Here is the top trending news from the world of technology. News that every tech enthusiast should keep a tab on.
1)
YouTube has found another to undo Ad Blockers
YouTube is continuing its relentless battle against ad blocking software. According to media reports, the Google owned streaming service is testing server-side ad injection with limited set of users. Essentially, this will make tougher for ad blocking software to detect and block ads. Currently, ad injection is mostly done from the client side where the ads arrive at your device separately. Usage of ad blocker is against the terms and condition of Google. The tech giant has always maintained that customers who wish for ad free experience need to subscribe to its YouTube Premium service, which is a paid service.
2)
Microsoft delays the general availability of Recall AI feature
Microsoft’s controversial AI feature ‘Recall,’ which takes screenshot of everything one does, now won’t be shipped with copilot + PCs that will arrive in the market from next week. It will now first be released as a preview to the members of the Windows Insider Program. The decision to postpone the broad release of Recall comes after facing public backlash over privacy issue. To address these privacy concerns, Microsoft said that it will be executing additional security measures, ‘just in time’ decryption protected by Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security. This ensures that Recall screenshots won’t be accessed by anyone unless the concerned user authenticates his or her identity.
3)
Ex-Meta engineers launch a powerful AI agent ‘Jace’ for complex tasks
Amid the boom of AI chatbots powered by ever improving LLMs, a new AI agent called ‘Jace’ has joined the overcrowded niche of AI chatbots. This AI chatbot is not merely focused on fulfilling simple tasks but rather complex tasks. Zeta labs, the company behind Jace, claims that it can set up a recruitment pipeline on LinkedIn, managing inventories and launching ad campaigns. It can even register a company for you. Zeta labs claimed that its chatbot can do all these complex tasks with simple text prompts and it doesn’t need any user guidance. It is equally important to note that Jace is also capable of executing in-browser actions on command. Zeta labs is founded by Fryderyk Waitrowski and Peter Albert.
4)
OpenAI adds a retired US Army General to its Board
Paul Nakasone, the former NSA Director and retired US Army general, will now be part of OpenAI’s board. Nakasone mainly looked after cybersecurity for the US army and his deep cybersecurity knowledge will certainly help OpenAI in bolstering safety and security concerns. This will also help the company in demonstrating its seriousness and commitment towards AI security. AI security has become the recurring theme in the tech industry as AI continues its relentless advancement and growth. This is probably the first time that ChatGPT’s parent company has brought a top US army official in its broad of directors’ team.
5)
WhatsApp is bringing slew of new features to video calling
WhatsApp video calling is all set to get a major upgrade with couple of new features. Firstly, Meta’s instant messaging app will now enable screen sharing during video calling, allowing users to share movie clips and other content. Secondly, WhatsApp has now increased the participant limit in a single video call, increasing it to 32 people. Lastly, it now allows to prominently highlight yourself during a group video call, allowing you to lead the group call. Overall, all these are welcome features and could potentially make WhatsApp a serious competitor against Zoom and Google Meet.