Rainbow Six Siege X is coming as a major update to Ubisoft’s competitive esports game on June 10 to the consoles and PC. While it’s a major free upgrade for anyone who owns Rainbow Six Siege, the Siege X update introduces free access, allowing new players to experience the tactical action of Siege for free in Unranked, Quick Match, and the all-new 6v6 Dual Front mode. The game is debuting on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Amazon Luna, and PC via Ubisoft Connect and Steam. In Dual Front, attacking and defending Operators join forces, opening up new opportunities to synergize with clever gadget combinations as your team fights to secure enemy zones while defending your own. Plus, Dual Front allows you to respawn, letting you get back to the action quickly. Ubisoft has also been working on reducing toxicity in the game, using new technology for detecting the bad actors and rewarding positive behavior in the game as well. The game will have “veteran rewards” for those players who have played in the past. The audio system will be more precise, reliable and more immersive. The game has modernized maps, destructible ingredients, improved rappel navigation, and more as part of a wide-ranging suite of upgrades, improvements, and refinements. June 10 also marks the launch of Operation Daybreak (Year 10 Season 2) which will deliver an Operator remaster for Clash; balancing updates for Jackal, Sledge, Thunderbird, Jäger, and Blackbeard; changes to electricity and limb damage; and more. These updates will be free for all Siege X players, including those who download and play through Free Access. Siege X Siege X is the next evolution of Rainbow Six Siege that is free for all players who already own the game. It’s also introducing Free Access, which means anyone can hop in for free and play the Quick Match, Unranked, and Dual Front modes, and enjoy all of the upgrades delivered with Siege X. Keep an eye out for newly placed destructible ingredients in every map, including explosive gas pipes, vision-clouding smoke detectors, and interactable metal detectors. Player movement will be more fluid thanks to the advanced rappel navigation allowing sprinting and turning corners, as well as the momentum movement improvement. Siege X also introduces map modernization, a process through which the Siege team improves existing maps with boast new lighting and shadows, as well as higher resolution. Five maps will be modernized on June 10, with three more maps getting the upgrade each season. The audio system is also being overhauled, the result of which will be clearer, more accurate audio cues to help you gain richer intel about what’s happening around you. You’ll be able to make callouts more effectively with the new communication wheel, and show off your cosmetic style with the new weapon inspect feature. And whether you’re refining your competitive strategy with the new pick and ban system in Ranked matches, or learning the ropes faster and more thoroughly with the new onboarding flow, you’ll benefit from the extensive upgrades and refinements throughout the game. More details can be found in our Siege X Showcase recap article from the Siege X Showcase in March. At the recent RE:LO:AD esports event in Rio de Janeiro, more details were revealed on updates coming with Siege X, including an in-game esports tab that will allow easy access to keep up with the best Siege competition around the globe. New beginner challenges and onboarding flow will offer in-game rewards to diligent new players, and experienced players will progress faster through the clearance levels with a new XP curve. Follow your progress with the new career stats tracker as you review your performance in different playlists by checking your stats, including the K.O.S.T. stat that esports fans will recognize as a popular metric in pro play. The new Enlisted and Field Training playlists will cater to new and returning players, respectively, giving each a customizable practice arena to fight on full maps against AI bots trained on real player behaviors. Whether you’re training solo or playing matches against other players, you’ll now hear the voices of the Operators more often as the new Operator banter feature will bring new dialogue lines that illuminate the personalities and relationships between the characters. PC players can get an early taste of Siege X in action in the test server session, starting on May 20 at 6 AM PT/3 PM CEST and running through June 9 at 6 AM PT/3 PM CEST. The session is open to all players who already own Rainbow Six Siege on PC, and the test server tile should automatically appear in your Ubisoft Connect library. If it doesn’t, you can register for the test server via the Ubisoft Connect website. Operation Daybreak (Season 2) Siege X will feature Operation Daybreak. Coinciding with the launch of Siege X is the start of Operation Daybreak, the second season of Rainbow Six Siege Year 10. This season brings of host of balancing updates for various Operators, changes to electricity and limb damage, as well as an Operator remaster for Clash. Clash is the first Defender to ever wield a shield, and it’s her CCE Shield that has received some significant upgrades. She can now deploy her CCE Shield MK2, freeing her to move more quickly and position herself to play off of her shield’s stationary position. While the shield is deployed, Clash can operate its taser remotely, applying the shocking and slowing effect in a broad cone-shaped area. Defenders looking to remove this obstacle can use explosives or, if they get close enough, simply burst through the shield and destroy it (but beware, Clash or her allies can also execute this burst-through maneuver for a surprise attack). Clash can still play with her shield in-hand or on her back as well, and it’s been updated to automatically collapse and expand as she sprints, crouches, vaults, and crashes through barricades. She can deploy it, pick it back up, and put down somewhere else. It’s more nimble, more versatile, and gives Clash more ways to be an absolute force on the defending team. Some notable balancing updates will also arrive with Operation Daybreak. Electricity will no longer damage any Operators. It will be a neutral element that will still have a slowing effect on Operators, and will destroy gadgets regardless of team affiliation. Limb damage will be reduced, making it more important than ever to aim for center mass or heads. Shield Operators will no longer be able to aim down sights while vaulting or dropping from higher levels. Blackbeard’s shield glass has been tinted to make it easier to see if it’s up or down. Jackal will only ping an enemy position one time after scanning footprints, and the footprints will disappear immediately after being scanned. He will also be able to use it five times, an increase from the current three. Jäger will now be able to eliminate Capitão’s bolts and Gridlock’s Trax Stingers with his Active Defense System. Thunderbird will no longer allow enemies to heal from her Kona Stations (unless Brava’s Kludge Drone takes them over). Sledge will be able to knock down shield users he comes across (which he is likely to do more often now that attackers and defenders can be on the same team in Dual Front). Operation Daybreak is launching on June 10, read the full news breakdown on the official Rainbow Six Siege website. R6 ShieldGuard and Anti-Toxicity Introduced earlier this year, R6 ShieldGuard is the unification of game security and anti-cheat tools developed by the Rainbow Six Siege team to help ensure fair competition for everyone. Thanks to the introduction of new security hardening tech in Season 1, Operation Prep Phase, cheat reports are trending down as more cheaters are being banned. Season 2 will bring a major security update as well as a powerful change to how updates are delivered. Soon, the unified anti-cheat system will be fully dynamic, allowing the dev team to push a new game executable directly to players at any time during the season and making it significantly more difficult for cheat-makers to adapt. This proactive approach will continue throughout Seasons 3 & 4 as the team works with pro players and the community to continually refine their systems. In addition to protecting the competitive fairness of Siege X, the team is also focused on making the game more respectful and secure for all players. The now-fully activated Reputation System has seen the number of negative actions decrease, including a drop in abusive language, while text chat usage has increased along with reports of positive actions in-game. Seasons 3 & 4 will continue to bolster these efforts with voice chat moderation, new Reputation System actions, and improvements to privacy settings, abandon penalties, and in-game reports. Seasons 3 & 4 Rainbow Six Siege X specs on PC. Looking ahead to seasons beyond Operation Daybreak, the Siege X team has shared some tidbits about what’s on the roadmap for later this year. Season 3 will bring three more modernized maps – Nighthaven, Lair, and Consulate – as well as assignment changes in Dual Front with narrative ties to the new Operator. This new Defender will hail from Switzerland and introduce a new weapon to the game. Players looking for a true competitive challenge will have plenty of opportunities when the Siege Cup becomes available every weekend, and allows you to inspect the stats of your opponents before the match begins. Plus, be on the lookout for a returning Halloween event on a new map. Season 4 will mark the 10-year anniversary of Rainbow Six Siege, and a special in-game event is planned to celebrate the occasion. The season will also deliver an Operator remaster of an Attacker, as well as another new weapon that will, for the first time, be available for multiple Operators upon release (first as part of the battlepass, and later to everyone). Two more modernized maps are inbound – Theme Park and Skyscraper – in addition to a full rework and modernization for a third map. Significant updates for the training modes, including Keres Legion targets instead of test dummies, are also coming in Season 4, plus improvements to ranked matchmaking, a new Dual Front assignment, and continued balancing work that will address EMP and jamming systems. Finally, a new playlist called Testing Grounds will serve as a place for the team to explore new ideas and gather feedback as they shape the future of Siege X. The full reveals of seasons 3 & 4 will come later in 2025, but suffice to say it’s a big year for Rainbow Six Siege X. The Year 10 dynamic roadmap is also available on the official Rainbow Six Siege website. Rainbow Six Siege X is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Ubisoft Connect, Steam, and Epic Games, as well as with a Ubisoft+ Premium subscription. GB Daily Stay in the know! Get the latest news in your inbox daily Read our Privacy Policy Thanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here. An error occured.

The Ultimate Guide to MCP Servers — Finally, a Way to Supercharge Your AI 0 like May 18, 2025 Share this post Last Updated on May 18, 2025 by Editorial Team Author(s): Subhadip Saha Originally published on Towards AI. Most AI Setups Fall Short — Here’s the Bulletproof Server Strategy Top Devs Use to Stay Fast, Scalable, and Smart.Image generated with AI, for blog use only Picture this: you’re sitting at your desk, coffee in hand, trying to get your AI tool to do something useful. Maybe you want it to create a cool 3D model, automate a boring task, or even draw a diagram for your next big idea. But instead, it just… stalls. It’s like your AI is stuck in a box, unable to reach out and grab the tools it needs. Sound familiar? I’ve been there, and let me tell you, it’s frustrating. Hi, I’m Subh, and not too long ago, I was wrestling with this exact problem. I was working on a side project — a little app that needed some fancy visuals. I thought, “Hey, my AI can handle this!” But every time I asked it to do something outside its usual tricks, like pulling data from the web or controlling Blender, it just gave me blank stares (or, you know, blank text). I felt like I was shouting into a void. That’s when I stumbled across something called MCP servers, and let me tell you, it was like finding the key to a locked door. In this blog, I’m going to take you on a… Read the full blog for free on Medium. Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming a sponsor. Published via Towards AI Towards AI - Medium Share this post

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Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More At the height of the dot-com boom, adding “.com” to a company’s name was enough to send its stock price soaring — even if the business had no real customers, revenue or path to profitability. Today, history is repeating itself. Swap “.com” for “AI,” and the story sounds eerily familiar. Companies are racing to sprinkle “AI” into their pitch decks, product descriptions and domain names, hoping to ride the hype. As reported by Domain Name Stat, registrations for “.ai” domains surged about 77.1% year-over-year in 2024, driven by startups and incumbents alike rushing to associate themselves with artificial intelligence — whether they have a true AI advantage or not. The late 1990s made one thing clear: Using breakthrough technology isn’t enough. The companies that survived the dot-com crash weren’t chasing hype — they were solving real problems and scaling with purpose. AI is no different. It will reshape industries, but the winners won’t be those slapping “AI” on a landing page — they’ll be the ones cutting through the hype and focusing on what matters. The first steps? Start small, find your wedge and scale deliberately. Start small: Find your wedge before you scale One of the most costly mistakes of the dot-com era was trying to go big too soon — a lesson AI product builders today can’t afford to ignore. Take eBay, for example. It began as a simple online auction site for collectibles — starting with something as niche as Pez dispensers. Early users loved it because it solved a very specific problem: It connected hobbyists who couldn’t find each other offline. Only after dominating that initial vertical did eBay expand into broader categories like electronics, fashion and, eventually, almost anything you can buy today. Compare that to Webvan, another dot-com era startup with a much different strategy. Webvan aimed to revolutionize grocery shopping with online ordering and rapid home delivery — all at once, in multiple cities. It spent hundreds of millions of dollars building massive warehouses and complex delivery fleets before it had strong customer demand. When growth didn’t materialize fast enough, the company collapsed under its own weight. The pattern is clear: Start with a sharp, specific user need. Focus on a narrow wedge you can dominate. Expand only when you have proof of strong demand. For AI product builders, this means resisting the urge to build an “AI that does everything.” Take, for example, a generative AI tool for data analysis. Are you targeting product managers, designers or data scientists? Are you building for people who don’t know SQL, those with limited experience or seasoned analysts? Each of those users has very different needs, workflows and expectations. Starting with a narrow, well-defined cohort — like technical project managers (PMs) with limited SQL experience who need quick insights to guide product decisions — allows you to deeply understand your user, fine-tune the experience and build something truly indispensable. From there, you can expand intentionally to adjacent personas or capabilities. In the race to build lasting gen AI products, the winners won’t be the ones who try to serve everyone at once — they’ll be the ones who start small, and serve someone incredibly well. Own your data moat: Build compounding defensibility early Starting small helps you find product-market fit. But once you gain traction, your next priority is to build defensibility — and in the world of gen AI, that means owning your data. The companies that survived the dot-com boom didn’t just capture users — they captured proprietary data. Amazon, for example, didn’t stop at selling books. They tracked purchases and product views to improve recommendations, then used regional ordering data to optimize fulfillment. By analyzing buying patterns across cities and zip codes, they predicted demand, stocked warehouses smarter and streamlined shipping routes — laying the foundation for Prime’s two-day delivery, a key advantage competitors couldn’t match. None of it would have been possible without a data strategy baked into the product from day one. Google followed a similar path. Every query, click and correction became training data to improve search results — and later, ads. They didn’t just build a search engine; they built a real-time feedback loop that constantly learned from users, creating a moat that made their results and targeting harder to beat. The lesson for gen AI product builders is clear: Long-term advantage won’t come from simply having access to a powerful model — it will come from building proprietary data loops that improve their product over time. Today, anyone with enough resources can fine-tune an open-source large language model (LLM) or pay to access an API. What’s much harder — and far more valuable — is gathering high-signal, real-world user interaction data that compounds over time. If you’re building a gen AI product, you need to ask critical questions early: What unique data will we capture as users interact with us? How can we design feedback loops that continuously refine the product? Is there domain-specific data we can collect (ethically and securely) that competitors won’t have? Take Duolingo, for example. With GPT-4, they’ve gone beyond basic personalization. Features like “Explain My Answer” and AI role-play create richer user interactions — capturing not just answers, but how learners think and converse. Duolingo combines this data with their own AI to refine the experience, creating an advantage competitors can’t easily match. In the gen AI era, data should be your compounding advantage. Companies that design their products to capture and learn from proprietary data will be the ones that survive and lead. Conclusion: It’s a marathon, not a sprint The dot-com era showed us that hype fades fast, but fundamentals endure. The gen AI boom is no different. The companies that thrive won’t be the ones chasing headlines — they’ll be the ones solving real problems, scaling with discipline and building real moats. The future of AI will belong to builders who understand that it’s a marathon — and have the grit to run it. Kailiang Fu is an AI product manager at Uber. Daily insights on business use cases with VB Daily If you want to impress your boss, VB Daily has you covered. We give you the inside scoop on what companies are doing with generative AI, from regulatory shifts to practical deployments, so you can share insights for maximum ROI. Read our Privacy Policy Thanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here. An error occured.

By AJ Dellinger Published May 18, 2025 | Comments (0) | A pile of gold coins with different cryptocurrency symbols on them. © Chesnot/Getty Images Cryptocurrency is one of the leading drivers of cybercrime, but a new report from the Wall Street Journal indicates it is increasingly becoming the target of crime in the real world, too. As more whales and major holders of cryptocurrencies shift their assets to cold wallets that can’t be accessed online, they are becoming targets or real-life thefts, abductions, and robberies. According to the Journal, there have been dozens of “wrench attacks”—or assaults that use simple tools to inflict pain and coerce victims—reported to governments around the world in the past year that saw victims targeted for their cryptocurrency holdings, including at least five in France alone in the last several months. A few high-profile examples of attempted real-life robberies have grabbed headlines, perhaps most notably when popular Twitch streamer Amouranth was the target of a break-in at her Houston home this March. Three people entered her complex and demanded that she hand over her cryptocurrency holdings. They stole her laptop before being chased off by the streamer’s husband, which was ultimately recovered and the attackers never gained access to her digital currency. That case turned out to be a trio of teens responsible, but the Journal reports that there are indications that organized crime rings may be involved in some of the thefts. Last year, a 24-year-old Florida man named Remy St. Felix was sentenced to 47 years in jail for serving as the leader of a crime ring that carried out multiple home invasions that targeted cryptocurrency holders. The group was able to steal a total of $3.5 million in cryptocurrency by binding victims, holding them at gunpoint, and demanding they transfer their holdings. As for how these attackers pick their victims, there are a variety of factors but it often starts with their online profile. People who flaunt their wealth are often targeted. A series of hacks of popular cryptocurrency trading platforms including Coinbase and Ledger have made information about potential cryptocurrency holders available to attackers, as well. In the case of Ledger, names, email, and postal addresses from the company’s marketing database were posted online and exposed more than 270,000 people. The CEO of Ledger, David Balland, was also a victim of one of these physical attacks—a brutal abduction that saw him and his wife kidnapped and held for nearly two days while their captors demanded a crypto ransom be paid to them. The attackers cut off one of Balland’s fingers and sent pictures of it to his fellow executives at Ledge to pressure them to transfer the payment. The two were ultimately let go after multiple payments were made. According to WSJ, the attack, along with a series of others in France that have targeted cryptocurrency executives, led to French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau meeting with the industry to discuss security measures for the sector. Daily Newsletter You May Also Like By Matt Novak Published May 12, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published May 10, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published May 8, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published May 6, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published April 29, 2025 Jake Pearson, ProPublica Published April 29, 2025

Husband and wife duo Erez Druk and Gabi Meckler are helping each other build Freed, a note-taking program for doctors. Bonfire Partners 2025-05-18T17:53:05Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Erez Druk launched Freed AI for his wife, Dr. Gabi Meckler, who spent hours writing clinical notes. The couple collaborates closely on Freed AI, integrating clinician feedback to refine it. They shared their founding story, which, they said, is a love letter to each other. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation between Erez Druk, the founder of Freed AI, an AI assistant for clinicians, and his wife, Dr. Gabi Meckler, a family physician. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.Gabi MecklerWhen I was in residency, I really began to feel the weight of notes.I would stay in the hospital until midnight, writing notes. You'd come home and still have notes to do. They were constant — a fact of life. Some people suffer. Some even quit.One day, my husband, Erez, asked me what would make my life easier. I jokingly said, "Can you just write my notes for me?"Erez took the idea seriously. He started building something.Erez DrukI built a simple proof of concept using GPT, a customizable version of ChatGPT, over the course of a few hours. It was a bare bones version of Freed that allowed for patient instructions, which are what clinicians send to patients post-visit, and subjective notes, which clinicians use to document patients' experience of their condition.I showed it to Gabi. She said "interesting," but told me it still needed a few improvements. It would break at times, it didn't know the names of several medications, and wasn't attuned to different specialities.I knew I needed another data point beyond my wife, so I solicited the opinion of our friend, another clinician. She came over for dinner, I showed her the product, and her response was very different — one of immediate excitement. She texted the next day asking to use it.I knew we were on to something.We moved fast from there. It took some work to make it HIPAA compliant. I wanted to get a beta version out quickly. We got some clinicians to test it. We asked them for feedback constantly. Building Freed isn't just about vision or strategy — it's about listening to users and iterating based on what they need.MecklerWhen I started working at a clinic, after residency, I began using Freed every day. I could finally finish my notes before leaving the office. One time, I forgot to send a referral for a patient, but Freed reminded me. That moment made me realize how much Freed was helping, not just with time, but with the details that I might have missed otherwise.Other doctors at the clinic noticed, too. They'd come to me and say, "Your husband? He saved me hours of work." That was rewarding.One thing I love is that Erez takes my input seriously. He really understands the nuances that matter to clinicians, and the team is learning too.DruzGabi holds a weekly office hour with the product managers and designers where they share their work with her. She offers her perspective on what's useful and what isn't.It's surprising — or maybe not — that even after spending a lot of time with clinicians, there's always more to learn. We can never truly be in their shoes, there's a constant depth and nuance to uncover. That's why this setup is so valuable: It helps us get closer to understanding how they think and what's genuinely useful to them.MecklerFreed, as the name suggests, is all about freedom. Our goal wasn't to tell clinicians how to use their time — we simply wanted to give it back to them.That mindset really influences our marketing. We're very intentional about not telling clinicians what they should do — they know better than anyone else. We don't tell clinicians to be heroes or push messages like maintain "eye contact" or "spend more time with patients." You probably already make enough eye contact. And if you want to Netflix and chill, great.We're not here to tell people how to be better doctors.DruzManaging the relationship between husband and wife, founder and consumer, innovator and advisor — isn't always easy. It's definitely annoying sometimes to get feedback that is correct.MecklerI think we do it well, though, I don't know how we do it.I try to be specific about feedback. Like, this is something you absolutely have to change before moving forward, versus this would be nice, or it's a bit iffy.I told Erez that we needed to incorporate patient instructions. They include a summary of the visit and clear instructions based on the action plan created during the appointment. The goal is to make them easy for patients to read, understand, and follow. It's now one of the most loved features of Freed.We're building a document analyzer now at the request of users. It will take any clinical document and give the clinician a summary. Users can also ask questions, and it will provide short responses with references from the document.This whole time, since we launched in January 2023, Erez has been learning about medicine, and I've been learning about startups. So, I know he has to move fast. That's why I focus only on the most important things, and I push really hard when it matters.I've loved being involved as part of our relationship.MecklerWork is really my second obsession after Gabi — and I'm obsessed with work. So the fact that we can talk about everything, and she knows the people in the team, and what we're working on, is really fun.We created Freed together. It's a love letter from us, our team, to all the clinicians out there. Recommended video

Latest   Machine Learning Beyond the Prompt: What Google’s LLM Advice Doesn’t Quite Tell You 0 like May 18, 2025 Share this post Author(s): Mayank Bohra Originally published on Towards AI. Image by the author Alright, let’s talk about prompt engineering. Every other week, it seems there is a new set of secrets or magical techniques guaranteed to unlock AI perfection. Recently, a whitepaper from Google made the rounds, outlining their take on getting better results from Large Language Models. Look, effective prompting is absolutely necessary. It’s the interface layer, how we communicate our intent to these incredibly powerful, yet often frustrating opaque, models. Think of it like giving instructions to a brilliant but slightly eccentric junior engineer who only understands natural language. You need to be clear, specific, and provide context. But let’s be pragmatic. The idea that a few prompt tweaks will magically “10x” your results for every task is marketing hype, not engineering reality. These models, for all their capabilities, are fundamentally pattern-matching machines operating within a probabilistic space. They don’t understand in the way a human does. Prompting is about nudging that pattern matching closer to the desired outcome. So, what did Google’s advice cover, and what’s the experience builder’s take on it? The techniques generally boil down to principles we’ve known for a while: clarity, structure, providing examples and iteration. The Fundamentals: Clarity, Structure, Context Much of the advice centers on making your intent unambiguous. This is ground zero for dealing with LLMs. They excel at finding patterns in vast amounts of data, but they stumble on vagueness. Being Specific and Detailed: This isn’t a secret; it’s just good communication. If you ask for “information about AI”, you’ll get something generic. If you ask for “a summary of recent advancements in Generative AI model architecture published in research papers since April 2025, focusing on MoE models”, you give the model a much better target. Defining Output Format: Models are flexible text generators. If you don’t specify structure (JSON, bullet points, a specific paragraph format), you’ll get whatever feels statistically probable based on the training data, which is often inconsistent. Telling the model “Respond in JSON format with keys ‘summary’ and ‘key_findings’” isn’t magic; it’s setting clear requirements. Providing Context: Models have limited context windows. Showing your entire codebase or all user documentation in won’t work. You need to curate teh relevant information. This principle is the entire foundation of Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), where you retrieve relevant chunks of data and then provide them as context to the prompt. Prompting alone without relevant external knowledge only leverage the model’s internal training data, which might be outdated or insufficient for domain-specific tasks. These points are foundational. They’re less about discovering hidden model behaviors and more about mitigating the inherent ambiguity of natural language and the model’s lack of true world understanding. Structuring the Conversation: Roles and Delimiters Assigning a role (“Act as an expert historian…”) or using delimiters (like “` or — -) are simple yet effective ways to guide the model’s behavior and separate instructions from input. Assigning a Role: This is a trick to prime the model to generate text consistent with a certain persona or knowledge domain it learned during training. It leverage the fact that the model has seen countless examples of different writing styles and knowledge expressions. It works, but it’s a heuristic, not a guarantee of factual accuracy or perfect adherence to the role. Using Delimiters: Essential for programmatic prompting. When you’re building an application that feeds user input into a prompt, you must use delimiters (e.g., triple backticks, XML tags) to clearly separated the user’s potentially malicious input from your system instructions. This is a critical security measure against prompt injection attacks, not just a formatting tip. Nudging the Model’s Reasoning: Few-shot and Step-by-Step Some techniques go beyond just structuring the input; they attempt to influence the model’s internal processing. Few-shot Prompts: Providing a few examples of input/output pairs (‘Input X → Output Y’, Input A → Output B, Input C→ ?’) if often far more effective than just describing the task. Why? Because the model learns the desired mapping from the examples. It’s pattern recognition again. This is powerful for teaching specific formats or interpreting nuanced instructions that hard to describe purely verbally. It’s basically in-context learning. Breaking Down Complex Tasks: Asking the model to think step-by-step (or implementing techniques like Chain-of-Thought or Tree-of-Thought prompting outside the model) encourages it to show intermediate steps. This often leads to more accurate final results, especially for reasoning-heavy tasks. Why? It mimics hwo humans solve problems and forces the model to allocate computational steps sequentially. It’s less about a secret instruction and more about guiding the model through a multi-step process rather than expecting it to leap to the answer in one go. The Engineering Angle: Testing and Iteration The advice also includes testing and iteration. Again, this isn’t unique to prompt engineering. It’s fundamental to all software development. Test and Iterate: You write a prompt, you test it with various inputs, you see where it fails or is suboptimal, you tweak the prompt, and you test again. This loop is the reality of building anything reliable with LLMs. It highlights that prompting is often empirical; you figure out what works by trying it. This is the opposite of a predictable, documented API. The Hard Truth: Where Prompt Engineering Hits a Wall Here’s where the pragmatic view really kicks in. Prompt engineering, while crucial, has significant limitations, especially for building robust, production-grade applications: Context Window Limits: There’s only so much information you can cram into a prompt. Long documents, complex histories, or large datasets are out. This is why RAG systems are essential — they manage and retrieve relevant context dynamically. Prompting alone doesn’t solve the knowledge bottleneck. Factual Accuracy and Hallucinations: No amount of prompting can guarantee a model won’t invent facts or confidently present misinformation. Prompting can sometimes mitigate this by, for examples, telling the model to stick only to the provided context (RAG), but it doesn’t fix the underlying issue that the model is a text predictor, not a truth engine. Model Bias and Undesired Behavior: Prompts can influence output, but they can’t easily override biases embedded in the training data or prevent the model from generating harmful or inappropriate content in unexpected ways. Guardrails need to be implemented *outside* the prompt layer. Complexity Ceiling: For truly complex, multi-step processes requiring external tool use, decision making, and dynamic state, pure prompting breaks down. This is the domain of AI agents, which use LLMs as the controller but rely on external memory, planning modules, and tool interaction to achieve goals. Prompting is just one part of the agent’s loop. Maintainability: Try managing dozens or hundreds of complex, multi-line prompts across different features in a large application. Versioning them? Testing changes? This quickly becomes an engineering nightmare. Prompts are code, but often undocumented, untestable code living in strings. Prompt Injection: As mentioned with delimiters, allowing external input (from users, databases, APIs) into a prompt opens the door to prompt injection attacks, where malicious input hijacks the model’s instructions. Robust applications need sanitization and architectural safeguards beyond just a delimiter trick. What no one tells you in the prompt “secrets” articles is that the difficulty scales non-linearly with the reliability and complexity required. Getting a cool demo output with a clever prompt is one thing. Building a feature that consistently works for thousands of users on diverse inputs while being secure and maintainable? That’s a whole different ballgame. The Real “Secret”? It’s Just Good Engineering. If there’s any “secret” to building effective applications with LLMs, it’s not a prompt string. It’s integrating the model into a well-architected system. This involves: Data Pipelines: Getting the right data to the model (for RAG, fine-tuning, etc.). Orchestration Frameworks: Using tools like LangChain, LlamaIndex, or building custom workflows to sequence model calls, tool use, and data retrieval. Evaluation: Developing robust methods to quantitatively measure the quality of LLM output beyond just eyeballing it. This is hard. Guardrails: Implementing safety checks, moderation, and input validation *outside* the LLM call itself. Fallback Mechanisms: What happens when the model gives a bad answer or fails? Your application needs graceful degradation. Version Control and Testing: Treating prompts and the surrounding logic with the same rigor as any other production code. Prompt engineering is a critical *skill*, part of the overall toolkit. It’s like knowing how to write effective SQL queries. Essential for database interaction, but it doesn’t mean you can build a scalable web application with just SQL. You need application code, infrastructure, frontend, etc. Wrapping Up So, Google’s whitepaper and similar resources offer valuable best practices for interacting with LLMs. They formalize common-sense approaches to communication and leverage observed model behaviors like few-shot learning and step-by-step processing. If you’re just starting out, or using LLMs for simple tasks, mastering these techniques will absolutely improve your results. But if you’re a developer, an AI practitioner, or a technical founder looking to build robust, reliable applications powered by LLMs, understand this: prompt engineering is table stakes. It’s necessary, but far from sufficient. The real challenge, the actual “secrets” if you want to call them that, lie in the surrounding engineering — the data management, the orchestration, the evaluation, the guardrails, and the sheer hard work of building a system that accounts for the LLM’s inherent unpredictability and limitations. Don’t get fixated on finding the perfect prompt string. Focus on building a resilient system around it. That’s where the real progress happens. Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming a sponsor. Published via Towards AI Towards AI - Medium Share this post

Credit: Lauren Leigh Bacho/NBAE via Getty Images TL;DR: Live stream Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets (Game 7) in the 2025 NBA playoffs for free on Ran.de. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.The 2025 NBA playoffs are continuing to deliver an abundance of drama, and it really doesn't get much more dramatic than an all-or-nothing battle between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets. Can the Thunder overcome an inspired Nikola Jokić to progress to the West finals? You can watch all the action without spending anything.If you want to watch Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets (Game 7) in the 2025 NBA playoffs for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need. You May Also Like When is Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets (Game 7)?Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets (Game 7) starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on May 18. This game takes place at the Paycom Center.How to watch Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets (Game 7) for freeOklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets (Game 7) in the 2025 NBA playoffs is available to live stream for free on Ran.de. Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up! Ran.de is geo-restricted to Germany, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Germany, meaning you can access this free streaming service from anywhere in the world.Stream the NBA for free by following these simple steps:Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)Open up the app and connect to a server in GermanyConnect to Ran.deWatch Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets (Game 7) for free Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (2-Year Subscription + 4 Months Free) $139 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select games from the NBA playoffs before recovering your investment.What is the best VPN for the NBA?ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams on platforms like Ran.de, for a number of reasons:Servers in 105 countries including GermanyEasy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and moreStrict no-logging policy so your data is secureFast connection speeds free from throttlingUp to eight simultaneous connections30-day money-back guaranteeA two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.Live stream Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets (Game 7) for free with ExpressVPN. Joseph Green Global Shopping Editor Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen.

Published May 18, 2025 10:00am EDT close Google's AI unleashes new powerful scam-busting features for Android The CyberGuy explains steps you can take to protect yourself from scams. Once considered an old-fashioned crime, check washing has roared back to life with alarming sophistication. Criminals are not just targeting personal checks anymore. They  are exploiting every vulnerability in the mailing and banking system to cash in on stolen funds. As check fraud incidents continue to rise sharply across the country, it is more important than ever to understand how check washing works and what you can do to protect yourself. Here is what you need to know to stay ahead of the scammers.JOIN THE FREE CYBERGUY REPORT: GET MY EXPERT TECH TIPS, CRITICAL SECURITY ALERTS, AND EXCLUSIVE DEALS — PLUS INSTANT ACCESS TO MY FREE ULTIMATE SCAM SURVIVAL GUIDE WHEN YOU SIGN UP! A pen placed on top of a blank check  (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)What is check washing fraud?Check washing fraud happens when a scammer steals a check you have written, erases the ink using chemicals like acetone or nail polish remover, and rewrites it to a new recipient. Often, they will change the amount to something much higher. The altered check is then deposited or cashed, and the funds are drained from your account before you even realize something is wrong.Why it's dangerous:Check washing does not require much technical skill.It can happen with checks you leave in your outgoing mail.Even mailed bill payments are vulnerable if not handled securely.FBI WARNS OF SCAM TARGETING VICTIMS WITH FAKE HOSPITALS AND POLICEUnlike digital fraud, check washing often goes unnoticed until long after the damage is done. Because checks can take days or even weeks to clear through the banking system, criminals have plenty of time to deposit altered checks and move funds before victims realize anything is wrong. By the time the missing money is discovered, tracing it back to the scammer can be extremely difficult. This delay makes it critical to monitor your accounts closely and act quickly if you spot any suspicious activity. Illustration of check fraud in progress  (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)How check washing has gotten worseSince 2023, check fraud has exploded in the United States.Financial institutions filed 665,000 suspicious activity reports (SARs) related to check fraud in 2023, which is a 134% increase compared to 2020.A 2024 Federal Reserve survey showed that check fraud now accounts for 30% of all fraud losses, second only to debit card fraud.Between February 2023 and August 2023 alone, Americans lost over $688 million to mail theft-related check fraud.The surge in fraud reports reflects more than just isolated criminal acts. Organized crime rings are increasingly turning to check washing as a hybrid crime, blending old-school mail theft with new digital tools like AI. Fraudsters now use advanced technologies to forge identities, alter check images and exploit gaps in banking security, making check washing more sophisticated than ever. As financial institutions strengthen cybersecurity defenses, scammers are targeting physical mail systems as a weaker link to bypass digital barriers.Real examples:Six people were charged with attempting to steal $80 million through fraudulent checks tied to COVID-19 relief funds.In Florida, a former mail carrier pleaded guilty to attempting to sell USPS arrow keys and stolen checks totaling nearly $550,000 to an undercover agent, leading to his arrest and confession.sNew tricks criminals are usingFraudsters have adapted their methods to stay ahead of law enforcement and banks.Mobile deposit fraud: Criminals alter check images or deposit the same check into multiple accounts.Synthetic identity fraud: Scammers create fake identities using AI-generated documents to open accounts and cash stolen checks.Business Email Compromise (BEC): Attackers impersonate executives or vendors to convince companies to send checks to fraudulent accounts.Criminals are combining old techniques like mail theft with new digital strategies, making check washing harder to recognize and prevent without proactive security measures. Recent advancements in AI technology have made it easier for scammers to forge realistic-looking documents, generate convincing fake identities and create sophisticated phishing emails. AI-generated fake IDs and altered check images can pass basic verification checks that would have caught manual forgeries in the past. This shift means check fraud is no longer just a matter of stealing a physical check, but exploiting digital vulnerabilities at every stage of the banking process. A person going over a bank statement (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)How to protect yourself from check washing fraudHere are 14 essential protective measures to shield yourself from check washing scams.1. Use a black gel pen: When writing checks, always use a black gel pen. The ink is much harder to remove compared to regular ballpoint pen ink.2. Bring checks directly to the post office when mailing them: If using a mailbox, make sure to drop off your mail before the final scheduled pickup so it is not left sitting overnight.3. Sign up for USPS Informed Delivery: Stay ahead by signing up for USPS Informed Delivery. You will receive digital previews of incoming mail so you can monitor for any missing items early. Learn more about why it's important here.4. Monitor your bank accounts: Set up real-time alerts for check clearing and review your statements weekly to catch any suspicious activity. Also, ask your bank about any other fraud-prevention tools they offer to protect your accounts.5. Switch to digital payments when possible: Use your bank’s mobile app to deposit checks without mailing or physically delivering them, reducing the risk of theft or tampering.6. Use checks with built-in security features: Choose checks printed on paper with watermarks, chemical-sensitive coatings or other security features that make check washing much harder.7. Limit the information on checks: Avoid unnecessary personal details. Do not print your Social Security number, driver’s license number or phone number on your checks. The less information available, the less a fraudster can use.HOW CYBERSCAMS ARE DRAINING AMERICANS WALLETS BY THE BILLIONS8. Store checks securely: Keep blank checks in a safe place. Store your checkbook in a locked drawer or safe, not in your purse, car or an easily accessible location at home.9. Check your mailbox security: Install a locking mailbox. If possible, use a mailbox with a lock to prevent thieves from stealing outgoing or incoming mail.10. Be cautious with endorsements: When endorsing checks, write "For Deposit Only" along with your account number to prevent others from cashing the check.11. Enroll in identity theft protection with check fraud specialization: Choose services that specifically monitor for compromised check details on dark web marketplaces and alert you to suspicious check-cashing patterns. Identity theft protection services monitor your personal data across the dark web and public databases, alert you to suspicious activity and assist you in locking down your accounts if needed. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft.12. Invest in personal data removal services: Minimize exposure of sensitive details (like addresses or banking affiliations) that fraudsters could exploit for check-washing scams. Removing your personal information from these sites can help reduce your risk of becoming a victim. While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap and neither is your privacy.  These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you. Check out my top picks for data removal services here. 13. Shred sensitive documents: Shred old checks and bank statements. Don’t just throw them away. Shred any documents with sensitive banking information.14. Report suspicious activity immediately: If you suspect check fraud or missing mail, report it to your bank and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service right away.15. Use Positive Pay if you are a business: Positive Pay is a fraud prevention service offered by most banks to business customers. It works by matching the checks you issue with the ones presented for payment. If something doesn’t add up, like a changed amount or payee, the bank flags it for your review before it’s processed. You usually need to sign up through your bank, and there might be a fee, but it’s a smart way to protect your business from check fraud, especially if you write a lot of checks.What to do if you are a victimIf you think you have been targeted by check fraud:Report it to your bank immediately and freeze your account if necessary.Contact the USPS Postal Inspection Service to report stolen mail.File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or at IdentityTheft.gov.Time matters. The faster you act, the better your chances of recovering lost funds.Kurt’s key takeawaysCheck washing fraud is growing rapidly, and criminals are becoming more organized and sophisticated. Simple habits like using gel pens, securing your mail and monitoring your financial accounts closely can make a big difference. Services like USPS Informed Delivery, Positive Pay for businesses and personal data removal tools provide added layers of protection. Identity theft protection services can also offer critical support if you ever become a victim of check fraud.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPHave you or someone you know experienced check fraud? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/ContactFor more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/NewsletterAsk Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to coverFollow Kurt on his social channelsAnswers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com.  All rights reserved.   Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide Dead By Daylight has seen the return of 2v8 mode. This is the latest installment of the LTM, and it has added The Oni as a killer, along with Ghost Face. While BeHaviour has not added any new Dead By Daylight May 2025 codes as of writing, DBD players can get a total of 700K Bloodpoints thanks to the daily login rewards calendar. Dead By Daylight May 2025 codes Instead of any new codes for Dead By Daylight in May 2025, BeHaviour is giving players the opportunity to get a total of 700K Bloodpoints through the return of 2v8 mode. This event lasts from May 15th until the 29th, and the daily login rewards are as follows:  May 15th – 50K BP May 16th – 50K BP May 17th – 50K BP May 18th – 50K BP May 19th – 50K BP May 20th – 50K BP May 21st – 50K BP May 22nd – 50K BP May 23rd – 50K BP May 24th – 50K BP May 25th – 50K BP May 26th – 50K BP May 27th – 50K BP May 28th – 50K BP The amount of Bloodpoints available to get total 700K. In order to get them all, you must log into DBD on the corresponding day at 8AM PT/11AM ET/4PM BST and before the same times the next day. Image credit: BeHaviour Interactive How to redeem DBD codes All you need to do to redeem Dead By Daylight codes for May 2025 is follow the below steps: Start DBD Open the in-game store Select Redeem Code in the top right corner Enter the key Click Redeem You will receive the code’s corresponding rewards provided it has not expired. Evergreen DBD codes Below are evergreen DBD codes available to redeem if you haven’t already: BLOODPINT: 500,000 Bloodpoints DROPDA: Rewards for Switch only DROPWE: Rewards for Switch only REDDIT1MIL: 8-Bit Crow Badge PARTYHATS24: 5th and 4th Anniversary Crowns LETSROLL: Dwight Charm WARRIORPUPPERS: Warrior Puppers Charm CAWCAW: Feathers of Pride charm FLAGL: Lesbian / WLW Flag Charm MFLAG: Men Loving Men Flag Charm FLAGP: Pansexual Pride Flag Charm FLAGB: Bisexual Pride Flag Charm ISFLAG: Intersex Pride Flag Charm FLAGT: Trans Pride Flag Charm AFLAGG: Agender Pride Flag Charm GFLAGF: Genderfluid Pride Flag Charm NBFLAG: Nonbinary Pride Flag Charm GFLAGQ: Genderqueer Pride Flag Charm AFLAGS: Asexual Pride Flag Charm POLYFLAG: Polyamory Pride Flag Charm DEMISFLAG: Demisexual Pride Flag Charm AROMFLAG: Aromantic Pride Flag Charm TWOSFLAG: Two-Spirit Pride Flag Charm KINDRD: Glance of Pride Charm BDGPRIDE: Rainbow Flag Badge BDGPRG: Progress Flag Badge BDGL: Lesbian Pride Flag Badge BDGM: MLM Pride Flag Badge BDGB: Bisexual Pride Flag Badge BDGP: Pansexual Pride Flag Badge BDGT: Trans Pride Flag Badge BDGGQ: Genderqueer Pride Flag Badge BDGGF: Gender-fluid Pride Flag Badge BDGNB: Nonbinary Pride Flag Badge BDGIS: Intersex Pride Flag Badge BDGAG: Agender Pride Flag Badge BDG2S: Two-Spirit Pride Flag Badge BDGPA: Polyamory Pride Flag Badge BDGAS: Asexual Pride Flag Badge BDGAR: Aromantic Pride Flag Badge BDGDM: Demisexual Pride Flag Badge PRIDE: Rainbow Flag charm PRIDE2022: Progress Pride Flag charm For more Dead By Daylight content, check out our ranking of the top 10 DLC expansions to buy along with a ranking of the best killer perks and best survivor perks. Dead by Daylight Platform(s): Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X Genre(s): Action, Survival Horror 7 VideoGamer Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share