Tag Archives: region|US

TikTok’s gen AI avatars are based on real people and that only makes them more creepy

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Back in April, The Information reported that TikTok was working on AI-generated avatars that advertisers could use to sell their products on the platform. Now, the company has made those plans public, announcing new AI-created “digital avatars” that it will begin offering to creators and brands on the app.

According to TikTok, the AI personas are meant to make it easier for creators and businesses to create branded content that still has a “human feel” but without the time and resources that would go into making a typical highly produced and edited ad.

TikTok is starting out with two kinds of avatars: stock avatars that are based on paid actors and custom avatars based on existing creators and brand spokespeople. These avatars will then star in TikTok videos promoting products and can be customized to speak different languages based on the intended audience.

The company says the new feature shows how generative AI can help creators reach even more people on its platform (and, presumably, generate more ad revenue for the company). But after looking at a couple of examples of these, I’m not that excited for a bunch of AI-generated creators to take over my For You feed.

Take the above example of a custom avatar shared by TikTok. The digital persona seems to be based on TikTok exec Adrienne Lahens. But while the avatar looks like her, the speaking style and movements aren’t… quite right. If you watch closely, you’ll notice there’s a slight jerkiness to the head and hand movements that is giving M3GAN vibes. And, speaking of creepy robots, there’s something extremely unnerving about the eyes on AI Adrienne.

Now, I’ve chatted with Lahens before and can confirm she speaks much more warmly and naturally than her AI avatar. Even the still shot of an AI avatar based off of creator O’Neil Thomas at the top of this article has an off-putting 1,000 yard stare that doesn’t seem to be representative of Thomas’ actual persona.

TikTok is far from the first company to experiment with “realistic” AI and come up with something that feels a little bit uncomfortable even if you can’t quite put your finger on what it is. At least, the company’s own rules require that this kind of content gets prominent disclosures. And maybe the new avatars will help creators sell more TikTok Shop gadgets or other supposedly “viral” products. I just hope TikTok can do something to make those AI-generated eyeballs feel a tad less creepy.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktoks-gen-ai-avatars-are-based-on-real-people-and-that-only-makes-them-more-creepy-130033649.html?src=rss

Embracer shuts down Alone in the Dark reboot studio Pieces Interactive

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Embracer Group has closed yet another studio. This time around, the embattled company has shut down Pieces Interactive, the developer of the recent Alone in the Dark reboot.

An image posted on the studio's X account reads "Pieces Interactive 2007 - 2024. Thanks for playing with us." The front page of Pieces' website notes that the developer has released more than 10 titles of its own over the last 17 years. It also worked as a support studio on other projects.

Embracer bought Pieces in 2017 and placed it under the umbrella of publisher THQ Nordic. In April, reports emerged that Pieces had laid off some of its employees, just a few weeks after releasing Alone in the Dark (which had been delayed a couple of times).

The closure of Pieces comes several weeks after Embracer said it had concluded its restructuring process following the collapse of a proposed $2 billion investment a year ago. The company shut down several studios, including TimeSplitters developer Free Radical Design and Volition (Saints Row), and it laid off nearly 1,400 workers in the second half of 2023. Embracer has also sold off several studios, including large parts of Saber Interactive as well as Gearbox Entertainment.

Meanwhile, yet another studio is shutting its doors. Galvanic Games founder Patrick Morgan said on Friday that the company is closing. Morgan noted that despite a promising start, sales of Gavlanic's final game, Wizard with a Gun, were "not strong enough to sustain our studio."

The number of layoffs in the game industry so far in 2024 is estimated to be around 10,800. That's already more than the 10,500 total for all of 2023, and we're not even halfway through the year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/embracer-shuts-down-alone-in-the-dark-reboot-studio-pieces-interactive-124555063.html?src=rss

Google Chrome on Android can now read webpages aloud

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Chrome on Android has a new feature called "Listen to this page" that lets you read a webpage aloud from within the app, Google said in a help document spotted by 9to5Google. That long-awaited feature should boost accessibility for the app and make it easier to listen to web pages when you're busy with something else.

The feature isn't supported by all web sites, but if so, you'll find "Listen to this page" in the three-dot menu at the top right on the Chrome app. The new function offers podcast-like controls, letting you play, pause, scrub, change playback speed and skip ahead or behind by 10 seconds. So far, it works in English, French, German, Arabic, Hindu and Spanish.

Also available are options for different voices in each language, including four in the US and two in the UK, along with text highlighting. The control bar stays docked when you open other tabs and playback will continue if you lock your screen with Chrome in the foreground.

The new feature is rolling out gradually as part of Chrome 125, so it may take awhile to arrive to your corner of the world. Google Assistant has been able read web pages aloud for quite some time now, but the new feature adds another way of doing this. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-chrome-on-android-can-now-read-webpages-aloud-123011073.html?src=rss

McDonald’s pauses AI-powered drive-thru voice orders

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McDonald’s has ended a two-year test of AI-powered drive-thru ordering. The company was trialing IBM tech at more than 100 of its restaurants but it will remove those systems from all locations by the end of July, meaning that customers will once again be placing orders with a human instead of a computer.

As part of that decision, McDonald’s is ending its automated order taking (AOT) partnership with IBM. However, McDonald’s may be considering other potential partners to work with on future AOT efforts.

“While there have been successes to date, we feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly,” Mason Smoot, chief restaurant officer for McDonald’s USA, said in an email to franchisees that was obtained by trade publication Restaurant Business (as noted by PC Mag). Smoot added that the company would look into other options and make “an informed decision on a future voice ordering solution by the end of the year,” noting that “IBM has given us confidence that a voice ordering solution for drive-thru will be part of our restaurant’s future.”

McDonald’s told Restaurant Business that the goal of the test was to determine whether AOT could speed up service and streamline operations. By automating drive-thru orders, companies are hoping to negate the need for a staff member to take them and either reduce the number of workers needed to operate a restaurant or redeploy resources to other areas of the business.

IBM will continue to power other McDonald’s systems and it’s in talks with other fast-food chains over the use of its AOT tech. The likes of Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr., Krystal, Wendy’s, Dunkin and Taco Johns are already testing or using such technology at their drive-thru locations.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mcdonalds-pauses-ai-powered-drive-thru-voice-orders-120024406.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Apple may be planning thinner iPhones, MacBooks and Watches

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According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s mission to make its thinnest product ever won’t stop at the iPad Pro — the company also has plans for a skinnier Macbook Pro, Apple Watch and iPhone. Gurman says the slimmed-down iPhone — also rumored by The Information — could come as early as 2025, with the introduction of the iPhone 17 line.

A thinner iPhone is likely to be more expensive than current generation devices, however. Remember 2017’s iPhone X, which ditched the home button but cost more? That, again.

Meanwhile, on Engadget, we’ve got even more Summer Game Fest news. Did the show end last week? Yes. Are there still embargoed games we’re itching to talk about? Definitely, yes!

— Mat Smith

Microsoft’s Xbox refresh can’t compete with its leaked roadmap

Doctor Who: The Legend of Ruby Sunday review: What legend?

Cybertruck buyers say they’ve been told deliveries are paused due windshield wiper problems

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

According to a Reuters report, the US military used fake social media accounts to discredit China’s COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines during the height of the pandemic. In one example of the US’s anti-vax messaging cited by Reuters, an account in 2020 tweeted, “COVID came from China and the VACCINE also came from China, don’t trust China!” The campaign also pushed the narrative that China’s vaccines were “haram” — forbidden under Islamic law. In a statement to the publication, a Pentagon spokesperson brought up China’s own disinformation campaign, and said the military “uses a variety of platforms, including social media, to counter those malign influence attacks.”

Continue reading.

TMA
Atlus

Metaphor: ReFantazio has been a long time in the making. It was announced in 2017, but we finally got to play through a three-part demo last week at Summer Game Fest. Atlus and the game’s director, Katsura Hashino, are both known more for (semi-) grounded urban fantasy/school life simulations of Persona than wizards and elves, and ReFantazio, in that sense, represents a big departure. As do all the British accents. Expect cockneys, Liverpudlians, and more, all represented in fantasy equivalents. The gameplay of battles, however, is turn-based, strategic and tied to the strength of the bonds with your allies. And yep, that sounds very Persona.

Continue reading.

In this week’s Engadget podcast, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss their final thoughts on Apple Intelligence and the company’s upcoming software teased at WWDC, and they chat about some of our coverage highlights from the pseudo-E3 Game Fest.

Listen here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apple-may-be-planning-thinner-iphones-macbooks-and-watches-111531784.html?src=rss

Sweet, there’s going to be another season of Delicious in Dungeon

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Delicious in Dungeon just wrapped up its first season on Netflix, and we now have confirmation that there will be another. The studio behind the show shared on social media this week that a season two is coming, and it’s already in production. The anime, based on the manga by Ryoko Kui, follows a group of broke adventurers who end up eating monsters along their quest to save their friend from the belly of a dragon. It’s one of the most unexpectedly delightful things I’ve watched recently and, despite the questionable ingredients that often go into the meals, has some truly top-tier examples of mouthwatering anime foods.

Delicious in Dungeon is produced by the Japaneses animation studio, Trigger, Inc. The first season got a 24-episode run with weekly releases, but it’s all available and ready for binge-watching now if you haven’t gotten around to it yet. The final episode dropped on Thursday. Just don’t go into it hungry.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sweet-theres-going-to-be-another-season-of-delicious-in-dungeon-224918513.html?src=rss

In the Playdate game Penrose, your past has come back to haunt you

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Are you more than your past? This seems to be the question at the heart of Penrose, a short but impactful psychological horror game for Playdate by Liza Olson. The answer will ultimately be determined by the choices you make as you try to find your way out of the strange titular town.

Much of the experience in Penrose is exploration, and the game plays from start to finish like an eerie, emotionally challenging walk down memory lane. There are things your character might encounter, like an old playground, that’ll spark a tinge of fondness, while others — a mirror, a locked bedroom door — seem linked to more painful events. As you make your way out of the house where you started and through the seemingly abandoned town, things get progressively weirder.

You’ll encounter some creepy entities, not to mention a deeply unsettling mall that is, for some reason, oozing (I really appreciated the design of this in a love-hate kind of way). The names of the stores in that mall are also pretty fun, each being a play on some real-life chain, like Not Tropic. There are a few puzzles in Penrose, but the catacombs stands out as the only area of any real difficulty. It tripped me up for a good minute, which made me feel all the more clever once I figured out how to crack it.

Penrose beautifully captures the complicated nature of nostalgia, and there are multiple possible endings to the game that play right into that complexity. Penrose is available on itch for Playdate and the Playdate Simulator on PC, Mac and Linux.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/in-the-playdate-game-penrose-your-past-has-come-back-to-haunt-you-214104554.html?src=rss

NASA’s 47-year-old Voyager 1 probe is back in action after months of technical issues

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NASA engineers have managed to get the long-running Voyager 1 space probe fully back in working order after some seven months of technical difficulties. In November 2023, the spacecraft — which is more than 15 billion miles from Earth — started sending back strange, unreadable data, and the team has been working ever since to get to the root of the issue. While Voyager 1 seemed to be receiving and executing commands just fine, none of the science and engineering data it sent home made sense.

In April, the team traced the problem to some corrupted memory in the probe’s flight data subsystem (FDS) computer and was later able to get two of its instruments sending science data again. Now, all four of Voyager 1’s instruments are back to sending readable data, NASA says. Voyager 1 launched in 1977, so the fact that it’s still going in any capacity is incredible. But now, it can resume its duties directly studying interstellar space.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasas-47-year-old-voyager-1-probe-is-back-in-action-after-months-of-technical-issues-192057182.html?src=rss

Apple reportedly has plans for a thinner iPhone, MacBook Pro and Apple Watch

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Just how thin can a Macbook Pro get? We may soon find out. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s mission to make its thinnest product ever won’t stop at the iPad Pro — the company also has plans for a skinnier Macbook Pro, Apple Watch and, as The Information also reported last month, iPhone. According to Gurman, Apple is on the cusp of ushering in “a new class of Apple devices that should be the thinnest and lightest products in their categories across the whole tech industry.” Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also shared his belief that the new Apple Watch Series 10 will get a thinner chassis than its predecessor — plus a larger screen (45mm and 49mm, compared to 41mm and 45mm). 

Adding further fuel to the earlier iPhone rumors, Gurman says he too has been told the slimmed-down iPhone could come as early as 2025 with the introduction of the iPhone 17 line. There’s no timeline yet on the rest of the products named in the report. The upcoming thin iPhone is expected to be pricier than the current iPhone Pro Max, and have a screen sized somewhere between that of the Pro Max and the standard iPhone.

Update, June 17 2024, 5:26AM ET: This article has been updated to include analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's insight on the Apple Watch Series 10. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-reportedly-has-plans-for-a-thinner-iphone-macbook-pro-and-apple-watch-171137550.html?src=rss

The Lollipop Chainsaw remaster comes out on September 25

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Hate it or love it, Lollipop Chainsaw is so back. Developer Dragami Games announced this week that its remastered version of the game, Lollipop Chainsaw RePop, comes out on September 25 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Steam. The polarizing cult classic was first released in 2012 and follows the zombie-hunting cheerleader, Juliet, as she tries to fend off the apocalypse.

There were originally plans for a full remake, but last year it was revealed that this had been scaled back to a remaster. Ever since its return was announced, fans of the original have expressed concerns that the intentionally trashy, over-the-top hack-and-slash game might get the censorship treatment in order to appease modern sensibilities, but it looks like there will be a way to experience Lollipop Chainsaw just the way you remembered it. 

The trailer states that “Lollipop Chainsaw RePop allows players to select Original mode, which is based on the original release, or RePop mode, which has less violence and uses pop-art damage effects.” The announcement also says RePop “leaves the story unchanged, with the focus on quality of life improvements and additional gameplay content.” 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-lollipop-chainsaw-remaster-comes-out-on-september-25-152207999.html?src=rss