Not a fan of AI? Tired of every app and device adding some sort of AI functionality? Then Firefox has some good news for you. The popular web browser, which is run by the non-profit-owned tech company Mozilla, has just rolled out a new update that comes with an AI killswitch.
https://mashable.com/article/mozilla-firefox-adds-ai-killswitch
Amazon is adding three new personalities to its AI-powered voice assistant, Alexa+. Users can tune their voice assistant to be Brief, Chill, or Sweet. If set to Brief, Alexa Plus will provide shorter, more direct responses, with just the details you need. Switching to Chill will make the voice assistant respond in a laid-back, friendly tone, while choosing Sweet will transform it into a constant cheerleader with upbeat responses.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/brief-chill-or-sweet-amazons-alexa-plus-now-lets-you-pick-your-ais-personality
Discord stressed it would meet any specific legal obligations it has for age verification of users, and that age verification will be part of the platform in the future. However, the platform said it was now developing "more verification options" for users that would not require facial or ID scans. One such option in development is credit card verification.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgv0yg4n9lo
A new hobbyist developed app warns if people nearby may be wearing smart glasses, such as Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses, which stalkers and harassers have repeatedly used to film people without their knowledge or consent. The app scans for smart glasses’ distinctive Bluetooth signatures and sends a push alert if it detects a potential pair of glasses in the local area.
https://www.404media.co/this-app-warns-you-if-someone-is-wearing-smart-glasses-nearby/
Ads have officially arrived, at least in my ChatGPT account. They're larger than expected, and often not relevant to the conversation.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/im-seeing-ads-in-chatgpt-openai-broke-its-promise-what-they-look-like
According to proprietary data prepared for ADWEEK by the research firm NewtonX, most organizations report little to no AI-driven headcount reduction. At the same time, a majority of marketers say their day-to-day responsibilities have already shifted, with expectations rising around speed, complexity, and output.
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/ai-making-marketing-jobs-harder/
Unity is taking a bold step in the push for AI-powered game creation. During a recent earnings call, CEO Matthew Bromberg announced that an upgraded Unity AI will enter beta at the Game Developers Conference in March, promising to let developers generate full casual games from a simple text prompt.
https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/video-game-design/unity-ai-will-let-you-build-entire-games-with-just-words