its use of Microsoft 365 to the tech giant parent company and any of its associated firms that may be located outside the EU or any jurisdiction where there is no data agreement in place.

A deadline of 9 December 2024 has been set for the EC to comply with the order.

Wojciech Wiewiórowski, the European Data Protection Supervisor, spoke on what EU bodies expect to have the relevant protections in place.

“It is the responsibility of the EU institutions, bodies, offices, and agencies (EUIs) to ensure that any processing of personal data outside and inside the EU/EEA, including in the context of cloud-based services, is accompanied by robust data protection safeguards and measures, he stressed.

“This is imperative to ensure that individuals’ information is protected.”

Image credit: Karolina Grabowska/Pexels

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Reddit is seeking a valuation of up to $6.4 billion in its upcoming flotation on the New York Stock Exchange.

The social media platform’s IPO is inching closer. The launch, under the ticker RDDT, is expected by the end of this month, making it one of the most-anticipated listings in recent times.

Reddit is a San Francisco-based mega-website that combines elements of social media, message boards, and news aggregation. It was founded in June 2005 by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, who sold the platform to Condé Nast the following year. Huffman left the company in 2009 before returning as CEO in 2015.

The company wants to sell around 22 million shares, priced between $31 and $34 each, raising up to $748 million in the process, as detailed in a corporate filing posted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday.

Background to Reddit IPO

A March IPO launch was mooted back in January, and now that is coming to fruition. The offering has been in the making for two years and is considered a major test of the market for new listings.

Reddit plans to invite users and moderators to the party, with 1.76m shares set aside (8% of the IPO) for those who have built up the platform to this point, as well as board members and their family and friends.

The mega-site is said to have 100,000 active communities, with 500 million unique visitors hosted in December 2023 alone.

Its recent prospectus detailed OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s holding of 8.7% of the company’s share stock, making him the third-largest shareholder of Reddit. This puts him in a position to profit significantly from the IPO. Still, further to that, it questions the platform’s future direction with such a prominent link to one of the leading figures in artificial intelligence (AI).

The prospectus included Reddit’s plans to utilize opportunities presented by AI. Still, some have questioned at what cost with a general user expressing fears on the future direction of travel for the site, with concerns going public will irrevocably change the platform.

“When the most important customers shift from (users) to shareholders, the product always (suffers).

“It becomes ‘what can we do this quarter to squeak out an additional point of revenue,’ instead of ‘how can we make this product better’.”

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FanDuel is set to arrive in Washington D.C. following displeasure at the performance of GambetDC in the city.

The number one sports gambling brand in the United States recently confirmed expansion to its 22nd state in a partnership with the NFL side, Carolina Panthers. The brand will now enjoy further growth in a prominent jurisdiction.

Thanks to local legislation, FanDuel’s arrival in the District will make it the only sportsbook available to gamblers throughout the city.

In a letter to the DC City Council, the Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG) discussed the GambetDC venture’s poor results and the rationale for confirming OLG’s approval for “Intralot’s request to select FanDuel as a new subcontractor” for the lottery’s sports wagering platform.

Intralot Inc. is the existing lottery and sports gambling system vendor in partnership with OLG. Together, they introduced GambetDC, but it has not been a successful operation, with a lackluster performance record exacerbated by various complaints.

In a January meeting of the Lottery office and the council, D.C. Council Committee on Business and Economic Development (CBED) Chair Kenyan McDuffie encapsulated the lack of satisfaction with GambetDC.

“I’ve heard from many residents about their unease with the district’s woeful performance on sports betting,” he stated.

“I absolutely share those same sentiments, from issues around usability, customer service, and seriously declining revenue. We know the current model simply is not working,” added McDuffie on the venture, which has delivered $8.5 million in taxes to the District since its launch in May 2020.

During the same sitting, the OLG chairman intimated Intralot was ready to bring in a subcontractor, with FanDuel mooted, although no date has yet been penciled in for when the new service will go live.

“FanDuel’s industry-leading offering will ensure that the District maximizes tax revenue under its existing contracts this year while delivering a best-in-class experience for 18+ residents,” said Suarez.

What is the current sports betting landscape in Washington, DC?

At present, GambetDC is available digitally and at kiosks at lottery retailers. It will be replaced by FanDuel offerings, including all branding and kiosks, at 63 lottery retailers.

Existing betting operators in the city can only offer their digital services within a limited zone around their retail partner’s location. For example, BetMGM has a partnership agreement with the Washington Nationals, allowing users to have a flutter at their platforms around Nationals Park. Still, this offering is geofenced from the rest of DC.

Image credit: Pierre Blache/Pexels.

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