Akingate Tech News Digest 07 Dec 2023
A selection of global tech news.
Protect Yourself From Iphone Thieves | Google’s AI Chatbot Bard To Gemini | Meta AI-Powered Image Generator | Under-The-Skin Implant To Treat Type 1 Diabetes | Apple Joins AI Fray
How to protect yourself from iPhone thieves locking you out of your own device – CNN
A complex but concerning method of gaining control over a user’s iPhone and permanently locking them out the device appears to be on the rise.
Some iPhone thieves are exploiting a security setting, called the recovery key, that makes it nearly impossible for owners to access their photos, messages, data and more, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report. Some victims also told the publication their bank accounts were drained after the thieves gained access to their financial apps.
It’s important to note, however, this type of takeover is hard to pull off. It requires a criminal essentially watching an iPhone user enter the device’s passcode – for example, by looking over their shoulder at a bar or sporting event – or manipulating the device’s owner so they’ll share their passcode. And that’s all before they physically steal the device.
From there, a thief could use the passcode to change the device’s Apple ID, turn off “Find my iPhone” so their location can’t be tracked, and then reset the recovery key, a complex 28-digit code intended to protect its owners from online hackers. Read more:
Google’s AI chatbot Bard gets a big upgrade with Gemini, Google’s next-gen AI model – TechCrunch
Google Bard, the company’s generative AI chatbot and ChatGPT rival, is getting an update today that the company claims will significantly enhance its capabilities. The company says Bard will now be powered by Gemini, Google’s newest and most advanced AI model, giving the chatbot more advanced reasoning, planning, understanding and other capabilities.
Gemini comes in three sizes, Ultra, Pro and Nano, allowing it to run on anything ranging from mobile devices to data centers.
The rollout of Gemini to Bard will take place over two phases. Initially, Bard will be upgraded with a specifically tuned version of Gemini Pro. Next year, Google will introduce Bard Advanced, which will give users access to the best AI model, starting with Gemini Ultra.
The version of Bard with Gemini Pro will first become available in English in more than 170 countries and territories worldwide, with more languages and countries, including the EU and U.K., soon. Read more:
Meta launches a standalone AI-powered image generator – TechCrunch
Not to be outdone by Google’s Gemini launch, Meta’s rolling out a new, standalone generative AI experience on the web, Imagine with Meta, that allows users to create images by describing them in natural language.
Similar to OpenAI’s DALL-E, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, Imagine with Meta, which is powered by Meta’s existing Emu image generation model, creates high-resolution images from text prompts. It’s free to use (at least for now) for users in the U.S. and generates four images per prompt.
“We’ve enjoyed hearing from people about how they’re using imagine, Meta AI’s text-to-image generation feature, to make fun and creative content in chats. Today, we’re expanding access to imagine outside of chats,” Meta writes in a blog post published this morning. “While our messaging experience is designed for more playful, back-and-forth interactions, you can now create free images on the web, too.” Read more:
Researchers develop under-the-skin implant to treat Type 1 diabetes – Engadget
Scientists have developed a new implantable device that has the potential to change the way Type 1 diabetics receive insulin. The thread-like implant, or SHEATH (Subcutaneous Host-Enabled Alginate THread), is installed in a two-step process that ultimately leads to the deployment of “islet devices,” which are derived from the cells that produce insulin in our bodies naturally.
First, the scientists figured out a way to insert nylon catheters under the skin, where they remain for up to six weeks. After insertion, blood vessels form around the catheters which structurally support the islet devices that are placed in the space when the catheter gets removed. The newly implanted 10-centimeter-long islet devices secrete insulin via islet cells that form around it, while also receiving nutrients and oxygen from blood vessels to stay alive. Read more:
Apple joins AI fray with release of model framework – The Verge
Apple, which many had considered very conservative in its approach to AI, quietly released frameworks and model libraries designed to run on its chips and maybe bring generative AI apps to MacBooks.
The company’s machine learning research team released MLX, a machine learning framework where developers can build models that run efficiently on Apple Silicon and deep learning model library MLX Data. Both are accessible through open-source repositories like GitHub and PyPI. Read More:
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Image Credit: Image by jcomp on Freepik
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