Adding words to our chatbot can apparently cost tens of millions of dollars. But some fear the cost of not saying please or thank you could be higher.

Macworld The executive shakeups at Apple continue this week with a new Bloomberg report saying that the company’s robotics team will be under new management. The team, which isn’t public but isn’t exactly a secret, has been working under John Giannandrea’s machine learning and AI group. We wrote recently about an interesting research paper and video from the team showing expressive “emotion” movements with an experimental AI-powered lamp. It’s an impressive demonstration of some of the things the group has been working on, likely in advance of a future rumored tabletop assistant with a robotic arm and iPad-like display “face.” With advanced AI, speakers, microphones, cameras, and robotic actuators, this is meant to be a sort of helpful home companion. Now, this robotics team is moving from the AI/ML group to the hardware division, which is overseen by Senior Vice President John Ternus. This could be seen as simply a move to reduce the responsibilities of Giannandrea’s group, taking away the impetus to build products and letting the group focus on the underlying artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies that are used throughout the company. More of a pure specialized R&D group, in other words. The Siri team was moved out of Giannandrea’s group earlier this year after the well-publicized failure to meet deadlines and keep up with the digital assistants of rivals. But it might also mean that the project is shifting out of the lab to into serious product development. Once a core concept has been proven, it takes a long time to engineer a real mass-produced product out of it, especially to the quality level one expects from Apple. This shift to the hardware division may be an indication that this work is now underway.

During the pandemic, remote working was common. But many large tech companies have changed their tune in recent years, insisting that their employees to return to the office for at least part of the workweek — even when they lack adequate office space. The latest news is that Google is now threatening to lay off employees in certain departments who are not in the office at least three days each week. For example, remote workers in the Technical Services unit were told they must choose between a hybrid work schedule and a voluntary exit package, according to CNBC. Employees in the unit who live more than 50 miles from the office will be offered financial compensation to move closer to work. This follows an internal memo Google co-founder Sergey Brin sent in February, in which he urged employees working on the company’s Gemini AI model to be in the office every weekday and work 60 hours per week. “Face-to-face collaboration is an important part of how we come up with new inventions and solve complex problems,” Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini told CNBC. Previously, tech giants Meta, IBM, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Tesla, among many others, have chosen to limit the right to telework, despite numerous studies showing that RTO mandates hurt worker productivity, satisfaction, and retention.

Apple's iconic App Store was recently updated to feature AI-generated summaries of user reviews, and now we know how it all works.Apple has explained how its AI generates summaries of App Store Reviews.In October 2024, an unlisted App Store article revealed that Apple wanted to summarize user application reviews with the help of artificial intelligence. Months later, in March 2025, the feature became available to the general public with the release of iOS 18.4.While we already had a few details about Apple's AI-generated review summaries, a new post on Apple's Machine Learning blog explains the intricacies and specifics of the feature. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Mexiconewsdaily.com has a neat summation of some leading figures behind the new face of Mexican architectural practice. Many of them—including the list’s most recognizable name, Fernanda Canales—have gained notoriety through a heavy engagement with social practice. Others like José Amozurrutia and Carlos Facio of TO, Bernardo Quinzaños/CCA, Luis Aldrete, and Taller Capital’s José Ambrosi and Loreta Castro-Reguera (all past AR Emerging Voices winners) could have easily been included.  The Colectivo C733 (which comprises Gabriela Carrillo, Carlos Facio, Jose Amozurrutia, Erik Valdez, and Israel Espin) has also altered architecture's trajectory within the country significantly after being established in 2019.

Remember your first open-world game? That feeling of reckless abandon, of stepping into a world full of possibilities? You probably didn’t think as much about ticking items off a list. You may have ignored the main story for far too long. Sometimes, that nagging feeling of what you’re doing with your life would emerge – only to quickly fade as you wondered, once more, “What’s over there?” Everyone has a game that may or may not have first triggered that feeling, but for many, it all began with The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Bizarre, beautiful, streamlined, annoyingly complicated, yet teeming with stories and interesting characters. Considered a unique in-between point for Morrowind and Skyrim, it exudes confidence in its strangeness, elegance in its world design, and, above all, that feeling of getting lost in a unique fantasy setting. "There’s an endearing charm, a sense of wonder at exploring Cyrodiil and taking in its details, even if some of the more outdated aspects of Oblivion often emerge." With Oblivion Remastered, Bethesda and Virtuos set out to harness that nostalgia, addressing the biggest grievances, enhancing aspects limited by the technology of its time, and delivering a complete visual overhaul. The Bethesda Jank is still very much at its core, whether in the NPC interactions or several aspects of its gameplay. And yet, there’s an endearing charm, a sense of wonder at exploring Cyrodiil and taking in its details, even if some of the more outdated aspects of Oblivion often emerge. The story starts with the player in prison, but it’s not long before the call of adventure comes knocking in the form of Emperor Uriel Septim VII and the Blades. Hounded by assassins, he escapes into underground passages beneath the prison, and it’s not long before you join in. After obtaining the Amulet of Kings and venturing into the world, crisis brews in the background, with the gates of Oblivion and the Daedra spewing forth to cause destruction. Yes, your ultimate goal is to stop this and bring peace to the province (and Tamriel as a whole), but the overall plot goes in some interesting directions while maintaining a fantasy adventure feel. It may seem superfluous to mention, but I’m impressed by how much the narrative holds up after all these years. The same goes for the exploration. You could deliver the Amulet to the grandmaster of Blades and follow the plot, becoming the Hero of Kvatch and whatnot. Or you can just get lost and explore. Venture out into the wider world and discover caves, abandoned forts and sanctums teaming with precious stones. Tussle with goblins, ogres, bandits, skeletons, mud crabs, and whatnot. "The single “thunk” of an arrow, whether you’re playing stealth archer and assassinating everyone or backpedalling against aggressive monsters, is just so satisfying." Channel a rune stone for some armor and a dagger that can’t be removed until the duration runs out. Heck, stop a passing Imperial Guard on the road, try to persuade him to no end, get insulted, then attack him and steal his horse (with some help from a wolf). Murder all the bandits occupying some ruins, sleep and run into a Speaker for the Dark Brotherhood, who invites you to join their cause. Every single bit looks better than ever thanks to assets created from scratch on Unreal Engine 5. The Emperor’s facial details are immaculate, with the new lip-syncing lending more realism and emotion to his soliloquy. Ogres and goblins look creepier; the various races are more detailed, whether it’s the Khajit’s fur or the scales of the Argonian. The real-time lighting and dynamic shadows lend a distinct atmosphere when exploring caves, torch in hand, as they do when roaming the countryside on horseback, appreciating the minute insects buzzing about and the revamped geometry. Even the combat animations look much smoother, bolstered by the new hit reactions and sound effects. The single “thunk” of an arrow, whether you’re playing stealth archer and assassinating everyone or backpedalling against aggressive monsters, is just so satisfying. Even the slight movement on Power Attacks, with your character shifting forward or backwards depending on the direction, feels right. Even the third-person perspective feels more tenable, though I still default to first-person while aiming. Don’t get me wrong, though – the combat hasn’t seen a massive overhaul as such. It certainly feels better, but it’s a far cry from the very best in the industry. We’ll come back to this, but suffice it to say that even if you’re a huge fan of Skyrim’s combat (despite the various elements it also stripped away), Oblivion will take some getting used to. One thing that won’t take a long time to embrace is the new levelling system. You still have Major and Minor Skills, and as you perform certain actions relating to them (more Archery to increase the Marksman skill, the new sprinting for Athletics, etc.), they increase in points. Accrue enough and you can level up, receiving Virtues to assign to various stats. "Outside the traditional jank, there are some notable bugs, like my shield appearing in one hand and the bow in another after equipping a torch, resulting in an obstructed view. Arrows have also been spotted jittering in the air on at least one occasion. " Only three stats can be upgraded with each level, but the amount of Virtues is fixed, and the benefits (including Endurance) are immediate. It’s a simpler system compared to the nightmare of the original, and it works remarkably, allowing you to indulge in the character fantasy rather than worrying whether you’re progressing properly or how much stronger enemies are becoming for no fault of your own. I’m not completely all in on the user interface rework – though it doesn’t feel as awful as some are making it out to be, there’s definitely room for improvement, especially in some filtering options. There have been several diverging opinions on performance, though. I stuck to 1440p, Vsync enabled, everything set to Medium and DLSS on Balanced (FOV for both perspectives set to 91) on a Core i5-11400 with 32 GB RAM and an RTX 4060 (8 GB). The frame rate remained respectably consistent, though it did occasionally drop after setting viewing distance and texture quality to High. Dropping the resolution to 1080p allowed for a mix of Ultra and High settings and Quality DLSS with the overall performance remaining fairly steady, sans a severe drop when going from early morning to sunrise. Your mileage will vary, so I advise looking into more configurations and tests before fully committing. Also, outside the traditional jank, there are some notable bugs, like my shield appearing in one hand and the bow in another after equipping a torch, resulting in an obstructed view. Arrows have also been spotted jittering in the air on at least one occasion. And I don’t know if I can classify this as a bug, but enemy AI is a little mixed, occasionally facing into walls and allowing for easy kills when they’re not oblivious to their allies dying. Then again, they will sometimes react to the slightest of noise and investigate, which I found surprising. "The passage of time may wear on Cyrodiil as its flaws become more apparent, but bringing back the joy of younger days more than warrants the price of admission." When spending more time with The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, several elements, like the dungeon design, are still obviously stuck in 2006. However, Virtuos has faithfully captured everything that made it so endearing. There could have probably been more extensive, earth-shattering changes, but it may not have felt like the classic that fans know and love. As such, Oblivion Remastered is a worthwhile role-playing experience, and even with a few nitpicks – that will hopefully get ironed out with subsequent patches – it stands in a class of its own, especially compared to Bethesda’s modern efforts. The passage of time may wear on Cyrodiil as its flaws become more apparent, but bringing back the joy of younger days more than warrants the price of admission. This game was reviewed on PC.

50-Million-Year-Old Footprints Open a ‘Rare Window’ Into the Behaviors of Extinct Animals That Once Roamed in Oregon Scientists revisited tracks made by a shorebird, a lizard, a cat-like predator and some sort of large herbivore at what is now John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Researchers took a closer look at fossilized footprints—including these cat-like tracks—found at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon. National Park Service Between 29 million and 50 million years ago, Oregon was teeming with life. Shorebirds searched for food in shallow water, lizards dashed along lake beds and saber-toothed predators prowled the landscape. Now, scientists are learning more about these prehistoric creatures by studying their fossilized footprints. They describe some of these tracks, discovered at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, in a paper published earlier this year in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica. John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is a nearly 14,000-acre, federally protected area in central and eastern Oregon. It’s a well-known site for “body fossils,” like teeth and bones. But, more recently, paleontologists have been focusing their attention on “trace fossils”—indirect evidence of animals, like worm burrows, footprints, beak marks and impressions of claws. Both are useful for understanding the extinct creatures that once roamed the environment, though they provide different kinds of information about the past. “Body fossils tell us a lot about the structure of an organism, but a trace fossil … tells us a lot about behaviors,” says lead author Conner Bennett, an Earth and environmental scientist at Utah Tech University, to Crystal Ligori, host of Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “All Things Considered.” Oregon's prehistoric shorebirds probed for food the same way modern shorebirds do, according to the researchers. Bennett et al., Palaeontologia Electronica, 2025 For the study, scientists revisited fossilized footprints discovered at the national monument decades ago. Some specimens had sat in museum storage since the 1980s. They analyzed the tracks using a technique known as photogrammetry, which involved taking thousands of photographs to produce 3D models. These models allowed researchers to piece together some long-gone scenes. Small footprints and beak marks were discovered near invertebrate trails, suggesting that ancient shorebirds were pecking around in search of a meal between 39 million and 50 million years ago. This prehistoric behavior is “strikingly similar” to that of today’s shorebirds, according to a statement from the National Park Service. “It’s fascinating,” says Bennett in the statement. “That is an incredibly long time for a species to exhibit the same foraging patterns as its ancestors.” Photogrammetry techniques allowed the researchers to make 3D models of the tracks. Bennett et al., Palaeontologia Electronica, 2025 Researchers also analyzed a footprint with splayed toes and claws. This rare fossil was likely made by a running lizard around 50 million years ago, according to the team. It’s one of the few known reptile tracks in North America from that period. An illustration of a nimravid, an extinct, cat-like predator NPS / Mural by Roger Witter They also found evidence of a cat-like predator dating to roughly 29 million years ago. A set of paw prints, discovered in a layer of volcanic ash, likely belonged to a bobcat-sized, saber-toothed predator resembling a cat—possibly a nimravid of the genus Hoplophoneus. Since researchers didn’t find any claw marks on the paw prints, they suspect the creature had retractable claws, just like modern cats do. A set of three-toed, rounded hoofprints indicate some sort of large herbivore was roaming around 29 million years ago, probably an ancient tapir or rhinoceros ancestor. Together, the fossil tracks open “a rare window into ancient ecosystems,” says study co-author Nicholas Famoso, paleontology program manager at the national monument, in the statement. “They add behavioral context to the body fossils we’ve collected over the years and help us better understand the climate and environmental conditions of prehistoric Oregon,” he adds. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Lip-Bu Tan, the new CEO of Intel, sent out a blunt message to employees saying the company has to reorganize to be more efficient.Read More

NGO files complaint against Ubisoft for data protection concerns and forcing "always online" connections "If the behaviour is illegal in the physical sphere, it should be illegal in the digital one as well" News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on April 24, 2025 Privacy non-profit organization NOYB - European Center for Digital Rights has taken up a player's case against Ubisoft, alleging its data collection practices have "no valid legal basis." The complainant also takes issue with the fact Far Cry Primal could not be played offline or without setting up, and logging into, an Ubisoft account, stating they were "astonished that it was impossible to play a single-player game, offering no online functionalities" without an internet connection. As spotted by Eurogamer, the complainant, described as "tech-savvy," examined "what kind of data packages were being sent to [Ubisoft] when playing the game." "So they started the game again and had it running for about 10 minutes," the paperwork stated. "They discovered that 150 unique DNS packages (queries and responses) were sent during this time and they identified 56 requests to initiate a connection between the complainants computer and external servers." Google, Amazon, and Datadog are reportedly some of the "recipients of the complainant's data." When pressed by the player on "what's in these packets," Ubisoft told them "the data sent when launching one of games [sic] is an ownership check on [its] servers to validate that the player's account owns the game they're trying to launch." NOYB asserts Ubisoft failed to explain what the data collection was for or why "data packets are sent back and forth between the player and, for example, Google servers." The lawsuit suggests Ubisoft should be fined given "millions of users are affected by [its data] practices," and asks for a general order to be applied to compel Ubisoft to comply with the European GDPR, comparing Ubisoft's data collecting to digital "trespassing." "If you want to enter someone’s home, you should be invited, otherwise you’re trespassing," NOYB opined. "If the behaviour is illegal in the physical sphere, it should be illegal in the digital one as well. There is no reason to apply a different standard." Earlier this month, Ubisoft responded to a California class action lawsuit around the shutdown of 2014 racing game The Crew, filing a motion to dismiss the case.

The studio says the cuts won't impact the release of upcoming title All Systems Dance.