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A new campaign is tricking users searching for the Meta Quest (formerly Oculus) application for Windows into downloading a new adware family called AdsExhaust. "The adware is capable of exfiltrating screenshots from infected devices and interacting with browsers using simulated keystrokes," cybersecurity firm eSentire said in an analysis, adding it identified the activity earlier this month. "

A new campaign is tricking users searching for the Meta Quest (formerly Oculus) application for Windows into downloading a new adware family called AdsExhaust. "The adware is capable of exfiltrating screenshots from infected devices and interacting with browsers using simulated keystrokes," cybersecurity firm eSentire said in an analysis, adding it identified the activity earlier this month. "Newsroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

The CIA triad '' no relation to the Central Intelligence Agency '' is an information security framework for protecting information. It examines the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of an organization's data, giving users a valuable tool for assessing and implementing systems or finding weaknesses.

Jak je to se sexem ve vesmíru? Proběhl někdy, nebo ne? • Odhalujeme roušku lechtivého kosmického tabu. • Jisté je, že pohlavní styk ve stavu beztíže bude komplikovaný.

It's been a long time coming. Now our journos speak their brains

Kettle  The US government on Thursday banned Kaspersky Lab from selling its antivirus and other products in America from late July, and from issuing updates and malware signatures from October.…

Co vůbec chtít po dokonalém monitoru? Musí být perfektní pro všechny způsoby používání, má mít nadstandardní funkce i vlastnosti a měl by se vyvarovat problémů. Tento Asus není od ideálu daleko.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions against a dozen individuals serving executive and senior leadership roles at Kaspersky Lab, a day after the Russian company was banned by the Commerce Department. The move "underscores our commitment to ensure the integrity of our cyber domain and to protect our citizens against malicious cyber

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions against a dozen individuals serving executive and senior leadership roles at Kaspersky Lab, a day after the Russian company was banned by the Commerce Department. The move "underscores our commitment to ensure the integrity of our cyber domain and to protect our citizens against malicious cyber Newsroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

Do AI jsme nahráli články, které na Živě vyšly v uplynulém týdnu • Požádali jsme o výběr nejzajímavějších témat a jejich shrnutí • Kombinujeme Claude, ChatGPT a Midjourney

Ucelený přehled článků, zpráviček a diskusí za minulých 7 dní.

Byla vydána nová verze 4.8.0 programu na úpravu digitálních fotografií darktable (Wikipedie).

'Substantial proportion' of America to get a little note from next month

Change Healthcare is formally notifying some of its pharmacy and hospital customers that their patients' data was stolen from it by ransomware criminals back in February – and for the first time has concretely disclosed the types of information swiped during that IT intrusion.…

Nová čísla časopisů od nakladatelství Raspberry Pi: MagPi 142 (pdf) a HackSpace 79 (pdf).

Here's America's list of the supposedly dirty dozen

Uncle Sam took another swing at Kaspersky Lab today and sanctioned a dozen C-suite and senior-level executives at the antivirus maker, but spared CEO and co-founder Eugene Kaspersky.…

Recently we have seen the launch of artificial intelligence programs such as SOUNDRAW and Loudly that can create musical compositions in the style of almost any artist.

We’re also seeing big stars use AI in their own work, including to replicate others’ voices. Drake, for instance, landed in hot water in April after he released a diss track that used AI to mimic the voice of late rapper Tupac Shakur. And with the new ChatGPT model, GPT-4o, things are set to reach a whole new level. Fast.

So is human-made music doomed?

While it’s true AI will likely disrupt the music industry and even transform how we engage with music, there are some good reasons to suggest human music-making isn’t going anywhere.

Technology and Music Have a Long History

One could argue AI is essentially a tool aimed at making our lives easier. Humans been been crafting such tools for a long time, both in music and nearly every other domain.

We’ve been using technology to play music since the invention of the gramophone. And arguments about human musicians versus machines are at least as old as the self-playing piano, which came into use in the early 20th century.

More recently, sampling, DJ-ing, autotune technology, and AI-based mastering and production software have continued to fan debates over artistic originality.

But the new AI developments are different. Anyone can create a new track in any existing genre, with minimal effort. They can add instruments, change the music’s “vibe,” and even choose a virtual singer to sing their lyrics.

Given the industry’s longstanding exploitation of artists—particularly with the rise of streaming (and Spotify’s chief executive claiming music is almost free to create)—it’s easy to see why the latest developments in AI are frightening some musicians.

Music Is a Very Human Thing

At the same time, these developments offer an opportunity to reflect on why people make music in the first place. We have long used music to tell our stories, to express ourselves and our humanity. These stories teach us, heal us, energize us, and help shape our identities.

Can AI music do this? Maybe. But it’s unlikely to be able to speak to the human experience in the same way a human can—partly because it doesn’t understand it the way we do.

It’s also unlikely to be able to create new works outside of existing musical paradigms, as it relies on algorithms taking from existing material. So, we’ll likely still need our imaginations to create new musical ideas.

It also helps to note that music being controlled by “algorithms” actually isn’t a new concept. Mainstream pop artists have long had their music written for them by industry “hit makers” who use specific formulas.

It’s usually the musicians on the fringes, rather than the more commercial artists and products, who retain connection to music as a cultural practice and therefore push the development of new styles.

Perhaps the bigger question isn’t how musicians will compete against AI, but how we as a society should value the musicians who help create our musical worlds, and our very cultures.

Is this a task we’re happy to hand over to AI to save money? Or should such an important role be supported with job security and a fair wage, as is afforded to doctors, dentists, politicians, and teachers?

Art for Art’s Sake

There’s another much more fundamental reason why AI will not spell the end of human-made music. That’s because, as most musicians will tell you, making music feels good. It doesn’t always matter if it’s going to be sold, recorded, or even heard.

Consider mountain climbing as an example. Although we now have chair lifts, gondolas, funiculars, helicopters, planes, trains, and cars to take people to the top, people still love climbing mountains for the mental and physical benefits.

Similarly, playing music is a unique experience with benefits that extend far beyond making money. Ever since our ancestors first tapped rocks together in caves, music has connected us to others and to ourselves.

The health benefits are overwhelming (just look at the amount of evidence relating to choirs). The neurological benefits are also astounding, with no other activity lighting up as many parts of the brain.

No matter how good computers get at making music, active music engagement will always remain an important way to regulate our moods and nervous systems.

Also, if our relationships with organic foods, vinyl records, and sustainable fashion are anything to go by, we can assume there will always be a group of conscious consumers willing to pay more for human-made music.

AI as an Opportunity

Further, while AI will likely disrupt the music industry as we know it, it also has amazing potential for boosting creative freedom for new generations of artists.

It may soften the separation between “musician” and “non-musician,” arguably allowing more people access to all the associated wellbeing benefits of music-making.

There’s also enormous potential for music education, since students could use AI to explore all aspects of the musical process in one classroom.

In a health context, personalized songs and albums could have significant implications for music therapy by letting therapists create tracks tailored to their clients’ needs. For instance, a therapist might want to produce a song a client has no prior association with to avoid music-related triggers during therapy.

AI-assisted music is already being used in psychedelic therapy to create, curate, and personalize people’s journeys.

Over the past 100 years, we’ve seen several innovations revolutionize the way we interact with music. AI ought to be understood as the next step in this process. And while change brings uncertainty, it also offers hope.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Image Credit: sebastiaan stam / Unsplash

Kalifornská firma Seatrec využívá technologii vyvinutou v rámci NASA, která dovoluje robotům zkoumat mořské dno bez lidského zásahu po neomezeně dlouhou dobu. Speciální systém umožňuje robotům vyrábět a čerpat energii přímo v moři. Autonomní roboti by tak mohli pomoci s mapováním dosud ...

SoundHound AI has enhanced its AI-based food ordering capabilities with the acquisition of Allset, an online ordering platform that connects restaurants and local customers.

Financial terms of the deal, announced Thursday, were undisclosed.

Allset is a food ordering platform designed for local pick-up, working with nearly 7,000 restaurant partners nationwide, including Joe & The Juice and Charleys Cheesesteaks.

Speech-to-meaning

SoundHound, a voice AI and speech recognition company, was founded in 2005 and went public in 2022. The company develops speech recognition, natural language understanding, music recognition, and search technologies.

In 2023, SoundHound generated $45.9 million in revenue, a 47% year-on-year increase. The vendor is growing but not yet profitable.

As part of Nvidia’s broader strategy of investing in AI-related tech companies, the chip maker has invested $3.7 million into SoundHound, in return for a 0.6% stake.

SoundHound’s Vehicle Intelligence product, powered by Nvidia Drive, allows drivers to ask questions related to maintenance, safety, and other vehicle-specific information using natural speech.

SoundHound markets itself as an independent voice AI platform, offering customers the ability to create their own branded voice experiences rather than relying on voice assistants from bigger vendors.

Allset

SoundHound said the deal to buy Allset will advance its plans to enable voice-enabled food and drink ordering across millions of cars, TVs, and smart devices. Its voice ordering technology works across multiple channels, including via phone, drive-thru, kiosk, and mobile app.

More than 10,000 restaurant locations use SoundHound’s platform to understand speech in a range of major languages, learn any restaurant’s menu, process orders directly to the point of sale (POS), and answer customer FAQs.

“Allset will help SoundHound bring voice AI solutions to even more restaurants looking to improve operational efficiency,” Keyvan Mohajer, CEO and co-founder of SoundHound AI, said in a statement on the deal.

For example, SoundHound has been working with White Castle, the US-based fast-food hamburger joint, to offer voice AI ordering technology at select White Castle drive-thrus for a year, with plans to roll out the technology to 100 locations by the end of 2024.

Many in the fast-food industry are looking to use AI technology to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

Using an AI system that provides a consistent, interactive ordering experience is a big ask.

Super size snags at McD’s

McDonald’s recently ended its trial of AI-powered drive-thru technology developed in partnership with IBM. McDonald’s had been testing IBM’s AI-powered voice recognition technology at around 100 US drive-thru locations for around two years.

The technology has numerous glitches, chiefly around the misinterpretation of customers’ orders to sometimes comical effect.

Hard to swallow mistakes included adding bacon to ice cream and putting excessive quantities of items on orders (e.g., hundreds of chicken nuggets on a single order). People took to social media with tales of “fighting the McDonald’s robot” and similar.

The automated order taking system — which evidently had problems picking up on accents and dialects, noise and cross-talk from neighboring drive-thru stations — will be dropped from the end of July, Restaurant Business reported.

IBM has yet to respond to a request for comment from Computerworld but reportedly said it looks forward to working with the fast food restaurant chain on a variety of projects in the future.

Bill Conner, CEO of mobile technology developer Jitterbug, told Computerworld that teething problems with new technologies are to be expected. Waiting for technologies to mature is unwise, since slow adoption of AI technology is likely to leave businesses at a competitive disadvantage, Conner argued.

“The future of application development, orchestration, and automation is based on an AI evolution, not a revolution,” Conner said. “Even the most agile organizations need a smart, measured approach to infusing AI capabilities into their business and infrastructure.”

Podle zdrojů agentury Nikkei prý TSMC pracuje na nové formě křemíkových waferů, které mají být nejen větší než ty současné s průměrem 300 mm, ale už ani nebudou kruhové. Inženýři uvažují na téměř čtvercovým formátem o rozměrech 510 × 515 mm. Plocha by byla 3,7× větší, ale mohlo by se na ni vejít ...