Tag Archives: author_name|Anna Washenko

White House gets voluntary commitments from AI companies to curb deepfake porn

Posted on by

The White House released a statement today outlining commitments that several AI companies are making to curb the creation and distribution of image-based sexual abuse. The participating businesses have laid out the steps they are taking to prevent their platforms from being used to generate non-consensual intimate images (NCII) of adults and child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Specifically, Adobe, Anthropic, Cohere, Common Crawl, Microsoft and OpenAI said they'll be:

  • "responsibly sourcing their datasets and safeguarding them from image-based sexual abuse"

All of the aforementioned except Common Crawl also agreed they'd be:

  • "incorporating feedback loops and iterative stress-testing strategies in their development processes, to guard against AI models outputting image-based sexual abuse"

  • And "removing nude images from AI training datasets" when appropriate.

It's a voluntary commitment, so today's announcement doesn't create any new actionable steps or consequences for failing to follow through on those promises. But it's still worth applauding a good faith effort to tackle this serious problem. The notable absences from today's White House release are Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta.

Many big tech and AI companies have been making strides to make it easier for victims of NCII to stop the spread of deepfake images and videos separately from this federal effort. StopNCII has partnered with several companies for a comprehensive approach to scrubbing this content, while other businesses are rolling out proprietary tools for reporting AI-generated image-based sexual abuse on their platforms.

If you believe you've been the victim of non-consensual intimate image-sharing, you can open a case with StopNCII here; if you're below the age of 18, you can file a report with NCMEC here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/white-house-gets-voluntary-commitments-from-ai-companies-to-curb-deepfake-porn-191536233.html?src=rss

Steam Families library sharing is live, and you can all play at the same time

Posted on by

Following a beta test earlier this year, Steam Families is now live with a new way for relatives to be connected on the gaming portal. Up to five family members can be invited into a group, which will grant access to a shared family library. Each person can create their own save files and collect their own achievements for games in the family library.

The marquee development with the new family feature is that multiple people within the group will be able to play games from the shared library at the same time. And if you own multiple copies of a game, then multiple people can be playing that title at once. The caveat with family sharing is that a game developer may opt not to support the feature. Steam maintains a list of the titles that currently have family sharing enabled.

Steam Families also folds in the features of the old Steam Family View, where the adults can monitor and limit what the children in the group can do on the platform. Any adult in the family will be able to restrict kids' access to Steam's store, communities or chat. They can also set playtime limits, approve extensions to the limits and recover a child's account if the password is lost.

This type of family sharing plan doesn't always reflect a person's home environment, and Steam does have some restrictions on Steam Families' use. Adults can leave a family group at any time, but have to wait a year before they can join or create another family. Also, the Steam accounts need to be in the same country to join a family group.

Valve has a full FAQ on its Steam support page detailing the limitations of Steam Families and how to restrict the games kids in your family have access to.

Update, September 12, 1:40PM: This story was updated after publish with additional information on Steam's FAQ for its families feature.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/steam-families-library-sharing-is-live-and-you-can-all-play-at-the-same-time-231044311.html?src=rss

Friend requests are returning to Xbox

Posted on by

Xbox is changing its process for forming connections on the gaming platform. Its new method works like, well, just about every other social platform, where you'll send a friend request that is either accepted or denied.

That sounds like the obvious way for this feature to function, but Xbox adopted a more passive approach to friends for the recent console generation. The way it works in the current system is that anybody can add another Xbox account to their follow list. When two accounts followed each other, they were upgraded to friends.

Xbox Friends Update
Microsoft

The change shouldn't yield much of a difference in players' social tab. If you're already friends, you'll stay friends. If you aren't mutuals, you'll continue following the account. That means you can still keep an eye on updates from individuals, clubs and games within the Xbox ecosystem.

Xbox is also launching new privacy and notification options to help manage the return of friendship, so players can set who is able to follow them or send them friend requests. The blog post didn't give a release date for when the new friends system will get a public rollout, but it is available starting this week as a preview for people in the Xbox Insiders program.

Today's announcement is the latest in a wave of Xbox news in the past month. The company also introduced the Game Pass Standard plan and opened pre-orders for the all-digital Xbox Series X.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/friend-requests-are-returning-to-xbox-220614785.html?src=rss

Google announces deal with direct-air capture startup to remove carbon emissions

Posted on by

Google announced that it has entered a partnership with Holocene to support its direct-air capture technology for collecting and removing carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere. Under this $10 million deal, Google will purchase carbon removal credits from Holocene at a rate of $100 per metric ton. This is the price the US Department of Energy set as a goal for direct-air capture technology to make it a viable part of efforts to reduce the rate at which we emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

As the name implies, direct-air capture can collect carbon dioxide out of the air, then concentrate the gas to be stored in underground reservoirs. It sounds great in theory, but the technology has proven expensive and difficult to scale. Google said its support should allow Holocene to capture and store 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by the early 2030s, in addition to helping the company further refine its DAC technology. Holocene has a more detailed explanation of its DAC approach on its website.

Sustainability has become an important talking point for a lot of big tech. Google has made a big investment in buying carbon offsets, enough that it claims to have eliminated its entire "carbon legacy," and it aims to be carbon neutral by 2030. But its greenhouse gas emissions have risen almost 50 percent in the past five years thanks to the intensive data center demands of AI usage.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-announces-deal-with-direct-air-capture-startup-to-remove-carbon-emissions-225627149.html?src=rss

Google announces deal with direct-air capture startup to remove carbon emissions

Posted on by

Google announced that it has entered a partnership with Holocene to support its direct-air capture technology for collecting and removing carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere. Under this $10 million deal, Google will purchase carbon removal credits from Holocene at a rate of $100 per metric ton. This is the price the US Department of Energy set as a goal for direct-air capture technology to make it a viable part of efforts to reduce the rate at which we emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

As the name implies, direct-air capture can collect carbon dioxide out of the air, then concentrate the gas to be stored in underground reservoirs. It sounds great in theory, but the technology has proven expensive and difficult to scale. Google said its support should allow Holocene to capture and store 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by the early 2030s, in addition to helping the company further refine its DAC technology. Holocene has a more detailed explanation of its DAC approach on its website.

Sustainability has become an important talking point for a lot of big tech. Google has made a big investment in buying carbon offsets, enough that it claims to have eliminated its entire "carbon legacy," and it aims to be carbon neutral by 2030. But its greenhouse gas emissions have risen almost 50 percent in the past five years thanks to the intensive data center demands of AI usage.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-announces-deal-with-direct-air-capture-startup-to-remove-carbon-emissions-225627149.html?src=rss

Game Pass Standard is now available on Xbox

Posted on by

The Xbox Game Pass Standard plan is available starting today. Microsoft announced a revamp to its Game Pass subscription plans in July, introducing the Standard option alongside a price increase for the Ultimate tier. The Standard plan costs $15 a month, while Ultimate will run you $20 a month.

The Standard subscription tier will offer the essential features of the Game Pass program: online multiplayer gaming, access to a large library of games, and discounts on select game purchases. The big difference between Standard and Ultimate is that Standard plan members will not be able to play some blockbuster releases, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, on day one. The wait time on Standard varies by title, but can last up to or longer than 12 months. Ultimate plans also include membership to EA Play and access to Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Xbox has been struggling to compete with PlayStation in this console generation. That's partially due to hardware differences: Microsoft offered an underwhelming refresh to its console lineup this summer whereas Sony managed to build lots of hype for the announcement of its expensive new PS5 Pro. But the Game Pass plan has also been struggling to generate continued revenue for Microsoft, with just 34 million subscribers reported in February.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/game-pass-standard-is-now-available-on-xbox-202451946.html?src=rss

Game Pass Standard is now available on Xbox

Posted on by

The Xbox Game Pass Standard plan is available starting today. Microsoft announced a revamp to its Game Pass subscription plans in July, introducing the Standard option alongside a price increase for the Ultimate tier. The Standard plan costs $15 a month, while Ultimate will run you $20 a month.

The Standard subscription tier will offer the essential features of the Game Pass program: online multiplayer gaming, access to a large library of games, and discounts on select game purchases. The big difference between Standard and Ultimate is that Standard plan members will not be able to play some blockbuster releases, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, on day one. The wait time on Standard varies by title, but can last up to or longer than 12 months. Ultimate plans also include membership to EA Play and access to Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Xbox has been struggling to compete with PlayStation in this console generation. That's partially due to hardware differences: Microsoft offered an underwhelming refresh to its console lineup this summer whereas Sony managed to build lots of hype for the announcement of its expensive new PS5 Pro. But the Game Pass plan has also been struggling to generate continued revenue for Microsoft, with just 34 million subscribers reported in February.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/game-pass-standard-is-now-available-on-xbox-202451946.html?src=rss

Majority of Attorneys General support a warning label for social media platforms

Posted on by

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an op-ed in June calling for social media to come with a warning label about its negative health impacts, similar to the warnings placed on cigarettes and tobacco products. Now, 42 attorneys general have drafted an open letter to Congress to signal their support for Murthy's plan.

"This ubiquitous problem requires federal action—and a surgeon general’s warning on social media platforms, though not sufficient to address the full scope of the problem, would be one consequential step toward mitigating the risk of harm to youth," the group's letter reads. "A warning would not only highlight the inherent risks that social media platforms presently pose for young people, but also complement other efforts to spur attention, research, and investment into the oversight of social media platforms."

Almost every state's AG signed the letter; the only holdouts are Alaska, Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas and West Virginia. Attorneys general from American Samoa, District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands also signed.

The attorneys general cited the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, which both recently passed in the Senate, as other important measures for protecting young people's mental health. The measures took multiple tries to get to a floor vote in the Senate, and it's unclear whether they have the support to pass in the House of Representatives.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/majority-of-attorneys-general-support-a-warning-label-for-social-media-platforms-184138728.html?src=rss

Sony unveils its PS5 Pro console, which will cost you a whopping $700

Posted on by

Sony has officially announced the much-anticipated PS5 Pro. You'll need to dig deep into your pocket for it, though: the new console has a price tag of $700 and it will arrive on November 7. Pre-orders start on September 26. As with the PS5 Slim, if you want a disc drive or a vertical stand, you'll have to shell out extra.

The Pro offers some notable improvements on the specs of the original PS5, which was released in 2020. Sony is hoping to narrow the gap between the fidelity and performance modes that players have become accustomed to choosing between. The idea is to offer improved graphical performance at more consistent frame rates across the board. To do that, Sony focused on three core upgrades: a larger GPU, advanced ray-tracing and AI-driven upscaling.

That GPU has 67 percent more compute units and 28 percent faster RAM than the standard PS5. As such, according to the console's lead architect Mark Cerny, the new console will be able to deliver up to 45 percent faster rendering. Ray-tracing performance could be up to three times as faster than on the PS5. Meanwhile, Sony's AI-upscaling tech (i.e. its take on the likes of NVIDIA's DLSS) is called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, or PSSR.

Of course, Sony's own studios have been updating their games to take advantage of these upgrades. Cernys presentation highlighted The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Horizon Forbidden West and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 as some of the games that will benefit from improved visual fidelity and/or frame rates. Third-party partners are planning to tap into the PS5 Pro's extra power too, with patches on the way for the likes of Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, Demon’s Souls, Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Games that have been patched or developed for the new system will have a PS5 Pro Enhanced label.

Other features include a game boost tool that could improve or stabilize the performance of more than 8,500 backward compatible PS4 games, Sony says. The feature could boost the performance of PS5 games that aren't explicitly enhanced for the Pro as well. The company adds that its Enhanced Image Quality tool will improve the resolution of certain PS4 games as well. Other features include Wi-Fi 7, variable refresh rate and support for 8K resolutions.

Sony managed to make the PS5 Pro more powerful without making it larger than the colossal original model. It has the same height as the original PS5 and the same width as the discless model. Along with a DualSense controller and the brilliant Astro's Playroom, the PS5 Pro comes with 2TB of built-in storage, which is a nice upgrade from the 1TB on earlier models. 

That $700 price may put many folks off of buying a PS5 Pro. But hey, at least Sony is offering gamers a tangible hardware upgrade. The newest Xbox systems either change the console's color, add some storage or remove the Series X disc drive.

It's hard to keep many secrets around new gaming hardware, so today's announcement is hardly a surprise. There have been several leaks this year, one from a YouTube channel in May and then again in August from a Dealabs user.

The PS5 has been a big seller for Sony, with 61.7 million units sold as of June 2024. With the PS5 Pro joining the original hardware and the PS5 Slim, Sony is in good shape to continue its dominance of this console cycle. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sony-unveils-its-ps5-pro-console-which-will-cost-you-a-whopping-700-151636487.html?src=rss

Peacock Premium is only $5 for four months for a limited time

Posted on by

NBC is offering a discount on its Peacock Premium streaming service. Until September 6, you can get four months of access to the ad-supported tier of the streaming platform for $5 per month. This deal nets you more than 30 percent off the list price for the plan during that time frame; the Peacock Premium access tier normally costs $8 a month.

To take advantage of the reduced price, customers can sign in to the Peacock platform and use the code TGIF. Once you've signed up, the plan can be canceled at any time. The TGIF offer can't be combined with any other deal, and it does not extend to current subscribers on the Peacock Premium and Premium Plus plans. As mentioned, the deal is only available for a limited window, through September 6.

Now is a good time for football fans to try out Peacock. The NFL season begins this weekend and Peacock will have exclusive access to the Packers v. Eagles game being played in Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 6. The network's exclusive stream of the AFC Wild Card game in January set records as the most streamed live event in history, reaching 27.6 million viewers.

On top of the seasonal sports content, Peacock is also home to several fan favorite TV sitcoms including The Office, Parks and Recreation, and New Girl. It also hosts original programming such as Poker Face.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/peacock-premium-is-only-5-for-four-months-for-a-limited-time-225157876.html?src=rss