Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 4 appears set to bring back the fan-favorite map Fringe for multiplayer, last seen inside Black Ops 3. While Season 3 continues to wind down, many fans are curious to see what awaits Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 as Activision is preparing to launch the next season at the end of the month.

Industrial AI is transforming how factories operate, innovate and scale. The convergence of AI, simulation and digital twins is poised to unlock new levels of productivity, flexibility and insight for manufacturers worldwide — and NVIDIA’s collaboration with Siemens is bringing these technologies directly to factory and shop floors, making advanced automation more accessible. Matthias Loskyll, head of virtual control and industrial AI at Siemens Factory Automation, joined the NVIDIA AI Podcast to discuss how Siemens’ work with NVIDIA is reshaping manufacturing, as the industry hits a turning point. Manufacturing companies are facing a shortage of skilled labor, widening skills gaps as experts retire and increased demand for resilient, efficient production. At the same time, AI advancements offer ways to automate tasks previously deemed too complex or variable for traditional programming — and digital twins open a path to designing and optimizing safe, efficient interactions between AI-powered robots and smart spaces. Siemens’ Inspekto, an AI-driven visual quality inspection system, enables even small manufacturers to automate defect detection in their production lines. Inspekto can be trained in under an hour using as few as 20 product samples, making it ideal for fields like electronics and metal forming. Meanwhile, automaker Audi is using industrial AI in its car body shops, where 5 million welds are made daily. Training AI models to automate weld-spot inspection and integrating them with Siemens’ Industrial AI Suite helped Audi achieve up to 25x faster inference directly on the shop floor, where the defects can be addressed. Siemens is creating an AI-driven vision software enabling robots to handle arbitrary, previously unseen objects. The company is also developing Industrial Copilots with NVIDIA NIM microservices to bring generative AI-powered assistance directly to shopfloor operators and service technicians. Loskyll noted that the Industrial Copilots will run on premises to keep sensitive production data secure while enabling rapid troubleshooting and process optimization. To learn more about the latest in industrial AI, watch the COMPUTEX keynote by NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang. Hear more from Siemens at NVIDIA GTC Paris, running June 10-12. Time Stamps 1:00 – Overview of NVIDIA’s collaboration with Siemens. 5:00 – Challenges faced by manufacturing companies. 15:00 – How Inspekto makes automated visual quality inspection more accessible. 24:00 – How Audi achieved up to 25x faster inference with Siemens’ Industrial AI Suite. 37:00 – Future directions with industrial copilots and AI-enhanced robotics. You Might Also Like…  Yum! Brands, the World’s Largest Restaurant Company, Advances AI Adoption Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger & Grill, is partnering with NVIDIA to streamline order taking, optimize operations and enhance service across its restaurants. Joe Park, chief digital and technology officer at Yum! Brands, Inc. and president of Byte by Yum!, shares how the company is further accelerating AI deployment. Roboflow Helps Unlock Computer Vision for Every Kind of AI Builder Roboflow’s mission is to make the world programmable through computer vision. By simplifying computer vision development, the company helps bridge the gap between AI and people looking to harness it. Cofounder and CEO Joseph Nelson discusses how Roboflow empowers users in manufacturing, healthcare and automotive to solve complex problems with visual AI. NVIDIA’s Jacob Liberman on Bringing Agentic AI to Enterprises Agentic AI enables developers to create intelligent multi-agent systems that reason, act and execute complex tasks with a degree of autonomy. Jacob Liberman, director of product management at NVIDIA, explains how agentic AI bridges the gap between powerful AI models and practical enterprise applications.

By TREVOR HOGG Images © Solo Leveling Animation Partners. Like the protagonist Sung Jinwoo, the Solo Leveling franchise has leveled up from being a web novel created by Chugong to a webtoon to anime series with each medium expanding upon the other in world-building, character development and narrative scope. What remains at the core of the fantasy tale are portals to other dimensions that contain Magic Beasts that threaten to overtake the Earth, with the only defense being humans known as Hunters who have manifested supernatural abilities to varying degrees. At the lowest end of the power spectrum is Sung Jinwoo, but his fortunes dramatically change when a mysterious entity puts him through a series of tests that enable him to improve so much that his achievements become legendary. As part of the Emmy Awards campaign which sees the Aniplex, A-1 Pictures and Crunchyroll partnership being submitted for Outstanding Animated Program, Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation – Character Animation (Yoshihiro Kanno) and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation – Character Design (Tomoko Sudo), three of the major players recently gathered in Los Angeles along with a translator to discuss the creative challenges in producing two seasons consisting of 25 episodes. Storyboard and the final animated still featuring renown S-Level Hunter Cha Hae-In, who becomes the wife of Sung Jinwoo. (Image courtesy of Atsushi Kaneko via X) “[T]he world of Solo Leveling takes place in some country in present day, so making sure that reality comes across to an audience was important for us. The original work is Korean, so Korea is the foundation. In the Japanese version that was also released as a manga, there were some slight cultural differences and adaptation. When animating this, we wanted to make sure that all of that was embraced and encapsulated. Anything from the exterior textures on buildings down to traffic rules.” —Sota Furuhashi, Producer, Aniplex Even though Shunsuke Nakashige [director] is guiding the vision of the adaptation, the nature of anime requires multiple contributors. “Personally, what I think makes anime interesting is this idea that the same person doesn’t illustrate or draw everything,” notes Sota Furuhashi, Producer at Aniplex. “That brings a lot of different textures and layers to how things are expressed. Take even one shot or scene: There will be multiple people animating this, so that gives the visual its own unique taste. This all comes together into a singular experience for audiences to enjoy. In the case of Solo Leveling, the action component is something that needs to be constantly evolving, so there is a lot of different talent that is pooled into these different scenes; that’s what adds value to the Solo Leveling experience.” Despite the fantastical elements, there has to be an element of realism to the world-building. “I want to preface this by saying I am only a proxy for the director, but the world of Solo Leveling takes place in some country in present day, so making sure that reality comes across to an audience was important for us,” Furuhashi explains. “The original work is Korean, so Korea is the foundation. In the Japanese version that was also released as a manga, there were some slight cultural differences and adaptation. When animating this, we wanted to make sure that all of that was embraced and encapsulated. Anything from the exterior textures on buildings down to traffic rules. We wanted to express what happens in people’s daily lives because that creates a lot of reality in terms of world-building.” Storyboards for the fight between Sung Jinwoo and Blue Venom-Fanged Kasaka which emphasize the size and scale of the Magic Beast. (Image courtesy of Atsushi Kaneko via X) “When we first saw Solo Leveling, which is quite serious and has a lot of violence, and understood the intent, the decision was made not to run away from [the violence] and to make sure it was embraced because it showed how serious the creators were in wanting to push the envelope.” —Kanako Takahashi, Producer, Crunchyroll A combination of 2D and 3D animation techniques were utilized. “We wanted to use 2D hand-drawn animation as the foundation, but I’m sure you’re aware it doesn’t scale well in terms of mass-producing groups of enemies,” states Atsushi Kaneko, Producer at A-1 Pictures. “Take any character that has a name – those are all hand-drawn. But other characters we decided to go with 3D because there’s a lot more range of expression that we could do and was more efficient. That was a decision we made with the director and CG director [Toshitaka Morioka].” Initially, the Shadow Army, which consists of the enemies killed by Sung Jinwoo and subsequently resurrected by him upon gaining the ability of a necromancer, was to be 2D rather than 3D. “The Shadow Army doesn’t have a lot of visual cues and information in terms of the colors and lines,” Kaneko remarks. “That would have been easy to animate in 2D, but in terms of how that would be conveyed on the screen, it would feel a little lacking. Then we pivoted to 3D and ran a lot of tests. When we finished it, got it through the pipeline and composited it together, there was a lot more range in terms of what we could express through animation.” Storyboard and final close-up shot of Sung Jinwoo as he takes on the Ice Elves. (Image courtesy of Atsushi Kaneko via X) Fights that are briefly depicted in the source material became major action sequences. “In terms of the choreography of the action scenes themselves, our protagonist, Sung Jinwoo, at the beginning is weak and pathetic, and we wanted to make sure that we captured that inexperience and clumsiness in his actions,” Kaneko states. “We agreed with the animation team that we would go in stages. As he becomes stronger, so would his action. In Episode 104, after he reawakens, we start to move a little away from reality and go into this suspension of disbelief. Jinwoo’s actions and choreography improved significantly, and you could see that over several subsequent episodes. We wanted to make sure that it felt dynamic, alive and cathartic when audiences see it. But it wasn’t just that thought. A lot of the decisions in terms of how the action was going to unfold didn’t always come from the director or action director [Yoshihiro Kanno]. Several of our keyframe artists in the storyboarding phase, or while animating, almost ad lib, so there was a lot of creative agency the animators had on the actual ground floor. That’s how all of the action came together under the guidance of the director and action director.” The Shadow Army features defeated foes such as Igris and Iron (former A-Rank Hunter Kim Chul) who have been resurrected by Sung Jinwoo through his ability as a necromancer. (Image courtesy of Atsushi Kaneko via X) Blood and gore are not in short supply during the fights. “Early on, the director [Shunsuke Nakashige] and I decided not to shy away from the gore, but we did have to have the conversation because in Japan if something is going to be broadcast then it needs to fall within certain limits,” Furuhashi explains. “But we wanted to push the limits of expression as far as we could for something that would go on air. Part of that comes from this idea that the series starts with the main character’s death, and he is beginning from the bottom; that needed to be conveyed to audiences in a visual way. Another reason that we didn’t want to shy away from the gore is even though this is a fantasy world, it’s set in the present day as we know it. In order to make sure that reality was conveyed, if you cut someone’s arm with a sword, they’re going to lose an arm.” Crunchyroll understood that the violence was an integral part of the storytelling. “When we first saw Solo Leveling,” remarks Kanako Takahashi, Producer at Crunchyroll, “which is quite serious and has a lot of violence, and understood the intent, the decision was made not to run away from that and to make sure it was embraced because it showed how serious the creators were in wanting to push the envelope.” An example of how detailed the storyboards can be, down to the eyes, which is also reflected in the final animation. (Image courtesy of Atsushi Kaneko via X) “A lot of the decisions in terms of how the action was going to unfold didn’t always come from the director or action director [Yoshihiro Kanno]. Several of our keyframe artists in the storyboarding phase, or while animating, almost ad lib, so there was a lot of creative agency the animators had on the actual ground floor. That’s how all of the action came together under the guidance of the director and action director.” —Atsushi Kaneko, Producer, A-1 Pictures 3D animation was utilized for the Shadow Army in order to make their simplistic shapes and forms more dynamic. (Image courtesy of Atsushi Kaneko via X) Magic Beasts appear ranging from the Blue Venom-Fanged Kasaka to Ice Elves that have volatile tempers and awe-inspiring agility. “I don’t know if I would call it a monster, but one scene that stands out to me is the Kargalgan gun battle because the action in that scene and the level of quality is second to none,” Takahashi observes. “Seeing how passionate the fans were and their online reaction to that battle in particular left a big impression on me.” The goal was to focus on adapting the source material as opposed to making creative decisions driven by the desire to stand out from other anime productions. “It was a natural result, and we’re grateful for the chance,” Kaneko states. “I didn’t feel like we were doing anything too different or out of the ordinary, but the chain of events that led ultimately to how fans reacted to it is something that differentiates us from other anime. In a way, we are also searching for that answer because we didn’t set out to do something very different or say, ‘We’re going to make this series about this or this is the angle we’re going to come from.’ The differentiation was also a byproduct of taking this IP and animating it.” The Shadow Army is ordered by Sung Jinwoo to assist the Hunters during the 4th Jeju Island Raid. (Image courtesy of Atsushi Kaneko via X) A scale and proportion study between Sung Jinwoo and the Ant King along with a final still of the bloodthirsty Magic Beast. (Image courtesy of Atsushi Kaneko via X) The passionate fan reaction to the Kargalgan gun battle left a lasting impression on Crunchyroll Producer Kanako Takahashi. As Sung Jinwoo becomes stronger, his actions become more dynamic. There is no holding back on the blood and gore as the consequences of being struck by weapons are grounded in the real world despite the fantastical settings. A quiet moment as Cha Hae-In ponders her encounter with Sung Jinwoo. (Image courtesy of Atsushi Kaneko via X) Watch the dynamic Jinwoo vs. Kargalgan battle in Season 2 of Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadow courtesy of Crunchyroll and Solo Leveling Animation Partners. Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLKYFu_sMTM. And watch a GIF on the design and construction of an action sequence for the anime opening of Solo Leveling by Studio Ppuri’s Inseung Choi and his animation team. Click here: https://x.com/i/status/1747212779868901522.

Maelle is one of the strongest damage-dealers in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — if you spec out her build properly, that is. With all of the weapons and pictos to choose from in Expedition 33, every playable character can be molded to fit whatever playstyle you need for the moment. You could turn Sciel into a tank, Lune into a glass cannon, or Monoco into….all sorts of things. While these options are viable, some are better than others. In this Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 guide, we’ll break down the best Maelle build, including details about what weapon to pick, what skills to choose, and what attributes to max out. Best Maelle build in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Maelle is a burst DPS character who synergizes well with critical hits and the Burning status ailment. To make the most of her toolset, you’ll want a build that allows you to get into Virtuoso Stance — which deals 200% increased damage — as soon as possible and deal massive damage to enemies before they can move. In the game’s opening act, she benefits from placing all points into the Luck stat with a few points in Might. As you gain better weapons and Pictos, her best attribute will change, though focusing on a high-damage playstyle remains. To that end, the best Maelle build is: Attributes: Agility and Defense Weapon: Medalum Skills: Stendhal and Last Chance Pictos: Immaculate, Glass Canon, and Inverted Affinity Agility and Defense are the best attributes for Maelle because they are the attributes that Maelle’s best weapon, the Medalum, scales alongside. Maelle is balanced around the firm Virtuoso Stance that grants +200% damage. The Medalum allows you to start an encounter already in Virtuoso Stance, putting you in a position to quickly end any battle. As for skills, even though Stendhal has been nerfed, it is still one of the best abilities in the game. With Virtuoso Stance, you are still in a good position to one-shot most enemies one Maelle’s first turn, but if you don’t, you can use the Last Chance skill to refresh Virtuoso Stance. However, with this setup, you won’t need Last Chance very often, especially with the Immaculate, Glass Cannon, and Inverted Affinity Pictos equipped. The aforementioned Pictos provide extra health, crit chance, and agility, but the damage boost offered by this Pictos setup requires comfort with Expedition 33’s defensive options. Below, we’ll explain in more detail why this is the best Maelle build in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Best attributes for Maelle You’ll want to prioritize different attributes for Maelle depending on how far you are in the game. And remember, you can use a Recoat to reassign attribute points. In Act 1, prioritize these attributes: Luck Might In the opening hours of Expedition 33, Luck and Might are the best attributes for Maelle as they work well with what Maelle wants to do in an encounter. Since you cannot get her best weapon, Medalum, until Act 2, prioritizing these stats will allow her to remain strong until you get your hands on it. After Act 1, prioritize these attributes: Agility Defense Once you have Medalum, you will want to begin pumping points into Agility and Defense at every opportunity. Increasing Maelle’s Defense also increases her crit rate, and with high Agility, she’ll play more frequently, allowing for more opportunities to dominate the enemies on the field. Best weapon for Maelle The best weapon for Maelle is, without a doubt, the Medalum. Getting your hands on this weapon, which is technically missable, is as simple as using Maelle during the fourth and final solo fight in the Gestral Arena near the end of Act 1. You can only challenge the arena once, so if you have missed this weapon, the only other way to get it is by beating Golgra, a much more brutal fight. This weapon is so good for Maelle because it instantly places her in Virtuoso Stance at the start of combat. Virtuoso and the skill Percee trivialize much of the early game by providing cheap access to a high-damaging ability at a point where the enemy health pool isn’t as inflated. Best Pictos and Luminas for Maelle The best Pictos and Luminas for Maelle depend on where you are in the game, just like the best skills and weapons. As for Pictos, the best three you can take on Maelle are Immaculate, Glass Cannon, and Inverted Affinity. Below, we’ve noted what perks these Pictos grant and what stats are effected by them, though note that the exact number might differ depending on what level your Pictos are: Immaculate — Speed and Crit Rate. 30% increased damage until a hit is received. Glass Cannon — Speed. Deal 25% more damage, but take 25% more damage. Inverted Affinity — Health and Crit Rate. Apply Inverted on self for three turns on battle start.50% increased damage while Inverted. This selection of Pictos provides Maelle with more scaling and damage at the cost of survivability. To use Maelle at her best, you must have mastered the dodging and parrying mechanics of Expedition 33. Luckily, Luminas can make defense easier as the best ones will synergize with your parries. Luminas such as Healing Counter and Energizing Parry are pivotal to the build. Outside of those two, you have a choice based on whether you want more damage or more AP points for skills and should pick your Luminas accordingly. We’d recommend using the following Pictos, depending on how many Lumina Points you have. Burning Shots Empowering Attack Energizing Start II Rewarding Mark Critical Burn Painted Power Weakness Gain Tainted Full Strength Greater Powerful Marking Shots Dodger Energising Start III Teamwork Healing Counter Energising Parry Roulette Warming Up Burn Affinity Energising Turn Best skills for Maelle The best skills for Maelle are the following: Last Chance: Change stance to Virtuose Stance. Reduces self-Health to 1 but refills all AP. Payback: Deals very high single target Physical damage. 1 hit. Reduced AP cost for each attack parried since last turn. Can Break. Momentum Strike: Deals high single target damage. 1 hit. Uses weapon’s element. Increased damage to Marked targets. Virtuose Stance: Costs 4 AP Stendhal: Deals extreme single target Void damage. 1 hit. Removes self-Shields and self applies Defenceless. Breaking Rules: Deals low single target Physical damage. 2 hits. Destroys all target’s Shields. Gain 1 AP per Shield destroyed. If target is Defenseless, play a second turn. Sword Ballet: Deal extreme single target damage. 5 hits. Uses weapon’s element. Critical hits deal double damage. Last Chance is your “get back into Virtuoso” move for the few times that your first turn Stendhal isn’t enough to one-shot your target. Payback is a skill that rewards good players by giving them access to a high-damaging move that can break targets at a skill cost that directly scales with parried attacks. Momentum Strike adds synergy with the rest of the party. Breaking Rules is a utility skill for enemies that stack shields, and Sword Ballet offers a crit-focused option. Stendhal is your nuke, and paired with Virtuoso stance, most enemies shouldn’t stand a chance. Yes, even after the nerf.

Tucked behind an old tree in the heart of Gurugram, India, the Maurpankhi residence is a seamless interplay of architecture and nature. Designed by House & Beyond, led by architect Pushpender Arora, the 3230-square-foot bungalow is a place for the family to unwind, reflect, and reconnect. Conceived as a sanctuary for a family immersed in the intensity of corporate life, Maurpankhi was envisioned from the beginning as an emotional refuge. Rather than relying on ornate details or ostentatious luxury, the home finds its essence in openness, warmth, and a quiet dialogue with the outdoors. From the moment one steps inside, it’s evident that natural elements are the guiding force. An age-old tree marks the entrance – not simply preserved but celebrated, embraced by a curved zinc wall that both protects and frames it. This weathering metal facade will mature over time, developing a patina that reflects the ever-evolving story of the home and the family there. ”We chose zinc for its robust nature, timeless aesthetic, and unique weathering process – it galvanizes beautifully, much like the memories this home will hold,” Arora shares. The design weaves courtyards into the overall layout, allowing daylight and breezes to fill the interiors. These open-air pockets bring greenery indoors and become an active part of the family’s life, ushering in calm and offering views that change with the seasons. The home’s ground level offers an organic flow between social and private spaces. The absence of rigid walls between living, dining, and kitchen areas fosters connectivity without sacrificing function. Strategically placed furniture shapes the spatial experience, allowing sightlines to remain unbroken and the energy of the space to feel cohesive yet distinct. A sunken seating area with a U-shaped sofa offers a prime location in the main living space to connect with family and visitors while enjoying the views ahead. Descending into the basement reveals one of the home’s most surprising elements – a column-free space filled with natural light from a sunken courtyard. This level houses a vibrant lounge, a bar, and a play zone, shifting the conventional notion of what a basement can be. The upper level rooms were designed for each inhabitant. The primary suite is a tranquil hideaway; the daughter’s room expresses soft curves and pastel hues; while the son’s space merges function and solitude with a study nook that opens to the terrace. “This is where the family finds their quietest, most personal moments,” says Arora. “Each space is a true reflection of who they are.” A meditation room offers a quiet escape, while the terrace becomes a gathering point under the open sky – a platform for reflection and shared moments. What distinguishes Maurpankhi further is its curated material palette. Walls finished with limewash exude a soft, tactile beauty, while the overall color scheme leans into neutral, earthy tones that soothe the senses. The use of natural and time-responsive materials is deliberate, reinforcing the idea that the house isn’t static – it transforms with the people inside. For more information on House & Beyond, visit houseandbeyond.co.in or on Instagram. Photography by TakeIn Studios.

PMs and AI: the new invisible playerContinue reading on UX Collective »

Google's Smart Replies are getting an AI-themed, and to me, slightly creepy update. At its Google I/O 2025 keynote, Google announced a new feature called Personalized Smart Replies. This feature uses Gemini AI, alongside the data in your Gmail and Google Drive, to reply to emails in a way that sounds like you. Google promises is can write like you would, using your tone and writing style, as learned by your Gmail history.With this new update, the Smart Replies option that shows up when you reply to an email will be a lot more powerful and a lot more contextual. On stage, Google CEO Sundar Pichai used planning a trip as an example. Let's say a friend emails you asking for details about a trip you two are going on. To manually collate everything you need to send, like your hotel stays, driving plans, rest stops, and restaurant recommendations would take a lot of time.Instead, you can use the Personalized Smart Replies feature, which has access to all your emails, your Google Maps location history, and your photos and files in Google Drive, to do the work for you. It can collate hotel bookings from your email, locations from Google Drive history, and present it all in an email that matches your writing style. According to an interview with The Verge, Google Workspace’s VP of product, Blake Barnes, says that the new Smart Replies feature will be available in English at first, on the web, Android, and iOS. It will roll out in Alpha in Google Labs in July, and will be available for public use in Q3 of this year. Unfortunately, it will be only available for paid subscribers at first. Barnes sees the feature eventually rolling out to all Gmail users, but there's no timeline for that yet.Of course, like with all AI, there's a risk that what Gemini generates might have elements of hallucination, so I'd recommend checking your replies before sending them. Plus, the feature will definitely need access to a lot of personal data to work. I'll keep an eye out for how to protect your data as the feature comes out, and update accordingly.

Google has just announced a new $250 per month AI Ultra plan for people who want unlimited access to its most advanced machine learning features. Yes, you read that right. It means the new subscription is $50 more expensive than the already pricey ChatGPT Pro and Claude Max plans from OpenAI and Anthropic. For $250, you're getting early access to new models like Veo 3, and unlimited usage of features like Flow (the new AI film-making app the company announced today) and the compute-intensive Deep Research. In the coming weeks, Google will also roll out Deep Think to AI Ultra users, which is the new enhanced reasoning mode that is part of its Gemini 2.5 Pro model. Subscribers can also look forward to access to Project Mariner, Google's web-surfing agent, and Gemini within Chrome, plus all the usual places where you can find the chatbot like Gmail and Docs. Google is partly justifying the high cost of AI Ultra by touting the inclusion of YouTube Premium and 30TB of cloud storage across Google Photos, Drive and Gmail. On its own, a YouTube Premium subscription would cost you $14 per month, and Google doesn't offer 30TB of cloud storage separately. The closest comparison would be Google One, which includes a Premium tier that comes with 2TB of storage for $10 per month. As another incentive to sign up for AI Ultra, Google is giving new subscribers 50 percent off their first three months. As of today, Google is also revamping its existing AI Premium plan. The subscription, which will be known as Google AI Pro moving forward, now includes the Flow app and early access to Gemini in Chrome. Google says the new benefits will come to US subscribers first, with availability in other countries to follow.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-wants-250-per-month-in-return-for-its-new-ai-ultra-plan-180248513.html?src=rss

A Widow's Game is a gripping new crime movie coming to Netflix.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Tuesday that robotaxis will be on the streets of Austin, Texas by next month.