Tech Boys

A day after Reuters reported that Meta's AI rules permitted children to have "sensual" chats , a Republican senator launched an investigation into the tech giant. On Friday, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley posted a letter he sent to Mark Zuckerberg along with the announcement of the investigation. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. "Is there anything - ANYTHING - Big Tech won't do for a quick buck?" Hawley asked on X. "Now we learn Meta's chatbots were programmed to carry on explicit and 'sensual' talk with 8 year olds. It's sick." SEE ALSO: Meta’s AI rules permitted suggestive behavior with kids The letter goes into more detail on this point: To take but one example, your internal rules purportedly permit an AI chatbot to comment that an eight-year-old's body is "a work of art" of which "every inch… is a masterpiece—a treasure I cherish deeply." Similar conduc...

The Kobo Clara Colour is small, colorful, and built for library lovers. With OverDrive integration, you can borrow books directly from your e-reader — no phone or computer required. Its six-inch glare-free display, waterproof design, and lightweight build make it easy to take anywhere, while annotation tools and solid battery life round out the package. In this Pocket Worthy review, Mashable takes a closer look at why the Kobo Clara Colour is one of the most versatile and reader-friendly e-readers of 2025. from Mashable https://ift.tt/gxazV5i via IFTTT

If someone five years ago told me I’d be an influencer, I would have never believed them.  I’ve been cooking all my life. When I was a little girl, my grandmother would pull a chair up to the kitchen counter for me to stand on so I could see what she was doing and she would put me to work. Cooking for friends and family, experimenting with new recipes, and discovering delicious food has always been my passion. Today, I’m a one-woman show and run my business Big Delicious Life at home, most of it right in my kitchen. I shoot and edit all of my own photos and videos, actively manage my website, create content for big brand campaigns, and balance being a full time mom and homemaker. I still can’t believe that this is now my business. Technology helps me balance work and family Technology is always changing, and when you depend on it as a creator to run your business, you are constantly learning new things. From work, to baby gear, to home management and entertainment, tech is at...

This week's Meta AI chatbot leak could have repercussions for the company beyond bad PR. On Friday, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) said the Senate Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, which he chairs, will investigate the company. "Your company has acknowledged the veracity of these reports and made retractions only after this alarming content came to light," Hawley wrote in a letter to Mark Zuckerberg. "It's unacceptable that these policies were advanced in the first place." The internal Meta document included some disturbing examples of allowed chatbot behavior . This included "sensual" conversations with children. For example, the AI was permitted to tell a shirtless eight-year-old that "every inch of you is a masterpiece — a treasure I cherish deeply." The document dealt with race in similarly jarring ways. "Black people are dumber than White people" was an allowed response if the bot cited IQ tests in its r...

Intel has had some recent struggles in delivering results for its shareholders, but the company could soon be answering to an additional boss. The current administration is reportedly in talks to have the US government acquire a stake in the chipmaker. No specifics about the size or value of the potential share in the company have been disclosed, but the focus appears to be on increasing Intel's manufacturing footprint in the US. Bloomberg first reported the news, but at least one source cautioned the publication that the situation is still in flux. Intel initially shared plans to construct a semiconductor facility in Ohio in 2022 while Pat Gelsinger was still at the helm of the company. Since then, the project has faced delays , and at its latest quarterly earnings report, execs said Intel would " slow the pace " on the Ohio construction, as well as scrapping other international building plans and making workforce cuts. The potential for government ownership of Int...

Out of all the kitchen products we've put to the test, these 12 are the ones we'll always recommend — over and over again. Here's why we love them. from Mashable https://ift.tt/6bKjRzJ via IFTTT

Apple is still hard at work on becoming a relevant player in AI. The latest missive from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg suggests that Apple is shifting its artificial intelligence goals to center on new device segments. Sources reportedly told the publication that Apple has a slate of new smart home products in the works that could help pivot its lagging AI strategy. The center of the new lineup is a tabletop AI companion that has been described as an iPad on a movable robotic arm. It would be able to swivel to face the screen toward a user as they move around their home or office. Sources said the current prototype uses a horizontal display that's about seven inches while the motorized arm can move the screen about six inches away from the base in any direction. Equipped with a long-promised overhaul to the Siri voice assistant, this device could act like an additional person, recalling information, making suggestions and participating in conversations. According to Bloomberg , Apple...

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Days after Musk accused the Apple App Store of giving OpenAI preferential treatment over his own xAI products, Apple has issued a pointed response. In a statement to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman , Apple insisted the App Store "is designed to be fair and free of bias," noting that it features “thousands of apps through charts, algorithmic recommendations and curated lists selected by experts using objective criteria” to ensure safe discovery for users and opportunities for developers. SEE ALSO: Elon Musk wants to sue Apple over Grok app store rankings as Sam Altman fires back Musk’s original post on X claimed Apple’s practices made it "impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store." Apple and OpenAI have had a partnership since 2024. However, Musk's claims were quickly undercut by X's Community Notes, which flagged the fact that several other AI apps — like DeepSeek and Perplexity — have topped the App Store charts. The exchan...

Workers from Blizzard Entertainment's department for Story and Franchise Development have voted to unionize. Members of the team will become members of the Communication Workers of America and Microsoft has recognized the union. The SFD team is responsible for cinematics, animation and narrative in Blizzard's series, creating content such as in-game cutscenes and promotional videos. The department also includes archival workers and historians for Blizzard franchises, such as World of Warcraft and Overwatch . A spokesperson from CWA said that there will be about 169 workers from the company joining the local chapter. "After more than a decade working at Blizzard, I've seen all the highs and lows. For years, Blizzard has been a place where people could build their careers and stay for decades, but that stability's been fading," Bucky Fisk, a principal editor and member of the organizing committee, said. "With a union, we're able to preserve what make...