Human rights organizations say the cuts have undermined years of global democracy-building and free-speech initiatives and put the lives of their staff at risk.

MacworldWhen Tim Cook posted on Monday that theres something in the Air this week, we expected a new iPad Air (which happened), maybe an 11th-gen iPad (which also happened), and a new MacBook Air (coming Wednesday). But surprisingly, were hearing that Apple is tossing in a one-more-thing-like announcement into the week in the form of a new Mac Studio.X/Mark GurmanAccording to Bloombergs Mark Gurman, Apple is planning to update the high-end desktop for the first time in nearly two years. But he also includes a headscratcher: it wont include an M4 Ultra. Rather, Apple may introduce the M3 Ultra, which most people had thought was as good as dead.Apple has used M-series Max and Ultra chips in the Studio and Mac Pro but of the same chip generation. Gurman reports that Apple is going to use an M4 Max and an M3 Ultra, rather than M4 versions of both chips. It seems like an odd thing to do, as the M3 Ultra will be faster than an M4 Max, but the gains wont be as dramatic as they should be.Why wouldnt Apple just go with an M4 Ultra? Perhaps there are manufacturing issues. Or perhaps Apple wants to create a distinction between the Mac Studio and the Mac Pro, which is rumored to get the M4 Ultra. We should find out more tomorrow, but for now, you can read all about the rumors of the M4 Mac Studio and the M4 Ultra Mac Pro while we try to figure this one out.

Microsoft has begun pushing out a new version of its generative AI (genAI) Copilot application to users testing new builds of Windows 11. The app has an updated interface with a panel on the right listing the history of queries that have been posed, and the responses on the left.Microsoft has designed the app along the lines of the user interfaces (UIs) available in OpenAIs ChatGPT, Anthropics Claude, and Googles Gemini. (The current version of Copilot for Windows in the Microsoft Store has a plain interface with no history panel. Once a user poses a new query, the old conversation disappears.)Copilot is now a native Windows app with the implementation of XAML (Extensible Application Markup Language), a Microsoft-developed language that encodes the UI separate from the application code.the The new version isnt available to everyone. It is still in preview and is being rolled out to testers of Windows 11 through the Windows Insider program.We are excited to be previewing improvements with our Insiders to ensure all our customers have a great Copilot experience for Windows,Microsoft said in a blog post.Microsoft is constantly rolling out Copilot updates across its Windows ecosystem and Microsoft 365. The company this week announced that it added updates to its Copilot Studio software and is now previewing Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, which enables your agents to take advantage of the full functionalities of Copilot Studio within Copilot Chat, thecompany said in a blog post.The chat feature provides agents access to data sources across Azure services and can coordinate or handoff queries to other agents. It also allows the creation of agents based on specific actions or triggers.Another feature allows users to monitor their custom agents trends and performance with analytics, Microsoft said.Last month, the company added a feature called intelligent meeting recap to Teams that summarizes meeting notes by speaker and topic and generates round-ups and summaries.The company also recently released aCopilot app for Macs. The AI assistant can summarize, generate images, provide recommendations and create content. The app works only on Macs with an M-series chip and macOS 14.0 or later.

Since the emergence of enterprise-grade generative AI, organizations have tapped into the rich capabilities of foundational models, developed by the likes of OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Mistral, and others. Over time, however, businesses often found these models limiting since they were trained on vast troves of public data. Enter customizationthe practice of adapting large language models (LLMs) to better suit a businesss specific needs by incorporating its own data and expertise, teaching a model new skills or tasks, or optimizing prompts and data retrieval.DOWNLOAD THE REPORTCustomization is not new, but the early tools were fairly rudimentary, and technology and development teams were often unsure how to do it. Thats changing, and the customization methods and tools available today are giving businesses greater opportunities to create unique value from their AI models.We surveyed 300 technology leaders in mostly large organizations in different industries to learn how they are seeking to leverage these opportunities. We also spoke in-depth with a handful of such leaders. They are all customizing generative AI models and applications, and they shared with us their motivations for doing so, the methods and tools theyre using, the difficulties theyre encountering, and the actions theyre taking to surmount them.Our analysis finds that companies are moving ahead ambitiously with customization. They are cognizant of its risks, particularly those revolving around data security, but are employing advanced methods and tools, such as retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), to realize their desired customization gains.Download the full report.This content was produced by Insights, the custom content arm of MIT Technology Review. It was not written by MIT Technology Reviews editorial staff.

Apple's March iPad lineup changes introduces a new entry-level model and updates the iPad Air. Here's which iPad is best in early 2025, at any price point.Apple's iPad family, as of March 2025Like other products in the Apple ecosystem, the iPad family of devices covers a very wide range of price points. If you're looking for a budget or a premium tablet, Apple has you covered at either end of the spectrum, and every point inbetween.The updates to the iPad lineup started in March with a refresh of the iPad Air and base iPad, making some changes to the base end of the price range. This included some performance improvements and storage option changes, which can greatly affect where you end up putting your money. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Apple is taking the UK government to court over efforts to force the company to weaken iCloud encryption.iCloud security is on the lineThe case, filed under the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), seeks to compel Apple to create a backdoor that would allow law enforcement access to user data, not just in the UK but potentially in other countries too.The company has filed a legal complaint with the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal, pushing back against a mandate requiring it to create a "back door" for law enforcement to access encrypted iCloud data, according to the Financial Times. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Look below for Archinect's latest curated selection of architecture and design firms currently hiring onArchinect Jobs. This week'sfeatured employer highlightincludes openings in Boston, New York City, Seattle, San Francisco, andSalem, Oregon.For even more opportunities, visit theArchinect job boardand explore our active community ofjob seekers,firms, andschools.In Boston,Payettehas four exciting job opportunities available: an Interior Designer with at least three years of experience and expertise inAutoCAD, Revit, and SketchUp, aDesign Technology Managerwith a minimum of 10 years of experience and skills using Revit, AutoCAD, BIM 360, Rhino, Enscape, Bluebeam, and Adobe Creative Suite; an Architect with Construction Administration Experiencewith at least 10 years of experience and proficiency with Revit; and a Project Manager with at least eight years of experience, specifically withcomplex projects for healthcare, scientific research, academic teaching, and corp...

The first wave of titles coming to Game Pass in March has been announced, starting with Monster Train. Its out now for cloud, consoles and PC across all tiers. You can learn more about the recently announced sequel here.March 5th marks the arrival of Galacticare, a hospital management sim with a space-faring twist, Game Pass Standard. It will be playable on Xbox Series X/S. On March 6th, One Lonely Outpost goes live for cloud, consoles, and PC on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.Rogue-lite bullet hell title Enter the Gungeon arrives on March 11th for cloud, consoles, and PC via all three tiers. Then theres Mullet Madjack, a rogue-lite first-person shooter with over-the-top retro-futuristic action, coming to March 13th for Xbox Series X/S, cloud, and PC.Finally, 33 Immortals launches into early access on March 18th via Game Preview for Xbox Series X/S, cloud, and PC. The co-op title sees 33 players teaming up to escape Purgatory.Several titles will also leave the service on March 15th. Check out the list below:Evil West (Cloud, Console, and PC)Lies of P (Cloud, Console, and PC)No More Heroes 3 (Cloud, Console, and PC)Solar Ash (Cloud, Console, and PC)SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated (Cloud, Console, and PC)Yakuza 5 Remastered (Cloud, Console, and PC)Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Developer Starry Studio has revealed details about what Once Human players can expect in the next major updates for the game. In a lengthy post on Steam, the studio has revealed that upcoming updates will take player feedback about various aspects of Once Human into acocunt, including character progression, pacing, and replayability.One of the biggest new features coming to Once Human is the addition of permanent servers. Coming to the game on March 13, the feature will allow players to have, as its name might suggest, permanent servers for their scenarios. Currently, Once Humans servers automatically shut down when a player completes a scenario, transferring their player back to Eternaland where they can sign up for the next scenario.This leads to some players not being able to experience all the content that would be typically available in a scenario. Players that get disconnected also cant resume their progress, since the servers close down automatically. Once the update is live, scenario servers will not shut down automatically. Instead, it will be turned into a permanent server over the span of around 2 hours.It is worth noting that players that have not logged in for the scenario will not be able to load up into the new permanent server. This was done to reduce overall load on Once Humans backend. Because of this, characters that havent been played for 30 days or more will not be brought over into the permanent servers. The studio plans to ease up on this over time, however.Permanent servers for the same scenario type and Visional Wheel status will also be merged together into a single World. Players can freely switch between Worlds to interact with players on other servers, and Worlds with smaller player counts can be merged with higher population servers for better player experience.Another major feature coming to Once Human will be the new Endless Dream PvE scenario. While the studio hasnt confirmed when this feature will arrive, the scenario will include a fully accessible map that players can explore. The concept for the new Endless Dream scenario revolves around the Sleepers influence over the surrounding wilderness, turning things into a dreamscape with unpredictable changes.In gameplay terms, players will feel the effects of the Sleepers influence by getting new vulnerabilities, like weakness or becoming flammable. Deviants and resources will also be affected in strange ways by the Sleeper.On March 27, Once Human will also be introducing a major quality of life feature in allowing players to share their resources between their characters. This will essentially allow players to not have to grind up alternate characters to experience Once Humans several scenarios. Check out all the resources that can be shared through the Cross-Character Asset Sharing feature below.The studio has also detailed why some assets, like Stellar Stairway progression, Starchrom, and blueprint data are shared in this manner rather than being an aggregate progression tracker that applies to the players entire account. These assets, according to the studio, are tied more to character play time than they are to any other aspect of the game.Aggregating these resources would create a significant and insurmountable gap between players who focus on one character and those who play multiple characters, explains the studio. Using the data of the character with the highest Blueprint Collection level ensures that all other characters on your account will enjoy an increase in Blueprint Collection level, allowing you to create and use new characters more freely. If you have invested in multiple characters, we will offer Starchrom compensation based on the aggregate Blueprint Collection levels of your other characters.Along with these new features, Once Huamn will also be getting optimisations to its resource allocation and deviation, as well as to its construction systems. This includes giving player better control over aspects like water and production management, and territory relocation.Once Human is a free-to-play game available on PC. For more details, check out our recent interview with the studio. Also check out our review from back when Once Human launched.

Several events are being hosted this month in celebration of International Womens Day, which falls on March 8, 2025.Here are a few unique events and opportunities meant to honour the contributions of women in the architecture and design fields.Women in Architecture (WIA) VancouverThroughout the month, WIAs Architects of Change: A Womens Day Design Series, willhost one event each week, bringing together a community of architects, designers, engineers and other professionals to explore the achievements, challenges, and future of women in design. By showcasing designrelated work from women+ in the Lower Mainland, WIA Vancouver hopes to bring inspiration to the next generation of women+ in the field.The Power of Her: Women In Leadership Panel DiscussionMarch 6, 2025.This empowering panel discussion will feature women in leadership across the fields of architecture and related design professions.Building Bridges: Conversations with Women in EngineeringMarch 13, 2025.For the second event of the Architects of Change Design Series, they will bring together a diverse group of engineers for an insightful and empowering online panel discussion to share their experiences, challenges, and successes in the field of engineering. This event will feature a panel of engineers from various disciplines, each sharing their personal journey, insights, and advice on navigating a male-majority industry as women.Serving the Underserved LectureMarch 20, 2025.For the third event , WIA Vancouver is offering a lunch-time discussion with Natalia Kwasnicki. Kwasnicki is the Interior Designer for QMunitys new home and a partner at Portico Design Group. The new home for QMunity is one of the few purpose-built spaces in BC for the queer, trans and Two-Spirit community. QMunity is one of the leading organizations in the Lower Mainland to provide resources, housing, and most importantly safe LGBTQIA+ community space in Vancouver.Women in Design ExhibitionMarch 29, 2025.This exhibition will showcase a diverse range of women-led and owned local businesses. From architecture firms to design studios and beyond, this event highlights the impactful contributions women are making in the built environment.BEAT TorontoFinding Your VoiceMarch 7, 2025.BEAT is hosting a virtual roundtable for International Womens Day that will feature panelists Kelly Buffey (Akb), Brenda Izen (Izen Architecture), Ashely Rumsey (Mason Studio), and Sue Jean Chung (Studio JCI). The discussion will be moderated by chair of the executive board of BEAT, Jennifer Esposito (Place of Work/TMU).Okanagan CollegeWomen In Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE) SummitMarch 7, 2025.This in-person event aims to explore and celebrate opportunities for growth, skills enhancement, and career advancement for women working in the ACE Industries.UQAM Design CenterBUONE NUOVE / Femmes Architectes du ChangementNow until April 6, 2025.The UQAM Design Center is presenting BUONE NUOVE / Femmes Architectes du Changement, an exhibition that highlights the practices of women architects. The exhibition documents how the contribution of women in recent decades has breathed new life into contemporary architecture. After being presented in Stockholm, Doha, New Delhi, Berlin and Toronto, the traveling version of MAXXIs exhibition will be presented in Montreal until April 6, 2025.The post International Womens Day events for architecture professionals appeared first on Canadian Architect.