IT on The Soothsayer / page 10

Character.AI has unveiled its new video generation model, AvatarFX, which allows users to animate characters in various styles and voices. However, the technology raises concerns over the potential for deepfakes and AI safety, particularly with the ability to animate photos of real people. Character.AI has implemented safeguards, such as watermarks and image filtering, but the…

Two Korea-based undergrads have created an openly available AI model called Dia, which can generate podcast-style clips similar to Google’s NotebookLM. The model, developed by Nari Labs, offers more control over generated voices and “freedom in the script.” Dia can run on most modern PCs and generates a random voice unless prompted with a description…

OpenAI, the company behind the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, has been making significant strides in the field of artificial intelligence. The company has launched new AI models, including the o3 and o4-mini reasoning models, which can use ChatGPT features like web browsing, coding, and image processing and generation. OpenAI has also introduced a new section…

A group of young engineers, Ian Laffey, Sacha Lévy, and Carl Schoeller, created a cheap drone at a hackathon that uses its camera and Google Maps to calculate its coordinates. This innovative technology has the potential to combat GPS jamming in Ukraine and has caught the attention of the US Special Forces, leading to an…

A recent trend on social media has highlighted a concerning new feature in ChatGPT, where users are using the AI model to reverse-engineer location information from images. This capability, made possible by the latest AI models o3 and o4-mini, has sparked concerns about potential misuse and privacy issues. The trend has shown that even older…

Nintendo has announced that preorders for the Switch 2 console will open on April 24, following a delay due to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Despite concerns that the tariffs would lead to a price increase for the console, Nintendo confirmed that the Switch 2 will still cost $449.99. However, Switch 2 accessories will…

OpenAI’s pursuit of Windsurf, a coding assistant maker, has sparked questions about the company’s strategy in the code generation market. The news comes after OpenAI’s failed attempts to acquire Anysphere, the maker of Cursor, a rival coding assistant. The acquisition talks suggest OpenAI’s desire to capture a slice of the growing code generation market, with…

Google has rolled out a new security feature for Android phones, which will automatically reboot the device if it is locked for three consecutive days. This move is aimed at making it more difficult for law enforcement and others to access data stored on the phone without the user’s passcode. The feature is similar to…

Notorious internet forum 4chan has been hacked, with leaked data exposing the site’s internal workings and potentially revealing the identities of its moderators and users. The hack has sparked concerns about the site’s ties to alt-right movements and the potential for doxxing of its users. The leaked data includes screenshots of 4chan’s back end, source…

Car rental giant Hertz has notified its customers of a data breach that exposed their personal information, driver’s licenses, and payment card details. The breach occurred between October 2024 and December 2024, when a vendor, Cleo, was targeted by a Russia-linked ransomware gang. The affected customers are from various regions, including Australia, Canada, the European…