Technology

Today’s businesses are drowning in data from IT systems, applications and digital platforms. It’s a situation that’s been accelerated by the post-pandemic pivot towards home working and the popularity of AI, which has seen the volume of global data rise from 2 zettabytes in 2010 to a forecasted 394 zettabytes by 2028.

Managing this flood is overwhelming for IT teams, whose current approaches to data management simply can’t keep up with the exponential growth in scale and complexity. Without a digital life raft, they’re at risk of an information overload that could obscure data analysis, delay decision-making and impede commercial growth.

Enter AIOps, which can help businesses manage vast amounts of data by surfacing the most critical issues in real-time – allowing IT teams to address problems faster and allocate resources where they’re needed most. Ultimately, this technology converts having an excess of data into a significant competitive edge.

Why traditional methods fall short

It’s likely that the businesses struggling to cope with the complex demands of modern IT environments are those still relying on legacy software, siloed data sources and rigid monitoring tools. The problem is, these traditional approaches typically require manual input, which is time-consuming and prone to error.

By design, they also fail to provide a holistic view of the IT ecosystem – a lack of transparency that makes it difficult to identify patterns or predict potential issues in a world where data is everywhere. What’s left is an overreliance on under-resourced IT teams that are tasked with locating, protecting and utilizing a completely unmanageable amount of information.

Updating or replacing these existing solutions involves considerable time and money. However, persisting with inefficient and outdated systems will likely incur ‘tech debt’ – the financial burden of constantly needing to update aspects of a digital estate to meet the demands of new projects. Essentially, neglecting digital transformation will result in repetitive and costly business expenses moving forward. Therefore, businesses need a more proactive solution.

Achieving clarity with AIOps

AIOps has the power to transform organizational IT management thanks to the way it harnesses machine learning and advanced analytics.

By allowing these platforms to oversee their data, organizations can effortlessly deal with the technical disruptions that would otherwise be buried within increasingly complex digital estates.

AIOps doesn’t just react to issues; it predicts them too. By analyzing real-time and historical data, it detects patterns that signal future interruptions, allowing teams to act before problems impact users. Automating repetitive tasks frees IT professionals for strategic initiatives while streamlining processes and optimizing budgets, and platforms offering AIOps for observability provide a single window into IT ecosystems – reducing blind spots and generating insights that protect performance across applications.

AIOps enables organizations to cut through the chaos, offering a comprehensive view of digital operations and helping them focus on the information that truly matters to them.

The increasingly vital role of data stores

For businesses to integrate technology that helps them comprehensively monitor the behavior of IT systems, their information needs to be easily accessible – which is exactly why data stores are another key part of the AIOps equation.

Imagine that an organization's IT infrastructure is like an office block. Just like every office space would store its own paperwork, each department in this virtual building contains different stacks of unique data. If an IT team was told to examine every bit of this information, they’d have to carefully search every siloed location to find it.

Having a data store is like putting all those siloed datasets into a ​​virtual warehouse, within which an organization's information is immediately more accessible, analyzable and trackable. A digital asset of this nature can be the difference between a failed and a successful AI strategy.

However, an inability to build a repository large enough is often a major stumbling block for many businesses, particularly as datasets become more immense than ever before. ​​With the help of pre-built infrastructures, IT teams needn’t worry about finding more capacity. Instead, they can reap the scalable, secure and accessible rewards of having a unified data ecosystem.

Why a successful AIOps strategy matters

In today’s digital economy, data isn’t just an operational byproduct. Rather, it’s a strategic asset that can support businesses to outpace their competitors by identifying trends faster, providing superior customer experiences and innovating at a higher level than the rest.

By automating the handling of data streams and consolidating disparate systems, AIOps can turn organizations into agile, data-driven enterprises. Indeed, decision-makers across all industries believe in its potential, with a recent survey revealing that 91% of businesses agree that AI provides a competitive advantage.

Take customer service as an example. A public-facing business that integrates AIOps – like a retailer, bank or airline – can swiftly resolve any data bottlenecks that would usually cause website downtime or slower transactions. Customer retention levels rise as the brand establishes itself as a reliable digital presence in the industry – as does the financial bottom line.

Surviving and thriving in the age of information

As data continues to flood the IT landscape at an overwhelming rate, it’s a challenge for businesses still deciding what action to take. AIOps can be a life saver, by prioritizing proactive problem-solving, optimizing resources and adopting solutions like unified observability and data stores.

In fact, in an era where information is power, organizations that embrace the transformative power of AIOps can not only survive but thrive. These digital platforms unlock heightened levels of security, efficiency and innovation, shifting the strategic focus from merely coping to growing; turning the stress of being inundated by data into a competitive advantage.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

In 2022, the AI boom took the world by storm, sparking up conversations about its impact on society and asking the burning question: Does it have the power to take our jobs?

McKinsey conducted a study on the topic of AI and its potential consequences for the human workforce, concluding that 15% of the global workforce may have their job replaced by AI come 2030. This justifiably raised concerns about job displacement, particularly in sectors where generative AI has shown significant potential, such as customer service, digital marketing, and data entry. Two years down the line, the initial buzz and clamor has calmed down — but the question still stands. While headlines continued to paint a grim picture of a workforce rendered obsolete, this narrative overlooks a crucial element; the potential for AI to empower humans and free them up to fully apply their creativity to create new opportunities.

The truth is: there’s no black-and-white answer. The reality is a more nuanced picture. To truly unlock the potential of AI in the working world, there needs to be a shift in perspective in how we think about work.

What does AI mean for workforces?

Historically, technological advancements have led to new jobs and industries. For instance, when the internet was first formed, 500,000 jobs had been destroyed, but generated a net total of 1.2 million new opportunities — more than doubling the number of roles lost. The same logic applies to AI.

The momentum to push AI as a tool for businesses is timely, as the dust settles on the Autumn Budget Statement which disappointed many UK tech leaders. With AI investment initiatives already pausing earlier this year, the announcement once again neglected to fulfill its promise set out in the last statement, running the risk of stalling and falling behind in the race to harness the power of AI. With the government slow to step up, ultimately, the buck stops with businesses — not government spending — to drive AI adoption. This means reimagining the future workforce, applying AI’s immense potential to augment human capabilities, rather than simply replacing them, as fear-mongering media narratives suggest.

The reality of AI

AI and automation are working hand-in-hand, transforming the workplace by significantly reducing repetitive, manual tasks. Arduous data entry processes can be automated, complex calculations can be performed in seconds, and reports can be generated. Though minimal human intervention is required, it’s key to recognize that this doesn’t take specialists out of the picture; it only works to empower them further. By allowing employees to focus on higher-level strategy, creativity, and relationship building, the impact of AI is fundamentally changing how existing jobs are performed, making them more efficient and productive, rather than bogged down in manual data analysis.

What’s more, AI is already creating new job opportunities, particularly in fields related to AI development, implementation and maintenance. We're seeing a rise in new roles like AI trainers, ethicists, and prompt engineers, jobs that didn't exist just a few years ago. This highlights how AI isn’t merely automating existing tasks but also creating entirely new avenues for employment.

The trifecta for success: AI, no-code and the human workforce

Alongside the rise of AI, another workforce transformation is brewing: No-code technology.

AI has offered tremendous advantages for breakthroughs in innovation, but many businesses have been slowed because of the required technical experience and a shortage of AI-trained developers. No-code essentially takes a less technical approach to AI software development that democratizes technology, allowing non-IT employees to build AI-powered applications without extensive programming skills. With enhanced accessibility, businesses are empowered to take coding and development into their own hands. Individuals can build and deploy flexible AI applications that automate workflows, build custom solutions, and enhance overall efficiency, regardless of their programming background.

Automation equals time saved, freeing both developers and business users up for higher-value tasks and fostering a stronger culture of innovation. The combination of AI plus no-code is also tilting the balance away from shrink-wrapped, vanilla off-the-shelf software and increasing the trend again towards highly customized AI-infused apps. Customers have been trained to avoid customizing packaged software because they wanted to lower the cost and complexity they would face if they did so. However, AI + no-code represents a new alternative that offers the best of both worlds – you can tailor the process and app to your needs, but without the cost and risk.

John Bratincevic, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research puts it this way: “There are good reasons for this. When practical, fit-to-purpose software is best. And the lower cost, risk, and lead time of low-code development — coupled with an expanded developer pool, easier integration, management of apps on a common platform, leveraged licensing, etc. — makes it much harder to justify off-the-shelf software licenses and vendor sprawl. AI-powered enterprises will “build” software instead of “buy” it — and many applications in enterprise portfolios will consolidate onto low-code AppGen platforms.”

While no-code makes complex technology accessible, AI also brings new intelligent automation and data-driven insights to the table. By forging these two tools together, businesses can form a powerful combination that reshapes and transforms the capabilities of the human workforce. This synergy can play out in a variety of ways. One example includes data visualization dashboards, where AI analyses data and extracts valuable insights to be displayed on a no-code-built dashboard; then acts upon this by having an AI agent or AI-powered workflow automate the necessary updates to systems, documents or taking action on the user’s behalf. While AI and no-code may accelerate developing new apps, the role of human analysts play a crucial role in interpreting those insights, identifying patterns, and making strategic decisions and actions (supported by AI) that strengthen the organization's bottom line.

By embracing technologies like AI and no-code, organizations can unlock greater potential from the workforce and work toward a future where technology and people thrive together — not compete for the flag at the top of the mountain.

The future is now

While the uncertainty surrounding AI’s role in replacing jobs remains strong, the future of work is not pre-determined. This is just the beginning of a long journey ahead. The onus is on businesses to lead the way in ethical and strategic AI development, while embracing new technologies such as no-code to unleash an unprecedented level of efficiency and enable the workforce to flourish.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• Meta makes its Frontier AI Framework available to all
• The company says it is concerned about AI-induced cybersecurity threats
• Risk assessments and modeling will categorize AI models as critical, high, or moderate

Meta has revealed some concerns about the future of AI despite CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s well-publicized intentions to make artificial general intelligence (AGI) openly available to all.

The company's newly-released Frontier AI Framework explores some “critical” risks that AI could pose, including its potential implications on cybersecurity and chemical and biological weapons.

By making its guidelines publicly available, Meta hopes to collaborate with other industry leaders to “anticipate and mitigate” such risks by identifying potential “catastrophic” outcomes and threat modeling to establish thresholds.

Meta wants to prevent “catastrophic” AI outcomes

Stating, “open sourcing AI is not optional; it is essential,” Meta outlined in a blog post how sharing research helps organizations learn from each other’s assessments and encourages innovation.

Its framework works by proactively running periodic threat modeling exercises to complement its AI risk assessments – modeling will also be used if and when an AI model is identified to potentially “exceed current frontier capabilities,” where it becomes a threat.

These processes are informed by internal and external experts, resulting in one of three negative categories: ‘critical,’ where the development of the model must stop; ‘high,’ where the model in its current state must not be released; and ‘moderate,’ where further consideration is given to the release strategy.

Some threats include the discovery and exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities, automated scams and frauds and the development of high-impact biological agents.

In the framework, Meta writes: “While the focus of this Framework is on our efforts to anticipate and mitigate risks of catastrophic outcomes, it is important to emphasize that the reason to develop advanced AI systems in the first place is because of the tremendous potential for benefits to society from those technologies.”

The company has committed to updating its framework with the help of academics, policymakers, civil society organizations, governments, and the wider AI community as the technology continues to develop.

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President Trump's threat of 25 percent tariffs on EU car imports could spark an automotive trade war—one that will result in higher prices for all and never end in European consumers buying more American autos.

She’s seen enough. She’s had enough. She can’t book a one-way ticket to the stars (yet), but these gifts will help her transcend this world.

Paramount Plus is among the best streaming services. Although it might not be as popular as bigger names like Netflix and Prime Video, there's still plenty to explore, especially among the streamer's original content.

February 2025 sees the return of huge new Paramount Originals, with Yellowjackets season 3 and 1923 season 2 both premiering this month. There's also some classic movies joining the lineup, including a much-loved slasher movie for those who love watching the genre all-year round.

If you're more interested in the best that Paramount Plus has to offer, then do check out our best Paramount Plus movies guide for only the highest-rated titles. Otherwise, keep reading for a complete rundown of every new movie and TV show arriving on Paramount Plus in February 2025.

Everything new on Paramount Plus in January 2025

Arriving on February 1

A Mighty Heart (movie)
A Walk on the Moon (movie)
Adore (movie)
Along Came A Spider (movie)
American Gigolo (movie)
Attack the Block (movie)
Babel (movie)
Bebe's Kids (movie)
Birthday Girl (movie)
Boys And Girls (movie)
Brokeback Mountain (movie)
Chocolate City (movie)
Cinema Paradiso (movie)
Come Away (movie)
Critical Condition (movie)
Dangerous Beauty (movie)
Doubt (movie)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (movie)
Geostorm (movie)
Hooking Up (movie)
I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell (movie)
In & Out (movie)
Into The Wild (movie)
Jersey Girl (movie)
Juice (movie)
Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (movie)
Like Water for Chocolate (movie)
Losing Isaiah (movie)
Mansfield Park (movie)
Marvin's Room (movie)
Men, Women & Children (movie)
Menace II Society (movie)
Muriel's Wedding (movie)
My Best Friend's Wedding (movie)
My Boss's Daughter (movie)
O (Othello) (movie)
Old School (movie)
Pretty In Pink (movie)
Ride (movie)
Road to Perdition (movie)
Roman Holiday (movie)
Saturday Night Fever (movie)
Serendipity (movie)
Shakespeare in Love (movie)
Shall We Dance? (movie)
Shooter (movie)
Suffragette (movie)
Terms of Endearment (movie)
The Babysitter (movie)
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (movie)
The Color Purple (movie)
The Evening Star (movie)
The Firm (movie)
The Hunt for Red October (movie)
The Love Guru (movie)
The Love Letter (movie)
The Mask (movie)
The Pursuit of Happyness (movie)
The Smurfs (movie)
The Smurfs 2 (movie)
The Stepford Wives (movie)
The To Do List (movie)
The Wood (movie)
Transformers (movie)
Vampire in Brooklyn (movie)
What Lies Beneath (movie)
What Women Want (movie)
When Harry Met Sally (movie)
Win A Date With Tad Hamilton! (movie)
World War Z (movie)
Wuthering Heights (2003) (movie)

Arriving on February 2

The 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards hosted by Trevor Noah (TV broadcast)

Arriving on February 3

Bull (movie)
The Nanny Diaries (movie)

Arriving on February 4

Burden of Guilt (TV show)

Arriving on February 5

Bar Rescue season 9 (TV show)
The Patrick Star Show season 2 (TV show)
The Price is Right at Night (winter premiere)

Arriving on February 6

Death Without Mercy (TV show)

Arriving on February 12

Eric Clapton Unplugged…Over 30 Years Later special premiere (TV special)
PAW Patrol: Big Truck Pups (TV show)
CMT Crossroads seasons 1-3,5,10-16,18-20 (TV show)
How Did They Fix That? season 3 (TV show)
MTV Unplugged seasons 1-8, 10-13 (TV show)
VH1 Storytellers seasons 1-9, 11-13,15,16 (TV show)
Fanboys (movie)

Arriving on February 14

Yellowjackets season 3 (TV show)

Arriving on February 16

The Equalizer season 5 (TV show)
Tracker season 2 (TV show)

Arriving on February 17

On TV: A Black History Month Special (TV special)
Halloween (movie)

Arriving on February 23

1923 season 2 (TV show)

Arriving on February 24

Beyond the Gates season 1 (TV show)
Southpaw (movie)

Arriving on February 26

Survivor season 48 (TV show)
The Loud House season 7 (TV show)

Arriving on February 27

The Aviary (movie)

Arriving on February 28

Crossing Over (movie)

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• CyberNews researchers discover data leak belonging to Valley News Live
• An unprotected dataset with 1.8 million records has been discovered
• The data primarily affects job applicants to the firm

An unprotected dataset has been discovered online containing 1.8 million files, including over a million CVs.

The dataset was discovered by CyberNews researchers, who suspect that the data comes from Valley News Live’s job portal, which attracts up to 250,000 monthly visitors.

Researchers confirmed the personally identifiable information (PII) exposed contained full names, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, social media links as well as employment and education backgrounds.

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Applicants at risk

Valley News Live is a television station based in Fargo, North Dakota, and is owned by Gray Media, a large conglomerate which owns or operates 180 stations across the US in 113 markets - and is the third-largest broadcaster in the US.

Anyone who has recently touched up their CV can probably understand just how much danger that might put a victim in, as the amount of PII required to build them could easily put someone in danger of social engineering attacks or identity theft.

The researchers warned many of the discovered CVs spanned numerous years, covering a period between 2017 and 2024, which outlines just how many are at risk.

The dataset was discovered online on August 31, 2024, and the initial disclosure notice was sent to the firm on September 17, 2024.

“The exposed data includes highly sensitive personal identifiers, creating numerous attack vectors for cybercriminals, where personal information can be used to create synthetic identities or fraudulent accounts,” the researchers said.

Anyone who has applied for a job at the firm or who believes they might be at risk from this or any leak, should be vigilant in monitoring their cards, and should be extra careful when receiving any unexpected communications.

For businesses, our full advice on what to do after a data breach can be found here.

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• Multiple RTX 5000 series-powered gaming laptops are available for pre-order at European retailer Dream Machines
• Some configurations will house AMD's Ryzen 9 9955HX3D CPU
• RTX 5070 Ti gaming laptop configurations are also available for pre-order

There isn't much of a surprise to see that Nvidia's RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 are completely sold out across multiple retailers, leaving many of those after the powerhouse GPUs awaiting new stock - but, you may not have to wait any longer to join the RTX 5000 series experience - as long as you don’t mind investing in a gaming laptop.

Spotted by VideoCardz, AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D configurations are now available for pre-order at Dream Machines, which house Nvidia's new RTX 5090, 5080, and 5070 Ti laptop GPUs. Several of these configurations come with different processors, RAM, and SSDs, at a range of different prices. Unfortunately (at the time of writing), shipping to the UK or Australia isn't an option.

However, if you're in the US, you can get your hands on one of the most powerful configurations, which comes with an RTX 5090 and AMD's Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, and is available for pre-order for $3,409.99. It's important to note that these are OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) laptops that use parts from another laptop maker), and with stock currently unavailable for some (but ready for shipping when restocked).

Since the RTX 5090 laptop GPU will utilize 24GB of VRAM, most may prefer to wait for restocks of the desktop GPU, which features 32GB. However, with the desktop Nvidia RTX 5090 suffering from extremely limited availability and very high pricing at $1,999 / £1,939 / AU$4,039, buying a gaming laptop with the mobile RTX 5090 GPU might be your best bet.

(Image credit: Dream Machines) Expect scalping to occur with the laptops too...

It seems like once again, scalpers have been buying up Nvidia’s new GPUs to sell at a much higher price - there are already plenty of listings available on eBay at inflated prices, with some including fake listings selling images of the GPUs to buyers instead.

So, it would be a shock if scalpers didn't also try this with RTX 5000-powered laptops - as while it's clear they won't be as powerful as their desktop GPU counterparts, they still have advantages over RTX 4000 series GPUs, notably Multi Frame Generation.

These configurations (using the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080) aren't particularly cheap either, so I'd anticipate scalpers targeting the likes of RTX 5070 Ti gaming laptops instead. It's unfortunate, but if you've got your sights set on one of these systems, you may have to act quickly yet again.

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• Marvel has released the first trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps
• The MCU Phase 6 movie's inaugural teaser leans into its retro-futuristic vibe with a film grain aesthetic
• Marvel's First Family will make their MCU debut in theaters worldwide on July 25

At long last, the first trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps has been released, and it's already looking like a Marvel movie unlike anything we've seen before.

The forthcoming superhero film's first teaser, which you can view below, reveals how hard The Fantastic Four's latest big-screen adventure is leaning into its period piece setting. That much is obvious from its 1960s era and retro-futuristic vibes, but it's the project's film grain aesthetic that's really selling the movie's uniqueness to me.

The teaser, which reconfirms this flick will take place in an alternate reality to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), was already one of 2025's most anticipated new movies. Now, though, the superhero film has jumped to the top of my must-see films of the year – and that's mainly thanks to its incredibly talented cast and crew, the former of whom look tailor-made for these roles.

From the costumes and the sets, to the clear love and care that's gone into bringing one of Marvel's most beloved supergroups back to the silver screen, there's so much to take in and appreciate from the near-two-minute long teaser. I don't know about you, but I'm already, erm, ready to see The Fantastic Four's next cinematic adventure and how they'll tackle the universal threat of this movie's Big Bad, aka the planet-devouring entity known as Galactus. Here's more on what you can expect from First Steps' story, courtesy of a Marvel press release:

"Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family – Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And, if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal."

We have liftoff.Marvel Studios' #TheFantasticFour: First Steps lands in theaters July 25. pic.twitter.com/hJ98F6PHEjFebruary 4, 2025

The Fantastic Four: First Steps' inaugural trailer has been a long time coming. The movie's first footage was shown exclusively to San Diego Comic-Con 2024 attendees last July – one of nine huge announcements that we covered at the time.

Considering that principal photography only began earlier that month, it was quite the turnaround for Marvel to actually show something to those who snagged a seat at its now-customary Hall H panel. One month later, Marvel showed off the same footage to D23 Expo 2024 attendees, so the Disney subsidiary has been sitting on these clips for a while, which has made the wait all the more excruciating for the rest of us.

We haven't had to sit tight for more information about the Marvel Phase 6 film, though. On Valentine's Day 2024, Marvel confirmed the release date, main cast, and a new title for its new Fantastic Four movie. Just one day later, The Fantastic Four: First Steps' first poster all but revealed when and where it would be set. Then, last April, another tease from the comic book giant heavily implied who its main villain would be alongside other key story details.

There's plenty more for you to read about the film in my guide on The Fantastic Four: First Steps, including a round-up of its confirmed cast, story rumors, and how it could set up future storylines in the MCU. Oh, and, in case you missed it earlier, here's when it'll be released in theaters globally: July 25, 2025. That's just two weeks after James Gunn's Superman movie, so comic book movie fans are going to have a summer (or winter, if you live in the southern hemisphere) to remember.

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• Google Gemini can now access extensions from your lockscreen
• This means it can use other phone apps to complete tasks
• Gemini won’t be able access personal information such as your calendar

Google is expanding what Gemini is capable of doing from your phone’s lock screen. The new AI update will allow Android device users to quickly access Gemini extensions alongside the AI’s regular assistance without needing to unlock their phone once they’ve enabled the feature.

To access the lock screen version of Gemini you’ll need to use either the 'Hey Google' wake word, or your device’s inbuilt AI activation (such as long-pressing the power button on Google Pixel phones). Then you can make your usual Gemini requests – either to receive the AI’s more in-depth responses, or to tell it to perform an action using one of your other apps.

Previously, if Gemini needed to rely on another app to finish its objective you’d have to unlock your device, which could be frustrating if you were hoping to complete the task hands-free. Now prompts such as setting up a reminder to grab some chocolates and roses before your date night, or asking when the nearest Starbucks closes and how far away it is, can be performed hands-free with a locked phone.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) Gemini won’t be able to pull personal information from apps like your calendar or emails unless you unlock it first – which while not great for ease of use means you won’t need to worry about the AI revealing private information to anyone who asks your phone a probing question.

How to turn on Gemini on lockscreen

(Image credit: Google)

Activating Gemini’s new extension powers is simple. If you previously allowed Google Assistant on lock screen or Gemini on lock screen then the new tool has been activated by default.

If you hadn’t previously enabled your AI to work on your lock screen but want to activate it you’ll need to open the Gemini app, tap on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the screen, go into your Settings, tap on ‘Gemini on lock screen’ and then in this sub-menu toggle on the option at the top of the page.

Once you’ve allowed Gemini to work without unlocking your device you’ll need to separately allow the AI to make calls and send messages without unlocking – which also requires you to connect your calling and messaging apps with the AI.

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• The details of Minecraft's new public testing update have been revealed
• The patch adds two new cow variants, two bush types, and new ambient sounds for desert biomes
• These features will be included in Minecraft's first update of 2025

Mojang Studios has shared the details for Minecraft's latest public testing update.

Ahead of the release of Minecraft's first content update of 2025, the developer has outlined several features that it will be adding to the game but can now be tested via the latest Java snapshot.

As detailed in latest blog post, among these new features are two new cow variants, including a cold cow, which "brings cozy with them wherever they go" thanks to their fluffy coat and can be found in cold biomes, as well as the auburn warm cow which can be found around sandy biomes.

Mojang is also continuing to implement new foliage to bring Minecraft's sandbox world to life. With the new update, players will come across the "firefly bush" that will spawn dancing fireflies at night-time, illuminating darkened areas. The firefly bush can be found in swamps and bodies of water and players will also be able to bury them below other blocks to make them sparkle.

Another new plant, simply called "bush", has also been added to the game, a fairly unremarkable tuft of greenery that can be found sprouting in forests, birch forests, plains, windswept hills, and other green biomes.

Finally, even more ambient sounds are being introduced to the game, this time to desert biomes.

"Next time you’re surfing the dunes of the desert biomes, husks and warm cows won’t be the only things heard stirring in the sandbanks," Mojang said. "Listen out for whispers of sand and other new ambient desert sounds coming from clusters of sand and terracotta blocks. The dead bush will also carry the chirping of crickets, rustling twigs, and howling winds as you journey across this expansive terrain.

"You can also bring the soothing sounds of the deserts to your own builds by placing the dead bush on two sand blocks outside, or by clustering several sand or terracotta blocks together."

These new features, alongside the six new gameplay features that were added last month, are now available in Minecraft: Java Edition.

For players interested in testing out the update, all they need to do is enable snapshots for Minecraft: Java Edition, or by enabling previews/beta for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition.

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• Cloudflare boosts image verification capabilities by adding C2PA
• Content Authenticity Initative provides a wealth of information to prove legitimacy
• Verification helps support creatives and stomp out fake news

In an effort to help web users verify the authenticity of online images and get the credit they deserve, Cloudflare has added a major certification tool to its platform.

The company has integrated the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) into Cloudflare Images, allowing creators to preserve the entire provenance chain across its network, including details such as who created the image, how they created it, and its editing history.

Writing about the update, Cloudflare Head of AI Control, Privacy, & Media Products Will Allen expressed the importance of giving creators credit for their work, likening digital provenance to the authenticity and history of art in museums and galleries.

Cloudflare launched network-wide image provenance tool

“If you help ensure an artist or content creator gets credit for their work, that exposure could result in more career opportunities," Allen added.

Besides supporting creatives, Cloudflare is also keen to help the public verify the authenticity of images that appear in news articles, in a bid to prevent the spread of fake news.

Dubbed ‘Content Credentials,’ the system was developed in 2019 by the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), with Adobe among its co-founders. During this time, Allen, then an Adobe VP, started the CAI and C2PA.

The CAI, which has tasked itself with “restoring trust and transparency in the age of AI,” counts the BBC, the New York Times, Reuters, Nikkei and The Wall Street Journal among its media members. Photography companies like Nikon, Leica and Canon are also members.

It works by creatives opting to attach Content Credentials to their photograph, which are stored using JUMBF (JPEG Universal Metadata Box Format). Now that the system is supported by networking giant Cloudflare, the metadata can be preserved one step further as content gets shared online.

Users can toggle on ‘Preserve Content Credentials’ from within Images > Transformations > Zone from the Cloudflare dashboard.

“We are excited to continue to partner with Adobe and many other organizations to extend support for preserving Content Credentials across our products and services,” Allen added.

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• New study predicts 15 million new Chinese cars will have autonomous tech
• Affordable models will be capable of SAE Level 2 self-driving
• China looks set to fast-track autonomous vehicles

A new study has revealed that around 15 million new cars sold in China will be fitted with at least SAE Level 2 self-driving capabilities this year, including models priced below 100,000 yuan (which is less than $14,000), according to the South China Morning Post.

China EV100, which is a non-governmental organization that includes key players from China’s largest EV manufacturers, claims that two out of three new cars sold on the mainland will have autonomous driving capabilities this year. This will, at the very minimum, allow them to speed up, slow down and change lanes without driver input.

Where these sort of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) were once the reserve of more expensive models, the mass production of the technology has forced prices down to a point where even the most affordable vehicles can now offer them.

As a quick recap, SAE Level 2 autonomous vehicles offer partial automation, so they can speed up, slow down and even steer, so long as the driver is always ready to take back control, with hands on the wheel just in case.

Stepping up to SAE Level 3 allows drivers to take hands off the wheel and eyes off the road, with the ability to engage with emails on the vehicle’s infotainment system, for example.

Currently, this level is only legally available on a handful of models and only in specific driving conditions in select regions of the world, with Mercedes-Benz and BMW leading the way.

Despite what Elon Musk says, Tesla is still very much at SAE Level 2 until legislation allows for unsupervised Full Self-Driving on public roads.

In China, many automotive manufacturers have already seen the potential of autonomous driving, with UBS analyst Xu Bin predicting that Chinese companies could save around 1.8 trillion yuan in annual labour costs by 2030 as thousands of trucks become driverless, according to South China Morning Post.

Analysis: China is building a fully autonomous future

(Image credit: Tesla)

In China, the self-driving experience doesn’t come with the same stigma that it does in much of the Western world, where drivers are generally wary of its capabilities.

On the contrary, young Chinese buyers are actively seeking out the latest technology when purchasing new vehicles, with increasing levels of autonomy high on the shopping list.

By forcing down the cost of the camera, Lidar, sensor and chipset technology required (let’s not get into how China has managed to do that here), the country has been able to introduce it on a mass scale.

It is widely agreed that higher levels of automation on the road will only really work when vehicles equipped with the required technology reach critical mass.

There’s a much slimmer chance of an accident occurring if everyone on the highway is using some form of auto-pilot system, for example.

Despite this, there are still major automotive players in China that don't believe we will ever reach a point where a human isn't involved. One of BYD's spokespeople told reporters at the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show that it is "basically impossible".

But with two out of three new cars sold in China this year meeting basic autonomous driving requirements, it won’t be long before parts of the country could legitimately allow for much higher levels of autonomous activity on public roads.

This technological prowess would make it easier to geo-fence certain areas where SAE Level 3 systems are mandatory, for example.

Alternatively, the country could even legislate that every new car sold must be capable of automatically adjusting to speed limits, keeping lanes and autonomously braking, thus creating a more predictable environment for autonomous vehicles to thrive.

It is believed that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system, often regarded as one of the most advanced in the world, will begin testing in China this year.

With a more supportive framework, Elon Musk’s predictions of a fully autonomous future may well be realized… just 7,000-miles away from where it was first conceived.

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