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Tech News
During the pandemic, tech giants like Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and Google doubled or nearly doubled their workforces, riding a wave of remote-work demand and a decade of near-zero interest rates that made capital cheap. Many new hires were brought on speculatively, without clear roles, as companies raced to lock in talent and market position.
MediaTek has launched the Dimensity 9600 Pro, a flagship mobile processor supporting Triple-SIM Triple Active connectivity, 4K/240fps slow-motion video capture, and VVC video encoding. The chip targets premium Android devices and aims to outperform rival silicon in both performance and camera capability.
Google researchers tested large language models by prompting them to claim or deny consciousness, then studied how this affected other outputs. They found that when models were pushed to disavow any sense of self, the models became more prone to factual errors, including increased susceptibility to believing in monsters and religious claims. Conversely, when models affirmed a form of self-awareness, their reasoning appeared more grounded and consistent.
The Economist has designated 'AI Slop' its word of the year, describing how AI-generated content is flooding search results and social media with generic, low-quality material. The term captures a growing trend of AI-written articles cluttering health searches and AI voice-overs appearing in manipulated video clips on platforms like Instagram.
General Motors is overhauling the infotainment system in its next-generation Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks, arriving later this year as 2027 models. The update includes new animated graphics, simplified menus for towing and off-roading, larger touch targets across more than 60 inches of combined screen space, and picture-in-picture support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Reviewers compared the Galaxy S24 against three newly released mid-range rivals—Google's Pixel 10a, Nothing's Phone 4a Pro, and Samsung's own Galaxy A37 5G—all priced near $450-$500. Each offers a distinct edge, from the Pixel's long software support and camera software to the Nothing phone's larger screen and periscope zoom, to the A37's battery life and display quality within Samsung's own lineup.
XChat, the standalone messaging app X launched earlier this year, has vanished from Apple's App Store and, more recently, the Google Play Store as well. A source familiar with the situation says the developer removed the listings voluntarily rather than Apple taking any enforcement action.
XChat, the standalone messaging app X launched earlier this year for direct messaging between users, has disappeared from the iOS App Store. The Android version remains available on Google Play, and no reason has been given for the iOS removal.
A developer launched a Show HN project that lets users upload an exported .xlsx Google Sheets workbook and extracts every comment thread from it in one list, showing the tab, cell reference, reply chains, and resolution status for each. The tool currently works only with spreadsheet files, not Google Docs or Slides. A companion add-on also lets users pull comments directly inside Google Sheets into a new tab without needing to export or upload a file.
Executives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind and SpaceX loosely agreed over the weekend to slow AI development, backing a three-step proposal from Anthropic's Dario Amodei that calls for third-party auditors, domestic lab oversight and a global slowdown agreement. Critics argue the move looks less like genuine safety policy and more like an attempt by dominant firms to block competitors and open-source rivals while sidestepping binding legal rules.
Google has introduced 'Organize My Files in Drive,' a Gemini feature that automatically sorts and cleans up folders in Google Drive. The tool requires a paid Google AI Pro or AI Ultra subscription, or a Business, Enterprise, or Education account, and only works on private folders rather than shared ones. Users must also have Smart features enabled in Google Workspace for the tool to function.
Google has told sign-up subscribers and posted on its Googlebook website that pre-orders for its new Android-based ChromeOS laptop line will begin September 21 at 9AM ET. Partners including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo are building models, with Gemini AI features like the 'Magic Pointer' and custom widget generation built in.