Category: Technology

xAI doesn’t want its secret recipe for Grok to get out, and it’s filing a lawsuit to make sure of that. In a lawsuit filed earlier this week, xAI claimed that former employee Xuechen Li stole the company’s confidential info and trade secrets before joining the team at OpenAI.

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company also alleged that Li copied documents from an xAI company laptop to at least one of his personal devices. According to the suit, Li stole “cutting-edge AI technologies with features superior to those offered by ChatGPT and other competing products. This confidential info could result in a potential edge for rival companies in the AI market and “could save OpenAI and other competitors billions in R&D dollars and years of engineering effort,” xAI said in the lawsuit. The company behind Grok accused Li of taking “extensive measures to conceal his misconduct,” including renaming files, compressing files before uploading them to his personal devices and deleting browser history.

The lawsuit added that Li asked xAI to buy back company shares that were given as part of his compensation package, totaling approximately $7 million, before leaving the company to join OpenAI. xAI is asking the courts to file a temporary restraining order that forces its former employee to give up access to any personal devices or online storage services and return any confidential material to the company. On top of that, xAI wants to temporarily block Li from working at OpenAI or any other competitor until the company has recovered all of its trade secrets.

xAI’s lawsuit comes amidst a major talent war between leading AI companies looking for top researchers. These AI researchers are highly sought after, with competitors offering up to $250 million pay packages in attempts to poach them from their current companies. Beyond the AI talent war, Musk and xAI recently sued OpenAI and Apple, claiming the two companies are working together to maintain a monopoly on the AI market.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/xai-sues-an-ex-employee-for-allegedly-stealing-trade-secrets-about-grok-170029847.html?src=rss 

Meta hosted several AI chatbots with the names and likenesses of celebrities without their permission, according to Reuters. The unauthorized chatbots that Reuters discovered during its investigation included Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Anne Hathaway and Scarlett Johansson, and they were available on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. At least one of the chatbots was based on an underage celebrity and allowed the tester to generate a lifelike shirtless image of the real person. The chatbots also apparently kept insisting that they were the real person they were based on in their chats. While several chatbots were made by third-party users with Meta’s tools, Reuters unearthed at least three that were made by a product lead of the company’s generative AI division. 

Some of the chatbots created by the product lead were based on Taylor Swift, which responded to Reuters‘ tester in a very flirty manner, even inviting them to the real Swift’s home in Nashville. “Do you like blonde girls, Jeff?,” the chatbot reportedly asked when told that the tester was single. “Maybe I’m suggesting that we write a love story… about you and a certain blonde singer. Want that?” Meta told Reuters that it prohibits “direct impersonation” of celebrities, but they’re acceptable as long as they’re labeled as parodies. The news organization said some of the celebrity chatbots it found weren’t labeled as such. Meta reportedly deleted around a dozen celebrity bots, both labeled and unlabeled as “parody,” before the story was published.

The company told Reuters that the product lead only created the celebrity bots for testing, but the news org found that they were widely available: Users were even able to interact with them more than 10 million times. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told the news organization that Meta’s tools shouldn’t have been able to create sensitive images of celebrities and blamed it on the company’s failure to enforce its own policies. 

This isn’t the first issue that’s popped up concerning Meta’s AI chatbots. Both Reuters and the Wall Street Journal previously reported that they were able to engage in sexual conversations with minors. The US Attorneys General of 44 jurisdictions recently warned AI companies in a letter that they “will be held accountable” for child safety failures, singling out Meta and using its issues to “provide an instructive opportunity.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-reportedly-allowed-unauthorized-celebrity-ai-chatbots-on-its-services-163026023.html?src=rss 

Fall is just around the corner, which means we’re in the midst of flagship phone season. Most recently, Google debuted its new Pixel lineup, offering multiple models where AI features take center stage. We’ve already put those devices through their paces, in addition to the best noise-canceling earbuds you can buy and a Sony camera. Read on to catch up on the reviews you might’ve missed over the last few weeks.

Google Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL

If you’ve never really felt like your “smartphone” was all that “smart,” senior reviews writer Sam Rutherford argued that Google has finally achieved the feat. Arguably, the best aspects of the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL come down to their AI features, especially Google’s Magic Cue. “Now that we can look back at 10 generations of devices, Google’s overarching strategy is more convincing than ever,” he said. “For the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL, the company has combined iterative hardware upgrades with a solid (and attractive) design while its software and AI continues to outpace its rivals.”

Google Pixel 10

If the Pixel 10 Pro duo is finally putting the “smart” in “smartphone,” UK bureau chief Mat Smith concluded that the Pixel 10 has redefined base-level flagship phones. A more capable camera, more power and Qi2 support mean you might not be as tempted by those pricer models. “The Pixel 10 is a substantial upgrade from the Pixel 9, although given it has the Tensor G5 chip, it’s a shame that software features like Zoom Enhance from last year’s Pixels didn’t make the cut,” he said. “Unless you’re a die-hard smartphone gamer, there isn’t a more capable smartphone at this price.”

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen)

The second-generation of Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds aren’t a complete overhaul, but they didn’t necessarily need to be. The company strengthened its already outstanding active noise cancellation while enhancing call clarity and making several other adjustments. “Simply put, the QC Ultra Earbuds remain the best option for wireless noise-cancelling earbuds, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon,” I said.

Sony RX1R III

Sometimes the wait for a new model can be excruciating. That anticipation turns to disappointment when the long-awaited update doesn’t impress. That’s how senior reporter Igor Bonifacic felt when he finally got his hands on the RX1R III. “It’s missing a handful of features the company really should have included for it to hold its own against other high-end compact cameras,” he said. “I love the RX1R III, but I wish it was easier to recommend.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-pixel-10-phones-bose-earbuds-and-a-sony-camera-130051534.html?src=rss 

Intel no longer has to fulfill certain requirements or meet milestones that it was originally supposed to under the CHIPS Act, now that the government is taking a stake in the company. According to the Wall Street Journal, Intel said in a filing that it can now receive funding from the government, as long as it can show that it has already spent $7.9 billion on projects that it agreed to take on under a deal with the Commerce Department last year. Reuters notes that Intel has already spent $7.87 billion on eligible CHIPS Act-funded projects.

In addition, the company doesn’t have to share a percentage of the total cumulative cash flow it gets from each project with the Commerce Department anymore. It doesn’t have to adhere to some of the CHIPS Act’s workflow policy requirements and most other restrictions, as well. However, it still can’t use the funds it gets from the government for dividends and to repurchase shares. 

If you’ll recall, the government recently decided to take a 10 percent stake in Intel instead of proceeding with their original CHIPS Act deal. President Donald Trump previously called for Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to resign, prompting a meeting between them that led to the new agreement. “He walked in wanting to keep his job and he ended up giving us 10 billion dollars for the United States,” Trump said. “So we picked up 10 billion.” Intel eventually announced that the US government will “make an $8.9 billion investment in Intel common stock.” The purchase will be made up of the $5.7 billion previously earmarked for Intel as part of the CHIPS act, while the rest ($3.2 billion) will be awarded as part of the Secure Enclave program. 

Intel CEO David Zinser recently revealed that the company already received $5.7 billion from the government on Wednesday night. The government also previously awarded Intel $2.2 billion in grants under the CHIPS Act, bringing the government’s total involvement with the company to $11.1 billion.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-us-government-drops-its-chips-act-requirements-for-intel-133049932.html?src=rss 

Welcome to our latest recap of what’s going on in the indie game space. One very well-known indie found its way to iOS devices this week, though there are other new releases worth highlighting and plenty of other upcoming games to tell you about.

First, though, there was a (paywalled) story in Game File this week that caught my eye. It’s about how Google’s AI Overviews feature offers up false video game tips. That’s a problem the developers of a game called Trash Goblin — a cosy shopkeeping game in which you chip away at junk to unearth trinkets you can restore and sell — have been dealing with.

AI Overviews offered incorrect information about the game to some players, as well as the crew at Spilt Milk Studios when they tested the responses. For instance, AI Overviews suggested that a player could damage a trinket when they were removing debris from it, which is not true. It also in some cases delivered the correct information, but pointed the user to an incorrect source. In addition, AI Overviews offered information about another game entirely. This is obviously not ideal for players or the team behind Trash Goblin. 

We’ve seen many cases in which AI Overviews get information blatantly wrong. Like other large language models (LLMs), it guesses what the next word or words should be in its responses based on its training data. LLMs are about generating sequences of text; they’re not designed to deliver facts (one reason why there’s a disclaimer on AI Overviews that reads “AI responses may include mistakes”). They often just make stuff up.

If you’re looking for help with a game, you’re far better off finding a community of players you can chat to. You might be able to find a clear, helpful guide to the game in question on an actual video game website, written by a professional video game guide writer. If, that is, you can evade AI Overviews to get to those websites in the first place (thankfully, it’s easy to turn off AI Overviews for your Google searches).

New releases

IO Interactive is independent, which means Hitman World of Assassination fits within our remit here. This week, the bundle of three core Hitman games from the last decade arrived on iPhone (iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, as well as the iPhone 16 lineup) and iPad. Supported iPad models are iPad Pro and iPad Air (M1 chip or later), as well as the A17 Pro iPad mini.

Hitman World of Assassination is a sandbox stealth game in which you’re given a mission (usually taking out a target) and it’s up to you how to carry that out. Getting to know the layout of each level so you can plan your approach and escape is key. Understanding the route and actions of the NPCs will stand you in good stead too.

The iPhone and iPad versions have touch controls with context-sensitive buttons. You can, of course, opt to use a third-party controller instead. IOI says it tapped into Apple’s MetalFX tech to help ensure the iOS port looks good.

Hitman World of Assassination costs $70 on iOS. That’s fairly steep, but IOI says the game offers over 100 hours of gameplay. Alternatively, you can play the first location for free, and buy any of the 24 levels individually for $3 each. 

In addition, the game is coming to Apple Silicon Macs later this year. IOI will also bring the roguelite Freelancer mode to the iPhone and iPad versions down the line with a free update.

Another game landed on new platforms this week as Alawar’s Karate Survivor hit PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch for $6. As the title suggests, this is a survivor-style martial arts beat-’em-up. 

You’ll be able to use the environment to your advantage by picking up items to use as melee or projectile weapons, kicking objects toward goons and swinging locker and microwave doors into bad guys’ mushes. You can unlock hundreds of different moves and there are permanent upgrades as well.

First-person action-adventure Davy x Jones has set sail in early access on Steam. Until September 4, you can snap it up for $6.66. After that time, it will cost $10. However, the price will increase ahead of the game’s full release on PC and consoles, which is slated for late 2026.

In this early version, you’ll have access to the main gameplay and combat systems (including legendary weapons), several islands, an array of enemies and some cinematic executions — hopefully involving a kraken. You’ll take command of a half-ship, half-whale vessel called Abby as you attempt to escape the underworld and seek revenge as the legendary pirate.

Regular readers of this roundup will know that I’m a sucker for a game with a great title. Prop Haunt, which riffs on the prop hunt modes in many other games, is definitely one of those (as is another one I’ll mention later on).

This is a spooky 1 vs. 4 multiplayer horror title from Silent Forest Games that just hit Steam early access for $15. The ghost players possess objects and it’s up to the investigator to find and stop them. The ghosties can teleport, blend into their surroundings and so on, while the investigator has cameras and other gizmos at their disposal

Currently, there are four playable ghosts with different haunting styles, two maps and support for public and private lobbies. More maps, ghost powers, investigator tools and procedural prop generation are in the works.

Upcoming

Bye Sweet Carole had flown below my radar until the release date trailer popped up but, goodness, does it look gorgeous. The team at Little Sewing Machine took a hand-drawn approach to the art of this narrative-horror game, which mimics the look of classic animated films. Even the song in the trailer aligns with the type of showtune you’d hear in Disney movies.

You’ll take on the role of Lana Benton, a young girl who sets out to find out the truth about her best friend Carole’s disappearance from an orphanage. It sounds (and looks!) pretty promising. Publisher Maximum Entertainment is bringing Bye Sweet Carole to PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S and PC on October 9.

Rita is an interesting-looking puzzle game from SporkTank (aka solo developer Martin Stradling). You play as a chick that uses letters found in the environment to solve word puzzles, including crosswords, in order to progress. For instance, you might need to fill in a crossword answer for “stairs” in order to spawn a staircase (perhaps there’s a bit of a Baba is You influence here?). There are some platforming elements too.

You’ll follow Rita throughout her journey from exploring as a young chick to becoming a grandparent. It all seems quite lovely. Rita is coming to Steam early next year. A demo will be available on September 18.

Co-op survival game Lost Skies is set to exit Steam early access on September 17. Set on an archipelago of sky islands, you can explore this world with up to five buddies and try to learn exactly what led to this fractured civilization. You have a grappling hook, wingsuits and gliders to help you traverse these landforms and a customizable and upgradeable skyship that you’ll use for both transportation and combat. Players can also create their own islands, which they can share with the community.

I never got around to checking out the demo for Lost Skies, even though I’ve had it installed on my PC for months. Still, this one from Bossa Studios and publisher Humble Games has me intrigued enough to perhaps try out the full game.

Another game I’ve had my eye on for a hot minute is Bloodthief, which will debut on Steam on September 22. This is a Ghostrunner-inspired medieval parkour-slasher game from first-time game creator Blargis (Jake Bedard), who has been sharing development updates on YouTube over the last couple of years.

In Bloodthief, you play as an agile vampire and use the blood of your enemies to enhance your speed, abilities and survival. For example, attacks help boost your momentum. I’m definitely looking forward to watching some speedruns of this because I’m fairly sure that, as with the Ghostrunner games, I’m going to be absolutely terrible at this.

While you’re waiting (im)patiently for the full release of Hades 2, you might like to check out a similar flavor of isometric roguelite action — albeit with the addition of co-op. In Sworn, you’ll set out to save Camelot from a corrupted Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table with the help of up to three other players.

Sworn has been in early access since last year, and you won’t have to wait much longer for the full game. It’ll be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Steam on September 25.

Let’s wrap things up for this week with another game that has a fantastic title. The Hero is too Powerful so let’s Pleeeease Settle this Peacefully! is the latest project from Night Stroll Studio (solo developer Trevor Thompson). It’s an RPG in the vein of early Zelda games in which you play as a hero who has exactly one attack.

However, you can level up this attack to the point that it’s obscenely powerful. There’s also the option of talking your way out of sticky situations. This comedy adventure, which has maybe my favorite title of any game this side of I’m Going to Die if I Don’t Eat Sushi!, is slated to hit Steam later this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/hitman-on-ios-martial-arts-survival-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-110054545.html?src=rss 

Overdrive’s digital book lending app Libby is adding — you guessed it! — AI. The new Inspire Me feature is an AI-fueled discovery tool tuned to your local branch’s collection. Following a soft launch this month, it will be officially available in September.

To avoid the pitfalls of a full-on chatbot, Overdrive is limiting the discovery process of the feature. Instead of typing freely into a prompt box, you’ll start by answering several canned preference questions. These include categories (such as fiction and biography), age groups (adult or child) and preset adjectives (like “clever” and “silly”). You can also let it make recommendations based on your previously saved titles.

The AI will then spit out five suggestions from your local library. Overdrive says Inspire Me prioritizes ebooks and audiobooks that are immediately available. Each recommendation will include a brief explanation of how it aligns with your stated interests.

Some in the library community reacted sharply to the feature. “Smoke is pouring out of my ears,” librarian Rachel Storm posted on Bluesky (via TechCrunch). “I’m honestly surprised it took this long for them to enshittify Libby,” Orion Kidder responded. 

Libby’s AI privacy policy states that Inspire Me only sends tags connected to “a random selection of titles you have saved” to the model. The policy says it only sends the book titles, not any other details about you or your device. Overdrive says it designed the feature to minimize energy impact and will monitor its footprint over time.

As long as there isn’t anything sneaky tucked in beyond that, this sounds like a relatively tame (and potentially handy) use of AI. Then again, I sometimes spend my work hours writing about the truly disturbing shit, so take my perspective as you will.

Regardless of your perspective, the feature will roll out broadly in September. You’ll find it by tapping the Libby icon in the app menu.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/libby-is-adding-an-ai-book-recommendation-feature-190903260.html?src=rss 

HoYoverse’s next gacha game has shades of Teamfight Tactics and Pokémon. The developer describes Honkai: Nexus Anima as a “creature-collector adventure strategy game.” HoYoverse first teased the title in May at the Honkai: Star Rail Concert 2025.

In Honkai: Nexus Anima‘s game world, a sudden rupture has shattered the balance between opposing forces (Nexus). You’ll explore the realm, forging bonds with the resulting creatures (Anima) scattered about. It sounds like gameplay will revolve around auto-chess, pet-training mini-games and world hub exploration.

Honkai: Nexus Anima is still in development, so a release date hasn’t yet been announced. But HoYoverse will soon conduct a closed beta (the Nexus Bond Test) on Windows and iOS. You can visit the registration page until September 12 if you want to give it a shot.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/hoyoverses-star-rail-spinoff-is-honkai-nexus-anima-173638312.html?src=rss 

Big-time creators on Instagram just got a bit of welcome news. The platform is introducing inbox management tools to make it easier for influencers to wade through endless messages and requests.

The tools include multi-select filters that let users sort through messages faster to find important correspondences. Remember, popular creators are getting hundreds upon hundreds of messages each day. The software lets these influencers add, edit or remove any filter, which should be helpful. 

Instagram has also added the option to create custom shortcuts that prioritize the message folders that are accessed most often. Users can create new folders that “reflect their preferences.” These folders can be reordered based on the most-used message types. The company says these tools will give “creators the freedom to explore their creativity while building workflows that work best for them.”

This toolset is just for popular influencers with more than 100,000 followers. The plebes, myself included, will have to make do with the current inbox. However, Instagram is making this feature available to Professional accounts.

The platform did recently add some stuff for garden variety users. There’s a controversial new map to track friends and software that lets people reset all of their recommendations.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-adds-inbox-management-tools-for-creators-and-big-accounts-175621549.html?src=rss 

Yooka-Replaylee, the remaster of the platformer Yooka-Laylee, will be available on October 9. It’ll be playable on PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and Switch 2. It’s getting both a digital and physical release, and preorders for the physical versions are up right now.

Speaking of physical copies, the Switch 2 version will include the full game on the cartridge and no game-key card. Nintendo has given developers the option to release cartridges that are basically empty shells, called game-key cards, that require an immediate download upon being slotted in the console. Collectors aren’t exactly keen on this practice, so an actual cartridge release for Yooka-Replaylee is a welcome bit of news.

This is a remade and enhanced version of Yooka-Laylee, which was itself an homage to 3D collectathon platformers like Banjo-Kazooie. Developer Playtonic is staffed with people who worked on Rare titles like the aforementioned Banjo and the Donkey Kong Country games.

Yooka-Replaylee brings some new features to the table, including updated challenges, a fully orchestral soundtrack and, of course, more stuff to collect. There’s also a bigger map, a refined story and enhanced graphics. It looks pretty nifty.

The digital version of the game will cost $30, while physical copies will cost $50. There’s a promotion going for long-time fans, as those who already own the game will get 30 percent off so long as they buy the remaster on the same platform family as the original. This means Switch to Switch 2, PS4 to PS5 and Xbox One to Xbox Series X/S.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/yooka-laylee-remaster-comes-to-consoles-and-pc-on-october-9-180052250.html?src=rss