Cyber Security

Researchers at Northwestern University in the US have created a fuel cell that harvests energy from microbes living in soil so that it can potentially last forever (or as long as there are soil microbes). Why?  As Bill Yen (who led the research) suggests, the value may lie in its ability to supply power to…

If you’ve ever been concerned about the privacy aspects of AI, you may be very surprised to learn that conversations you have with Google’s new Gemini AI apps are “retained for up to 3 years” by default. Up To Three Years  With Google now launching its Gemini Advanced chatbot as part of its ‘Google One AI…

In this insight, we look at what blockchain identifiers are, their roles, users, and relevance to businesses, plus how they could work with the domain name system. What Are Blockchain Identifiers?  Blockchain, the technology behind cryptocurrencies, is the decentralised, secure, incorruptible ledger system that enables transparent and tamper-proof transactions. Its value is in providing enhanced…

The US The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that robocalls using AI-generated voices are now illegal. What Are Robocalls And Why Make Them Illegal? A robocall is a call made using voice cloning technology with an AI-generated voice, i.e. it is a telemarketing call that uses an automatic telephone-dialling system and an artificial or…

Google has rebranded its Bard chatbot as Gemini, the name of its new powerful AI model family, and launched a $20 per month ‘Gemini Advanced’ subscription service. Gemini Advanced  To compete with the likes of ChatGPT, Google has launched its own monthly Chatbot subscription service for the same price but with some extras thrown in.…

Apple iPhone users are being urged to use a new feature called ‘Stolen Device Protection’ which was rolled out in a recent update to iOS. As the new feature’s name suggests, it can help prevent someone who has stolen your device and knows your passcode from making critical changes to your account or device. It…

UK Consumer champion Which? has reported that a scam mobile advert linked to a site mimicking the legitimate Lyca Mobile site was able to bypass the Google Ads verification check to reach the top of Google’s search listing. Which? reported that scammers got around Google’s ad verification check by claiming to be “Vodafone Finance Management”,…

Stanford researchers have discovered a simple way to boost the range of lithium metal batteries to twice the range of conventional lithium-ion batteries which could provide a massive boost to the EV market. Lithium-Ion Batteries  Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are currently used in a wide array of electronic devices, including smartphones, laptops, tablets, power tools,…

With the world’s first metal 3D printer being sent to the International Space Station (ISS), we look at what impact being able to print metal parts in space could have on space-travel plus potential environmental considerations and more. 3D Metal Printer  Although the ISS already has several plastic 3D printers on board, the new Airbus-produced…

In a recent experiment where AI was taught to behave maliciously and then taught to stop, the bad behaviour continued despite efforts to stop it, giving a chilling reminder of the potential threats of AI. The Experiment  The Cornell University experiment was documented in an online paper entitled “Sleeper Agents: Training Deceptive LLMS That Persist Through…