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• Buds 2a are predicted to launch on 20th August 2025
• Leaks suggest ANC and Spatial Audio, but no head tracking
• Reports also suggest a 50% price hike in Europe

It's been a few days since the last Google Pixel Buds 2a leak, so we're due another big one – and well-known leaker Evan Blass is happy to oblige. Posting on X, Blass has published a leaked spec sheet that fills in some of the blanks from previous leaks.

The spec sheet also does something useful: it shows how the more affordable buds compare to the current Google Pixel Buds Pro 2.

(Image credit: Evan Blass / X)Google Pixel Buds 2a: key features and pricing

Like the Buds Pro 2, the Google Pixel Buds 2a should have active noise cancellation, but they don't appear to have the Pros' Silent Seal, which adapts the ANC further based on the shape of your ears.

There are three other key differences here: the Buds 2a get spatial audio, but they aren't getting head tracking; the Buds 2a don't have wireless charging; and they don't have conversation detection. The only other spec on the sheet is battery life, which is a promised 7 hours – and 20 with the charging case. By comparison the Buds Pro 2 get 8 hours and 30 hours respectively.

This isn't the only Google Pixel Buds 2a leak. According to the German tech site WinFuture, which has also posted new renders of the earbuds, there's going to be a price hike in Europe: where the Pixel Buds A were €99, the Buds 2a will reportedly be €149. That's a huge price increase and if it's reflected in other markets would mean $149 / £149 / AU$195).

On a related note: if you're already a Google Pixel Buds Pro user and don't want to buy new buds any time soon, there's a little bit of good news for you: Google is rolling out a nifty visual upgrade to Android's headphone and earbud status notifications to make it easier to check battery levels. Thanks to Android Police for that one.

Of course, the Pixel Buds 2a leaks above are unofficial and should be treated as such – speculation and possible feature sets, rather than stone cold reported fact. But when we know more about the unreleased Pixel Buds 2a, so shall you.

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• M&S has finally restored its in-store click and collect service
• The cyber incident was disclosed in April 2025
• Online orders for delivery were restored in June

Marks and Spencer (M&S) has finally restarted click and collect orders for clothing, home and beauty products after a nearly four-month suspension following an apparent major cyberattack.

Although the company had resumed online orders for delivery on June 10 after it disclosed details of a cyber incident on April 22 (and stopped deliveries and collections from April 25), M&S took a further 15 weeks to switch back on its click and collect services.

The cyber incident was previously expected to cost the company around £300 million in lost operating profit for this fiscal year, but M&S hopes to halve the impact via insurance and cost controls.

M&S click and collect back online

However, although the restoration of click and collect signals a 'back to normal' for customers, analysts aren't expecting a sudden resurgence as M&S continues to battle with reputational damages.

Although the British retail giant took a major hit, the industry didn't, and rivals like Sainsburys and Next were able to scoop up some of the lost business.

M&S CEO Stuart Machin had previously stated the effects of the incident could continue into June and July, signalling a restoration in August, and the company has been able to adhere to that.

Detailing its learnings in Parliament, M&S has urged stronger cyber-incident disclosure norms. The counsel also noted that companies should be able to operate manually during outages.

The UK's National Crime Agency arrested four people in a probe tied to attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods, however the true cause of the incident still remains uncertain.

The attacks against Marks and Spencer (M&S) and the Co-op supermarket were combined into a single incident by the same attacker by the Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC), an independent, non-profit body established to categorize major cyber events by the insurance industry.

It had been reported the group known as Scattered Spider was behind the ordeal, but TCS, which has been servicing M&S for more than a decade, is also investigating whether it was the stepping stone to the attack.

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Steve Inskeep speaks with author and conservative commentator Max Boot about the changing world order.

Social media is full of videos saying hormonal contraception can hurt you and promoting natural alternatives. How did the treatments get such a bad reputation and do alternatives work?

President Trump's new tariffs are pouring in. But it's still only a fraction of overall government revenues — and falls short of new spending in the recent Republican megabill.

(Image credit: Jim Watson)

The library is launching a project in collaboration with Harvard Law School and OpenAI this summer to digitize the materials and make them more fully searchable.

(Image credit: Aram Boghosian for Boston Public Library
)

Trump campaigned on helping American workers through his immigration policies. Now that he's revoked work authorization for thousands of immigrants, those left behind are feeling taxed by their absence.

(Image credit: Andrea Hsu)

Israel's military targeted an Al Jazeera correspondent with an airstrike Sunday, killing him, another network journalist and other people, all of whom were sheltering outside the Gaza City Hospital complex.

(Image credit: Jehad Alshrafi)

There's a calculation that every AI executive should know by heart, but most have never done: an on-premises GPU server costs roughly the same as six to nine months of renting equivalent cloud capacity.

Given that hardware typically runs for three to five years, the mathematics are stark, yet somehow this isn't common knowledge in boardrooms making million-pound infrastructure decisions.

The issue stems from a fundamental mismatch between how we think about AI costs and how they actually accumulate. The operational expenditure over capital expenditure model feels intuitive when you pay as you go, scale as needed, and avoid big upfront commitments.

But AI workloads break these assumptions in ways that make traditional cloud economics misleading.

What the cloud isn't telling you

For example, renting a single NVIDIA H100 GPU instance from a hyperscaler cloud provider can cost around $8/hour, or over $5500 per month. Over 12 months, that's upwards of $65,000.

By contrast, purchasing equivalent hardware outright might cost around $30,000 to $35,000, with three to five years of usable life. Add power, cooling, and maintenance and you still come out ahead after just 6 to 9 months of usage. Plus, you own the hardware so you don’t have to return it after 12 months.

But the pricing hierarchy is more complex than it appears. While neocloud providers like Fluidstack offer H100s at that $2/hour rate, hyperscalers charge closer to $8/hour, making the on-premises case even stronger.

The real-world comparison gets harder to ignore when you consider actual deployments: 8xH100 systems from Dell or Supermicro cost around $250,000, versus $825,000 for three years of equivalent hyperscaler capacity (even with reserved pricing). NVIDIA's own DGX systems carry a punishing 50-100% markup over these already substantial prices.

The missing numbers in most AI budgeting conversations represent real savings, not theoretical ones. The problem compounds when you examine specific use cases.

Consider training runs. Most cloud providers only guarantee access to large GPU clusters if you reserve capacity for a year or more. If your training only needs two weeks, you're still paying for the other 50.

Meanwhile, inference demands create their own mathematical puzzle. Token-based pricing for large language models means costs fluctuate with the unpredictability of the models themselves, making budget forecasting feel more like weather prediction than financial planning.

Elasticity, but with fine print

The cloud’s promise of elastic scale feels tailor-made for AI – until you realize that scale is constrained by quota limits, GPU availability, and cost unpredictability. What’s elastic in theory often requires pre-booking in practice and cash upfront to make costs acceptable.

And once your usage grows, discounts come with multi-year commitments that mirror the CapEx models cloud was meant to replace.

It's not that the cloud isn't scalable. It's that the version of scale AI teams need (cost-efficient, high-throughput, burstable compute) isn’t always what’s on offer.

The irony runs deeper than pricing. Cloud providers market flexibility as their core value proposition, yet AI workloads, which are the most computationally demanding applications of our time, often require the least flexible arrangements.

Long-term reservations, capacity planning, and predictable baseline loads start to look suspiciously like the traditional IT procurement cycles cloud computing was supposed to eliminate. The revolution becomes circular.

Hidden costs, visible friction

The hidden complexity emerges in the details. Teams preparing for usage spikes often reserve more capacity than they use, paying for idle compute "just in case."

Data migration between providers can consume non-trivial amounts of engineering time, representing an opportunity cost that rarely appears on infrastructure budgets but significantly impacts small, time-constrained teams.

These opportunity costs compound over time. When teams switch between cloud providers – driven by pricing changes, performance issues or compliance needs, they often face weeks of rewrites, re-optimizations, and revalidations.

It’s not just the IT infrastructure that changes, but all the code that manages it, internal expertise in that provider disappears and deployment pipeline needs to be rewritten. For lean teams, this can mean delayed product updates or missed go-to-market windows, which rarely get factored into the headline GPU bill.

Perhaps most surprisingly, the operational burden of managing on-premises infrastructure has been systematically overstated. Unless you're operating at extreme scale, the complexity is entirely manageable through in-house expertise or through managed service providers.

The difference is that this complexity is visible and planned for, rather than hidden in monthly bills that fluctuate unpredictably.

From budgeting to strategy

Smart companies are increasingly adopting hybrid approaches that play to each infrastructure model's strengths. They use owned hardware for predictable baseline loads like the steady-state inference that forms the backbone of their service.

Cloud resources handle the spikes: time-of-day variations, customer campaign surges, or experimental workloads where spot pricing can soften the blow.

Companies taking this approach have moved beyond anti-cloud thinking toward financially literate engineering.

The cloud remains invaluable for rapid experimentation, geographic scaling, and genuinely unpredictable workloads. But treating it as the default choice for all AI infrastructure ignores the mathematical reality of how these systems actually get used.

Companies getting this calculation right are doing more than saving money. They're building more sustainable, predictable foundations for long-term innovation.

These conversations aren’t just technical, they’re strategic. CFOs may favor cloud for its clean OpEx line, while engineers feel the pain of FinOps teams desperately chasing them to delete resources as month-end cost spikes and poor support hit.

That disconnect can lead to infrastructure decisions driven more by accounting conventions than real performance or user experience. Organizations getting this right are the ones where finance and engineering sit at the same table, reviewing not just cost, but throughput, reliability, and long-term flexibility. In AI, aligning financial and technical truths is the real unlock.

Understanding these hidden mathematics won’t just help you budget better, it’ll make sure you’re building infrastructure that works the way AI actually does, freeing up headspace to focus on what matters most: building better, faster, and more resilient AI products.

We list the best IT management tool.

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

• Hostinger Horizons integrates ecommerce directly, removing reliance on plugins or third-party connections.
• The update uses a tested ecommerce engine from Hostinger’s existing website builder system.
• Users can add up to 600 products with no extra transaction fees charged.

Hostinger has introduced built-in ecommerce platform functionality to its Horizons vibe coding platform, making it the first such tool in its category to offer a complete online store setup without relying on third-party integrations.

The website builder company claims this update removes the need for plugins, lengthy configuration, or technical expertise, which allows users to establish an online retail presence in minutes.

Users can list up to 600 products, configure over 100 payment gateway options, set up shipping methods, and apply taxes or discounts as needed.

Reducing time and effort for digital storefronts

“We’re building Horizons for people who don’t want to worry about technical setup or to have to figure out how ecommerce works," said Dainius Kavoliūnas, Head of Hostinger Horizons.

"Creating an online store was technically possible before, but it took too much time and effort - fortunately, a tested solution was right next door – our Hostinger Website Builder team already had a powerful ecommerce engine. We just needed to integrate it."

Vibe coding is a relatively new approach to web development that replaces manual coding with conversational AI prompts - all users need to do is describe their desired website or application in natural language, and the platform generates a ready-to-publish version.

Additionally, the Horizons update integrates an ecommerce platform directly into the interface, enabling seamless store management without needing to leave the system.

Hostinger states there are no additional transaction fees, and inventory management can be done manually without consuming paid AI prompts.

While this eliminates recurring costs for simple updates like price changes or stock adjustments, scaling beyond the provided capacity or customizing complex workflows may still require additional resources.

The inclusion of Hostinger’s existing e-commerce engine, previously part of its standalone website builder, suggests the company is repurposing proven infrastructure rather than introducing an untested solution.

This could offer some reliability, but whether it meets the expectations of experienced merchants remains to be seen.

Although AI can be used for storefront customization, such as rearranging products or altering visual elements, the long-term success of any online shop will still rely heavily on marketing, product quality, and customer service

These factors are not automatically solved by a fast setup process.

Hostinger launched Horizons in March 2025 to enable non-technical users to build and publish websites or applications through simple text prompts.

Earlier updates included generative engine optimization, manual editing tools, free automatic error correction, and database integration.

“After analyzing 200,000 prompts, we learned that business websites are the most popular use case among Hostinger Horizons clients, representing around a third of all projects built with the AI tool.”

“Understanding that our clients want to sell online, we delivered an easy, intuitive ecommerce feature,” Kavoliūnas added.

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The right pair of shoes not only supports your feet but can also help prevent injury during long runs. These are CNET’s top picks for running shoes for women.

FrostWire is a popular torrent client that gives users access to a broad range of music, movies, software, and other digital content. It was first released as a fork of LimeWire, then a popular but now-shuttered torrenting client. Since then, FrostWire’s developers have added many features, and the app has long emerged from the shadows of LimeWire.

Many people use FrostWire because it’s free and has an intuitive interface. You don’t need to pay any dime to download content with this torrenting tool. As an open-source application, FrostWire is very customizable and has many features that global developers have contributed.

We’re reviewing FrostWire to help you decide if it suits your torrenting needs. We extensively tested the app and considered third-party opinions to give an unbiased review.

FrostWire: Versions and platforms

FrostWire is compatible with Windows and macOS PCs. It also has an app for Ubuntu, a popular Linux-based desktop operating system.

Likewise, FrostWire has an Android app for mobile devices. You can download the app for your relevant platform on the official website. The download button is the first thing highlighted on the homepage. Click on it, and you can immediately download the FrostWire app to your device.

FrostWire is compatible with Windows 10, macOS Big Sur, and Android 8.0 or later versions of these operating systems. Since Windows 10 debuted in 2015, Big Sur debuted in 2020, and Android 8.0 was released in 2017, any modern PC or smartphone should have newer versions of these operating systems, enabling you to download FrostWire without hassle.

(Image credit: Future)FrostWire: Features

FrostWire is a torrenting tool that lets you download extensive content, such as your favorite movies and music. Upon launching this app, the first thing you’ll notice is its user-friendly interface. Unlike many torrenting tools with mangled graphical elements, FrostWire has a minimalistic and straightforward interface.

If you have specific content to download, you can search for it in the bar prominently displayed on the homepage. There’s also a search bar in the top-left corner, which makes it easy to find content.

We like that FrostWire provides suggestions as you type your query. Type the first two or three letters of the content you want, and you’ll likely see it suggested by FrostWire.

FrostWire is connected to the database of many torrent search engines. It also connects to other data sources to let users find freely downloadable files. Hence, FrostWire has one of the largest file databases we’ve encountered. Think of any fairly popular content, and you can find it on FrostWire.

The built-in music player is a unique feature we liked about FrostWire. When you search for music, you can stream it first before hitting the download button. This built-in music player lets you preview songs and ensure they fit your taste before downloading them.

With FrostWire’s music player, you can organize and easily access your music from one place. Users can create playlists and listen to music on the go, similar to music apps like Spotify. FrostWire has an Android app, so you can integrate the music player with your car's radio and listen to your favorite jams.

You can filter search results by source and size. For example, when you search for specific content, you can filter the results to only include files of less than 100 MB. You can do this by clicking the “Search Tools” button in the top-right corner to open the filtering box.

(Image credit: Future)

Though we appreciate FrostWire's filtering options, they are not as sophisticated as those of many torrenting apps. Some platforms let you filter search results by video resolution, audio quality, language, file format, and other factors.

We observed swift download speeds during our test. However, download speeds can vary depending on the availability of seeders on FrostWire’s network. If many seeders are present during your usage, you'll get very fast download speeds from the torrent swarm.

Sometimes, the network does not have many seeders, causing slower download speeds. Your internet connection also affects the download speeds you experience on FrostWire.

You can choose a specific folder to store FrostWire downloads. During the download, you can monitor the progress and speed from your dashboard. If necessary, you can pause or cancel the download.

FrostWire: Interface and in-use

User-friendliness is a criterion wherein FrostWire outshines many competitors. It has a simple, easy-to-understand interface that many rivals lack.

The features are neatly arranged into distinct tabs (Search, Transfers, and Library), making it easy to find what you need. Configuration options are placed neatly at the bottom.

FrostWire’s interface stands out in a niche where many tools are known for having complex interfaces. Its interface strikes an ideal balance between simplicity and functionality.

FrostWire can be accessed from a desktop or mobile app. However, the mobile app is only available for Android. Apple is famously unfriendly to torrenting apps being hosted on its App Store, so FrostWire’s lack of an iOS app is expected.

You can download FrostWire on your device directly from its official website. Downloading and installing the app took just a few clicks during our test.

FrostWire: Security and Piracy

Torrenting clients carry non-trivial security risks. Malicious actors often hide malware within torrent files for unsuspecting users to download. You can also expose your IP address to other users or inadvertently download pirated content. TechRadar doesn’t endorse content piracy or illegal downloads.

FrostWire is a trustworthy torrenting client, but it’s an open-source tool that doesn’t control the seeders on its network. Before torrenting, it’s advisable to use a VPN service to hide your IP address and encrypt your internet traffic.

FrostWire: Final Verdict

FrostWire is a reliable, free torrenting solution for downloading your favorite content. It has an extensive file library and an intuitive interface that makes finding files easy. FrostWire has some drawbacks, such as limited content filtering options, but its pros outweigh the cons.

We list the best file manager.

Fifty years ago, it was heists like the one that hit the Baker Street Bank that had the power to shock the nation. Now, in the digital world, heists look starkly different and cybersecurity threats are constant, with banks like NatWest facing a “continuous arms race” with around 100 million cyber-attacks every month. What used to be gangs of robbers digging tunnels and smuggling deposit boxes full of cash are now groups of hackers sending phishing emails and holding some of the most notable companies to ransom for hundreds of millions of dollars.

This transition from physical to digital theft is evident. No longer confined to vaults and getaway cars, today's high-stake heists are executed remotely, by online threat actors. These modern-day criminals operate across borders, targeting vulnerabilities in systems and human behavior to extract data and money. The sheer volume and relentless nature of these digital assaults, as exemplified by financial institutions battling millions of cyber-attacks monthly, highlight a new era of crime.

The growing problem of cyber-attacks

Cyber-attacks are a growing problem, amongst a growing number of sectors, and confronting this escalating issue is vital. It’s not just banks that are facing the constant threat of cyber-attacks; cyber threats are growing at an exponential rate, while becoming increasingly sophisticated and targeted.

Data breaches have hit a myriad of industries: from luxury brands like Dior and supermarkets like M&S, to cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and UK government organization Legal Aid.

The dangers to personal data are being felt across all sectors, at all digital touchpoints. Amid this battleground of immediate cyber threats comes a growing demand for robust security solutions that address company concerns.

From advanced antivirus technologies to endpoint backup software, AI-powered security is evolving rapidly to stay ahead of such attacks - and it’s essential that companies invest in these defenses in order to stay more than one step ahead.

Evolution of technology

As technology evolves at a rapid pace, companies must keep up with advancements made by cyber-attackers. As businesses of all sizes continue to embrace digital transformation, the need to strengthen their cybersecurity grows increasingly critical.

The UK Government’s recently published Cyber Governance Code of Practice highlights that management of cyber risks is vital for modern businesses to function, and effective management requires collective input from across an organization. This Code of Practice and governance framework package guides boards and directors in managing digital risks and safeguarding their businesses and organizations from cyberattacks.

The framework encourages companies to take four employee-focused actions: foster a cybersecurity culture; ensure clear policies support a positive cybersecurity culture; improve their own cyber literacy through training; and use suitable metrics to verify the organization has an effective cybersecurity training, education, and awareness program.

The report is a clear reminder that the human firewall, that is, the employees who encounter an attack and respond, is just as important as technological defenses.

More than a simple fix, a culture shift is needed

It’s not enough to roll out generic training. The reality is that in today’s world, one wrong click can bring a business to a complete halt. According to the latest insights, the approximate amount of ransoms paid globally in 2024 reached $813.55 million.

When requested to pay a ransom, companies know that refusing to do so runs the risk of their customers’ personal information being leaked publicly, which would additionally require them to pay the associated financial penalties and legal payouts, not to mention reputational damage.

Addressing the threat of cyber-attacks must be embedded in a company’s culture, given the fact that if threat actors are successful, the impact of their actions would be felt not only company-wide but also by the ecosystem within which the organization operates.

Leadership and security

Organizations can bolster their security by cultivating strong leadership, providing tailored training, and building a proactive security culture to create a ‘human firewall’ of colleagues armed with know-how.

Employees of all skillsets and seniorities should undergo comprehensive and ongoing cyber awareness training, whatever their role and seniority, to drive the defenses forward and cultivate a mindful culture.

When employees are provided with the knowledge and tools to maintain awareness of the dangers their company is facing, they can be the most effective method to keep the business secure.

Building a mindful culture

Building a mindful culture can be complemented by a Zero Trust approach, which creates a robust defense against evolving cyber threats. This strategic approach mandates rigorous verification for all access requests, irrespective of their origin or the user's location within the network, thereby yielding exceptionally strong results that effectively eliminate a significant portion of potential threats.

For example, when an employee receives an email requesting sensitive information or a link to a suspicious website, they should be trained to recognize it as a potential phishing attempt right away, verify the sender's identity, and report the email to the IT department for further investigation.

This proactive stance, ingrained through a Zero Trust philosophy and continuous education, significantly reduces the likelihood of successful breaches. It’s better safe than sorry, and in the realm of cybersecurity, this means being diligent about taking the extra steps to fortify an organization's digital defenses.

Don't stop at basic protections

Don't stop at basic protections, make ongoing training a priority.
Defenses can’t stop at antivirus technology and endpoint protection, and training isn’t a one-time solution. While these are the necessities, they are simply not enough for the twenty-first century heist as businesses continue to battle millions of cyber-attacks each month.

As threats advance or teams become complacent, ongoing phishing simulations, tests and education are key in maintaining a robust human firewall. Companies must invest in technology and ongoing training to equip employees across all roles and levels with the skills and awareness to stay alert. A company’s greatest weapon can be its workforce, if leveraged.

Cybersecurity needs tech, but it's nothing without people who are well trained to understand the latest attack methods and protect against the digital transition's inherent risks.

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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

Jubilee has become one of the go-to open forums for debate in the digital age. Videos like: "Flat Earthers vs Scientists," "1 Conservative vs. 20 Feminists," and, "What Makes a Real Man?" are just some of the few topics they cover.

It's what caused The Atlantic staff writer Spencer Kornhaber to write his article, "Jubilee is Like Gen-Z's 'Jerry Springer Show'".

But their most recent video, "1 Progressive vs 20 Far-Right Conservatives," has gone viral for what some feel is a dangerous platforming of fascist ideals. Brittany is joined by The Atlantic staff writer Spencer Kornhaber to get into the state of public discourse, and how traditional media may led us to this moment.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

How did life start on Earth? The answer is a big scientific mystery scientists are actively investigating. After talking with many scientists, host Regina G. Barber found that an abundance of water on Earth is most likely key, in some way, to the origin of life — specifically, in either deep sea hydrothermal vents or in tide pools. It's for this reason some scientists are also exploring the potential for life in so-called "water worlds" elsewhere in the solar system, like some of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. This episode, Regina digs into two water-related hypotheses for the origin on life on Earth — and what that might mean for possible alien life.

Have another scientific mystery you want us to cover on a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

(Image credit: Ralph White)

An old proverb famously states, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

This is especially true when it comes to artificial intelligence, where breakneck advances happen seemingly every day. And while individual companies are rapidly fielding their own AI-powered chatbots and analysis tools, real long-term improvement and innovation in this new scientific frontier often requires broad collaboration in developing open and trusted AI systems that produce accurate, reliable, and safe outputs.

Early conventional wisdom held that only so-called 'closed' AI systems controlled by one company could be safe and trusted. Some argued that open models would inevitably undermine safety or lead to misuse. But experience is quickly showing that open source models and the collaboration they bring are a powerful tool for promoting security and trust.

The power of collaboration

Collaboration is a powerful force for AI advancement because it fosters diverse perspectives and capabilities. When it comes to AI, collaboration can, in many cases, be optimized by leveraging open source to reduce bias, increase transparency, gain greater control over our data, and ultimately, accelerate time to innovation.

According to McKinsey, organizations that view AI as essential to their competitive advantage are far more likely to use open source AI models and tools than organizations that do not. Open source AI models, tools, and frameworks enable developers and researchers to build upon existing work, rather than starting from scratch, to achieve higher-quality outputs more quickly.

The open source software approach thrives on community contributions, bringing together individuals, companies, and organizations from around the globe to collaborate on shared goals. This is where organizations like the AI Alliance—which was spearheaded by IBM and others, and is comprised of technology creators, developers, and adopters collaborating to advance safe and responsible AI—play a crucial role.

By pooling resources and knowledge, the AI Alliance provides a platform for sharing and developing AI innovations. This meritocracy yields immediate value, both for the broader technology ecosystem and the world at large.

Why the AI Alliance matters today

There are many practical and ethical reasons for such broad-based AI partnerships. AI research and development require substantial resources, including data, computing power, and expertise. The availability of open source models keeps costs down, broadening choices and helping to prevent the concentration of the AI industry in the hands of a few major players.

The AI Alliance also offers a forum to hold honest conversations among like-minded organizations about AI-related legislation and its impacts on greater innovation and adoption.

In a short time, the AI Alliance has blossomed into a vibrant ecosystem, bringing together a critical mass of data, tools, and talent. Today, more than 140 organizational members from 23 countries collaborate through the alliance to address some of the most pressing challenges in AI.

Open source is particularly critical to members of the alliance, including Databricks, which has long championed the democratization of AI. We’ve open sourced many critical big data processing and analytics projects, like the Delta Lake, MLflow, and Unity Catalog tools that underpin many large data and AI deployments today.

When it comes to today’s AI ecosystem, we need to ensure that everyone, including academics, researchers, non-profits, and beyond, can access and understand the best AI tools and models. The more we all understand these models and how to utilize them, the more we can share ideas on how to safely shape the future of AI and subsequently use it to solve today’s toughest challenges.

But we can’t do it alone.

Collaborate, code, and create the future of AI

We established a policy working group within the Alliance to focus not only on advocacy but also on developing responses to government requests that could impact open-source AI development. For example, last year, we contributed to the landmark National Telecommunications and Information Administration study examining potential benefits and risks of open weight frontier AI models.

The final NTIA report strongly underscored the valuable role of open models in today’s AI ecosystem, while also highlighting the need for vigilant monitoring and ongoing evaluation of policies to manage emerging risks in the future.

Our intention is to ensure that AI regulation is thoughtfully crafted so that open source AI thrives. Organizations like the AI Alliance have laid a solid foundation for international cooperation, but it's just the beginning.

If you work at a business that prioritizes artificial intelligence, you too can be part of this important work. Start by developing educational programs, workshops, and training sessions – and joining AI-related projects and communities – to share knowledge and build tools that benefit others.

You can create and share your own open source projects, such as datasets, pre-trained models, or utilities, which build on a foundation of AI fairness, transparency, and accessibility to ensure the benefits of AI are widely distributed. Check out GitHub or Hugging Face to look for AI/ML projects that align with your skills and interests.

The advent of AI is a pivotal moment in our collective human history. Experience shows that collaboration will be key to our success in advancing AI innovation with safety and trust. We must move into this promising future with open arms and open software models and tools, adequately prepared for the challenges ahead. Let's go far—together.

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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

Most of those detained were arrested for carrying signs supporting a pro-Palestinian group recently banned as a terrorist organization in the UK.

(Image credit: Alberto Pezzali)

The decision comes as France, Canada and the UK have signaled similar steps in recent weeks.

(Image credit: Mark Baker)

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Aug. 11, No. 322

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Aug. 11