IT on The Soothsayer / page 7

WhatsApp has recently unveiled a plethora of innovative features across chats, calls, and channels, aimed at enhancing the user experience and solidifying its position in the competitive messaging market. The new updates include an “Online” indicator, customizable notifications, document scanning, and improved video call quality, among others. These enhancements are expected to significantly impact the…

A coalition of governments has published a list of legitimate-looking Android apps that were actually spyware and used to target civil society groups opposing China’s state interests. The spyware, known as BadBazaar and Moonshine, hid inside popular apps and had surveillance capabilities such as accessing cameras, microphones, chats, photos, and location data. The apps targeted…

In a bold move, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke has introduced a policy requiring teams to demonstrate why AI cannot perform a job before requesting more headcount and resources. This shift towards AI-driven efficiency is not unique to Shopify, with other tech leaders like Klarna’s Sebastian Siemiatkowski also embracing AI for workforce reduction. As the world…

OpenAI, the leading AI research organization, has announced a significant change in its plans. After canceling the consumer launch of its o3 reasoning model in February, the company now aims to release both o3 and a next-gen successor, o4-mini, in a couple of weeks. Additionally, OpenAI is working on GPT-5, a unified model incorporating reasoning…

Zach Yadegari, a 17-year-old high school student and co-founder of the viral AI calorie-tracking app Cal AI, recently revealed that he was rejected by 15 top colleges despite his impressive 4.0 GPA and 34 ACT score. Yadegari’s essay, which he posted on X, was criticized for being arrogant and not conveying a genuine desire for…

Elon Musk’s alignment with President Trump and his involvement in federal politics has led to a significant decline in Tesla’s public image. The company’s disappointing first-quarter deliveries and record-high trade-ins have raised concerns about its future. As Musk focuses on developing autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots, the question remains whether Tesla can recover from its…

Skylight, a new social media app, is set to launch publicly after just 10 weeks of development. Backed by Mark Cuban and others, Skylight is built on the AT Protocol, the same technology that underpins Bluesky and other apps. The app aims to provide a decentralized alternative to TikTok, allowing users to upload videos of…

ChatGPT’s new image generator has raised concerns over its potential misuse in generating fake receipts and deepfakes. The tool, part of ChatGPT’s 4o model, can create realistic images of receipts, which could be used by fraudsters to deceive people. While OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, claims that its goal is to give users creative freedom,…

China Miéville’s groundbreaking novel “Perdido Street Station” has been 25 years in the making. This science fiction, fantasy, and horror masterpiece introduced readers to the complex city of New Crobuzon and sparked the “new weird” movement. Miéville has continued to push boundaries in his writing, and in a recent interview, he shared his thoughts on…

Mark Zuckerberg recently shared his thoughts on the 2010 film “The Social Network,” which tells the story of Facebook’s early days. In a YouTube podcast, Zuckerberg expressed his discomfort with the film’s portrayal of his life and motivations. He noted that while the film got some details right, the overall narrative arc was inaccurate. This…