A year or two ago, OpenAI was on top of the world. Now... well, it's still probably still the world's buzziest AI startup, but its new models aren't making the splash they once were, its business model is as hazy as ever, and competition is rapidly catching up.What does a $300 billion tech company do in that situation? Double down oninnovation and development or blame a scary foreign bogeyman?Lately, it's sounding like the latter. In a recently published white paper, OpenAI called for US lawmakers to "coordinate a global ban" on what it calls "Chinese Communist Party aligned" AI models, such as its infamous competitor DeepSeek.DeepSeek made waves earlier this year when it announced an AI modelapproximately on par with OpenAI's ChatGPT, which the Chinese company made for a fraction of the price. It was a major knock against American AI companies' costly development strategy, which may explain why OpenAI is now appealing to good old American jingoism."While America maintains a lead on AI today, DeepSeek shows that our lead is not wide and is narrowing," OpenAI's paper reads. "The AI Action Plan should ensure that American-led AI prevails over CCP-led AI, securing both American leadership on AI and a brighter future for all Americans."That bright AI future feels about as far off as ever. In its current state, AI is mainly affecting Americans by polluting the internet with slop, destroying the job market, silencing free speech, and generally just ruining the whole economy.DeepSeek, for what it's worth, is privately ownedand backed by venture capitalists similar to many American tech companies. While the AI company is now closely guarded by the Chinese government as a matter of national security, there's no indication that DeepSeek is owned or controlled by the CCP.OpenAI, meanwhile, enjoys a lucrative relationship with the US government. In January, president Donald Trump announced that OpenAI would form the backbone of a $500 billion AI infrastructure project, prompting hopeful investors to flood the company with cash.Though OpenAI's policy proposal accuses China of using "AI tools to amass power and control their citizens, or to threaten or coerce other states," it has little to say about the United States' own control over global internet infrastructure, or the coordinated effort by American corporations to restrict US citizens from accessing DeepSeek.Indeed, there are plenty of glaring omissions of shady US tech dealings, like the National Security Agency's use of Facebook to surveil citizens, or the war chest Silicon Valley is all too eager to build for the Pentagon even as OpenAI accuses DeepSeek of the same.It's all a pretty telling display. OpenAI concludes its paper by asking the state to blow the cap off of personal privacy laws, so that it can continue scraping our data to build its AI. What was that about amassing power to control citizens?Here's an idea: if OpenAI's billionaire founder feels he can't compete on the free and open market, maybe it's timeto make way for someone who can. That's capitalism, after all.Share This Article

In collaboration with a number of government ministries, the Chinese internet watchdog Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has announced that all AI-generated content on the internet will have to be labeled as such.As Bloomberg reports, the new regulation will require any synthetic content to be identified,either explicitly in its description or via metadata encoding.It's a major inflection point as governments attempt to shore up some control while the internet gets flooded with low-quality AI slop.Regulators have long rung the alarm bells about tech being misused to spread disinformation and material intended to harm others.Former president Joe Biden attempted to address the issue with an executive order in 2023, which has since been repealed by his successor Donald Trump. Instead of reining in the problematic use of generative AI, the current Trump administration has instead opened the gates, going as far as to instruct federal agencies to scrub AI guidelines and encourage them to use the tech more.That's in sharp contrast to both China and the European Union, which have furthered rules about labeling AI-generated or manipulated content. Last year, the European Union passed the AI Act, the "first-ever legal framework on AI, which addresses the risks of AI and positions Europe to play a leading role globally."Now China has followed suit, announcing a new set of rules requiring internet service providers to label AI-generated material."The Labeling Law will help users identify disinformation and hold service suppliers responsible for labeling their content," the CAC wrote in a statement, as translated by Bloomberg. "This is to reduce the abuse of AI-generated content."As part of the new rules, app store operatorsEven users will have to declare when they're posting AI-generated content, as the South China Morning Post reports. Those who alter AI content labels after the fact could face penalties.But as AI-generated content becomes increasingly more difficult to tell from the real thing, questions remain regarding the effectiveness of AI-labeling regulations and how enforceable they really are.And early attempts to address the issue have fallen flat. Last year, Meta attempted to roll out a "Made with AI" label on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. But the initiative failed right from the start, with users immediately noticing the feature was labeling real photos as being AI-generated.Meanwhile, the tidal wave of AI slop on the internet has reached a fever pitch, strangling out entire platforms. Last month, Futurism found that Pinterest had been engulfed in a torrent of uncanny AI-generated slop, frustrating users.The first six results for a simple search for "healthy recipe ideas" on the image-sharing website showed clear signs of having been generated by an AI. Only one was explicitly labeled as synthetic.More on labeling AI: Pinterest Is Being Strangled by AI SlopShare This Article

Universals third Orlando theme park, Epic Universe, is set to open its gates for the first time in just over two months time. A deluge is promo materials is headed our way starting with the first batch of photos from inside the nearly-completed park.Epic Universe is organized into different themed worlds:How to Train Your Dragon, Nintendo, Universals famous monsters, and a new area inspired by theHarry Potterfranchise. Universals other two Orlando parks Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure each have their own Harry Potter sections. Islands of Adventure has a replica of Hogwarts and the nearby village of Hogsmeade. Universal Studios Florida has Diagon Alley. And now Epic Universe has Place Cache a hidden, bustling shopping district in wizarding Paris.You can see the images of all of Epic Universes themed lands, plus the Chronos portal that serves as theicon ofthe park, below.Universal Epic Universe: First PhotosHere are the first images inside Epic Universe at Universal Orlando Resort, set to open in the spring of 2025.The new Harry Potter area is sure to be popular, and the Super Nintendo Land, which is very similar to the Nintendo areas already open at Universal parks in Japan and Hollywood, is guaranteed to be a hit as well. But the Dark Universe sectionis surely the most unique. So much of theme parks is built around catering to families and little children, and with good reason. Pitching that this monster section features Universals most chilling attraction ever is a bold sales pitch although Universal has had more and more success in recent years with their Halloween Horror Nights. This part of the park shouldbring inthose older fans even when its not Halloween.Epic Universe is set to open to the public on May 22.Amazing Theme Park Rides Based on Movies That Were Never BuiltCategories: Galleries, Movie News

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 380 for Tuesday, March 18.

Hints and answers for the Connections puzzle for Tuesday, March 18.

March 17, 20252 min readBending Ultrasonic Beams Creates Audible Enclaves Where They CrossInaudible ultrasonic beams steered around obstacles can create pockets of sound in an otherwise quiet room, acoustics experts reportBy Dan Vergano edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier PeterSchreiber.Media/Getty ImagesAre you tired of earbuds? Are headphones too heavy? Pockets of audible noise in otherwise quiet spots may be on their way to help.The acoustic advance, reported on March 17 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, relies on crossing normally inaudible ultrasonic beams to create the sound pockets, or audible enclaves. Ultrasound travels with frequencies at and above the highest edge of human hearing, about 20 kilohertz, and is often used in medicine. The studys ultrasonic beams were pitched high enough to be inaudible and can be made to bend, so they can travel around obstacles to create pockets of sound.In an era of podcasts and luxury sound systems, delivering audio on demand to a point in spacewithout requiring listeners to isolate themselves from the rest of the worldlooks like a promising technology, says the studys senior author Yun Jing, an acoustics expert at Pennsylvania State University. The new advance, he says, improves on parametric ultrasound technology that produces straight-line beams of audible sound.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.We are not relying on new concepts. But the beauty of this work is that we can combine technologies in very interesting ways, Jing says. And theres some really interesting applications, he adds, ranging from home theaters to device-free communications.To produce the audio enclaves, Jings team relied on two separate ultrasound emitters just over six inches wide. Each was covered with 3D-printed metamaterials, whose tiny grooves shaped the emitters beams to interfere with each other just so when they crossed. Then the researchers parked a dummy human head right in front of these soundless speakers.Essentially, audio enclaves are a feat of acoustic subtraction. When one ultrasonic beam that bent to the right and another that bent to the left crossed on the far side of the dummy head, their inaudible sound waves interfered, producing a residual sound at a frequency that humans could hear at the fixed point in space (mathematically, a 39.5 kilohertz beam subtracted from a 40 kilohertz one, leaving behind an audible 500 hertz sound wave). In the demonstration, the researchers played the Hallelujah Chorus from George Frideric Handels Messiahwith the dummy head none the wiser.The beams operated with an airborne pressure that was 15,200 of the Food and Drug Administrations safety limit for human exposure to ultrasound, the paper noted. But Mark Hinders, a professor of applied science at William & Mary, who was not part of the study, cautions that because ultrasound can damage hearing, the technique would require careful safety testing.For now, the prototypes sound quality isnt perfect. Jing says his team plans to use machine-learning algorithms to analyze the sounds produced by the device and improve its performance. Given the small size of the emitters, he suggests, audio enclaves in cars might be an eventual first application.

Call of Duty veteran Jason Blundell has confirmed previous reports he's heading up a new PlayStation first-party studio, revealing it to be named Dark Outlaw Games. Read more

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereHelldivers 2 fans are eagerly awaiting a new Warbond. The last bundle we received was back in February with Servants of Freedom, and before that was Killzone in December. Even though nothing is confirmed, the next package should be arriving soon judging by history, and the Arrowhead CEO has joked about the next Helldivers 2 Warbond arriving soon, too.Helldivers 2 CEO teases new WarbondOn the Helldivers Discord, Arrowhead CEO, Shams Jorjani, has jokingly given away wishes to the community. As one of the wishes, a user asked if we can get a new Warbond tomorrow.In response, Jorjani said, Ill tell the team. It might take a few days. While this response is obviously in-jest, its possible news about the next Warbond could be imminent.Image credit: Helldivers DiscordAlthough unconfirmed, Arrowheads next bundle should be close provided they are sticking to their usual schedule. Looking at the release dates below for previous Warbonds, you can see that the most recent Warbonds came out within six-to-seven weeks of each other:Servants of Freedom February 6th, 2025Killzone Warbond December 18th, 2024Truth Enforcers October 31st, 2024Chemical Agents September 19th, 2024Freedoms Flame August 8thBecause the past three Warbonds have had a gap of seven weeks, its possible the same could apply for the next Warbond. Presuming this is the case, then the next package should arrive on March 27th, although theres still the chance it could land on March 20th.Neither of these dates are confirmed and are just educated guesses based on Arrowheads past track record. Usually, Arrowhead announce the next bundle one week before its release, so its possible we could get the announcement in just a few days on March 20th, and then get the release a week later on March 27th. But, again, this is just an educated prediction and not anything official.Unfortunately, we dont know what the next Warbond will contain. However, the CEO has teased a highly-requested weapon type is a matter of when not if, meanwhile, leaks have unearthed a melee weapon that possibly reveals the next crossover confirmed to be in-development.For more Helldivers 2, check out our guide to thebest warbonds ranked, along with thebest stratagemsandbest throwables. We have also a guide to thebest weapons, and, if youre coming back to HD2 for the first time in a long while, we have a bunch oftips and tricksto help you get reaccustomed to the battlefield.Helldivers 2Platform(s):PC, PlayStation 5Genre(s):Action, Shooter, Third Person8VideoGamerRelated TopicsHelldivers 2 Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

A hot potato: Amazon Echo users concerned about their privacy might have something else to worry about on March 28. That's the date when supported devices will lose the option to store and process Alexa requests locally, ensuring that all voice recordings are sent to the cloud. An email that Amazon sent to customers confirms that the Do Not Send Voice Recordings feature they enabled on supported Echo devices will soon no longer be available.The message explains that the change is necessary following the introduction of a generative AI-powered version of its popular Alexa assistant last month. Alexa+, powered by large language models from Amazon Bedrock, will be free for all Prime members.The email states that as Amazon continues to expand Alexa's capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon's secure cloud, it has decided to no longer support the local storage feature.Amazon also writes that any previously saved voice recordings will be deleted after March 28.If voice recording settings are set to "Don't save recordings," Voice ID, the Alexa+ feature that identifies the person speaking, will not work, and users will not be able to create a voice ID for individual users to access more personalized features.The local processing of voice recordings was only available on the Echo Dot (4th Gen), Echo Show 10, and Echo Show 15, and only for customers in the US with devices set to English. // Related StoriesThe change is unlikely to be welcomed by users, given Amazon's history in this area. In 2019, Bloomberg reported that the company employed thousands of contractors and full-time workers around the world, "from Boston to Costa Rica, India and Romania," to listen to voice recordings captured by Echo devices. These were transcribed and annotated to improve Alexa's performance, helping it better understand human speech. Workers said they reviewed as many a 1,000 clips per shift.Amazon-held Alexa recordings have also been sought by law enforcement to be used in criminal trials, including murder cases.There was also the former Amazon executive who in 2020 said he turns off his Alexa smart speaker whenever he wants a "private moment."More recently, Amazon agreed to pay $25 million in civil penalties for failing to disclose that it stored recordings of children's interactions with Alexa indefinitely.Masthead: Jonathan Borba

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube798kAtari cannot stop reviving its classic arcade titles at the moment, and we keep lapping them up. This time around, the legendary developer and publisher has teamed up with Canadian studios Mighty Yell and 13AM Games to bring back the 1980 shoot 'em up Missile Command.Missile Command Delta is a brand new, turn-based tactical take on the series which blends strategic gameplay with mystery and puzzle solving. It's a far cry from what we're used to from Missile Command, but the developers are aiming to retain the "tension and suspense of the arcade original".Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube798kWatch on YouTube One wrong move could spell the end as you plan and scramble your way through a missile crisis. You'll have to read though every document and pay attention to every screen if you want to survive.Missile alerts will disrupt your work in the bunker as you attempt to unravel the mystery of this Cold War-set game.Images: AtariMissile Command has seen numerous iterations and rereleases over the years, and the game was responsible for kicking off Atari's Recharged series back in 2020. This might not be what we're used to, but we're intrigued, nonetheless.What do you think of Missile Command Delta? Let us know down below.