Kalakshar US

Slack has finally unleashed its generative AI toolset on the world, after teasing it last year. The vast majority of these features look to simplify your day-to-day life when using the work-focused chat platform.

First up, the AI will auto-generate channel recaps to give you key highlights of anything you missed while away from the keyboard or smartphone. Slack says the algorithm that generates these recaps is smart enough to separate the content from the various topics discussed. In other words, if your co-workers launched into a debate about coffee beans and also talked about third-quarter earnings or whatever, you should get a paragraph on both.

There’s a similar tool available for threads, which are basically just one-on-one or group conversations that don’t occupy an entire channel. This lets users “get up to speed on any thread in just one click.” Now you can safely ignore that one colleague who messages you eight times in a row when one short paragraph would absolutely suffice.

Another cool feature here is conversational search. This allows you to ask a question using natural language instead of using Slack’s pre-existing search bar to slowly crawl through previous chats. The algorithm does the crawling for you, providing you with a “clear, concise answer based on relevant conversational data.”

It remains to be seen just how much time these tools will save the average user throughout the workday, but Slack says it remains committed to artificial intelligence. To that end, the company is prepping more native AI features, including the ability to generate personalized summaries of channels that users don’t check daily but want to keep an eye on. Additionally, Slack says it’ll soon integrate some of its most-used third-party apps into the AI ecosystem.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/slacks-new-generative-ai-features-include-thread-summaries-and-conversational-search-140059238.html?src=rss 

It’s no secret that using the internet usually means handing over most of your personal information – consciously or not. DuckDuckGo bills itself as an alternative to this, protecting its users’ privacy, and now it’s providing users an easier way to access their information from multiple places. The browser has announced a new sync and backup feature that shares bookmarks, email protection settings and passwords across devices.

Basically, DuckDuckGo users who choose it for its lack of data sharing can still get the advantages of using the same browser on multiple devices without wondering who gets access to their searches. The entire process is end-to-end encrypted, with DuckDuckGo never receiving any information as the key for decryption is stored on the individual’s devices.

The update means that individuals can share information, for example, from their DuckDuckGo browser on their PC or Mac to their Android or iPhone and vice versa. Mobile phones and tablets can link with a QR code, while computers require users to enter a code. There’s no need to sign in, but users will want to download a Recovery PDF. It allows people to access synced data if a device breaks, including Email Protection, which removes hidden trackers and creates unique and private email addresses. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/duckduckgos-privacy-focused-browser-gets-cross-device-syncing-and-backups-130017599.html?src=rss 

While carbon dioxide gets the lion’s share of attention when it comes to global warming, there are other factors at play. Methane is responsible for about 30 percent of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution, according to the International Energy Agency. About 40 percent of methane emissions from human activity stem from the energy sector. Identifying and mitigating these emissions is said to be one of the most critical actions we can take in the short term to combat climate change.

To that end, Google and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have once again teamed up to tackle the issue. The pair previously mapped methane leaks in major cities using sensors on Street View cars. This time they’re using a blend of satellite imagery and AI.

The EDF and its partners have developed a satellite that’s set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in early March. While there have been other satellite-based monitoring efforts, MethaneSAT is slated to provide the most comprehensive picture yet of methane emissions across the planet.

The satellite will orbit the Earth 15 times a day at an altitude of over 350 miles, and focus on measuring methane levels in the top oil- and gas-producing regions. It will be capable of imaging large emissions from a single source as well as smaller sources of methane spread across wider areas.

EDF and its partners developed Google Cloud-powered algorithms to calculate emissions in certain places and to track them over time. Artificial intelligence will also be employed to pinpoint oil and gas infrastructure such as storage containers and pump jacks, much like Google uses AI to detect sidewalks, street signs and road names in satellite images for Maps.

Combining the methane map with one showing oil and gas infrastructure is expected to provide a clearer picture of where emissions are stemming from. That should give energy companies actionable information to help them stop leaks.

Insights from the project will be publicly available on the satellite’s website and Google Earth Engine later this year. “By making MethaneSAT datasets available on Earth Engine, which has over 100,000 monthly active users, it’s easier for users to detect trends and understand correlations between human activities and environmental impact,” Yael Maguire, Google’s vice president and general manager of Geo Developer and Sustainability, wrote in a blog post. Earth Engine users will be able to match the methane data against other maps, such as those showing forests, regional borders and water. They’ll also be able to view methane emissions over time.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-will-use-ai-and-satellite-imagery-to-monitor-methane-leaks-130051724.html?src=rss 

Over the past week, there was an app called Kimi that curiously outranked well-known streaming services, such as Netflix and Prime Video, in the list of top free entertainment apps for iOS. Now, Apple has pulled down the application… most likely because it gave users access to pirated movies. As Wired reports, Kimi was disguised as an app that tests your eyesight by making you play spot the difference in similar photos. In reality, it was nothing of the sort and instead contained bootlegged shows and movies, including recent blockbusters and award-winning films. 

Its offerings, however, varied in quality in a way that’s familiar to those who used to look for shows and movies online before the advent of streaming services. Kimi’s copy of the Emma Stone-starrer Poor Things was apparently grainy and pixelated, while other movies available in high-quality copies had ads blocking the view across the top of the screen. The app was so easy to use: Viewers simply had to download it and fire it up to start watching. It was similar to the now-defunct service Popcorn Time, in that it made pirating movies as easy as watching Netflix. Popcorn Time shut down for good in 2022. 

Apple prides itself on privacy and safety and on making sure the apps it makes available for download are on the up and up. When it revealed how it would comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), for instance, it said any alternative app store that makes its way to the company’s platforms will need to have stringent rules and moderation tools comparable to its own. Apple itself may have to start keeping a close eye on its App Store, though. Viewers have been expressing their discontent online on having to pay for too many streaming services to be able to watch what they want to, and it seems like more and more people are turning to piracy again. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-piracy-app-outranked-netflix-on-the-app-store-before-apple-pulled-it-132013246.html?src=rss 

Another day, another layoff occuring in the tech world. Instacart, the popular grocery delivery and pick-up service has announced the termination of 250 employees — about seven percent of its workforce. The layoffs are primarily individuals from middle management or who work on advertising through platforms like Google Ads and Roku. Most of the layoffs will go into effect by March 31 with Instacart estimating that the process will cost the company between $19 million and $24 million due to factors like severance pay and employee benefits.

Instacart released the news along with its fourth-quarter earnings. Despite choosing to layoff employees, the company reported a six percent increase in revenue, jumping from $803 million to $804 million, year-over-year. At the same time, Instacart is seeing the voluntary departure of three of its executives: the chief operating officer, chief technology officer and chief architect.

The layoffs follow only a short time after Instacart’s September 2023 IPO. Unlike many companies that barely (or didn’t) survive the COVID-19 pandemic, Instacart thrived. It allowed people to stay and still receive their groceries and other necessary items. Now, it exists in 5,500 cities and, like most companies of the past year, is focusing on building its AI capabilities. But, despite its increased revenue, the company’s layoffs signal that not everything is going as planned over at Instacart. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instacart-cuts-250-jobs-after-reporting-increased-revenue-112503431.html?src=rss 

As part of its NBA All-Star coverage press release, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it’ll stream live sports with Dolby Vision for the first time ever. The feature will be available to Max subscribers with supported Dolby Vision TVs “via the B/R [Bleacher Report] Sports Add On,” the company said. 

Dolby Vision has been available for streaming films and TV series for ages, but this will mark the first time it comes to live sports. Warner Bros. Discovery hinted that it’ll soon be available across NBA, NHLA, MLB, NCAA and US soccer games as well. Max has already been using Dolby Atmos sound to enhance live games.

Sports streams arguably stands to benefit most from Dolby Vision, as it boosts brightness levels, clarity and color. Dolby has previously said that real-time HDR feeds will be handled intelligently to so that bright areas aren’t blown out and detail isn’t lost in shadows. The company has also said that live feeds will adjust accordingly to the device they’re being played on so they’re optimal for each display.

This weekend’s NBA All-Star coverage will be first to get Dolby Vision. Coverage includes the game on Sunday, February 18 starting at 8PM ET, as well as a special two-hour NBA All-Star Tip-Off show at 6PM.

Max launched the Bleacher Report tier on October 5, offering live sporting events including MLB, NBA, NHL and NCAA. It also offers access to all of WBD’s pre- and post-game shows, along with Bleacher Report highlights, documentaries and more. The company recently extended the deadline for free programming until February 29, 2024. After that, it’ll cost $10 per month, but the addition of Dolby Vision makes it a more compelling option. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/max-is-the-first-streaming-service-to-offer-dolby-vision-for-live-sports-161515799.html?src=rss 

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg has posted a review of Apple’s Vision Pro on Instagram, reminding us all that the rivalry between the two companies have deepened even further with the launch of the latter’s mixed reality headset. In the video shot with a Meta Quest 3, Zuckerberg didn’t mince words while pitting the Vision Pro against his company’s device. He said he originally expected the Quest to be the better value for most people, because it’s “like seven times less expensive” than the $3,500 Vision Pro. However, after testing his competitor’s product, he came to the conclusion that the Quest “is the better product, period.” 

He added that the Quest is “better for the vast majority of things that people use mixed reality for.” Zuckerberg said he thinks the Quest is “a lot more comfortable,” since Meta designed it to be light and portable, so that people could use it while moving around or even while hanging out with friends and socializing. He found the Quest’s field of view to be wider and its screen to be brighter than the Vision Pro, and he also found that Meta’s headset showed crisper visuals when he moved his head while wearing it. Apple’s device, he said, had motion blur. 

Zuckerberg acknowledged that the Vision Pro has a screen with a higher resolution, but in the same breath, he criticized Apple for the “tradeoffs” it had to make to the device’s comfort and ergonomics. While Quest’s controllers are “a little more accurate,” he admits that Apple’s eye tracking is “really nice.” Apparently, Meta used the Vision Pro’s sensors for the Quest Pro but took them out for the Quest 3. The company is planning to bring them back in the future. Of course, Zuckerberg took the chance to talk about the Quest’s bigger library and to emphasize that the Quest, unlike the Vision Pro, has access to the YouTube and Xbox apps. Zuckerberg ended his review by talking about open and closed models for every generation of computing and how he wants to make sure that for this generation, Meta’s technology, as the open model, “wins out” like Microsoft’s did in the past. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/unsurprisingly-zuck-thinks-the-quest-3-is-a-better-product-than-apples-vision-pro-104001890.html?src=rss