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Showing posts from June, 2024

A robot gets a face of living ‘skin’ that allows it to smile

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A robot gets a face of living ‘skin’ that allows it to smile https://ift.tt/0pR47wI If humanoid robots make you a bit queasy — would it help if they had fleshy faces that can smile at you? (Image credit: Takeuchi et al. CC-BY-ND )

New York City is moving to ban phones from school. Will it work?

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New York City is moving to ban phones from school. Will it work? https://ift.tt/6UD3Htv New York may soon be the largest district in the U.S. to ban phones from the classroom. “They’re not just a distraction, kids are fully addicted now to phones," says the city's schools chancellor. (Image credit: Spencer Platt)

Amazon becomes the 5th U.S. company to reach $2 trillion in stock market value

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Amazon becomes the 5th U.S. company to reach $2 trillion in stock market value https://ift.tt/DOVJ0hQ Amazon's stock has gained 52% in the past 12 months, partly driven by enthusiasm for the company's investments in artificial intelligence. (Image credit: Jenny Kane/AP)

What it means for the election that the government can talk to tech companies

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What it means for the election that the government can talk to tech companies https://ift.tt/JNLRsS6 The case is one element in a right-wing legal and political campaign that frames efforts to respond to false and misleading information as censorship. (Image credit: Jim Watson)

Why cyberattack cases against journalists are increasing

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Why cyberattack cases against journalists are increasing https://ift.tt/jXr3HZ8 Cyberattacks against journalists are on the rise. That’s according to a cybersecurity company that offers free digital defenses to civil society.

If AI provides false information, who takes the blame?

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If AI provides false information, who takes the blame? https://ift.tt/oT5scOu NPR's Ayesha Rascoe asks UCLA Institute for Technology Law and Policy Executive Director Michael Karanicolas who could be liable if AI gives out advice that proves harmful.

In writing the country’s most sweeping AI law, Colorado focused on fairness, preventing bias

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In writing the country’s most sweeping AI law, Colorado focused on fairness, preventing bias https://ift.tt/ZSe2WxV Other states are watching as the law is refined before taking effect in 2026 but it’s getting praise for at least being a first step in regulating AI (Image credit: d3sign/Getty Images)

Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky denies it's a hazard after the U.S. bans its software

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Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky denies it's a hazard after the U.S. bans its software https://ift.tt/lE5swxT The Moscow-based company said in a statement that the U.S. Commerce Department’s decision would not affect its ability to sell and promote its cyber security products and training in the U.S. (Image credit: Pavel Golovkin/AP)

What does Nvidia's meteoric rise indicate about AI's potential?

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What does Nvidia's meteoric rise indicate about AI's potential? https://ift.tt/oOe2ElL NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with journalist Stephen Witt about chip-maker Nvidia's rise to become the most valuable company in the world and what it means for the future of AI.

A supermarket trip may soon look different, thanks to electronic shelf labels

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A supermarket trip may soon look different, thanks to electronic shelf labels https://ift.tt/gPjDe1k With electronic shelf labels, prices can change up to six times a minute. Grocers including Walmart, Whole Foods and Schnucks are adopting them. (Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon)

Cyberattack led to harrowing lapses at Ascension hospitals, clinicians say

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Cyberattack led to harrowing lapses at Ascension hospitals, clinicians say https://ift.tt/hBfQOCc Problems caused by the attack included delayed or lost lab results, medication errors, and an absence of routine safety checks to prevent potentially fatal mistakes, doctors and nurses told reporters. (Image credit: Travis Heying for KFF Health News)

If AI is so good, why are there still so many jobs for translators?

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If AI is so good, why are there still so many jobs for translators? https://ift.tt/vRTz9Ku Machine translation of foreign languages has been good for a while. And yet human translators are still in demand. Why isn’t AI killing these jobs? And even if it isn’t, how is it reshaping them? (Image credit: Vaselena)

Apple just made your app obsolete? You've been 'Sherlocked.'

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Apple just made your app obsolete? You've been 'Sherlocked.' https://ift.tt/5QjJ6aO The controversial practice dates back to the 1990s when Apple introduced a service called Watson that critics say ripped off another company’s tool. Since then, small apps have said it has become a pattern. (Image credit: NIC COURY/AFP via Getty Images)

The federal government puts warnings on tobacco and alcohol. Is social media next?

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The federal government puts warnings on tobacco and alcohol. Is social media next? https://ift.tt/AG9DoZc Vivek Murthy, U.S. surgeon general, has called attention to what he has called the 'youth mental health crisis' that is currently happening in the U.S. This week, he published an op-ed in The New York Times calling for social media warning labels like those put on cigarettes and alcohol. He hopes to warn young people of the danger social media poses to their mental wellbeing and development. On average, teens in the U.S. are spending nearly 5 hours on social media every single day. And it is negatively impacting their health. So what options do parents have? And will the government step in? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for C onsider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org . Email us at considerthis@npr.org . (Image credit: doble-d)

Uber and Lyft are fighting minimum wage laws. But in this state, the drivers won

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Uber and Lyft are fighting minimum wage laws. But in this state, the drivers won https://ift.tt/ksK159i Internal emails, interviews and in-app messages show Uber and Lyft deployed a powerful lobbying playbook to stop minimum wage laws in Minnesota. But drivers had a playbook of their own. (Image credit: Jenn Ackerman for NPR)

The U.S. healthcare industry has been the target of two ransomware attacks this year

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The U.S. healthcare industry has been the target of two ransomware attacks this year https://ift.tt/6xF5nlu NPR's Lauren Frayer talks with Wired senior writer Andy Greenberg about how healthcare hacks are on the increase after a major attack against Change Healthcare earlier this year.

The week in AI: Apple announces AI features in new iPhone, Musk drops OpenAI lawsuit

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The week in AI: Apple announces AI features in new iPhone, Musk drops OpenAI lawsuit https://ift.tt/EhpCngH A round up of this week's developments and drama in artificial intelligence: Apple announced a slew of AI features for its new iPhone and Elon Musk dropped his lawsuit against the maker of ChatGPT.

A major disinformation research team's future is uncertain after political attacks

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A major disinformation research team's future is uncertain after political attacks https://ift.tt/UKOFls4 The Stanford Internet Observatory studied how social media platforms are abused. Now, its top leaders are out and future funding is uncertain amid attacks on its work by conservatives. (Image credit: Win McNamee)

White House moves to secure rural health care systems from cyberattacks

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White House moves to secure rural health care systems from cyberattacks https://ift.tt/9GoyrY7 There’s finally a consensus that ongoing digital attacks on the U.S. healthcare system constitute a crisis. The U.S. government is trying to work with partners to staunch the bleeding.

Memorializing loved ones through AI

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Memorializing loved ones through AI https://ift.tt/Mqx5QUL NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Michael Bommer, a man dying of colon cancer who created an AI avatar of himself for his wife, Anett, to interact with after he dies.

X now hides your 'likes' from other users, whether you like it or not

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X now hides your 'likes' from other users, whether you like it or not https://ift.tt/IKXzov3 The platform X is now hiding all users' likes, with few exceptions. It says the change protects users' privacy — but critics say it removes a layer of accountability in the process. (Image credit: Kirill Kudryavtsev)

This new brain-mapping device could make neurosurgery safer

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This new brain-mapping device could make neurosurgery safer https://ift.tt/fGyxzT2 A flexible film bristling with tiny sensors could make surgery safer for patients with a brain tumor or severe epilepsy.

He has cancer — so he made an AI version of himself for his wife after he dies

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He has cancer — so he made an AI version of himself for his wife after he dies https://ift.tt/OvdHnKT Michael Bommer likely only has a few weeks left to live. A couple years ago, he was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. Then, an opportunity arose to build an interactive artificial intelligence version of himself through a friend's company, Eternos.Life, so his wife, Anett, can interact with him after he dies. More and more people are turning to artificial intelligence to create digital memorials of themselves. Meanwhile Katarzyna Nowaczyk-BasiÅ„ska, a research assistant at the University of Cambridge, has been studying the field of "digital death" for nearly a decade, and says using artificial intelligence after death is one big "techno-cultural experiment" because we don't yet know how people will respond to it. Artificial intelligence has opened the door for us to "live on" after we die. Just because we can, should we? For sponsor-f...

Why G7 leaders are turning to a special guest — Pope Francis — for advice on AI

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Why G7 leaders are turning to a special guest — Pope Francis — for advice on AI https://ift.tt/A3Y8oiH G7 leaders are meeting in Italy, where Pope Francis will join them to talk about the ethics of artificial intelligence. (Image credit: Alessandra Tarantino/POOL)

Screen apnea: What happens to our breath when we type, tap, scroll

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Screen apnea: What happens to our breath when we type, tap, scroll https://ift.tt/Iclu5pP Do you have "screen apnea"? Former Microsoft executive Linda Stone coined this term around 2007 after noticing she'd developed an unhealthy habit while answering emails: She held her breath. On this episode, she tells host Manoush Zomorodi how she tested her friends and colleagues for screen apnea and what she has done since. Then, Manoush talks to the bestselling author of Breath , science writer James Nestor, who explains how shallow breathing impacts our physical and mental health. He takes us through a simple exercise to "reset" our breath and relieve screen time stress. Binge the whole Body Electric series here . Sign up for the Body Electric Challenge and our newsletter here . Talk to us on Instagram @manoushz , or record a voice memo and email it to us at BodyElectric@npr.org .

Apple doubles down on artificial intelligence, announcing partnership with OpenAI

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Apple doubles down on artificial intelligence, announcing partnership with OpenAI https://ift.tt/UFjYPn5 Apple has announced a much-anticipated partnership with OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. The deal to bring AI features to iPhones and other devices is a major move for Apple, which has been slower than some competitors to jump on the AI bandwagon. (Image credit: Jeff Chiu/AP)

Fake beauty queens charm judges at the Miss AI pageant

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Fake beauty queens charm judges at the Miss AI pageant https://ift.tt/Q8XPud3 Ten models that exist only in the digital realm have made it to the finals of what's being billed as the world's first beauty pageant involving AI.

Parents are key when it comes to limiting screen time for kids, study finds

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Parents are key when it comes to limiting screen time for kids, study finds https://ift.tt/qgjkisS Early adolescence is a time when kids are becoming more independent and spending more time on social media. When it comes to curbing screen time in this age group, new research suggests some parental strategies work better than others. (Image credit: Kathleen Finlay)

The Miss AI beauty pageant ushers in a new type of influencer

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The Miss AI beauty pageant ushers in a new type of influencer https://ift.tt/YCaSbj1 Ten models that exist only in the digital realm have made it to the finals of what's being billed as the world's first beauty pageant involving AI.