Wasim Alnahlawi - stock.adobe.coNewsSaudi Arabia calls for humanitarian AI after tightening screws on rights protestersOppressive state wants global digital identity system at the heart of all AI, to make it trustworthy and prevent it being used for unauthorised surveillanceByMark BallardPublished: 07 Jan 2025 13:15 Saudi Arabia (KSA) has called for a global agreement to govern artificial intelligence (AI) with humanitarian and democratic values, earning the incredulity of rights activists campaigning to free people imprisoned for decades for criticising the Gulf state on social media.Using the diplomatic honour the United Nations (UN) bestowed on it by allowing it to host the annual UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Riyadh, its capital, in December 2024, the oppressive state opened the vast meeting by calling for a global agreement to make AI accountable, transparent and fair, and ensure it was used to increase the well-being of all people.States should make AI trustworthy as well, it said, by creating a global digital identity system, putting it at the core of AI, and taking steps to make sure everyone in the world used it.Groups campaigning for digital, political and civil liberties said it was hypocrisy for KSA to host IGF 2024, a primary theme of which was human rights, while it continued to prosecute people, imprison them for decades, and forcibly disappear and intimidate them into silence for expressing themselves on social media.While making IGF host preparations in September last year, Saudi Arabia commuted to 30 years imprisonment a death sentence it placed on Saudi citizen Nasser al-Ghamdi under a terrorism law for writing X posts criticising the regime, according to Amnesty International.Saudi Arabia is among the 20 most oppressive countries in the world, alongside Myanmar, Belarus and Somalia and worse even than Iran, Russia and China according to data compiled by campaign group Freedom House. Its repressions of internet users make it the eighth-worst country for internet freedom among 72 nations whose digital rights the organisation studied.Freedom House accused it and other autocratic regimes of wrangling the chair of international fora to normalise their extreme surveillance, censorship and prosecution of dissent. They used such positions to design international treaties that would bring global internet governance closer to their own authoritarian worldviews. KSA was using IGF to do this, and to sanitise its track record, by hosting IGF, the campaigner group said in a statement on the forums eve.Riyadh AI DeclarationKSA opened IGF with a diplomatic showpiece it dubbed the Riyadh AI Declaration, in which it said it wanted to build a world in which technology is equitable and accessible to all, in which people were empowered, nobody was excluded, and discrimination, bullying and abuse were banished online.It called for a global agreement to stop AI being used to spread misinformation and disinformation, especially on social media,where it was already rife. A global digital ID system would meanwhile make sure AI worked in the public interest. It wanted a global consensus on ethics that protected people from unauthorised surveillance powered by AI, and guarded their privacy.KSAs calls for equitable access to AI included a demand that the highly contested, valuable and scarce resources that power AI its data, compute resources and algorithms were distributed equally among all nations, echoing statements calling for a global redistribution of wealth between rich and poor nations by the autocrat-led Brics group of nations, with which it has been flirting.The humanitarian aspect of the Gulf states stance conflicted with accounts of campaigners, who said many were afraid to attend the conference for fear of being detained and prosecuted.Saudi Arabia uses technology to maintain power, not to benefit humanity, said Duaa Dhainy, a researcher at the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, who was aghast at the Saudi Declaration.We fear [KSA] will use AI to pursue human rights defenders, she said. They have been using many [software] programs to spy on activists. We are afraid of using technology. So, how can they call for this agreement?It is a country where there is no transparency at all, where you can be punished just for asking for information to be published, said Dhainy. In Saudi Arabia, transparency is from the governments perspective. When we ask for numbers of people on death row, we get no response. Human rights defenders can be arrested when they ask for information, so how can [KSA] ask for transparency?Calls for political freedomMany rights campaigners did attend the conference and held meetings addressing repression in the Middle East and Africa, using their platform to cite state abuse and call for political freedom. Some said it was the first time they had been in KSA for a decade. But protests emerged during the event of sessions being hacked as they were streamed to audiences online, and of Saudi authorities censoring campaigners.Dana Ahmed, a researcher at Amnesty, said flyers publicising the plight of Manahel al-Otaibi, who KSA jailed in January for 11 years under terrorist charges for tweeting on womens rights and posting photos of herself not wearing traditional Arabic dress, were confiscated from its IGF exhibition booth. Likewise, leaflets publicising the similar treatment of Neth Nahara, a mother who Angola jailed for criticising its president on TikTok.Campaigners used the event to publicise others they said were victims of Saudi digital oppression, including Osama Khalid, jailed for 32 years in 2020 for violating public morals by writing on Wikipedia; Salma al-Shehab, jailed for 34 years in 2021 for social media posts on womens rights; and Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, who they said KSA disappeared in 2018 after detaining and sentencing him to 20 years for posting satirical tweets.A panel session at IGF Riyadh, titled Defending voice and expression in Africa and the Middle East, had to be abandoned after its video stream was hacked. They took over the Zoom session and started streaming adult content, said Adeboye Adegokem, in a message relayed to Computer Weekly by African rights group Paradigm Initiative, who he represented on the panel.It happened two times. We had to end the session abruptly as it seems [the] tech team couldnt keep them out. [It was] concerning because it happened after someone mentioned the journalists case, he wrote, apparently in reference to Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who Saudi agents murdered brutally in 2018.Read more about Saudi Arabia ITPro-democracy campaigner Yahya Assiri given permission to file legal action in London court against Saudi Arabia over its use of Israeli spyware.What is known about plans for Saudi Arabian smart city Neom could be just the tip of the iceberg.Lina al-Hathloul, head of advocacy at Saudi rights group ALQST, said the conference platform gave her the opportunity to speak in KSA for the first time since 2018, when her sister Loujain was arrested, tortured, imprisoned for three years, and put under a travel ban that has been extended to her whole family, because she campaigned for women to have a right to travel. But she spoke via video link for fear she would be arrested if she went in person, she said.So many things happened to others that I cannot speak about yet because they are still inside and its not good for their safety, said Al-Hathloul.She said she believed UN officials, bowing to pressure from KSA authorities, first deleted the YouTube video of an IGF session where she and others discussed the states atrocious record, then removed its transcript from the IGF website, later reposting the recording. The video appears to have since disappeared completely.The UN Secretariat told Computer Weekly it removed the video because it believed it violated a rule in the IFG code of conduct that forbade personal or ad hominem attacks. The IGF manages its records according to technical needs and internal mechanisms, not on the advice of a particular host government, a spokeswoman for the UN Secretariat told Computer Weekly by email.She confirmed Adegokemns account of the IGF session that was hacked with pornography, but said the interruption caused by this Zoom bombing was momentary and promptly neutralised. Preventing this was impossible because IGF meetings were left open to online participation. One other session suffered a minor interruption.Saudi Arabia had not tried to get other countries at the UN to back its AI Declaration, she said. The UN Secretary General had no intention of backing it either.The UN had been justified in hosting IGF 2024 in Saudi Arabia, it said, because it demonstrated its belief that to wrest a global consensus on digital governance based on human rights, as it aimed to do, required constructive dialogue with all countries as equal stakeholders, said a UN spokesman, also by email.Saudi authorities were not prepared to comment.In The Current Issue:What do the home secretarys policing reforms mean for the future of the Police Digital Service?What are the security risks of bring your own AI?Download Current IssueData engineering - Jesse Anderson: Recalculating the 'confused' team CW Developer NetworkWhy DevOps and data are C-suite issues that need addressing Ahead in the CloudsView All Blogs

The new LG Xboom by Will.i.am speaker lineup consists of three Bluetooth speakers, each pumped up with all the bass and AI-backed features.

ZDNETThe buzzword of the past two years has been AI, and as a result, many of the products at CES featured the technology, or at least claimed to, making it more challenging than ever to choose the best in the category. When executed correctly, integrating AI into consumer tech can significantly improve how helpful users' workflows and lives are by unlocking a new range of possibilities, and that's what ZDNET was on the lookout for at CES.Also: CES 2025: The most impressive products we've seen so farInformed by hands-on time on the show floor, as well as demos of the most cutting-edge AI features in existing hardware, ZDNET rounded up the AI features and products that either are the most likely to transform your life today or have the promise to bring meaningful change in the near future. Keep reading below to find the picks, which will be updated every day with the latest selections. 1. Roborock Saros Z70 Maria Diaz/ZDNET A good rule of thumb at CES is that if there is a lot of buzz among the tech aficionados in attendance about a product, it is probably for good reason. The Roborock Saros 270 falls under that category, with its mechanical arm that removes obstacles in its path causing most people to stop in their tracks.The claw-like arm can remove obstacles under 300 grams, or about 8 oz, using OmniGrip technology. Some products it can move include socks, napkins, tissues, and even sandals. Once it picks up the item, it can then clean underneath it like it regularly would if its path were unobstructed. Beyond the mechanical arm, it is a very capable robot vacuum with 22,000Pa of suction. Show more 2. Natura Humana HumanPods Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET In the intro to this article, I mentioned some products made the roundup because of the promise they offered, and the Natura Humana HumanPods fall under that category. The idea is simple: you would wear one or two earbuds, up to your preference, all day, double-tapping to access an arsenal of "AI People" LLM-based AI agents with unique personalities and voices. Users can also access the leading LLMs if they choose to, such as ChatGPT, Claude, and more.Before the demo, I was skeptical because I couldn't spot the difference between this product and just using earbuds withChatGPT's Advanced Voice. However, the experience is truly much more seamless than that of existing options, as all you have to do is tap on your ear to talk to your AI person. Even in the loud expo room, my conversation with "Nature," one of the AI people, was seamless. The open form factor of the earbuds is also very comfortable, leveraging a unique Gravity Hook to stay in place comfortably. It is not available for consumers yet, but there is awaitliston its site. Show more 3. Gemini integration into Google TV Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET I can sense the hesitation from readers before even publishing it, but after seeing the demo in action, I am positive it is an upgrade all Google TV users will be thankful for. With the Gemini integration, you'll now be able to speak to it more seamlessly, using natural language and conversing with Google TV. This also means your queries can be more complex, ranging far beyond anything Google Assistant could do before.For example, in my demo, the user asked more involved questions such as, "Tell me about the solar system for a third grader," and "Help me plan a vacation spot with great beaches." In both instances, Gemini was able to provide an answer and present it in a visual way that made sense for a TV, including links to YouTube videos. Show more 4. Halliday AI Glasses with Invisible Display Halliday The Halliday glasses look like any other ordinary glasses frames, light, and compact. However, when worn, in an upper right hand corner you can see a display that shows you information like the date, time, translations, messages, and text. The coolest part is its "invisible display" which simply means that what you see isn't coming form the actual displays or lenses, rather an advanced optical module.Also: The Even Realities G1 are unlike any other smart glasses you've seenFor example, the unit I used to demo the feature had no lenses on it, just the glasses frames, and I could still see what was being shown to me in the demo with ease. At the event in which they were shown, I was also wearing my Meta Raybans, and in comparison, these were noticeably lighter, more akin to my everyday glasses. It is available to be reserved online for $369 as part of a Kickstarter launch. Show more 5. Omnia Smart Mirror Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET Even though this mirror may just seem like an aesthetic decorative mirror, it holds much more. The conceptual mirror, developed by Withings, is a smart scale with 360-degree health screenings, including a person's heart health, nutrition, body composition, lung function, activity, and sleep. It uses AI to develop meaningful insights based on your inputted data, as well as the data collected.Although this is a concept and not likely to unveil anytime soon, it is an exciting look at what AI will be able to do for the health and wellness space. Some features, such as the AI-powered assistant, will be coming later this year within the Withings+ services. Show more FAQ What is CES? The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is an industry trade show that features the biggest tech players from across the globe, showcasing their latest consumer technology with daily product launches, keynotes, activations, and demos. Show more When is CES 2025? The official days of CES 2025 are Tuesday, Jan. 7, to Friday, Jan. 10. However, since Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 are media days, a lot of the news breaks before the conference even starts. Show more CES 2025

Withings just announced Cardio Check-up, an in-app service connecting users to board-certified cardiologists within 24 hours to eliminate the guesswork about heart health.

Margaret QualleyThe SubstanceThe Golden Globes actually did a decent job of doling out awards to some real deserving winners, but a lot of the series and movies that were honored you may never have seen. Its hard to blame you, given how much there is to keep on top of in the media landscape, but I thought I would try to help you out with a grand list of where to watch essentially every movie or show that landed an award, albeit a few simply are not available. So, lets go:Emelia PerezNetflixMOVIESEmilia Prez Netflix (Musical or Comedy Best Picture, Best Non-English Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Song)The Brutalist Not streaming yet, only in select theaters (Drama Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director)Flow Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV (for purchase or rental) (Best Animated Film)Wicked Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV (for purchase or rental) (Cinematic and Box Office Achievement)Im Still Here Not streaming yet, only in select theaters (Drama Best Actress)The Substance Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV (for purchase or rental) (Musical or Comedy - Best Actress)A Different Man Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV (for purchase or rental) (Musical or Comedy Best Actor)A Real Pain - Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV (for purchase or rental) (Best Supporting Actor)Conclave Peacock (Best Screenplay)Challengers - Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV (for purchase or rental) (Best Score)ShogunHuluTELEVISIONShogun Hulu (Drama Best Series, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor)Hacks HBO Max (Comedy Best Series, Best Actress)Baby Reindeer Netflix (Best Limited Series, Best Supporting Actress Limited Series)The Bear Hulu (Comedy Best Actor)True Detective Night Country HBO Max (Best Actress Limited Series)The Penguin HBO Max (Best Actor Limited Series)Got all that? Its many dozens of hours to get through all those, but essentially everything here is going to be worth your time. Ive seen every show on that list, and Im only missing a couple of those movies (namely the ones you cannot stream yet, for whatever reason). I wish you luck getting through the list, and once you do so, youll probably be also ready for the Oscars where you might see a lot of the same winners in the film category.Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.MORE FOR YOUPick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.

Implementing AI in a secure way that increases efficiency is possible when you understand the goal of what you want to achieve and the work required.

The three new party speakers from Klipsch are heavy duty units and all come with a microphone for ... [+] karaoke duty.KlipschClassic U.S. speaker brand Klipsch has announced a trio of party speakers at CES 2025. The three all-new Music City Party Speakers are the Klipsch Vegas, Klipsch Miami and Klipsch New York. Master-tuned by Roy Delgado, a protg of the legendary Paul W. Klipsch, these new Bluetooth speakers use Klipschs patented horn-loaded technology alongside the latest speaker innovations.The Klipsch Miami speaker has rechargeable batteries powering the sound and light show. KlipschIt all started with a party, says Delgado Paul W. Klipsch was a DJ when he debuted his legendary KlipschornLike the original Klipschorn technology, Klipsch says the same high efficiency and low distortion principles are baked into these three new party speakers for seriously impressive acoustics while saving on battery power and pumping out clean audio.The all-new Klipsch Music City Party Speakers are designed with parties in mind. All three models come with a microphone for karaoke, handles for easy travel, buttons for airhorn, record-scratch and applause to pump up the crowd, plus theres RGB lighting in various patterns and colors.The New York party speaker from Klipsch is the flagship model of the new trio of speakers. KlipschThe Klipsch Vegas and Miami have built-in pole mounts for easy setup, while the larger Klipsch Miami and Klipsch New York models have trolley wheels. All three models can be tweaked using the Klipsch Connect Plus app, which offers customized EQ settings, light patterns and more.Read More: Netgear Expands Its Ultimate Orbi Wi-Fi 7 Mesh System Line-UpLong battery life is key to keeping a party rolling. There are built-in rechargeable batteries in all three speakers to keep the tunes pumping out for hours. With an IPX4 rating, all three models are certified splashproof making them ideal for pool or beach parties.Six preset RGB lights on each speaker can sync to the beat with custom and app-controlled colors, alongside added details from the side-logo lights. Party Link enables users to connect multiple Music City Party speakers for an even bigger sound using Bluetooth 5.2 technology.A Ultra Bass mode comes standard on all models, bumping up lower frequencies if necessary. With 3.5mm auxiliary and " instrument input jacks, karaoke nights can turn into jam sessions. A USB-A port enables users to connect and reverse-charge a smartphone or tablet.Pricing & Availability: The Klipsch Music City Series Party Speakers are available for pre-order from January 7, 2025, from Klipsch.com and authorized retailers. Klipsch Vegas costs $299 / 349. Klipsch Miami costs $549 / 649. Klipsch New York costs $699 / 899.Tech Specs:Klipsch VegasDrivers: Horn-loaded compression tweeter, combined with a 5.25" woofer.Battery life: 8 hours (no lights), 6 hours (lights on).Max output: 95dB.Frequency response: 45Hz-20kHz +/- 6dB.Pole mount.Mic: Yes.Water rating: IPX4.Dimensions (WxHxD): 30.7 x 41.7 x 30cm.Weight: 6.26kg.Klipsch MiamiDrivers: Horn-loaded compression tweeter, dual 5.25" woofers, and custom front ports.Battery life: 18 hours (no lights), 10 hours (lights on).Max output: 105dB.Frequency response: 40Hz-20kHz +/- 6dB.Pole mount, trolley wheels and retractable handle.Mic: Yes.Water rating: IPX4.Dimensions (WxHxD): 32.3 x 66.5 x 34.3cm.Weight: 18.5kg.Klipsch New YorkDrivers: Horn-loaded compression tweeter, professional-grade dual 8" woofers, and dual custom front ports.Battery life: 12 hours (no lights), 9 hours (lights on).Max output: 110dB.Frequency response: 35Hz-20kHz +/- 6dB.Trolley wheels.Mic: Yes.Water rating: IPX4.Dimensions (WxHxD): 39.6 x 80.77 x 39.6cm.Weight: 25.63kg.

What just happened? Sony and Honda announced at CES that pre-orders are officially open for their upcoming 'Afeela' EV. However, only customers in California can make reservations right now, with no clarification on when it will be open to buyers across the rest of the country. The mid-size sedan, which is roughly the same size as a Honda Accord, will come in two trims: the base Afeela 1 Origin priced at $89,900 and the premium Afeela 1 Signature, costing $102,900. Both are available for pre-order through a refundable $200 deposit.Deliveries for the Origin will begin in mid-2026, but the Signature won't start shipping until 2027. Both trims will include a complimentary three-year subscription to multiple smart features, including a Level 2+ driver assist system and an AI-powered personal assistant. Curiously, the Origin will only be offered in a 'Core Black' color, while the Signature is listed with three color options.At the CES press event, Sony Honda Mobility CEO Yasuhide Mizuno showcased the Afeela's AI chops by using the "Come on out, Afeela" voice command to summon the vehicle using a mobile app. However, Mizuno clarified that the voice command was only a "tech demo," so it's unclear if it will be a part of the production model.The Afeela has a new-age design that boasts a panoramic screen spanning the width of the dashboard. It also has 40 sensors, including 1 LiDAR, nine radars, and 12 ultrasonic sensors, both inside and outside the vehicle. Other notable tech includes a processor with 800 TOPS of computing power and a host of cameras for the L2+ ADAS feature.The Afeela gets an AWD drivetrain, front and rear motors with 180kW outputs, up to 300 miles of EPA-estimated range, a 91kWh lithium-ion battery, and NACS Supercharger connectivity. It will also support Tesla's ever-growing Supercharger network, which includes over 6,000 stations with over 62,000 connectors.Sony showcased its Vision-S smart car concept at CES 2020 as part of its plans to jump on the EV bandwagon. In 2022, the company partnered with Honda to develop a new mobility service platform. According to the two companies, Sony will take care of the imaging, sensing, telecommunication, network, and in-car entertainment, while the manufacturing will be done by Honda.

What just happened? Tencent, the tech giant that has investments and ownership stakes in firms ranging from Riot and Epic to Activision Blizzard and Reddit, has been added to the Department of Defense's list of Chinese military companies. The move will not result in any immediate sanctions or export controls, but it has caused reputational damage and could make it more difficult for Tencent to continue making investments in American businesses. Tencent appeared on an updated version of the Section 1260H list this week. The DoD's list contains the names of companies that the agency believes are part of China's "Military-Civil Fusion strategy," a national strategy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to develop the People's Liberation Army (PLA) into a "world class military" by 2049 by collaborating with local firms and civilian researchers.Tencent is the sole owner of League of Legends maker Riot Games, holds a 40% stake in Epic Games, has stakes in Snap and Activision Blizzard, Larian Studios, and FromSoftware, and has invested in Reddit and Discord.No reason was given for why Tencent was added to the list. The company said its inclusion was "clearly a mistake" and it will appeal. Tencent's Danny Marti told The Verge that the designation "has no impact on our business.""We will nonetheless work with the Department of Defense to address any misunderstanding," Marti added.Consequences of being on the 1260H list aren't as severe as being on the Entity list, which includes Huawei, as those on it cannot do business with US companies unless Washington issues a license. However, some organizations chose to stop working with companies after they were added to the 1260H list. // Related StoriesTencent owns WeChat, the messaging platform and payment service that's incredibly popular in China. WeChat was banned from Canada's government devices in 2023 due to an "unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security."Joining Tencent on the 1260H list is CATL, the world's largest electric vehicle battery maker whose customers include Tesla. CATL also said its inclusion was "a mistake."Ford said it would invest $2 billion to build a battery plant in Michigan. The US automaker has said it plans to license technology from CATL.Tencent's US-listed shares fell 7.8% following the news.Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, told the BBC, "The US's practices violate the market competition principles and international economic and trade rules that it has always advocated, and undermine the confidence of foreign companies in investing and operating in the United States."Drone maker DJI and Lidar-maker Hesai Technologies both sued the Pentagon last year for their inclusion on the list, where they still remain.There may still be hope for Tencent and CATL. Xiaomi was added to the list in 2021 but removed just a few months later.

Something to look forward to: The second part of Square Enix's planned three-part remake of Final Fantasy VII is set to launch on PC nearly a year after the PlayStation 5 version. Performance details and PC features have been revealed along with the full system requirements sheet. Although it doesn't utilize the same graphics engine, the PC system requirements for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth closely resemble those for the notoriously demanding Final Fantasy XVI, so its performance might be similar. Fans continuing from Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, released in 2022, have noted the sequel's significant spec increase.The game's 155GB storage requirement should be unsurprising to anyone who has installed high-end games in recent years. However, those still using older graphics cards should know that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth doesn't support AMD RX 5000 or Nvidia GTX 10 series.Achieving 1080p 30fps gameplay with low graphics settings demands at least an RX 6600, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060, or Intel Arc A580. Shader Model 6.6 or newer is required, but it's unclear if that is preventing RDNA1 and Pascal cards from running the game. Alan Wake II enforced similarly stiff minimum requirements due to its use of mesh shaders. More recently, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle locked out older cards because it demands hardware-accelerated ray tracing.Although Square Enix recommends high-end GPUs like the RX 7900 XTX or RTX 4080 for 4K 60fps gameplay with high graphics settings, the spec sheet doesn't account for upscaling. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth supports Nvidia DLSS, but the company hasn't confirmed whether FSR and XeSS are also included.Square Enix also notes that anyone using a 4K display should have at least 12GB of VRAM. Many recent high-end games have encountered performance difficulties in 4K when running on GPUs with 8GB or 10GB of memory, such as the RTX 3080. // Related StoriesThe game's PC edition features improved lighting and textures compared to the PlayStation 5 version. Furthermore, DualSense functionality is supported over USB. While Square Enix can't promise Steam Deck verification yet, the company is optimizing the game to be playable on handheld gaming PCs, which might improve performance overall.Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will be available on Steam and the Epic Games Store on January 23. The full MSRP is $69.99, but a generous 30 percent early-bird discount is available until launch, reducing the pre-order price to $48.99.Although Square Enix hasn't confirmed whether the game will receive a free demo for users wishing to benchmark their PCs, the chances of seeing one are good, as Final Fantasy XVI and the PS5 version of Rebirth offered demos.