Digital World

AI Vincent Van Gogh says you're wrong about his ear

AFP - 7h ago

AI Vincent Van Gogh is patient but unimpressed by yet another question about his chopped-off ear.

Meta technology chief defends tech titan's AI strategy

AFP - Oct 01 2023

Meta's chief technology officer is quick to push back on assertions that the company has fallen behind rivals like …

Musk slams German-funded migrants rescue Med operations

Sep 30 2023

Billionaire Elon Musk on Saturday waded into German politics at a time of a heated debate on immigration across Europe, …

Pro-vaccination ad leaves NFL's Kelce in misinformation crosshairs

Sep 30 2023

Vaccine skeptics are attacking Travis Kelce for participating in a Pfizer advertisement, recycling conspiracy theories …

'Faker' in line for military exemption after Asian Games gold

Sep 29 2023

South Korean eSports star Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok is in line for a controversial exemption from military service after …

South Korean gamer 'Faker' gets rock-star treatment at Asian Games

Sep 29 2023

Wearing shirts adorned with his name and waving banners displaying his face, the frenzied crowd in Hangzhou was not …

Spain court shelves probe into John McAfee prison death

Sep 29 2023

A Spanish court has closed a probe into the death of software mogul John McAfee at a prison near Barcelona in 2021, …

Video games give sports stars second life

Sep 29 2023

The post-retirement careers of the biggest sports stars can be fascinating to watch -- Viagra ads, property ventures, …

Frenchman charged with cybercrimes pleads guilty in US court

Sep 28 2023

A 22-year-old Frenchman who was extradited to the United States from Morocco and charged with cybercrimes has pleaded …

Fortnite maker Epic Games tightens belt with layoffs

Sep 28 2023

Epic Games, maker of the highly popular Fortnite video game, said Thursday it is cutting its workforce to save money but …

Musk guts X's election integrity teams ahead of major votes

Sep 28 2023

X-owner Elon Musk said that he had gutted the platform's team dedicated to preserving election integrity as key votes in …

Sony PlayStation CEO Ryan to retire

Sep 28 2023

Sony's gaming unit chief Jim Ryan will retire next March, the Japanese firm said Thursday, after putting the PlayStation …

How a 20-cent fee upended the gaming world

Sep 28 2023

Their language was salty and the message was clear: game developers believed their livelihoods were under threat and …

Meta putting AI in smart glasses, assistants and more

Sep 28 2023

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday said the tech giant is putting artificial intelligence into digital assistants …

Talk shows coming back after Hollywood writers' strike ends

Sep 27 2023

Late-night talk shows, a mainstay of the US TV schedule, will be back on the air within a week, hosts said Wednesday, …

US sues eBay for selling products that harm environment

Sep 27 2023

The US Justice Department sued eBay on Wednesday for allegedly selling restricted pesticide products and devices that …

Crypto firm Binance pulls out of Russia

Sep 27 2023

Cryptocurrency firm Binance said on Wednesday it was selling its Russia business, months after reports suggested US …

Tree-hugging AI to the rescue of Brazilian Amazon

Sep 27 2023

Small, artificially intelligent boxes tied to tree trunks in the Brazilian Amazon are the latest weapon in the arsenal …

Hit soccer video game adds mixed-gender teams, sheds FIFA name

Sep 27 2023

The blockbuster soccer video game franchise from Electronic Arts, no longer linked to FIFA, will allow mixed-gender …

ChatGPT maker value rockets in funding talks: report

Sep 26 2023

The value placed on startup OpenAI has rocketed to between $80 billion and $90 billion in talks with potential …

Writers' guild leaders to meet on Hollywood studio offer

Sep 26 2023

Leaders of the Writers Guild of America will meet Tuesday to decide whether to accept a pay deal hammered out with …

US says Amazon running illegal monopoly in online retail

Sep 26 2023

A top US antitrust regulator sued Amazon on Tuesday, accusing the online retail behemoth of running an illegal monopoly …

Hosts China win Asian Games' first-ever eSports gold

Sep 26 2023

Hosts China on Tuesday won the Asian Games' first-ever gold in eSports in a landmark for gaming, beating Malaysia 2-0 in …

French news outlet Jeune Afrique protests Burkina suspension

Sep 26 2023

French media outlet Jeune Afrique protested Tuesday after Burkina Faso's junta-led government suspended its print and …

Asian Games put China tech giants on podium after long crackdown

Sep 26 2023

Alibaba was among the high-profile Chinese tech companies brought to heel by the ruling Communist Party, but the Asian …

EU trade chief warns China data laws could have 'unintended consequences'

Sep 26 2023

The EU trade commissioner warned Tuesday that Chinese regulations governing the transfer of data out of the country, …

Tech firms roll back misinformation curbs ahead of 2024 polls

Sep 25 2023

As a global election season widely expected to be mired in misinformation and falsehoods fast approaches, the big …

ChatGPT AI getting chatty with voice prompts

Sep 25 2023

The company behind ChatGPT on Monday said it is adding voice and image capabilities to the generative artificial …

Amazon steps up AI race with $4 bn Anthropic investment

Sep 25 2023

Amazon said on Monday it would invest up to $4 billion in AI firm Anthropic, as the online retail giant steps into an AI …

'Regulate them': hard-up Indonesia traders urge TikTok sales ban

Sep 25 2023

As clothing seller Hendri Tanjung struggles to hawk his tunics to Indonesian buyers outside his market shop, he says …

'Humans of New York' creator slams Indian version for suing rival

Sep 25 2023

The creator of "Humans of New York" has slammed an Indian version of the blog for suing a rival, accusing it of …

From K-pop to sales girls: AI goes mainstream in South Korea

Sep 25 2023

Her face is a deepfake. Her body belongs to a team of similar-sized actors. But she sings, reads the news, and sells …

Desperate eSports fans in ticket-grabbing frenzy at Asian Games

Sep 25 2023

ESports tickets costing up to $137 are like gold dust at the Asian Games with desperate fans signing up multiple times …

Hollywood writers, studios reach tentative deal to end strike

Sep 25 2023

Striking writers whose industrial action has paralyzed Hollywood said Sunday they had reached an "exceptional" deal with …

ESports makes debut as Asian Games medal event but women left behind

Sep 24 2023

ESports' inclusion as a medal event at the Hangzhou Asian Games was hailed as a landmark, but out of nearly 500 gamers …

Hi, Robot: machines take over at China's Asian Games

Sep 23 2023

From autonomous bug zappers to android pianists and driverless ice-cream trucks, machines rule the world -- at least at …

Blockbuster movie scares Chinese tourists away from Thailand

Sep 22 2023

For millions of Chinese tourists, Thailand used to be a happy land of water fights, lantern festivals and delicious …

Microsoft nears takeover of 'Call of Duty' maker

Sep 22 2023

Xbox-owner Microsoft has closed in on its $69-billion takeover of "Call of Duty" video-game maker Activision Blizzard …

Military exemption for South Korean gamers reignites debate

Sep 22 2023

K-pop powerhouse BTS didn't get one, star footballer Son Heung-min did: South Korea grants limited exemptions from …

JPEX crypto fraud casts shadow over Hong Kong nascent policy

Sep 22 2023

Crypto investor Jenny first learned about digital assets at a Hong Kong store that promoted cryptocurrency exchange JPEX …

US farmers, tech tycoons square off over plans for utopian city

Sep 22 2023

A stealth campaign by Silicon Valley elites with a dream of turning a swath of California farmland into a new age city …

Microsoft to offer OpenAI's Dall-E 3 in Bing

Sep 21 2023

Microsoft on Thursday said it would integrate OpenAI's soon to be released Dall-E 3 image creation tool into its Bing …

'Game of Thrones' author, other writers sue ChatGPT creator over copyrights

Sep 21 2023

"Game of Thrones" author George RR Martin and other best-selling fiction writers have filed a class-action lawsuit …

Amazon empowers Alexa with generative AI

Sep 20 2023

Amazon’s popular Alexa digital assistant is about to be supercharged with the powers of generative artificial …

Google AI tool predicts danger of genetic mutations

Sep 19 2023

Researchers at Google DeepMind, the tech giant's artificial intelligence arm, on Tuesday introduced a tool that predicts …

Google's AI chatbot goes personal tapping into Gmail

Sep 19 2023

Google on Tuesday said it had integrated Gmail, YouTube and other tools into its Bard chatbot as the tech giants seek to …

Musk considers charging all X users monthly fee

Sep 19 2023

Elon Musk has suggested charging all users of his social media platform X, which would be the biggest shake-up since he …

Taiwan's TSMC to help train German students for semiconductor careers

Sep 19 2023

Germany's Saxony state signed an agreement with Taiwanese chip giant TSMC on Tuesday to train German students in an …

White House push to fight impeachment 'lies' raises eyebrows

Sep 19 2023

The White House is on an offensive to discredit the Republicans' impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, directing …

Israeli PM Netanyahu urges Musk to fight anti-Semitism

Sep 18 2023

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday urged Elon Musk to fight anti-Semitism on his X platform as he sat …

Asian Games landmark for eSports fires Olympic dreams

Sep 18 2023

ESports' debut as a medal event at the Asian Games starting this week will change attitudes and be a major step towards …

AI 'no substitute' for fashion designers' creativity

Sep 17 2023

AI is transforming the fashion world but the fast growing technology will never be a replacement for designers' …

Slack CEO is ready to ride AI wave

Sep 17 2023

Artificial Intelligence is transforming Slack, the widely used workplace messaging platform, its CEO told AFP just nine …

Musk, Zuckerberg visit US congress to discuss AI

Sep 13 2023

Big tech bigwigs including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg traveled to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to share their plans for …

UN rights chief slams Musk 'trolling campaign' against anti-defamation group

Sep 13 2023

The UN rights chief decried Wednesday an online "trolling campaign" against a leading anti-defamation group, urging …

Taylor Swift, Shakira shine at MTV Video Music Awards

Sep 13 2023

Taylor Swift cleaned up at Tuesday's MTV Video Music Awards and won the evening's top trophy, as Shakira accepted the …

TikTok opposes mooted Indonesia social media transaction ban

Sep 13 2023

TikTok on Wednesday criticised calls by Indonesia to ban social media transactions, as Jakarta rails against what it …

Iranians hit by internet curbs in year since protests

Sep 13 2023

Iran has imposed curbs on the internet in the year since protests erupted over Mahsa Amini's death, forcing people to …

Apple bows to EU and unveils iPhone with USB-C charger

Sep 13 2023

Apple unveiled its new iPhone lineup on Tuesday, with its Lightning charger ports replaced on the newest models by a …

US says Google pays $10 billion a year to dominate search

Sep 12 2023

The US government on Tuesday accused Google of paying out $10 billion a year to Apple and other firms in order to …

From chargers to children's data: how the EU reined in big tech

Sep 12 2023

When Apple unveils its latest iPhone on Tuesday, the European Union will have left its mark on the US giant's flagship …

Bound by EU, new iPhone expected to adopt USB-C charger

Sep 12 2023

Apple on Tuesday is expected to freshen its iPhone lineup, improving performance and switching to a universal charger …

SoftBank supremo eyes rare success with Arm IPO

Sep 12 2023

Masayoshi Son's once-exalted reputation as an investor is badly tarnished, but the irrepressible founder of Japan's …

Musk biography describes troubled tycoon driven by demons

Sep 11 2023

A hotly anticipated biography of Elon Musk describes the turbulent tycoon as a man driven by childhood demons, obsessed …

Robot fried chicken: entrepreneur seeks to improve S. Korea's favourite food

Sep 11 2023

In fried-chicken-obsessed South Korea, restaurants serving the nation's favourite fast-food dish dot every street …

Alibaba announces surprise departure of ex-CEO

Sep 11 2023

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has announced the surprise departure of former CEO Daniel Zhang, who had been set …

Arm's listing on NY exchange is a big wager in an uncertain market

Sep 11 2023

Shares in the British chip designer Arm will be listed Thursday on New York's Nasdaq exchange in the biggest such …

German circus replaces live animals with holograms

Sep 10 2023

The smell of sawdust and popcorn fills the air. The clowns, acrobats and magicians are all in place.

US, Vietnam agree to deepen ties as China worries grow

Sep 10 2023

US President Joe Biden hailed closer ties with Vietnam on Sunday as the two countries struck a deal to deepen …

Game makers seek unions as digital entertainment booms

Sep 10 2023

Unsung workers who make movie superheroes fly and lightsabers crackle are turning to labor unions as relentless demand …

US takes on Google in landmark antitrust trial

Sep 10 2023

Google faces its biggest ever legal challenge in a Washington court on Tuesday, as it fends off accusations from the US …

Elon Musk's X sues over having to post moderation policies

Sep 09 2023

Elon Musk's X Corp.on Friday sued the state of California over a law requiring social media companies to publicly post …

Conspiracy theories falsely link wildfires to 'smart cities'

Sep 09 2023

Disinformation about deadly wildfires in the United States and Canada has run rampant across social media, with posts …

Musk says blocked Ukraine attack on Russian warships

Sep 08 2023

US tech billionaire Elon Musk says he prevented Ukraine from wiping out Russia's Black Sea navy fleet last year by …

Netflix finally finds a manga hit with 'One Piece'

Sep 08 2023

Netflix has spent years trying to adapt Japanese manga and anime into live-action TV with little success, but its latest …

Musk says blocked Ukraine attack on Russia's Black Sea fleet

Sep 08 2023

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has said that he prevented a Ukrainian attack on a Russian Navy base last year by declining …

'It's robbery': Salvadorans slow to adopt Bitcoin

Sep 07 2023

Two years ago, El Salvador shrugged off a chorus of warnings and adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in a bid to revitalize …

Google faces £7 bn claim on behalf of UK consumers

Sep 07 2023

Google is facing a new lawsuit in Britain, which accuses the US tech giant of stifling competition in the search engine …

Fake experts drive disinformation before Bangladesh polls

Sep 07 2023

Hundreds of articles praising Bangladeshi government policies apparently by independent experts have appeared in …

Tencent claims new AI chat bot skills comparable to ChatGPT

Sep 07 2023

Chinese tech giant Tencent on Thursday claimed its new chatbot had some capabilities on par with top US rival ChatGPT, …

Self-driving car revolution is coming, but slowly

Sep 07 2023

In Munich, where this week's IAA motor show is taking place, an interactive street survey elicits an overwhelming "yes" …

Google to require political ads to disclose AI creations

Sep 07 2023

Google on Wednesday said it will mandate that political advertisements on its platforms disclose when images and audio …

Modern cars are a data privacy 'nightmare' says study

Sep 06 2023

The world's most popular car brands are a data "privacy nightmare," collecting and selling personal information in an …

UK reassures big tech over new encryption rules

Sep 06 2023

The British government on Wednesday gave guarantees to instant messaging platforms over concerns that they could be …

Norway court rejects Meta bid to defer ban

Sep 06 2023

A Norway court on Wednesday rejected US tech giant Meta's request to defer a ban on behavioural marketing based on …

Music firm Universal announces streaming overhaul

Sep 06 2023

The world's biggest music publisher Universal, whose catalogue includes artists from Taylor Swift to the Beatles, …

Taiwan chip giant TSMC says Arizona plant making 'fast progress'

Sep 06 2023

Taiwan chip giant TSMC's planned factory in the United States was making "fast progress", the company's chairman said …

EU hits tech titans with tougher market restraints

Sep 06 2023

The European Union on Wednesday unveiled the list of digital giants -- including Apple, Facebook owner Meta and TikTok …

Tech titans prepare for EU's tougher market restraints

Sep 06 2023

The EU will reveal Wednesday which of the world's tech behemoths face stronger curbs from next year under a law that …

Swedish criminal gangs laundering money through Spotify: media

Sep 05 2023

Criminal gangs behind a surge of bombings and shootings in Sweden in recent years are using fake Spotify streams to …

AFP Fact Check: Fukushima wastewater release spawns misinformation

Sep 05 2023

Japan's release of wastewater from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant has unleashed a wave of misinformation, with AFP …

Youthful, gaming-obsessed Saudi seeks homegrown hit

Sep 04 2023

Young Saudis wander through a museum of video game history stretching from the original Pac-Man to PlayStation 5, a …

Cambodian ex-leader Hun Sen back on Facebook after long-running row

Sep 03 2023

Cambodia's ex-leader Hun Sen returned to Facebook on Sunday, claiming the social media giant had "rendered justice" to …

Tech's carbon footprint: can AI revolutionize responsibly?

Sep 03 2023

Across the globe, data servers are humming, consuming both megawatts and precious natural resources to bring life to our …

Better than AI? The UK police who never forget a face

Sep 01 2023

Artificial intelligence and facial recognition software are seen by some as the future of crime-fighting around the …

Ronaldinho denies crypto scam in Brazil congressional hearing

Aug 31 2023

Retired football great Ronaldinho denied involvement in an alleged cryptocurrency pyramid scheme bearing his name in …

Social media platform X to offer video, audio calls: Musk

Aug 31 2023

The social media platform X will begin offering video and audio calling, owner Elon Musk announced on Thursday, a step …

Microsoft bows to EU competition concerns over Teams

Aug 31 2023

Microsoft will unbundle its Teams communications from its popular Office suite in an attempt to assuage EU antitrust …

'Talk about something else': Chinese AI chatbot toes party line

Aug 31 2023

Chinese tech giant Baidu rolled out its ChatGPT-like ERNIE Bot to the public on Thursday.

Baidu leads public rollout of AI chatbots in China

Aug 31 2023

Tech giant Baidu launched China's first public artificial intelligence chatbot on Thursday, with ERNIE trained to censor …

Oil firms pay Insta, TikTok influencers for ads

Aug 30 2023

Oil companies are paying popular influencers to pump their gas on social media, sparking a backlash from some …

Sex, lies and social media: Women face tough fight in African politics

Aug 30 2023

Soon after Judy Kengo was sworn into office last year, the Kenyan legislator faced her first public test when a doctored …