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The latest Amazon Fire HD 8, updated last month and starting at $100, is a modest refresh, offering more RAM, a nominally upgraded camera and some new AI features. The general sales pitch, however, remains the same: You get a just-competent tablet for the essentials at a dirt-cheap (and often-discounted) price, and in exchange, Amazon gets to plant another appliance for its own apps and services in your home. Nothing about this update drastically changes that agreement, but after using the tablet for the past month (and after using older Fire tablets for years prior), it may be time to demand more from Amazon’s end of the bargain.

It’s definitely a cheap tablet
Physically, the new Fire HD 8 is nearly identical to the last one. It is, without a doubt, A Budget Tablet — it’s nowhere near premium, but it doesn’t feel distractingly cheap either. At just under eight inches tall and 0.37 inches thick, it’s small enough for most kids to operate without much struggle and most adults to carry with one hand. If you care more about your tablet’s travel-friendliness than its virtues as a miniature TV, this size should be fine. The whole thing is lightweight at 0.74 pounds, so it’s not an anchor in your bag. Its textured plastic frame is somewhat slippery but altogether sturdy, with no creaking or flexing. Its gently rounded edges dig comfortably into your palms. There are fairly thick bezels around the display, but I’ve never minded those on a tablet — they give your thumbs a natural place to rest.
The display won’t win any awards. It’s the same LCD panel Amazon has trotted out in previous generations, with the same 1,280 x 800 resolution. If you’ve used any iPad, or even many midrange Android tablets, in the last decade, everything about it will be an obvious downgrade. The meager pixel density (189 ppi) makes images and text visibly less sharp. Colors are more muted, too. It doesn’t get bright enough to be totally usable in direct sunlight; you can read it comfortably on the couch, but don’t expect it to work as well by the pool. It’s also a smudge and fingerprint magnet.

The back of the Amazon Fire HD 8 is composed of a sturdy, if mildly slippery, textured plastic.

Jeff Dunn for Engadget

Again, though, the Fire HD 8 is competing in a different weight class than even an older iPad. The fact that the screen is relatively small makes the lower resolution at least tolerable. You can watch Netflix or read Kindle books and not think “man, this sucks” the whole time, especially if you bought the thing for well under $100.
There are other hardware compromises. The speakers aren’t all that loud and struggle to fully separate different parts of songs. They’re entirely on the left edge when you hold the tablet vertically, which always sounds odd. There’s an old USB-C 2.0 port for charging and a glacially slow 5W power adapter in the box. Amazon says it’ll take about five hours to fully charge the tablet with that; you can cut the wait in half if you bring your own 15W charger, though that’s still not fast. There’s no water resistance rating, so you’ll need to be careful if you ever want to read in the tub. Both the five-megapixel rear camera and 2MP front camera are brutal, washing out colors and blurring fine details even in good lighting. (As always, please report anyone using their tablet as a camera to the nearest authorities.)
It’s not all bad. While the Fire HD 8 only comes with 32GB or 64GB of storage built in — of which only 25GB or 54GB is usable, respectively — you can add up to 1TB of additional space with a microSD card. The 13-inch iPad Pro, which starts at $1,299, does not let you do that (I’m just saying!). The Fire HD 8 also has a headphone jack, which helps offset the mediocre speaker performance a little bit, plus there’s Bluetooth for wireless headphones. And one benefit of the shoddy display resolution is that it makes the Fire HD 8 less power-hungry: Amazon rates the tablet’s battery life at up to 13 hours. I got much more than that in our (relatively forgiving) battery test, but closer to 10 or 11 hours with more strenuous use. Either way, it’s good. Most people can safely expect it to survive a day of basic streaming and web browsing.

The Fire HD 8’s rear camera has technically jumped from 2MP to 5MP and now supports 1080p video recording, but it still doesn’t take photos you’d want to share.

Jeff Dunn for Engadget

The new Fire HD 8 runs on a 2 GHz six-core processor (the MediaTek MT8169A). The base model includes 32GB of storage and 3GB of RAM, while a $130 variant with twice the storage bumps the memory up to 4GB. I tested the former. The previous generation only came with 2GB of RAM — the pricier “Fire HD 8 Plus” had 3GB — so this is a welcome upgrade.
That said, it’s not a huge boost. With the entry-level model, the gist is the same as it’s been with past Fire HD tablets: You can get by with simple video streaming, web browsing, reading and gaming, but there’ll be hitches and occasional crashes along the way, and it’ll never be powerful enough for serious work or reliable multitasking. The modern web is just too ad-heavy and grossly inefficient for a low-end chip like this, so you’ll inevitably have to deal with some choppiness when loading media-heavy sites like ESPN or The New York Times. Apps take just a bit longer to open than they would on a pricier tablet, and it’s not uncommon to get some lag when you jump back to the home screen.
Still, for the money, it’s all workable. It doesn’t take forever to open a Peacock stream or load an article on Engadget. The Mali-G52 GPU can even handle a decent level of gaming — casual card and match-three games run fine, and even more involved fare like PUBG Mobile and Diablo Immortal are totally playable, albeit with severely low-res textures. On the Geekbench 5 benchmark, the Fire HD 8 earned a single-core score of 193 and a multi-core score of 907. That is lightyears away from impressive, but given that the last-gen version struggled to even complete the tests without crashing, it’s still a step up.

One benefit of buying a cheap tablet: You usually get a headphone jack.

Jeff Dunn for Engadget

Ultimately, it’s about managing expectations. You don’t buy a $100 tablet demanding a workhorse. When discounts bring that tablet’s price below $60, “not constantly annoying” becomes a compliment. If you can afford the model with 4GB of RAM, that should hold up better over time. Then again, a device like this makes the most sense when it’s as cheap as possible.
The ad-pocalypse that is Fire OS
The Fire HD 8 still runs on Amazon’s Fire OS, a fork of Android 11 that uses a custom app store and is designed to put Amazon’s own apps and services in the spotlight. (For the record, stock Android is up to version 15.) The generous read is that many of those apps are popular, so having them all front and center can be convenient. If you often stream movies on Prime Video, use Amazon Music with a Prime subscription or own a bunch of Kindle ebooks or Audible audiobooks, all of it is right there. You can set up different user profiles — also not available on an iPad — including child accounts that present a curated selection of kid-friendly websites and videos. A fairly robust set of parental controls let you monitor your child’s screen time within that. You can also call on Alexa and thus control various smart home devices hands-free, though Amazon has dropped support for the “Show Mode” that turned the tablet into a pseudo smart display.
You can install Alexa and all of those Amazon services on any tablet, though. Most of Fire OS’ actual changes suck, and they have for years now. The app store plays a big part in that. It covers many of the big streaming and social media players — Netflix, Hulu, TikTok, X, Max, Spotify, Disney+, etc. — but still omits all Google apps, Reddit, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Slack, tons of games and any browser besides Amazon’s ultra-basic Silk, among many others. The lack of Google remains the biggest killer; Amazon’s stock email and calendar apps are far less robust than Gmail and Google Calendar, while the bootleg YouTube “app” is just a web shortcut.

Left to right: one of Fire OS’ lockscreen ads, a snapshot of the less-than-useful “For You” page and an example of the AI-powered “Wallpaper Creator” tool.

Jeff Dunn for Engadget

It’s true that you can install the Google Play Store and download most of what’s missing with a hacky workaround, but that’s not the experience Amazon is selling (and not one most people will opt to do). I can’t praise an OS that works best when you go behind its back. And as with many Android tablets, many of the apps that are supported look like blown-up phone apps more than experiences designed with a larger screen in mind.
Because this is a tech product launching in 2024, the Fire HD 8 also comes with a few AI-centric features, including an automated wallpaper creator, a writing assist tool and webpage summaries in the Silk Browser. All of these perform reasonably fast, but It’s hard to call them game-changers: The writing assist makes copy sound overly stilted, while the webpage summaries strip down most articles of their nuances (I beg you, just read the post.) The DALL-E-style wallpaper generator is neater, offering different styles and responding well to natural language requests, but I can’t get excited over AI art when there’s so much of the real thing out there.
More egregious are the ads. Oh, so many ads. Upon activating the tablet for the first time, I was greeted with a full-screen promo for BetMGM — because what budget-conscious tablet buyer isn’t looking to gamble their savings away — and have since been bombarded with lockscreen ads to buy Toshiba hard drives, State Farm insurance and SteelSeries gaming keyboards. Thankfully, you can remove these for an extra $15, either upfront or after purchase.

You can technically install the Google Play Store and get around some of Fire OS’ app limitations, but it’ll require a bit of legwork.

Jeff Dunn for Engadget

But the spirit of nickel-and-diming you goes beyond that. The first app you see is “Shop Amazon.” The home screen itself is split into two sections: For You and Home. The former is a page filled with content suggestions, a significant chunk of which are either sponsored apps, links to movies on Prime Video and songs on Amazon Music or calls to subscribe to Amazon services like Kids+, Luna and Audible. Some of these are free; many others are paid. At one point, I kid you not, it presented me with an ad to buy a different Fire tablet.
The Home tab does have a traditional app grid, but above it is a “Discover” row that takes up the top 40 percent of the screen and delivers a similar range of not-so-personalized suggestions. As I write this, it includes a link to the Prime Video series Fallout, the sponsored app “Vita Mahjong for Seniors,” the Max app, links to two different thriller books from the author Frieda McFadden and a few other things I’ve shown zero interest in over my time using Amazon services.
It’s a jumbled, undignified mess. There’s a distinct lack of care to Fire OS, a pervading sense that it doesn’t so much have your best interest at heart it wants to needle cash-strapped customers into pumping more revenue into the Amazon machine. This just isn’t the case with iPadOS or even stock Android. Actually pay attention to what Fire OS is doing, and it becomes difficult to see Fire tablets as anything but subsidized ad platforms Amazon can seed in homes on the cheap. If you want a product that treats you with a little more respect, you have to pay for it.

The Fire HD 8 resting on top of a 13-inch iPad Air.

Jeff Dunn for Engadget

Wrap-up
I get it, some of us just need to save some cash. And Amazon, fairly or not (i.e., not), can significantly undercut most other decent budget tablets on price. If cost is your number-one concern, you only want a tablet for casual media consumption and you can live with the unfiltered Amazon-ness of Fire OS, there’s still value to be had here. Little about the Fire HD 8 is good, but much of it is fine for the price, and when that price is as bananas-cheap as $55 with deals, that’s probably enough. So it goes. Just make sure the slate is on sale before you take the plunge. Otherwise, I’d consider the 10.1-inch Fire HD 10, which has the same software annoyances but a sharper, roomier display, more CPU power and a touch more battery life. Either way, here’s hoping Fire OS becomes less user-hostile one day.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/amazon-fire-hd-8-2024-review-a-cheap-tablet-hampered-by-outdated-software-141924425.html?src=rss

The latest Amazon Fire HD 8, updated last month and starting at $100, is a modest refresh, offering more RAM, a nominally upgraded camera and some new AI features. The general sales pitch, however, remains the same: You get a just-competent tablet for the essentials at a dirt-cheap (and often-discounted) price, and in exchange, Amazon gets to plant another appliance for its own apps and services in your home. Nothing about this update drastically changes that agreement, but after using the tablet for the past month (and after using older Fire tablets for years prior), it may be time to demand more from Amazon’s end of the bargain.

It’s definitely a cheap tablet

Physically, the new Fire HD 8 is nearly identical to the last one. It is, without a doubt, A Budget Tablet — it’s nowhere near premium, but it doesn’t feel distractingly cheap either. At just under eight inches tall and 0.37 inches thick, it’s small enough for most kids to operate without much struggle and most adults to carry with one hand. If you care more about your tablet’s travel-friendliness than its virtues as a miniature TV, this size should be fine. The whole thing is lightweight at 0.74 pounds, so it’s not an anchor in your bag. Its textured plastic frame is somewhat slippery but altogether sturdy, with no creaking or flexing. Its gently rounded edges dig comfortably into your palms. There are fairly thick bezels around the display, but I’ve never minded those on a tablet — they give your thumbs a natural place to rest.

The display won’t win any awards. It’s the same LCD panel Amazon has trotted out in previous generations, with the same 1,280 x 800 resolution. If you’ve used any iPad, or even many midrange Android tablets, in the last decade, everything about it will be an obvious downgrade. The meager pixel density (189 ppi) makes images and text visibly less sharp. Colors are more muted, too. It doesn’t get bright enough to be totally usable in direct sunlight; you can read it comfortably on the couch, but don’t expect it to work as well by the pool. It’s also a smudge and fingerprint magnet.

The back of the Amazon Fire HD 8 is composed of a sturdy, if mildly slippery, textured plastic.

Again, though, the Fire HD 8 is competing in a different weight class than even an older iPad. The fact that the screen is relatively small makes the lower resolution at least tolerable. You can watch Netflix or read Kindle books and not think “man, this sucks” the whole time, especially if you bought the thing for well under $100.

There are other hardware compromises. The speakers aren’t all that loud and struggle to fully separate different parts of songs. They’re entirely on the left edge when you hold the tablet vertically, which always sounds odd. There’s an old USB-C 2.0 port for charging and a glacially slow 5W power adapter in the box. Amazon says it’ll take about five hours to fully charge the tablet with that; you can cut the wait in half if you bring your own 15W charger, though that’s still not fast. There’s no water resistance rating, so you’ll need to be careful if you ever want to read in the tub. Both the five-megapixel rear camera and 2MP front camera are brutal, washing out colors and blurring fine details even in good lighting. (As always, please report anyone using their tablet as a camera to the nearest authorities.)

It’s not all bad. While the Fire HD 8 only comes with 32GB or 64GB of storage built in — of which only 25GB or 54GB is usable, respectively — you can add up to 1TB of additional space with a microSD card. The 13-inch iPad Pro, which starts at $1,299, does not let you do that (I’m just saying!). The Fire HD 8 also has a headphone jack, which helps offset the mediocre speaker performance a little bit, plus there’s Bluetooth for wireless headphones. And one benefit of the shoddy display resolution is that it makes the Fire HD 8 less power-hungry: Amazon rates the tablet’s battery life at up to 13 hours. I got much more than that in our (relatively forgiving) battery test, but closer to 10 or 11 hours with more strenuous use. Either way, it’s good. Most people can safely expect it to survive a day of basic streaming and web browsing.

The Fire HD 8’s rear camera has technically jumped from 2MP to 5MP and now supports 1080p video recording, but it still doesn’t take photos you’d want to share.

The new Fire HD 8 runs on a 2 GHz six-core processor (the MediaTek MT8169A). The base model includes 32GB of storage and 3GB of RAM, while a $130 variant with twice the storage bumps the memory up to 4GB. I tested the former. The previous generation only came with 2GB of RAM — the pricier “Fire HD 8 Plus” had 3GB — so this is a welcome upgrade.

That said, it’s not a huge boost. With the entry-level model, the gist is the same as it’s been with past Fire HD tablets: You can get by with simple video streaming, web browsing, reading and gaming, but there’ll be hitches and occasional crashes along the way, and it’ll never be powerful enough for serious work or reliable multitasking. The modern web is just too ad-heavy and grossly inefficient for a low-end chip like this, so you’ll inevitably have to deal with some choppiness when loading media-heavy sites like ESPN or The New York Times. Apps take just a bit longer to open than they would on a pricier tablet, and it’s not uncommon to get some lag when you jump back to the home screen.

Still, for the money, it’s all workable. It doesn’t take forever to open a Peacock stream or load an article on Engadget. The Mali-G52 GPU can even handle a decent level of gaming — casual card and match-three games run fine, and even more involved fare like PUBG Mobile and Diablo Immortal are totally playable, albeit with severely low-res textures. On the Geekbench 5 benchmark, the Fire HD 8 earned a single-core score of 193 and a multi-core score of 907. That is lightyears away from impressive, but given that the last-gen version struggled to even complete the tests without crashing, it’s still a step up.

One benefit of buying a cheap tablet: You usually get a headphone jack.

Ultimately, it’s about managing expectations. You don’t buy a $100 tablet demanding a workhorse. When discounts bring that tablet’s price below $60, “not constantly annoying” becomes a compliment. If you can afford the model with 4GB of RAM, that should hold up better over time. Then again, a device like this makes the most sense when it’s as cheap as possible.

The ad-pocalypse that is Fire OS

The Fire HD 8 still runs on Amazon’s Fire OS, a fork of Android 11 that uses a custom app store and is designed to put Amazon’s own apps and services in the spotlight. (For the record, stock Android is up to version 15.) The generous read is that many of those apps are popular, so having them all front and center can be convenient. If you often stream movies on Prime Video, use Amazon Music with a Prime subscription or own a bunch of Kindle ebooks or Audible audiobooks, all of it is right there. You can set up different user profiles — also not available on an iPad — including child accounts that present a curated selection of kid-friendly websites and videos. A fairly robust set of parental controls let you monitor your child’s screen time within that. You can also call on Alexa and thus control various smart home devices hands-free, though Amazon has dropped support for the “Show Mode” that turned the tablet into a pseudo smart display.

You can install Alexa and all of those Amazon services on any tablet, though. Most of Fire OS’ actual changes suck, and they have for years now. The app store plays a big part in that. It covers many of the big streaming and social media players — Netflix, Hulu, TikTok, X, Max, Spotify, Disney+, etc. — but still omits all Google apps, Reddit, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Slack, tons of games and any browser besides Amazon’s ultra-basic Silk, among many others. The lack of Google remains the biggest killer; Amazon’s stock email and calendar apps are far less robust than Gmail and Google Calendar, while the bootleg YouTube “app” is just a web shortcut.

Left to right: one of Fire OS’ lockscreen ads, a snapshot of the less-than-useful “For You” page and an example of the AI-powered “Wallpaper Creator” tool.

It’s true that you can install the Google Play Store and download most of what’s missing with a hacky workaround, but that’s not the experience Amazon is selling (and not one most people will opt to do). I can’t praise an OS that works best when you go behind its back. And as with many Android tablets, many of the apps that are supported look like blown-up phone apps more than experiences designed with a larger screen in mind.

Because this is a tech product launching in 2024, the Fire HD 8 also comes with a few AI-centric features, including an automated wallpaper creator, a writing assist tool and webpage summaries in the Silk Browser. All of these perform reasonably fast, but It’s hard to call them game-changers: The writing assist makes copy sound overly stilted, while the webpage summaries strip down most articles of their nuances (I beg you, just read the post.) The DALL-E-style wallpaper generator is neater, offering different styles and responding well to natural language requests, but I can’t get excited over AI art when there’s so much of the real thing out there.

More egregious are the ads. Oh, so many ads. Upon activating the tablet for the first time, I was greeted with a full-screen promo for BetMGM — because what budget-conscious tablet buyer isn’t looking to gamble their savings away — and have since been bombarded with lockscreen ads to buy Toshiba hard drives, State Farm insurance and SteelSeries gaming keyboards. Thankfully, you can remove these for an extra $15, either upfront or after purchase.

You can technically install the Google Play Store and get around some of Fire OS’ app limitations, but it’ll require a bit of legwork.

But the spirit of nickel-and-diming you goes beyond that. The first app you see is “Shop Amazon.” The home screen itself is split into two sections: For You and Home. The former is a page filled with content suggestions, a significant chunk of which are either sponsored apps, links to movies on Prime Video and songs on Amazon Music or calls to subscribe to Amazon services like Kids+, Luna and Audible. Some of these are free; many others are paid. At one point, I kid you not, it presented me with an ad to buy a different Fire tablet.

The Home tab does have a traditional app grid, but above it is a “Discover” row that takes up the top 40 percent of the screen and delivers a similar range of not-so-personalized suggestions. As I write this, it includes a link to the Prime Video series Fallout, the sponsored app “Vita Mahjong for Seniors,” the Max app, links to two different thriller books from the author Frieda McFadden and a few other things I’ve shown zero interest in over my time using Amazon services.

It’s a jumbled, undignified mess. There’s a distinct lack of care to Fire OS, a pervading sense that it doesn’t so much have your best interest at heart it wants to needle cash-strapped customers into pumping more revenue into the Amazon machine. This just isn’t the case with iPadOS or even stock Android. Actually pay attention to what Fire OS is doing, and it becomes difficult to see Fire tablets as anything but subsidized ad platforms Amazon can seed in homes on the cheap. If you want a product that treats you with a little more respect, you have to pay for it.

The Fire HD 8 resting on top of a 13-inch iPad Air.

Wrap-up

I get it, some of us just need to save some cash. And Amazon, fairly or not (i.e., not), can significantly undercut most other decent budget tablets on price. If cost is your number-one concern, you only want a tablet for casual media consumption and you can live with the unfiltered Amazon-ness of Fire OS, there’s still value to be had here. Little about the Fire HD 8 is good, but much of it is fine for the price, and when that price is as bananas-cheap as $55 with deals, that’s probably enough. So it goes. Just make sure the slate is on sale before you take the plunge. Otherwise, I’d consider the 10.1-inch Fire HD 10, which has the same software annoyances but a sharper, roomier display, more CPU power and a touch more battery life. Either way, here’s hoping Fire OS becomes less user-hostile one day.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/amazon-fire-hd-8-2024-review-a-cheap-tablet-hampered-by-outdated-software-141924425.html?src=rss

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Elon Musk has amended his lawsuit against OpenAI, adding more anti-trust claims against the company and including Microsoft as a defendant. He also added his company, xAI, as well as Shivon Zilis, a former OpenAI board member and mother to three of his children, as plaintiffs. Musk originally sued OpenAI in March, accusing founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman of violating the organization’s non-profit mission by teaming up with Microsoft. He withdrew the state court lawsuit in June before suing OpenAI and Altman again in federal court. 
Musk was one OpenAI’s earliest backers, and one of his arguments was that he was “betrayed by Mr. Altman and his accomplices.” In response to his lawsuit, OpenAI published old emails from 2015 to 2018 in a blog post, wherein it claimed that Musk was involved in the planning when the company first explored transitioning into a for-profit structure. xAI’s founder allegedly wanted majority equity, control of the initial board of directors and the CEO position and even suggested merging OpenAI with Tesla. Musk left the organization in 2018 before Microsoft invested the first billion in OpenAI. Since then, Microsoft has invested $13 billion in the generative AI firm, and OpenAI has taken steps to complete its transformation into a more traditional for-profit company with a non-profit arm. 
As TechCrunch notes, the amended lawsuit argues that OpenAI is “actively trying to eliminate competitors,” including xAI, by making investors promise not to fund them. xAI has been harmed by OpenAI’s and Microsoft’s exclusive exchange of “competitively sensitive information,” the lawsuit also says. Musk’s new complaint names LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Microsoft VP Dee Templeton as defendants, as well, for being involved with both OpenAI and Microsoft boards. As for why Zilis was named as a plaintiff, the lawsuit says it’s because the former OpenAI board member and current director of Neuralink repeatedly raised concerns over OpenAI’s deals that were similar to Musks. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/elon-musk-adds-microsoft-as-defendant-in-his-lawsuit-against-openai-140023400.html?src=rss

Elon Musk has amended his lawsuit against OpenAI, adding more anti-trust claims against the company and including Microsoft as a defendant. He also added his company, xAI, as well as Shivon Zilis, a former OpenAI board member and mother to three of his children, as plaintiffs. Musk originally sued OpenAI in March, accusing founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman of violating the organization’s non-profit mission by teaming up with Microsoft. He withdrew the state court lawsuit in June before suing OpenAI and Altman again in federal court. 

Musk was one OpenAI’s earliest backers, and one of his arguments was that he was “betrayed by Mr. Altman and his accomplices.” In response to his lawsuit, OpenAI published old emails from 2015 to 2018 in a blog post, wherein it claimed that Musk was involved in the planning when the company first explored transitioning into a for-profit structure. xAI’s founder allegedly wanted majority equity, control of the initial board of directors and the CEO position and even suggested merging OpenAI with Tesla. Musk left the organization in 2018 before Microsoft invested the first billion in OpenAI. Since then, Microsoft has invested $13 billion in the generative AI firm, and OpenAI has taken steps to complete its transformation into a more traditional for-profit company with a non-profit arm. 

As TechCrunch notes, the amended lawsuit argues that OpenAI is “actively trying to eliminate competitors,” including xAI, by making investors promise not to fund them. xAI has been harmed by OpenAI’s and Microsoft’s exclusive exchange of “competitively sensitive information,” the lawsuit also says. Musk’s new complaint names LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Microsoft VP Dee Templeton as defendants, as well, for being involved with both OpenAI and Microsoft boards. As for why Zilis was named as a plaintiff, the lawsuit says it’s because the former OpenAI board member and current director of Neuralink repeatedly raised concerns over OpenAI’s deals that were similar to Musks. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/elon-musk-adds-microsoft-as-defendant-in-his-lawsuit-against-openai-140023400.html?src=rss

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GM’s robotaxi unit Cruise has agreed to pay a $500,000 for submitting a false accident report as part of a deferred prosecution agreement. The US Justice Department (DoJ) said that Cruise failed to disclose vital details about a serious October 2023 accident in which one of its vehicles struck a pedestrian and dragged her 20 feet after she was hit by another vehicle.
“Federal laws and regulations are in place to protect public safety on our roads. Companies with self-driving cars that seek to share our roads and crosswalks must be fully truthful in their reports to their regulators,” said Martha Boersch, Chief of the Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division. Uber has yet to comment on the matter. 
Under the terms of the three-year settlement, Cruise must cooperate with the government, put a safety compliance program into place and provide annual reports to the US Attorney’s office. The company could still be prosecuted if it fails to comply with those conditions. Cruise was previously fined $1.5 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and reportedly reached a settlement with the victim worth at least $8 million.
According to the US Attorney’s office, a Cruise driverless vehicle operating in San Francisco ran over a pedestrian who had been thrown into its path after being struck by a separate, human-operated vehicle. The Cruise vehicle initially stopped after running over the pedestrian, but its systems failed to detect that she was still under the vehicle. It then tried to pull over to the side, dragging the woman over 20 feet. In Cruise’s report to the NHTSA, it said nothing about dragging the victim after it struck her. (Cruise also omitted this information in statements to the press at the time of the accident.)
Cruise was subsequently stripped of its license to operate self-driving vehicles in California. The company stopped all operations of both its driverless cars and its manned robotaxi service in order to engage in a comprehensive safety review. CEO Kyle Vogt resigned in November and GM announced plans to slash Cruise’s funding and to restructure leadership based on external safety reviews. Nearly a quarter of the company’s workforce was cut that in December.
Cruise vehicles stayed off roads for several more months but returned to Arizona in April and to Houston in June under the supervision of human drivers. In September this year, Cruise recommenced operations in California, again with human drivers at the wheel. In August, the company said its self-driving vehicles would come to Uber starting next year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/gms-cruise-will-pay-a-500000-fine-for-submitting-a-false-accident-report-133041789.html?src=rss

GM’s robotaxi unit Cruise has agreed to pay a $500,000 for submitting a false accident report as part of a deferred prosecution agreement. The US Justice Department (DoJ) said that Cruise failed to disclose vital details about a serious October 2023 accident in which one of its vehicles struck a pedestrian and dragged her 20 feet after she was hit by another vehicle.

“Federal laws and regulations are in place to protect public safety on our roads. Companies with self-driving cars that seek to share our roads and crosswalks must be fully truthful in their reports to their regulators,” said Martha Boersch, Chief of the Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division. Uber has yet to comment on the matter. 

Under the terms of the three-year settlement, Cruise must cooperate with the government, put a safety compliance program into place and provide annual reports to the US Attorney’s office. The company could still be prosecuted if it fails to comply with those conditions. Cruise was previously fined $1.5 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and reportedly reached a settlement with the victim worth at least $8 million.

According to the US Attorney’s office, a Cruise driverless vehicle operating in San Francisco ran over a pedestrian who had been thrown into its path after being struck by a separate, human-operated vehicle. The Cruise vehicle initially stopped after running over the pedestrian, but its systems failed to detect that she was still under the vehicle. It then tried to pull over to the side, dragging the woman over 20 feet. In Cruise’s report to the NHTSA, it said nothing about dragging the victim after it struck her. (Cruise also omitted this information in statements to the press at the time of the accident.)

Cruise was subsequently stripped of its license to operate self-driving vehicles in California. The company stopped all operations of both its driverless cars and its manned robotaxi service in order to engage in a comprehensive safety review. CEO Kyle Vogt resigned in November and GM announced plans to slash Cruise’s funding and to restructure leadership based on external safety reviews. Nearly a quarter of the company’s workforce was cut that in December.

Cruise vehicles stayed off roads for several more months but returned to Arizona in April and to Houston in June under the supervision of human drivers. In September this year, Cruise recommenced operations in California, again with human drivers at the wheel. In August, the company said its self-driving vehicles would come to Uber starting next year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/gms-cruise-will-pay-a-500000-fine-for-submitting-a-false-accident-report-133041789.html?src=rss

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Update 8:30am ET: The 10th-gen iPad has gone back up to $319, but we expect it to drop again during the Black Friday time period. Elsewhere in the Apple Black Friday deals landscape, the 11-inch iPad Air M2 is $50 off and down to $549

Apple’s Black Friday deals have started popping up, and this is your chance to grab a new iPad at a discount if you’ve been thinking of getting one. The 10th-gen iPad is currently on sale for $299 at Amazon, $50 less than what it usually costs. Apple released the tablet back in 2022, but it’s still our best budget iPad option for 2024. Although the 10th-gen iPad went for a record low of $298 back in October, $299 is most likely the lowest it will go for Black Friday this year. Costco’s flyer for the holiday lists the tablet for $299, and other retailers typically follow its pricing. 

The 10th-gen iPad is only slightly thicker and heavier than the iPad Air. It looks similar to the iPad Air, too — the tablet no longer has the Home button that its predecessor did, and it has a bigger screen with smaller bezels. The device is powered by Apple’s A14 Bionic chip, which was first seen on the iPhone 12 and is powerful enough that we could edit RAW photos in Lightroom when we tested the tablet. When we ran a test for battery life, we discovered that the model could play movies continuously for 11 hours and 45 minutes on a single charge. 
Unlike previous models with Lightning ports, this one comes with a USB-C port for charging. Apple moved its front-facing camera to its landscape edge, as well. The company gave it a larger display, measuring 10.9 inches, so it doesn’t feel as cramped as previous models even with a lot of apps. While the iPad Air does have a better display overall with its lamination and anti-reflective coating, the 10th-gen iPad’s isn’t bad at all seeing as it costs significantly less, especially with this discount. 
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-10th-gen-ipad-is-50-off-for-black-friday-130005703.html?src=rss

Update 8:30am ET: The 10th-gen iPad has gone back up to $319, but we expect it to drop again during the Black Friday time period. Elsewhere in the Apple Black Friday deals landscape, the 11-inch iPad Air M2 is $50 off and down to $549

Apple’s Black Friday deals have started popping up, and this is your chance to grab a new iPad at a discount if you’ve been thinking of getting one. The 10th-gen iPad is currently on sale for $299 at Amazon, $50 less than what it usually costs. Apple released the tablet back in 2022, but it’s still our best budget iPad option for 2024. Although the 10th-gen iPad went for a record low of $298 back in October, $299 is most likely the lowest it will go for Black Friday this year. Costco’s flyer for the holiday lists the tablet for $299, and other retailers typically follow its pricing. 

The 10th-gen iPad is only slightly thicker and heavier than the iPad Air. It looks similar to the iPad Air, too — the tablet no longer has the Home button that its predecessor did, and it has a bigger screen with smaller bezels. The device is powered by Apple’s A14 Bionic chip, which was first seen on the iPhone 12 and is powerful enough that we could edit RAW photos in Lightroom when we tested the tablet. When we ran a test for battery life, we discovered that the model could play movies continuously for 11 hours and 45 minutes on a single charge. 

Unlike previous models with Lightning ports, this one comes with a USB-C port for charging. Apple moved its front-facing camera to its landscape edge, as well. The company gave it a larger display, measuring 10.9 inches, so it doesn’t feel as cramped as previous models even with a lot of apps. While the iPad Air does have a better display overall with its lamination and anti-reflective coating, the 10th-gen iPad’s isn’t bad at all seeing as it costs significantly less, especially with this discount. 

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-10th-gen-ipad-is-50-off-for-black-friday-130005703.html?src=rss

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For obvious reasons, Twitter users are leaving en masse and heading to Bluesky, its most prominent decentralized competitor. In this episode, we discuss why Bluesky now feels like the best of early Twitter, filled with vibrant conversations and people discovering a new social network filled with useful features (like serious blocking and content filtering). And of course, the lack of an algorithmic feed surely helps. Also, we chat with Justin Hendrix from Tech Policy Press about how Elon Musk has become a crucial ally to the upcoming Trump administration.

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!

Subscribe!

iTunes
Spotify
Pocket Casts
Stitcher
Google Podcasts

Topics

Bluesky ascendent: the federated platform could actually be the next Twitter – 2:22
Musk cozies up to President-elect Trump, could a Department of Government Efficiency be next? – 23:37
Interview with Justin Hendrix, founder of Tech Policy Press, on Trump and Musk – 31:50
The Onion buys InfoWars with plans to turn the brand into gun control satire – 48:02
LG Display’s stretchy new screen – 54:34
The Beatles have been nominated for two Grammys with the help of AI – 56:50
Goodbye: AOL voiceover Elwood Edwards has died – 58:29
Working on – 1:00:11
Pop culture picks – 1:02:38

Credits 
Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn LowProducer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/engadget-podcast-blueskys-big-moment-123052836.html?src=rss

For obvious reasons, Twitter users are leaving en masse and heading to Bluesky, its most prominent decentralized competitor. In this episode, we discuss why Bluesky now feels like the best of early Twitter, filled with vibrant conversations and people discovering a new social network filled with useful features (like serious blocking and content filtering). And of course, the lack of an algorithmic feed surely helps. Also, we chat with Justin Hendrix from Tech Policy Press about how Elon Musk has become a crucial ally to the upcoming Trump administration.

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!

Subscribe!

iTunes

Spotify

Pocket Casts

Stitcher

Google Podcasts

Topics

Bluesky ascendent: the federated platform could actually be the next Twitter – 2:22

Musk cozies up to President-elect Trump, could a Department of Government Efficiency be next? – 23:37

Interview with Justin Hendrix, founder of Tech Policy Press, on Trump and Musk – 31:50

The Onion buys InfoWars with plans to turn the brand into gun control satire – 48:02

LG Display’s stretchy new screen – 54:34

The Beatles have been nominated for two Grammys with the help of AI – 56:50

Goodbye: AOL voiceover Elwood Edwards has died – 58:29

Working on – 1:00:11

Pop culture picks – 1:02:38

Credits 

Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn Low
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/engadget-podcast-blueskys-big-moment-123052836.html?src=rss

Read More 

The final piece of Apple’s recent explosion of Mac hardware, the iMac is ready for review — and possible purchase — and it looks the same as ever.
One quiet update that transforms the lineup, beyond the powerful M4 chip, is the boost in base memory, finally giving the entry-level models 16GB instead of the miserly 8GB they used to get. With an unchanged design, there might seem to be no justification to buy or upgrade to the iMac M4. However, that extra memory allows you to do more than ever on an entry-level iMac, including 4K video editing and AAA gaming — to a degree. Having said that, upgrades remain expensive beyond the base loadout, which is already $1,299.
— Mat Smith

The biggest tech stories you missed
Apple’s AI-infused Final Cut Pro 11 is available
Google now offers a standalone Gemini app on iPhone
The new Xbox ad campaign is confused about what an Xbox is
Get this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

The Onion has bought Infowars
It plans to remake it into a ‘very stupid website’ of a less harmful variety.

The Onion, arguably America’s biggest most influential source of satire, confirmed on Thursday its parent company has bought Infowars, the disgraced purveyor of Sandy Hook misinformation and vendor of pseudoscience supplements. The Onion posted on Bluesky its plans to transform the rebooted Infowars into “a very funny, very stupid website.”
The publication says it received the blessing of the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting to scoop up Infowars in a bankruptcy auction. Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit founded in the massacre’s aftermath, will reportedly advertise on the rebooted site.
Continue reading.

The best Black Friday 2024 deals so far
Apple, Amazon, Nintendo and more.

November is in full swing, which means Black Friday is right around the corner. If you want the best of the best deals, hold tight until the week before Thanksgiving. Still, the sales already available are some of the best this year. Rather than recommend things you already have/ don’t want, take a look at our extensive list — so far.
Continue reading.

The best PS5 games for 2024
Whether you’ve picked up a PS5 Pro or not.
Engadget
In the run up to gift-buying season, we’re updating our pick of the best games for all the gaming platforms. This time, it’s the PS5. With the massive library available, it’s easy to get a little lost scrolling through titles. From award-winning adventures to intense-action RPG experiences, there’s a world of incredible games to explore. Increasingly, the console has built up a collection of PS4 remakes and/or remasters too, offering the best playing experience for hits like Last of Us.
Continue reading.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-122246108.html?src=rss

The final piece of Apple’s recent explosion of Mac hardware, the iMac is ready for review — and possible purchase — and it looks the same as ever.

One quiet update that transforms the lineup, beyond the powerful M4 chip, is the boost in base memory, finally giving the entry-level models 16GB instead of the miserly 8GB they used to get. With an unchanged design, there might seem to be no justification to buy or upgrade to the iMac M4. However, that extra memory allows you to do more than ever on an entry-level iMac, including 4K video editing and AAA gaming — to a degree. Having said that, upgrades remain expensive beyond the base loadout, which is already $1,299.

— Mat Smith

The biggest tech stories you missed

Apple’s AI-infused Final Cut Pro 11 is available

Google now offers a standalone Gemini app on iPhone

The new Xbox ad campaign is confused about what an Xbox is

Get this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

The Onion has bought Infowars

It plans to remake it into a ‘very stupid website’ of a less harmful variety.

The Onion, arguably America’s biggest most influential source of satire, confirmed on Thursday its parent company has bought Infowars, the disgraced purveyor of Sandy Hook misinformation and vendor of pseudoscience supplements. The Onion posted on Bluesky its plans to transform the rebooted Infowars into “a very funny, very stupid website.”

The publication says it received the blessing of the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting to scoop up Infowars in a bankruptcy auction. Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit founded in the massacre’s aftermath, will reportedly advertise on the rebooted site.

Continue reading.

The best Black Friday 2024 deals so far

Apple, Amazon, Nintendo and more.

November is in full swing, which means Black Friday is right around the corner. If you want the best of the best deals, hold tight until the week before Thanksgiving. Still, the sales already available are some of the best this year. Rather than recommend things you already have/ don’t want, take a look at our extensive list — so far.

Continue reading.

The best PS5 games for 2024

Whether you’ve picked up a PS5 Pro or not.

In the run up to gift-buying season, we’re updating our pick of the best games for all the gaming platforms. This time, it’s the PS5. With the massive library available, it’s easy to get a little lost scrolling through titles. From award-winning adventures to intense-action RPG experiences, there’s a world of incredible games to explore. Increasingly, the console has built up a collection of PS4 remakes and/or remasters too, offering the best playing experience for hits like Last of Us.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-122246108.html?src=rss

Read More 

The Rogue Prince of Persia, a modern reboot of the classic platformer published by Broderbund in 1989, is still in early access mode but it’s getting a bunch of new, cool-sounding stuff next week. Developer Evil Empire posted a blog on the game’s Steam page that includes information about the new update and premieres a new teaser trailer with some gameplay footage.
The Steam page says the update “effectively doubled the game’s content from launch.” “The Second Act” will include a second act and “tons of narrative polish for Act 1” and more biomes, bosses and enemies. The update will also add more “Quality of Life” features like multiple save slots and localization for German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish players. The game’s protagonist will also look pretty different — RIP Prince of Purple.

The new update drops on November 21. The Rogue Prince of Persia was already slick and inventive, even in its infancy. It’s been updated quite a bit since its early access launch, but next week’s update is likely to be its largest. It’s shaping up to be a good mix of classic gameplay with new visuals and a modern “roguelite” gameplay loop as seen in other indies like Hades.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-rogue-prince-of-persia-gets-a-big-update-with-the-second-act-000515851.html?src=rss

The Rogue Prince of Persia, a modern reboot of the classic platformer published by Broderbund in 1989, is still in early access mode but it’s getting a bunch of new, cool-sounding stuff next week. Developer Evil Empire posted a blog on the game’s Steam page that includes information about the new update and premieres a new teaser trailer with some gameplay footage.

The Steam page says the update “effectively doubled the game’s content from launch.” “The Second Act” will include a second act and “tons of narrative polish for Act 1” and more biomes, bosses and enemies. The update will also add more “Quality of Life” features like multiple save slots and localization for German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish players. The game’s protagonist will also look pretty different — RIP Prince of Purple.

The new update drops on November 21. The Rogue Prince of Persia was already slick and inventive, even in its infancy. It’s been updated quite a bit since its early access launch, but next week’s update is likely to be its largest. It’s shaping up to be a good mix of classic gameplay with new visuals and a modern “roguelite” gameplay loop as seen in other indies like Hades.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-rogue-prince-of-persia-gets-a-big-update-with-the-second-act-000515851.html?src=rss

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These times are very trying and it’s understandable if someone goes a little off the deep end once in a while. Just like Norman Bates said in Psycho, “We all go a little mad sometimes.” However, a new Xbox ad campaign has us a little concerned.
Microsoft launched a new marketing campaign for its Xbox consoles and cloud gaming service called “This is an Xbox.” It features posters and commercials with a bunch of different objects like a laptop, a smartphone and a Meta Quest 3 that are all “an Xbox.”
We confirmed with a thorough fact check that all of those objects are not an Xbox. That may sound like overkill but when you live in a world where there’s a real chance that the goopy mass voiced by Tim Curry in FernGully might become Secretary of the Interior, we’re not taking any chances.
The commercial is even trippier. It zips between objects like a flat screen TV, an ROG Ally and a laptop while Black Sheep’s “The Choice is Yours” blasts in the background. This time though, it displays the simple sentence “This is an Xbox” with a secondary clause or imperative statement behind it. Is there some kind of malware virus in the AI software that runs our universe or something?

Microsoft, we know this is an ad campaign and that you don’t really believe these non-Xbox items are “an Xbox.” Of course, you want to talk up your cloud gaming service, which is available across all of the devices in the ads. But last I checked, I didn’t need an expensive subscription to play games on a regular Xbox.
Also this is the internet, a gathering place for conspiracy weavers, liars and ne’er-do-wells. Reality is hard enough right now without having to debate the merit of what things are. This feels like the kind of stuff that Jobu would pull when she finished decorating the bagel in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Microsoft
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-new-xbox-ad-campaign-is-confused-about-what-an-xbox-is-231013374.html?src=rss

These times are very trying and it’s understandable if someone goes a little off the deep end once in a while. Just like Norman Bates said in Psycho, “We all go a little mad sometimes.” However, a new Xbox ad campaign has us a little concerned.

Microsoft launched a new marketing campaign for its Xbox consoles and cloud gaming service called “This is an Xbox.” It features posters and commercials with a bunch of different objects like a laptop, a smartphone and a Meta Quest 3 that are all “an Xbox.”

We confirmed with a thorough fact check that all of those objects are not an Xbox. That may sound like overkill but when you live in a world where there’s a real chance that the goopy mass voiced by Tim Curry in FernGully might become Secretary of the Interior, we’re not taking any chances.

The commercial is even trippier. It zips between objects like a flat screen TV, an ROG Ally and a laptop while Black Sheep’s “The Choice is Yours” blasts in the background. This time though, it displays the simple sentence “This is an Xbox” with a secondary clause or imperative statement behind it. Is there some kind of malware virus in the AI software that runs our universe or something?

Microsoft, we know this is an ad campaign and that you don’t really believe these non-Xbox items are “an Xbox.” Of course, you want to talk up your cloud gaming service, which is available across all of the devices in the ads. But last I checked, I didn’t need an expensive subscription to play games on a regular Xbox.

Also this is the internet, a gathering place for conspiracy weavers, liars and ne’er-do-wells. Reality is hard enough right now without having to debate the merit of what things are. This feels like the kind of stuff that Jobu would pull when she finished decorating the bagel in Everything Everywhere All at Once.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-new-xbox-ad-campaign-is-confused-about-what-an-xbox-is-231013374.html?src=rss

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On Thursday, the European Union published its first draft of a Code of Practice for general purpose AI (GPAI) models. The document, which won’t be finalized until May, lays out guidelines for managing risks — and giving companies a blueprint to comply and avoid hefty penalties. The EU’s AI Act came into force on August 1, but it left room to nail down the specifics of GPAI regulations down the road. This draft (via TechCrunch) is the first attempt to clarify what’s expected of those more advanced models, giving stakeholders time to submit feedback and refine them before they kick in.
GPAIs are those trained with a total computing power of over 10²⁵ FLOPs. Companies expected to fall under the EU’s guidelines include OpenAI, Google, Meta, Anthropic and Mistral. But that list could grow.
The document addresses several core areas for GPAI makers: transparency, copyright compliance, risk assessment and technical / governance risk mitigation. This 36-page draft covers a lot of ground (and will likely balloon much more before it’s finalized), but several highlights stand out.
The code emphasizes transparency in AI development and requires AI companies to provide information about the web crawlers they used to train their models — a key concern for copyright holders and creators. The risk assessment section aims to prevent cyber offenses, widespread discrimination and loss of control over AI (the “it’s gone rogue” sentient moment in a million bad sci-fi movies).
AI makers are expected to adopt a Safety and Security Framework (SSF) to break down their risk management policies and mitigate them proportionately to their systemic risks. The rules also cover technical areas like protecting model data, providing failsafe access controls and continually reassessing their effectiveness. Finally, the governance section strives for accountability within the companies themselves, requiring ongoing risk assessment and bringing in outside experts where needed.
Like the EU’s other tech-related regulations, companies that run afoul of the AI Act can expect steep penalties. They can be fined up to €35 million (currently $36.8 million) or up to seven percent of their global annual profits, whichever is higher.
Stakeholders are invited to submit feedback through the dedicated Futurium platform by November 28 to help refine the next draft. The rules are expected to be finalized by May 1, 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-eu-publishes-the-first-draft-of-regulatory-guidance-for-general-purpose-ai-models-223447394.html?src=rss

On Thursday, the European Union published its first draft of a Code of Practice for general purpose AI (GPAI) models. The document, which won’t be finalized until May, lays out guidelines for managing risks — and giving companies a blueprint to comply and avoid hefty penalties. The EU’s AI Act came into force on August 1, but it left room to nail down the specifics of GPAI regulations down the road. This draft (via TechCrunch) is the first attempt to clarify what’s expected of those more advanced models, giving stakeholders time to submit feedback and refine them before they kick in.

GPAIs are those trained with a total computing power of over 10²⁵ FLOPs. Companies expected to fall under the EU’s guidelines include OpenAI, Google, Meta, Anthropic and Mistral. But that list could grow.

The document addresses several core areas for GPAI makers: transparency, copyright compliance, risk assessment and technical / governance risk mitigation. This 36-page draft covers a lot of ground (and will likely balloon much more before it’s finalized), but several highlights stand out.

The code emphasizes transparency in AI development and requires AI companies to provide information about the web crawlers they used to train their models — a key concern for copyright holders and creators. The risk assessment section aims to prevent cyber offenses, widespread discrimination and loss of control over AI (the “it’s gone rogue” sentient moment in a million bad sci-fi movies).

AI makers are expected to adopt a Safety and Security Framework (SSF) to break down their risk management policies and mitigate them proportionately to their systemic risks. The rules also cover technical areas like protecting model data, providing failsafe access controls and continually reassessing their effectiveness. Finally, the governance section strives for accountability within the companies themselves, requiring ongoing risk assessment and bringing in outside experts where needed.

Like the EU’s other tech-related regulations, companies that run afoul of the AI Act can expect steep penalties. They can be fined up to €35 million (currently $36.8 million) or up to seven percent of their global annual profits, whichever is higher.

Stakeholders are invited to submit feedback through the dedicated Futurium platform by November 28 to help refine the next draft. The rules are expected to be finalized by May 1, 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-eu-publishes-the-first-draft-of-regulatory-guidance-for-general-purpose-ai-models-223447394.html?src=rss

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We initially heard about a team modding an RTX remaster of Half-Life 2 last August. Today, NVIDIA released a trailer giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at Orbifold Studios’ efforts to apply more modern graphics tools to the iconic title. The video highlights the RTX Remix engine and how the team is using it to make visual upgrades to a game with an engine two decades old. They have examples of how they’re creating more dynamic light sources, volumetric fog in moody areas, and full 3D detail on the objects in the environment.
The crew at Orbifold still doesn’t have a release date for their work, but as the 20th anniversary for Half-Life 2 approaches on November 16, it’s possible that there may be something official in the works from Valve. No, not Half-Life 3. But YouTuber and veteran Valve reporter Tyler McVicker noticed that there is a new, password-protected branch of the game in Steam. Just based on the number of new test builds that have been pushed out on that branch, the new update seems more involved than the one the company released to mark the 25th anniversary of Half-Life 1 last year. So if you’re itching to pick up the gravity gun again, this weekend might be the time to do it.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/heres-a-fresh-look-at-the-half-life-2-rtx-remaster-221321847.html?src=rss

We initially heard about a team modding an RTX remaster of Half-Life 2 last August. Today, NVIDIA released a trailer giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at Orbifold Studios’ efforts to apply more modern graphics tools to the iconic title. The video highlights the RTX Remix engine and how the team is using it to make visual upgrades to a game with an engine two decades old. They have examples of how they’re creating more dynamic light sources, volumetric fog in moody areas, and full 3D detail on the objects in the environment.

The crew at Orbifold still doesn’t have a release date for their work, but as the 20th anniversary for Half-Life 2 approaches on November 16, it’s possible that there may be something official in the works from Valve. No, not Half-Life 3. But YouTuber and veteran Valve reporter Tyler McVicker noticed that there is a new, password-protected branch of the game in Steam. Just based on the number of new test builds that have been pushed out on that branch, the new update seems more involved than the one the company released to mark the 25th anniversary of Half-Life 1 last year. So if you’re itching to pick up the gravity gun again, this weekend might be the time to do it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/heres-a-fresh-look-at-the-half-life-2-rtx-remaster-221321847.html?src=rss

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