Elon Musk has amended his lawsuit against OpenAI, adding more anti-trust claims against the company and including Microsoft as a defendant. He also added his company, xAI, as well as Shivon Zilis, a former OpenAI board member and mother to three of his children, as plaintiffs. Musk originally sued OpenAI in March, accusing founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman of violating the organization's non-profit mission by teaming up with Microsoft. He withdrew the state court lawsuit in June before suing OpenAI and Altman again in federal court.
Musk was one OpenAI's earliest backers, and one of his arguments was that he was "betrayed by Mr. Altman and his accomplices." In response to his lawsuit, OpenAI published old emails from 2015 to 2018 in a blog post, wherein it claimed that Musk was involved in the planning when the company first explored transitioning into a for-profit structure. xAI's founder allegedly wanted majority equity, control of the initial board of directors and the CEO position and even suggested merging OpenAI with Tesla. Musk left the organization in 2018 before Microsoft invested the first billion in OpenAI. Since then, Microsoft has invested $13 billion in the generative AI firm, and OpenAI has taken steps to complete its transformation into a more traditional for-profit company with a non-profit arm.
As TechCrunch notes, the amended lawsuit argues that OpenAI is "actively trying to eliminate competitors," including xAI, by making investors promise not to fund them. xAI has been harmed by OpenAI's and Microsoft's exclusive exchange of "competitively sensitive information," the lawsuit also says. Musk's new complaint names LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Microsoft VP Dee Templeton as defendants, as well, for being involved with both OpenAI and Microsoft boards. As for why Zilis was named as a plaintiff, the lawsuit says it's because the former OpenAI board member and current director of Neuralink repeatedly raised concerns over OpenAI's deals that were similar to Musks. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/elon-musk-adds-microsoft-as-defendant-in-his-lawsuit-against-openai-140023400.html?src=rss
GM's robotaxi unit Cruise has agreed to pay a $500,000 for submitting a false accident report as part of a deferred prosecution agreement. The US Justice Department (DoJ) said that Cruise failed to disclose vital details about a serious October 2023 accident in which one of its vehicles struck a pedestrian and dragged her 20 feet after she was hit by another vehicle.
"Federal laws and regulations are in place to protect public safety on our roads. Companies with self-driving cars that seek to share our roads and crosswalks must be fully truthful in their reports to their regulators, said Martha Boersch, Chief of the Office of the U.S. Attorneys Criminal Division. Uber has yet to comment on the matter.
Under the terms of the three-year settlement, Cruise must cooperate with the government, put a safety compliance program into place and provide annual reports to the US Attorney's office. The company could still be prosecuted if it fails to comply with those conditions. Cruise was previously fined $1.5 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and reportedly reached a settlement with the victim worth at least $8 million.
According to the US Attorney's office, a Cruise driverless vehicle operating in San Francisco ran over a pedestrian who had been thrown into its path after being struck by a separate, human-operated vehicle. The Cruise vehicle initially stopped after running over the pedestrian, but its systems failed to detect that she was still under the vehicle. It then tried to pull over to the side, dragging the woman over 20 feet. In Cruise's report to the NHTSA, it said nothing about dragging the victim after it struck her. (Cruise also omitted this information in statements to the press at the time of the accident.)
Cruise was subsequently stripped of its license to operate self-driving vehicles in California. The company stopped all operations of both its driverless cars and its manned robotaxi service in order to engage in a comprehensive safety review. CEO Kyle Vogt resigned in November and GM announced plans to slash Cruise's funding and to restructure leadership based on external safety reviews. Nearly a quarter of the company's workforce was cut that in December.
Cruise vehicles stayed off roads for several more months but returned to Arizona in April and to Houston in June under the supervision of human drivers. In September this year, Cruise recommenced operations in California, again with human drivers at the wheel. In August, the company said its self-driving vehicles would come to Uber starting next year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/gms-cruise-will-pay-a-500000-fine-for-submitting-a-false-accident-report-133041789.html?src=rss
Update 8:30am ET: The 10th-gen iPad has gone back up to $319, but we expect it to drop again during the Black Friday time period. Elsewhere in the Apple Black Friday deals landscape, the 11-inch iPad Air M2 is $50 off and down to $549
Apple's Black Friday deals have started popping up, and this is your chance to grab a new iPad at a discount if you've been thinking of getting one. The 10th-gen iPad is currently on sale for $299 at Amazon, $50 less than what it usually costs. Apple released the tablet back in 2022, but it's still our best budget iPad option for 2024. Although the 10th-gen iPad went for a record low of $298 back in October, $299 is most likely the lowest it will go for Black Friday this year. Costco's flyer for the holiday lists the tablet for $299, and other retailers typically follow its pricing.
The 10th-gen iPad is only slightly thicker and heavier than the iPad Air. It looks similar to the iPad Air, too the tablet no longer has the Home button that its predecessor did, and it has a bigger screen with smaller bezels. The device is powered by Apple's A14 Bionic chip, which was first seen on the iPhone 12 and is powerful enough that we could edit RAW photos in Lightroom when we tested the tablet. When we ran a test for battery life, we discovered that the model could play movies continuously for 11 hours and 45 minutes on a single charge.
Unlike previous models with Lightning ports, this one comes with a USB-C port for charging. Apple moved its front-facing camera to its landscape edge, as well. The company gave it a larger display, measuring 10.9 inches, so it doesn't feel as cramped as previous models even with a lot of apps. While the iPad Air does have a better display overall with its lamination and anti-reflective coating, the 10th-gen iPad's isn't bad at all seeing as it costs significantly less, especially with this discount.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-10th-gen-ipad-is-50-off-for-black-friday-130005703.html?src=rss
For obvious reasons, Twitter users are leaving en masse and heading to Bluesky, its most prominent decentralized competitor. In this episode, we discuss why Bluesky now feels like the best of early Twitter, filled with vibrant conversations and people discovering a new social network filled with useful features (like serious blocking and content filtering). And of course, the lack of an algorithmic feed surely helps. Also, we chat with Justin Hendrix from Tech Policy Press about how Elon Musk has become a crucial ally to the upcoming Trump administration.
Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!
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Topics
Bluesky ascendent: the federated platform could actually be the next Twitter 2:22
Musk cozies up to President-elect Trump, could a Department of Government Efficiency be next? 23:37
Interview with Justin Hendrix, founder of Tech Policy Press, on Trump and Musk 31:50
The Onion buys InfoWars with plans to turn the brand into gun control satire 48:02
LG Displays stretchy new screen 54:34
The Beatles have been nominated for two Grammys with the help of AI 56:50
Goodbye: AOL voiceover Elwood Edwards has died 58:29
Working on 1:00:11
Pop culture picks 1:02:38
Credits
Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn LowProducer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/engadget-podcast-blueskys-big-moment-123052836.html?src=rss
The final piece of Apples recent explosion of Mac hardware, the iMac is ready for review and possible purchase and it looks the same as ever.
One quiet update that transforms the lineup, beyond the powerful M4 chip, is the boost in base memory, finally giving the entry-level models 16GB instead of the miserly 8GB they used to get. With an unchanged design, there might seem to be no justification to buy or upgrade to the iMac M4. However, that extra memory allows you to do more than ever on an entry-level iMac, including 4K video editing and AAA gaming to a degree. Having said that, upgrades remain expensive beyond the base loadout, which is already $1,299.
Mat Smith
The biggest tech stories you missed
Apples AI-infused Final Cut Pro 11 is available
Google now offers a standalone Gemini app on iPhone
The new Xbox ad campaign is confused about what an Xbox is
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The Onion has bought Infowars
It plans to remake it into a very stupid website of a less harmful variety.
The Onion, arguably Americas biggest most influential source of satire, confirmed on Thursday its parent company has bought Infowars, the disgraced purveyor of Sandy Hook misinformation and vendor of pseudoscience supplements. The Onion posted on Bluesky its plans to transform the rebooted Infowars into a very funny, very stupid website.
The publication says it received the blessing of the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting to scoop up Infowars in a bankruptcy auction. Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit founded in the massacres aftermath, will reportedly advertise on the rebooted site.
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The best Black Friday 2024 deals so far
Apple, Amazon, Nintendo and more.
November is in full swing, which means Black Friday is right around the corner. If you want the best of the best deals, hold tight until the week before Thanksgiving. Still, the sales already available are some of the best this year. Rather than recommend things you already have/ dont want, take a look at our extensive list so far.
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The best PS5 games for 2024
Whether youve picked up a PS5 Pro or not.
Engadget
In the run up to gift-buying season, were updating our pick of the best games for all the gaming platforms. This time, its the PS5. With the massive library available, its easy to get a little lost scrolling through titles. From award-winning adventures to intense-action RPG experiences, theres a world of incredible games to explore. Increasingly, the console has built up a collection of PS4 remakes and/or remasters too, offering the best playing experience for hits like Last of Us.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-122246108.html?src=rss
Japanese video game maker Sega is rebooting the pager for todays kids, but with a twist. Slated for launch in December 2024, Emojam is a WiFi-enabled messaging device that lets users chat with registered friends exclusively in emojis. It offers over 1,100 original emojis, with an Emoji Lab feature that can combine two emojis into a new one. Each message can contain a string of up to ten emojis, and the device supports one-on-one messaging as well as group chats for up to five participants.
Singles Day has become a calendar moment synonymous with mega sales, but PUMA India and Bumble celebrated the occasion by going back to the days matchmaking origins. On November 10th, the two brands joined forces to host a singles-only running event in Bangalore for young adults aged 21-35. The event aimed to provide an alternative way for singles to connect in person ahead of Singles Day on November 11th. Starting at Nexus Koramangala Mall, the 3 km run ended with a social mixer.
The Rogue Prince of Persia, a modern reboot of the classic platformer published by Broderbund in 1989, is still in early access mode but its getting a bunch of new, cool-sounding stuff next week. Developer Evil Empire posted a blog on the games Steam page that includes information about the new update and premieres a new teaser trailer with some gameplay footage.
The Steam page says the update effectively doubled the games content from launch. The Second Act will include a second act and tons of narrative polish for Act 1 and more biomes, bosses and enemies. The update will also add more Quality of Life features like multiple save slots and localization for German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish players. The games protagonist will also look pretty different RIP Prince of Purple.
The new update drops on November 21. The Rogue Prince of Persia was already slick and inventive, even in its infancy. Its been updated quite a bit since its early access launch, but next weeks update is likely to be its largest. Its shaping up to be a good mix of classic gameplay with new visuals and a modern roguelite gameplay loop as seen in other indies like Hades.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-rogue-prince-of-persia-gets-a-big-update-with-the-second-act-000515851.html?src=rss
These times are very trying and its understandable if someone goes a little off the deep end once in a while. Just like Norman Bates said in Psycho, We all go a little mad sometimes. However, a new Xbox ad campaign has us a little concerned.
Microsoft launched a new marketing campaign for its Xbox consoles and cloud gaming service called This is an Xbox. It features posters and commercials with a bunch of different objects like a laptop, a smartphone and a Meta Quest 3 that are all an Xbox.
We confirmed with a thorough fact check that all of those objects are not an Xbox. That may sound like overkill but when you live in a world where theres a real chance that the goopy mass voiced by Tim Curry in FernGully might become Secretary of the Interior, were not taking any chances.
The commercial is even trippier. It zips between objects like a flat screen TV, an ROG Ally and a laptop while Black Sheeps The Choice is Yours blasts in the background. This time though, it displays the simple sentence This is an Xbox with a secondary clause or imperative statement behind it. Is there some kind of malware virus in the AI software that runs our universe or something?
Microsoft, we know this is an ad campaign and that you dont really believe these non-Xbox items are an Xbox. Of course, you want to talk up your cloud gaming service, which is available across all of the devices in the ads. But last I checked, I didn't need an expensive subscription to play games on a regular Xbox.
Also this is the internet, a gathering place for conspiracy weavers, liars and neer-do-wells. Reality is hard enough right now without having to debate the merit of what things are. This feels like the kind of stuff that Jobu would pull when she finished decorating the bagel in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Microsoft
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-new-xbox-ad-campaign-is-confused-about-what-an-xbox-is-231013374.html?src=rss
On Thursday, the European Union published its first draft of a Code of Practice for general purpose AI (GPAI) models. The document, which wont be finalized until May, lays out guidelines for managing risks and giving companies a blueprint to comply and avoid hefty penalties. The EUs AI Act came into force on August 1, but it left room to nail down the specifics of GPAI regulations down the road. This draft (via TechCrunch) is the first attempt to clarify whats expected of those more advanced models, giving stakeholders time to submit feedback and refine them before they kick in.
GPAIs are those trained with a total computing power of over 10 FLOPs. Companies expected to fall under the EUs guidelines include OpenAI, Google, Meta, Anthropic and Mistral. But that list could grow.
The document addresses several core areas for GPAI makers: transparency, copyright compliance, risk assessment and technical / governance risk mitigation. This 36-page draft covers a lot of ground (and will likely balloon much more before its finalized), but several highlights stand out.
The code emphasizes transparency in AI development and requires AI companies to provide information about the web crawlers they used to train their models a key concern for copyright holders and creators. The risk assessment section aims to prevent cyber offenses, widespread discrimination and loss of control over AI (the its gone rogue sentient moment in a million bad sci-fi movies).
AI makers are expected to adopt a Safety and Security Framework (SSF) to break down their risk management policies and mitigate them proportionately to their systemic risks. The rules also cover technical areas like protecting model data, providing failsafe access controls and continually reassessing their effectiveness. Finally, the governance section strives for accountability within the companies themselves, requiring ongoing risk assessment and bringing in outside experts where needed.
Like the EUs other tech-related regulations, companies that run afoul of the AI Act can expect steep penalties. They can be fined up to 35 million (currently $36.8 million) or up to seven percent of their global annual profits, whichever is higher.
Stakeholders are invited to submit feedback through the dedicated Futurium platform by November 28 to help refine the next draft. The rules are expected to be finalized by May 1, 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-eu-publishes-the-first-draft-of-regulatory-guidance-for-general-purpose-ai-models-223447394.html?src=rss
