IMF Executives Suggest an 85% Increase in Electricity Costs for Crypto Mining to Curb Emissions
In a move aimed at reducing global carbon emissions, two International Monetary Fund (IMF) executives have proposed significantly increasing the electricity costs for crypto mining. On August 15, Shafik Hebous,…
Chainalysis Reports Increase in Crypto Hacks and Ransomware in 2024
A recent report by Chainalysis highlights a mixed landscape for cryptocurrency markets in 2024. While overall illicit transactions have decreased, specific criminal activities, particularly hacking and ransomware, have seen a…
Meta Updates Threads with New Insights and Draft Options
Meta’s social media platform, Threads, has announced the rollout of several new features designed to enhance the experience for creators and businesses, particularly in building followings and connecting with audiences.…
Google’s Imagen 3 AI Tool Now Open to U.S. Users
Google has extended access to its AI text-to-image generator, Imagen 3, to users across the U.S. through its AI Test Kitchen and Vertex AI platform. This move was first noted…
Google AI Scraping Puts Online Publishers in a Difficult Position
Online publishers are grappling with a critical decision: permit Google to scrape their content for AI-generated search answers or risk losing visibility in search engine results. This dilemma comes on…
California State IDs Can Soon Be Stored in Apple and Google Wallets
California residents will soon be able to store their driver’s licenses and state IDs in their Apple Wallet and Google Wallet apps, as announced by Governor Gavin Newsom’s office. This…
Google Expands AI Overviews Feature to Six New Countries
Google is expanding its AI Overviews feature, which summarizes complex questions at the top of traditional search results, to six additional countries: India, Japan, Mexico, Indonesia, Brazil, and the United…
Runway ML Launches Gen-3 Alpha Turbo for Faster AI Videos
Runway ML has officially launched Gen-3 Alpha Turbo, the latest iteration of its AI video generation model, which boasts a remarkable sevenfold increase in speed and a 50% reduction in…
Tesla Begins Hiring for 1950s-Style Diner in West Hollywood
Tesla appears to be moving forward with its plan to open a 1950s-style diner, an idea long championed by CEO Elon Musk. The company has posted a job listing for…
Apple Opens Up NFC Access to Third-Party Developers
Apple is expanding access to its NFC (near field communication) capabilities, allowing third-party developers to integrate contactless payment and other NFC-based functionalities into their apps. Starting with the release of…
Trump Defends Personal Attacks on Harris Amid Calls for Policy Focus
On Thursday, former President Donald Trump responded to criticism regarding his personal attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris, despite pleas from his top allies to concentrate on policy issues amid…
FTC Finalizes Rule to Combat Fake Online Reviews
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has finalized a new rule to combat the widespread issue of fake online reviews, including those generated by artificial intelligence (AI). The rule, unanimously approved…
Riot Platforms Amplifies Its Investment in Bitfarms with a $2.28 Million Share Purchase
Riot Platforms Inc., recognized as the third-largest Bitcoin miner on Wall Street, has escalated its engagement in the cryptocurrency mining sector by increasing its stake in the rival company, Bitfarms…
X’s New AI Image Generator Sparks Controversy with Taylor Swift and Kamala Harris Depictions
xAI’s new Grok chatbot, integrated with Elon Musk’s X social network, now allows users to create images from text prompts and publish them directly on the platform. However, the rollout…
Eric Schmidt Sees Nvidia as the Big Winner in AI Market
Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, recently identified Nvidia as a key player in the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape, highlighting the company’s dominant position in the market for AI data…
Congress Calls Out Zuckerberg Over Drug Ads on Facebook and Instagram
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, expressing serious concerns about the continued presence of illicit drug advertisements on Facebook and Instagram.…
Apple Approves Spotify’s Request to Display Prices in EU iOS App
Spotify has announced that it will now display pricing information for its services within its app on Apple devices in the European Union, starting Wednesday, August 14. This change follows…
Huawei Set to Release AI Chip to Rival Nvidia Amid U.S. Sanctions
Huawei is reportedly set to launch a new artificial intelligence chip, the Ascend 910C, in a move that challenges Nvidia’s dominance in the AI chip market, despite ongoing U.S. sanctions.…
Twitch Expands Story Features with Video Stories
Twitch has announced the rollout of video stories, aiming to expand its platform’s capabilities and challenge Instagram. This new feature allows streamers to create or upload 60-second videos directly from…
U.S. Government Transfers 10,000 Bitcoins
On August 14, 2024, at precisely 15:38:31 UTC, the United States government moved approximately 10,000 Bitcoin (BTC) to a wallet address that concludes with the letters “noe.” This information comes…