TechRadar News

• The Rings of Power season 3 has added actors from two popular Netflix shows to its cast ranks
• Stranger Things' Jamie Campbell Bower and Heartstopper's Eddie Marsan have signed on in mystery roles
• I think two particular roles are tailor-made for them

The Rings of Power season 3 just got a serious cast upgrade with the additions of actors from two of Netflix's biggest TV Originals.

Just two weeks after The Rings of Power's third season was officially announced, the first of many (potentially, anyway) new cast additions have been revealed by Amazon MGM Studios. Stranger Things star Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays the villainous Vecna in the hugely popular Netflix series, and Heartstopper supporting actor Eddie Marsan have signed on to appear in season 3 of Amazon's high-fantasy prequel show.

Jamie Campbell Bower and Eddie Marsan have joined the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for the series’ upcoming third season, currently in pre-production with filming scheduled to begin this spring. pic.twitter.com/04iCb7Q6AvFebruary 27, 2025

Amazon hasn't confirmed who they'll be playing in the Prime Video series' next chapter, but did reveal that Campbell Bower will be a series regular and Marsan will feature in a recurring role. The tech giant's entertainment division also reiterated that filming will begin in the spring (that's autumn for southern hemisphere readers).

The Rings of Power season 2's final episode set up some fascinating events – ones depicted in JRR Tolkien's legendarium and wider The Lord of the Rings (TLotR) works – to come. You can remind yourself what happened in that explosive entry by reading my The Rings of Power season 2 ending explained article. Be sure to read my dedicated guide on The Rings of Power season 3, too, to learn more about its cast, potential storylines, and more.

Who could Jamie Campbell Bower and Eddie Marsan play in The Rings of Power season 3?

Campbell Bower will be a familiar face to Stranger Things fans (Image credit: Netflix)

Full spoilers follow for The Rings of Power season 2 Potential season 3 spoilers are also discussed.

We may not know who they'll portray yet, but that won't stop me from speculating. Bear in mind that I have no insider knowledge, so everything from this point on is just me having some fun.

Where Marsan is concerned, he seems tailor-made to play a dwarven character. We already expect that there'll be one new dwarf in one of the best Prime Video shows' third season – that being Durin IV's brother, who's mentioned in season 2 episode 8. Apparently, he's going to make a play for the Khazad-dûm throne following the death of King Durin III. He has the support of some key dwarf lords, too, so it would be fascinating to see Marsan's unnamed character go toe-to-toe (verbally and physically) with Owain Arthur's Durin IV as they battle to become Khazad-dûm's next ruler.

Campbell Bower's role is less clear. He's most well-known for playing Vecna/Victor Creel in Stranger Things season 4 and he'll reprise that role in Stranger Things season 5, which is set to debut on Netflix sometime in 2025.

Given his experience playing a terrifying villain, some readers may expect him to be another commanding, antagonistic figure in The Rings of Power. So, he could be another of Sauron's disguises – indeed, while Charlie Vickers has primarily played Middle-earth's Dark Lord in the show, Jack Lowden briefly portrayed Sauron during a flashback sequence in season 2 episode 1. There's previous form for other actors playing Sauron in The Rings of Power, then. Could Campbell Bower play Sauron upon his return to Númenor? I wouldn't rule it out.

That said, Campbell Bower could also play a more heroic character. Since the cast announcement was made, TLotR fans have flocked to The Rings of Power and The Rings of Power on Prime Reddit pages to say Campbell Bower has the air and appearance of an elf. Maybe he'll play one of this race's most interesting and/or important characters, then, such as Glorfindel or – whisper it quietly – Celeborn, aka Galadriel's husband.

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• Waze 5.4 adds support for heads-up displays
• It works on selected cars
• The update is rolling out across Android and iOS

Waze version 5.4 is rolling out now for drivers across Android and iOS devices, and it comes with a useful new feature that may just convince you to switch over (or switch back) from Google Maps: support for heads-up displays behind vehicle steering wheels.

Many cars now come with two screens, one for the main infotainment panel (which is where you'll find Android Auto or Apple CarPlay), and one directly in front of the driver, showing key details like speed, mileage, gas levels, and so on.

It's this second screen that Waze has now expanded to on select vehicles (via 9to5Google). It means you can see where you're going without glancing across at the main Android Auto or Apple CarPlay display, making it easier to keep your eyes on the road.

As you might expect, this only works on select vehicles for now – those with a graphical heads-up display, for a start. Waze hasn't said which cars are supported, but some BMW, Ford, and Polestar drivers have reported seeing the feature in action.

On the road Waze now shows on my instrument cluster after latest update from r/waze

Some photos posted to Reddit show Waze navigation instructions on a heads-up display – you can see that the graphics stick to the basics, most likely to minimize distractions and adapt to the limited space on this second screen.

This kind of deeper integration has previously been possible on a few car models with Google Maps and Apple Maps as well – but with Waze 5.4, we now have another mapping app that can provide a more seamless driving experience.

Even though it's been owned by Google for more than a decade at this point, Waze continues to hold its own as a separate app from Google Maps: it offers a simpler, friendlier interface and more in the way of community features.

As for fuller heads-up display integration, that's a whole other story. Apple and Google are keen to do more with this screen, while car makers would rather have control over the software experience – which goes some way to explaining the CarPlay 2 delay.

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• The new iPhone 16e misses out on MagSafe
• According to a notable tech blogger, Apple says this is because the phone's target audience doesn't use wireless charging
• However, we're not sure what this claim is based on

The iPhone 16e is finally here, joining the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max as the latest and cheapest addition to Apple’s current-generation smartphone lineup.

However, the iPhone 16e misses out on some of the best features from its predecessors, chief among them being MagSafe, Apple’s proprietary system of in-phone magnets that facilitates a range of charging and accessory options.

The disappointment in the iPhone fanbase surrounding this omission must have been clear to Apple, as the company has apparently given a statement about the iPhone 16e’s lack of MagSafe (which, for reference, has been standard on all numbered iPhones since 2020’s iPhone 12 series).

This is according to notable tech blogger John Gruber (via his blog, Daring Fireball, who paraphrases a statement supposedly supplied by unnamed Apple representatives: “But according to Apple representatives, most people in the 16e’s target audience exclusively charge their phones by plugging them into a charging cable”.

It seems Apple’s opinion is that if you’re looking to buy an iPhone 16e, you probably didn’t even want MagSafe to begin with – whether that reflects actual consumer opinion is another matter.

As GSMArena notes, who exactly Apple thinks iPhone 16e buyers are remains unclear from this paraphrased statement, as do the figures and research upon which you’d imagine Apple would base its claim.

Rather than gaining MagSafe, like the iPhone 16 (right), the iPhone 16e (center) lacks the feature, much like the iPhone SE (left) (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Priced at $599 / £599 / AU$999, the iPhone 16e is now the cheapest iPhone Apple sells directly, replacing the iPhone SE as the company’s budget handset and booting the iPhone 14 off of its price point and into the archives; both the iPhone SE and iPhone 14 (and iPhone 14 Plus) have been discontinued.

You might expect that Apple would replace a pair of three-year-old phones with a handset that can do everything these models could do and more – but as our iPhone 16e review notes, this isn’t quite the case. As well as MagSafe, the iPhone 16e misses out on the iPhone 14’s ultra-wide camera and ultra-wideband connectivity.

The iPhone 16e also replaces the iPhone SE’s Touch ID-enabled Home Button with Face ID, though this feels less like a loss and more like a natural progression that brings the phone's design in line with its peers.

What do you think about the iPhone 16e’s lack of MagSafe? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to join our WhatsApp community to vote in our poll.

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• Meta has fired "roughly 20" employees for apparent leaks
• The company has seen a rise in leaks in recent months
• Company information and project plans have been leaked

Meta has announced it has fired “roughly 20” employees for leaking confidential company information.

Speaking to TheVerge, Meta spokesperson Dave Arnolds said, “We tell employees when they join the company, and we offer periodic reminders, that it is against our policies to leak internal information, no matter the intent.”

Recently, Meta’s internal meetings and product plans have seen a sharp increase in leaks, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently stating “Everything I say, leaks” in a leaked memo.

Meta leaks

“We recently conducted an investigation that resulted in roughly 20 employees being terminated for sharing confidential information outside the company, and we expect there will be more. We take this seriously, and will continue to take action when we identify leaks,” Arnolds continued.

Meta employees have been warned not to leak company information and internal memos, with comments from Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth stating that the company was “making progress on catching people,” subsequently leaking.

Zuckerberg has aligned himself closely with President Trump, calling on him to stop the European Union from levying fines against the company, of which Meta has faced $2.67 billion in GDPR fines since 2022, and a $813.71 million fine for violating anti-trust regulations.

Meta has also cut back heavily on content moderation for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, and has ended diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, with Zuckerberg stating companies need “more masculine energy” on the Joe Rogan podcast. Other recent layoffs from Meta have been targeted at “low-performers.”

At an internal meeting in February 2025, Bosworth said, “There’s a funny thing that’s happening with these leaks. When things leak, I think a lot of times people think, ‘Ah, okay, this is leaked, therefore it’ll put pressure on us to change things.’ The opposite is more likely.”

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• A new exploit can track any Bluetooth device using Apple’s Find My network
• The attack can be done remotely in just a few minutes
• Apple has been notified, but it’s unknown when a fix will come

Apple’s Find My app is a handy way to keep track of your important items, whether that’s one of the best iPhones or an AirTag attached to a set of keys, and while there have been concerns surrounding the privacy implications of devices like Apple’s AirTag, the Find My concept itself has remained relatively impervious to attack – until now.

That’s because researchers from George Mason University in Virginia say they’ve discovered a serious flaw in the Find My network that could allow hackers to track almost any Bluetooth-enabled device’s location without its owner knowing.

On the face of it, it’s a deviously clever exploit. Dubbed “nRootTag,” it manipulates Find My’s cryptographic keys to trick the network into believing that a regular Bluetooth device is actually a trackable AirTag. That means that any Bluetooth device could feasibly be located by a person with access to the exploit.

The researchers found that their method had a 90% success rate. What’s more, it only took them a few minutes to locate a targeted device. It’s a scary combination when those kinds of capabilities are in the wrong hands.

Remote access

The Apple AirTag (Image credit: Apple)

People have worried about the nefarious tracking potential of AirTags and the Find My network before, but in past cases, a stalker has had to physically place an AirTag close to their victim. In the case of the George Mason University exploit, that’s not necessary because it can be triggered remotely. For instance, the university team was able to track a games console that had been placed on an airplane throughout its entire journey, all from many miles away.

The only small comfort is that this method requires a lot of power behind it, as the researchers had to deploy hundreds of powerful GPUs in order to swiftly find cryptographic keys to exploit. Still, they noted that it would be possible to do using rented GPU banks, which do not necessarily require significant funds.

The researchers say they notified Apple about the vulnerability in July 2024. While Apple has acknowledged the issue, we don’t yet know if or how it will be fixed – and it could take years to end the threat if people don’t update their devices right away.

If you want to stay safe, the best advice for now is to regularly update your devices and be cautious about granting apps access to Bluetooth. If you don’t know why an app needs Bluetooth, do further research before simply opening the door.

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• The Waiting For Ideas PP-1 is carved from a single aluminum block
• Also available with 80W companion speakers
• €5,800 (about $6,000 / £4,788 / AU$9,700)

It's safe to say you won't see the new PP-1 turntable in Best Buy or on Amazon: it's as much an art statement as it is a turntable, and it has a price tag to match. But if you can spare around $6K you'll have a turntable that you'll spend as much time looking at as listening to.

The PP-1 comes from the design studio Waiting For Ideas, and it's very different to anything in our list of the best turntables. There's no tonearm for starters: instead, you place the record face down and the stylus emerges from inside to play it. And it's made very differently from typical turntables too.

(Image credit: Waiting For Ideas) Waiting For Ideas PP-1: key features

As noted by our colleagues at Wallpaper.com , each made-to-order PP-1 is carved from a solid block of aluminum, and the design is extremely minimalist: there are just two controls on top, one for speed selection (including an auto-detect setting, and it will switch between 33rpm or 78rpm automatically) and one for controlling playback and volume.

There are matching speakers too, and they've been designed to have the same footprint as the record player – so you can stack them up in a column with the turntable on top, stereo separation be damned.

The goal, says studio boss Jean-Baptiste Anotin, is to capture the "ritual nature of record playing" – although the absence of a tonearm means that one of the most obvious parts of the ritual, putting the needle on the record, is done differently here.

The PP-1 is available now either on its own for €5,800 (about $6,000 / £4,788 / AU$9,700) or with a speaker pair for €9,000 (about $9,365 / £7,430 / AU$15,065). Each PP-1 is made to order and you can find out more from the Waiting For Ideas website.

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• Meta will release a new stand-alone Meta AI app in Q2 this year
• Sam Altman has responded by suggesting OpenAI could release its own social media app in retaliation
• Meta will release more AI-related products this year

According to new rumors posted by CNBC, Meta has announced that it is going to release a stand-alone app version of Meta AI to take on ChatGPT this year, prompting OpenAI CEO Sam Alman to respond with, “Ok fine maybe we'll do a social app”, on the X social platform.

The prospect of OpenAI creating a social media app in retaliation may have been a joke from Altman – his follow-up post on X said “lol if facebook tries to come at us and we just uno reverse them it would be so funny” followed by a laughing emoji, but it garnered some serious responses from users on X.

“Drop the GPT – just ‘chat’” said @not_a_vc, and “Have you thought about merging with X?” asked Bojan Tunguz. However, most users seemed to think the world didn’t need yet another social media app. “A social chatGPT app would probably start a new paradigm. No telling how the consequences would play out from that”, said RexMonte, “Social networks are now obsolete”, said Mark Lindsay, and “How many social media apps have been tried yet everyone keeps coming back to this dumpster fire?” asked another user.

ok fine maybe we'll do a social app https://t.co/663VkHN4qBFebruary 27, 2025

Meta AI everywhere

According to CNBC, “people familiar with the matter” say the new Meta AI app is expected in the second quarter of this year.

The Meta AI chatbot launched in September 2023, and can currently be accessed from its own website, or from inside Meta apps like Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram, where you can chat with the AI as if you were talking to a friend. Separating the AI out into a stand-alone app would pitch it directly against dedicated AI chatbot apps like ChatGPT, Gemini and Grok.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

In January this year, Zuckerberg responded to a post on Threads (another of Meta's social platforms) with a '100' emoji after a user suggested that Meta should have its own AI chatbot app, which could tie together MetaAI through all its different platforms, apps, and products like Ray-Ban Meta glasses.

Meta has strong AI ambitions this year. Zuckerberg has described 2025 as being the “defining year” for Meta’s smart glasses plans and a leaked internal memo allegedly penned by Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth has teased some big things in XR and AI tech from its Reality Labs division, including six new AI hardware devices.

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• CrowdStrike's Global Threat Report highlights worrying threats
• Chinese state-sponsored actors have increased activities, report claims
• Generative AI is also allowing attackers to evolve quickly

We’re still in the early days of 2025, but CrowdStrike’s Global Threat Report has laid out what cybersecurity teams should expect for the coming year. The latter half of 2024 saw the vulnerability threat landscape evolve, with the adoption of generative AI giving a huge boost to social engineering attacks across the world.

CrowdStrike identified seven new ‘China-nexus’ adversaries in 2024, with Chinese sponsored attacks surging 150% overall. Some industries suffered a 200%-300% increase in attack activity year-on-year, most significantly in financial services, media, manufacturing, and engineering sectors.

Worryingly, critical targets like government agencies, technology, and telecommunications sectors also suffered a 50% increase in Chinese threat actor incidents compared to 2023. That won’t come as too much of a surprise for most, especially given the high-profile Salt Typhoon attack which breached 9 major telecom firms in late 2025.

AI attacks

Generative AI is lowering the barrier to entry for cybercriminals, and is a tool which makes cybercrime more accessible. Most cybersecurity teams will tell you the frequency of attacks that criminals are able to leverage has skyrocketed with AI, but the tech also allows for the creation of more and more convincing scams, especially social engineering scams.

CrowdStrike’s research shows deepfake video and voice clones are used to scam companies and individuals, so cybersecurity teams will likely need to shift some focus to tackling the threat of deepfakes in the workplace.

Looking forward, the vulnerability exploitation landscape “remains a critical concern”, with threat actors expected to aggressively target flawed devices and end-of-life products, so CrowdStrike reaffirms the importance of being proactive with patches, software updates, and hardware upgrades.

These trends are expected to continue to evolve into 2025, given rising geopolitical tensions and the development of new technologies which will more than likely allow cybercriminals to carry out more frequent and sophisticated attacks.

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• Microsoft is shutting down Skype in May 2025
• The company urges users to move over to Microsoft Teams instead
• Skype has been in steep decline since 2020

Microsoft has confirmed that Skype, the iconic video conferencing program, will shut down in May 2025. That means you've only got three months left to swap over - if you haven't already jumped ship already.

As reported by XDA Developers, a hidden message inside the HMTL code for the Skype for Windows program reads: "Starting in May, Skype will no longer be available. Continue your calls and chats in Teams." The statement is definitive, capping off the program's two-decade-long run by saying: "Move to Teams today" and "{userCount} of your friends have already moved to Teams".

Since its launch in 2003, Skype has been the de facto way of messaging, video conferencing, and audio calls across computers, later adopting mobile platforms, too. It was purchased by Microsoft in 2011, replacing some of the company's services for Skype, such as Windows Live Messenger and others. The program was later attempted to be integrated directly into Windows in 2015, a plan that was never fully realized.

However, Skype ran the risk of being cannibalized alongside Microsoft Teams, the company's newest communications venture, which debuted in 2017. Since its release, Teams has been heavily promoted by the company as the new way to communicate casually and professionally, with a lighter user interface and seamless integration between devices. As a consequence, Skype for Business was officially retired in 2021 after Microsoft announced it would be sunsetting the service in 2019.

The final nail in the coffin for Skype was its steep decline that happened during 2020. Despite a rebrand and a facelift from Microsoft, the Zoom alternative saw its numbers slipping significantly from the most popular conferencing program a decade prior, to only around 36 million monthly users, a decrease of 75% percent. While these numbers sound impressive, that's before realizing that Microsoft Teams was averaging anywhere from 250 to 300 million users a month from 2020 onwards and has remained steady since (via CNBC).

The end of Skype has finally arrived

The news of Skype's closure should not be surprising for many, as the bulk of its users had already long since transitioned to a newer (and likely faster) alternative that could do more. Skype was primarily billed around one-on-one communication, which is now something we've been able to do through Apple's FaceTime, WhatsApp, Discord, Facebook Messenger, and dozens of other programs for desktops and smartphones for a while now. Skype simply has not been needed for a long time, especially once the cracks in its functionality began to show.

Microsoft purchased Skype for $8.5 billion in cash with a 300% markup from its original valuation in 2007, when eBay purchased the program for $2.6 billion back in 2007. The service was thought of as the next big thing, which was later integrated into the company's ill-fated Windows phones and was even (briefly) a mandatory part of Windows 10. However, 2011 was a lifetime ago in the age of social media, where so much has arrived to replace it.

For all its faults, Microsoft Teams is a frontrunner for professional business use alongside the likes of Zoom and Google Meet. If you're having a video meeting in 2025, it's almost a certainty that you'll be using one of these three instead of booting up Skype, which feels primitive by comparison. Retirement for the program was a long time coming, and frankly, it's surprising that it even lasted this long in the first place.

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Nvidia has launched the new Game-ready driver 572.60 on its app, which is said to rectify the black screen issues that some users have had since upgrading to the latest hardware.

The new Game-ready driver also sees DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation for Naraka: Bladepoint and Monster Hunter Wilds, as well as G-Sync support for 29 new gaming monitors from Acer, AOC, Asus, Dell, LG, and Phillips models.

According to the patch notes, several gaming and general bugs have been fixed with the latest Game-ready driver, including "Various black screen issues" denominated as [5088957], [5100062], and [5089089], as well as "Audio issues when GPU is connected with DisplayPort 1.4 w/ DSC at very high refresh rates". If you've experienced black screens and audio problems, try the new driver out and see if these specific error codes are finally fixed for you.

Ongoing issues that Nvidia is aware of, but doesn't appear to have fixed yet, include a problem where the "PC may boot to black screen on certain monitors when connected via DisplayPort". It seems that DisplayPort could be an issue with the RTX 50 series, so you may be better off using HDMI 2.1 in the meantime to see if that makes any difference. We've previously argued against DisplayPort cables in the past.

Despite the promised fixes, some users of the Nvidia Forum have voiced their concerns that things are a long way from perfect on their new Blackwell hardware. One user simply writes: "Please fix your drivers so we can use DisplayPort". Another states how they're still having black screen issues with DisplayPort enabled, needing to use HDMI instead, and how they're "really contemplating switching to AMD". There are dozens more dissenting voices in response to the controversial thread.

The RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launched on January 30, 2025, with the RTX 5070 Ti joining the roster on February 20, 2025. While it’s early days for Blackwell hardware, the latest GPU generation has not been without its problems. As well as black screens, DisplayPort issues, and audio problems, some users have claimed their power connectors are melting. However, the latter issue does not seem anywhere near as widespread as the milder problems some users are suffering from.

A silver lining amidst a rocky launch

While it's argued that early adopters are always the ones to experience teething problems, the various issues that the RTX 50 series cards have had are not the best look. No one wants to invest in one of the newest and best graphics cards on the market only to suffer from black screens and audio issues and be forced to use HDMI instead of DisplayPort.

Some users may still be having problems, but we're hopeful that this new Game-ready driver could mitigate the worst of things for you. We should note that none of the RTX 50-series GPUs that we’ve been using and testing have had these problems, so hopefully the issues are rare - and now also fixed with these new Nvidia drivers.

However, it's part of a wider problem: the RTX 50 series cards have been near-impossible to find. The RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 sold out in mere minutes (arguably seconds) with an incredibly limited stock of not only the Founders Edition models from Nvidia but also the partner cards from US and UK retailers. Unfortunately, things were even worse with the lack of stock and availability of the RTX 5070 Ti when it debuted earlier this month. It was gone almost instantly, dashing the hopes of those who wanted DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation for $749.

In many ways, it mirrors the paper launch of the RTX 30 series from 2020, which itself was largely blamed on the semiconductor shortage (a symptom of the COVID-19 pandemic) and the cryptocurrency mining operations at a time where GPUs were being bought up in bulk to mine Etherium (and other blockchain-based coins).

We're hopeful that the RTX 50 series does eventually become more available, but this likely will not happen until towards the end of 2025. In the meantime, you can read where to check for RTX 5090 stock, RTX 5080 stock, and RTX 5070 Ti stock as it comes in. At least when availability is increased, hopefully, the problems plaguing the cards will be long gone, too.

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• Apple has been hit with a class action lawsuit
• The dispute is over the company's claims that its Apple Watch Ultra 2, SE 2, and Series 9 are carbon neutral
• Plaintiffs say these claims are "false and misleading"

Apple has been hit with a class action lawsuit over claims that many of its best Apple Watch models are carbon neutral, which plaintiffs say are "false and misleading."

The suit, filed in the Northern District of California on February 26, seeks to represent "all persons in the United States" who bought the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch SE 2, and Apple Watch Ultra 2.

These are all models that Apple advertises as "carbon neutral", a designation introduced in September 2023 with the arrival of the Series 9 and Ultra 2, and one that was added to the SE 2 launched the year before.

The suit notes Apple's strategy of reducing the overall carbon emissions of these products by 75%, and offsetting the remainder through "high-quality carbon credits from nature-based projects."

The two projects named are the source of the dispute. From the suit: " Apple claims to have retired 485,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents primarily through two offsetting projects: the Chyulu Hills Project in Kenya and the Guinan Project in China." According to the plaintiffs, Apple's carbon neutrality claims are "false and misleading."

"The Chyulu Hills Project purports to generate carbon credits by preventing deforestation on land which has been legally protected from deforestation since 1983," the suit reads, "while the Guinan Project claims to have planted trees on 'barren land' that was already heavily forested before the project began."

The lawsuit says that in both cases "the carbon reductions would have occurred regardless of Apple’s involvement or the projects’ existence," and as such Apple's carbon neutrality claims, which are "predicated on the efficacy and legitimacy of these projects," are false and misleading.

The suit goes on to claim that consumers have suffered economic injury and would not have bought the products, or paid as much for them, if they had known "that Apple’s 'carbon neutral' representations were false."

Apple hits back

Here's how Apple demonstrates the reduction in emissions for the Apple Watch Series 9, including using carbon credits to achieve 'net zero'. (Image credit: Apple)

"We are proud of our carbon neutral products, which are the result of industry-leading innovation in clean energy and low-carbon design," Apple told TechRadar in a defiant statement. "We’ve drastically cut emissions for Apple Watch by over 75 percent, and we are investing significantly in nature-based projects to remove hundreds of thousands of metric tons of carbon from the air. That innovation and progress is important to us and to the planet, which is why we detail our work prominently and transparently for our users."

Apple, as is to be expected, did not address the specific claims about the efficacy and legitimacy of the two named projects in the lawsuit, a discussion that will play out in court should the case come to fruition and end up going to trial.

As we've previously noted, there's plenty of public information about the questions around carbon credit programs. A report from The Guardian has previously suggested that some such programs are "worthless." Similarly, the New Climate Institute claimed that "Carbon credits cannot be considered an equivalent alternative to the reduction of companies’ own emissions," dubbing the practice "highly contentious." The NCI claims "the use of certificates from such projects is simply not a feasible solution for truly neutralising emissions," noting that carbon storage in forestry and land-use projects "is likely to only be temporary" because of forest fires and other disturbances.

The lawsuit lays bare the main issue with Apple's carbon neutrality claims. Any product that requires manufacture and distribution will have a carbon footprint that is impossible to eliminate totally, so any 'carbon neutral' push will inevitably have to rely on offsetting. As such, the efficacy and integrity of those programs will always underpin whether using a carbon neutral claim is justified.

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• HP confirms plans to remove around 90% of its US manufacturing from China
• The company acquired more stock in recent months, allowing the move
• Total company revenue is up 2.4%

HP has announced that by the end of fiscal year 2025 the company will have moved almost all (90%) of its production for North America away from China.

The change means that, from October 31, 2025, only one tenth of HP products destined for North America will come from China, with HP turning to a more diverse supply chain to both reduce its reliance on China amid ongoing trade wars and enhance its resilience more generally.

The Trump administration has recently placed a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports, which accounts for a significant majority of laptops shipped to the US.

HP pulls US manufacturing out of China

Supply chain shifts are just some of the steps being taken by HP to mitigate the effects of ongoing changes affecting nations globally.

Apart from pulling nearly all of its manufacturing for the States out of China, HP has also increased its inventory during the most recent quarter as a strategy to minimize the impacts of potential US tariff hikes. The company confirmed in its earnings release: “Inventory ended the quarter at $8.4 billion, up 9 days quarter over quarter to 72 days.”

Even in a three-month period of acquiring more inventory, HP also managed to increase revenue by 2.4% to $13.5 billion.

“We are pleased with our Q1 performance, achieving revenue growth for the third straight quarter and advancing our strategy to lead the future of work," noted HP CEO Enrique Lores. "We are focused on taking decisive action to address evolving market conditions in the near-term, while investing in our long-term growth.”

The CEO thanked strong commercial performance, particularly in its Personal Systems business, including AI-capable PCs. The most recent Canalys figures for the final three months of 2024 gives AI PCs a 23% market share of the entire PC market, with HP occupying 12% of the sub-market – considerably behind Apple’s 54% share.

Canalys Analyst Kieren Jessop commented “looming trade policy shifts in the US threaten to disrupt the market that accounts for around one in three shipped PCs and could hamper the upcoming commercial refresh cycle and dampen an already muted consumer outlook.”

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• Indie puzzle game A Good Snowman is Hard to Build now changes in price depending on the weather in London, England
• It's tied to OpenWeather data, with the game becoming free when it's below 0°C (32°F)
• This dynamic pricing is only available on itch.io

Every PC gamer is used to holding off until a seasonal sales event before buying the titles on their wishlist, but now you might have to wait for a chilly day instead.

Indie developer Draknek & Friends has announced a new pricing structure for cute puzzle game A Good Snowman is Hard to Build, which is directly tied to the real-world weather in London, England. As explained by the studio, the price of the game adjusts every hour to match data from the OpenWeather service.

Right now it's a chilly 5.9°C (42.62°F) in London, which means the game costs $5.90. This is a pretty substantial discount on its usual price of $14.99, so now could be quite a good time to buy. Presumably, when the weather begins to heat up, the game will start to cost more than its original asking price - potentially upwards of $30 in some of the hotter months.

If the temperature drops below 0°C (32°F), which it more than likely will next winter, the game will be available for free.

As its name would suggest, A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build is all about trying to build a snowman. You play as an adorable monster, rolling up snowballs in maze-like environments before combining them together to form a complete snow person. It first released back in February 2015 and has been quite well received, netting 'Overwhelmingly Positive' user reviews on Steam in addition to a handful of awards.

One thing to bear in mind, however, is that this dynamic pricing is currently only offered on indie platform itch.io as, according to the developer, it's not possible to automatically change the cost on Steam, Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or Nintendo Switch eShop.

The move is intended to be a "really stupid way of celebrating the game's 10 year anniversary" and will be permanent going forward. It also helps draw attention to the studio's upcoming release, The Electrifying Incident: A Monster Mini-Expedition. This is another puzzle game and is set to launch in April, 2025. If you're keen to give it a go, a demo is available now on Steam.

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Full spoilers follow for Severance season 2, including episode 7.

Episode 7 of Severance season 2 has joined its forebears on Apple TV+ – and this week's installment, titled 'Chikhai Bardo', is not only a Gemma-focused installment, but also one packed with big reveals and new mysteries. I suspect, then, that you've got many more questions about the where the increasingly popular Apple TV Original's story is going.

So, if you want more information about Gemma's past, fresh details on Project Cold Harbor, and more besides, I'll do my best at providing them. Massive spoilers immediately follow for this season's seventh episode, so turn back now if you haven't watched it yet.

Severance season 2 episode 7 ending explained: Gemma's backstory revealed

Gemma and Mark's backstory will break your heart (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Gemma Scout is one of the most mysterious characters in Severance. In a series full of enigmatic individuals, that takes some doing, but it's true! The only things we knew about Gemma until 'Chikhai Bardo' were that she's Mark's wife, isn't dead (which, until the season 1 finale, Mark had been led to believe for over two years), and was a severed Lumon Industries employee who, until season 2 began, was the wellness director of the nefarious biotech company's Severed Floor division.

Severance's newest entry just disclosed many more details about Gemma's past. It opens with Gemma attending a blood donation drive at Ganz College library, which is where she meets Mark, who's a history professor at said college. Long story short: they fall in love, move in together, get married, and eventually try to have a baby.

As it happens, Gemma falls pregnant, but suffers a miscarriage. It's a soul-destroying, traumatic event that eventually sees Gemma and Mark become increasingly distant, but not before they try once more to have a child (this time, via IVF, which proves to be a fruitless endeavor).

Mark and Gemma's relationship has been tested like no other in Severance's second season (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Thankfully, Gemma and Mark's relationship proves stronger than I anticipated and they appear to be doing far better by the night of her 'death'. Mark is unable to join Gemma a social gathering because he's got a paper to finish writing or grading. Gemma informs Mark she'll be home around 10pm, but that conversation proves to be the last one they'll have as a married couple. In the very next flashback scene, one that's absolutely devastating to watch, two police officers arrive at the Scout household to tell Mark about Gemma's demise. Evidently, Mark felt an incredible amount of guilt over his wife's death because he wasn't the car's driver, or couldn't save her after her allegedly fatal car crash, which serves as another key reason why he opted to undergo the severance procedure.

We learn more about Gemma's hobbies and interests during this trip down memory lane, which Mark is experiencing after slipping into a coma in this season's sixth episode, too. You can read more about why he fell unconscious in my Severance season 2 episode 6 theories piece. Anyway, during episode 7's various flashback sequences, we find out that Gemma loves plants, can speak Russian, and is a well-read individual. The latter is made clear by her lecturer profession and her understanding of Bardo, a Buddhist concept regarding life and death. I'll explain what this is in more detail later and how it ties into this episode's title.

Severance season 2 episode 7 ending explained: what is Lumon trying to accomplish with Gemma and does she escape?

Gemma seems like she's integral to the work that Lumon is doing (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Lumon's endgame remains a mystery, but 'Chikhai Bardo' provides some new details about what's going on within the walls of the clandestine organization.

For one, Gemma is as key to the puzzling project know as Cold Harbor as Mark is. We first heard about this during this season's premiere and you can read more about it in my Severance season 2 episode 1 theories article.

Regardless of what Cold Harbor ends up being, we know it's the final test subject room (more on these later) that Gemma must visit – indeed, she says as much during a conversation with Lumon's cryptic scientist (more on him later, too) in episode 7. Clearly, she's integral to the "mysterious and important" (Lumon's words, not mine) work that Lumon is carrying out, but Mark's 'innie' needs to achieve 100% completion of his Cold Harbor work before Gemma can access it. I suspect, then, that we won't learn what Cold Harbour actually is until this season's penultimate or final entry.

Gemma's backstory is fleshed out in season 2 episode 7 (Image credit: Apple TV+)

That's if Mark's 'outie' doesn't find a way to help Gemma escape, anyway. She tries to do so on her own – she's been held against her will for years, so it makes sense that she'd attempt to do so – in one of the best Apple TV+ shows' latest episode, but it's a mission that proves to be a futile one.

After knocking the mysterious, unsuspecting doctor unconscious with a chair in her room, Gemma steals his all-access key card and, after stealthily avoiding her orderly via this floor's labyrinthine corridors, she arrives at and uses the elevator. However, Gemma soon passes through the elevator's severance barrier, which causes her Ms Casey persona to emerge. Upon exiting the elevator on the Severed Floor and walking down the corridor to reach the sector itself, she's greeted at the exit by Seth Milchick, aka the Severed Floor manager. He instructs the bewildered Ms Casey to turn around and head back to where she came from, which she duly does. Gemma re-emerges after the elevator passes through the severance barrier again and, after being met by her nurse as the elevator doors open, a visibly upset Gemma is led back to her room.

Severance season 2 episode 7 ending explained: who is the mysterious doctor who seems obsessed with Gemma?

Meet Doctor Mauer, everyone (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Until now, this enigmatic individual has remained nameless. We'd only seen him once before, too – he's the mysterious man who's seen visiting Optics and Design to acquire some tools in Severance season 2 episode 5.

Thanks to 'Chikhai Bardo', we now know who he is: Doctor Mauer, who appears to be a full-time, permanent Lumon employee and, like many of the corporation's elite workforce, a Kier devotee.

Hang on, why is Doctor Mauer at the fertility clinic that Mark and Gemma visit? (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

As I mentioned earlier, it seems he's developed an unhealthy obsession with Gemma, which appears to go all the way back to her IVF treatment. In a blink and you'll miss it moment, Mauer can be seen passing (and staring!) at Gemma and Mark as they decide where to sit in the fertility clinic's reception/waiting area. In the confines of Lumon, he's not only responsible for noting down Gemma's answers at the end of every day, but also conducts each experiment with Gemma in the aforementioned test rooms. He even uses numerous disguises so that none of her 'innie' personalities can work out who he is.

It'll be interesting to see how he reacts to Gemma in season 2's final three episodes. After all, she attacked him with a chair and stole his all-access pass to mount an escape effort. Will he hold that against her, or will his clear feelings for Gemma override any hostility he may have towards her? Whatever happens, Gemma is clearly not safe with him – and, with Drummond telling him (in the previously mentioned secret observation room) that he'll "have to say goodbye" to Gemma once Project Cold Harbor is complete, I'm worried that a potentially unhinged Mauer will try and keep Gemma for himself.

Severance season 2 episode 7 ending explained: what's with the test rooms that Gemma visits and how many are there?

I wonder what's behind all of these rooms... (Image credit: Apple TV+)

If the above didn't have enough theory-inducing material for fans to pore over until season 2 episode 8 arrives, the reveal of this sub-Severed Floor area certainly does.

Dubbed the 'Testing Floor' by director/executive producer Ben Still on this week's episode of The Severance Podcast, it's a sector with a seemingly infinite number of rooms that Gemma is the test subject for. Each doorway contains its own severance barrier so, each time Gemma enters a different room, it unlocks a different 'innie' persona within her. Still confirmed that Gemma has multiple 'innie' personalities on The Severance Podcast's latest episode, too.

But I digress. Essentially, each room is akin to a role-playing scenario, with Gemma forced to act out various everyday and/or life-threatening situations, such as Christmas Day or a flight that's experiencing extreme turbulence, with Doctor Mauer. On this particular day, Gemma visits six different rooms: Billings, Cairns, Lucknow, St. Pierre, Wellington, and Zurich. She also visits the room known as Allentown the day after.

What scenarios are played out in each of these rooms? (Image credit: Apple TV+)

We don't learn about each room's scenario in episode 7, but we do find out what many of them are called. Other room names I spotted as Gemma walks down this floor's hallwasys include Dranesville, Siena, Loveland, Rhodes, and Tumwater. Many more are revealed on a blink and you'll miss it shot of a computer monitor in Lumon's secret observation room (more on this in a moment), too, which you can see in the image above.

It isn't among the test room names in the above image, but there's one experiment space that'll have immediately piqued the interest of many of you: Cold. Harbor.

Severance season 2 episode 7 ending explained: what do these test rooms have to do with Project Cold Harbor?

Well, that answers one big question we have about Project Cold Harbor... (Image credit: Apple TV+)

First mentioned in Severance season 2 episode 1, Project Cold Harbor is the biggest enigma of the hit mystery thriller series' sophomore outing.

Unfortunately, 'Chikhai Bardo' doesn't shed any new light on what it actually is. We do learn, though, that its progress bar has been stuck at 96%. This much is made clear during a conversation between Drummond and Mauer in Lumon's secret observation room (I'll discuss this next, promise!), with Drummond saying it hasn't updated since Mark S had that nosebleed in season 2 episode 6, which is a temporary but significant setback for whatever work he's carrying out.

Will Mark's 'innie' return to Lumon and complete Cold Harbor before season 2 ends? His 'outie' will need to wake from his coma first – and you can see if he does by scrolling through the rest of this article.

Severance season 2 episode 7 ending explained: why is there a secret observation room at Lumon?

Another episode, another secret room within the bowels of Lumon (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Alright, so what's this secret observation room that Lumon has? It appears to be a place that the company can spy on its Severed Floor workforce. That much is evident by those unsevered Lumon employees being able to watch each severed employee via a camera feed that's plugged directly into Mark S and company's computer monitors.

One speedy time lapse later and it's clear why Lumon is keeping tabs on its severed workers: it wants to ensure that they attain 100% completion on each test room, which will allow Doctor Mauer to conduct his roleplay experiments with Gemma. During said time lapse, we can see Mark's 'innie' completing work on Cairns and Dranesville – and, as I outlined above, these are two of the rooms that Gemma visits at different points in episode 7. That serves as more proof that Lumon's severed workforce needs to complete each project before Mauer and Gemma can access a new test room.

Severance season 2 episode 7 ending explained: does Mark wake from his coma?

Wakey wakey, Mark (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Yep! Before episode 7's end credits roll, Mark regains consciousness. At the very least, this implies he's partway through the reintegration process – i.e. the experimental procedure that combines the 'innie' and 'outie' personas of a severed individual.

And when I say 'partway', it's because I don't believe he's achieved full reintegration. Remember, Reghabi – the former Lumon scientist who devised the innovative but dangerous technique – told Mark's sister Devon that they needed to restart the process once he'd come to. With Reghabi leaving Mark's home after Devon devises a plan to call Harmony Cobel, aka the former Severed Floor manager, for help, I don't think Mark's reintegration has been completed. I fully expect him to continue 'jumping' between the real world and Lumon in this season's last three episodes, then.

Severance season 2 episode 7 ending explained: what is 'Chikhai Bardo'? And does it tell us anything about this show's story?

The concept of Bardo is a part of Buddhist culture (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

In some Buddhist traditions, the concept of Bardo refers the intermediate, transitional, or unseen state between death and being reborn. It has six stages (known as bardos), of which Chikhai Bardo is the fourth bardo and the first that relates to the 'during death' cycle. It marks the precipice of the 'final inner breath', too, which a living being takes before it passes.

The term Chikhai Bardo appears to have a double meaning in this episode, then. The first relates to Mark's comatose state as, until he reawakens, it's unclear if the reintegration process will succeed (he's still alive!) or fail (well, he's dead). Essentially, he's on the cusp of death until he regains consciousness in episode 7's final scene.

Chikhai Bardo also relates to Gemma. Not only does she mention it by name during a conversation with Mark as they discuss some laminated cards (see the image above) during one flashback, but Gemma is also on the edge of a knife when it comes to the life-death experience. Any one of her 'innie' personas could be snuffed out by Lumon in an instant (it's already done this to Burt and Irving) and, let's be frank, she's not exactly living while she's being held captive as a test subject by Lumon. In fact, you could argue her imprisonment is akin to being stuck in purgatory, which, per Catholic doctrine, is a intermediate state between life and death. Hmm, where have I heard such a similar description like that before...

One final thing on Bardo. It's a classical Tibetan word that's not the only one uttered in episode 7. Indeed, during a sit-down meal (shown via flashback) with Mark, Devon, and Ricken, Gemma uses the Tibetan name for Mount Everest, which is Chomolungma. Dichen Lachmann, who plays Gemma/Ms Casey, was also born in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, which is considered to be the gateway to Tibet for tourists. The more you know, eh?

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In just a year, AI adoption has surged with McKinsey & Company reporting that 72% of organizations adopted AI into at least one business function – a striking increase from 55% in 2023. For years, the overarching misconception has been that automation and AI tools will replace human jobs, sparking fear among employees about their future careers.

However, companies are increasingly recognizing that a healthy, happy workforce is not only more productive but also more innovative and resilient. As a result, AI and automation are now playing an important role in creating a more balanced and fulfilling work life.

Removing employee's AI and automation concerns

The rapid advancement of AI and automation has fueled uncertainty, largely because employers struggle to present the technology as a tool to empower their workforce.

Instead of eliminating jobs, automation often leads to job evolution. Consider the transition from traditional manufacturing roles to advanced manufacturing positions that require more technical skills. Workers are not being replaced but their roles must change to adapt to new technology. New skills facilitate employees to engage in more rewarding positions that make better use of their talents. The demand for new positions in the field like data analysis, machine learning and maintenance of automated systems will replace the space left by mundane tasks and provide fulfilling work for employees.

With the ongoing changes to the work life, employees can’t be blamed for doubting their role. This is where employers need to do more than just provide tools – they need to offer the right training and create the space for employees to feel confident in navigating new technologies. By prioritizing employee wellbeing while adopting AI and automation, organizations will cultivate a culture of communication and trust.

Enhancing employee wellbeing

When employees feel comfortable with new technology, organizations can use automation to enable employees to focus on higher-priority work. Imagine being able to build a workplace where employees are freed from tedious tasks like data entry, making more time for creativity and more meaningful tasks. With the pressure of administrative tasks lifted and employees under a little less stress, decision-making becomes a thoughtful process.

Job satisfaction is also gained through the feeling of progress. When burdened with monotonous tasks, employee satisfaction will diminish if they feel limited in making meaningful progress. By allowing AI and automation to take over these tasks, employees will have time to perform more skilled work, leading to greater satisfaction. In turn, there will be more time for employees to learn new skills and take on complex and rewarding responsibilities.

In areas in which human intelligence is superior to AI, such as strategic planning, innovation and creative problem solving, employees will recognize their value. By creating an environment of continuous improvement via valuable work, employees will gain greater job satisfaction.

Three strategies for implementing AI and automation

Recognizing the impact AI and automation has on employees is the first step, but that’s not to say that implementing strategies to combat this is easy. Several strategies will help encourage the successful adoption of automation:

Engage employees early – ensuring employees are involved in the initial planning and implementation stages will make a significant difference in how AI and automation are perceived and accepted. By providing space for employees to offer input and feedback, organizations can address concerns and make adjustments that align with the workforce’s needs and expectations. This collaborative approach to embracing change and empowering employees by making them feel valued and heard.

Provide training and feedback – by prioritizing training and development programs, ensure employees are equipped with the necessary skills to operate new technologies and adapt to changing roles. Investing in employee development, further demonstrates an organization’s commitment to its team’s growth and future, in turn boosting morale and job satisfaction.

Foster a culture of collaboration – it is no secret that open communication builds a supportive and encouraging work environment. Automation can further support collaboration by streamlining communication channels. Project management software can automate task assignments and updates, ensuring everyone is informed and involved. By using automation to promote collaboration, organizations can enhance employee engagement and create a productive atmosphere.

When thoughtfully implemented, automation can significantly enhance employee well-being. Organizations can future-proof their operations, and cultivate a motivated and satisfied workforce, but this heavily relies on addressing employees’ misplaced fears around AI and automation. By embracing AI and automation with a focus on wellbeing, organizations will be ideally placed to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape.

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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

• Microsoft completes its EU Data Boundary project
• EU cloud data will now be stored in the EU
• Meta previously received a fine from the EU for storing data in the US

Microsoft Cloud customers in the EU will now be able to store and process their data within the continent after the company finally completed a major project.

In an announcement, Microsoft said its new EU Data Boundary project will mean customers can now store professional services data from “technical support interactions” for core cloud services within EFTA and the EU.

Previously, Microsoft Cloud customers had their data sent to the US, which raised privacy concerns from the EU.

Greater control

The announcement is the completion of a “massive, multi-year” project, to fulfill Microsoft’s goals of providing a solution which processes and stores customer data.

It will include, "customer data and pseudonymized personal data for Microsoft core cloud services — including Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and most Azure services — within the EU and EFTA regions.”

The project initially launched in January 2023, with the first phase focusing on core services. Phase 2 expanded the scope of the EU Data Boundary to include “pseudonymized personal data”, and now in this final phase, Microsoft Cloud sovereignty gives customers more control, transparency, and accountability through European Cloud principles.

Microsoft says it has invested over $20 billion in AI and cloud infrastructure to meet the growing demand and “expand local options”.

EU regulators have previously raised concerns over how Microsoft processes the data of cloud service users, and Microsoft is not the only target. Meta received a giant $1.3 billion fine, and was ordered to stop transferring EU data to the US.

The requirement to stop the storage of personal data of EU individuals would be a “massive undertaking to carry out, financially, technically and logistically," said Nigel Jones, co-founder of the Privacy Compliance Hub, so it’s no surprise this project from Microsoft took over two years to complete.

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• OpenAI has launched GPT-4.5, but only for ChatGPT Pro users right now. Plus users get it next week
• GPT-4.5 is supposedly smarter and more emotionally intuitive than earlier AI models but lack deep reasoning power
• OpenAI claims GPT-4.5 will provide better conversations and fewer hallucinations than ever

OpenAI has officially launched GPT-4.5, the most advanced version of its AI models, but it has no deep reasoning ability, because it's designed to be an all-purpose model. The latest model is available on ChatGPT, though for now, you'll need to be a Pro subscriber to access it.

The model is being rolled out as a “research preview,” which means it's imperfect, and OpenAI hopes users will help sort out any bugs or awkwardness. Even so, the company claims early testers report that GPT-4.5 feels more natural, intuitive, and emotionally intelligent. This is a welcome upgrade for those of us who have ever asked ChatGPT for information and felt like the response was just an outdated Wikipedia page.

GPT-4.5 is supposed to be even better at understanding context and recognizing social cues than its predecessors. The overall feeling is supposedly all but indistinguishable from chatting with a real person. It certainly seems to have impressed OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who called it "the first model that feels like talking to a thoughtful person" in a post on X. Altman added that GPT-4.5 will come to ChatGPT Plus and Team subscribers next week, but you'll need to pay $200 a month to play with it for now.

GPT-4.5 is ready!good news: it is the first model that feels like talking to a thoughtful person to me. i have had several moments where i've sat back in my chair and been astonished at getting actually good advice from an AI.bad news: it is a giant, expensive model. we…February 27, 2025

Fewer hallucinations, more empathy

Notably, GPT-4.5 is not only supposedly smarter and more creative, but it should also produce fewer hallucinations. That last part is particularly important because hallucinations were often a sticking point for tentative ChatGPT users who didn't want to rely on a chatbot that might confidently make things up. Performance-wise, GPT-4.5 is supposed to be a big step up and really good with general knowledge. However, that doesn't mean it can handle coding and problem-solving as well as OpenAI's o1 and o3 models or rival options like DeepSeek’s R1.

Instead, GPT-4.5 specializes in empathy, with a high emotional quotient (EQ). AI still can’t feel things, but GPT-4.5 is supposed to be better at picking up on nuance. If you’re venting about a bad day, it won’t just reply, "I’m sorry you feel that way.” Instead, it’s designed to offer more thoughtful responses. Whether that makes it feel more like a conversation partner or just a particularly well-trained customer service bot remains to be seen. As for how to measure the EQ, OpenAI quite literally depended on "vibes."

"By vibes, really mean the model's EQ, how collaborative it feels and how warm its tone is," OpenAI engineer Rapha Gontijo Lopes explained in a livestream demonstration of GPT-4.5. "We measured this by selecting an opinionated set of prompts and screening our trainers for the ones that most align with our vibes."

If you’re a ChatGPT Pro user, you’ll be among the first to see whether GPT-4.5 truly has the vibes of a human and lives up to the hype. If you're not spending quite that much, you'll get a chance soon enough. Either way, with Amazon announcing a more chatty, AI-powered Alexa+ yesterday, the AI arms race just heated up again, and this time it's looking like the chatbots will be able to mimic how you feel more realistically than ever.

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GenAI is revolutionizing how developers create new apps and services. It’s making app development more efficient, providing developers with the tools to make it easier to spin up applications, tweak pre-built models, and create something functional in record time. However, this means applications can be developed without support from IT and may be bypassing the security and governance frameworks in place, making the battle against Shadow IT more difficult.

On the one hand GenAI is revolutionizing how business apps are built and utilized, accelerating time to market and potential profitability. On the other hand, organizations are faced with an increased attack surface created by programs that often bypass traditional IT oversight. In this new era, shadow IT isn’t just a nuisance—it’s a potential security crisis waiting to happen.

When Shadow IT Meets AI-Enhanced Cyberattacks

Eighty-three percent of leaders in a recent Kong report say AI investments are fueling new products and services. It’s easy to see why. Need to automate a workflow or create a chatbot? A few keystrokes, and it’s done. The barriers to building have all but disappeared, unleashing a wave of innovation that’s impossible to ignore.

But here’s the catch: this creative boom has a dark side. Some of these new tools rely on shadow APIs—untracked, unmanaged gateways operating in the wild west of IT infrastructure. And cybercriminals? They’re more than happy to exploit these blind spots, turning innovation into a security nightmare.

As AI evolves, so do the tools attackers use to exploit it. The rise of AI tools has only made it easier for bad actors to automate attacks, uncover hidden APIs, and launch targeted breaches. While developers build with GenAI, hackers use the same technology to scale their attacks.

Kong’s research paints a stark picture: 74% of IT leaders are deeply concerned about AI-enhanced attacks. But it’s not just bad actors misusing AI. Even well-intentioned usage can lead to data exposure. Take Samsung, for instance—when employees fed sensitive source code into ChatGPT, it became publicly accessible, creating a security and compliance nightmare.

The Trouble with Shadow IT and APIs

Governing shadow IT has always been tricky, but the rise of GenAI takes it to another level. With employees and teams creating applications faster than ever, keeping track of what’s being built, and how it connects to your systems, can feel like an impossible task. Shadow APIs, in particular, are a major blind spot. They’re often spun up without proper security measures, leaving them wide open to exploitation.

The compliance risks are just as serious. Regulatory frameworks and federal laws demand strict data protection and transparency. Shadow APIs can slip under the radar, exposing sensitive data without organizations even realizing it. This not only puts businesses at risk of breaches, but also hefty fines for non-compliance.

Millions of APIs exist out in the wild which makes them an attractive target to cybercriminals. Over half of the organizations surveyed experienced an API security incident last year, and 20% faced remediation costs exceeding $500,000. In fact, Gartner estimates that API breaches leak ten times more data than your average cyberattack.

For organizations trying to stay ahead, visibility is everything. Without tools to discover and govern shadow IT, businesses risk falling out of step with compliance requirements and leaving themselves vulnerable to attacks.

Quieting the Chaos: Why Infrastructure Matters

So, how do you manage the perfect storm of GenAI, APIs and Shadow IT without stifling innovation? It all starts with a solid infrastructure. Organizations need tools that shine a light on every API—whether it’s part of an official project or something a team developed on the side.

That’s where solutions like AI Gateways come into play. Think of an AI Gateway as the control tower for your API ecosystem. It’s a centralized hub that not only monitors and manages all your APIs but also keeps tabs on the traffic generated by AI-powered tools. With built-in AI smarts, these platforms can flag suspicious activity, uncover rogue APIs, and stop threats in their tracks.

Even better, AI Gateways help businesses scale without introducing unnecessary risk. They make it easy to integrate AI-driven apps securely, ensuring that innovation doesn’t come at the cost of security.

Turning Risks into Opportunities

Generative AI isn’t going anywhere—it’s already reshaping how we work, create, and collaborate. But to harness its potential, businesses need to tackle the challenges head-on. Here’s how to strike the right balance:

1. Spot Shadow APIs: Use advanced network monitoring tools to identify hidden APIs and understand their impact on your ecosystem.

2. Build Smarter Policies: Develop AI-specific security measures, like auditing large language models (LLMs) and training employees to use AI responsibly.

3. Invest in Resilience: Adopt infrastructure solutions like AI gateways to manage API sprawl and boost security.

As our report points out, 84% of IT leaders believe AI and LLMs will make API security even more complex in the next few years. Getting ahead of these challenges now is critical to staying competitive—and secure.

The Bottom Line

GenAI is a game-changer, but it’s also rewriting the rules of Shadow IT. With every new app or API, comes a new potential vulnerability. The good news? By combining innovative AI tools with a strong governance strategy, businesses can transform these risks into opportunities.

The key is finding the right balance: embrace the creativity GenAI enables, but don’t lose sight of the security and scalability needed to keep it all under control. After all, innovation is only as powerful as the foundation it’s built on.

We've compiled a list of the best firewall 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

• StudyFetch's new Tutor Me is an interactive AI that can converse with students as it teaches
• Tutor Me builds its lessons from textbooks, notes, and assignments uploaded by the student
• The AI personalizes lectures and quizzes to the students and can track their progress

AI can impart a lot of knowledge but isn't usually a very good teacher. Sometimes, it's more like glorified search engines than a study partner. Educational tech developer StudyFetch has a new tool that might change that opinion. Tutor Me is an AI platform focused specifically on teaching students. The idea is something like a ChatGPT that is specially trained to perform as a teacher on specific subjects without needing to constantly tailor your prompts for that purpose.

The biggest difference from just asking ChatGPT to teach you something is that Tutor Me is built to work with a student’s actual course materials, so its explanations, quizzes, and lesson plans are always based on what they’re actually studying. You can upload lesson texts, assigned readings, notes from online lessons, or even photos of whiteboards that Tutor Me will analyze to develop a unique study guide and curriculum.

Tutor Me acts like an online conference with a teacher. The AI responds in real-time, just like a human tutor would. But unlike a human tutor, it never runs out of patience or time. You can ask it to test your knowledge by requesting a quiz, ask it to speed up or slow down its explanations and speaking speed, and even bring up a topic by referencing a textbook page number. If you find flashcards dry and detached, StudyFetch's AI might be ideal for helping you stay interested in any given subject. Plus, it can track your progress and help you keep up on your lessons and assignments.

Learn AI

Considering more than a quarter of teens already use ChatGPT to help with homework, something like Tutor Me probably has a lot of potential interest. OpenAI isn't the only alternative as an educational AI provider, though.

Google Gemini has its own Learn About feature, and Khan Academy’s Khanmigo has an AI-driven tutor for students looking to supplement class time. Educational institutes are taking notes as well. Arizona State University (ASU) is working with OpenAI to incorporate ChatGPT, and London’s David Game College is running an AI-taught class as part of its new Sabrewing program.

Still, the direct integration with course materials will likely aid Tutor Me in standing out. It solves the complaint about AI being too general and offering answers that don’t quite match what you want to learn about. Pulling from actual lesson plans and assignments reduces Tutor Me's chances of going off-topic a lot.

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• Perplexity’s iOS app has updated with a revamped voice mode
• The upgrade adds six new voices and real-time search integration
• Perplexity also included new personalization features and a fresh design to the iOS app

AI conversational search engine Perplexity is speaking up in its latest iOS update. The AI chatbot's voice mode brings a new look and more natural-sounding voices to the app, along with some new interactive features. The upgrade sets up Perplexity's app to better challenge rivals with their own voice options like ChatGPT or Google Gemini.

Before this update, Perplexity’s voice feature was somewhat limited. It could read answers aloud but without much emotion and with a walkie-talkie sort of interface that slowed things down. Perplexity has now added six different voices. While it’s still a text-to-speech system, meaning it won't have the emotional nuance of ChatGPT's advanced voice mode, the improvement is noticeable. You can finally pick a voice that doesn’t sound like an audiobook narrator from 2005.

So, how does Perplexity’s voice mode stack up against the competition? From an unscientific comparison, I'd say ChatGPT's advanced voice mode wins in sheer realism, with an expressive sound, conversational tone, and surprisingly natural-feeling laughter and outright interruptions. Google Gemini is a little less fluid, but still very natural overall. And while Google Gemini's voice is very good, it's a little less fluid than ChatGPT. Perplexity's offering is very clear and easy to understand, but its voices linger in the more neutral tone that sounds a little more artificial. It's not a negative though, just a different approach. Instead of focusing on making AI sound human, it’s doubling down on utility and making sure that when you ask a question, you not only get an answer but also the sources to back it up.

Perplexity's voice mode is embedded in the AI's other features too. That means the real-time search tool links to the voice mode. When you ask a question, you don’t just get a spoken response, you also see live search results, with links to the sources. It's an ability that's crucial since so much of Perplexity's appeal is in how it melds AI with search capabilities.

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Perplexity resolved

The way you start voice mode and the look of the app when using the feature have also been changed. The microphone icon you tap to start talking has been replaced by a sphere of shifting dots that respond to your voice and touch, scattering and reforming at your touch. It's an unnecessary but fun touch to the app. You can also now personalize the app with widgets like stock tickers or sports score updates. It adds another layer of customization that makes Perplexity feel a little more like your assistant rather than just a generic chatbot. Those kinds of options will likely be necessary for Perplexity to keep up with and perhaps beat other AI chatbots.

That ambition is also evident in the other major upgrade to the app. Perplexity has also added the new Claude 3.7 Sonnet model to its lineup. Anthropic's new model is aimed at enhancing Perplexity's ability to respond capably to complex or multi-step questions. Claude 3.7 is still very new, and reviews haven't been unanimous, but it could exceed or at least match the models employed by ChatGPT and Google Gemini for reasoning and conversational engagement.

Perplexity's voice mode revamp suggests Perplexity isn’t looking to beat ChatGPT and Gemini at where they are strongest, but to augment its own strengths with features that make the whole interaction feel (and sound) smoother, more immersive, and more natural.

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