Threads users have a lot to celebrate this week.

How to solve today's Wordle.SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesLooking for Thursdays Wordle hints, clues and answer? You can find them here:At last, dearest Wordlers, we have come to Friday. Most of the time I complain that time flies by too quickly, but for whatever reason this past week has moved at a strangely slow pace. I cant put my finger on why. Thats the thing about time. Its really all in our heads. Entropy occurs. We age. The earth revolves around the sun. Day and night repeat. But time itself is as abstract a notion as any our human brains can conceive of, and reading about space-time doesnt help much, at least for those of us whose brains are not suited for math.Mine, for instance, is better with words and language than with physics and mathematics, though I find it all fascinating. Whats the point of life if not to learn and experience? Anyways, theres a Wordle to solve. Lets solve it!P.S. Its 2XP Friday, so double your pointspositive or negativeif you play Competitive Wordle!How To Solve Todays WordleThe Hint: A precious jewel, found only in the sea.The Clue: This Wordle has two vowels in a row.Okay, spoilers below!...The Answer:Today's WordleCan you solve todays phrase?Play NowScreenshot: Erik KainWordle AnalysisEvery day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordles with Wordle Bot right here. I was lucky today, though theres a cruel irony even in my success. I was using todays Wordle as an opening guess with some frequency recently, but due to some changes in my life circumstances, I decided not to anymore. Still, when my first guess came back with PEAR all in yellow, I had to try. Sure enough, PEARL was the Wordle. If things had been different, perhaps Id have guessed this in just one today. Cest la vie.Competitive Wordle ScoreI get 2 points for guessing in two and another for beating the Bot, who took three tries today. Thats 3 points, doubled for 2XP Friday for a whopping 6. Huzzah! (Had I guessed in 1, Id have gotten 3 points +1 for beating the Bot x2 for a total of 8. Oh well!)How To Play Competitive WordleGuessing in 1 is worth 3 points; guessing in 2 is worth 2 points; guessing in 3 is worth 1 point; guessing in 4 is worth 0 points; guessing in 5 is -1 points; guessing in 6 is -2 points and missing the Wordle is -3 points.If you beat your opponent you get 1 point. If you tie, you get 0 points. And if you lose to your opponent, you get -1 point. Add it up to get your score. Keep a daily running score or just play for a new score each day.Fridays are 2XP, meaning you double your pointspositive or negative.You can keep a running tally or just play day-by-day. Enjoy!Todays Wordle EtymologyThe word pearl comes from the Middle English perle, which was borrowed from Old French perle. This, in turn, likely derives from the Medieval Latin perla, meaning "a pearl" or "something round," which may be related to the Latin word perna, meaning "leg," due to the leg-of-mutton shape of some bivalve shells that produce pearls.Let me know how you fared with your Wordle today on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog where I write about games, TV shows and movies when Im not writing puzzle guides. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.

Light powers the new age of photonic-based computing.Teresa FosterConnectivity defines computing. Our ability to interconnect data resources and repositories across services that stem from the backbone of the cloud fabric is the natural evolution of the pre-millennial networking age. That was a time (back in the eighties and into the nineties) when we used to talk about hubs and switches working across local and wide area networks with awe and appreciation. The connections that we now form in the cloud can be traced down to the applications that now enjoy interconnectedness and, ultimately, to the connections that exist across silicon wafers and electronic circuits.Some of those standards are changing. The application connection points remain comparatively static (although, yes, AI is changing everything), but the way we forge and fuse connectivity is changing as a result of optical technologies and photonics i.e. the use of light to change what was once an electronic connection point into a photonics-based connection capable of working at much faster speeds using far less power and with increased responsiveness.What Is Photonics?We have detailed the mechanics of this potential paradigm shift before in relation to research and development work carried out by NTT Corporation. The companys Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) approach is engineered around photonics technology for ultra-high capacity, ultra-low latency and ultra-low power consumption. Its worth remembering that as we stand today, the vast majority of our devices still do use electronics to process and transmit information.In contrast and as a branch of optics science, photonics is all about the creation, detection and management of light through various types of modulation, switching, application and sensing to enable photonics-based microprocessors i.e. light-based chips capable of performing high-speed arithmetic calculations that are even said to pave the way towards optical quantum computers.Conscientiously working to evolve these technologies (some of which we still need to finish building the hardware for, let alone start thinking about how the software constructs and functionalities will work), NTT says it is taking an altruistic approach to the R&D by making sure its work helps create a more sustainable society for all going forwards.MORE FOR YOUSome of its latest work in this arena sees the application of NTTs All-Photonics Network (APN) to advance cloud-based endoscopy capabilities and remote production. NTT and Olympus Corporation (yes, the one you know for cameras, but that also makes microscopes, thermometers and endoscopes) have announced the creation of a cloud endoscopy system utilizing the NTT IOWN APN with what is said to be an ability to solve the associated network issues that arise in cloud-based medical technology at this level.For those without a biological science bent (and the squeamish who would prefer not to think about such things if given the option) an endoscope is a medical device in which a flexible tube is inserted into the natural openings of the body to perform an examination and obtain tissue samples. Today, endoscopes are used increasingly more often due to the equipments low level of invasiveness and high level of safety.This reference to cloud-based endoscopy here means this use of Olympus' endoscopes to perform image processing, which has been conventionally processed within the endoscopic equipment, on a remote [private] cloud. This has been difficult to achieve with conventional technology for a lot of reasons, but networking strength and performance being among the key factors. NTT says its IOWN APN technology makes it possible to process images in real-time on the cloud and that this use case helps establish a reference model for the commercialization of cloud endoscopy systems in the immediate future.Jitsuyouka: Commercialization & UsefulnessIf that commercialization point sounds a little flaky or fanciful, it perhaps shouldnt i.e. NTT founds and centralizes a good deal of its research and development around the concept of Jitsuyouka, which quite literally translates into English as commercial development for usefulness, but NTT tempers that definition with a need for products and services to benefit society as well.According to NTT, [Today], current endoscopes handle all functions within the endoscope device, making performance limitations and maintainability an issue. In addition, it is expected that more cases in the future will require flexible feature improvements and updates based on new user needs, such as real-time remote diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, NTT and Olympus are developing an endoscopy system in which functions with high processing loads, such as image processing, can be done on the cloud.By sharing the processing load with graphical processing units in the cloud-located datacenters, users can receive the latest functions through software updates and enable real-time remote diagnosis and treatment by sharing video information across multiple hospitals. To build a cloud endoscopy system, NTT and Olympus have started demonstration experiments centered on IOWN APN to solve technical problems in the network. In this demonstration experiment, the companies will construct an experimental environment in which an actual endoscope and a GPU server are connected by IOWN APN, using it as a starting point to carry out further verifications. NTT says it will consider expanding use cases, such as promoting the use of other medical devices on the cloud, based on the knowledge gained from current experiments.NTT researchers have also developed a lineup of on-site construction, maintenance and operation technologies essential for the commercial introduction of four-core multi-core optical fiber optical transmission lines, which enable a single communication optical fiber to have four times the capacity of current optical fibers. This achievement is expected to accelerate the practical application of four-core MCF optical transmission lines in inter-datacenter optical communications, where the demand for optical fiber cores continues to grow exponentially and in submarine optical transmission sections, where optical fiber mounting space in optical cables is limited.Making Moonshots MatterLooking ahead, NTT invests $3.6 billion in its global scientific research and technology R&D initiatives annually. A lot of that investment capital - obviously - comes from its existing customer base, so one wonders how the company balances the need to be seen building technology that works in the here and now, while, equally, also showing evidence of technology progression for a future age weve yet to even enter in many industrial segments and spheres.As a real world (out of this world) example, NTT R&D is developing technology that will enable wireless cable-free power transmission connectivity to happen through Lunar regolith (moondust, to you and me) so that we might one day be able to power rover vehicles on the surface of the moon. Not useful yet, but most people would agree that this is pretty amazing. At the same time, the company is helping to build extreme networking connections through undersea cables that have infinitesimally small delays. Its an application that works really well for video conferencing and even for football (sorry, soccer) commentators to present in synch around the globe. Definitely very useful.There arent many technology firms focused on developing network solutions that span moonshots and penalty shots, but theres sometimes a different attitude towards innovation in the Far East where NTT originates, so this duality is possibly perceived with more credibility on home soil first. Whatever next, electronic toilets? Thats old news, we need to look to the stars.Sake kegs.Teresa Foster

A laptop keyboard and ChatGPT on App Store displayed on a phone screen are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on October 1, 2024.Jakub PorzyckiNurPhoto/Getty ImagesBy Harry BoothNovember 21, 2024 12:53 PM ESTFor over a decade, companies have bet on a tantalizing rule of thumb: that artificial intelligence systems would keep getting smarter if only they found ways to continue making them bigger. This wasnt merely wishful thinking. In 2017, researchers at Chinese technology firm Baidu demonstrated that pouring more data and computing power into machine learning algorithms yielded mathematically predictable improvementsregardless of whether the system was designed to recognize images, speech, or generate language. Noticing the same trend, in 2020, OpenAI coined the term scaling laws, which has since become a touchstone of the industry.This thesis prompted AI firms to bet hundreds of millions on ever-larger computing clusters and datasets. The gamble paid off handsomely, transforming crude text machines into today's articulate chatbots.But now, that bigger-is-better gospel is being called into question.Last week, reports by Reuters and Bloomberg suggested that leading AI companies are experiencing diminishing returns on scaling their AI systems. Days earlier, The Information reported doubts at OpenAI about continued advancement after the unreleased Orion model failed to meet expectations in internal testing. The co-founders of Andreessen Horowitz, a prominent Silicon Valley venture capital firm, have echoed these sentiments, noting that increasing computing power is no longer yielding the same "intelligence improvements."What are tech companies saying?Though, many leading AI companies seem confident that progress is marching full steam ahead. In a statement, a spokesperson for Anthropic, developer of the popular chatbot Claude, said we haven't seen any signs of deviations from scaling laws. OpenAI declined to comment. Google DeepMind did not respond for comment. However, last week, after an experimental new version of Googles Gemini model took GPT-4os top spot on a popular AI-performance leaderboard, the companys CEO, Sundar Pichai posted to X saying more to come.Read more: The Researcher Trying to Glimpse the Future of AIRecent releases paint a somewhat mixed picture. Anthropic has updated its medium sized model, Sonnet, twice since its release in March, making it more capable than the companys largest model, Opus, which has not received such updates. In June, the company said Opus would be updated later this year, but last week, speaking on the Lex Fridman podcast, co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei declined to give a specific timeline. Google updated its smaller Gemini Pro model in February, but the company's larger Gemini Ultra model has yet to receive an update. OpenAIs recently released o1-preview model outperforms GPT-4o in several benchmarks, but in others it falls short. o1-preview was reportedly called GPT-4o with reasoning internally, suggesting the underlying model is similar in scale to GPT-4.Parsing the truth is complicated by competing interests on all sides. If Anthropic cannot produce more powerful models, weve failed deeply as a company, Amodei said last week, offering a glimpse at the stakes for AI companies that have bet their futures on relentless progress. A slowdown could spook investors and trigger an economic reckoning. Meanwhile, Ilya Sutskever, OpenAIs former chief scientist and once an ardent proponent of scaling, now says performance gains from bigger models have plateaued. But his stance carries its own baggage: Suskevers new AI start up, Safe Superintelligence Inc., launched in June with less funding and computational firepower than its rivals. A breakdown in the scaling hypothesis would conveniently help level the playing field.They had these things they thought were mathematical laws and they're making predictions relative to those mathematical laws and the systems are not meeting them, says Gary Marcus, a leading voice on AI, and author of several books including Taming Silicon Valley. He says the recent reports of diminishing returns suggest we have finally hit a wallsomething hes warned could happen since 2022. I didn't know exactly when it would happen, and we did get some more progress. Now it seems like we are stuck, he says.Have we run out of data?A slowdown could be a reflection of the limits of current deep learning techniques, or simply that there's not enough fresh data anymore, Marcus says. Its a hypothesis that has gained ground among some following AI closely. Sasha Luccioni, AI and climate lead at Hugging Face, says there are limits to how much information can be learned from text and images. She points to how people are more likely to misinterpret your intentions over text messaging, as opposed to in person, as an example of text datas limitations. I think it's like that with language models, she says.The lack of data is particularly acute in certain domains like reasoning and mathematics, where we just don't have that much high quality data, says Ege Erdil, senior researcher at Epoch AI, a nonprofit that studies trends in AI development. That doesnt mean scaling is likely to stopjust that scaling alone might be insufficient. At every order of magnitude scale up, different innovations have to be found, he says, noting that it does not mean AI progress will slow overall.It's not the first time critics have pronounced scaling dead. At every stage of scaling, there are always arguments, Amodei said last week. The latest one we have today is, were going to run out of data, or the data isnt high quality enough or models cant reason., ...Ive seen the story happen for enough times to really believe that probably the scaling is going to continue, he said. Reflecting on OpenAIs early days on Y-Combinators podcast, company CEO Sampost on X from Marcus saying his predictions of diminishing returns were right, Altman posted saying there is no wall. Though there could be another reason we may be hearing echoes of new models failing to meet internal expectations, says Jaime Sevilla, director of Epoch AI. Following conversations with people at OpenAI and Anthropic, he came away with a sense that people had extremely high expectations. They expected AI was going to be able to, already write a PhD thesis, he says. Maybe it feels a bit.. anti-climactic.A temporary lull does not necessarily signal a wider slowdown, Sevilla says. History shows significant gaps between major advances: GPT-4, released just 19 months ago, itself arrived 33 months after GPT-3. We tend to forget that GPT three from GPT four was like 100x scale in compute, Sevilla says. If you want to do something like 100 times bigger than GPT-4, you're gonna need up to a million GPUs, Sevilla says. That is bigger than any known clusters currently in existence, though he notes that there have been concerted efforts to build AI infrastructure this year, such as Elon Musks 100,000 GPU supercomputer in Memphisthe largest of its kindwhich was reportedly built from start to finish in three months.In the interim, AI companies are likely exploring other methods to improve performance after a model has been trained. OpenAIs o1-preview has been heralded as one such example, which outperforms previous models on reasoning problems by being allowed more time to think. This is something we already knew was possible, Sevilla says, gesturing to an Epoch AI report published in July 2023.Policy and geopolitical implicationsPrematurely diagnosing a slowdown could have repercussions beyond Silicon Valley and Wall St. The perceived speed of technological advancement following GPT-4s release prompted an open letter calling for a six-month pause on the training of larger systems to give researchers and governments a chance to catch up. The letter garnered over 30,000 signatories, including Musk and Turing Award recipient Yoshua Bengio. Its an open question whether a perceived slowdown could have the opposite effect, causing AI safety to slip from the agenda.Much of the U.S.s AI policy has been built on the belief that AI systems would continue to balloon in size. A provision in Bidens sweeping executive order on AI, signed in October 2023 (and expected to be repealed by the Trump White House) required AI developers to share information with the government regarding models trained using computing power above a certain threshold. That threshold was set above the largest models available at the time, under the assumption that it would target future, larger models. This same assumption underpins export restrictions (restrictions on the sale of AI chips and technologies to certain countries) designed to limit Chinas access to the powerful semiconductors needed to build large AI models. However, if breakthroughs in AI development begin to rely less on computing power and more on factors like better algorithms or specialized techniques, these restrictions may have a smaller impact on slowing Chinas AI progress.The overarching thing that the U.S. needs to understand is that to some extent, export controls were built on a theory of timelines of the technology, says Scott Singer, a visiting scholar in the Technology and International Affairs Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In a world where the U.S. stalls at the frontier, he says, we could see a national push to drive breakthroughs in AI. He says a slip in the U.S.s perceived lead in AI could spur a greater willingness to negotiate with China on safety principles.Whether we're seeing a genuine slowdown or just another pause ahead of a leap remains to be seen. Its unclear to me that a few months is a substantial enough reference point, Singer says. You could hit a plateau and then hit extremely rapid gains.More Must-Reads from TIMEWhy Trumps Message Worked on Latino MenWhat Trumps Win Could Mean for HousingThe 100 Must-Read Books of 2024Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip Thats Changed Their LivesColumn: Lets Bring Back RomanceWhat Its Like to Have Long COVID As a KidFXs Say NothingIs the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby DecisionContact us at letters@time.com

By Michael Liedtke / APUpdated: November 21, 2024 3:05 AM EST | Originally published: November 21, 2024 12:05 AM ESTU.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade.The proposed breakup floated in a 23-page document filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice calls for sweeping punishments that would include a sale of Googles industry-leading Chrome web browser and impose restrictions to prevent Android from favoring its own search engine.A sale of Chrome will permanently stop Googles control of this critical search access point and allow rival search engines the ability to access the browser that for many users is a gateway to the internet, Justice Department lawyers argued in their filing.Although regulators stopped short of demanding Google sell Android too, they asserted the judge should make it clear the company could still be required to divest its smartphone operating system if its oversight committee continues to see evidence of misconduct.The broad scope of the recommended penalties underscores how severely regulators operating under President Joe Bidens administration believe Google should be punished following an August ruling by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta that branded the company as a monopolist.The Justice Department decision-makers who will inherit the case after President-elect Donald Trump takes office next year might not be as strident. The Washington, D.C. court hearings on Googles punishment are scheduled to begin in April and Mehta is aiming to issue his final decision before Labor Day.If Mehta embraces the governments recommendations, Google would be forced to sell its 16-year-old Chrome browser within six months of the final ruling. But the company certainly would appeal any punishment, potentially prolonging a legal tussle that has dragged on for more than four years.Besides seeking a Chrome spinoff and a corralling of the Android software, the Justice Department wants the judge to ban Google from forging multibillion-dollar deals to lock in its dominant search engine as the default option on Apples iPhone and other devices. It would also ban Google from favoring its own services, such as YouTube or its recently-launched artificial intelligence platform, Gemini.Regulators also want Google to license the search index data it collects from peoples queries to its rivals, giving them a better chance at competing with the tech giant. On the commercial side of its search engine, Google would be required to provide more transparency into how it sets the prices that advertisers pay to be listed near the top of some targeted search results.Kent Walker, Googles chief legal officer, lashed out at the Justice Department for pursuing a radical interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and Americas global technology. In a blog post, Walker warned the overly broad proposal would threaten personal privacy while undermining Googles early leadership in artificial intelligence, perhaps the most important innovation of our time.Wary of Googles increasing use of artificial intelligence in its search results, regulators also advised Mehta to ensure websites will be able to shield their content from Googles AI training techniques.The measures, if they are ordered, threaten to upend a business expected to generate more than $300 billion in revenue this year.The playing field is not level because of Googles conduct, and Googles quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired, the Justice Department asserted in its recommendations. The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages.Its still possible that the Justice Department could ease off attempts to break up Google, especially if Trump takes the widely expected step of replacing Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter, who was appointed by Biden to oversee the agencys antitrust division.Although the case targeting Google was originally filed during the final months of Trumps first term in office, Kanter oversaw the high-profile trial that culminated in Mehtas ruling against Google. Working in tandem with Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, Kanter took a get-tough stance against Big Tech that triggered other attempted crackdowns on industry powerhouses such as Apple and discouraged many business deals from getting done during the past four years.Trump recently expressed concerns that a breakup might destroy Google but didnt elaborate on alternative penalties he might have in mind. What you can do without breaking it up is make sure its more fair, Trump said last month. Matt Gaetz, the former Republican congressman that Trump nominated to be the next U.S. Attorney General, has previously called for the breakup of Big Tech companies.Gaetz faces a tough confirmation hearing.This latest filing gave Kanter and his team a final chance to spell out measures that they believe are needed to restore competition in search. It comes six weeks after Justice first floated the idea of a breakup in a preliminary outline of potential penalties.But Kanters proposal is already raising questions about whether regulators seek to impose controls that extend beyond the issues covered in last years trial, andby extensionMehtas ruling.Banning the default search deals that Google now pays more than $26 billion annually to maintain was one of the main practices that troubled Mehta in his ruling.Its less clear whether the judge will embrace the Justice Departments contention that Chrome needs to be spun out of Google and or Android should be completely walled off from its search engine.It is probably going a little beyond, Syracuse University law professor Shubha Ghosh said of the Chrome breakup. The remedies should match the harm, it should match the transgression. This does seem a little beyond that pale.Google rival DuckDuckGo, whose executives testified during last year's trial, asserted the Justice Department is simply doing what needs to be done to rein in a brazen monopolist.Undoing Googles overlapping and widespread illegal conduct over more than a decade requires more than contract restrictions: it requires a range of remedies to create enduring competition, Kamyl Bazbaz, DuckDuckGos senior vice president of public affairs, said in a statement.Trying to break up Google harks back to a similar punishment initially imposed on Microsoft a quarter century ago following another major antitrust trial that culminated in a federal judge deciding the software maker had illegally used his Windows operating system for PCs to stifle competition.However, an appeals court overturned an order that would have broken up Microsoft, a precedent many experts believe will make Mehta reluctant to go down a similar road with the Google case.

KEY TAKEAWAYSChainlink, Microsoft, and Banco Inter aim to enhance Drexs trade finance capabilities using blockchain interoperability.The initiative demonstrates using Chainlinks CCIP to connect Drexs blockchain with global financial systems.Tokenized assets like the eBoL will drive automation, improving supply chain transparency and transaction efficiency.On Tuesday, Chainlink partnered with Microsoft and 7COMm to create a trade finance solution for the second phase of Drex, Brazils central bank digital currency (CBDC).This collaboration includes Brazilian companies like Banco Inter, one of the countrys top digital banks, which contributed to the first phase of Drex by tokenizing public debt securities.Chainlinkautomate supply chain management and improve trade financing within the Drex ecosystem.The initiative integrates Chainlinks Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) to connect Drex with a foreign central bank, ensuring efficient and compatible transaction settlements.As part of this initiative, Chainlinks CCIP will enable interoperability between the Brazilian Central Banks Drex and a foreign central bank, ensuring that transactions are compatible and settled efficiently.Drex Use Cases Whats It Good For?The consortium, featuring Banco Inter, Microsoft, and Chainlink, focuses on automatic transaction settlement for cross-border agricultural commodity trade.Chainlinks CCIP enables Drexs blockchain to interoperate seamlessly with external central bank infrastructures, ensuring frictionless settlements.Chainlink facilitates this process by tokenizing the Electronic Bill of Lading (eBoL) and utilizing supply chain data to trigger payments during the export process.This system also unlocks Delivery versus Payment (DvP) and Payment versus Payment (PvP) mechanisms while ensuring interoperability between Chainlinks blockchain and Hyperledger Besu, the platform used for Drex testing.Chainlink CCIP The Future of dApps?Chainlinks CCIP allows seamless token and data transfers between blockchain networks, offering a unified interface for decentralized applications (dApps).This feature enhances blockchain adoption and integration with existing backend systems while increasing market liquidity and access.For Drex, CCIP connects Hyperledger Besu with other EVM and non-EVM networks, driving interoperability and expanding the ecosystem.Banco Inter leads the implementation of the solution on Drexs platform, aiming to transform Brazils financial market.Bruno Grossi, Head of Emerging Technologies at Banco Inter, sees the project as a milestone that strengthens the market and expands its reach through collaboration with Microsoft and Chainlink Labs.We see collaborating in this project with technology leaders like Microsoft and Chainlink Labs as a transformative opportunity to expand market reach and improve the health of the Brazilian market. Bruno GrossiDrexs Leadership and Vision Could Evolve the IndustryMicrosoft provides cloud infrastructure to support Drexs development and expand access to intelligent financial services.Joo Arago, Microsofts Financial Services Innovation Specialist, emphasized the companys commitment to driving economic growth through Drex.7COMm contributes technical expertise to implement practical and transformative blockchain solutions. Sergio Yamani, 7COMms Director of Innovation, highlighted the transformative potential of CBDCs and blockchain interoperability.By integrating CCIP, the project establishes a new standard for global transactions while promoting transparency, security, and accessibility.This initiative positions Brazil as a global leader in blockchain innovation. This showcases how technology can transform trade finance and strengthen the economy.The advent of CBDCs, the development of blockchain interoperability protocols such as CCIP, and the use of CBDCs for cross-border payments enable a new generation of blockchain trade finance solutions. Bruno GrossiReferencesClick to expand and view referencesChainlink joins Banco Inter, Microsoft and 7Comm consortium to support trade finance use case in phase 2 of Drex pilot (PR News Wire)What is Drex and how it will change your life (Inter)Drex Pilot (Brazilian Government)Add Techreport to Your Google News Feed Get the latest updates, trends, and insights delivered straight to your fingertips. Subscribe now! Subscribe now Cassio Gusson is a journalist passionate about technology, cryptocurrencies, and the nuances of human nature. With a career spanning roles as Senior Crypto Journalist at CriptoFacil and Head of News at CoinTelegraph, he offers exclusive insights on South Americas crypto landscape. A graduate in Communication from Faccamp and a post-graduate in Globalization and Culture from FESPSP, Cassio explores the intersection of governance, decentralization, and the evolution of global systems. View all articles by Cassio Gusson Our editorial processThe Tech Reporteditorial policyis centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written byreal authors.

KEY TAKEAWAYSBitfinex introduces US Treasury tokenized bonds under El Salvadors regulatory framework.Investors can trade $USTBL tokens, providing exposure to short-term US Treasury Bills, with a 5.02% annual yield.$USTBL operates on the Bitcoin Layer-2 blockchain, enabling instant settlement, approved wallet withdrawals, and over-the-counter trading.On Tuesday, Bitfinex Securities, a tokenization company linked to the Bitfinex exchange, announced the launch of a new public offering for real-world assets (RWA) tokens.This new launch introduces tokenized US Treasury Bills (T-bills) under the legal framework of El Salvador.This way, Bitfinex aims to broaden access to regulated investments in tokenized assets.Tokenized Treasury BillsNexBridge Digital Financial Solutions, a digital asset issuer based in El Salvador, will handle the issuance of $USTBL tokens.$USTBL will expose investors to short-term US T-bills denominated in US dollars.Bitfinex Securities plans to raise at least $30M in the initial token offering from November 19 to 29.Bitfinex announced it would create RWA tokens on Liquid Network, a Bitcoin Layer-2 blockchain maintained by Blockstream.The $USTBL token offers an annual yield of 5.02% until maturity. Bitfinex Securities will allocate the proceeds to the iShares Treasury Bond 0-1 year UCITS exchange-traded fund (ETF), which tracks a US government bond index.Although $USTBL is issued on Liquid Network, investors can only purchase it with Tethers stablecoin $USDT. However, Bitfinex plans to introduce Bitcoin ($BTC) as a payment option in the future.After the subscription period, the token will become available for secondary market trading on Bitfinex Securities, offering instant settlement, withdrawals to approved wallets, and over-the-counter trading.Bitfinex Securities in El SalvadorIn April 2023, Bitfinex obtained the first digital asset service provider license in El Salvador, allowing tokenized stocks and financial securities to be issued and traded. Bitfinex Securities El Salvador S.A. de C.V. officially began operations in January 2024.The company anticipates strong demand for regulated digital asset investment vehicles, particularly after the approval of $BTC ETFs in the US.However, not all of Bitfinexs initiatives in El Salvador have been successful. In May 2024, the company launched a public offering to fund the construction of a Hampton by Hilton hotel near El Salvadors International Airport, aiming to raise $6.25M.The offering used the Airport Hotel SV ($HILSV) token to attract investors interested in the project. Despite Bitfinexs efforts, the offering failed to reach the required minimum of $500K, raising only $342K by the June 2024 deadline. Consequently, Bitfinex Securities issued a full refund to all investors.Merging Traditional Finance and BlockchainBitfinex Securities launch of tokenized US Treasury Bills is a significant step toward merging traditional finance with blockchain technology.Despite previous setbacks, such as the $HILSV token offering, the companys approach to RWA tokenization shows its commitment to innovation.This offering could potentially pave the way for broader acceptance of blockchain-based financial instruments globally.ReferencesAdd Techreport to Your Google News Feed Get the latest updates, trends, and insights delivered straight to your fingertips. Subscribe now! Subscribe now Cassio Gusson is a journalist passionate about technology, cryptocurrencies, and the nuances of human nature. With a career spanning roles as Senior Crypto Journalist at CriptoFacil and Head of News at CoinTelegraph, he offers exclusive insights on South Americas crypto landscape. A graduate in Communication from Faccamp and a post-graduate in Globalization and Culture from FESPSP, Cassio explores the intersection of governance, decentralization, and the evolution of global systems. View all articles by Cassio Gusson Our editorial processThe Tech Reporteditorial policyis centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written byreal authors.

WTF?! Microsoft recently released the Bing Wallpaper app on the Windows Store, offering users a new, official way to change your desktop wallpaper on a daily basis. The app includes a collection of images from around the world that have been featured on the Bing homepage, but it apparently also brings a series of very questionable hidden perks after being installed on a Windows PC. Some third-party software companies behave like true malware sellers, packing their products with really questionable functionality and hidden payloads. When Microsoft shows the same behavior, however, Windows users tend to react swiftly and in an extremely negative way.According to Windows dev and "reverse engineer by night" Rafael Rivera, Bing Wallpaper is an absolute nightmare for the user's security and privacy. The app automatically installs Bing Visual Search and includes code to decrypt cookies saved in other browsers, Rivera said, and it also brings a "free" geolocation web API to the system.Cool wallpaper, not so cool app...The developer discovered "many" nasty tricks Microsoft integrated in Bing Wallpapers, which include trying to change the browser's settings and set Edge as the default system browser. If the default browser isn't Edge, the app will open the default browser after some time asking to enable the previously installed Microsoft Bing Search for Chrome extension.Rivera provided a list of the forcefully installed extensions users need to block in Chrome or Firefox. The developer straight up defined Bing Wallpaper as a malicious app, pointing to the app's server configuration for people interested in further investigating this malware. There's also a registry key that can apparently force the app to "nuke itself," which sounds like a very nice option to have at this point. // Related StoriesNetizens welcomed the Bing Wallpaper "malware" with open arms, and now they are sharing some very nice comments on Microsoft's latest attempt to bother the Windows userbase. People are saying that this sounds exactly like a thing Microsoft would do, while someone is even evoking a class action lawsuit against the company. If the wallpaper is free, one user said, you are likely the product.At this point, Bing Wallpaper can be considered unwanted, hostile adware at best. Dynamic wallpapers and related desktop customization features are readily available with other, adware-free apps and proper Win32 programs like Dynamic Wallpaper, Wallpaper Engine, and many more. Windows 11 even includes a native feature to change the desktop background every day, so there really is no need to install "official" Bing apps to get the job done.

Facepalm: Large language models have a long, steep hill to climb before they prove trustworthy and reliable. For now, they are helpful in starting research, but only fools would trust them enough to write a legal document. A professor specializing in the subject should know better. A Stanford professor has an egg on his face after submitting an affidavit to the court in support of a controversial Minnesota law aimed at curbing the use of deepfakes and AI to influence election outcomes. The proposed amendment to existing legislation states that candidates convicted of using deepfakes during an election campaign must forfeit the race and face fines and imprisonment of up to five years and $10,000, depending on the number of previous convictions.Minnesota State Representative Mary Franson and YouTuber Christopher Kohls have challenged the law, claiming it violates the First Amendment. During the pretrial proceedings, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison asked the founding director of Stanford's Social Media Lab, Professor Jeff Hancock, to provide an affidavit declaring his support of the law (below).Expert Declaration of Professor Jeff Hancock via CourtListenerThe Minnesota Reformer notes that Hancock drew up a well-worded argument for why the legislation is essential. He cites several sources for his conviction, including a study titled "The Influence of Deepfake Videos on Political Attitudes and Behavior" in the Journal of Information Technology & Politics. He also referenced another academic paper called "Deepfakes and the Illusion of Authenticity: Cognitive Processes Behind Misinformation Acceptance." The problem is that neither of these studies exist in the journal mentioned or any other academic resource.The plaintiffs filed a memorandum suggesting that the citations could be AI-generated. The dubious attributions challenge the declaration's validity, even if they aren't from an LLM, so the judge should throw it out. // Related Stories"The citation bears the hallmarks of being an artificial intelligence 'hallucination,' suggesting that at least the citation was generated by a large language model like ChatGPT," the memorandum reads. "Plaintiffs do not know how this hallucination wound up in Hancock's declaration, but it calls the entire document into question."Click to enlargeIf the citations are AI-generated, it is highly likely that portions, or even the entirety of the affidavit, are, too. In experiments with ChatGPT, TechSpot has found that the LLM will make up quotations that do not exist in an apparent attempt to lend validity to a story. When confronted about it, the chatbot will admit that it made the material up and will revise it with even more dubious content (above).It is conceivable that Hancock, who is undoubtedly a very busy man, wrote a draft declaration and passed it on to an aide to edit, who ran it through an LLM to clean it up, and the model added the references unprompted. However, that doesn't excuse the document from rightful scrutiny and criticism, which is the main problem with LLMs today.The irony that a self-proclaimed expert submitted a document containing AI-generated misinformation to a legal body in support of a law that outlaws that very information is not lost to anyone involved. Ellison and Hancock have not commented on the situation and likely want the embarrassing faux pas to disappear.The more tantalizing question is whether the court will consider this perjury since Hancock signed under the statement, "I declare under penalty of perjury that everything I have stated in this document is true and correct." If people are not held accountable for misusing AI, how can it ever get better?

The sixth Starship mission captured from the ISS. NASA / Don PettitNASA astronaut and current space station inhabitant Don Pettit seems to have the luck of the stars. During SpaceXs sixth test flight of its massive Starship rocket from Boca Chica, Texas, on Tuesday, the International Space Station (ISS) just happened to be passing directly above some 250 miles above, to be precise giving keen photographer Pettit the perfect opportunity to capture the Starships launch.Pettit shared a photo of the event on his X account on Thursday, along with the comment, We happened to be overhead!Recommended VideosStarship launch from @ISS. We happened to be overhead! pic.twitter.com/SLRlLoRriv Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) November 21, 2024RelatedPettits image shows the trail left by the Super Heavys 33 Raptor engines as it powers the Starship spacecraft to orbit, casting a shadow over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico as it goes.The ISS orbits Earth at a speed of about 17,500 mph (28,000 kph) and makes around 16 orbits of the planet in 24 hours, so the crew were incredibly lucky to be so close to the action on Tuesday.Pettit and his fellow ISS crewmembers were also fortunate enough to get a view of SpaceXs Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon capsule as it hurtled back to Earth with four people aboard at the end of a historic mission in September. Pettit, who has earned a stellar reputation for his brilliant photographic work across multiple orbital missions, captured an astonishing shot showing a streak of light created by the capsule as it returned home.He also recently shared a surreal image showing Earth as youve never seen it before, and also posted images that look more like works of art than real locations on Earth.With Pettit only a couple of months into his six-month ISS mission, we can look forward to a lot more amazing photography from the American astronaut.Editors Recommendations