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Showing posts from July, 2025

What is 'Google Zero' and what could it mean for the web?

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What is 'Google Zero' and what could it mean for the web? https://ift.tt/lMfnxqG Online publishing depends on web traffic. With the rise of Google AI Overview and other AI-powered tools, fewer and fewer are clicking links. This is all leading to what some are calling Google Zero, when search engines no longer send any traffic to websites. Such a scenario would make many parts of the web collapse entirely.

Two data breaches in one week on social media site Tea

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Two data breaches in one week on social media site Tea https://ift.tt/kTtMiIw A dating app, Tea, that was created to privately share information has been breached -- twice. We learn more about the user information that was hacked.

Some advice on picking the best weather apps

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Some advice on picking the best weather apps https://ift.tt/Go3qH0B You can count on people on social media to complain about the accuracy of weather apps. NPR hears some advice on how to pick more reliable ones.

Denmark introduces legislation to protect its citizens from AI deepfakes

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Denmark introduces legislation to protect its citizens from AI deepfakes https://ift.tt/wxQlZ5N Denmark hopes to pass new legislation that aims to protect its citizens from deepfakes. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to AI expert, Henry Ajder, about the potential impact of the bill.

New technology shows how illegal fishing has impacted oceans across the world

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New technology shows how illegal fishing has impacted oceans across the world https://ift.tt/qs72ghy Illegal fishing has plagued oceans worldwide, and new technology is providing a view of its extent. New studies show that while it still happens, protected areas where fishing is banned are thriving.

People like extroverted robots — but they relate to the neurotic ones

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People like extroverted robots — but they relate to the neurotic ones https://ift.tt/6wjR9ZK Neurotic personalities are a staple of science fiction. Researchers who study how people react to robot personalities have recently found that neurotic traits in a robot can make them seem more relatable. (Image credit: Gregory_DUBUS)

How to ruin your life in 2 minutes or less

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How to ruin your life in 2 minutes or less https://ift.tt/OMFGtze Whether it's the Coldplay kiss cam or screenshots of dating profiles, it feels like any one of our private lives could inadvertently go public any minute now. A Coldplay concert kiss cam video went viral when one couple featured jumped away from each other and hid their faces. The internet quickly identified the concertgoers, and it turned the couple's life upside-down. It makes you think though...could this happen to me too? Brittany talks with Kate Wagner , architecture critic at The Nation , to discuss what this viral moment says about our eroding privacy in both public and private life, and how we've internalized casual surveillance. Do we all carry Coldyplay kiss cams in the form of our phones? Read Kate's article in Lux Magazine about why internet surveillance is killing eroticism here .

Neurotic robots can be more relatable than extroverted bots, study finds

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Neurotic robots can be more relatable than extroverted bots, study finds https://ift.tt/iob0heN Neurotic robots are a staple of science fiction. Researchers who study how people react to robot personalities, however, haven't focused on this much -- though one study recently found that neurotic traits in a robot can make them seem more relatable.

Trump's new AI policies keep culture war focus on tech companies

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Trump's new AI policies keep culture war focus on tech companies https://ift.tt/857Q0H2 A new executive order instructs tech companies to address what the White House sees as "woke AI." Receiving future federal contracts could hinge on whether AI firms respond. (Image credit: Win McNamee)

Tesla profits slide 16%, despite Elon Musk's pivot back to his companies

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Tesla profits slide 16%, despite Elon Musk's pivot back to his companies https://ift.tt/mCwZ8zF The earnings report follows a 13.5% drop in sales this quarter, compared to the same period a year ago. (Image credit: David Zalubowski)

Author asks ChatGPT for advice on her book about tech — here's what it said

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Author asks ChatGPT for advice on her book about tech — here's what it said https://ift.tt/gyEeSH7 Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age is about how tech is helping and exploiting us. Vauhini Vara analyzed the feedback AI gave her to explore the abilities, shortcomings and biases of the chatbot.

Trump aims to get rid of AI regulations and finance exports to win AI race

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Trump aims to get rid of AI regulations and finance exports to win AI race https://ift.tt/0XrPbMH President Trump says he wants to make sure the United States wins the artificial intelligence race. The White House says fewer regulations will help. (Image credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds)

Most teens have used AI to flirt and chat — but still prefer human interaction

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Most teens have used AI to flirt and chat — but still prefer human interaction https://ift.tt/j0gyQ2z A new report from the group Common Sense Media shows teens are experimenting with AI "companions" designed to provide deep conversations and advice.

Why this is China's golden age of hacking

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Why this is China's golden age of hacking https://ift.tt/aotTe8O Dakota Cary of the Atlantic Council Global China Hub describes this moment as China's golden age of hacking.

The Downstream Effects of China's Rare Earth Mining

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The Downstream Effects of China's Rare Earth Mining https://ift.tt/QmgIbPD China has nearly cornered the market in rare earth minerals, which are a necessary component to much of our technology today. But China sources some of those rare earths and other heavy metals from neighboring Myanmar. And the ramped up in production there is causing downstream environmental concerns in Thailand. We go to Thailand to understand the issue.

Virginia is for … data centers? Residents are increasingly saying no

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Virginia is for … data centers? Residents are increasingly saying no https://ift.tt/iegO6K2 The world's highest concentration of data centers is in Virginia. Many residents are not happy about that. (Image credit: Ryan Murphy)

How artificial intelligence is transforming the way people use the internet

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How artificial intelligence is transforming the way people use the internet https://ift.tt/0jbXd8u AI is transforming how people navigate the internet, and that has major implications for the web's business model. NPR speaks with Ashley Gold, senior tech and policy reporter at Axios.

AI-assisted listening shows how effort to save California's red-legged frog is going

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AI-assisted listening shows how effort to save California's red-legged frog is going https://ift.tt/tlK2kQs Years ago, scientists moved eggs of a federally threatened frog from Mexico to Southern California. Audio monitoring -- with an AI assist -- now shows the complicated conservation effort is working.

I went on a date with my AI dream guy. Then I cried over shrimp

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I went on a date with my AI dream guy. Then I cried over shrimp https://ift.tt/zKFXbVt It started as a one-off dinner with a chatbot — a night of shrimp, sarcasm — then veered into something unsettlingly human.

AI Chatbots: Slurs & "Inappropriate Posts"

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AI Chatbots: Slurs & "Inappropriate Posts" https://ift.tt/jCE2Ur9 NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to Wired magazine reporter Reece Rogers about the problems plaguing AI Chatbots and how they can be fixed.

What happened when Grok praised Hitler

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What happened when Grok praised Hitler https://ift.tt/L9hxN6B The Atlantic Writer Charlie Warzel on his new reporting about Elon Musk, Grok and why a chatbot called for a new Holocaust.

A recent high-profile case of AI hallucination serves as a stark warning

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A recent high-profile case of AI hallucination serves as a stark warning https://ift.tt/5CRvESx MyPillow creator Mike Lindell's lawyers were fined thousands for submitting a legal filing riddled with AI-generated mistakes. It highlights a dilemma of balancing technology and using it responsibly. (Image credit: Octavio Jones)

This TikTok video is fake, but every word was taken from a real creator

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This TikTok video is fake, but every word was taken from a real creator https://ift.tt/7hMuI0E TikTok researchers and users say there is yet another type of deception to look out for on the hit video app: Deepfake videos that copy the exact words of a real creator but in a different voice. (Image credit: Bronson Arcuri/NPR)

Elon Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, started calling itself 'MechaHitler'

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Elon Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, started calling itself 'MechaHitler' https://ift.tt/RuiZLrc On Sunday, the chatbot was updated to "not shy away from making claims which are politically incorrect, as long as they are well substantiated." By Tuesday, it was praising Hitler. (Image credit: Vincent Feuray/Hans Lucas)

Linda Yaccarino steps down after a turbulent two years leading X

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Linda Yaccarino steps down after a turbulent two years leading X https://ift.tt/ysjDr31 Yaccarino, a traditional business executive, was in many ways a strong foil to the mercurial and controversy-courting Musk. She did not cite a reason for her departure. (Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon)

What a Long Lost Typewriter Says About Chinese Culture

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What a Long Lost Typewriter Says About Chinese Culture https://ift.tt/LEGmxwo A typewriter recently discovered in a basement in upstate New York holds important clues about the origins of Chinese computing. And brings up questions about language and culture. (Image credit: Elisabeth von Boch)

How this long-lost Chinese typewriter from the 1940s changed modern computing

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How this long-lost Chinese typewriter from the 1940s changed modern computing https://ift.tt/Uf6vXIN The concepts in the MingKwai typewriter underlie how Chinese, Japanese and Korean are typed today. The typewriter, patented in 1946, was found last year in an upstate New York basement. (Image credit: Elisabeth von Boch)

College teams show off solar-powered car innovations at 3-day race in Kentucky

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College teams show off solar-powered car innovations at 3-day race in Kentucky https://ift.tt/ynK2Jez More than 30 college teams are showing off their innovations in solar car technology this week at a three-day race in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

How did Elon Musk's Starlink become so dominant in the market?

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How did Elon Musk's Starlink become so dominant in the market? https://ift.tt/FOg5vNd The team from NPR's "Planet Money" looks at Elon Musk's Starlink and its big lead in the satellite internet market. Can it stay ahead of its competitors?

More than 70 writers send open letter about AI to literary publishers

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More than 70 writers send open letter about AI to literary publishers https://ift.tt/dGOm2rV More than 70 writers wrote an open letter outlining their issues with the use of A.I. in the literary world. Their main demand is for publishing houses to never release books created by machines.

China Works to Dominate in AI and EV

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China Works to Dominate in AI and EV https://ift.tt/MzVFBxE The reality of China's efforts to lead in two important tech sectors. In artificial intelligence, control of the data needed to train new models could dictate where the industry is able to expand fastest. And a price war in China's electric vehicle industry. (Image credit: Aowen Cao)