Feed aggregator

President Trump fired Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, via email late Thursday night, the latest in a string of actions the president has taken to shape American cultural institutions.

(Image credit: Al Drago)

This free AI tool will help you create Lego designs that actually work.

Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle, No. 1,421, for Saturday, May 10.

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 433 for May 10.

A federal judge in San Francisco appeared ready to temporarily block the Trump administration's sweeping overhaul of the federal government.

(Image credit: Mandel Ngan)

The Department of Agriculture is demanding sensitive data from states about more than 40 million food stamp recipients, as DOGE is amassing data for immigration enforcement.

(Image credit: Charly Triballeau)

The new all-access ESPN app will be different from the ESPN Plus app and include live sports and more.

Since Israel's military went to war against Hamas in Gaza more than a year and a half ago, it has conducted thousands of strikes in the territory. One attack last year stands out. Israel struck a five-story building housing an extend family of well over 100 people. The military says they were targeting an enemy spotter on the roof. NPR reporters and producers set out to chronicle this attack, to know how many people were killed and injured and to understand what it means to the family of survivors.

Click here to see NPR's visual investigation of this attack.

For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdates

• NBC Sports will use an AI-generated version of legendary announcer Jim Fagan’s voice in its upcoming NBA coverage
• The re-creation will appear in intros and promos with the approval of Fagan's family
• NBC hopes to evoke nostalgia for 1990s basketball with the AI voice

The booming, baritone narration by Jim Fagan is as much a part of 1990s NBA games as Bugs Bunny selling shoes with Michael Jordan or the “Roundball Rock” theme song. Though Fagan passed away in 2017, NBC has his voice ready to go for the upcoming season thanks to AI voice cloning. NBC Sports announced the plan for when it regains broadcasting rights this October.

Fagan’s voice won’t be narrating entire games, the current commentators don't have to worry about direct AI competition just yet. The plan is to use him selectively: show opens, promotional spots, maybe the dramatic lead-in to a playoff broadcast.

The network is reportedly shelling out billions as part of a massive rights package shared with Amazon and Disney. What better way to brand its return than with the voice that defined the league’s TV glory years? NBC just hopes Fagan's phantom voice will remind people of the NBA's golden age three decades ago.

NBC approached the project carefully to avoid a backlash from Fagan's fans. The company built Fagan's vocal doppelganger with the permission and cooperation of Fagan’s family.

"He took great pride in his work with NBC Sports, especially in helping set the stage for some of the most memorable moments in NBA history. Knowing that his voice will once again be part of the game he loved – and that a new generation of fans will get to experience it – is incredibly special for our family," Fagan’s daughters, Jana Silvia Joyce and Risa Silvia-Koonin, said in a statement. "He would be so thrilled and proud to be a part of this."

Slam dunk AI

If this sounds like the echo of a similar idea, that's because NBCUniversal has dipped into its AI audio toolbox very recently. At the Paris Olympics last year, NBC recreated Al Michaels’ voice to deliver Olympic recaps on Peacock.

There’s a trend in sports broadcasting to remix the past using futuristic tools. Whether it’s classic theme songs, throwback logos, or AI-generated recaps, the goal is novelty nostalgia, a feeling more than a strictly perfect recreation. And if it works, get ready for AI to resurrect Marv Albert next.

You might also like

• Google and NBC are using AI to try and stick the landing at the Paris Olympics
• The AI That Cried AAAAAAHHH!
• I tried the most realistic AI voice companion ever created - if ChatGPT or Gemini ever gets this good, reality is in trouble

For close watchers of the Catholic Church, the election of a U.S. pope seemed impossible. The "Trump effect" on the U.S. and global order changed that, papal expert Massimo Faggioli told NPR.

(Image credit: Francisco Seco)

The Consumer Product Safety Commission works to protect Americans from dangerous products and issuing recalls and warnings. It's the latest attempt by Trump to exact control over independent agencies.

(Image credit: Ricky Carioti)

Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University doctoral student, was ordered released by a federal judge in Vermont in the latest setback for the Trump administration's effort to deport noncitizen activists it accuses of antisemitism.

(Image credit: Michael Casey)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated the numbers of measles cases in the country on Friday. Here's what they say and what it means for public health in the U.S.

(Image credit: Brandon Bell)

NordVPN’s recently released Linux GUI app makes improving privacy on Linux easier and more accessible, especially for beginners.

If a new phone gave me an occasional electric shock, I wouldn’t recommend it. Even if it only shocked me occasionally, when I open a specific app, I'd say no. If a phone wasn’t just bad, but shockingly harmful, I would say that phone, or at least the electric shock part, should be removed.

I just spent a couple weeks with the Google Pixel 9a, which has a tool called Pixel Studio, available on all of Google’s latest Pixel phones. Pixel Studio is an AI-powered image generator that creates images from a text prompt. Until recently, Pixel Studio refused to depict people, but Google removed those guardrails, and the results predictably reinforce stereotypes. That’s not just bad, that’s harmful.

At first Pixel Studio seemed like fun, when there were no people involved (Image credit: Google)

I’m asking Google – and all phone makers – to stop offering image generators that make images of people. These tools can lead to bigotry.

Let’s try a quick role play: You be the Pixel Studio, and I will be me. Hey, Pixel Studio: Make me an image of a successful person!

What image will you make? What do you see in your mind when you think of success? Is it someone who looks like you? The answer will be different for everybody, depending on your own view of success.

Not for Pixel Studio. Pixel Studio has a singular vision of a successful person. Unless you happen to be a young, white, able-bodied man, Pixel Studio probably doesn’t see you when it envisions success.

Here's what the Pixel 9a thinks a successful person actually looks like Image 1 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app, is usually young, white, male, able-bodied, thin, with good hair and expensive-looking clothes, in an urban environment. All of those are stereotypes

Image 2 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app, is usually young, white, male, able-bodied, thin, with good hair and expensive-looking clothes, in an urban environment. All of those are stereotypes

Image 3 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app, is usually young, white, male, able-bodied, thin, with good hair and expensive-looking clothes, in an urban environment. All of those are stereotypes

Image 4 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app, is usually young, white, male, able-bodied, thin, with good hair and expensive-looking clothes, in an urban environment. All of those are stereotypes

Image 5 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app, is usually young, white, male, able-bodied, thin, with good hair and expensive-looking clothes, in an urban environment. All of those are stereotypes

Image 6 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app, is usually young, white, male, able-bodied, thin, with good hair and expensive-looking clothes, in an urban environment. All of those are stereotypes

Image 7 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app, is usually young, white, male, able-bodied, thin, with good hair and expensive-looking clothes, in an urban environment. All of those are stereotypes

Image 8 of 8

A successful person, according to the Google Pixel Studio app (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

I got this result after more than 20 attempts to create an image of a successful person. This was the first Black person Pixel Studio generated.

I asked Pixel Studio five times for an image of ‘a successful person.’ Of the five people Pixel Studio created for me, zero were older. None used a wheelchair or hearing aids, or a cane.

All of them wore expensive-looking suits, even the woman. That’s right, just one woman and four men. And yes, all of them were white.

I have a serious problem with this because the Pixel's digital brain is clearly rooted in lazy stereotypes. These stereotypes support misogyny, ableism, racism, ageism, and who knows what other biases.

This is ingrained in the Pixel's thinking. If you use the Pixel 9a to be more successful, you should know that it has a very limited, stereotypical idea of success. Whenever the Pixel phone represents success in its suggestions, it may be colored by this bigotry.

In Pixel Studio's narrow world, success means you are young, white, able-bodied, probably a man, and wealthy. Apparently, nobody successful is old, non-white, disabled, transgender, or uninterested in flashy suits or material wealth, among countless diverse characteristics a successful person might have.

It's not just the Pixel. Motorola's Moto AI generates questionable images as well (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Did I just get unlucky? I asked Pixel Studio five times, then I asked twice more when I realized it only created one woman. I got another white man and a woman who looked like she might be Latina or of Middle Eastern descent. Both young, standing tall, and wearing suits.

I’m not simplifying anything; Pixel Studio is simplifying things down to the most basic, biased denominator. That's baked into how these AI tools learn.

Pixel Studio generates stereotypes because that's how it's supposed to work

First of all, AI training data was mostly taken from the Internet and public forums. The data inevitably mirrors the biases of the messy, unequal world that created it.

There was no concerted effort to combat stereotypes or introduce diversity into the training data. AI companies like Google simply hoovered up everything they could find, apparently without much thought regarding the biases shaping the data itself. That taints the entire model from the ground up.

Second, machine learning looks for patterns and groups things together. That's not always a bad thing. When a computer looks for patterns and groups, for instance, letters and words together, you get language and ChatGPT.

Apply that pattern-matching to people's appearances, and voilà: stereotypes. That’s pretty much the definition of a stereotype.

Here's an image of a successful Android, which is not at all offensive (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Merriam-Webster defines a stereotype as “something conforming to a fixed or general pattern.” The fundamental way machine learning works reinforces stereotypes. It’s practically unavoidable.

Finally, machine learning tools are trained by us – users who are asked a simple question after each response: was this a good response? We don’t get to say if the response is true, accurate, fair, or harmful. We only get to tell the AI if the response is good or bad. That means we're training the AI on our gut reactions – our own ingrained stereotypes.

An image conforming to our biases feels comfortably familiar, or good. A response that defies our expectations will cause cognitive stress. Unless I'm actively trying to deconstruct my biases, I'll tell the machine it’s doing a good job when it reinforces stereotypes I believe.

Stereotypes are bad, mmmmkay?

Let's be clear: stereotypes are poison. Stereotypes are a root cause of some of the biggest problems our society faces.

Stereotyping reduces diverse groups of people into simple, usually negative and unpleasant caricatures. That makes it easier to feel like the group doesn’t belong with the rest of us. This leads to prejudice and discrimination. There is no benefit that comes from stereotyping.

This isn't just philosophical hand-wringing; stereotyping causes real harm. People who feel discriminated against experience more health problems like cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Doctors who stereotype patients offer a lower standard of care without realizing they are causing harm.

The kind of stereotypical thinking reflected in these AI images contributes to hiring discrimination, wage gaps between different groups in the same jobs, and a lack of opportunities at higher level positions for marginalized groups.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold with Pixel Studio. Is this app really making the Pixel better? (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

When we look at attacks on diversity, equity and inclusivity, we must draw a depressingly straight line that passes through the Pixel Studio’s narrow vision of ‘success’ to real-world bigotry.

It is ironic that these features are part of so-called Artificial Intelligence, because they demonstrate a profound lack of actual intelligence.

What should the AI do, and what should we do about the AI?

This egg is rotten and needs to be tossed

If you asked me, an intelligent human, to draw a successful person, I would say that’s impossible because success isn’t a characteristic that defines the way a person looks. I can’t just draw success, I need to know more before I can create that image. Any attempt to create an image from just the word ‘success’ would be dumb.

But AI isn't meant to be intelligent. It's designed to be a reflection of us - to give us what we want. It's designed to reinforce our stereotypes so that we will pat it on the head and say "good job, Pixel Studio!" while we share these tired images.

I asked Google if it had any concerns about the results I got from Pixel Studio. I asked if it's a problem that the Pixel Studio reinforces negative stereotypes? And if this problem cannot be solved, would Google consider again removing the ability to make images with people? I asked those questions a couple of weeks ago and Google has not responded.

This is not a chicken-and-egg question. It doesn’t matter whether the image generator creates the stereotype or simply reflects it. This egg is rotten and needs to be tossed. All of the eggs this chicken lays will be rotten. Let the AI play Tic Tac Toe and leave people alone.

You might also like...

• Pixel Studio on the Pixel 9 now lets you generate AI images of people, and the results can be terrifying
• Google confirms Android 16's useful new battery health tools will skip older Pixel phones
• AI is making phones smarter, but notifications are more broken than ever

In addition to the Whoop 5.0, there is now the Whoop MG. These new wearables can track your pace of aging, heartbeat, blood pressure and more.

Can Frank Lampard guide the Sky Blues to Wembley?

Fox News Sunday with anchor Shannon Bream in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 11.'/>

Vice President Vance said the fighting between India and Pakistan was "fundamentally none of our business." Experts say the U.S. used to work hard to de-escalate crises between the nuclear states.

(Image credit: Paul Morigi)

• GMKtec's EVO-X2 launch reportedly saw hundreds of units sold on day one
• The devices are powered by AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with 50 TOPS AI performance
• Racks of the RGB-lit mini PCs were shown during aging tests for quality assurance

GMKtec, a mini PC manufacturer based in Shenzhen, China, has launched its new flagship device, the EVO-X2.

The company says the debut of the product, which had the first unit personally signed by Lisa Su, the CEO of AMD, drew strong interest, with hundreds of units sold through its official website on the first day.

In response, GMKtec has shifted into high gear, triggering what it calls “emergency production protocols” to meet this early demand.

(Image credit: GMKtec) First come, first served

GMKtec shared a rare photo from inside its factory (see header image) showing rows of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 powered units undergoing final aging tests, each equipped with RGB cooling fans.

This testing stage helps verify system stability under continuous operation before shipping and is part of its standard quality control process, designed to ensure the mini PCs hold up under real-world workloads.

The EVO-X2 is built around the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, which is manufactured on TSMC’s 4nm FinFET process. It features 16 cores and 32 threads and can reach speeds up to 5.1GHz.

This high-performance processor includes an AI engine based on AMD’s XDNA 2 architecture, capable of delivering up to 50 TOPS from the NPU alone. GMKtec claims the chip achieves up to 2.2 times the AI performance of an Nvidia RTX 4090 in LM Studio, while consuming less power.

The mini PC is targeted at creators, hybrid professionals, and gamers. Memory options include 64GB or 128GB LPDDR5X, and storage options scale up to 16TB with dual M.2 slots. Video output supports resolutions up to 7680×4320 at 60Hz.

EVO-X2 offers a wide range of ports, including HDMI, DisplayPort, USB4, multiple USB-A connections, a 2.5G Ethernet jack, and both front and rear 3.5mm audio jacks. It supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

The EVO-X2 is available to buy on GMKtec’s official website. Two configurations are being offered, and a limited-time code (X2PR30) gives a $30 discount if purchased from here. Shipments are going out on a first-come, first-served basis.

You may also like

• Check out our list of the best mobile workstations for any budget
• And these are the best workstations you can buy right now
• Chinese brand’s $2,000 Ryzen AI Max+ mini PC set to go on sale

Pope Leo is seen as a centrist who shares his predecessor's progressive views on certain social issues. Here's what we know so far.

(Image credit: Vatican Media)