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đ Googleâs AI Advances, Orcas Sink Yacht, And More
TOP STORY
TOP STORY
Protests over âRussian lawâ in Tbilisi, Georgia
The bill requires media and nongovernmental organizations and other nonprofit groups to register as âpursuing the interests of a foreign powerâ if they receive over 20% of funding from abroad.
The government says the bill is needed to stem what it deems as harmful foreign actors trying to destabilize politics in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people.
Inside parliament, the debate of the bill was interrupted by a brawl. When order was restored, the bill passed 84â30. Protesters tried to break metal barriers near the parliament building.
The opposition has denounced the bill as âthe Russian lawâ because Moscow uses similar legislation to target independent news media, nonprofits and activists critical of the Kremlin.
President Salome Zourabichvili has vowed to veto the bill, but the ruling Georgian Dream party has a majority sufficient to override it. Zourabichvili has 14 days to act.
Running stories
TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
Google advances AI to publishersâ fear
Gemini 1.5 Flash will be available for testing and in Vertex AI, a machine learning platform for developers to train AI platforms. A 1.5 Pro model can summarize large documents or 100 emails.
Online creators have voiced concerns. Rather than recommend websites, Google's AI answers offer a paraphrase that its AI models often grab directly from the site.
"Their goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to find information. But if you cut out the people who are the lifeblood of creating that information ⌠thatâs a disservice,â a blogger said.
The underlying tech is trained on millions of news articles, blogs, and other sources ripped straight from the internet without regard for permissions.
Eight major newspapers sued OpenAI and Microsoft in April for copyright infringement, claiming the companies used their articles to train AI models. OpenAI has signed deals with web publishers such as Dotdash Meredith to show their content on ChatGPT prominently.
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OTHER NEWS
OTHER NEWS
Yacht sinks after being rammed by orcas
Two people onboard the vessel, Alboran Cognac, were rescued by a passing oil tanker. It is the latest in a series of orca rammings of vessels around the Strait of Gibraltar over the past four years.
Spain's maritime rescue service said the two passengers reported feeling sudden blows to the hull and rudder, causing water to seep into the vessel.
The couple alerted emergency services and were rescued by a nearby oil tanker, taking them to Gibraltar. The yacht was left adrift and eventually sank.
Scientists are unsure about the exact causes but say the highly intelligent mammals could be displaying "copycat" or "playful" behavior.
A research group that tracks the population of the Iberian orca sub-species has documented nearly 700 interactions since the attacks were first reported in May 2020.
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
Neuralink faced issues with its wires for years
The company knew from animal testing it had conducted ahead of its approval that the wires might retract, removing the sensitive electrodes that decode brain signals, the sources said.
Neuralink is testing its implant to give paralyzed patients the ability to use digital devices by thinking alone, a prospect that could help people with spinal cord injuries.
Neuralink said last week that the implant's wiresâthinner than a human hairâretracted from a patient's brain in its first human trial, resulting in fewer electrodes for measuring brain signals.
The company said it managed to restore the implant's ability to monitor its patientâs brain signals by making changes that included modifying its algorithm to be more sensitive.
The US Food and Drug Administration declined to comment on whether it was aware of the issue or its significance. It said it will continue to monitor the safety of patients in Neuralink's study.
HEALTH
HEALTH
Electronic vaping increases among teens
Trends were examined from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey for 9thâ12th grades among 57,006 subjects in 2015â2021. Daily use of electronic vaping increased from 2% in 2015 to 7.2% in 2019.
Although the percentage decreased to 5% in 2021, the researchers speculate that Covid, which included lockdowns and remote schooling, may have contributed.
The researchers say vaping products contain harmful ingredients, such as propylene glycol, glycerin, flavorings, formaldehyde and metals, and pose significant health risks.
The risks include respiratory and cardiovascular disease and cancer. Vaping is also linked with lung damage from vitamin E acetate, used in tetrahydrocannabinol-containing e-cigarettes.
OTHER NEWS
OTHER NEWS
âCoolnessâ fades at an average of 39
Respondents were questioned about culture, the arts, technology and slang to assess how confident Americans feel about popular culture and the latest trends.
On food topics, 72% of Americans were most confident. This lowered to about 60% with music, 58% with social media, 55% with movies, and 49% for the latest tech.
Where the age gap widened was in naming current celebrities, 35%, discussing todayâs arts, 34%, literature, 32%, and fashion, 32%.
When it came to current slang, a relatively low proportion of confidence was displayed, with a 40% score on questions about the âcoolest slang terms.â
OFFBEAT
OFFBEAT
83-year-old University's oldest graduate
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