OpenAI has begun previewing a new tool called Operator that can navigate within a web browser. According to a blog post published Thursday, the software is powered by what the company calls a Computer-Using Agent. CUA is trained to interact with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) the buttons, menus, and text fields people see on a screen just as humans do, says OpenAI of the model. This gives it the flexibility to perform digital tasks without using OS- or web-specific APIs.The current release of Operator builds on OpenAIs GPT-4o model. It combines the vision capabilities of that algorithm with advanced reasoning trained through reinforcement learning. Operator has the ability to break tasks into multi-step plans and adaptively self-correct when challenges arise. According to OpenAI, that capability represents the next stage in AI development.InstacartAs with past research previews, OpenAI warns that Operator is still early and has limitations, and that it wont perform reliably in all scenarios just yet. For instance, depending on the complexity of the task and interface involved, the agent greatly benefits from the user taking a few extra moments to write a more detailed prompt. Per The Verge, Operator will give the user control if it ever gets stuck on a task. It will also hand control over whenever a website asks for sensitive information, including login credentials. The company says it designed the tool to refuse harmful requests and block disallowed content.OpenAI is making Operator first available to users of its $200 per month ChatGPT Pro subscription. It is also partnering with companies like Instacart to offer the agent on their platforms, though there again youll need a ChatGPT Pro subscription to test the integration.Operator joins a growing list of AI agents that can either navigate a web browser or an entire operating system. Anthropic was the first to offer the capability with the release of its Claude 3.5 Sonnet model in October, followed more recently by Google with its Gemini 2.0 model and Project Mariner.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-operator-can-surf-the-web-for-you-210029243.html?src=rss

Epic Games had previously announced plans to bring third-party games to its mobile app, which is available worldwide on Android devices and on iOS in the European Union. The company will also offer a rotating selection of titles for free on mobile. Bloons TD 6 and Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee will be the first two free titles. In a post on X, Epic said it was still fixing some bugs before launching the new games on its platform.But the company made waves today with a move that could encourage popular games to join its free games program. Epic plans to cover the cost of the Core Technology Fee on iOS for participants' first year. Apple charges a CTF of 50 euro cents for any install of an iOS app once it surpasses 1 million annual downloads and uses a third-party store. Apps with global revenue of less than 10 million have a three-year grace period.A blog post from Epic and shared with The Verge says that covering the fees "is not financially viable for every third party app store or for Epic long term, but well do it while the European Commission investigates Apples non-compliance with the law." The law in question is the Digital Markets Act, a digital competition law in Europe which has already targeted Apple.Fees levied by Apple and Google for use of their platforms has been a source of great debate in the tech and gaming spheres. Epic Games has been in conflict with Apple several times over the years, alleging the tech giant has engaged in anti-competitive behavior.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/epic-games-to-cover-some-ios-fees-in-ongoing-war-with-apple-204525888.html?src=rss

Lumna Stealer uses trusted platforms, base64 encoding and modular malware delivery.

Sextortion scams now use private information and cryptocurrency demands to extort victims more effectively.

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order on Thursday that could set the stage for developing a national digital asset stockpile.

Twilio wants to grow in conversational artificial intelligence while also becoming more profitable.

Congrats to all the nominees!Alien: Romulus (Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan)Better Man (Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs)Dune: Part Two (Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer)Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke)Wicked (Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould)The post Here are all the Oscar VFX nominees for 2025 appeared first on befores & afters.

New numbers released on Thursday showed college enrollment in the United States increased in the fall of 2024, for the first time surpassing pre-pandemic levels.Total postsecondary enrollment was up 4.5%, to about 19 million students, which is above pre-pandemic levels. Undergraduate enrollment neared 16 million, only 1% below 2019 levels, while graduate enrollment grew to about 3 million, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC).The research center incorrectly noted in last falls data that the number of 18-year-old freshmen saw a large decline. This was mainly due to a methodological error that mislabeled freshmen as dual-enrolled students, or high school students taking college courses. This led to a number of freshmen not being counted in the data. NSCRC said it has addressed this methodology to avoid future errors.This fall, the data showed overall freshmen had an enrollment increase of 5.5%, with the most growth coming from community colleges, and 18-year-old freshmen saw enrollment gains of 3.4%.Public four-year institutions have risen above pre-pandemic levels after a 3.2% growth in fall 2024. Private nonprofit four-year institutions increased by 4.5% and remain above the 2019 level, the data showed.The enrollment numbers for Black and Hispanic students continued to increase for the third consecutive year. After four years of decline, white students also showed a small increase in enrollment. The research center also mentioned that there was an increase in freshmen who chose not to disclose their race.That means that the remaining details about how many freshmen were seeing in each of these specific categories among students for whom we do have a race or ethnicity, we need to take those with a certain amount of caution, noted Doug Shapiro, executive director of the NSCRC.At a time when many Americans are questioning the worth of college, this data comes as a welcome surprise.In a report by the Gallup and the Lumina Foundation released in July 2024, 67% of Americans said they think college is headed in the wrong direction, compared with just 31% who felt its going in the right direction.And there have been other reports suggesting that fewer people believe that college is worth the money; the job uncertainty that may follow graduation, and the burden of student loans, supposedly causing a decrease in college enrollment.However, the NSCRCs data showing a positive trend refutes that narrative, as it shows that students are increasingly going to college, which may ease concerns over the future of postsecondary schooling. This comes at a time when the economy is expected to create more jobs requiring higher education, and the hope is that an increase in college enrollment means that more people will be prepared to take those jobs.

The worlds biggest iceberg a wall of ice the size of Rhode Island is lumbering toward a remote island off Antarctica thats home to millions of penguins and seals.The trillion-ton slab of ice called a megaberg could slam into South Georgia Island and get stuck or be guided around it by currents. If it gets stuck it could make it hard for penguin parents to feed their babies and some young could even starve. Overall, however, researchers arent too worried about major harm from the iceberg, named A23a.Whats happening is more spectacular than dangerous, scientists said.Its also a natural process happening more frequently because of human-causedclimate change, said British Antarctic Survey physical oceanographer Andrew Meijers, who examined the iceberg up close in December 2023 when it drifted past the research shipRRS Sir David Attenborough.The iceberg itself is colossal and it stretches from horizon to horizon, Meijers said Thursday of the 130-foot (40-meter) tall mass. Its a huge wall, a Game of Thrones style wall of ice that towers above the ship. With some waves breaking against it and if you get a bit of sunshine coming through, its really dramatic.For every bit of the iceberg above the waters surface, theres ten times more below, Meijers said.Its not exactly high-speed action. The iceberg is making its way at a glacial pace of one meter every three to seven seconds, much slower than one mile per hour, Meijers said.In the next two to four weeks the iceberg will approach South Georgia where the water gets shallow, so it could wedge itself in, Meijers said. Or it could slide past.Large icebergs bump into the shoals around South Georgia more or less every year its a kind of highway for the major icebergs, University of Colorado ice scientist Ted Scambos wrote in an email. This ocean current path has been known since Shackletons time, he said, referring to Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton who led British expeditions to the southern continent. Shackleton made the trip to the island in just three weeks. Usually the icebergs take a bit longer (he had sails), he said.Eventually, this big iceberg will break up into smaller ones and melt as icebergs do, Meijers said.At full size, it doesnt represent much of a hazard for fishermen in the area, because they can see it. The bigger concern is penguins which are in their summer breeding cycle, Meijers said.South Georgia is an amazingly ecologically rich island. Its a breeding ground for a huge number of penguins, millions of penguins and seals, Meijers said. Theres lots of pups and chicks and theyre all still dependent on their parents.The parents go out quite a way into the water and forage. Icebergs can block pathways to their food, making the adults swim farther, burning more energy, bringing back less to the babies. That unfortunately can dramatically increase mortality rates. And it has happened in the past, Meijers said.Thats bad for that colony, but it doesnt amount to a problem for overall penguin populations, Scambos said.The whole ecosystem in the Southern Ocean is very resilient to these events, he wrote. It has evolved with these icebergs being a factor for hundreds of thousands of years.This iceberg first broke off in 1986 but has been penned in a crowded patch of sea ice for decades until a few years ago, Meijers said.Calving icebergs are normal, but they are happening more frequently as the climate warms and more fresh water flows into the ocean, Meijers said.Seth Borenstein, AP science writer

Benedict Radcliffe has a knack for creating automotive sculptures that can vary in scale from as small as a fifteenth of a size to a real-life version. The London-based artist has been crafting detailed wireframe models of iconic cars for years now, and his craftsmanship has elevated with every build. These car sculptures are focused on the outlines and the core structure of iconic cars, capturing their essence without being bound by the usual conventions of realism. His work often feels like its in motion, like the sculptures could jump off their frames at any moment. No wonder my love for Porsche has grown even more after seeing this life-sized creation of Benedict. Last spotted on the streets of Milan, the drive-by-wire sculpture is all set to be a passionate collectors prized possession for the garage.The 1:1 scaled version of the widebody Porsche 934 is made out of a 32mm mild steel tube and rides on center-lock BBS wheels with Avon tires. Although the barebones car cant zip off the starting line, it still leaves an impression on anyone who looks at the thing with its beautiful rear wing. Just like you would transport any sports car in a safe semi-truck, this one too has to be hauled with utmost care. I wish Benedict comes up with the idea of fitting one of these creations with a functional engine and gearbox someday. Of course, for that, hell need assistance from some of the acclaimed automotive tuner shop or a creative automotive DIYer!Designer: Benedict RadcliffeThis wire mesh sculpture is special since the Porsche 934 was a rare racing version of the iconic Porsche 911. The powerful racer based on the Porsche 911 Turbo was prepared specially to comply with the FIA Group 4 rules. Later the lineup was extended with the Porsche 935 which adhered to the Group 5 rules. No doubt, the papaya orange skeletal of this 935 replica is hard to miss in bright sunlight with those split-rim spoked wheels and aerodynamic shape.Just like his other wireframe sculptures, this one is crafted by bending, shaping, and cutting steel tubes. Each piece of the Porsche 935 sculpture is welded together by hand, making us appreciate the amount of effort put into the build. The iconic rear wing and the aerodynamic proportions of the car are well-emulated in this detailed version. Interestingly the sculpture car is up for auction with the current bid standing at 7,500 at the time of writing. A passionate collector will want this one as a centerpiece of the expansive car collection.The post Life-sized Porsche 934 sculpture by Benedict Radcliffe is worthy of a passionate collectors garage first appeared on Yanko Design.