TechRadar News

OnePlus has released Android 15 to a selection of its devices, though not quite in the way we expected.

The company had previously suggested a launch date of October 24 for its Android 15-powered OxygenOS 15 wrapper.

However, the official announcement event on October 24 confirmed that users would get their first chance to upgrade through an open beta program rather than a wider stable release.

As Android Authority reports, The OnePlus 12 and 12R will be the first phones to receive a beta version of OxygenOS 15 on October 30. The OnePlus Open and OnePlus Pad 2 will receive the update in November, with other models following from December through till February.

It seems the oldest devices to receive the update (in beta) will be the OnePlus 10 series, first launched in 2022. Feedback from these betas will then be used to confirm stable release dates.

OxygenOS 15 new features

Surprisingly staggered release aside, OxygenOS 15 brings many new features to OnePlus phones, mainly focused on speeding up the user experience and implementing AI.

The update includes a new selection of AI tools for both photography and productivity, which could lead the OnePlus 12 or rumored OnePlus 13 to join our list of the best AI phones.

AI Detail Boost sharpens and refines distant or blurry subjects, AI Unblur removes blurriness, and AI Reflection Eraser removes reflections on both glass and other surfaces. AI photo features are handled in the cloud, meaning the image must leave your device to be processed.

New productivity AI is powered by Google Gemini and includes AI Notes, with summarisation and transcription abilities, and AI writing tools. Circle to Search also comes to OnePlus phones with this update.

The AI Reply feature analyse on-screen content and write replies when messaging, with WhatsApp, Instagram, and Snapchat named as compatible apps.

Furthermore, the new Intelligent Search feature can trawl files, apps, and settings, to answer general queries.

OxygenOS 15 also enables parallel processing for animations, which OnePlus says improves the smoothness of the user experience. In this case, parallel processing means that you don’t have to finish one animation to begin another, which should make the phone feel snappier.

The app icons, quick control shelf, and other UI elements have been given a slight refresh, with a more rounded aesthetic, and you can now cut out elements of a photo to use with adaptive lock screen frames.

Additional features include Theft Detection, which uses gyroscopic and routine-monitoring data to lock down your phone if it thinks its been stolen, and a reduced install size freeing up several gigabytes of useable storage space.

If you’re after a complete overview of OxygenOS 15, the full presentation can be viewed on OnePlus’ website – and for the latest updates, be sure to keep up with our OnePlus coverage and Android coverage.

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OnePlus has released Android 15 to a selection of its devices, though not quite in the way we expected.

The company had previously suggested a launch date of October 24 for its Android 15-powered OxygenOS 15 wrapper.

However, the official announcement event on October 24 confirmed that users would get their first chance to upgrade through an open beta program rather than a wider stable release.

As Android Authority reports, The OnePlus 12 and 12R will be the first phones to receive a beta version of OxygenOS 15 on October 30. The OnePlus Open and OnePlus Pad 2 will receive the update in November, with other models following from December through till February.

It seems the oldest devices to receive the update (in beta) will be the OnePlus 10 series, first launched in 2022. Feedback from these betas will then be used to confirm stable release dates.

OxygenOS 15 new features

Surprisingly staggered release aside, OxygenOS 15 brings many new features to OnePlus phones, mainly focused on speeding up the user experience and implementing AI.

The update includes a new selection of AI tools for both photography and productivity, which could lead the OnePlus 12 or rumored OnePlus 13 to join our list of the best AI phones.

AI Detail Boost sharpens and refines distant or blurry subjects, AI Unblur removes blurriness, and AI Reflection Eraser removes reflections on both glass and other surfaces. AI photo features are handled in the cloud, meaning the image must leave your device to be processed.

New productivity AI is powered by Google Gemini and includes AI Notes, with summarisation and transcription abilities, and AI writing tools. Circle to Search also comes to OnePlus phones with this update.

The AI Reply feature analyse on-screen content and write replies when messaging, with WhatsApp, Instagram, and Snapchat named as compatible apps.

Furthermore, the new Intelligent Search feature can trawl files, apps, and settings, to answer general queries.

OxygenOS 15 also enables parallel processing for animations, which OnePlus says improves the smoothness of the user experience. In this case, parallel processing means that you don’t have to finish one animation to begin another, which should make the phone feel snappier.

The app icons, quick control shelf, and other UI elements have been given a slight refresh, with a more rounded aesthetic, and you can now cut out elements of a photo to use with adaptive lock screen frames.

Additional features include Theft Detection, which uses gyroscopic and routine-monitoring data to lock down your phone if it thinks its been stolen, and a reduced install size freeing up several gigabytes of useable storage space.

If you’re after a complete overview of OxygenOS 15, the full presentation can be viewed on OnePlus’ website – and for the latest updates, be sure to keep up with our OnePlus coverage and Android coverage.

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• Colors for the entire Samsung Galaxy S25 line have now leaked – as have some disappointing screen specs
• I tried iPhone 16’s Visual Intelligence and now I understand why Apple added Camera Control
• 5 lesser-known iOS 18.2 tricks that are coming to your iPhone – and how to try them

Apple has confirmed it will open up its Private Cloud Compute (PCC) system – a secure cloud platform built to support the iPhone maker’s Apple Intelligence features – to security researchers who think they can spot vulnerabilities in its code.

Through the release of a Virtual Research Environment (VRE) and select PCC source code, the security community can inspect and validate the company’s security and privacy features.

To incentivize the reporting of vulnerabilities and bugs, Apple will offer up to $1 million as a reward for the most serious instance.

Apple bug bounties

PCC is engineered to ensure sensitive data from Apple devices is processed without compromising user privacy by preventing any unauthorized third party from accessing it, including Apple itself. Initially, only select auditors and researchers had access to review the code, but now Apple is expanding access to public researchers.

Running on macOS Sequoia 15.1 Developer Preview, the VRE allows users to boot PCC releases, examine the software and modify or debug it. The virtual environment is meant to mirror the secure cloud accurately, helping researchers to investigate its architecture without interfering with the live product.

Arbitrary code execution with arbitrary entitlements are the most lucrative discoveries, worth a $1 million bounty from the company. Other rewards, set at $250,000, $150,000, $100,000 and $50,000 are also available.

Apple also committed to considering reports that don’t match the predetermined categories, saying it would, “evaluate every report according to the quality of what's presented, the proof of what can be exploited, and the impact to users.”

“We believe Private Cloud Compute is the most advanced security architecture ever deployed for cloud AI compute at scale, and we look forward to working with the research community to build trust in the system and make it even more secure and private over time," the company added.

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Apple has confirmed it will open up its Private Cloud Compute (PCC) system – a secure cloud platform built to support the iPhone maker’s Apple Intelligence features – to security researchers who think they can spot vulnerabilities in its code.

Through the release of a Virtual Research Environment (VRE) and select PCC source code, the security community can inspect and validate the company’s security and privacy features.

To incentivize the reporting of vulnerabilities and bugs, Apple will offer up to $1 million as a reward for the most serious instance.

Apple bug bounties

PCC is engineered to ensure sensitive data from Apple devices is processed without compromising user privacy by preventing any unauthorized third party from accessing it, including Apple itself. Initially, only select auditors and researchers had access to review the code, but now Apple is expanding access to public researchers.

Running on macOS Sequoia 15.1 Developer Preview, the VRE allows users to boot PCC releases, examine the software and modify or debug it. The virtual environment is meant to mirror the secure cloud accurately, helping researchers to investigate its architecture without interfering with the live product.

Arbitrary code execution with arbitrary entitlements are the most lucrative discoveries, worth a $1 million bounty from the company. Other rewards, set at $250,000, $150,000, $100,000 and $50,000 are also available.

Apple also committed to considering reports that don’t match the predetermined categories, saying it would, “evaluate every report according to the quality of what's presented, the proof of what can be exploited, and the impact to users.”

“We believe Private Cloud Compute is the most advanced security architecture ever deployed for cloud AI compute at scale, and we look forward to working with the research community to build trust in the system and make it even more secure and private over time," the company added.

More from TechRadar Pro

• Microsoft claims it found a major macOS security bug that could put all your data at risk
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• Want to protect your digital footprint? Consider using one of the best VPNs

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has slammed a media report about the imminent release of Orion, which is effectively ChatGPT-5, with a terse tweet on X.com. He described the report as “fake news out of control”, quashing rumors of a new version of ChatGPT before December.

fake news out of controlOctober 25, 2024

The report by The Verge quotes ‘sources’ as claiming Microsoft is planning to host Orion, the successor to ChatGPT-4 on its servers in November, pointing towards a release for the new LLM in time for ChatGPT’s 2nd birthday next month.

ChatGPT’s 2nd birthday

Altman, who has a history of posting cryptic messages on X.com that hint at upcoming product releases in a coded way, posted on 21 October “Whoa ChatGPT's 2nd birthday is next month!”, followed up by a tweet saying, “What should we give it for a birthday present…”

whoa ChatGPT's 2nd birthday is next month!October 21, 2024

Many users took this to mean a new product launch was imminent around the time of ChatGPT’s 2nd birthday (ChatGPT was released on 30 November 2022). Altman’s latest X.com post however would seem to remove any ambiguity around the event.

In a previous cryptic post on 14 September, Altman wrote “I love being home in the midwest. the night sky is so beautiful. excited for the winter constellations to rise soon; they are so great.”

i love being home in the midwest.the night sky is so beautiful.excited for the winter constellations to rise soon; they are so great.September 14, 2024

Since the Winter constellation Orion is most visible in the night sky from November to February, this was taken as another hint about a possible release date for Orion.

Most popular by far

ChatGPT is the most widely used chatbot in the US with a whopping 24.9 million searches for the term each month, according to Superside, which puts it a long way ahead of the next most searched-for AI chatbot, Google's Gemini on 1.5 million searches. You can use ChatGPT for several useful tasks like planning a trip, researching subjects for a school project, or simply coming up with a plan to get your next business idea off the ground.

ChatGPT will be integrated into an upcoming version of Apple Intelligence, running on compatible Apple devices, and become accessible through the Siri virtual assistant. ChatGPT is also accessible via a stand-alone mobile app that features an Advanced Voice mode on mobile, which enables you to chat with the AI just as you would chat with a human being.

We contacted OpenAI for comment on this story but they simply referred us to Altman’s tweet, saying “The best response is Sam’s tweet, which sums it up!”

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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has slammed a media report about the imminent release of Orion, which is effectively ChatGPT-5, with a terse tweet on X.com. He described the report as “fake news out of control”, quashing rumors of a new version of ChatGPT before December.

fake news out of controlOctober 25, 2024

The report by The Verge quotes ‘sources’ as claiming Microsoft is planning to host Orion, the successor to ChatGPT-4 on its servers in November, pointing towards a release for the new LLM in time for ChatGPT’s 2nd birthday next month.

ChatGPT’s 2nd birthday

Altman, who has a history of posting cryptic messages on X.com that hint at upcoming product releases in a coded way, posted on 21 October “Whoa ChatGPT's 2nd birthday is next month!”, followed up by a tweet saying, “What should we give it for a birthday present…”

whoa ChatGPT's 2nd birthday is next month!October 21, 2024

Many users took this to mean a new product launch was imminent around the time of ChatGPT’s 2nd birthday (ChatGPT was released on 30 November 2022). Altman’s latest X.com post however would seem to remove any ambiguity around the event.

In a previous cryptic post on 14 September, Altman wrote “I love being home in the midwest. the night sky is so beautiful. excited for the winter constellations to rise soon; they are so great.”

i love being home in the midwest.the night sky is so beautiful.excited for the winter constellations to rise soon; they are so great.September 14, 2024

Since the Winter constellation Orion is most visible in the night sky from November to February, this was taken as another hint about a possible release date for Orion.

Most popular by far

ChatGPT is the most widely used chatbot in the US with a whopping 24.9 million searches for the term each month, according to Superside, which puts it a long way ahead of the next most searched-for AI chatbot, Google's Gemini on 1.5 million searches. You can use ChatGPT for several useful tasks like planning a trip, researching subjects for a school project, or simply coming up with a plan to get your next business idea off the ground.

ChatGPT will be integrated into an upcoming version of Apple Intelligence, running on compatible Apple devices, and become accessible through the Siri virtual assistant. ChatGPT is also accessible via a stand-alone mobile app that features an Advanced Voice mode on mobile, which enables you to chat with the AI just as you would chat with a human being.

We contacted OpenAI for comment on this story but they simply referred us to Altman’s tweet, saying “The best response is Sam’s tweet, which sums it up!”

You might also like...

• Finally, Europe can use ChatGPT Advanced Voice mode without a VPN
• ChatGPT integration and image generation are finally here in the iOS 18.2 developer beta
• 4 ways you can use ChatGPT's Canvas mode to improve your daily life

How to watch Generation Z online

Intergenerational warfare is given a fresh and meaty lease of life in Ben Wheatley’s six-part black comedy Generation Z. When a military convoy drops its toxic load outside a retirement home, its elderly inhabitants develop an insatiable appetite for young flesh. Here's where to watch Generation Z online for free – from anywhere.

An allegory of Brexit and Covid, Generation Z sees the military collude with the government and media in an effort to cover the spill up, leaving Dambury's youth to fend for themselves.

As if survival wasn't difficult enough, schoolmates Charlie, Kelly, Steff and Finn are told in no uncertain terms that the unfolding apocalypse shouldn't distract from their A-Levels, and it falls on the gang to get to the heart of the mystery, while showing compassion to the geriatric horde that's hell-bent on destroying them.

Starring Anita Dobson and Robert Lindsay, read on as we explain how to watch Generation Z from anywhere in the world.

Can I watch Generation Z for free?

Yes. The six episodes of Generation Z will be available to stream on the free Channel 4 streaming service in the UK.

Don't forget you can use a VPN to watch Generation Z on your usual streaming service from abroad.

Unblock any stream with a VPN

If you're keen to watch Generation Z but you're away from home and access to the show is geo-blocked, then you could always use a VPN to access it (assuming you're not breaching any broadcaster T&Cs, of course). You may be surprised by how simple it is to do.

Use a VPN to watch Generation Z from anywhere:

Editors Choice

NordVPN – get the world's best VPN
We regularly review all the biggest and best VPN providers and NordVPN is our #1 choice. It unblocked every streaming service in testing and it's very straightforward to use. Speed, security and 24/7 support available if you need – it's got it all.

The best value plan is the two-year deal which sets the price at $3.69 per month, and includes an extra 3 months absolutely FREE. There's also an all-important 30-day no-quibble refund if you decide it's not for you.

- So, try NordVPN 100% risk-free for 30 daysVIEW DEAL ON

Can you watch Generation Z in the US?

At the time of writing, any plans to make Generation Z available to watch in the US are yet to be announced.

Brits currently away from home can use a VPN to watch Generation Z on Channel 4 from abroad.

How to watch Generation Z for FREE in the UK

Generation Z premieres on Channel 4 at 9pm GMT on Sunday, October 27. Episodes air on Sundays and Mondays.

They'll be available to stream on the FREE Channel 4 streaming service after broadcast.

However, all six episodes are available right now on the premium Channel 4+ tier, which offers ad-free access to the platform's huge catalog of shows. It costs £3.99 per month or £39.99 per year after a 7-day free trial.

Outside the UK? To access Channel 4 from abroad, you'll need to download a good VPN, as detailed below.

Can you watch Generation Z in Canada?

As with the US, there's no word as to when or if Generation Z will air in Canada.

However, UK nationals currently traveling in Canada can use a VPN to unblock Channel 4 and watch the show from anywhere in the world. We recommend NordVPN.

Can you watch Generation Z in Australia?

Any plans to make Generation Z available to watch in Australia are yet to be announced at the time of publication.

Brits currently away from home can use a VPN to watch Generation Z on Channel 4 from abroad.

Generation Z trailer Generation Z cast

• Sue Johnston as Cecily
• Robert Lindsay as Morgan
• Lewis Gribben as Steff
• Paul Benthall as Frank
• Anita Dobson as Janine
• Jay Lycurgo as Charlie
• Buket Komur as Kelly
• Viola Prettejohn as Finn
• Ava Hinds Jones as Billy
• Johnny Vegas as Jason
• Chris Reilly as Terry
• Garrick Hagon as Gabe

Generation Z episode guide and schedule

Anybody with a Channel 4+ subscription can watch all six episodes of Generation Z right now. Otherwse, you'll need to wait to watch on the following dates:

• Episode 1 – Sunday, October 27
• Episode 2 – Monday, October 27
• Episode 3 – Sunday, November 3
• Episode 4 – Monday, November 4
• Episode 5 – Sunday, November 10
• Episode 6 – Monday, November 11

How to watch Generation Z online

Intergenerational warfare is given a fresh and meaty lease of life in Ben Wheatley’s six-part black comedy Generation Z. When a military convoy drops its toxic load outside a retirement home, its elderly inhabitants develop an insatiable appetite for young flesh. Here's where to watch Generation Z online for free – from anywhere.

An allegory of Brexit and Covid, Generation Z sees the military collude with the government and media in an effort to cover the spill up, leaving Dambury's youth to fend for themselves.

As if survival wasn't difficult enough, schoolmates Charlie, Kelly, Steff and Finn are told in no uncertain terms that the unfolding apocalypse shouldn't distract from their A-Levels, and it falls on the gang to get to the heart of the mystery, while showing compassion to the geriatric horde that's hell-bent on destroying them.

Starring Anita Dobson and Robert Lindsay, read on as we explain how to watch Generation Z from anywhere in the world.

Can I watch Generation Z for free?

Yes. The six episodes of Generation Z will be available to stream on the free Channel 4 streaming service in the UK.

Don't forget you can use a VPN to watch Generation Z on your usual streaming service from abroad.

Unblock any stream with a VPN

If you're keen to watch Generation Z but you're away from home and access to the show is geo-blocked, then you could always use a VPN to access it (assuming you're not breaching any broadcaster T&Cs, of course). You may be surprised by how simple it is to do.

Use a VPN to watch Generation Z from anywhere:

Editors Choice

NordVPN – get the world's best VPN
We regularly review all the biggest and best VPN providers and NordVPN is our #1 choice. It unblocked every streaming service in testing and it's very straightforward to use. Speed, security and 24/7 support available if you need – it's got it all.

The best value plan is the two-year deal which sets the price at $3.69 per month, and includes an extra 3 months absolutely FREE. There's also an all-important 30-day no-quibble refund if you decide it's not for you.

- So, try NordVPN 100% risk-free for 30 daysVIEW DEAL ON

Can you watch Generation Z in the US?

At the time of writing, any plans to make Generation Z available to watch in the US are yet to be announced.

Brits currently away from home can use a VPN to watch Generation Z on Channel 4 from abroad.

How to watch Generation Z for FREE in the UK

Generation Z premieres on Channel 4 at 9pm GMT on Sunday, October 27. Episodes air on Sundays and Mondays.

They'll be available to stream on the FREE Channel 4 streaming service after broadcast.

However, all six episodes are available right now on the premium Channel 4+ tier, which offers ad-free access to the platform's huge catalog of shows. It costs £3.99 per month or £39.99 per year after a 7-day free trial.

Outside the UK? To access Channel 4 from abroad, you'll need to download a good VPN, as detailed below.

Can you watch Generation Z in Canada?

As with the US, there's no word as to when or if Generation Z will air in Canada.

However, UK nationals currently traveling in Canada can use a VPN to unblock Channel 4 and watch the show from anywhere in the world. We recommend NordVPN.

Can you watch Generation Z in Australia?

Any plans to make Generation Z available to watch in Australia are yet to be announced at the time of publication.

Brits currently away from home can use a VPN to watch Generation Z on Channel 4 from abroad.

Generation Z trailer Generation Z cast

• Sue Johnston as Cecily
• Robert Lindsay as Morgan
• Lewis Gribben as Steff
• Paul Benthall as Frank
• Anita Dobson as Janine
• Jay Lycurgo as Charlie
• Buket Komur as Kelly
• Viola Prettejohn as Finn
• Ava Hinds Jones as Billy
• Johnny Vegas as Jason
• Chris Reilly as Terry
• Garrick Hagon as Gabe

Generation Z episode guide and schedule

Anybody with a Channel 4+ subscription can watch all six episodes of Generation Z right now. Otherwse, you'll need to wait to watch on the following dates:

• Episode 1 – Sunday, October 27
• Episode 2 – Monday, October 27
• Episode 3 – Sunday, November 3
• Episode 4 – Monday, November 4
• Episode 5 – Sunday, November 10
• Episode 6 – Monday, November 11

• An unofficial video has shown One UI 7.0 in action
• There are changes to quick settings and the camera
• A beta is expected before the end of 2024

With the Samsung Galaxy S25 handsets expected to be launched in January, we're also hoping to see One UI 7.0 – Samsung's take on Android 15 – appear around the same time. Fortunately, a new hands-on video has given us an early look at the software and its features.

The video was posted by Mobile Wala Bhai (via SamMobile) and shows the software running on a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra device. Officially, we haven't even got a beta release of One UI 7.0 yet, so it's unclear where the software has come from.

One of the upcoming changes that's visible in this clip is a redesigned quick settings panel, which appears when you swipe down from the top of the screen: there are now more elements to this panel, with access to more options.

You're able to quickly adjust the display brightness by sliding your finger left and right for example, and enable or disable dark mode with a tap. In addition, notifications get their own panel away from other settings and toggles.

Apps and camera controls

The video also gives us a look at some of the design tweaks applied to the stock apps in One UI 7.0, including the Gallery app. We're expecting the software to show up with a more modern look across the board.

There are changes coming to the stock Camera app too, which will seemingly be easier to operate with one hand, with the options for different camera modes and zoom levels given more prominence in the revamped interface.

While it's interesting to see some of these features in use, a lot of them have already been leaked, so they're not a massive surprise. Samsung did briefly show off One UI 7.0 at its developer conference at the start of this month.

At the same conference, Samsung announced that a One UI 7.0 beta will be out before the end of this year, though we'll have to wait until 2025 for the final version. In the meantime, expect more sneak previews and leaks to appear.

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Amazon Web Services (AWS) has fixed a security flaw in its Cloud Development Kit (CDK) which could have allowed threat actors to fully take over people’s accounts.

The AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) is an open source software development framework that allows developers to define cloud infrastructure using familiar programming languages like TypeScript, Python, and Java. It simplifies the process of creating and managing AWS resources by converting code into AWS CloudFormation templates, enabling infrastructure as code (IaC) practices.

In order to deploy an app, users are first required to bootstrap the environment, which includes creating necessary components such as identity and access management (IAM) ropes, permissions, policies, and an S3 staging bucket. The S3 staging buckets follow the same naming pattern: "cdk-{Qualifier}-{Description}-{Account-ID}-{Region}". That means, crooks can easily predict the name, as long as they know the AWS Account-ID, and the region in which the CDK is deployed.

Thousands of instances

“Since the Prefix is always cdk, the Qualifier is by default hnb659fds, and assets is a constant string in the bucket name, the only variables that change are the Account ID and the Region,” explained cybersecurity researchers from Aqua, who first spotted the flaw.

This means crooks could claim someone else’s CDK staging bucket name in advance, preload it with malware, and then just wait for the victim to run it.

To make matters worse, Aqua says there are “thousands” of instances with the default qualifier being used in the bootstrap process, making it super easy to claim another user’s CDK staging bucket name. In fact, the problem could "allow an attacker to gain administrative access to a target AWS account, resulting in a full account takeover," the pros explained.

Aqua reported the flaw to Amazon, who patched it in early July this year, it was said. The first clean CDK version is v2.149.0.

Via The Register

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella took home $79.1 million in 2024, marking a 63% increase compared with the previous year, reports have claimed - despite actually requesting a reduction in his pay.

Despite his substantial compensation package, Nadella had requested a reduction in his cash incentive, following a number security challenges affecting the company recently, which had led to a Microsoft commitment to link executive pay to security outcomes.

In response, the Microsoft board agreed to reduce Nadella's cash incentive to $5.2 million, marking a more than 50% reduction from the $10.7 million sum he was initially eligible for.

Satya Nadella got a $79 million pay packet in 2024

“The Board reviewed the Company’s performance and firmly believes that Mr. Nadella provided exceptional leadership and was both critical in achieving the extremely strong performance of the Company and personally responsible for the ongoing repositioning of its investments and priorities," an extract in a letter from the Microsoft Compensation Committee read.

"It also considered the factors that Mr. Nadella raised in requesting a reduction of his cash incentive and concluded that such an adjustment was appropriate.”

While part of this multimillion-dollar sum came in the form of pay, Nadella’s stock alone, expected to account for around $71 million, made up a major part of his earnings, according to a company filing.

At the beginning of the 2024 calendar year, Microsoft became one of the now three tech companies to reach a $3 trillion market cap after it became a $2 trillion company in 2021.

In its final financial year quarter, ending June 30, Microsoft drew in $64.7 billion in revenue, bringing its annualized revenue to $245.12 billion, up from the $211.92 billion in revenue it made the year before. The tech giant’s share price also rose by 31.2% in its most recent full year.

“Our strong performance this fiscal year speaks both to our innovation and to the trust customers continue to place in Microsoft," Nadella said at the time.

Via Reuters

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Anthropic has announced a significant update to its Claude AI chatbot allowing it to both write and execute Javascript code.

Through a new analysis tool, Claude users can process data, conduct analysis and produce real-time insights with a higher degree of mathematical accuracy, making it a much more powerful and reliable tool in industries outside of the creative context where this accuracy matters.

For example, it can perform complex calculations, analyze large data sets and generate interactive visualizations based on CSV files, which can be hard to digest.

Claude goes hands-on with Javascript

Anthropic claims Claude’s added capabilities mean that responses will be “mathematically precise and reproducible,” something that other chatbots have proven incapable of doing.

“Instead of relying on abstract analysis alone, it can systematically process your data—cleaning, exploring, and analyzing it step-by-step until it reaches the correct result," the company wrote in a blog post.

Anthropic also detailed how marketers could upload customer interaction data to let Claude suggest customer engagement optimizations, or how product managers can use it to analyze customer engagement to inform sprint planning and development focus areas.

The feature adds Claude to a growing list of AI models that integration code execution abilities, such as Google’s Gemini models which offer Python-based code execution and OpenAI, which offers Advanced Data Analysis on flagship models.

However, the company’s decision to go down the route of Javascript makes it particularly useful in the realms of web-based data processing and interactive elements.

Claude’s new Javascript abilities are available to Claude.ai users, who can enable the update through their account settings as a preview.

More from TechRadar Pro

• Google's new AI tool lets developers watermark and detect text generated by AI models
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It's quite hard to make earbuds that stand out from the crowd in today's competitive market, which is why many firms are turning their attention to the humble charging case. JBL stuck a touchscreen into some of theirs, while LG added UV sanitization to its earbud charger. And now Cleer is joining the smart case party with its new Arc 3 true wireless open-ear buds by adding both of those features and its own addition too: a mirror.

The new case isn't just good news for anyone who's been so engrossed in a podcast that they've forgotten what they look like. It's useful too. The UV-C light promises to blast bacteria for more hygienic headphones, while the touchscreen provides easy access to key features and settings.

In addition to the case there are some key improvements in the sound department too.

Cleer ARC3 True Wireless Open-Ear Earbuds: key features and pricing

(Image credit: Cleer)

The new buds deliver Dolby Atmos with head tracking, version three of Cleer's dynamic bass enhancement and the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound S5 platform for better sound quality. That means LDAC hi-res audio as well as aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless, AAC and SBC codecs.

The Arc 3 also promise deeper bass than before via their 16.2mm neodynium dynamic drivers, a useful improvement as open-ears tend to be a little light at the low end. Frequency response here is 50Hz to 40kHz.

The Bluetooth chip is Bluetooth 5.4 with multi-point for seamless switching between dual devices, and Cleer's automatic volume control adjusts the audio based on how noisy your listening environment becomes. And there's 50 hours of total battery life: 10 from the buds themselves and a further 40 from the case. IPX7 water and sweat resistance makes them a good choice for the gym or for outdoor running, one of the key areas where open-ears are often a better choice than in-ears with ANC.

The Cleer ARC3 True Wireless Open-Ear Earbuds are available now from the usual retailers and from Amazon. The MSRP is $219.99, which is around £169 or AU$330, but those last two prices are unofficial.

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Intel’s new Arrow Lake desktop processors (Core Ultra 200S range) are just out, and inevitably that means overclockers are already pushing the flagship to its limits, which thus far has resulted in an overclock of 7.5GHz for the Core Ultra 9 285K.

This was achieved by well-known overclocker Elmor as Asus explains in a blog post, with the Core Ultra 9 CPU sitting in an Asus ROG Maximus Z890 Apex motherboard.

Elmor – and a team working on the project, comprised of 3D Systems, Diabatix, ElmorLabs, and SkatterBencher (another famous overclocker) – hit 7488.8MHz, to be precise, using liquid helium cooling. By default, the Core Ultra 9 285K boosts to 5.7GHz (clocks, and power usage, are tamer with Arrow Lake than its predecessors).

Asus also highlights that the LN2 pot – which is literally a pot, the container used for the LN or liquid nitrogen (or helium) gas to cool the CPU being ramped up to ridiculous speeds – was designed using generative AI tech from Diabatix.

So, in a small way, AI helped to provide optimum cooling here in terms of the container design, or rather the ability to explore a bunch of design alternatives in a swift manner.

Asus notes: “The output of the generative AI process was unlike anything else on the market and required the cutting-edge 3D printing tech of 3D Systems to bring to life, but the results speak for themselves.”

Running at this speed, the 285K managed to set a clutch of new world records – four of them, all in 3DMark CPU – along with 19 global first place records (and 31 first places in various benchmarks, in total). A good deal of those were different Cinebench and Geekbench results as you might imagine.

Separately, Wccftech also points out that overclocker BenchMarc managed to ramp up their DDR5 RAM to an incredible speed of 12066MT/s in the Asus ROG Maximus Z890 Apex motherboard.

Analysis: Impressive stuff – but it’s unlikely to help public perception

Arrow Lake desktop chips have had a lukewarm reception, so Intel will likely take any win it can – and the Core Ultra 9 285K does do very well when it comes to the world of extreme overclocking.

The obvious problem being that this niche view of performance is clearly not relevant to the real-world – though it is at least a hint that PC enthusiasts may get more mileage out of the 285K than others, via more traditional overclocking. (Depending on how much headroom there is to push harder with the chip, mind).

In fairness to Team Blue, Arrow Lake isn’t terrible, and certainly for app performance, the new CPUs do well enough. They do not, however, represent much of a compelling upgrade over Raptor Lake or its refresh, despite efficiency gains, and the gaming side of the equation is shoddy, frankly. (The 14900K is much stronger for gaming – and the 285K is a bit all over the place in general, with some odd benchmark results in evidence).

Those gaming oddities are possibly wrinkles that’ll be ironed out with updates from Intel, but this shouldn’t be happening with CPUs at launch (just hold them – and get it right, please, off the bat).

Still, we can’t argue with the overclocking results here, and as ever, we can expect the Core Ultra 9 285K to be pushed faster in the future, and doubtless break more heavyweight benchmarking records.

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It’s easier to talk about the areas of life that AI won’t affect than where it will. Businesses are at the forefront of that adoption. But where businesses go, bad actors often follow - sometimes, they’re even ahead.

Whilst Gen AI is being used positively amongst businesses, speeding up admin tasks and acting as an assistant to many, it has already gotten into the ‘wrong hands’. More and more Gen AI offerings are available on the dark web to assist wanna-be hackers and bad actors in their endeavours. The commodification of AI can help cybercriminals make phishing attacks seem more personable and realistic, which can increase the likelihood of successful intrusions that could lead to ransomware attacks. Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to businesses today, putting businesses, reputations and careers at risk, and it is here to stay.

In the face of these evolving threats, the onus is on businesses to engage all its stakeholders including C-Suite and prioritize cyber resilience to ensure business continuity. It is not a case of if an attack happens, but when. Data is every organization's most important asset and if your data is secure, your business is resilient.

Fuel to fire

Typically, we associate AI with large language models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard AI, and not with the potential cybercrime threats that tools like Worm GPT and FraudGPT can bring.

However, in the cybercrime field, we are all too aware of cyber criminals focusing on the biggest return and reward for the lowest investment of time and effort, and Generative AI can represent a perfect synergy in this respect in the cybercrime underworld.

AI can be used by adversaries to optimize and expand the reach of their threat campaigns far more efficiently than ever before, resulting in attacks that narrow the window for defenders to respond and mitigate.

Emotional strain

As AI technology advances, the sophistication of scams is following suit. In the future, AI threats could include autonomous systems capable of making decisions on how to modify their attack strategies in real time, with the ability to analyze attack campaign effectiveness. It could enable the use of data sets to constantly evolve and improve automatically, building an adeptness at bypassing traditional security measures - something that we’ve not seen in the history of cybersecurity.

For stretched CISOs and IT teams, however, AI can appear to be an additional strain on their workloads. This is as in the UK, 92% of senior IT and security leaders in the UK reported changes to their emotional and/or psychological state as a direct result of a cyberattack, with 36% worrying over job security.

That doesn't have to be the case however. For example, Generative AI companions can help stretched teams in simplifying and automating cyber incident responses and therefore recovery.

AI for good

Despite the threats, it does pay to get ahead. Businesses need to be leveraging AI in controlled environments where they are confident of its benefits, which typically includes the automation of admin tasks, support with data compiling, and creative inspiration.

When used by CISOs and IT teams to support cyber resilience, AI can assist in the areas of analysis, investigation and threat modelling to understand potential attack vectors and enhance their anomaly detection capabilities. This not only takes away some of the strain on stretched teams, it reduces their admin time and allows them to focus on ‘bigger fish’ activity - and their cyber resilience strategies.

Investing in AI tools should include training employees on its use cases in controlled environments, shining a company-wide light on cyber resilience. However, IT teams and CISOs must continue to closely monitor its use, govern access to training data, and set guardrails.

It is imperative that the C-Suite is heavily involved in cyber resilience, as the ultimate responsibility to adopt and implement compliant AI functions will always lay with the executive leadership in an organization.

A new chapter

Simply relying on prevention is not enough. To help ensure uninterrupted business operations in the face of threats, IT teams and CISOs must build cyber recovery and resilience strategies that proactively safeguard data integrity, identify sensitive data and threats, and enable a clean, rapid recovery.

The newly proposed Cyber Security and Resilience Act introduces expanded reporting requirements for ransomware attacks, providing government agencies with valuable new information on the scale of attack and the ability to increase support to affected businesses.

The aim of the bill is that mandatory reporting requirements will provide policymakers and threat intelligence agencies with valuable data on the prevalence of cyberattacks, currently seen as a "known unknown." With all of this additional data to hand, it is critical that it is managed effectively, and with law enforcement and cybersecurity companies involved, to mitigate threats effectively.

When it comes to the impact on businesses, it is important to have a balanced approach - one that combines regulatory measures with practical support for affected organizations. Despite the threats when used positively by CISOs and IT teams, AI can help with analyzing, investigating and threat modelling to help build cyber resilience strategies, and better understand potential threats.

To meet these growing threats CISOs and IT teams must fight fire with fire or risk losing the AI cyber arms race.

We've reviewed and rated the best cloud antivirus.

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

Only 11% of IT budgets are being earmarked for cybersecurity needs despite half of UK organizations detecting and responding to cybersecurity threats at least once a week, new research has claimed.

A survey by Vanta found the majority (54%) of firms agreeing security risks for their business have never been higher, with phishing attacks (35%), AI-based malware (34%) and compliance violations (27%) all increasing over the past year.

Despite the clear need for greater investment in cybersecurity, the report reveals 17% of an IT department’s budget represents the sweet spot, indicating that companies don’t have far to go.

Cybersecurity deserves more

While artificial intelligence has impacted security globally, only two in five (43%) UK organizations conduct regular AI risk assessments, and fewer than half have implemented an AI policy to regulate its deployment and usage among employees.

The report also highlights the burden of compliance tasks. Around two in three (69%) noted that customers, investors and suppliers require more demonstration of compliance than before. UK businesses are now spending two extra weeks each year – a total of 12 weeks – working on manual security compliance tasks compared with last year.

Furthermore, IT decision-makers (ITDMs) are spending an average of seven hours, or around one day, each week assessing and reviewing vendor risk. This is because 44% of the British companies surveyed revealed that a vendor of theirs had experienced a data breach since they started working with them, highlighting that cybersecurity threats don’t always come from within.

Besides tackling threats head-on, increased IT budget allocation for cybersecurity also promises to drive customer trust and reduce financial risks.

“To uphold trust in an AI world, security leaders need to go beyond the standard way of doing things," noted Vanta CEO Christina Cacioppo, "they need to make trust continuous, collaborative and automated across their business.”

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Zero-trust access is a rigorous security model that is increasingly becoming the benchmark for companies and governments. It shifts away from traditional perimeter-based security to continuously challenge and verify the identity and authorization of users and devices before granting access – even to the CEO, who has worked there for twenty years. Users are then granted only the minimum permissions necessary to perform their tasks, limiting the potential damage they can do while ensuring they can still do their jobs.

One area where zero-trust can be effective is with log file intelligence. This is because while incredibly valuable for infosecurity and threat detection, log files can also be a system vulnerability. As such, they need to be both protected at all times and accessible to those who need them.

This article explores the challenges of implementing zero-trust log file intelligence and how emerging technologies can address these challenges.

Log files: they reveal everything

Log files are digital records that reveal information about a system's activities. They are a crucial source of intelligence as, by analyzing them, organizations can gain valuable insights into network performance, identify vulnerabilities, and detect suspicious activity.

However, their value is also their threat. As if they reveal everything, then those with access to them know everything as well. For example, an attacker could use log files to track users' activities, identify privileged accounts, and steal sensitive information. Once they have used that information to access the system, they could use log files to manipulate, steal, or hold critical information to ransom.

It is, therefore, crucial to manage log file access throughout the workflow to ensure the absolute minimum access possible for analysts and cybersecurity staff and to protect them from exposure.

Step one: secure collection and storage

To protect the integrity and security of log files, collecting and storing them in real-time in a tamper-proof and isolated environment is crucial. One way to manage the collection of this large-scale log file data is with OpenTelemetry. Its standardized approach and ability to integrate with various backends, including postgres, makes it a go-to option.

Blockchain technology, meanwhile, offers an ideal solution for their storage. Its immutable nature ensures that logs cannot be altered, preserving their integrity and ensuring a compliant and transparent record. Additionally, the decentralized nature of blockchain reduces the risk of an attack with no single point of focus.

Step two: least privilege access control

Secure log management requires balancing security and productivity to ensure logs are never exposed while still enabling them to be analyzed. This is a challenge for traditional access controls like data classification, masking, and query-based access because while they can limit exposure, they can also hinder threat detection and analyst efficiency. They are also not entirely secure, with access still granted on a wide scale to the decrypted logs.

One way to achieve the least privileged access control without compromising productivity is homomorphic encryption, a cryptography solution enabling data to remain encrypted throughout its lifecycle. This is because, with homomorphic encryption, those who require access to logs for threat intelligence are able to analyze them in an encrypted state without actually being able to read them.

This encrypted access control can also be extended beyond the analysts to anyone involved in the log management. For example, admins will be able to manage the permissions and access to the logs and check access requests without ever being able to read the logs themselves with them remaining encrypted. This is true across the full breadth of zero-trust systems using homomorphic encryption with admins and any super users not having the ability to read the data under their care but still being able to manage it.

Step three: threat intelligence and response

It is crucial to limit the amount of data that is shared externally of the secure system in order to prevent potential exposure and the creation of vulnerable access points. A potential solution to this is to use native AI instead of third-party tools for the analysis.

For example a private Small Language Model (SLM) AI working within the database could provide specialized insights and machine learning on the encrypted data without that data ever being shared externally of the system. Furthermore, as it is an SLM, the results have the potential to be more accurate and free from AI hallucinations because the model is not trained on vast pools of data that may be inaccurate or biased and instead only works on the encrypted log file data and any relevant given resources.

As the logs remain encrypted at all times and access is only granted to analyze the encrypted logs on a least privilege basis, strict zero-trust security is maintained.

Final thoughts

This article has shown that zero-trust is viable regarding the complex issue of log file intelligence and management and optimal for security and privacy. After all, logs should never be exposed, and they should never be edited. What’s better for that than an immutable system of zero-trust access?

Even if you do not adopt a zero-trust approach to your log management and intelligence, however, it is still crucial to keep this essential data pool protected at all times - even while being used.

We've reviewed and rated the best identity management software.

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

Character.AI has rolled out new safety features and policies for building and interacting with the AI-powered virtual personalities it hosts. The new measures aim to make the platform safer for all users, but particularly younger people. The update includes more control over how minors engage with the AI chatbot, more content moderation, and better detection of the AI discussing topics like self-harm.

Though not cited in the blog post about the update, Character AI linked to the announcement in a post on X expressing condolences to the family of a 14-year-old who spent months interacting with one of Character.AI's chatbots before taking his own life. His family has now filed a lawsuit against Character.AI for wrongful death, citing a lack of safeguards for the AI chatbots as a contributor to his suicide​.

We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of one of our users and want to express our deepest condolences to the family. As a company, we take the safety of our users very seriously and we are continuing to add new safety features that you can read about here:…October 23, 2024

AI chat guardrails

Character AI's post laid out several new safety features for the platform. For instance, if the model detects keywords related to suicide or self-harm, it will display a pop-up urging the user to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and related resources. The AI will also be better at spotting and removing inappropriate content in a conversation, with a particular sensitivity to when users are under 18.

Presumably, minors would already have restricted content in conversations, but Character.AI may have upped that sensitivity further. In cases where that might not be enough, entire chatbots have been removed.

"We conduct proactive detection and moderation of user-created Characters, including using industry-standard and custom blocklists that are regularly updated. We proactively, and in response to user reports, remove Characters that violate our Terms of Service," Character.AI explained in its post. "Users may notice that we’ve recently removed a group of Characters that have been flagged as violative, and these will be added to our custom blocklists moving forward."

Other new features are more about helping ground users. So, you'll see a notification when you have spent an hour on the platform asking if you want to keep going as a way of helping make sure you don't lose track of time. You'll also see more prominent disclaimers emphasizing that the AI is not a real person. There are already such disclaimers in the conversations, but Character.AI wants to make it impossible to ignore.

These safety features are the flipside of how Character.AI has made engaging with chatbots feel more like talking to a real person, including voices and the two-way voice conversations available with the Character Calls feature. Still, the company is likely keen to ensure its services are as safe as possible, and its moves could inform how others in the space shape their own AI chatbot characters.

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If Batman: Arkham Shadow is tempting you to finally pick up a Meta Quest 3 or Meta Quest 3S, or you already own one of Meta’s best VR headsets, then this might sweeten the deal. Meta has revealed the dates of the 52 free NBA and WNBA matches it’s hosting in Horizon Worlds for the 2024-2025 season.

To catch you up to speed, Meta allows its headset owners (in supported regions) to jump into the NBA Arena in Horizon Worlds to virtually sit courtside during live matches. If you miss the game, you can also tune into immersive highlights for 24 hours after the game has ended. Additionally, you can play mini-games and hang out with friends like you would in other Horizon Worlds.

If you subscribe to NBA League Pass, you can use Xtadium to watch every live 2D game in mixed reality – it’s not quite as immersive, but it's still a lot of fun for sports fans, especially if you’re already paying for the content.

Every free immersive NBA and WNBA game

Here’s the full list of free matches you can watch:

• October 25 – Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks – 5pm PT
• October 26 – Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Chicago Bulls – 5pm PT
• October 28 – Indiana Pacers vs. Orlando Magic – 4pm PT
• November 2 – Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets – 5pm PT
• November 4 – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons – 4:30pm PT
• November 7 – Portland Trail Blazers vs. San Antonio Spurs – 7pm PT
• November 12 – Phoenix Suns vs. Utah Jazz – 6pm PT
• November 15 – Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers – 4pm PT
• November 19 – Denver Nuggets vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 5pm PT
• November 22 – Boston Celtics vs. Washington Wizards – 4pm PT
• November 24 – LA Clippers vs. Philadelphia 76ers – 3pm PT
• November 26 – Houston Rockets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves – 5pm PT
• November 29 – Orlando Magic vs. Brooklyn Nets – 4:30pm PT
• December 1 – Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – 3pm PT
• December 3 – Philadelphia 76ers vs. Charlotte Hornets – 4pm PT
• December 5 – Phoenix Suns vs. New Orleans Pelicans – 5pm PT
• December 8 – Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors – 3:30pm PT
• December 20 – Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat – 5pm PT
• December 26 – Miami Heat vs. Orlando Magic – 4pm PT
• December 27 – Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns – 6pm PT
• December 28 – Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls – 6pm PT
• December 29 – Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics – 3pm PT
• January 3, 2025 – San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets – 6pm PT
• January 4, 2025 – New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls – 5pm PT
• January 6, 2025 – Dallas Mavericks vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 5pm PT
• January 10, 2025 – Golden State Warriors vs. Indiana Pacers – 4pm PT
• January 18, 2025 – Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves – 6pm PT
• January 19, 2025 – Philadelphia 76ers vs. Milwaukee Bucks – 4pm PT
• January 24, 2025 – Portland Trail Blazers vs. Charlotte Hornets – 4pm PT
• January 27, 2025 – Orlando Magic vs. Miami Heat – 4:30pm PT
• February 2, 2025 – LA Clippers vs. Toronto Raptors – 12:30pm PT
• February 3, 2025 – Milwaukee Bucks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder – 5pm PT
• February 8, 2025 – Indiana Pacers vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 5pm PT
• February 10, 2025 – Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – 4pm PT
• February 22, 2025 – Phoenix Suns vs. Chicago Bulls – 4:30pm PT
• February 24, 2025 – Denver Nuggets vs. Indiana Pacers – 4pm PT
• March 3, 2025 – Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder – 5pm PT
• March 10, 2025 – Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs – 5:30pm PT
• March 14, 2025 – LA Clippers vs. Atlanta Hawks – 4:30pm PT
• March 16, 2025 – Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – 3pm PT
• March 20, 2025 – New York Knicks vs. Charlotte Hornets – 4pm PT
• March 22, 2025 – Golden State Warriors vs. Atlanta Hawks – 4pm PT
• March 23, 2025 – Denver Nuggets vs. Houston Rockets – 3pm PT
• March 24, 2025 – Dallas Mavericks vs. Brooklyn Nets – 4:30pm PT
• March 27, 2025 – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Chicago Bulls – 4pm PT
• March 28, 2025 – New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks – 5pm PT
• March 29, 2025 – Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers – 4:30pm PT
• March 31, 2025 – LA Clippers vs. Orlando Magic – 4pm PT
• April 5, 2025 – New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks – 12pm PT
• April 6, 2025 – Indiana Pacers vs. Denver Nuggets – 5pm PT
• April 11, 2025 – LA Clippers vs. Sacramento Kings – 7pm PT
• April 13, 2025 – LA Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers – 12:30pm PT

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Prostock-studio) Don't dismiss Horizon Worlds

Horizon Worlds is one of those apps that I’ll be the first to admit is easy to dismiss. A disappointing launch and sporadic rollout meant it never quite hit its stride in many people’s eyes.

That’s definitely starting to change. The Worlds it offers are steadily becoming a lot more impressive, and with these free sports games and free immersive concerts being hosted regularly, it’s become one of those VR apps which, if you aren’t using regularly, you’re missing out on a big chunk of what your Meta Quest headset has to offer.

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Want to star in an animated film as an anthropomorphic animal version of yourself? Runway's AI video creation platform has a new AI tool to do just that. The new Act-One feature may make motion-capture suits and manual computer animation unnecessary to match live action.

Act-One streamlines what is usually a long process for facial animation. All you need is a video camera facing an actor and able to capture their face as they perform.

The AI fueling Act-One reworks the facial movements and expressions from the inputted video to fit an animated character. Runway claims even the most nuanced emotions are visible through micro-expressions, eyeliners, and other facets of the performance. Act-One can even produce multi-character dialogue scenes, which Runway suggests are difficult for most generative AI video models.

To produce one, a single actor performs multiple roles, and the AI animates the different performances mapped onto different characters in one scene as though they are talking to each other.

That's a far cry from the laborious traditional animation requirements and makes animation far more accessible to creators with limited budgets or technical experience. Not that it's always going to match the skills of talented teams of animators with big movie budgets, but the relatively low barrier of entry might let amateurs and those with limited resources have the chance to play with character designs that are still realistic in portraying emotions, all without breaking the bank or missing deadlines. You can see some demonstrations below.

Animated Runway

Act-One is, in some ways, an enhancement for Runway's video-to-video feature within its Gen-3 Alpha model. But while that tool uses a video and a text prompt to adjust the setting, performers, or other elements, Act-One skips straight to mapping human expressions onto animated characters. It also fits with how Runway has been pushing out more features and options for its platform, such as the Gen-3 Alpha Turbo version of its model, which sacrifices some functionality for speed.

Like its other AI video tools, Runway has some restrictions on Act-One to prevent people from misusing it or breaking its terms and conditions. You can't make content with public figures, for instance, and it employs techniques to ensure anyone whose voice is used in the final video has given their permission. The model is continuously monitored to spot any attempts to break those or other rules.

"We're excited to see what forms of creative storytelling Act-One brings to animation and character performance. Act-One is another step forward in our goal to bringing previously sophisticated techniques to a broader range of creators and artists," Runway wrote in its announcement. "We look forward to seeing how artists and storytellers will use Act-One to bring their visions to life in new and exciting ways."

Act-One may be somewhat unique among AI video generators, though Adobe Firefly and Meta’s MovieGen have some similar efforts in their portfolio. Runway’s Act-One seems to be much easier to use than Firefly's equivalent and more available than the restricted MovieGen model.

Still, there's s ever more AI video competition as OpenAI's Sora model starts to spread, and Stability AI, Pika, Luma Labs' Dream Machine, and others push out a steady stream of features for AI video production. If you want to try Act-One, Runway's paid plans start at $12 a month.

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