Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the how-about-that department: Google has overtaken IBM to become the leader in generative AI-related patents and also leads in the emerging area of agentic AI, according to data from IFI Claims. Axios: In the patents-for-agents U.S. rankings, Google and Nvidia top the list, followed by IBM, Intel and Microsoft, according to an analysis released Thursday.

Globally, Google and Nvidia also led the agentic patents list, but three Chinese universities also make the top 10, highlighting China's place as the chief U.S. rival in the field. In global rankings for generative AI, Google was also the leader -- but six of the top 10 global spots were held by Chinese companies or universities. Microsoft was No. 3, with Nvidia and IBM also in the top 10.

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the PSA department: The Federal Trade Commission has postponed enforcement of its consumer-friendly "click to cancel" rule from May 14 to July 14, giving businesses two additional months to comply. The regulation requires companies to make subscription cancellations as straightforward as the sign-up process, prohibiting practices like forcing customers who subscribed online to navigate through chatbots or call centers to cancel.

The rule, established under former Democratic Chair Lina Khan, unsurprisingly has garnered support from consumer advocates while facing legal opposition from industry groups. A coalition including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and organizations representing major telecom and media companies -- Charter Communications, Comcast, Disney Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Discovery -- has sued to block implementation, claiming the agency exceeded its authority.

Posted by Kenneth Shepard from Kotaku
After canceling Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, Square Enix has released some new screenshots of Kingdom Hearts IV to give fans proof of life. The company has been pretty quiet about the fourth entry in its Disney/Final Fantasy crossover RPG series since announcing it in 2022, and if you’ve got to give folks bad news and…

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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the no-ransom department: Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase said Thursday it is offering a $20 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of criminals who attempted to extort the company for the same amount after stealing customer data.

The criminals bribed customer support agents in overseas markets to access records containing addresses, phone numbers, government IDs, and partial bank and Social Security details of more than 80,000 customers. "It sucks but when we see a problem like this we want to own it and make it right," Coinbase Chief Security Officer Philip Martin told Fortune.

The company will reimburse customers who fell victim to subsequent social engineering scams. No login credentials or wallet access were compromised in the breach. The extortionists had threatened to publish the stolen information unless paid $20 million in Bitcoin.

Posted by Kenneth Shepard from Kotaku
After teasing some news on its social channels earlier this week, Atlus has finally announced that a new Persona game is coming out. No, it’s not Persona 6, but rather Persona 5: The Phantom X, a spin-off that is finally making its way out of China and into other territories.

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Posted by Ethan Gach from Kotaku
The Switch 2 is likely to be one of the biggest console launches ever, but it might be hard to find actual hands-on reviews of the device when it first comes out. That’s because Nintendo isn’t sending out early units to press and content creators, according to a new report by The Game Business. It’s a highly unusual…

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Posted by John Walker from Kotaku
Website Neal.fun is a constant source of innovative little web games, including 2023's superb satirical stab at the awfulness of setting passwords. The latest addition to the website is a superb use of Google’s Street View, as (currently) over a thousand people are on a road trip to Canada!

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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the discretion-advised department: A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour reveals that ChatGPT diminishes the diversity of ideas generated during brainstorming sessions. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School found [PDF] that while generative AI tools may enhance individual creativity, they simultaneously reduce the collective diversity of novel content.

The investigation responds to previous research that examined ChatGPT's impact on creativity. Their findings align with separate research published in Science Advances suggesting AI-generated content tends toward homogeneity. This phenomenon mirrors what researchers call the "fourth grade slump in creativity," referencing earlier studies on how structured approaches can limit innovative thinking.

Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005


Thanks to 2005 Boards member DigitalBrave3 we have our first in-hand images of the new Transformers Cyberworld Chomp And Battle Grimlock. This is part of the largest Cyberworld toys, designed to interact with the smaller Cyber Changers figures. An easy-to-transform toy with a high playability value in both robot and dino mode. We have in-package, robot and dino mode images and, to top it all, pics of the instruction sheet. See the images attached to this news post and then sound off on the 2005 Boards!

The post Transformers Cyberworld Chomp And Battle Grimlock In-Hand Images appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.

Posted by Justin Clark from Kotaku
Same old goddamn story every time. An old crush comes calling saying it’s been a while, we should get lunch, catch up. Also, by the way, I know we haven’t been close in a real long time but it’s been a rough couple of months, will you murder several dozen people in honor of my dead brother the warlord? I’m usually not…

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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the closer-look department: An anonymous reader shares a report: Microsoft's recently announced job cuts fell hardest on the people who build the company's products, showing that even software developers are at risk in the age of artificial intelligence.

In Microsoft's home state of Washington, software engineering was by far the largest single job category to receive layoff notices, making up more than 40% of the roughly 2,000 positions cut, according to state documents reviewed by Bloomberg. Microsoft on Tuesday said it would cut about 6,000 workers across the company. The Washington state data represents about a third of the total.

Posted by Joe Moore from The Toyark


A new Darth Vader 1/6 Scale Figure from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith have been announced by Hot Toys. The figure will be available as both a Standard and a Deluxe version. The standard Darth Vader ...

The post Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith – Hot Toys Darth Vader appeared first on The Toyark - News.

Posted by Joe Moore from The Toyark


Three NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures are now available to pre-order from general retailers. The figures Foot Assassin, April O’Neil, and Battle-Damaged Shredder. These releases are based on the TMNT Mirage Comic Series. The figures will ship from other ...

The post TMNT – NECA Mirage Foot Assassin, April O’Neil, and Battle-Damaged Shredder General Pre-Orders appeared first on The Toyark - News.

Posted by Joe Moore from The Toyark


The first three King of Fighters ’98: Ultimate Match action figures by Joy toy are now available to pre-order. The first wave includes Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon, and Kyo Kusanagi. These are 1/18 scale figures that will stand approximately 4″ ...

The post King of Fighters 98 – Joy Toy Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon, and Kyo Kusanagi Figures appeared first on The Toyark - News.

Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the all-in-on-AI department: Nvidia-backed CoreWeave plans to spend up to $23 billion this year on AI infrastructure and data center capacity, as it aims to meet the booming demand from clients. Reuters reports: The heavy spending plan weighed on its shares, which fell 5% after surging as much as 11% on better-than-expected revenue in its first results as a public company after debuting on the Nasdaq in March. The company's projected capital expenditure of between $3 billion and $3.5 billion for the second quarter was way above its revenue expectation of $1.06 billion to $1.1 billion. "While the revenue from Microsoft is likely secure for the next three years, CoreWeave represents overflow capacity for Microsoft, which may not need that capacity in the future," D.A. Davidson analyst Gil Luria said.

The company's revenue backlog was $25.9 billion as of March 31, with its five-year deal with OpenAI adding $11.2 billion to the pile up. As part of the deal signed in March, CoreWeave will provide AI infrastructure to OpenAI, while the ChatGPT maker will get a stake. CoreWeave expects annual revenue of $4.9 billion to $5.1 billion, above analysts' expectation of $4.61 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. It reported revenue of $981.6 million for the first quarter, beating the estimate of $852.9 million.

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the how-about-that department: U.S. President Donald Trump said he has told Apple CEO Tim Cook to stop expanding manufacturing operations in India despite New Delhi offering a "no-tariff deal" to the United States, a move that could impede India's aspirations to become a global technology manufacturing hub.

"I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday," Trump said during his state visit to Qatar, referring to the Apple chief executive. "He is building all over India. I don't want you building in India. India can take care of itself."

Apple has significantly increased its Indian manufacturing footprint, assembling $22 billion worth of iPhones in India during the 12 months through March. Apple said earlier this month a majority of its devices shipped into the U.S. in the June quarter will originate in India and Vietnam.

Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the what-to-expect department: Montana has passed a bill allowing licensed clinics to offer experimental medical treatments that haven't been approved by the FDA, provided the drugs have passed phase I safety trials. MIT Technology Review reports: The bill, which was passed by the state legislature on April 29 and is expected to be signed by Governor Greg Gianforte, essentially expands on existing Right to Try legislation in the state. But while that law was originally designed to allow terminally ill people to access experimental drugs, the new bill was drafted and lobbied for by people interested in extending human lifespans -- a group of longevity enthusiasts that includes scientists, libertarians, and influencers. These longevity enthusiasts are hoping Montana will serve as a test bed for opening up access to experimental drugs. [...]

Supporters of the bill say it gives individuals the freedom to make choices about their own bodies. At the same event, bioethicist Jessica Flanigan of the University of Richmond said she was "optimistic" about the measure, because "it's great any time anybody is trying to give people back their medical autonomy." Ultimately, they hope that the new law will enable people to try unproven drugs that might help them live longer, make it easier for Americans to try experimental treatments without having to travel abroad, and potentially turn Montana into a medical tourism hub.

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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the never-mind department: Fintech startup Klarna is now recruiting humans after its AI customer service agents underperformed. The buy-now-pay-later company, which eliminated its marketing contracts in 2023 and customer service team in 2024, now plans an "Uber-type setup" with remote gig workers.

This marks a stark reversal from CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski's 2024 claim that "AI can already do all of the jobs that we, as humans, do." Siemiatkowski told Bloomberg: "From a brand perspective, I just think it's so critical that you are clear to your customer that there will be always a human if you want." He added that "cost unfortunately seems to have been a too predominant evaluation factor" leading to "lower quality."

Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005


Coming to us via the official Blokees Twitter/X  account, we have the full reveal of the new Blokees Transformers Galaxy Version Defender Wave 3 – Heavy Metal War collection. These are small 5.5 cm tall “chibi” style figures with 14 articulation points, packaged in blind boxes. This new wave consists of 8 robots, 4 vehicles and 4 chase figures. Robots Shattered Glass Optimus Prime Jazz Hot Rod Grimlock Soundwave Skywarp Brilliant Megatron Glittering Shockwave Vehicles Long Haul Scrapper Mixmaster Shattered Glass Optimus Prime Chase figures Metallic Grimlock Metallic Soundwave 6 Ravage Special Galaxy Type Grimlock Special Galaxy Type Soundwave It’s important to » Continue Reading.

The post Blokees Transformers Galaxy Version Defender Wave 3 – Heavy Metal War Full Reveal appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.

Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the new-and-improved department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Google's DeepMind research division claims its newest AI agent marks a significant step toward using the technology to tackle big problems in math and science. The system, known as AlphaEvolve, is based on the company's Gemini large language models (LLMs), with the addition of an "evolutionary" approach that evaluates and improves algorithms across a range of use cases. AlphaEvolve is essentially an AI coding agent, but it goes deeper than a standard Gemini chatbot. When you talk to Gemini, there is always a risk of hallucination, where the AI makes up details due to the non-deterministic nature of the underlying technology. AlphaEvolve uses an interesting approach to increase its accuracy when handling complex algorithmic problems.

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