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| Welcome to the latest Tech newsletter! Here are today's top stories: - Apple released a critical update to protect iPhones from spyware.
- Nintendo has officially demoed the Switch 2.
- ChatGPT traffic fell in August but is stabilizing.
If you find this newsletter useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues. Thank you! Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Apple released an emergency software update for iPhones and iPads to fix a zero-day vulnerability that could allow hackers to take over the devices' functions. Apple released iOS 16.6.1 in response to the vulnerability discovered by the spyware research group Citizen Lab. More: - Citizen Lab discovered the previously unknown vulnerability when it found Pegasus spyware on the Apple device of an undisclosed employee working at a Washington, D.C.-based civil society organization.
- Pegasus has allowed users to send iMessage attachments with hidden code to victims, enabling the spyware to take over the device's functions "without any interaction from the victim."
- Citizen Lab advises all Apple users to update their devices and recommends Apple's "Lockdown Mode" for those at higher cyberattack risk.
Zoom out: - Developed by Israel's NSO Group, Pegasus spyware has been employed by foreign governments to spy on activists, dissidents, and journalists.
- In 2021, the U.S. government blacklisted NSO over the spyware and alleged surveillance.
- Thursday's update also fixes an issue with Apple Wallet, where users store card information.
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| 2 | | Nintendo has showcased the rumored Switch 2 in a private demonstration at Gamescom. Nintendo is expected to launch the next-gen console in the latter half of 2024, and development kits are already in the hands of partner studios. More: - The Nintendo Switch 2 may feature a bigger hard drive, keep the LCD screen, support physical cartridges, and potentially offer backward compatibility.
- Eurogamer and VGC reported on this event, with Eurogamer viewing an upgraded version of "Zelda: Breath of the Wild" designed for the new console, with a higher frame rate and resolution.
- VGC added that Nintendo displayed Epic Games' "The Matrix Awakens" Unreal Engine 5 tech demo, featuring Nvidia's DLSS upscaling technology and ray tracing.
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| 3 | OpenAI's ChatGPT saw its website traffic decline for the third straight month in August, although there are signs of stabilization, according to Similarweb data. 
What the numbers show: Global website visits to the chatbot site fell by 3.2% to 1.43 billion in August, with declining average time spent on the site. However, unique visitors in August increased slightly. In the U.S., August saw a slight increase in website visits. What it means: The return of schools in September, especially in the U.S., is likely reviving ChatGPT's traffic as younger users seeking homework help are returning to the platform. During the summer, student use declined, especially among college-aged users. OpenAI also launched the ChatGPT iOS app in May, potentially diverting some website traffic. The bigger picture: Despite traffic fluctuations, ChatGPT is now one of the top 30 websites globally. Q: Do you believe there is still room for ChatGPT's popularity to grow, or do you think it has already reached its peak? Join the conversation here. | | | |
| 4 | | As part of a new agreement, Tesla will provide up to 20,000 universal EV chargers at 2,000 Hilton hotels in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. The installation will begin in early 2024. Once completed, it's expected to be the largest EV charging network for a hospitality company. More: - While Hilton previously partnered with Tesla for level 2 chargers, the new deal involves Tesla's more versatile Universal Wall Connector, compatible with most current EV brands.
- Each hotel will feature a minimum of six Universal Wall Connector chargers for guests, amounting to a total hardware cost of $11.9M.
- Currently, around 1,148 Hilton hotels in the U.S. offer EV charging.
Zoom out: - The wall connector, a dock-like adapter for Teslas and other EVs, can add up to 44 miles of range per hour.
- It's being sold by Tesla for $595, with orders set to ship in October.
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| 5 | | Apple has endorsed a California bill requiring large companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions annually. Senate Bill 253, co-introduced by State Senator Scott Wiener, would compel California-based companies with annual revenue exceeding $1B to disclose independently verified emission data. More: - The bill would require businesses to publicly report their Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions starting in 2026, followed by Scope 3 emissions in 2027.
- Scope 1 emissions come from a company's own sources, while Scope 2 emissions come indirectly from buying electricity and other services.
- Scope 3 emissions, the most difficult to track, arise from a company's supply or value chain.
Zoom out: - Apple supports the inclusion of "Scope 3" emissions in the corporate climate disclosures, according to a letter sent to Wiener from Mike Foulkes, Apple's director of state and local government affairs.
- "While these emissions can be challenging to measure, they are essential to understanding the full range of a company's climate impacts," Foulkes wrote
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| 6 | | A survey of U.S. AI experts showed many favor creating a federal "Department of AI" for AI regulation over other options like Congress or the private sector. The Axios-Generation Lab-Syracuse University AI Experts Survey surveyed 213 computer science and engineering professors from leading U.S. research universities. More: - Most experts support a "Department of AI" federal agency (37%) or global organization (22%) to regulate AI, as opposed to Congress (16%), the White House (4%), or the private sector (3%).
- While opinions vary on who should oversee AI rules, most of the experts agree it should be regulated.
- A majority of respondents (58%) didn't trust the world's top political and business leaders to deliver AI with positive impacts.
- President Biden led with 9% support from experts, narrowly ahead of Google's Sundar Pichai, Tesla's Elon Musk, and OpenAI's Sam Altman.
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- Google shared video teasers of its upcoming Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones, which are set to be unveiled at its Oct. 4 hardware launch event. The videos show the relatively small display size of the standard Pixel 8 compared to the 8 Pro.
- Suspected Chinese government-linked influence campaigns are increasingly using AI-generated images to target U.S. political candidates and impersonate voters, according to Microsoft.
- Google will allow NFT game ads on its platforms starting on Sept. 15, excluding gambling-related content.
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Term of the Day Data mining: Data mining refers to the process of sorting through and analyzing large quantities of raw data. Question of the Week Do you share details about your salary with your coworkers? Join the conversation |
INSIDE TECH LEADERBOARD (7 DAYS) |
 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is the curator and writer of the AI and Tech newsletters at Inside. With a career in journalism and editing that began in 2007, she has written for publications including USA Today, The Arizona Republic, Arizona Business Gazette, and more. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia | |
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