It will be interesting to see which roles Marvel icons will be adapted into as Marvel Rivals evolves with subsequent patches and new characters. Thanks to leaks and at least one official tease, for example, it appears as if the Fantastic Four will be joining the roster at some point in the future and where theyre each sorted will hopefully have a fun and positive impact on creative team compositions. It may be easy to presume what role each Fantastic Four member may have, but theres always a chance that Marvel Rivals surprises players with how a possible character like Jean Grey, Ant-Man, Ghost Rider, or Colossus might be categorized.

Last year's Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is important for a few key reasons. For one thing, it's the revival of a franchise that many considered to be dead and buried, especially after FromSoftware doubled down on the soulslike formula in the 2010s. But its scope, ambition, and blending of classic design pillars with modern sensibilities says something much greater: that FromSoftware is still open to revisiting its older IP, regardless of market conditions, demand, or other similarly unexciting external factors.

Kingdom Hearts 4 has kept fans waiting for details, but one feature from its predecessor that particularly deserves a comeback is the Attractions summons. These flashy, ride-themed abilities added an extra layer of excitement and spectacle to battles in Kingdom Hearts 3, offering players a taste of Disney park magic while delivering powerful attacks. While theres no confirmation that Attractions will return, its hard to ignore the potential for how they could be expanded upon in Kingdom Hearts 4.

A new report published by the child safety groups Heat Initiative and ParentsTogether Action details the alarming presence of inappropriate apps that are rated as suitable for children as young as four years old on Apples App Store. The groups worked with a researcher to review as many apps as possible in the span of 24 hours, and say they ultimately identified over 200 apps that contained concerning content or features given the ages they were rated for including stranger chat and AI girlfriend apps, gaming apps with sexual or violent prompts and imagery, and AI-powered appearance rating apps. Engadget has reached out to Apple for comment and will update this story upon hearing back.The research focused on apps with assigned age ratings of 4+, 9+ and 12+ in categories considered to be risky: chat (including AI and stranger chat apps), beauty, diet and weight loss, unfiltered internet access (apps for accessing schools banned sites) and gaming. Among the findings, the report says at least 24 sexual games and 9 stranger chat apps were marked as appropriate for kids in these age groups. The research also identified 40 apps for unfiltered internet access and 75 apps relating to beauty, body image and weight loss carrying these age ratings, along with 28 shooter and crime games. Collectively, the roughly 200 offending apps spotted during the 24-hour investigation have been downloaded over 550 million times, according to Heat Initiative.About 800 apps were reviewed in all, and the research found that some categories were more likely than others to carry apps with inappropriately low age ratings. For stranger chat apps and games, fewer were rated as appropriate for children, the report says. In most cases, they were 17+. But in the categories of weight loss and unfiltered internet access, nearly all apps reviewed were approved for kids 4+. The report calls on Apple to do better when it comes to child safety measures on the App Store, urging the company to use third-party reviewers to verify apps age ratings before they become available to download, and to make its age rating process transparent to consumers. You can read the full report, Rotten Ratings: 24 Hours in Apples App Store, here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/inappropriate-apps-rated-as-safe-for-young-children-are-prevalent-in-the-app-store-report-warns-213727965.html?src=rss

Androxgh0st integration with Mozi targets critical systems with advanced tactics and exploiting new vulnerabilities.

Remember when we all agreed that GenAI tools were going to be used to scam people with fake images of unreal scenarios or fake products? Well, this isnt one of those times. Images of a Porsche 911 backpack began circulating on the internet, and although sure, the image is absolutely 100% AI generated, turns out that there are actually prototypers and manufacturers working on a real version of the product.Remember the Gorilla Couch phenomenon? If youre hearing it for the first time, try searching the words Gorilla Couch and seeing what the internet throws up. The story goes like this someone generated images of a gorilla-shaped couch and it instantly picked up online with people wanting to buy it. However, rather than it being a fake scam, manufacturers (some in China) actually reverse-engineered the images and MADE the couch, selling it online. The internet basically WILLED an AI product into existence, and now gorilla couches are even available on Amazon.The Porsche 911 Backpacks story is somewhat similar. The lifestyle image above is clearly AI-generated, but hey, sometimes the AI generates some pretty neat images, right? So someone just decided to turn the images into a real product. You can see the prototyping below in action, from someone who clearly works in the vacuum-molded luggage space. It makes sense to vacuum-mold the outer -facade, giving the backpack a hard outer shell, although where one would put the zip is still anyones guess. Maybe the backpack opens like the cars boot?!The backpacks design is a great example of form NOT following function, though. A car like the Porsche 911 is truly iconic, but its shape applies to automotives, not necessarily to fashion. The result is an odd backpack that has tremendous visual appeal, but I honestly dont know what its shape would hold. It wont fit any tech like a laptop for sure, but maybe you could carry a lunchbox, a book or two, and maybe a few clothes in it. The backpack does, however, fulfill its need to look fashionable. Its gorgeous (even if it isnt practical), and the spoiler mounted on top literally feels like a cherry on the cake!It isnt entirely clear where the product will be sold (I found these images on Instagram), but it sure as hell wont be available at your nearest Porsche dealership. I see the Porsche logo molded into the back too, so thats definitely a lawsuit waiting to happen. Try AliExpress or Temu, maybe? Id say for $120, chances are the backpack will either be of dubious quality, or probably wont ship at all. Does it still look cool? Oh yes, for sure.The post This Porsche 911 Backpack is Apparently a Real Product and Costs $120 first appeared on Yanko Design.

There are some notable names in the watchmaking sphere that have a different take on the concept of timepieces with their larger-than-life dials. URWERK and MB&F particularly have this idea of watchmaking that distinguishes their watches from the others at the first gawk. What really is stuck with them are darker hues, but this one particular time, URWREK is actually making a detour from that overpowering love for black and gray-toned cases.The Swiss watchmaker has unveiled the second iteration of its 230 series with the launch of this UR-230 Polaris, which in its white exuberating self, ventures on an unceasing quest to rethink the basics of the series design whilst preserving its aesthetics and strength. Following the success of the UR-230 Eagle constructed from a block of fiberglass-enhanced ceramic in white comes the UR-230 Polaris.Designer: URWERKThe new white-colored model comes in a 44.81mm-sized ceramic-based composite case and brings a new perspective to URWERKs interesting lineup. The radiant white encompassing an all-black UR-7.30 caliber movement gives the watch a nice panda effect. The dial is uniquely laid out with white numerals and satellite complication and it rests within a 53.55mm long and 18.38mm thick trapeze-shaped case elongating toward 6 oclock.The new UR-230 Polaris provides a very legible and unobstructed view of time in its futuristic design overpowered by a three-armed carousel with four-hour numerals. The current hour is prominently displayed on a semicircular section running along the watch base spanning 4 to 8 oclock.It is not only the faade marked by the white ceramic case that really stands out about the UR-230 Polaris, the watch is equally exciting on back reverse side as well. It features a contrasting black DLC titanium caseback and comes paired with a vulcanized rubber strap again in a white hue with the black accent at the buckle. The UR-230 Polaris is strictly limited to only 35 examples that the interested can bag for 150,000 CHF (approximately $169,000).The post Urwerk UR-230 Polaris has distinct aesthetic complemented by white ceramic case first appeared on Yanko Design.

While Apple appears to have no plans to revive its former AirPort routers, the networking know-how that powered them may be returning via a new chip that will add similar functionality to the company's home devices like the HomePod mini.New HomePod mini (right) and Apple's old AirPort Express (left)Apple first introduced the AirPort line of residential internet gateways in 1999, and continued to iterate the product line until the final AirPort Extreme router was discontinued in 2018. Since then, fans have called for the company to revive the product, celebrated for its ease of setup and management.While most third-party routers have gotten increasingly antenna-laden and spider-like, home gateways from the big residential internet providers, such as AT&T, Comcast, Optimum, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Windstream have mostly moved to AirPort-like smooth boxes. These home routers utilize internal antennas, offering whole-home coverage for most single-story homes, with small plug-in signal repeaters for multi-story or larger residences. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn MoreWhile the 2024 U.S. election focused on traditional issues like the economy and immigration, its quiet impact on AI policy could prove even more transformative. Without a single debate question or major campaign promise about AI, voters inadvertently tipped the scales in favor of accelerationists those who advocate for rapid AI development with minimal regulatory hurdles. The implications of this acceleration are profound, heralding a new era of AI policy that prioritizes innovation over caution and signals a decisive shift in the debate between AIs potential risks and rewards.The pro-business stance of President-elect Donald Trump leads many to assume that his administration will favor those developing and marketing AI and other advanced technologies. His party platform has little to say about AI. However, it does emphasize a policy approach focused on repealing AI regulations, particularly targeting what they described as radical left-wing ideas within existing executive orders of the outgoing administration. In contrast, the platform supported AI development aimed at fostering free speech and human flourishing, calling for policies that enable innovation in AI while opposing measures perceived to hinder technological progress.Early indications based on appointments to leading government positions underscore this direction. However, there is a larger story unfolding: The resolution of the intense debate over AIs future.An intense debateEver since ChatGPT appeared in November 2022, there has been a raging debate between those in the AI field who want to accelerate AI development and those who want to decelerate.Famously, in March 2023 the latter group proposed a six-month AI pause in development of the most advanced systems, warning in an open letter that AI tools present profound risks to society and humanity. This letter, spearheaded by the Future of Life Institute, was prompted by OpenAIs release of the GPT-4 large language model (LLM), several months after ChatGPT launched.The letter was initially signed by more than 1,000 technology leaders and researchers, including Elon Musk, Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak, 2020 Presidential candidate Andrew Yang, podcaster Lex Fridman, and AI pioneers Yoshua Bengio and Stuart Russell. The number of signees of the letter eventually swelled to more than 33,000. Collectively, they became known as doomers, a term to capture their concerns about potential existential risks from AI.Not everyone agreed. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman did not sign. Nor did Bill Gates and many others. Their reasons for not doing so varied, although many voiced concerns about potential harm from AI. This led to many conversations about the potential for AI to run amok, leading to disaster. It became fashionable for many in the AI field to talk about their assessment of the probability of doom, often referred to as an equation: p(doom). Nevertheless, work on AI development did not pause.For the record, my p(doom) in June 2023 was 5%. That might seem low, but it was not zero. I felt that the major AI labs were sincere in their efforts to stringently test new models prior to release and in providing significant guardrails for their use.Many observers concerned about AI dangers have rated existential risks higher than 5%, and some have rated much higher. AI safety researcher Roman Yampolskiy rated the probability of AI ending humanity at over 99%. That said, a study released early this year, well before the election andrepresenting the views of more than 2,700 AI researchers, showed that the median prediction for extremely bad outcomes, such as human extinction, was 5%. Would you board a plane if there were a 5% chance it might crash? This is the dilemma AI researchers and policymakers face.Must go fasterOthers have been openly dismissive of worries about AI, pointing instead to what they perceived as the huge upside of the technology. These include Andrew Ng (who founded and led the Google Brain project) and Pedro Domingos (a professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington and author of The Master Algorithm). They argued, instead, that AI is part of the solution. As put forward by Ng, there are indeed existential dangers, such as climate change and future pandemics, and AI can be part of how these are addressed and mitigated.Ng argued that AI development should not be paused, but should instead go faster. This utopian view of technology has been echoed by others who are collectively known as effective accelerationists or e/acc for short. They argue that technology and especially AI is not the problem, but the solution to most, if not all, of the worlds issues. Startup accelerator Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan, along with other prominent Silicon Valley leaders, included the term e/acc in their usernames on X to show alignment to the vision. Reporter Kevin Roose at the New York Times captured the essence of these accelerationists by saying they have an all-gas, no-brakes approach.A Substack newsletter from a couple years ago described the principles underlying effective accelerationism. Here is the summation they offer at the end of the article, plus a comment from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.The 2024 election outcome may be seen as a turning point, putting the accelerationist vision in a position to shape U.S. AI policy for the next several years. For example, the President-elect recently appointed technology entrepreneur and venture capitalist David Sacks as AI czar.Sacks, a vocal critic of AI regulation and a proponent of market-driven innovation, brings his experience as a technology investor to this role. He is one of the leading voices in the AI industry, and much of what he has said about AI aligns with the accelerationist viewpoints expressed by the incoming party platform.In response to the AI executive order from the Biden administration in 2023, Sacks tweeted: The U.S. political and fiscal situation is hopelessly broken, but we have one unparalleled asset as a country: Cutting-edge innovation in AI driven by a completely free and unregulated market for software development. That just ended. While the amount of influence Sacks will have on AI policy remains to be seen, his appointment signals a shift toward policies favoring industry self-regulation and rapid innovation.Elections have consequencesI doubt most of the voting public gave much thought to AI policy implications when casting their votes. Nevertheless, in a very tangible way, the accelerationists have won as a consequence of the election, potentially sidelining those advocating for a more cautious approach by the federal government to mitigate AIs long-term risks.As accelerationists chart the path forward, the stakes could not be higher. Whether this era ushers in unparalleled progress or unintended catastrophe remains to be seen. As AI development accelerates, the need for informed public discourse and vigilant oversight becomes ever more paramount. How we navigate this era will define not only technological progress but also our collective future.As a counterbalance to a lack of action at the federal level, it is possible that one or more states will adopt various regulations, which has already happened to some extent in California and Colorado. For instance, Californias AI safety bills focus on transparency requirements, while Colorado addresses AI discrimination in hiring practices, offering models for state-level governance. Now, all eyes will be on the voluntary testing and self-imposed guardrails at Anthropic, Google, OpenAI and other AI model developers.In summary, the accelerationist victory means less restrictions on AI innovation. This increased speed may indeed lead to faster innovation, but also raises the risk of unintended consequences. Im now revising my p(doom) to 10%. What is yours?Gary Grossman is EVP of technology practice at Edelman and global lead of the Edelman AI Center of Excellence.DataDecisionMakersWelcome to the VentureBeat community!DataDecisionMakers is where experts, including the technical people doing data work, can share data-related insights and innovation.If you want to read about cutting-edge ideas and up-to-date information, best practices, and the future of data and data tech, join us at DataDecisionMakers.You might even considercontributing an articleof your own!Read More From DataDecisionMakers

On December 20, OpenAI announced OpenAI o3, the latest model in its o-Model Reasoning Series. Building on its predecessors, o3 showcases advancements in mathematical and scientific reasoning, prompting discussions about its capabilities and constraints. This article takes a closer look at the insights and implications surrounding OpenAI o3, weaving in information from official announcements, expert analyses, and community reactions.Progress in Reasoning CapabilitiesOpenAI describes o3 as a model designed to refine reasoning in areas requiring structured thought, such as mathematics and science. The model was tested using a specialized reasoning benchmark ARC AGI, where it reportedly surpassed the previous model score of 32% and went up to 87%. This advancement demonstrates o3s improved capacity to address complex logical and mathematical problems.source: https://arcprize.org/blog/oai-o3-pub-breakthroughThe models enhanced abilities stem from an architecture tailored for hierarchical reasoning tasks. While this marks a step toward broader reasoning abilities, OpenAI acknowledges that o3 is far from achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).Performance Overviewsource: https://x.com/OpenAI/status/1870186518230511844Mathematics: Achieved a 96.7% success rate on advanced mathematical tests, a notable improvement over o1s 56.7%.Scientific Reasoning: Displayed a 10% increase in accuracy for solving PhD-level Science Questions.Code Understanding: Demonstrated capability in comprehending and debugging code snippets, offering potential utility in software development.Architectural InnovationsOpenAI o3 employs a hybrid reasoning framework, combining neural-symbolic learning with probabilistic logic. This architecture enables the model to:Break Down Problems: Simplify complex queries into smaller, manageable components.Leverage Context: Utilize extended memory to retain context over prolonged interactions.Iterate Solutions: Refine answers through multiple reasoning cycles.These features make o3 particularly adept at tackling multi-step reasoning challenges where traditional Transformer-based models often falter.Real-World ApplicationsOpenAI o3 could benefit several fields:Education: Assist students with complex mathematical and scientific problems.Healthcare: Support diagnostic processes and optimize treatment plans through data analysis.Software Development: Debug and generate code, providing practical support for developers.OpenAIs Broader VisionOpenAI released a video that illustrates its vision for AI reasoning. The demonstrations include o3 addressing problems in physics, mathematics, and ethical dilemmas, underscoring its aspirations to develop models capable of reasoning across a wide range of scenarios.Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our60k+ ML SubReddit. Asif RazzaqAsif Razzaq is the CEO of Marktechpost Media Inc.. As a visionary entrepreneur and engineer, Asif is committed to harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence for social good. His most recent endeavor is the launch of an Artificial Intelligence Media Platform, Marktechpost, which stands out for its in-depth coverage of machine learning and deep learning news that is both technically sound and easily understandable by a wide audience. The platform boasts of over 2 million monthly views, illustrating its popularity among audiences. [Download] Evaluation of Large Language Model Vulnerabilities Report (Promoted)