You may not be the intended target of these malicious apps masquerading as legitimate programs - but you can still be their victim.

Giant robot throwing man in a trash can. Artifical intelligence replacing jobs concept. Vector ... More illustration.getty New research from Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center has surveyed nearly 200 global technology experts on the future, as humans brace for the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The result is a fantastical glimpse into a near future defined by a mixture of dystopia and utopia. What is clear is the scale of change on the horizon: 61% of experts surveyed in the study envisaged the impact of AI to be ‘deep and meaningful’ or ‘fundamental and revolutionary.’ Co-author of the report, Janna Anderson told me, “It’s a revealing and provocative declaration of the profound depth of change people are undergoing, mostly without noticing it at all, as we adapt to deeper uses of advancing digital technologies. A majority of the experts we have been surveying the past few years have also been calling on humanity to think intentionally and carefully about all of this and take wise collective action, so we don’t sleepwalk into an AI future we never intended and do not want. Many say we are running out of time. It has to be now”. Here are five major implications for evolving leadership from the report. Multiple Selves and Mental Health We are no longer static selves. We have avatars, proxies, and digital twins that manage our deadlines and perhaps even our deaths. As I note in my own contribution to the report, we will come to redefine ourselves as ‘database selves’, a constellation of algorithmically-managed personas tailored to context, platform and audience. This will render the notion of authenticity obsolete. The increasingly mediated future we are heading towards contains the potential for context collapse, and identity collapse too. Until now, most experts have warned about digital deepfakes, but it is beginning to dawn on many that in an age of AI we will face an internal rather than an external crisis. Perhaps that is why 45% of experts surveyed think this kind of AI co-evolution will have a more negative than positive effect on mental well-being by 2035. Barry Chudakov, of Sertain Research, imagines a future in which schizophrenia becomes the natural state of most humans, with part of us online, and part of us using AI to help self-promote, self-brand and self-improve. Strategist, Neil Richardson, suggests that our digital shadows, the sum total of our online expressions and biometric traces, may soon outlive us, creating some kind of posthumous identity that transcends mortality. Whilst Silicon Valley based technology forecaster Paul Saffo suggests that an AI-generated actor will win Best Supporting Actor in the 2035 Academy Awards. A Crisis of Moral Autonomy Evelyne Tauchnitz, a senior research fellow at the Lucerne Graduate School of Ethics, explores the implications of this shift for human freedom and personal agency. Her concern is clear: AI recommendations, manipulations and algorithmic systems designed to nudge us to what is considered ‘normal’ will create additional pressure to conform and render our ability to choose differently, and freely, much compromised. As AI continues to optimize every choice we make from what we eat to whom we trust, she ponders whether it will even be possible to contradict oneself in the future, adding: ‘Freedom is the very bedrock of moral capability. If AI directs our actions shaping our behavior based on data-driven predictions of what is ‘best’ , we lose our moral agency.’ It’s a haunting thought: in our pursuit of perfection, we may abolish the very imperfections that make us human, imperfections that, in this century, leaders have been encouraging us to embrace. Indeed 44% of the respondents surveyed think that AI’s effect on individual agency and ability to act independently is likely to be more negative than positive with only 16% predicting a fairly equal split between positive and negative change. Synthetic Companions, Parasocial Lives AI won’t just inhabit our minds. Increasingly, it will replace our relationships. Nell Watson, president of EURAIO, the European Responsible Artificial Intelligence Office, suggests that “AI romantic partners will provide idealized relationships that make human partnerships seems unnecessarily difficult’. Along the same theme, Henning Schulzrinne, former co-chair of the Internet Technical Committee of the IEEE, reflects that we will treat bots as ‘training wheels or the equivalent of treadmills at the gym’ for improving our social interactions. Overall the report paints a future where the most intimate corners of our lives are increasingly shaped by code. In this parasocial future, emotional attachments become programmable. We form bonds with digital personas that neither disappoint nor require compromise. The relationship is one-way, the affection is frictionless. After all, why struggle to understand another work colleague when your AI work partner is already optimized to agree with you? As Schulzrinne points out about personal life, online dating might hold its disappointment but ‘who will proudly look back on a 25-year marriage with a bot?’ The same might be said of longtime, loyal working relationships with companies. Curiosity Through Cognitive Partnership Not all the findings are dark. Some respondents see in this transformation a chance for personal growth. David Weinberger from Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Centre for Internet & Society, envisions a future in which AI enables us to notice things that humans cannot. By lifting the cognitive burdens that limit human perception he believes AI might expand rather than diminish our understanding and encourage humans to see the world differently. AI will be there to teach us about ourselves and inspire us to explore in new ways. Dave Edwards, co-founder of the Artificiality Institute, offers a complementary vision. He speaks of AI systems as ‘minds for our minds’, part of a distributed knowledge system that augments rather than replaces human judgment. The challenge, he warns, is to avoid commodifying intimacy, and reject technology companies who continue to mine our intimacy for profit. There is much more positivity from the experts about the way in which AI will improve and enhance human curiosity and our capacity to learn. 42% foresee more positive change than negative change in this area and only 5% see little or no change by 2035. AI is seen as an expansive tool for human learning and a kind of motivator to ask more questions, consider more options and generally expand, rather than diminish, human thought. Avoiding Mediocrity Finally, there is a warning about the implications of attempts to standardize information through machines. Professor of Innovation, Alf Rehn, describes AI systems in 2035 as ‘mediocrity engines’ saying AI falls short when it comes to spark and wit thus deadening creativity. It does seem that today’s intelligent machines mostly produce acceptable, average outputs en masse, flattening the peaks and valleys of true human innovation. However, the future does not have to pan out like that. In fact, he offers a counter-image: alien-like AI he calls ‘octopodes’ that generate truly strange outcomes, not by mimicking humans, but by thinking differently. This way, a brighter future lies in hybrid intelligences, not homogenous outputs. Leading with Humans What becomes clear across the essays and survey results, is that the core question of the next decade is not technical—it is existential. The ultimate fear is not that by 2035 we will be replaced but that we will be utterly reshaped in AI’s image, forgetting what we once were. Indeed, Paul Saffo predicts the best-selling book of 2035 will be called ‘What Was Human?’ written by AI and purchased by more AIs than actual human readers. However, co-author of the report, Lee Rainie told me, ‘Our expert respondents gave us a major insight. When they identified creativity, curiosity and decision-making as three human traits that might be a positive benefit as AI systems evolve, they were highlighting the building blocks of leadership. Essentially, they told us that good leadership built on those traits might be humans’ ultimate saving grace in the world to come’. This suggests successful co-evolution with AI should not be judged by how well these systems serve us, but by how well they preserve our ability to grow and chart our own course as humans. The author was one of the 200 global technology experts surveyed.

Back and Forth: President Trump has announced a 90-day pause on new tariffs against all countries except China, just a week after what experts called a "nuclear bomb" on global trade. Global reciprocal tariffs have been reduced to 10%, while anti-China taxes have surged to a historic 125%. The decision marks a sharp reversal from the steep tariffs the President announced on April 2, which included significant duties on imports from countries such as Japan (24%), Vietnam (46%), and Cambodia (49%). Last week's announcement sent markets into disarray: Nintendo delayed pre-orders for the recently announced Switch 2, customers rushed to Apple Stores fearing imminent price hikes, two laptop manufacturers paused US shipments, and Micron raised SSD prices, just to name a few. Alright, I think people knew of the tariff pause and traded it beforehand. You can see before Trump posted "buy" on Truth Social, traders opened $QQQ $TQQQ and $SPY calls RIGHT BEFORE THE NEWS, someone opened $SPY 509 calls, expiring TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those calls are up 2100% in one hour. [image or embed] – Unusual Whales (@unusualwhales.bsky.social) April 9, 2025 at 2:21 PM In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that the US has begun new trade negotiations with over 75 countries, framing the pause as a successful intimidation tactic. However, billionaire Elon Musk and members of the President's own party have criticized the tariffs, which far exceeded expectations. Some analysts are now questioning whether market activity surrounding the announcement points to deliberate stock manipulation. // Related Stories White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the current universal reciprocal tariff rate stands at 10%. However, The Washington Post noted that the total tariffs on Mexico and Canada remain unclear, possibly ranging between 10% and 35%. Trump appears to have stepped back from a full-blown global trade war just hours after the April 2 tariffs went into effect – but tensions with China are intensifying. The economic fallout could significantly impact prices and the availability of many goods. To recap: on April 2, the President raised anti-China tariffs to 54%, and later increased them to 104%. In response, China imposed an 84% tariff on US imports and began restricting exports of rare earth metals – a move that eerily mirrors the plot of Call of Duty: Black Ops II, which was released in 2012 and set in the year 2025. The White House then retaliated with the latest increase to 125%. TL;DR: The new U.S. tariff rate against our two largest trading partners is either 10%, 25% or 35%, and so far no one I've reached out to at the White House is able to tell me which. [image or embed] – Megan Cassella (@megancnbc.bsky.social) April 9, 2025 at 2:38 PM The pause on most tariffs for countries like Vietnam and Cambodia will likely bring relief to companies such as Nintendo, which had already begun shifting manufacturing away from China. However, divesting from the country is difficult. A recent Bloomberg report highlights that products like laptops, smartphones, batteries, and other small appliances are still heavily dependent on Chinese imports. Even when devices aren't assembled in China, they rely on supply chains that run through China and many other countries.

If the most affordable laptop deals you’ve found are still beyond your budget, it might be time to consider going for a Chromebook. Check out this offer: a $50 discount on the Acer Chromebook 315 that brings its price down further from an already low $229 to just $179. We’re not sure how much time you’ve got until the stocks that are up for sale run out, so if you’re interested in this device, you’re going to have to push forward with your transaction for it immediately. Chromebooks are laptops that run on Google’s Chrome OS, which heavily depends on web-based apps. This dependency on the internet means they have low overhead, for quick startups and snappy performance even when the device comes with low-end hardware. That’s what you’ll get with the Acer Chromebook 315 — it’s equipped with the Intel Celeron N4500 processor and 4GB of RAM, which are a far cry from the specifications of the best laptops, but it will be quick enough to handle basic tasks for work or school. The Acer Chromebook 315 features a 15.6-inch Full HD screen, which is large and sharp enough so that you can clearly see what you’re doing, but not too big to drag down its portability. It’s still easy to carry anywhere, which will allow you to take advantage of its battery life of up to 10 hours. The Chromebook only has a 64GB eMMC for storage, but you can use any of the best cloud storage services for access to all of your important files from anywhere. Related For those who are searching for Chromebook deals, you should consider going for the Acer Chromebook 315, especially now that it’s even more affordable with $50 in savings from Walmart. From $229, it’s further down to only $179, but we don’t think this price will last long. There’s a chance that the stocks of the Acer Chromebook 315 sell out as soon as tomorrow, so if you want to take advantage of the discount, we highly recommend proceeding with your purchase of the device as soon as possible. Editors’ Recommendations

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Who needs science? Trump administration’s attack on university research accelerates With billions in grants put on hold, targeted universities will see research crippled. John Timmer – Apr 9, 2025 6:15 pm | 12 Credit: Bruce Yuanyue Bi Credit: Bruce Yuanyue Bi Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Shortly after its inauguration, the Trump administration has made no secret that it isn't especially interested in funding research. Before January's end, major science agencies had instituted pauses on research funding, and grant funding has not been restored to previous levels since. Many individual grants have been targeted on ideological grounds, and agencies like the National Science Foundation are expected to see significant cuts. Since then, individual universities have been targeted, starting with an ongoing fight with Columbia University over $400 million in research funding. This week, however, it appears that the targeting of university research has entered overdrive, with multiple announcements of funding freezes targeting several universities. Should these last for any considerable amount of time, they will likely cripple research at the targeted universities. On Wednesday, Science learned that the National Institutes of Health has frozen all of its research funding to Columbia, despite the university agreeing to steps previously demanded by the administration and the resignation of its acting president. In 2024, Columbia had received nearly $700 million in grants from the NIH, with the money largely going to the university's prestigious medical and public health schools. But the attack goes well beyond a single university. On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced a hold on all research funding to Northwestern University (nearly $800 million) and Cornell University ($1 billion). These involved money granted by multiple government agencies, including a significant amount from the Department of Defense in Cornell's case. Ostensibly, all of these actions were taken because of the university administrators' approach to protests about the conflict in Gaza, which the administration has characterized as allowing antisemitism. However, Princeton University ended up being targeted this week purely due to the results of its research. The Department of Commerce, which houses the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), terminated $4 million in funding for climate research at Princeton. It accuses the research programs of fostering "climate anxiety" and, in a remarkable bit of candor, admitted that funding was being cut because it didn't produce results the administration liked: This cooperative agreement suggests that the Earth will have a significant fluctuation in its water availability as a result of global warming. Using federal funds to perpetuate these narratives does not align with the priorities of this Administration and such time and resources can be better utilized elsewhere. (Separately, the administration also ended funding for the US Global Change Research Program, which produces a congressionally mandated climate assessment.) While the $4 million hit to Princeton won't precipitate a crisis, the remainder of these actions—all in the neighborhood of $700 million to $1 billion—will lead to a crisis that no amount of university endowment can fix. If they go on for any length of time, researchers will have to be laid off, facilities closed, and populations of research animals will likely need to be culled. It's a series of events that will make it difficult for any university to re-establish a research program anytime soon. John Timmer Senior Science Editor John Timmer Senior Science Editor John is Ars Technica's science editor. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. When physically separated from his keyboard, he tends to seek out a bicycle, or a scenic location for communing with his hiking boots. 12 Comments

Allison Bailey/NurPhoto/Shutterstock What does science get us? That’s always the question from those who fund it, but not from those who do it. This tension is in full swing in the US right now, as the Trump administration takes a hacksaw to the scientific ecosystem. But it isn’t new. In 1969, as Robert Wilson was testifying before the US Congress to get funding for a new particle collider at Fermilab, he spoke on the topic. The senators were grilling him on how this scientific endeavour would contribute to national defence or help compete with Russia during the cold war. He answered: “It has nothing to do with the military… it has to do with: Are we good painters, good sculptors, great poets?… It has nothing to do directly with defending our country except to help make it worth defending.” The utilitarian view always misses that so many of the biggest and most important discoveries come from the unobstructed pursuit of knowledge. And the line from discovery to application to return on investment is rarely a straight one. Without Albert Einstein musing in the early 20th century on the weightlessness felt by a person in freefall inside an elevator, we wouldn’t have his theories of relativity and we wouldn’t have GPS – a technology that has revolutionised life around the world.Advertisement Many of the biggest discoveries come from the unobstructed pursuit of knowledge It is impossible to predict what purely scientific inquiry will lead to, which is why the destruction being done to science in the US is so short-sighted. But it is much easier to foretell what damage slashed funding will cause. Losing programmes to treat and prevent tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS will lead to preventable disease and death. Cuts at NASA, including vital climate studies on extreme heat and air pollution, will be felt for decades if not longer (see “Are Trump’s cuts to science the end of the endless frontier?”). After physicist J. J. Thomson discovered the electron in 1897, he famously said it was useful for nothing. What followed was the electric age, a century of unimaginable global progress built on this humble particle. What revolutionary age to come is being impeded now? Topics:

President Donald Trump said he would implement a 90-day pause on tariffs as a result of his negotiating strategy. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images 2025-04-09T22:27:47Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day pause on tariffs for 75 trading partners. The move, which came with little warning, sent stocks soaring on Wednesday afternoon. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on X that "no one creates leverage for himself like @POTUS." Stocks took another dizzying turn on Wednesday afternoon after President Donald Trump announced an abrupt 90-day pause on his tariffs for 75 countries.According to Trump, his team, and some of his supporters: It's all part of his grand master plan."As I've said in the past, no one creates leverage for himself like @POTUS," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on X, following the tariff pause announcement.Bessent said in a press conference that the pause is the result of Trump's "successful negotiating strategy," which brought more than 75 countries to the table, repeating Trump's messaging on the reversal."Conversely, and based on the fact that more than 75 Countries have called Representatives of the United States, including the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and the USTR, to negotiate a solution to the subjects being discussed relative to Trade, Trade Barriers, Tariffs, Currency Manipulation, and Non Monetary Tariffs, and that these Countries have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way, shape, or form against the United States, I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately," Trump wrote on Truth Social.A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.Many CEOs and experts have said Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs are inflationaryLess than 24 hours ago, US stocks dropped for the fourth straight day.With Trump's 90-day tariff pause — leaving China with a whopping 125% tariff rate — the S&P 500 soared as much as 9%.Experts like Joanne Hsu, director of the University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers, would generally say market uncertainty is bad for the economy as it can result in negative consumer sentiment and reduced spending."If people both think the economy is deteriorating and they expect their own incomes to weaken as well, it's hard to imagine how robust consumer spending can really be under those circumstances," Hsu previously told Business Insider.For the President's team and supporters, that's just classic Trump."Many of you in the media clearly missed 'The Art of the Deal,'" press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday, referencing Trump's 1987 book. "You clearly failed to see what President Trump is doing here."Pershing Square founder Bill Ackman, who just days ago criticized Trump's tariff moves, said on X: "This was brilliantly executed by @realDonaldTrump. Textbook, Art of the Deal."Dan Scavino, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, simply posted on X: "THE ART OF THE DEAL."Trump's memoir, which was ghostwritten by Tony Schwartz and has sold over a million copies, goes into his career as a real estate developer and provides some insight into the president's business philosophy."Trump did his disastrous tariffs for one primary reason: he has a lifelong belief that he is being ripped off by everyone and a corresponding desire for retribution," Schwartz, who shadowed Trump for 18 months when writing "The Art of the Deal" in the '80s, said in an April 3 post on X.Schwartz did not respond to a request for comment.One of the lessons in dealmaking the book preaches is a simple approach: "Aim very high.""My style of dealmaking is quite simple and straightforward," he wrote. "I aim very high, and then I just keep pushing and pushing to get what I'm after. Sometimes, I settle for less than I sought, but in most cases, I still end up with what I want." Recommended video

Welcome to The Logoff: Today I’m breaking down President Donald Trump’s wild afternoon of trade moves.What is going on with tariffs? Last week, Trump announced two sets of tariffs: a minimum 10 percent tax on imports from all countries, and then a separate set of higher tariff rates that varied by country. Today, Trump said he was pausing those new country-by-country tariffs for 90 days, but he’s keeping the baseline 10 percent tariff rate in place.Trump also says he’s raising tariffs on Chinese imports to 125 percent as retaliation in an escalating trade war.Why did Trump change course? The White House is claiming the delay was a result of nations worldwide offering to negotiate new trade deals. We’ll see if those negotiations are really happening and what comes of them.What we do know is that financial markets crashed after Trump’s tariff announcement, sparking alarm around the world and even among some of Trump’s supporters. Trump acknowledged those anxieties in remarks on trade this afternoon, and stocks skyrocketed after Trump announced the 90-day delay.So what did we learn? Since Trump announced the tariffs, the big question has been whether they were a massive change in economic policy or a bluff aimed at getting other countries to negotiate new deals. Today’s answer is that they were a bit of both.We’re by no means back where we started: A 10 percent global tariff minimum and an economic war with China — one of our largest trading partners — will raise prices on imports and cost jobs that depend on international trade. And even with the pullback, the threat of tariffs have created new economic uncertainty at home and strained our relationships abroad.On the other hand, had Trump left the country-by-country tariffs in place, we were staring at a full-blown, self-inflicted economic crisis. Now the president says we get some relief — at least for the next 90 days.And with that, it’s time to log off…Forget everything you thought you knew about galactic formation. Okay, done? Good. Because a new discovery has scientists questioning their previous understanding of how galaxies are formed. You can read more about the “Big Wheel” galaxy here. It’s news you probably can’t use, but I think we all deserve a bit of fun.See More:

2025 could be one of the best years in gaming, with Bungie's Marathon tipped to join the likes of Switch 2, Monster Hunter Wilds, and maybe even GTA 6 – here's all we knowTech11:45, 09 Apr 2025Updated 11:45, 09 Apr 2025We're eager to get our first proper look at MarathonWhile Bungie is known for Halo and Destiny, with the latter proving divisive for some, the company's Marathon franchise predates them both.After fans completed a series of puzzles which confirmed a gameplay showcase is coming this week, the company is full speed ahead on its first release since 2024's Destiny 2 Final Shape expansion.‌Article continues belowWhile the studio has been working on Marathon for over a decade, fans are keen to hear more about the sci-fi, PvP extraction shooter, and now one longtime leaker has suggested it'll land sooner than you may think.Here's all we know about when we could be playing Bungie's Marathon.Content cannot be displayed without consent‌Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Insider Gaming owner Tom Henderson (who has a history of leaking information on unreleased games) joked about the "Marathon grind"."Told the missus I'll be on a Marathon grind later this year and she's only gone and signed me up the gym," he joked.When asked if this means Marathon will launch in 2025, though, his response was much shorter, simply saying "Yes".‌You can catch the latest video, setting the stage for the upcoming gameplay reveal, below.If Henderson's information is correct, then 2025 would surely have to be considered one of the biggest years in gaming history.‌While 2023 was considered a vintage year thanks to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Star Wars Jedi Survivor and Baldur's Gate 3 among others, 2025 is already off to a great start.Assassin's Creed Shadows, Monster Hunter Wilds, Avowed, and Split Fiction have all launched already, while the Switch 2 and GTA 6 are also pegged for this calendar year.Marathon was initially revealed at a PlayStation event in May 2023 and marks the first new game to be launched since Bungie was acquired by Sony in 2022 for $3.6 billion.‌Marathon certainly looks colourfulFear not though, Destiny fans. Bungie has committed to a revamped roadmap for the title, which means Destiny 2 will receive two mid-sized expansions each year, as well as additional free updates, rather than one major expansion each calendar year.Bungie's latest release was The Final Shape, a Destiny 2 expansion which launched to critical acclaim in June of last year, but wasn't enough to prevent the aforementioned layoffs at the fabled studio.Article continues belowDespite the Sony acquisition, Marathon is expected to be a multiplatform release across PS5, Xbox, and PC.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌