Scientists discover ultramassive black hole ’30bn times the mass of the Sun’
An ultramassive black hole around 33 billion times the mass of the Sun has been discovered by astronomers in the UK. Scientists from Durham University said the gargantuan black hole is one of the biggest ever found. The team described its findings, published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, as “extremely […]
Tech chiefs call on scientists to pause development of AI systems
Technology experts including Elon Musk have urged scientists to pause developing artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure it does not pose a risk to humanity. Tech chiefs including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn have signed an open letter demanding all labs stop training AI systems for at least six months. The prevalence […]
Twitter to scrap features for non-paying users in Elon Musk shake-up
Twitter is set to scrap features for users who do not pay a monthly fee for a blue tick verification, according to new rules shared by billionaire owner Elon Musk. Users of the social media platform who want to remain verified can pay up to 11 US dollars (£8.93) a month as part of Mr […]
Star Wars actor Mark Hamill lends voice to Ukrainian air defence app
Star Wars actor Mark Hamill has spoken of his admiration for Ukraine after lending his voice to an app linked to the country’s air defence. The grave but calming baritone of the Luke Skywalker actor can be heard urging people to take cover when Russia unleashes aerial bombardments on Ukraine. The intrusion of Hollywood science-fiction […]
Twitter says parts of source code leaked online
Elon Musk’s social media platform Twitter has revealed that some parts of its source code have been leaked online. The group said in a legal filing that the code – the fundamental computer code on which the social network runs – has been leaked on GitHub, which is an internet hosting service where software developers […]
Intel co-founder Gordon Moore dies aged 94
Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel who set the breakneck pace of progress in the digital age with a simple 1965 prediction of how quickly engineers would boost the capacity of computer chips, has died aged 94. Mr Moore died on Friday at his home in Hawaii, according to Intel and the Gordon and Betty […]
Google rival to ChatGPT begins rollout
Google has begun rolling out its rival to ChatGPT. The tech giant said it is giving some over 18s in the UK and US access to its Bard chatbot from Tuesday. The company hopes the artificial intelligence tool will be available in more countries and different languages over time. Unlike its rival, which was developed […]
TikTok updates content rulebook as pressure from West builds
TikTok has rolled out updated rules and standards for content and users as it faces increasing pressure from western authorities over concerns that material on the Chinese-owned video-sharing app could be used to push false information. The company released a reorganised set of community guidelines that include eight principles to guide content moderation decisions. “These […]
Amazon to axe another 9,000 jobs globally
Amazon has said it will cut another 9,000 jobs across its global business in “the next few weeks”. Andy Jassy, chief executive of the technology giant, told staff that the move will reduce jobs in its web services, advertising, PXT solutions division and its Twitch livestreaming arm. The cuts come on top of 18,000 job […]
Irish government consults cyber security experts over TikTok on work phones
The Irish government has sought advice from cyber security experts on whether TikTok should continue to be permitted on work phones used by people in the public sector. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Government was liaising with the country’s National Cyber Security Centre. Mr Varadkar said there was not yet any change to the government’s […]