Category: iTechnology

Category: iTechnology

Small modular reactors could give developing countries access to nuclear energy
10/29/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Experts say small modular reactors, called SMRs, are bringing affordable nuclear energy to less wealthy countries. But what are SMRs and why are proponents so excited about them? VOA reporter Henry Wilkins explains …

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US military, intelligence agencies ordered to embrace AI
10/24/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

washington — The Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies have new marching orders — to more quickly embrace and deploy artificial intelligence as a matter of national security. U.S. President Joe Biden signed the directive, part of a new national security memorandum, on Thursday. The goal is to make sure the United States remains a leader in

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AI decodes oinks and grunts to keep pigs happy in Danish study
10/24/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

VIPPEROD, Denmark — European scientists have developed an artificial intelligence algorithm capable of interpreting pig sounds, aiming to create a tool that can help farmers improve animal welfare. The algorithm could potentially alert farmers to negative emotions in pigs, thereby improving their well-being, according to Elodie Mandel-Briefer, a behavioral biologist at University of Copenhagen who is

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China space plan highlights commitment to space exploration, analysts say
10/24/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Chinese officials recently released a 25-year space exploration plan that details five major scientific themes and 17 priority areas for scientific breakthroughs with one goal: to make China a world leader in space by 2050 and a key competitor with the U.S. in space, for decades to come. Last week, the Chinese Academy of Sciences,

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Chinese official urges Apple to continue ‘deepening’ presence in China
10/23/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A top Chinese official has urged tech giant Apple to deepen its presence and investment in innovation in the world’s second largest economy at a time when supply chains and companies are shifting production and operations away from China. As U.S.-China geopolitical tensions simmer and tech competition between Beijing and Western countries intensifies, foreign investment

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‘Garbage in, garbage out’: AI fails to debunk disinformation, study finds
10/21/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Washington — When it comes to combating disinformation ahead of the U.S. presidential elections, artificial intelligence and chatbots are failing, a media research group has found. The latest audit by the research group NewsGuard found that generative AI tools struggle to effectively respond to false narratives. In its latest audit of 10 leading chatbots, compiled in

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Microsoft to allow autonomous AI agent development starting next month
10/21/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Microsoft will allow customers to build autonomous artificial intelligence agents starting in November, the software giant said on Monday, in its latest move to tap the booming technology. The company is positioning autonomous agents — programs which require little human intervention unlike chatbots — as “apps for an AI-driven world,” capable of handling client inquiries, identifying sales

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Tiny Caribbean island of Anguilla turns AI boom into digital gold mine
10/20/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The artificial intelligence boom has benefited chatbot makers, computer scientists and Nvidia investors. It’s also providing an unusual windfall for Anguilla, a tiny island in the Caribbean. ChatGPT’s debut nearly two years ago heralded the dawn of the AI age and kicked off a digital gold rush as companies scrambled to stake their own claims

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Drone maker DJI sues Pentagon over Chinese military listing
10/19/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

WASHINGTON — China-based DJI sued the U.S. Defense Department on Friday for adding the drone maker to a list of companies allegedly working with Beijing’s military, saying the designation is wrong and has caused the company significant financial harm. DJI, the world’s largest drone manufacturer that sells more than half of all U.S. commercial drones, asked

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Residents on Kenya’s coast use app to track migratory birds
10/17/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The Tana River delta on the Kenyan coast includes a vast range of habitats and a remarkably productive ecosystem, says UNESCO. It is also home to many bird species, including some that are nearly threatened. Residents are helping local conservation efforts with an app called eBird. Juma Majanga reports. …

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Deepfakes featuring deceased terrorists spread radical propaganda
10/17/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

In a year with over 60 national elections worldwide, concerns are high that individuals and entities are using deepfake images and recordings to contribute to the flood of election misinformation. VOA’s Rio Tuasikal reports on some potentially dangerous videos made using generative AI. …

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US prosecutors see rising threat of AI-generated child sex abuse imagery
10/17/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. federal prosecutors are stepping up their pursuit of suspects who use artificial intelligence tools to manipulate or create child sex abuse images, as law enforcement fears the technology could spur a flood of illicit material. The U.S. Justice Department has brought two criminal cases this year against defendants accused of using generative AI systems,

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Watchdog: ‘Serious questions’ over Meta’s handling of anti-immigrant posts
10/17/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Meta’s independent content watchdog said Thursday there were “serious questions” about how the social media giant deals with anti-immigrant content, particularly in Europe.  The Oversight Board, established by Meta in 2020 and sometimes called its “supreme court,” launched a probe after seeing a “significant number” of appeals over anti-immigrant content.  The board has chosen two

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China says unidentified foreign company conducted illegal mapping services 
10/16/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

BEIJING — China’s state security ministry said that a foreign company had been found to have illegally conducted geographic mapping activities in the country under the guise of autonomous driving research and outsourcing to a licensed Chinese mapping firm. The ministry did not disclose the names of either company in a statement on its WeChat account

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Chinese cyber association calls for review of Intel products sold in China 
10/16/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

BEIJING — Intel products sold in China should be subject to a security review, the Cybersecurity Association of China (CSAC) said on Wednesday, alleging the U.S. chipmaker has “constantly harmed” the country’s national security and interests.  While CSAC is an industry group rather than a government body, it has close ties to the Chinese state and

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‘Age of electricity’ to follow looming fossil fuel peak, IEA says
10/16/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

LONDON — The world is on the brink of a new age of electricity with fossil fuel demand set to peak by the end of the decade, meaning surplus oil and gas supplies could drive investment into green energy, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday. But it also flagged a high level of uncertainty as

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EU AI Act checker reveals Big Tech’s compliance pitfalls
10/16/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

LONDON — Some of the most prominent artificial intelligence models are falling short of European regulations in key areas such as cybersecurity resilience and discriminatory output, according to data seen by Reuters. The EU had long debated new AI regulations before OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public in late 2022. The record-breaking popularity and ensuing public

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Tech firms increasingly look to nuclear power for data center
10/16/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

As energy-hungry computer data centers and artificial intelligence programs place ever greater demands on the U.S. power grid, tech companies are looking to a technology that just a few years ago appeared ready to be phased out: nuclear energy.  After several decades in which investment in new nuclear facilities in the U.S. had slowed to

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Report: Iran cyberattacks against Israel surge after Gaza war
10/15/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Israel has become the top target of Iranian cyberattacks since the start of the Gaza war last year, while Tehran had focused primarily on the United States before the conflict, Microsoft said Tuesday. “Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Iran surged its cyber, influence, and cyber-enabled influence operations against Israel,” Microsoft said in an

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Africa’s farming future could include more digital solutions
10/15/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

NAIROBI, KENYA — More than 400 delegates and organizations working in Africa’s farming sector are in Nairobi, Kenya, this week to discuss how digital agriculture can improve the lives of farmers and the continent’s food system. Tech innovators discussed the need for increased funding, especially for women. In past decades, African farmers have struggled to produce

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Microsoft: Cybercriminals increasingly help Russia, China, Iran target US, allies
10/15/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

WASHINGTON — Russia, China and Iran are increasingly relying on criminal networks to lead cyberespionage and hacking operations against adversaries such as the United States, according to a report on digital threats published Tuesday by Microsoft. The growing collaboration between authoritarian governments and criminal hackers has alarmed national security officials and cybersecurity experts. They say it

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Britain to allow drones to inspect power lines, wind turbines
10/15/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

london — Britain’s aviation regulator said Tuesday that it would allow drones to inspect infrastructure such as power lines and wind turbines, a move the authority has described as a significant milestone.  The U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had said earlier this year that it wanted to permit more drone flying for such activities as well

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