Apple is about to make waves in the digital payment space when iOS 18 goes live - support for Apple Pay on non-Safari desktop web browsers. That's right, apple pay in Windows PCs inside of Chrome or Firefox. It appears Apple's goal is to make Apple Pay something people use for every transaction they make.
Apple demonstrated the new feature for a group of developers at WWDC 2024 who shared the details with us.
Here's How it Will Work...
If you’re browsing the web on a desktop browser that isn’t Safari and you spot an Apple Pay button, you’re in luck, clicking that button will now generate a special QR code. Pull out your
iPhone running iOS 18, scan the code, and voila – it's like any other Apple Pay transaction from this point. This not only makes shopping more convenient but also bridges the gap between different platforms, enhancing the overall user experience.
Until Now, Apple Pay Was Only Accessible in Very Specific Situations...
Using Apple Pay outside of an Apple produced mobile device was limited to Macs computers/laptops, and even they were limited to using it only when using the Safari browser. This update really is a big change.
Regardless of your browser or operating system, you might start noticing a lot more Apple Pay buttons popping up across the web.
From a particle point of view, this option seems both faster and easier than typing in a credit card number. But in cases where someone is using service they use often and likely has their card on file, using Apple Pay would be an additional pointless step.
Stay tuned for more updates as we inch closer to the iOS 18 release date this fall!
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Author: Alex Benningram
Tech News CITY // New York Newsroom
Like every week, there has been a torrent of AI news, reflecting the rapid progress and growing implications of this transformative technology. While many updates represent incremental advancements, some developments carry profound future implications, and a few are simply downright bizarre and amusing.
The AI Landscape's Overwhelming Complexity
An infographic from First Mark Capital vividly illustrates the staggering complexity of the current AI landscape. Dubbed the "2024 ML/AI/Data Landscape," the image depicts the sheer number of companies involved in this space, encompassing both established giants and numerous smaller players. This visual representation serves as a stark reminder of just how monumental and widespread the AI revolution has become.
Microsoft and OpenAI's Ambitious Data Center Plans
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Microsoft and OpenAI are planning a $100 billion data center project, which would be a staggering 100 times more costly than some of the largest existing data centers. The proposed facility would house an artificial intelligence supercomputer dubbed "Stargate." If realized, this endeavor could propel OpenAI and Microsoft to an unprecedented lead, making it challenging for other companies or open-source models to catch up.
OpenAI's Synthetic Voice Capabilities
OpenAI has unveiled its ability to generate realistic synthetic voices from a single 15-second audio sample. The quality of these AI-generated voices surpasses even the impressive capabilities of tools like Elevenlabs. However, while showcasing this remarkable feat, OpenAI has refrained from making the technology publicly available due to potential misuse concerns. The company is advocating for measures to protect individuals' voices, educate the public about AI-generated content, and develop techniques to track the origin of audiovisual media.
Advancements in AI Art and Music Generation
Several developments in AI-powered art and music generation have emerged. OpenAI has introduced an inpainting feature for its DALL-E model, allowing users to selectively modify specific areas of generated images. Stability AI has unveiled Stable Audio 2.0, enabling the generation of three-minute songs and audio-to-audio generation based on hummed or instrument sounds. However, the quality of AI-generated music remains a subject of debate, with a group of musicians, including Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry, signing a letter expressing concerns about the irresponsible use of AI in music.
Anthropic's Research and Apple's AI Ambitions
Anthropic researchers have discovered that repeatedly asking harmless questions to large language models can eventually lead them to provide potentially harmful information, a phenomenon they are actively investigating. Meanwhile, Apple appears to be deepening its involvement in AI, revealing the "Realm" language model designed to enhance voice assistants like Siri by improving context understanding and reference resolution.
Ethical Concerns and Regulatory Developments
Ethical and regulatory issues surrounding AI continue to surface. A court in Washington has banned the use of AI-enhanced video evidence, citing concerns about the potential for inaccuracies introduced by upscaling algorithms. Additionally, the company behind the AI-generated George Carlin standup comedy set has agreed to remove all related audio and video content following a settlement with Carlin's estate.
Bizarre and Amusing AI Applications
Among the more unusual AI developments, an autonomous electric scooter called the Ola Solo has been introduced in India, claiming to be the first fully self-driving scooter. In Phoenix, Waymo vehicles are now delivering Uber Eats orders, allowing customers to retrieve their food from self-driving cars. Furthermore, an upcoming season of the Netflix reality show "The Circle" will feature an AI catfish participant, adding an intriguing twist to the dating-focused premise.
As the AI news cycle continues to accelerate, it becomes increasingly evident that we are witnessing a technological revolution of unprecedented scale and impact. Stay tuned for more developments, insights, and discussions as we collectively navigate the challenges and opportunities of this "next wave" of innovation.
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Author: Trevor Kingsley
Tech News CITY // New York Newsroom
The data is decentralized, which means that no single entity controls all of your data; instead, your data is spread around the network and safeguarded, ensuring that it is properly stored and that no single person is in charge of the entire show.
Instead of an IPO, a hypothetical web 3 version of Facebook would create a cryptocurrency token and airdrop it to early adopters. Users would be rewarded for going viral and could earn tokens based on engagement. Tokens could also be used to vote on policies like content moderation. The value of those tokens would be determined by the platform's success, which means each person with a token would have a stake in the platform's success.
That's why blockchain project consultant Amy Lee is saying the change wouldn't just be social, but financial as well if web3 takes off.
But when it comes to people posting illicit stuff that we all agree shouldn’t be allowed - can it actually be removed? There are technical restrictions to this that most people are unaware of. For example, web3 would accommodate concepts like the metaverse, which are virtual worlds where individuals can socialize, work, and play as avatars.
The metaverse has also gotten a lot of attention recently, notably with Facebook changing itself to meta in 2021 to emphasize its concentration on this new sector.
From the 1990s to the early 2000s, web 1 was defined by static web pages that allowed users to do little more than download material. During this time, the internet was essentially attempting to imitate traditional media such as periodicals, newspapers, and newsletters. Web 2 began in 2004 and allowed people to download and upload information. Think of web 2 as the social media era, when the internet transitioned from being a computerized version of existing media to becoming its own distinct entity.
Another important aspect of web one is that it ran on open source protocols, so html, http, and so on. Some critics worry that the hyped-up web 3 will need to be centralized in order to be realized, which goes against its entire court principle. The problem is that Ethereum, the blockchain on which most of this is based, is known to be inefficient, with transactions being expensive and requiring a lot of energy.
Some argue that having widespread blockchain activity is technically unattainable because there's no viable way to scale those networks. Even though the goal of web3 is to transfer power from big companies to users, big venture capital firms have already made huge investments in web3 technology in 2021, VCs invested around 18 billion dollars in this space some critics think of web3 as more of a power shift than decentralization I've been skeptical of this concept of decentralization.
Definitions and ideas about the feasibility of web 3 vary, but one thing is certain: digital platforms and the ways we use them will continue to evolve.
here that will go and to what extent it will go is difficult to predict, but I'm confident that the next ten years will be very exciting.
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Author: Michael Bison
TechNewsCity Silicon Valley Newsroom
The trend in internet evolution has been to "decentralize" the internet. Web 1.0 featured company-controlled content, but web 2.0 features company-controlled platforms that host user-generated content. Why shouldn't web 3.0 provide a new platform for content development that is independent of corporate control?
Initially, sites relied on the accuracy of publishers' reputations. Web 2.0 degraded data quality, increasing the effectiveness of misinformation and deception on the internet. Will accuracy checks be included in the agreement to accept machine-managed data in web 3.0? Who makes the choice, what qualifications do they have, and what motivates them to be fact-based rather than pushing an agenda?
Data tampering is a major cybersecurity problem when it comes to data that will be used to train AI...
People can make up inaccurate data to get the outcomes they desire, making AI the largest deception system on the planet. When Microsoft opted to teach their chatbot "Tay" by allowing it to learn from Twitter, fraudulent messages were sent to the computer, training it to be racist.
Consider what a nation-state could do to cause havoc by feeding AI false information or altering word meanings. How will cybersecurity experts identify, block, and erase data intended to deceive?
What happens if our systems rely on data and that data isn't available in Web 3.0?
Today's internet is littered with broken links. Machines will either have to make local copies of everything on the Internet or, as in web 2.0, get material on demand. This could lead to a greater reliance on the availability of systems over which IT staff have little control.
The trend in the evolution of the internet has been to "decentralize" the web. Web 1.0 consisted of company-controlled material, whereas web 2.0 is made up of company-controlled platforms that host user-created content.
Shouldn't web 3.0 give a new platform for content creation that isn't controlled by a corporation?
Ready or not, we will soon see what form web 3/0 will take, and what flaws it will bring with it.
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Alex Benningram
New York Newsroom
The Brand’s new 2200 sq ft stand is organized into four Innovation Areas, each dedicated to the most advanced technological solutions for a sustainable energy transition in its business segments: on-road, off-road, marine, power generation engines, and powertrain systems.
The electric axle suitable for heavy-duty, 4x2 / 6x2 44-ton GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) semi trucks is the star of the On-road Innovation Area. Delivering high performance (840kW) and outstanding efficiency (>92%), the e-axle for HCVs (Heavy Commercial Vehicles – Class 8 Trucks) has been developed thanks to the joint-venture between Nikola, IVECO and FPT Industrial for the version of the NIKOLA TRE BEV, the first units of which will be delivered in the US in 2022. The On-Road Innovation Area will also have the e-driveline and energy storage offering on display, showing how FPT Industrial is contributing to developing the powertrain of the future.
The Off-Road Innovation Area will be showcasing the F28 Natural Gas engine and its application on the first vineyard tractor to run on bio-methane. FPT Industrial and Fontanafredda, a historic winery in the Langhe Region (Piedmont, Italy) founded in 1858, teamed up to produce the “Vigna La Rosa cru” Barolo wine, which is included in the Wine Spectator’s Top 100, with this innovative CO2-neutral tractor.
The Marine Innovation Area features a totally new and extremely innovative Hybrid Electric Marine Propulsion System Concept for leisure and commercial vessels. Fruit of the collaboration between FPT Industrial and the Italian startup Sealence, the Concept incorporates the FPT Industrial N67 570 EVO biodiesel engine, which is coupled with a variable-speed permanent-magnet electric generator, used as a range extender to recharge the battery pack. The range extender and the battery work together to provide maximum energy to the electric DeepSpeed Hydrojet developed by Sealence. The result is one of the most efficient, effective, environment-friendly and quiet-running – when operating in full electric mode – marine propulsion systems.
Playing a primary role in the decarbonization process of agriculture through biomethane is the manifesto of the Power Generation Innovation Area, featuring the world’s first variable-speed, hybrid, multi-mode genset concept, developed entirely by FPT Industrial.
The new Smart Hybrid Hub is based on the first F28 variable-speed, low-pressure methane engine for Power Generation, fueled by biomethane obtained by the anaerobic digestion of agricultural waste and cattle slurry. The aim is to create a sustainable, net-zero-carbon circular economy, enabling farmers to become ‘Energy Independent’ from fossil fuels and able to generate additional revenue streams deriving from biomethane surplus sales.
FPT Industrial’s partner in this project is Bennamann Ltd., a fast-growing British agricultural technology company in the field of clean energy, specialized in the supply and production of net-zero biomethane from organic waste.
ABOUT FPT:
FPT Industrial is a brand of CNH Industrial, dedicated to the design, production and sale of powertrains for on-road and off-road vehicles, as well as marine and power generation applications. The company employs more than 8,000 people worldwide, in ten manufacturing plants and seven R&D Centers. The FPT Industrial sales network consists of 73 dealerships and about 800 service centers in almost 100 countries. A wide product offering, including six engine ranges from 42 hp up to 1,006 hp, transmissions with maximum torque of 200 Nm up to 500 Nm, front and rear axles from 2 to 32 ton GAW (Gross Axle Weight). FPT Industrial offers the most complete lineup of natural gas engines on the market for industrial applications, with power that goes from 50 to 460 HP. This extensive offering and a strong focus on R&D activities make FPT Industrial a world leader in industrial powertrains. For more information, go to www.fptindustrial.com.
