Category: Technology

AI ‘godfather’ Prof Yan LeCun says it won’t take over the world META By Chris Vallance Technology reporter One of the three “godfathers of AI” has said it won’t take over the world or permanently destroy jobs. Prof Yann LeCun said some experts’ fears of AI posing a threat to humanity were “preposterously ridiculous”. Computers… Continue reading AI ‘godfather’ Prof Yan LeCun says it won’t take over the world

Microsoft-Activision: $69bn deal temporarily blocked in US A judge has granted a request by regulators in the US to temporarily block Microsoft’s $69bn (£56bn) purchase of Activision Blizzard. The court says the temporary restraining order “is necessary to maintain the status quo while the complaint is pending”. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says the… Continue reading Microsoft-Activision: $69bn deal temporarily blocked in US

US moves to block Microsoft’s Activision takeover Reuters By Michael Race Business reporter, BBC News Regulators in the US have asked a judge to block Microsoft from completing its $69bn (£56bn) purchase of Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said the deal, which would be the largest in the… Continue reading US moves to block Microsoft’s Activision takeover

MOVEit hack: Media watchdog Ofcom latest victim of mass hack Getty Images By Chris Vallance Technology reporter Media watchdog Ofcom has confirmed that it is a victim of a cyber-attack by hackers linked to a notorious Russian ransomware group. Confidential data about some companies regulated by Ofcom, and personal information from 412 employees was downloaded… Continue reading MOVEit hack: Media watchdog Ofcom latest victim of mass hack

Reddit blackout: Subreddits to go private on Monday Getty Images By Tom Gerken Technology reporter Thousands of Reddit communities will be inaccessible on Monday in protest at how the site is being run. Reddit is introducing controversial charges to developers of third-party apps, which are used to browse the social media platform. But this has… Continue reading Reddit blackout: Subreddits to go private on Monday

Twitch apologises as streamers leave after adverts row Getty Images By Tom Gerken Technology reporter Twitch has apologised, after a backlash over new advertising rules. The Amazon-owned livestreaming service had said it would restrict the size and type of ads used by streamers who create content on Twitch. This would have substantially reduced the ways… Continue reading Twitch apologises as streamers leave after adverts row

‘Ducking hell’ to disappear from Apple autocorrect Getty Images By Shiona McCallum Technology reporter Apple will improve its autocorrect feature so it stops changing one of the most common swear words to “ducking”. Although iPhone users can disable the autocorrect, the keyboard’s factory settings on the device change the word automatically. “In those moments where… Continue reading ‘Ducking hell’ to disappear from Apple autocorrect

Elon Musk: Top NBCUniversal executive joins Twitter LinkedIn By Annabelle Liang Business reporter Twitter has snapped up senior NBCUniversal executive Joe Benarroch, as Elon Musk continues to shake up the social media platform’s top team. Mr Benarroch starts the role on Monday, focussing on business operations. It comes less than a month after NBCUniversal’s head… Continue reading Elon Musk: Top NBCUniversal executive joins Twitter

Powerful artificial-intelligence ban possible, government adviser warns arutoronto By Chris Vallance Technology reporter Some very powerful artificial-general-intelligence systems may eventually have to be banned, a member of the government’s AI Council has said. Marc Warner, also boss of Faculty AI, said AGI already needed strong transparency and audit requirements as well as more inbuilt safety… Continue reading Powerful artificial-intelligence ban possible, government adviser warns

AI ‘godfather’ Yoshua Bengio feels ‘lost’ over life’s work By Zoe Kleinman Technology editor One of the so-called “godfathers” of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has said he would have prioritised safety over usefulness had he realised the pace at which it would evolve. Prof Yoshua Bengio told the BBC he felt “lost” over his life’s work.… Continue reading AI ‘godfather’ Yoshua Bengio feels ‘lost’ over life’s work