While attempting a hostile takeover of non-profit OpenAI in the name of humanity, Elon Musk has so far not committed to open-sourcing xAI's own models.

xAI's new model rises to the top of Chatbot Arena leaderboards and benchmark results.

The dedicated handheld that ships with 'Tetris Forever' Collector's EditionJason Evangelho / Digital EclipseUpon release, Tetris Forever immediately felt like a love letter to the perfect game. Part interactive documentary, part tribute, part playable history lesson, its a unique time capsule for one of the most enduring video games ever made. But it was obviously missing the one element that would help cement that feeling of nostalgia: a physical release we can put on our shelves. Next month, Digital Eclipse is remedying that with a standard and collectors version of Tetris Forever, and we definitely need to talk about the latter.Standard physical releases of Tetris Forever will launch on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 for $34.99 (it seems to be skipping Xbox). But its also being treated to a Collectors Edition thats absolutely loaded with physical goodies.It starts with the box, which is itself a customizable Tetrimino that employs magnets to let you design your favorite shape. Inside the box is the game, a set of five patches, a CD soundtrack for Tetris Time Warp, a set of seven Tetrimino magnets, an 18x24 poster of the games key art, and a limited-edition handheld Tetris console.Everything included in the Tetris Forever Collector's Edition package. Digital EclipseThe handheld includes a stand and has playable versions of the Famicom (NES) version of Tetris, as well as Tetris 2 + Bombliss. No word yet on whether the dedicated handheld will use traditional AA/AAA batteries or a rechargeable one.Its pretty loaded, and the retail price of $139.99 will reflect that. Still, I havent felt this compelled to buy a collectors edition in quite some time.While Im personally the most excited about the Tetris Forever package, its worth mentioning that Digital Eclipse is also giving The Making of Karateka and Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story the same physical release treatment, with both standard and collectors editions that look enticing in their own right.All three games are part of the Digital Eclipse Gold Master Series which has drawn comparisons to The Criterion Collection. I love the uncommon approach these releases take, because they feel like equal parts game preservation and interactive documentary. More info about these titles is available on Digital Eclipses site.Im looking forward to seeing whats next in this series after Tetris Forever. Pre-orders for the trio of new physical releases start on February 25 at Atari.com (Digital Eclipse is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Atari) and Limited Run Games, and theyre currently planned to launch on March 31, 2025.

CEOs and senior business executives expect 21% or more of their revenue to come from machine ... [+] customers, by 2030 according to Gartner.gettyBy 2028, an estimated nine billion internet-connected B2B productsalso known as Internet of Things deviceswill have the potential to become machine customers, according to Gartner estimates. Machine customers represent a specialized subset of AI agentsdesigned specifically to autonomously purchase goods, negotiate transactions and influence commercial decisions.While AI agents broadly encompass digital assistants, chatbots and automation tools, machine customers are unique in their ability to act as independent economic actors, making purchasing decisions without human intervention. As AI-driven commerce accelerates, businesses must recognize that not all AI agents buybut all machine customers are AI-powered buyers.Author and Gartner analyst Don Scheibenreif coined the term in his book When Machines Become Customers, based on years of research, which appears to be reaching a technological tipping point.Ten years ago, the focus was IoT. Then in 2018, my co-author Mark Reskino and I realized we had enough research notes for a book. He agreed, and we started writing it. In the course of that, we switched from 'thing customers to 'machine customers because thats what they were. A machine customer is basically a non-human economic actor that obtains goods or services in exchange for payment, he explained.Scheibenreif shared during a Zoom interview that machine customers will be playing an increasingly important role in automated buying decisions in the near future.Gartner highlights "Phase One" examples such as HP Instant Ink, Amazon Dash Replenishment and ... [+] Teslas automobiles, which can automatically perform limited functions as a co-customer on the owners behalf.Used With Permission: Don Scheibenreif, GartnerAutomated AI Buyers Will Quickly Come Of AgeConsider the following Gartner data that suggests machine customers are not only coming but are already here:By 2030, CEOs and senior business executives expect machine customers to generate at least 21% of their revenue.Gartner modeling predicts that by 2030, machine customers will directly influence or participate in $30 trillion worth of purchases.Digital revenue fees from machine-customer-based brokerage services will exceed $100 million by 2026 as IoT products start to sell shared services on behalf of their owners.A significant percentage of surveyed CEOs believe they must start retooling their businesses to accommodate machine customers and AI agents, which will be conducting a large share of purchases on behalf of actual customers by next year.There is a general recognition that this is coming. Our recent research found that over 50% of CEOs plan to have a strategy in place within the next two years to deal with machines as being part of the buying or selling process, which was stunning to us. We didnt realize it was that high, said Scheibenreif.Most Businesses Are Not Ready For AI BuyersDespite the early consensus of CEOs regarding the trillion-dollar machine-customer opportunity, most businesses are simply not equipped to sell to botsespecially marketing departments.Scheibenreif explains that most marketing activities rely on emotional sellingan ineffective tactic for machine customers, as they lack emotions."The traditional tricks that marketers use wont work on machines, so you have to rethink your entire approach. A brand for a machine will be different than a brand for a human. The machines going to care about: Is the product available when I need it? Whats the pricing? What is your environmental record? What is your DEI record? So the machines decision-making will be based on different factors, and marketers will have to adjust to that reality," he said.How Businesses Can Adapt To Automated AI BuyersSirte Pihlaja, one of Europes first certified customer experience professionals, has over 25 years of international expertise in customer and employee experience. She recently shifted her focus to machine customers. Shes also a best-selling CX author and was named a top-25 AI Leader to Follow in CX this year. She agrees that marketers need to adapt to maximize the potential of automated bot buyers.Marketing teams play a critical role in this transition, as content must be rewritten with machine customers in mind, ensuring that AI-driven agents can find, interpret and act upon information efficiently. Machine customers dont browse like humansthey scan, analyse and execute decisions instantly. At the bare minimum, businesses should optimize their web pages for AI-based browser agents for an interim period while people learn to trust their agents, Pihlaja wrote via message exchange.She added that the biggest challenges to machine customer adoption are not unique to automated AI buyers."Companies struggle to leverage AI for customer and employee experience, primarily due to skills gaps and slow AI literacy upskilling efforts. Decision-makers also hesitate between technologies, failing to realize that ensuring rapid adaptation capability is now more essential than choosing the right technology at this point," Pihlaja added.While the machine customer segment is projected to generate trillions of dollars worth of transactions in the next few years, Pihlaja says the biggest insight might be that automated AI buyers are here to stay.The real takeaway is that this is not a passing trendbusinesses must start preparing now. The key to success lies in convenience. Customers should be able to buy seamlessly through their digital assistants. This requires redesigning customer journeys to accommodate both human and AI decision-makers, ensuring that products, services and transactions are optimised for machine customers, she concluded.

WTF?! A hacking collective has released what some call the "largest breakthrough in Windows/Office piracy ever." The new method permanently activates most Microsoft products, bypassing Redmond's DRM system entirely. Yet, the company doesn't seem to care. Massgrave, an elusive team behind some of the most effective Windows and Office activation tools, has added a new weapon to its arsenal. The "TSforge Activation" method can permanently activate many Windows and Office versions. It can also provide users with a convenient way to access Windows 10 patches beyond October 2025.The hackers introduced their Microsoft Activation Scripts (MAS) project in 2024, claiming it would completely dismantle Microsoft's DRM protections. The newly released MAS 3.0 update adds the TSforge Activation method to the toolkit. It also includes patches and improvements for existing activation scripts.Massgrave claims that TSforge is one of the most powerful and far-reaching activation exploits ever added to MAS. In a recent blog post, the hackers detailed how they discovered and developed the exploit, offering an in-depth explanation of Microsoft's Windows activation protection system.Redmond refers to its modern DRM technology as the "Software Protection Platform" (SPP). This "highly complex" system consists of several components, with product activation information stored in two key files: the "physical store" (data.dat) and the "token store" (tokens.dat). TSforge exploits this system by injecting forged data into these stores, bypassing all checks and forcing SPP to recognize a fake product key or confirmation ID as valid.The TSforge activation method supports Windows 7 and later versions of the OS, including Windows Server (2008 R2 through 2025). It also works with Office 2013 to 2024, running on Windows 8 or newer. Users can activate various add-ons for commercial Windows licenses, including the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, available for some Windows 7 to 10 editions. Alternatively, they can extend Windows 10 updates through methods previously discovered for Windows 7. // Related StoriesThe Microsoft Activation Scripts (MAS) toolkit offers several methods for activating newer Windows and Office releases. Massgrave developers commend Microsoft, stating that the new SPP is a well-designed, advanced DRM system that significantly improves upon the "poorly designed" DRM of Windows XP. The group claims that the MAS toolkit is a popular open-source project hosted on GitHub, which Microsoft owns, so no piracy is technically involved. They describe it as an alternative activation method one that Microsoft support employees allegedly use when all other methods fail.

It wasnt long ago that anyone looking to experience home theater surround sound would have to invest in an AV receiver, speakers, and a bunch of wires to get a system up and running. Thankfully, 2025 brings a present-day packed with soundbar options, and many of these devices can virtualize an entire Dolby Atmos configuration! As a matter of fact, one of these bars is on sale today:For a limited time, when you purchase the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus at Amazon, Best Buy, Crutchfield, and a handful of other retailers, youll only pay $1,000. The full MSRP on this model is $1,500. We tested this soundbar back in October 2023 and reviewer Simon Cohen had this to say about it: With virtualized Dolby Atmos this good, who needs more speakers?Sennheisers industry-lauded audio engineering is on full display with the Ambeo Soundbar Plus, a premium soundbar with four main drivers, a dedicated center channel, two up-firing speakers, and a built-in subwoofer. When wired to your TV via HDMI eARC, any AV component (including the TVs built-in apps) will send audio to the Ambeo Soundbar Plus, and the bar supports up to Dolby Atmos and DTS:X through this HDMI 2.0a connection. You can also connect devices to the Ambeos two HDMI inputs, and can link up to four wireless Ambeo subs or one wired sub via LFE.RelatedWhen it comes to sound quality, the Ambeo Soundbar Plus is going to blow you away. Expect warm and kinetic bass and solid articulation for treble and midrange frequencies. The surround sound virtualization doesnt quite hit complete Dolby Atmos levels, but its a convincing emulation nonetheless. Youll also be able to customize audio settings and perform a room calibration using the Sennheiser app. The soundbar also supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, so youll be able to stream music from services like Spotify. The Ambeo even features built-in Alexa and Google Assistant capabilities!Were not sure how long this discount is going to stick around, but soundbar deals like this one tend to come and go rather quickly. That being said, now might be the best (and last) day to save. Take $500 off the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus when you purchase today. We also suggest taking a look at our lists of the best Amazon deals and top Best Buy deals for even more markdowns on top soundbars!Editors Recommendations

Amazon has shut down its TikTok-esque social shopping feed, Inspire, and will be replacing it with Rufus. By Rufus, we mean the AI shopping chatbot, not the naked mole rat from Kim Possible.According to a report from The Information, Amazon users received a message from the online retail company saying that the Inspire feed was no longer available. The lightbulb icon that was used to access Inspire from the bottom of the Amazon apps home screen also disappeared. Kevin King, the founder of the Billion Dollar Sellers newsletter, posted a screenshot of the message on LinkedIn, which reads, Thank you for using Amazon Inspire to discover and shop new products on Amazon. Please note that Inspire is no longer available in the Amazon shopping app.Recommended VideosThe Inspire feed, which Amazon launched in 2023, provided an endless scroll of shoppable videos and images of products sold on the site posted by content creators and customers to demonstrate the use of said products and give testimonials on them. It was especially useful for content creators and influencers, as they would earn commissions from people buying the products immediately after viewing their content as part of the Amazon Influencer Program.Please enable Javascript to view this contentWe regularly evaluate various features to better align with what customers tell us matters most, and as part of that, Inspire is no longer available, an Amazon spokesperson said.While they didnt further explain the reason why Inspire was shut down, it can be implied that it didnt work as well as TikToks Discover page in converting sales and compelling influencers to post content on there more frequently, as they can earn income elsewhere. However, they did redirect customers to other means of receiving product recommendations, including Rufus.Rufus is an AI shopping assistant that answers questions to customers in an effort to help them find the products that best suit their needs quicker. For example, you can ask Best gifts for gamers, and itll recommend gaming headsets, mice, chairs, and consoles. Rufus will then ask, Can you share a bit about their favorite games or genres? For example, They enjoy RPGs like Skyrim.' You respond, They play JRPGs like Kingdom Hearts and Fire Emblem, and itll recommend merchandise based on the games mentioned or similar, such as a Funko Pop figure of a character from Ni no Kuni.Amazon shutting down Inspire coincides with the legal drama surrounding TikTok, which recently returned to the App Store and Google Play in the U.S. following a letter Attorney General Pam Bondi sent to Apple and Google assuring them they wont face any penalties related to the TikTok ban. The app was removed from both storefronts on January 18 as a result of a law that banned TikTok unless ByteDance sold it to an American company. Two days later, President Trump signed an executive order granting a 75-day stay on the ban while his administration figured out the best way forward.How long the TikTok app will stay on the app stores is unknown. With Inspire gone from Amazon, it may be a little difficult for influencers to earn money from the content they post on the site. Although, its worth pointing out that Amazon Live, the live-streaming and live-shopping feature, is still active, so maybe not that hard.Editors Recommendations

this exoplanet is so hot right now 3D map of exoplanet atmosphere shows wacky climate "This planets atmosphere behaves in ways that challenge our understanding of how weather works." Jennifer Ouellette Feb 18, 2025 2:04 pm | 4 The 3D structure of the atmosphere of the exoplanet Tylos Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser The 3D structure of the atmosphere of the exoplanet Tylos Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreAstronomers have detected over 5,800 confirmed exoplanets. One extreme class is ultra-hot Jupiters, of particular interest because they can provide a unique window into planetary atmospheric dynamics. According to a new paper published in the journal Nature, astronomers have mapped the 3D structure of the layered atmosphere of one such ultra-hot Jupiter-size exoplanet, revealing powerful winds that create intricate weather patterns across that atmosphere. A companion paper published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics reported on the unexpected identification of titanium in the exoplanet's atmosphere as well.As previously reported, thanks to the massive trove of exoplanets discovered by the Kepler mission, we now have a good idea of what kinds of planets are out there, where they orbit, and how common the different types are. What we lack is a good sense of what that implies in terms of the conditions on the planets themselves. Kepler can tell us how big a planet is, but it doesn't know what the planet is made of. And planets in the "habitable zone" around stars could be consistent with anything from a blazing hell to a frozen rock.Like the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), Kepler identifies planets using the transit method. This works for systems in which the planets orbit in a plane that takes them between their host star and Earth. As this occurs, the planet blocks a small fraction of the starlight that we see from Earth (or nearby orbits). If these dips in light occur with regularity, they're diagnostic of something orbiting the star.The frequency of the dips in the star's light tells us how long an orbit takes, which tells us how far the planet is from its host star. That, combined with the host star's brightness, tells us how much incoming light the planet receives, which will influence its temperature. (The range of distances at which temperatures are consistent with liquid water is called the habitable zone.) And we can use that, along with how much light is being blocked, to figure out how big the planet is.Last year, astronomers discovered an unusual Earth-size exoplanet they believe has a hemisphere of molten lava, with its other hemisphere tidally locked in perpetual darkness. And at about the same time, a different group discovered a rare small, cold exoplanet with a massive outer companion 100 times the mass of Jupiter.Meet Tylos The different layers of the atmosphere on WASP-121b. This latest research relied on observational data collected by the European South Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope, specifically, a spectroscopic instrument called ESPRESSO that can process light collected from the four largest VLT telescope units into one signal. The target exoplanet, WASP-121baka Tylosis located in the Puppis constellation about 900 light-years from Earth. One year on Tylos is equivalent to just 30 hours on Earth, thanks to the exoplanet's close proximity to its host star. Since one side is always facing the star, it is always scorching, while the exoplanet's other side is significantly colder.Those extreme temperature contrasts make it challenging to figure out how energy is distributed in the atmospheric system, and mapping out the 3D structure can help, particularly with determining the vertical circulation patterns that are not easily replicated in our current crop of global circulation models, per the authors. For their analysis, they combined archival ESPRESSO data collected on November 30, 2018, with new data collected on September 23, 2023. They focused on three distinct chemical signatures to probe the deep atmosphere (iron), mid-atmosphere (sodium), and shallow atmosphere (hydrogen).What we found was surprising: A jet stream rotates material around the planets equator, while a separate flow at lower levels of the atmosphere moves gas from the hot side to the cooler side. This kind of climate has never been seen before on any planet, said Julia Victoria Seidel of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile, as well as the Observatoire de la Cte d'Azur in France. "This planets atmosphere behaves in ways that challenge our understanding of how weather worksnot just on Earth, but on all planets. It feels like something out of science fiction."Nature, 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08664-1Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2025. DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202452405 (About DOIs).Jennifer OuelletteSenior WriterJennifer OuelletteSenior Writer Jennifer is a senior writer at Ars Technica with a particular focus on where science meets culture, covering everything from physics and related interdisciplinary topics to her favorite films and TV series. Jennifer lives in Baltimore with her spouse, physicist Sean M. Carroll, and their two cats, Ariel and Caliban. 4 Comments

AI models struggle to mimic people with particular demographic identitieswhitebalance.oatt/Getty ImagesArtificial intelligence models from OpenAI and Meta often resort to simplistic and sometimes racist stereotypes when prompted to portray people of certain demographic identities a notable flaw at a time when some tech companies and academic researchers want to replace humans with AI chatbots for some tasks.Companies such as Meta have already tried boosting engagement on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram by deploying AI chatbots that mimic human profiles and respond to peoples posts. Some researchers have also explored using AI chatbots to simulate

Speakers: Mat Honan, editor in chief, and Niall Firth, executive editor. Generative AI search, one ofMIT Technology Review's10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2025, is ushering a new era of the internet. Despite fewer clicks, copyright fights, and sometimes iffy answers, AI could unlock new ways to summon all the worlds knowledge. Hear from MIT Technology Review editor in chief Mat Honan and executive editor Niall Firth as they explore how AI will alter search. Related Coverage