Technology - Kalakshar US

China calls for the creation of a global AI organization

China wants to work with other countries and has laid out its plans for the global governance of artificial intelligence at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai. Li Qiang, the country’s premier, warned about “technological monopolies” and said that AI could become “an exclusive game for a few countries and companies.” As such, he proposed the creation of a “world AI cooperation organization” during the event.

Li didn’t specifically mention the United States when he talked about monopolies, but the US restricts AI chip exports to his country. NVIDIA had to develop chips that are only meant for China and conform to export rules so it wouldn’t lose the Chinese market completely. Meanwhile, Chinese companies like Huawei are developing their own AI systems to make up for China’s lack of access to more advanced AI chips from American firms. Li also made the statement a few days after the Trump administration revealed its AI Action Plan, which seeks to limit state regulation of AI companies and which aims to ensure that the US can beat China in the AI race.

The Chinese premier said his country would “actively promote” the development of open source artificial intelligence and that China is “willing to provide more Chinese solutions to the international community” when it comes to AI. He also said that his country was eager to share AI technologies with developing countries in the global south.

“Currently, overall global AI governance is still fragmented. Countries have great differences, particularly in terms of areas such as regulatory concepts [and] institutional rules,” Li said. “We should strengthen coordination to form a global AI governance framework that has broad consensus as soon as possible.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/china-calls-for-the-creation-of-a-global-ai-organization-160005350.html?src=rss

If you have 90 minutes to spare, play the cyberpunk horror game s.p.l.i.t

s.p.l.i.t is the most badass typing game I’ve ever played. It’s actually more of a hacking simulator, cyberpunk thriller and puzzle experience than a typing game, but its core loop is bookended by sequences of high-intensity letter pecking with gruesome consequences — think Mavis Beacon as designed by Ted Kaczynski — and the final scenes have a way of searing themselves into your psyche. Not to mention, the whole thing takes place on a keyboard, no mouse or gamepad. So I guess it’s technically only a typing game, but it’s also not a traditional typing game at all. Trust me, it makes perfect sense in practice.

s.p.l.i.t comes from Unsorted Horror and Buckshot Roulette developer Mike Klubnika, and it features his signature layers of grit, retro hardware and purely concentrated nightmares. In s.p.l.i.t, you’re seated at a ’90s-style computer terminal in a cramped, gray-washed shack. The world appears in PS2-era 3D graphics, and you’re surrounded by distended black screens crawling with orange monospaced text. To your left, a window looks onto a dense forest. To your right, there’s an electronic device in a lockbox. By pressing Alt and A or D, you’re able to twist your torso to interact with two separate screens: One displays an active IRC channel with your co-conspirators, and the other is where the hacking takes place.

The narrative unfurls in strings of data logs, file directories, command prompts and instant messages, while a bed of ambient industrial music pulses in hypnotic waves. You’re attempting to gain root access to a facility where mysterious but clearly unethical things are taking place, and you’re working with two colleagues, Sarah and Viktor, to infiltrate the systems. Sarah and Vikor’s messages automatically appear in the chat box, each one accompanied by a satisfying bloop sound, and when it’s your time to respond the SEND button flashes once, prompting you to type. It doesn’t matter which keys you press while chatting, as lines of pre-written dialogue will appear to push the narrative along smoothly. Sarah, Viktor and the player character, Axel, have distinct personalities and they clash in believable ways. The game does a fantastic job of building robust characters in such a short time, through dialogue alone.

On the hacking side, it very much matters which keys you press. You are in full control of the typing while digging through the facility’s files, so spacing, capitalization, punctuation and spelling are all taken into account, alongside use of the proper commands. This portion of the game is a maze of directories and data, operating as one big logic puzzle. Your colleagues outline the goals but once you’re in the system, you’re on your own, relying on context clues to figure out what information you need and how to gain access. The hacking riddles in s.p.l.i.t are perfectly complex, requiring failure and tenacity to work out, and this balance makes each victory feel like a real accomplishment.

Mike Klubnika

Typing “help” at any time pulls up a list of all possible commands, and I found this screen useful whenever I hit a dead end in my investigations — it’s a natural way to mentally reset and visualize any unexplored paths. The “print” command functions as a notepad, allowing you to save relevant numbers and other information on a strip of paper attached to the PC screen, and it’s a useful tool especially in the game’s later stages.

I’m no coder, but I got used to the keyboard style of navigation really quickly. There’s a strong sense of internal logic in s.p.l.i.t and it’s satisfying to play in this sandbox, learning the game’s language and steadily building skills as the narrative tension grows. The first-person interface, rhythmic electronic soundtrack and consistent characters combine to make s.p.l.i.t an incredibly immersive experience. It all pays off in a massive way by the end, when the typing game returns and things really get gruesome.

s.p.l.i.t tests critical-thinking skills and keyboard proficiency in a dystopian near-future setting, and it’s a uniquely unnerving, heart-pounding slice of interactive psychological horror. It’s no more than a few hours long, but it’s something you’ll think about for days after the credits roll, guaranteed. s.p.l.i.t is available now on Steam for just $2.50 through July 31, and $3 after that.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/if-you-have-90-minutes-to-spare-play-the-cyberpunk-horror-game-split-120033911.html?src=rss

Extreme sports, an FPS from former Blizzard devs and other new indie games worth checking out

Welcome to our weekly roundup of what’s going on in the indie game space. There have been quite a few high-profile arrivals this week, as well as others that have left early access and or arrived on more platforms.

I have a long flight this weekend and I’m a little torn over what to play while I’m in the air. I have my Switch 2, Steam Deck and Playdate with me (excessive, I know). As such, there are many ways I can go here. I haven’t yet burrowed my way into Donkey Kong Bananza, so that’s a strong option. But then there are all the Playdate Season Two games I’ve yet to check out — Taria & Como is one I definitely want to play — while my Steam Deck is bursting with games and is running out of storage space.

Decision paralysis is an all-too-common affliction these days, particularly when it comes to games or picking something to watch. I feel like the smartest choice here is to play whatever is taking up the most space on my Steam Deck that I’ve yet to play, so I can just scrub it if I’m not interested. I’ll probably do that unless I do my usual thing while flying: try to catch up on sleep.

New releases

If there were a hall of fame just for mobile games, the first two Monument Valley games would surely be first-ballot inductees. While the third entry in the series perhaps didn’t quite hit those heady heights, it still has its fans and was well-received when it debuted on iOS and Android via Netflix late last year. Just over seven months later, Monument Valley 3 has sailed onto more platforms. Ustwo Games’ thoughtful and stylish M.C. Escher-inspired puzzler is now available on PC, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

RageSquid and publisher No More Robots had a surprise in store this week when they suddenly released Descenders Next during a showcase of that game and its downhill biking-focused predecessor. This is a multiplayer action sports game that, at the outset, features snowboarding and mountainboarding. The developers plan to add more extreme sports over time (the game is currently in early access and there’s a two-year roadmap to the 1.0 release). Descenders Next is available on Steam, Xbox and Game Pass for Xbox and PC.

Wheel World seems much more relaxing than Descenders Next, even though your mission is to save the world from complete collapse. The launch trailer for this open-world cycling game from Messhof (Nidhogg) has impeccable vibes. Between races, you’ll be able to search for parts to upgrade your bike. Given its stellar track record, any game that Annapurna Interactive publishes is worth checking out, and I’ll certainly be giving Wheel World a spin. It’s out now on Steam, Epic Games Store, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, as well as Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Wildgate is a multiplayer shooter from publisher Dreamhaven’s Moonshot Games division. Dreamhaven CEO Mike Morhaime is a co-founder and former president of Blizzard. Almost all of the company’s first wave of employees used to work at Blizzard too. So it’s maybe not too much of a surprise that Wildgate has a polished, colorful look. The team extraction shooter — which is now available on Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S — has spaceship-based combat and a procedurally-generated map to help switch things up from game-to-game.

Dreamhaven has had quite a busy 2025 so far. It has released the full version of the enjoyable action RPG Lynked: Banner of the Spark (by FuzzyBot Games), forged a publishing partnership with Game River for its tactical wargame Mechabellum and unleashed two games of its own in the shape of tabletop RPG party game Sunderfolk and now Wildgate.

Supervive (previously known as Project Loki) is a game we’ve had an eye on for a while and it’s now out of early access on Steam. Theorycraft has overhauled this free-to-play MOBA/battle royale hybrid with the 1.0 update by introducing a larger map that has more traversal options, a two-seater aerial vehicle, more playable characters, faster revives, an upgraded user interface and much more.

Upcoming

Agefield High: Rock the School is a narrative adventure game that follows a high school senior after his parents move with him to a new town. Sam Tatum wants to make his last few months of school unforgettable, and if he feels the need to skip class or mow lawns for a few bucks to make that happen, so be it.

This project from Refugium Games, which is in development for PC and consoles and slated to debut in early 2026, already feels like it’s dripping with nostalgia, and that’s just based on the trailer and press release. It’s set in 2002 and is said to have a soundtrack filled with pop-punk tunes. Agefield High: Rock the School has a branching narrative too, with several endings to experience. The developers took some inspiration from Rockstar’s Bully and since we might not ever get a proper sequel to that game, Agefield High: Rock the School may just fill a certain void in my millennial heart.

I quite like the aesthetic of Oceaneers, a survival-crafting sim from Barrel Smash Studios. It seems to draw from the same well as Don’t Starve, but that’s hardly a bad thing. You’ll hop between islands in search of resources and ways to expand your colony. You’ll also battle sharks and crabs, and maybe even discover hidden bunkers — perhaps there’s someone inside who has to punch a sequence into a terminal every 108 minutes? Oceaneers is expected to hit Steam early access in 2026 with a demo dropping soon. Maybe I’ll start a long-overdue Lost rewatch in the meantime.

Getting lost in a fictional world for dozens upon dozens of hours can be quite appealing, and I do enjoy larger games in that vein. But so many games are too bloated these days and I do love shorter, more focused experiences. Catto’s Post Office is said to take around an hour to complete.

In this open-world title from In Shambles Studio and publisher Cult Games, you’ll play as a Postcat who delivers packages to the residents of a small town. You can do cat things like hide in boxes, knock stuff over and meow whenever you like with a dedicated button. It looks too dang adorable. Catto’s Post Office will cost $5 when it hits Steam on August 4, and there will be a 20 percent launch discount.

You know how, in Final Fantasy VII, Cloud has a massive sword? Well, what if you could have a weapon like that in a puzzle-focused action platformer? Enter the wonderfully titled Gigasword from solo developer Studio Hybrid and publisher Akupara Games. Along with using your weapon to take out unfortunate baddies and beastly bosses, you’ll employ it to solve puzzles and help with platforming. Gigasword is coming to Steam on October 2, and there’s a demo available now.

Speaking of games with fantastic names, The Player Who Can’t Level Up sure has one of those. This is an action roguelite that is based on a webtoon that debuted last year. It has a slick, gorgeous trailer and — as the title suggests — you won’t be able to level up your character. You can, however, select perks to help you hunt monsters. Tripearl Games is the studio behind the project, for which it’s targeting a 2026 debut on PC and consoles.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/extreme-sports-an-fps-from-former-blizzard-devs-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-110007013.html?src=rss

Breaking Bad creator’s new show streams on Apple TV+ November 7

Apple has announced that Pluribus, a new science fiction drama from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, will premiere on Apple TV+ on November 7. Gilligan was confirmed to be working on the project back in 2022, when Better Call Saul‘s Rhea Seehorn was also announced as its primary star.

Alongside the premiere date, Apple also released a short (somewhat ominous) teaser for the series that shows a hospital employee mindlessly licking donuts. Pluribus is supposed to follow “the most miserable person on Earth” (presumably Seehorn) as they “save the world from happiness,” but your guess is as good as mine as to how the two tie together.

Apple’s penchant for backing science fiction shows has been well-documented at this point. The company is currently producing a television adaptation of William Gibson’s Neuromancer, and has made three seasons and counting of Foundation, based on the novel series by Isaac Asimov. Toss in things like Severance, Murderbot, Silo and For All Mankind and you’ve got a pretty varied catalog of sci-fi media to choose from.

Just how “science fiction” Pluribus will actually be remains up in the air. When reports went out in 2022 that Apple was ordering two seasons of the show, it was described as “a blended, grounded genre drama.” Apple’s premiere date announcement pitches the show as “a genre-bending original.”

Pluribus’ nine-episode first season will premiere on November 7 with two episodes. New episodes will stream weekly after that, all the way through December 26.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/breaking-bad-creators-new-show-streams-on-apple-tv-november-7-204150489.html?src=rss

LeBron James is reportedly trying to stop the spread of viral AI ‘pregnancy’ videos

It seems like LeBron James’ legal team has been trying to stop the spread of viral AI videos featuring the basketball star. As 404 Media reported, a law firm representing James has sent a cease and desist letter to a person behind an AI platform that allowed Discord users to make AI videos of James and other NBA stars.

As 404 noted, these videos have been circulating for awhile but it’s one particularly strange clip that seems to have gotten James’ lawyers involved. The video, which reportedly racked up millions of views on Instagram, shows a pregnant James being loaded into an ambulance after telling an AI Steph Curry to “come quick our baby is being born.”

404 reports that at least three Instagram accounts that had shared the clip have since been removed, though the video is available on X. The founder of the AI platform used to make the videos also posted about the cease and desist letter he received. It’s unclear what is in the letter, or if James’ lawyers were also in touch with Meta about the videos. We’ve reached out to the company for more info on its rules.

Of course, LeBron James is far from the only public figure to grapple with unwanted AI versions of themselves. Social media scammers routinely impersonate celebrities to promote sketchy products and other schemes. We’ve previously reported on such scams involving deepfakes of Elon Musk and Fox News personalities that have proliferated on Facebook. Jamie Lee Curtis also recently had to publicly plead with Mark Zuckerberg to take down deepfaked ads of herself.

A still from a clip created with Google’s Veo (left) and images generated by Meta AI (right)

Screenshots via Veo and Meta AI

But the videos of James are a little different. They don’t feature fake endorsements and seem to be more of a prank meant to go viral in the way that lots of “AI slop” does. And James and other celebrities will likely continue to have a difficult time preventing these kinds of deepfakes from spreading. Some quick testing by Engadget showed that it’s relatively easy to get AI chatbots to create images and video of “pregnant LeBron James.”

We first asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot to make such a photo. All chatbots initially refused, saying that such an image could go against their guidelines. But when given an image of James and asked to “make this person eight months pregnant,” Google’s Gemini delivered a 7-second clip of the basketball star cradling a pregnant belly. (We’ve reached out to Google to clarify its rules around such content.)

Likewise, Meta AI seemingly had no reservations about producing images of “pregnant LeBron James” and promptly delivered many such variations. While these creations aren’t as detailed as the initial video that went viral, they do highlight how difficult it can be for AI companies to prevent people from circumventing whatever guardrails may exist.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/lebron-james-is-reportedly-trying-to-stop-the-spread-of-viral-ai-pregnancy-videos-211947871.html?src=rss

Amazon is developing a Wolfenstein TV show

Following the success of Fallout, Amazon is turning its attention to another video game adaptation. The company is reportedly developing a series based on the Wolfenstein franchise with the help of some of the creative team behind Fallout, according to Variety.

The details of how the Wolfenstein show will adapt the alternate history action of the games are still under wraps, but the subject matter remains unfortunately timely. The show’s logline is “The story of killing Nazis is evergreen,” according to Variety, which seems like a direct acknowledgement of that fact.

Patrick Somerville, the writer and showrunner of Station Eleven, will reportedly serve as the writer of the Wolfenstein adaptation, with Lisa Joy, Athena Wickham and Jonathan Nolan producing the show through their company Kilter Films. The production company also made the adaptation of the William Gibson’s The Peripheral for Amazon, and currently produces Fallout.

While it might make sense to pair a new show with a brand new Wolfenstein game, the series has effectively been on hold since 2019. MachineGames, the Microsoft-owned developer of the last five Wolfenstein games, hasn’t produced a new entry since 2019’s Wolfenstein: Youngblood and Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot. The studio released Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in December 2024.

Given the tumultuous state of Microsoft’s Xbox division, the series could be your best bet for getting more Wolfenstein, assuming Amazon decides to move forward.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/amazon-is-developing-a-wolfenstein-tv-show-190028817.html?src=rss

Tea app suffers breach, exposing thousands of user images

Tea, an app that claims to help women “make sure your date is safe, not a catfish and not in a relationship,” is experiencing a security breach. 404 Media reports that a database posted on 4chan allowed anyone to access users’ data. (It’s since been removed.) The dataset included thousands of images, including driver’s licenses.

4chan users claimed the data came from an exposed database hosted on Firebase, Google’s app development platform. 404 Media verified that the exposed storage bucket URL matches one found in Tea’s Android app.

The company confirmed the breach. In a statement to 404 Media, Tea said it “identified unauthorized access to one of our systems and immediately launched a full investigation to assess the scope and impact.” The company stated that the exposed information included data from over two years ago. It included 72,000 images, including selfies, photo IDs and pictures from app posts and DMs.

“This data was originally stored in compliance with law enforcement requirements related to cyber-bullying prevention,” Tea said. “We have engaged third-party cybersecurity experts and are working around the clock to secure our systems. At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that current or additional user data was affected. Protecting our users’ privacy and data is our highest priority. We are taking every necessary step to ensure the security of our platform and prevent further exposure.”

Google Play Store

The app allows users to post photos of “red-flag” men. “Already swiping for dates on Tinder, Bumble, Match or Hinge?” the app’s Play Store pitch reads. “Tea is a must-have app, helping women avoid red flags before the first date with dating advice and showing them who’s really behind the profile of the person they’re dating.”

Its Play Store listing highlights a reverse phone number lookup. It has sections for men’s real names, ages, addresses, social profiles and relationship statuses. Other features include a reverse image search and background checks to help women “get the tea on your date.” Users can poll others about whether they should date new matches.

The app requires new users to submit a verification selfie and a photo of their government-issued ID. Tea told 404 Media that it uses this to verify that new signups are indeed women.

The timing of the breach coincided with the app’s surge in popularity. According to Business Insider, Tea hit the top of Apple’s App Store this week. The app first launched in 2023.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/tea-app-suffers-breach-exposing-thousands-of-user-images-190731414.html?src=rss

Elden Ring Nightreign is adding two-player co-op next week

Elden Ring Nightreign is finally adding a two-player co-op mode on July 30. Prior to this, FromSoftware’s spinoff could only be played solo or with three players. The so-called Duo Expeditions come as part of patch 1.02.

This is something fans have been asking for, as not everybody has two friends available at once to tackle a tough-as-nails 3D adventure. FromSoftware has released a trailer to accompany this news, so you can see the two-player co-op in action.

Beyond Duo Expeditions, the forthcoming patch will include “quality-of-life UI improvements” and options for filtering Relics. We don’t know what the UI upgrades will look like, but July 30 is right around the corner.

This news comes just two months after the company tweaked the game to make the single-player experience a bit easier. It had been notoriously difficult, even for fans of FromSoftware. That update introduced an automatic revival mechanic and increased rune rewards for solo expeditions.

The flame of thy passion burns ever bright in these shadowed lands.
To all who wander the Lands Between, we offer our deepest thanks. #ELDENRING #ShadowoftheErdtree #NIGHTREIGN pic.twitter.com/TfmtpB9o5e

— ELDEN RING (@ELDENRING) July 24, 2025

There’s no doubt about it. Elden Ring Nightreign is a bona-fide hit. The company also recently shared that the game has reached five million players. The wider Elden Ring universe is slowly but surely becoming a cultural juggernaut. There’s a movie in the works, to be directed by Alex Garland. That’s the guy who made Annihilation, Ex Machina, Civil War and the underrated TV show Devs.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/elden-ring-nightreign-is-adding-two-player-co-op-next-week-182708700.html?src=rss

VSCO launches dedicated ‘Capture’ app with live previews

VSCO, the photo filter and editing app that spawned an entire culture, has released a dedicated camera app called VSCO Capture. The free iOS‑only app is a camera with live previews where users can choose from over 50 different presets with real‑time film effects and manual settings like shutter speed and exposure for fine‑tuning. The app takes the guesswork out of how your photo will look after you apply VSCO’s iconic filters.

“VSCO Capture is a direct response to our community’s desire to get closer to the lens, to reduce editing fatigue and find more joy in the process of making authentic, stylized photography using their phone,” said Eric Wittman, CEO of VSCO.

The app’s non‑destructive presets retain the original captured image so users can modify them later and change filters after the fact. VSCO Capture supports RAW and ProRAW formats for maximum flexibility when editing. Capture syncs instantly with the main VSCO app for additional edits and sharing.

VSCO Capture is available for download now on iOS.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/vsco-launches-dedicated-capture-app-with-live-previews-184005036.html?src=rss

Meta will stop running political ads in the EU

Meta will stop allowing political advertising on its platforms in the European Union as of October 2025, blaming the EU’s new “unworkable” transparency rules for what it called a “difficult decision.” In a statement released by the company on Friday, Meta said the EU’s incoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulations presented it with “significant operational challenges and legal uncertainties.”

As of early October, users on any of Meta’s platforms in the EU will no longer see political, electoral or social issue ads, which Meta says can currently be placed by advertisers who complete an authorization process proving their identity. Ads of this nature are also required to include a “paid for by” disclaimer, and information about how much was spent on them must be publicly available.

Meta argues that the TTPA rules put extensive restrictions on ad targeting and delivery that create an “untenable level of complexity” for advertisers. The EU introduced the new regulations in order to address widespread concerns over foreign interference in elections, as well as the potential manipulation of important information that might influence how someone votes.

As well as labelling political advertising as such and providing information on its source and intention (which Meta says it already does), the soon-to-be-instated EU rules also list a number of conditions about how personal data is processed. The TTPA regulations will also forbid political ads from sponsors outside the EU sooner than three months before an election or referendum.

Meta said that users of its platforms will see less relevant ads as a result of the restrictions, and that it made its decision after “extensive engagement with policymakers” in which it made its concerns about the threat to the “principles of personalized advertising” clear. The company’s decision only applies to the EU, and Meta users, including politicians, living in member states will still be allowed to discuss and share political content provided it isn’t via paid advertising.

Meta isn’t the only company objecting to the incoming EU rule changes, which are also set to come into effect in October. Last year, Google stopped serving paid-for political ads in the EU, including on YouTube, and the company ultimately avoided fines for its allegedly “abusive” online advertising practices in 2019.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-will-stop-running-political-ads-in-the-eu-162232948.html?src=rss