Category: News and Views

Google starts embedding AI chatbot into search | BBC News

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Google is introducing a new artificial intelligence (AI) mode that more firmly embeds chatbot capabilities into its search engine, aiming to give users the experience of having a conversation with an expert.

The “AI Mode” was made available in the US on Tuesday, appearing as an option in Google’s search bar.

The change, unveiled at the company’s annual developers conference in Mountain View, California, is part of the tech giant’s push to remain competitive against ChatGPT and other AI services, which threaten to erode Google’s dominance of online search.

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Trump signs bill criminalizing revenge porn and explicit deepfakes | TechCrunch

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President Donald Trump signed the Take It Down Act on Monday, a bipartisan law that enacts stricter penalties for distributing nonconsensual explicit images, including deepfakes and revenge porn.

The bill criminalizes the publication of such images, whether they’re authentic or AI-generated. Whoever publishes the photos or videos can face criminal penalties, including fines, imprisonment, and restitution.

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Is Fortnite Apple Blocked From the Apple App Store? | Entrepreneur

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Fortnite players in the U.S. and E.U. have been caught in a battle royale that they hope will soon end: Apple vs. Epic Games.

On Friday, Fortnite, which is owned by Epic Games, said that Apple blocked access to the online game on iPhone devices, writing on X: “Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the U.S. App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union.”

An Apple spokesperson told CBS News that it had asked Epic Sweden to “resubmit the app update without including the U.S. storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies. We did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces.”

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What’s new to streaming this week? (May 16, 2025) | Mashable

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Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that’s before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each one!

Don’t be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We’ve got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, and animation, among others. But if you’re seeking something brand-new (or just new to streaming), we’ve got you covered there, too.

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‘Are We Dating the Same Guy?’ Facebook group lawsuit dismissed | Mashable

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An Illinois federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” Chicago Facebook group and dozens of people.

Private Facebook groups like “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” aim to help (typically heterosexual) women avoid men who exhibit bad behavior like lying or ghosting. In some cases, multiple women in the group are dating the same man they met on dating apps — hence the group name. In one story Mashable reported on in 2023, a woman discovered her husband seeing other women across the U.S.

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Uber is launching a cheaper new carpool option for the rush hour crowd | CNN Business

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Uber is launching a new service called Route Share, a carpool-like option aimed at budget-conscious commuters.

Route Share will function somewhat like a commuter shuttle: “consistent and frequent pickup options along direct routes,” running every 20 minutes during the peak commute hours of 6 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. on weekdays.

Commuters will walk a “short distance” to designated pickup and drop-off points, and they may share rides with up to two additional passengers, Uber said in its announcement Wednesday. The service will launch in seven major cities, including New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago, before expanding nationwide.

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Apple may owe you money. Here’s how to get it | CNN Business

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Have you ever had Siri go off unintentionally? If so, you might be entitled to some cash from Apple.

The possible payout is part of a $95 million settlement stemming from a class action lawsuit alleging that accidental Siri activations enabled the digital assistant to listen in on private conversations. Apple denies the allegations, according to a website connected to the lawsuit, and the company did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for additional comment.

To be eligible for compensation, you must have owned or purchased an Apple device with Siri enabled in the United States between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024. You also must have experienced an unintended Siri activation during a private conversation

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Predictive policing: The risks, and what one city is doing | Fast Company

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The 2002 sci-fi thriller Minority Report depicts a dystopian future where a specialized police unit is tasked with arresting people for crimes they have not yet committed. Directed by Steven Spielberg and based on a short story by Philip K. Dick, the drama revolves around “PreCrime”—a system informed by a trio of psychics, or “precogs,” who anticipate future homicides, allowing police officers to intervene and prevent would-be assailants from claiming their targets’ lives.

The film probes at hefty ethical questions: How can someone be guilty of a crime they haven’t yet committed? And what happens when the system gets it wrong?

While there is no such thing as an all-seeing “precog,” key components of the future that Minority Report envisions have become reality even faster than its creators imagined. For more than a decade, police departments across the globe have been using data-driven systems geared toward predicting when and where crimes might occur and who might commit them.

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Nintendo profits tanked 43% in Q1 but pins hopes on Switch 2 | Fast Company

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Japanese video-game maker Nintendo on Thursday reported a 43% decline in profit for the fiscal year through March, but promised a turnaround as its Switch console upgrade goes on sale in June.

Nintendo Co.’s profit for the fiscal year through March totaled 278.8 billion yen ($1.9 billion), down from 490 billion yen the previous fiscal year.

Annual sales slipped 30% to 1.16 trillion yen ($8 billion) from 1.67 trillion yen, according to the Kyoto-based maker of the Super Mario and Donkey Kong games.

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