Unity 6.2 Beta Released / News / May 15, 2025 / Coming approximately one month after the final release of Unity 6.1, Unity have just released Unity 6.2 Beta. This new beta doesn’t add a ton of new functionality, with the highlight features being the new LOD import system and World Space UI for UI toolkit. The biggest change by far in this release is the reworking of their AI tools, with Muse being retired and Sentis being renamed with the entire thing being rebranded as Unity AI. Additionally, there are several game development bundles of interest to Unity developers that just launched. There are two new Unity bundles from Leartes on Gumroad, the 15 environments SpaceNova Bundle (use code SN70 for an additional $70 off) as well as the 5 environment StarNova bundle (use code SN40 for $40 off). There is also the Must Have New Assets MegaBundle on the Unity Asset Store. Details of the new Unity AI: Unity AI consists of three main components: Assistant – A contextual helper that answers questions about your project, generates pre-compiled code, and can execute agentic actions like batch renaming files or placing multiple objects in a scene. Drag project assets into prompts or query selected console errors. Replaces Muse Chat. Generators – Improved tools for creating sprites, textures, animations, and new sound generation capabilities. Generators publish directly into supported Unity assets for a seamless workflow. Replaces Muse Sprite, Texture, and Animate. Inference Engine – Inference Engine continues to focus on local AI model inference performance gains for unique runtime experiences. Renaming Sentis to Inference Engine. Interested in trying Unity AI? Here’s what you need to know: In-Editor installation – Install Unity AI through the “AI” button at the top of the Editor after downloading Unity 6.2 Beta. Free during Unity 6.2 beta – All users who install Unity AI will receive free Unity Points to try the features. Free points will expire at the end of the beta, when Unity AI will transition to a paid Unity Points model. Data usage and privacy – Unity AI uses your provided “Content Data” to execute AI model inferences. You can opt out of Content Data sharing for AI model training through the Unity Dashboard. (Coming in June during Unity 6.2 beta) I intended to go hands-on with the new Unity AI features in more depth in a follow-up article. Key Links Unity 6.2 Beta Announcement Must Have New Assets MegaBundle on the Unity Asset Store SpaceNova Bundle (Use code SN70) StarNova bundle (Use Code SN40) You can learn more about the Unity 6.2 beta release and about the three Unity related bundles in the video below. Purchasing bundles via links on this page helps support GFS (and thanks very much if you do!).

EA has redefined its hybrid work policy, which now requires a minimum of three days a week in a local office. Its 'offsite local' work model is being sunset, taking effect within three to 24 months, depending on the employee's location.As per an email sent to employees yesterday, which was reviewed and reported by IGN, CEO Andrew Wilson said in-person work leads to "a kinetic energy that fuels creativity, innovation, and connection, often resulting in unexpected breakthroughs that lead to incredible experiences for players.In a follow-up email from EA Entertainment president Laura Miele, also reviewed and reported by IGN, she described the decision as the company moving from "a decentralized approach to a globally consistent, enterprise-wide work model."Miele outlined a series of key points, starting by saying that these changes "will not take effect immediately," and work model transitions will come "with a minimum 12-week notice period before any changes are implemented." Timing will vary by location.Regarding the in-office situation, Miele said that the company is introducing a "30-mile/48-km radius" around EA locations."Employees who live within 30-miles/48-km of an EA location will transition to a hybrid work model," read the email. "Employees who live outside the 30-mile/48-km radius will be considered remote unless their role is designated as on site or hybrid."Related:EA will also sunset the 'offsite local' work model. Depending on location, the "transition may take three to 24 months." Lastly, Miele said that "any work model exception and future remote hires will require a CEO Direct's /my approval [sic]."Sources within EA, who reportedly spoke to IGN anonymously, said that some employees shared "hours-long commutes they were now being expected to make" after the email announcement, while others expressed "concerns regarding childcare or personal medical conditions that had benefited from remote work.""Others, classified as remote and outside the 30-mile range, expressed concern for what would happen to their roles if they were unwilling or unable to move closer to an office long-term," read the IGN report.Since January of this year, EA-subsidiary BioWare shuffled staff over to different EA teams after shipping Dragon Age: The Veilguard and redirecting "full focus" on the upcoming Mass Effect entry, while some people were reportedly let go, according to an IGN report. Fellow subsidiary Respawn Entertainment reportedly laid off several employees in March, canceling an unannounced project in the process. In late April, EA reportedly laid off between 300 to 400 employees. At the start of May, Wilson said the publisher "has never been more optimistic about what comes next."Related:EA isn't the only publisher pushing for return-to-office policiesIn late 2024, Swedish company Paradox Interactive changed its hybrid work schedules, mandating employees to be in the office four days a week starting in February 2025, and a full five days a week by September.During interviews conducted by Game Developer, both current and former developers suggested that the policy has proven to be unpopular within the company. According to a survey conducted by the worker's union Unionen and SACO after the announcement, over 50 percent of employees said that they're considering looking for other jobs.Back in September 2024, Ubisoft implemented a return-to-office policy across its entire studio structure, about a year after announcing a similar mandate at Ubisoft Montreal. A month later, unions for Ubisoft's Barcelona studio reportedly filed a lawsuit against the company, which came to light in November.In October 2024, Cloud Imperium reportedly enacted a temporary 7-day work mandate for developers working on Star Citizen. In November, ZeniMax union workers went on strike in response to Microsoft's remote working policy, as well as the decision to continue outsourcing quality assurance work.Related:

Saudi Arabia unveiled a series of blockbuster AI partnerships with US chip makers, cloud infrastructure providers, and software developers this week, signaling its ambition to become a global AI hub. Leveraging its $940 billion Public Investment Fund (PIF) and strategic location, Saudi Arabia is forming partnerships to create sovereign AI infrastructure including advanced data centers and Arabic large language models. Google, Oracle, and Salesforce are deepening AI and cloud commitments in Saudi Arabia that will support Vision 2030, a 15-year program to diversify the country’s economy. Within that, the $100 billion Project Transcendence aims to put the kingdom among the top 15 countries in AI by 2030. The deals announced during this week’s US-Saudi investment summit in Riyadh include a $20 billion commitment from Saudi firm DataVolt for AI data centers and energy infrastructure in the US and an $80 billion joint investment by Google, DataVolt, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD, and Uber in technologies across both nations, according to a White House fact sheet The Riyadh summit, attended by US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, drew tech luminaries including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD CEO Lisa Su. AI factories Humain, an AI company backed by PIF, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, was at the center of much of the deal-making. Nvidia said it will supply Humain with hundreds of thousands of its most advanced GPUs over the next five years with which the company will build “AI factories” with a capacity of up to 500 megawatts. The first of those will contain 18,000 Grace Blackwell GB300 systems, it said. AMD announced a five-year, $10 billion collaboration with Humain to deploy up to 500 megawatts of AI compute in Saudi Arabia and the US, aiming to deploy “multi-exaflop capacity by early 2026.” AWS, too, is expanding its data centers in Saudi Arabia to bolster Humain’s cloud infrastructure. Saudi Arabia has abundant oil and gas to power those data centers, and is growing its renewable energy resources with the goal of supplying 50% of the country’s power by 2030. “Commercial electricity rates, nearly 50% lower than in the US, offer potential cost savings for AI model training, though high local hosting costs due to land, talent, and infrastructure limit total savings,” said Eric Samuel, Associate Director at IDC. Located near Middle Eastern population centers and fiber optic cables to Asia, these data centers will offer enterprises low-latency cloud computing for real-time AI applications. Late is great There’s an advantage to being a relative latecomer to the technology industry, said Eric Samuel, associate director, research at IDC. “Saudi Arabia’s greenfield tech landscape offers a unique opportunity for rapid, ground-up AI integration, unburdened by legacy systems,” he said. Arun Chandrasekaran, distinguished VP analyst at Gartner, said the investments signify Saudi Arabia’s “ambition to become a central hub for AI development, rivaling established tech centers in the US and China.” Other analysts weighed in on Saudi Arabia’s goals. Neil Shah, vice president research at Counterpoint Research, said the push could make it the next “oil hub” for AI, serving both local and global needs, while Amandeep Singh, practice director at QKS Group, said, “This isn’t just about money. It’s a strategic play to become a long-term AI power and a neutral meeting point for global AI.” Despite the vast political and financial resources in play, though, the analysts forecast challenges ahead when it comes to attracting top talent, reducing reliance on Western chips, and building data governance trust. While Saudi Arabia is a lucrative new market for companies such as Nvidia and AWS, “They must navigate questions of control and compliance,” said QKS Group’s Singh. Aligning with Saudi Arabia’s push for digital sovereignty requires a delicate balance between Western regulations, export restrictions, and the Kingdom’s drive for independence. Political risks IDC’s Samuel noted that initiatives like Humain can foster trust and alignment with national priorities, but added, “With the right oversight and governance, political risks can be managed and long-term AI development secured.” Building a real AI power bloc in the Middle East is still a tough climb, the analysts said. “Saudi Arabia’s ambition needs more than just cash to turn into real influence in the region,” said Singh. “They need shared tech foundations, common AI standards across countries, and everyone to agree on policies — and we’re not quite there yet.” Making strong partnerships with other companies and countries will be key for Saudi Arabia to turn its big investments into lasting global influence, the analysts said, making sure its AI plans become more than just a showpiece. Turning Saudi Arabia’s AI ambition into real regional power won’t be easy. “Money alone won’t get you there — you need shared foundations, aligned policies, and buy-in from the neighborhood,” said Singh.

How every designer’s favorite app is turning design dreams into code nightmares.Image by authorIf you’re a Figma fanatic, you’ve probably heard about the launch of Figma Sites — a new tool that promises to let designers create and publish fully interactive websites directly from the platform.At first glance, it sounds revolutionary. No need to hand off Figma files to a developer or convert them into Framer or Webflow layouts. Just click a few buttons and — boom — instant websites. But if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.Being the skeptic that I am, I decided to dig into the code it produces. And, not surprisingly, it’s a mess — a sea of <div> and <span> tags and random classes with zero regard for semantic structure.Screenshot of code generated by Figma Sites.For those who don’t know, semantics in code means using HTML elements that clearly describe their purpose — like <header> for page headers, <section> for content sections, and <article> for standalone content.Proper class structures are just as crucial — they should be meaningful, consistent, and follow naming conventions that make the code readable and maintainable.For example, instead of using class="css-z91rnx" which is the kind of autogenerated gibberish Figma Sites spits out, it should be something like class="header-main" or class="btn-primary" to clearly convey the element’s purpose and maintain consistency across the project.And good code isn’t just about neatness. It’s essential for accessibility. Semantic elements like <nav> and <button> aren’t just for show — they help screen readers and assistive technology navigate the page, making it usable for everyone.Then there’s SEO. Search engines rely on semantic structure to properly index content. If your site is a sea of <div> tags with meaningless classes, search engines struggle to understand the hierarchy and relevance of your content. That means your Figma site might look good but rank like garbage.But let’s be real — the biggest red flag here is how Figma Sites feels like another rushed-to-market product. It’s yet another low-code, no-code tool jumping on the “vibe coding” bandwagon — prioritizing drag-and-drop ease over actual code quality. It’s like they’re cashing in on the trend without caring about what’s under the hood.And that’s a problem. I get that a lot of new designers don’t know how to assess front-end code, but Figma should know better.This points to one of two things — either Figma is incompetent, or they’re deliberately misleading designers into thinking this is publishable code. And I’d like to believe a company like Figma isn’t incompetent, which leaves us with the second option — they’re selling a promise that doesn’t deliver.Don’t get me wrong — it does produce code, just in the most rudimentary way possible. By “deliver,” I mean quality code that actually aligns with the standards they claim to uphold.I’m willing to give Figma the benefit of the doubt and assume they have internal developers working on this tool who know what bad code looks like. So maybe Sites was rushed out the door to meet a deadline (cough, Config 2025), even though it wasn’t ready.To be fair, Figma does say Sites is in open beta, but there’s a big difference between a beta release and convincing people it’s nearly production-ready — and Sites is nowhere close to delivering quality websites.But if that’s the case, why not just admit it’s more of a work in progress than something shippable? Oh right, because that would hurt the bottom line. And at the end of the day, that’s what it’s always about.Figma Config 2025Figma Sites, as it stands, is nothing more than a glorified prototyping tool — because no one with an ounce of dignity would launch a site, even a basic landing page, using such atrocious code.But prototyping is what Figma already does best — it’s the platform’s core function. So unless they plan to overhaul Sites, it’s just another excuse to squeeze more money out thier users. Classic corporate move.But it’s not all doom and gloom— Figma just gave us a masterclass in what not to do. If they’re serious about empowering designers to create real websites, there’s a right way to do it.And here’s the kicker — we, as designers, have the power to push them to deliver a tool that actually lives up to the hype. But that means dropping the fanboy mentality and critiquing these features with the same scrutiny we’d apply to our own work.Instead of selling a half-baked solution, Figma could invest in making Sites a real, production-ready tool that generates semantic, accessible, and SEO-friendly code. That would be a game changer — a tool that not only simplifies the design-to-code workflow but actually upholds the standards that matter.Until then, if you care about how your work performs beyond the Figma canvas, it might be time to keep a developer on speed dial. Or better yet, learn some basic front-end code yourself. Because knowing how to spot bad code is the first step in demanding better from companies like Figma.Don’t miss out! Join my email list and receive the latest content.Figma Sites: innovation or exploitation? was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Editor’s note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on how developers, 3D practitioners and enterprises can transform their workflows using the latest advances in OpenUSD and NVIDIA Omniverse. Computer-aided engineering (CAE) is at the forefront of modern product development, enabling engineers to virtually test and refine designs before building physical prototypes. Among the powerful CAE methods, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation plays a critical role in understanding and optimizing fluid flow for use cases, such as aerodynamic testing in aerospace and automotive engineering or thermal management for electronics. The NVIDIA Omniverse Blueprint for real-time digital twins provides a powerful framework for developers to build complex CFD simulation solutions with the combined power of NVIDIA CUDA-X acceleration libraries, NVIDIA PhysicsNeMo AI framework and NVIDIA Omniverse, and Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD). Multiphysics simulation generates a high diversity of data with optical, thermal, electromagnetic and mechanical applications, all requiring different inputs and outputs. OpenUSD provides a unified data model that connects the CAE ecosystem so digital twins can operate in real time with diverse data inputs. This seamless interoperability between tools is crucial for engineering efforts that rely on accurate, consistent CFD simulations. Industry Leaders Deliver 50x Faster Simulation  At NVIDIA GTC in March, NVIDIA announced that leading CAE software providers, including Ansys, Altair, Cadence, Siemens and Synopsys, are accelerating their simulation tools, including for CFD, by up to 50x with the NVIDIA Blackwell platform. Thanks to accelerated software, NVIDIA CUDA-X libraries and performance-optimization blueprints, industries like automotive, aerospace, energy, manufacturing and life sciences can greatly reduce product development time and costs while increasing design accuracy and remaining energy efficient. Ansys, a leader in simulation software, is harnessing the power of NVIDIA technologies for real-time physics and accelerated simulation with AI-driven digital twins. By integrating NVIDIA GPUs and tapping into Blackwell’s advanced accelerated computing capabilities, Ansys software enables engineers to run complex CFD simulations at unprecedented speed and scale. Real-Time Digital Twins for CFD Ansys is also adopting Omniverse and OpenUSD to create more connected, collaborative simulation environments for CFD. Ansys users can build real-time digital twins that integrate data from multiple sources, and now those multidisciplinary CFD simulations can be integrated into the visually rich Omniverse environment. Learn more about how Ansys is using NVIDIA technologies and OpenUSD to advance its CFD workflows in this livestream replay: Get Plugged Into the World of OpenUSD Join NVIDIA GTC Taipei at COMPUTEX, running May 19-23, to see how accelerated computing, Omniverse and OpenUSD advance 3D workflows. Watch NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang’s COMPUTEX keynote on Monday, May 19, at 11 a.m. Taiwan Time. Ansys Simulation World is a virtual and in-person global simulation experience. The virtual event takes place July 16-17, and includes a keynote from Huang that will provide a closer look at the transformative power of accelerated computing and AI to enable computational engineering breakthroughs – including CFD – across all industries. Until then, watch Ansys GTC sessions on demand to learn more. Discover why developers and 3D practitioners are using OpenUSD and learn how to optimize 3D workflows with the new self-paced “Learn OpenUSD” curriculum for 3D developers and practitioners, available for free through the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute. For more resources on OpenUSD, explore the Alliance for OpenUSD forum and the AOUSD website. Stay up to date by subscribing to NVIDIA Omniverse news, joining the community and following NVIDIA Omniverse on Instagram, LinkedIn, Medium and X. Featured image courtesy of Ansys.

In this guest post, Owlchemy Labs Accessibility Product Manager II Jazmin Cano dives deep into how the team used Unity to develop an all-new vision accessibility update for Cosmonious High in virtual reality (VR).At Owlchemy Labs, we have made a dedication in our Accessibility Statement to the pursuit of creating VR games for everyone. Historically, our team has prioritized making significant strides in unsolved areas of accessibility in VR including subtitles, physical accessibility, and height accessibility. We encourage every developer to create with accessibility in mind, and actively incorporate accessibility into our games at launch and through post-launch updates.For our last accessibility update to Cosmonious High, we added a range of gameplay options, including one-handed controller mode, seated player mode, subtitling, and more. If a game can only be played by an audience with no disabilities, it is a sign of an unfinished product. We take pride in forging new paths through research, testing, and partnerships to ensure gaming is available to the widest possible audience.When we started our research in developing for blind and low-vision players, we found that the main issue was the inability to follow a storyline or in-game directions.Oftentimes, there is no subtext available for all of the scenes in a game, and different scenes are used to advance the story. A storyline could be complex and challenging to follow without context or subtext. Other aspects of a game, like completing a puzzle or a task, become difficult when not all pieces are clearly visible for players or when vital clues are given without any text or visual queues.From our research, we found it was important to create a way for players to receive game information through audio descriptions using Text To Speech (TTS). Most people who are blind or have low vision use assistive technology called screen readers, which allows them to navigate screens with a keyboard, and their computer or phone will read out the text. Our game features are similar in the sense that they allow players to navigate virtual spaces using their hands or a joystick as methods for reading out objects and descriptions. Each feature is built to follow expectations regarding screen-reader standards, such as ducking non-TTS audio and allowing the user to cancel TTS mid-description.We haven’t seen narration or TTS in other released VR games before, so we knew launching our approach for accessibility in this area – after researching best practices and playtesting with those who are legally blind or have low vision – would benefit the industry.Developing for blind and low-vision players isn’t just adding audio cues and options. Blindness is a spectrum, and creating gameplay in a way that is fully inclusive of blind and low-vision players also includes feeling and seeing.To accomplish this, we developed more haptic feedback as a method to identify an object when a player highlights it. This is particularly important when a player is completing a puzzle. Players can identify an object and feel it when they have selected it.We’ve also added high-contrast object highlighting, which outlines key objects in the environment, making it easier for players to see the object and understand their selection with haptic feedback.To bring this all together, we incorporated a Grab-and-Release confirmation. Using this, players will receive haptic feedback when highlighting an object that is shown through high-contrast object highlighting, and audio will play to inform them when an object has been grabbed and released.When we started developing this update, we anticipated a few challenges, ranging from design decisions to playtesting. Thankfully, we had a great start to the project after meeting with Steve Saylor, a video game accessibility consultant who is blind. Consulting with Steve, we were able to identify the features we would need and what expectations someone with low vision would have. We did a lot of research, experimentation, and testing to determine what worked best and what we could execute successfully.For the vision accessibility update, we knew we needed to branch out when finding playtesters with low vision to help provide valuable feedback and help with our design. We teamed up with VROxygen to find a group of playtesters with blindness and low vision to provide feedback on our iterations and help us prioritize improvements we needed to make, which worked out well. Opening testing to remote players from anywhere in the world allowed us to get a wide range of perspectives on the project, with feedback coming from people with varying levels of vision.The path to creating this update offered some challenges to consider. Sometimes, what seems like the most obvious answer is not always the best one, especially when developing for accessibility. We took the time to work through each aspect of this update to make sure the features we were adding worked well for those who needed it most.When we enabled TTS early in the project, we started with automatic narration. This meant that any object a player’s hands waved over would be described, even if that meant speaking on top of a previous description that may still be going. For audio descriptions to be valuable, they need to be heard without other audio fighting for priority.This resulted in a few changes that worked well in playtesting. For example, we decided to add a button press to activate descriptions instead of having them read automatically, which led to a more comfortable experience. This gives players agency when deciding if a description is read to them when their hand is placed over an object or pointing at something in the distance. It also prevents accidental TTS from happening if a player moves their hand over objects they didn’t mean to have read.While TTS describes the name of the object and a visual description, it doesn’t take very long. Even with short descriptions, though, we know people would want behavior similar to a screen reader (i.e., the ability to cancel audio while it’s being read).Another thing we learned with regards to audio is the importance of lowering it so that the lower volume allows the TTS audio descriptions to have priority. We ran into a problem where TTS can be triggered during an interaction with an NPC, making the NPC’s dialog quieter and easy to miss. At this time, players are not able to “rewind” or “retrigger” the same audio to play; however, players can wave their hands and NPCs will respond back to help.But one of the hardest parts about building features like these is making sure they will actually help users who need them. The best way of determining usefulness for new accessibility features is through testing. Of course, being able to quickly make new builds for all of our platforms after each round of feedback and development was essential to making this update the best it could be. One unlikely tool we found useful for fast iteration on our designs was Unity's Post-Processing Stack.Before sending builds to playtesters, our developers wanted to test the effectiveness of features internally. Since many of our developers are sighted, we used the Post-Processing Stack and created entries in our debug menu that allowed us modify the visual clarity of what we were seeing in the headset. This helped our developers simulate roughly what it is like to have different levels of reduced vision while playing the game. Since we could now rapidly identify and tackle the most obvious issues, we were able to iterate on designs more quickly and make sure we were getting the most out of the external playtest sessions with blind and low-vision testers.In developing this update, we learned good design practices for blind and low-vision accessibility that we’ll use in future games. One of those learnings comes from an approach that started long before this update.Our developers create with accessibility in mind, and we’ve learned from each accessibility update that starting a project with this approach makes developing future accessible features much easier. For example, making sure objects have proper names and descriptions that are useful as alt text on images requires less effort and saves time.Having large objects and large text with good contrast makes a lot of a VR game’s world easier to see and read. Many players who described their vision as highly blurry could lean in and read much of the game’s text. Players who couldn’t fully make out text would then use the assist button to hear the words as needed.The text in Cosmonious High is stationary, so players don’t need to worry about it being at a fixed distance from their face, moving away from them as they continue to lean forward. One player commented that we made the game accessible before even thinking about vision accessibility as he described the size and colors in the world not specific to this update. While we appreciate the compliment, the design practice of making things larger and easier to distinguish is part of our development process – it’s in our developer documentation.Specific to this update, allowing players to decide when to get audio descriptions, allowing players to cancel audio, and keeping descriptions short with valuable information is key to giving players agency.Developing for blind and low-vision players has added to our arsenal of development tools. We hope to build upon our learnings in all areas of accessibility and plan to launch future titles with more accessibility included. We’re excited to share this update of Cosmonious High as a continuation of our mission to make VR for everyone.Owlchemy Labs’ Cosmonious High is available on multiple platforms. 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Though even the best AI models struggle to solve the majority of coding problems, that didn't stop one man's penny-pinching employers from replacing him with the tech anyway.Shawn Kay was a software engineer of 20 years who went from earning $150,000 in upstate New York to living out of a trailer, after he says his former boss outsourced his job to AI.As Fortune reports, he now does odd jobs to make ends meet, like gig work on meal delivery apps, and flipping his stuff on eBay.To make matters worse, Kay's been spat out into a noxious job market for highly trained tech workers. Out of 800 job applications he's placed since losing his income, he's only received ten interviews. As if to add insult to injury, a handful of those, he says, have been with AI."I feel super invisible. I feel unseen. I feel like I'm filtered out before a human is even in the chain," Kay told Fortune.At 42 years old, the engineer has been around long enough to prove his mettle. He's survived hiring downturns before, like the 2008 global financial crisis, and the brief recession brought about by the pandemic. This time, something's different.Though AI makes a great boogeyman — a narrative which, coincidentally, helps AI tycoons convince lawmakers to let the industry regulate itself — there are other factors at play in the tech job market.During the pandemic, tech companies became more profitable than they had been in years. Fueled by a society that quickly became dependent on tech and software companies to keep things afloat, the sector grew substantially throughout the public health crisis, triggering an industry-wide hiring spree.But as COVID-19 abated, many of those same companies found they had over-hired. Soon, waves of layoffs began rocking tech workers, coinciding with a flood of fresh STEM graduates entering the scene. That brought about a chaotic job market, where work is hard to find, and job quality is only getting worse.AI certainly didn't help things. Many tech moguls bought into promises that the buzzy new tech is going to "revolutionize work" — despite plenty of evidence that it's far from ready. It also irreparably damaged the job search; those seeking work like Kay now have to stand out amidst a sea of AI spam to have their resumes even read by a human.So, where are all the high-value tech jobs going? The answer, it seems, is to the bottom.While error-prone AI isn't ready to go it alone, it is ready to increase the productivity of untrained workers. A growing body of scholarship on AI and labor suggests that AI isn't simply taking over — it's enabling tech corporations to outsource high-paying jobs in the West to low-wage workers in the global south.This shift in tech job quality could be a part of the reason why we see AI having an effect on the tech labor market, despite the fact that 59 percent of developers experience consistent deployment errors when using AI to code. Why pay one worker in the US $150,000 a year, plus benefits, to sort through junk AI code when you could outsource a dozen workers in the Philippines for the same cost?The dystopian tale that AI is making us obsolete is bad enough, but it's nothing compared to the reality: AI isn't taking over the tech industry; it's turning it into a sweatshop.Share This Article

Hugging Face has released a free/open-source course on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open approach developed by Anthropic to facilitate the integration of large language models (LLMs) with external data sources and tools. This course aims to provide developers and AI practitioners with the knowledge and skills to leverage MCP for building more context-aware and capable AI applications. Understanding the Model Context Protocol (MCP) The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is designed to address the complexities involved in connecting AI models to diverse external systems. Traditionally, integrating AI models with various data sources required custom solutions for each connection, leading to inefficiencies and scalability issues. MCP introduces a standardized protocol that enables AI models to interact with external resources through a unified interface, simplifying the integration process and enhancing interoperability. By adopting MCP, developers can build AI applications that are more adaptable and capable of accessing real-time information from multiple sources, thereby improving the relevance and accuracy of AI-driven insights and actions. Overview of the Hugging Face MCP Course The Hugging Face MCP Course is structured to guide learners from foundational concepts to practical applications of MCP. The curriculum is divided into several units, each focusing on different aspects of MCP: Unit 0: Onboarding This introductory unit provides an overview of the course objectives and outlines the prerequisites for participants. It sets the stage for the subsequent units by establishing the necessary context and tools required for the course. Unit 1: MCP Fundamentals In this unit, learners delve into the core principles of MCP, exploring its architecture, key components, and the problems it aims to solve. The unit emphasizes understanding how MCP facilitates seamless integration between AI models and external systems. Unit 2: Building an MCP Application This hands-on unit guides participants through the process of developing a simple MCP application. By applying the concepts learned, learners gain practical experience in implementing MCP in real-world scenarios. Unit 3: Advanced MCP Development Focusing on more complex aspects, this unit covers the deployment of MCP applications using the Hugging Face ecosystem and partner services. It also explores advanced topics and best practices for MCP implementation. Bonus Units Additional content is provided to enhance learning, including collaborations with Hugging Face partners and exploration of the latest MCP tools and implementations. Upon completion of the course, participants have the opportunity to earn a certification, validating their proficiency in MCP. Getting Started with MCP To successfully engage with the MCP course, participants should have a foundational understanding of AI and LLM concepts, familiarity with software development principles, and experience with at least one programming language, such as Python or TypeScript. The course provides resources to assist learners in meeting these prerequisites if needed. All course materials are accessible online, requiring only a computer with an internet connection and a Hugging Face account. This accessibility ensures that a wide range of learners can participate and benefit from the course. The Significance of Learning MCP As AI continues to evolve, the ability to integrate models with various data sources and tools becomes increasingly critical. MCP offers a standardized approach to this integration, promoting efficiency and scalability. By mastering MCP, developers can create AI applications that are more responsive, context-aware, and capable of delivering enhanced value across different domains. The Hugging Face MCP Course provides a structured pathway to acquiring this expertise, empowering learners to contribute effectively to the development of advanced AI systems. Check out the Course here. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also, feel free to follow us on Twitter and don’t forget to join our 90k+ ML SubReddit. Shobha KakkarShobha is a data analyst with a proven track record of developing innovative machine-learning solutions that drive business value.Shobha Kakkarhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/shobha-kakkar/13 Free AI Courses on AI Agents in 2025Shobha Kakkarhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/shobha-kakkar/OpenAI Just Announced API Access to o1 (Advanced Reasoning Model)Shobha Kakkarhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/shobha-kakkar/OpenAI Just Released Sora: The Most Awaited AI Video-Generation ToolShobha Kakkarhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/shobha-kakkar/Hugging Face Releases a Free and Open Course on Fine Tuning Local LLMs

TechTarget and Informa Tech’s Digital Business Combine.TechTarget and InformaTechTarget and Informa Tech’s Digital Business Combine.Together, we power an unparalleled network of 220+ online properties covering 10,000+ granular topics, serving an audience of 50+ million professionals with original, objective content from trusted sources. We help you gain critical insights and make more informed decisions across your business priorities.Epic Games CEO resubmits Fortnite to Apple App Review... againEpic Games CEO resubmits Fortnite to Apple App Review... again'There is no way a rapidly evolving multi-platform game like Fortnite can operate if platforms use their power or processes to obstruct.'May 15, 20252 Min ReadImage via Epic GamesEpic Games has resubmitted Fortnite to Apple App Review in the US after suggesting there was no reply to a previously submitted version.According to CEO Tim Sweeney, Fortnite was submitted to Apple for review on May 9. Yesterday, he posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Apple hadn't approved the game's release (thanks, VGC)."We need to release a weekly Fortnite update with new content this Friday, and all platforms must update simultaneously. So we have pulled the previous Fortnite version submitted to Apple App Review last Friday, and we have submitted a new version for review," the post read.Since May 10, Sweeney has been sharing daily updates on X, saying that there was "no news" from Apple, in response to people asking about the review status.Yesterday, an X user asked Sweeney how he "did not plan for this." The CEO response was as follows: "Our release planning relies on platforms supporting app developers like us releasing apps. There is no way a rapidly evolving multi-platform game like Fortnite can operate if platforms use their power or processes to obstruct."As spotted by VGC, according to the App Review guidelines, on average, 90 percent of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours by Apple.Epic and Apple are still battling over the app storeRelated:This week's news is the latest in a series of developments around a years-long legal battle between the two companies to reinstate Fortnite on iOS. In January 2024, the game became available in the European App Store again. Two months later, Epic claimed that its European account had been "terminated," which was a "serious violation" of Europe's Digital Markets Act. The account was reinstated the next day."This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act swiftly to enforce the DMA and hold gatekeepers accountable," the company wrote in a statement at the time.Then, in June of the same year, a new law passed by Japanese parliament opened the door for Epic to submit Fortnite to Apple Japan's App Store. The bill is set to take effect in late 2025. Back in December, the developer also secured a deal to preinstall the game onto Android phones in UK and Spain."Fortnite will now return to iOS in Japan and UK next year, and EU this year! This is the new free world, from the point of view of app developers and users. It’s a big club and we ain't in it: The United States of America is still locked behind Apple's Iron Curtain," Sweeney said on X in June 2024.Disclosure: The author of this piece has previously contributed editorial work to the Epic Games Store News section.Related:Read more about:Top StoriesAppleEpic GamesDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like