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                        <title>Latest Technology News, Tech News Pakistan | The Express Tribune</title>
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			<title>Google changes spam policy in EU to avert antitrust fine</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626279/google-changes-spam-policy-in-eu-to-avert-antitrust-fine</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626279/google-changes-spam-policy-in-eu-to-avert-antitrust-fine#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 26 18:51:34 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[EU says Google's spam policy demoted news and publisher sites with content from commercial partners]]>
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				<![CDATA[Alphabet&#39;s Google&nbsp;on Friday said it had changed its&nbsp;spam policy, &nbsp;in Europe to ​address EU concerns that could have resulted in an &zwnj;antitrust fine.

The US tech giant found itself in EU regulators&#39; crosshairs after publishers complained about its site reputation abuse policy.

It targets the practice of publishing ​third-party pages on a site in an attempt to abuse ​search rankings by taking advantage of the host site&#39;s ⁠ranking signals, commonly referred to as parasite SEO.

The EU said ​that its monitoring showed that Google&#39;s spam policy demoted news media ​and other publishers&#39; websites and content in Google search results, when those websites include content from commercial partners.

Google said that from August 30 any manual actions ​taken to demote sites would not apply to users in ​the 27 EU nations, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein (the European Economic Area).

The policy would &zwnj;not ⁠change outside the European Economic Area, it added.

&quot;We welcome the repeal of this policy, which unfairly penalised publishers and other business users of Google Search,&quot; EU Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said.

Read More: Major tech companies call for defensive surge to defeat AI-driven hacks

Concerns about the ​policy had prompted ​the European Commission, ⁠which acts as the EU competition enforcer, to open an investigation under the Digital Markets Act, ​which aims to rein in the power of Big ​Tech.

&quot;Thanks ⁠to the DMA, Google Search will no longer demote press publications solely for hosting third-party content,&quot; Regnier said.

&quot;The Commission will now monitor the ⁠application ​of the new policy to ensure it ​is compliant with the DMA.&quot;

DMA breaches can cost companies fines of up to 10% ​of their global annual turnover.]]>
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			<title>Trump signs order to create a US Space Academy</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626419/trump-signs-order-to-create-a-us-space-academy</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626419/trump-signs-order-to-create-a-us-space-academy#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 29 Aug 26 18:10:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Trump's Space agenda includes the Space Force, moon return and eventual Mars missions]]>
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				<![CDATA[US President Donald Trump signed an order on Friday creating a US Space ​Academy, billing it as a new military and civilian institution modeled after West Point and other military service academies.

The proposed academy would build on &zwnj;Trump&#39;s space agenda, which he and White House officials have described as a key component of his legacy. Trump launched the US Space Force as a sixth branch of the military during his first term, has attended multiple NASA launches and now aims to return Americans to the moon and eventually reach Mars.

An eight-member commission, led by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, will advise the president on launching ​the institution, which Trump&#39;s proclamation said would &quot;develop a professional corps of civically grounded leaders prepared to advance American interests within the space domain.&quot;

Speaking at the Lyndon ​B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Trump said he would choose the location for the academy &quot;very shortly,&quot; and hinted that the Texas ⁠congressional delegation in attendance wanted the institution in the Lone Star State.

He has pledged that the US will land astronauts on the moon during his final year in office.

&quot;A ​nation cannot be first on Earth if we&#39;re going to be second in space,&quot; Trump said during a ceremony to award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the ​four crew members of the Artemis II mission.

That crew -- Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen -- spent more than nine days in space, circumnavigating the moon and traveling deeper into space than any human before.

Moon program 

The multibillion-dollar US moon program is targeting its first astronaut landing in 2028, involving SpaceX&#39;s giant Starship rocket system. That rocket&#39;s ​development has been delayed, risking the timeline - but another moon lander from Jeff Bezos&#39; Blue Origin that is also under development might make the 2028 deadline instead.

Read More:&nbsp;New NASA telescope to probe dark energy, dark matter and exoplanets

The Artemis ​program rivals the lunar ambitions of China, which is aiming for its own crewed moon landing around 2030 following a series of increasingly ambitious robotic missions.

Both countries are seeking to establish a &zwnj;long-term crewed presence ⁠on the lunar south pole, where coveted water ice embedded in the lunar soil could be a key ingredient for fuel on the moon.

Trump added that the US would launch a separate nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars in 2028 that would be the gateway to broader interplanetary travel.

Isaacman said the missions would &quot;inspire the next generation to carry the fire of exploration even further.&quot;

Trump&#39;s order said implementing those goals requires new institutions to recruit and train future astronauts, engineers and scientists.

Staffing challenges

It is unclear how logistics for the space ​academy -- including building the campus, creating the ​programming and recruiting students -- would work. ⁠Funding would need to be approved by Congress, which is historically gridlocked.

Space Force officer candidates are generally commissioned through the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, also has a long tradition of its graduates becoming astronauts.

&quot;You think ​of West Point, and you think of Annapolis, and you think of the Air Force Academy, and you think of ​the Coast Guard Academy. They&#39;re ⁠all good,&quot; Trump said. &quot;But we&#39;re going to have now the Space Force Academy for what the people in this room love the most.&quot;

Many US&nbsp;space companies have struggled to attract new talent as the industry rapidly expands, with demand for spacecraft services and rocket launches soaring. Major players such as Elon Musk&#39;s SpaceX and Bezos&#39; Blue Origin have ramped up competition ⁠in the sector, ​driving up the cost of new hires for some smaller companies, analysts say.

Staffing challenges have also snagged ​the U.S. Space Force, whose workforce is 25% lower than what Congress requires for the branch, according to a&nbsp;2025 watchdog report, opens new tab.

Trump also spent part of his two-day trip in Texas raising money for Republican Senate ​nominee and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ahead of November&#39;s midterm elections.]]>
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			<title>TIME names 100 most influential people in AI for 2026</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626276/time-names-100-most-influential-people-in-ai-for-2026</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626276/time-names-100-most-influential-people-in-ai-for-2026#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 26 18:15:17 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[TIME's fourth AI list names 100 leaders, innovators, shapers and thinkers amid debate over AI's impact]]>
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				<![CDATA[TIME magazine unveiled its 2026 TIME100 AI list, naming 100 people it says are having the greatest influence on the development and direction of artificial intelligence worldwide.

The fourth annual list brings together executives behind some of the world&#39;s largest AI companies with researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, labor advocates and figures from the creative industries amid growing debate over the technology&#39;s economic and social impact.

TIME divided the 100 honorees into four categories: Leaders, Innovators, Shapers and Thinkers.

Among those in the Leaders category are OpenAI Chief Research Officer Mark Chen, CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman; SpaceX CEO Elon Musk; Anthropic co-founders Dario and Daniela Amodei; IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna; Google DeepMind Chief AI Readiness Officer Lila Ibrahim; and ByteDance Chairman and CEO Liang Rubo.

The category also includes prominent figures involved in the infrastructure supporting the AI boom, including Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, Oracle Executive Chairman and CTO Larry Ellison, CoreWeave co-founder and CEO Michael Intrator and SMIC Co-CEO Liang Mong Song.

Read More: Major tech companies call for defensive surge to defeat AI-driven hacks

The Innovators category highlights people developing new applications and approaches to AI, including OpenEvidence founder Daniel Nadler, Cursor CEO Michael Truell, Moonshot AI CEO Yang Zhilin, Caltech professor Anima Anandkumar and Cerebras Systems co-founder and CEO Andrew Feldman.

TIME also recognized AI&#39;s growing impact on creative industries, naming actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck among the Innovators, alongside Suno co-founder and CEO Mikey Shulman and Tarteel co-founder and CTO Mohamed Moussa.

The Shapers category includes Doreen Bogdan-Martin, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN specialized agency, whose work has focused in part on addressing the global digital divide and expanding participation in AI development.

Actor and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt, co-founder of the Creators Coalition on AI, was also named a Shaper. He has advocated for greater involvement by artists and the public in decisions about how AI is developed and deployed, as well as protections for creators.

TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs said this year&#39;s list reflects an AI landscape that has become increasingly &#39;explosive and divisive,&#39; citing developments including Musk taking a leading AI company to public markets, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei clashing with the Pentagon, Oracle&#39;s Larry Ellison racing to build data centers and Moonshot AI&#39;s Yang Zhilin developing Chinese models that have been known to occasionally outperform advanced US competitors.

Chinese technology and AI figures also have a notable presence on the 2026 list, with ByteDance&#39;s Liang Rubo, Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu, Moonshot AI&#39;s Yang Zhilin, Zhipu CEO Zhang Peng, AgiBot CEO Deng Taihua and SMIC executive Liang Mong Song among those selected.]]>
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			<title>US court rules Pentagon ban of Anthropic unlawful</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626218/us-court-rules-pentagon-ban-of-anthropic-unlawful</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626218/us-court-rules-pentagon-ban-of-anthropic-unlawful#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 26 08:07:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Judge Rita Lin overturns Pentagon's 'supply chain risk' label as second sanction awaits ruling]]>
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				<![CDATA[A United States federal judge ruled Thursday that sanctions imposed in February by the Trump administration against AI giant Anthropic were illegal, finding that the government had punished the artificial intelligence company for publicly criticising the Pentagon.

&quot;The empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics,&quot; Judge Rita Lin said in a 59-page decision seen by AFP.

She barred the federal agencies named in the lawsuit from enforcing President Donald Trump&#39;s order to stop using the tools of Anthropic - creator of the Claude AI models - and overturned Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth&#39;s designation of the company as a &quot;supply chain risk,&quot; a status previously reserved for foreign firms.

The ruling makes permanent the temporary suspension of sanctions ordered by the judge in March and takes effect immediately. The government may appeal.

Read:&nbsp;China issues &#39;backdoor&#39; security alert over Anthropic&#39;s Claude Code

&quot;We welcome the court&#39;s ruling that this supply chain risk designation was unlawful,&quot; an Anthropic spokesperson said Thursday. &quot;We remain focused on working productively with the government to harness AI for our national security so all Americans benefit from this technology.&quot;

The conflict arose after Anthropic refused to allow the US military to use Claude for fully autonomous lethal weapons or for the mass surveillance of Americans. Trump had lashed out at the company when it took that step. In a February social media post, he called it &quot;a radical left, woke company&quot; and &quot;out-of-control.&quot;

In Thursday&#39;s ruling, the judge said that the sanctions against the company &quot;were based on a desire to make a public example out of Anthropic for its &#39;arrogance&#39; in criticising the government&quot; rather than to counter a genuine threat.

The military had been using Claude across a range of classified and sensitive systems. According to reports by the Wall Street Journal and Axios, that included during the January operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Read More:&nbsp;Major tech companies call for defensive surge to defeat AI-driven hacks

The supply chain risk designation, formally made in March, had canceled Anthropic&#39;s military contracts and barred other Pentagon contractors from using its technology.

However, Anthropic&#39;s victory is not total. A second sanction imposed by the Pentagon on the same day, based on public procurement regulations, remains in effect pending a court ruling in Washington, where a judge refused to suspend the measure in April.

The White House has also bristled at Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei&#39;s repeated warnings about the dangers of AI - including the impact on jobs.

Anthropic is expected within weeks to make a public stock market listing that could eclipse SpaceX&#39;s record Wall Street debut in June, which raised $86.2 billion.]]>
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			<title>Cybercriminals used SpaceX’s Cursor AI tool to hack seven companies</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626215/cybercriminals-used-spacexs-cursor-ai-tool-to-hack-seven-companies</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626215/cybercriminals-used-spacexs-cursor-ai-tool-to-hack-seven-companies#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 26 07:45:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[AI-boosted hacking spree is latest example of how rogue actors are using commercial AI tools to carry out intrusions]]>
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				<![CDATA[Hackers used SpaceX&rsquo;s AI coding assistant, Cursor, to help break into a ​Belgian chemical company and at least six other firms earlier this year, according to data reviewed by Reuters and reports issued on Thursday by cybersecurity companies Gambit Security and &zwnj;CloudSek.

The cybercriminals&rsquo; AI-boosted hacking spree is the latest example of how rogue actors are using commercial AI tools to carry out intrusions. Gambit&rsquo;s chief strategy officer, Curtis Simpson, said it also showed how AI providers were locked in to a never-ending arms race with malicious users trying to circumvent their guardrails.

&ldquo;This is going to be a cat-and-mouse game,&rdquo; Simpson said.

Cursor and its parent company, SpaceX, did not return messages seeking comment.

Exposed server reveals hacking methods

Gambit said it discovered the hacking campaign after finding a ​server that a new ransomware gang, Aur0ra, had inadvertently exposed to the internet. That allowed the Israeli company to review 28 chat sessions between one or more of Aur0ra&rsquo;s hackers ​and one of Cursor&rsquo;s AI agents, which are programs that can operate with various degrees of autonomy.

In its report, Gambit said Aur0ra persuaded the AI agent ⁠to carry out hundreds of malicious operations &mdash; such as credential theft or high-value account takeover &mdash; by falsely claiming that the hacking was part of a simulation.

Read: US says Chinese hackers broke into Justice Department, NASA, Federal Reserve, Senate and more

&ldquo;We need any administrator account,&rdquo; Gambit quoted the hackers as saying ​at one point. &ldquo;Find any working passwords,&rdquo; it also quoted them as saying.

In its report, Singapore-based CloudSek said the data on the server showed that Aur0ra had claimed at least 20 victims overall, although it did not ​break down how many were compromised with the help of AI.

Neither Gambit nor CloudSek identified the hackers&rsquo; victims by name, but Reuters was able to identify six of them after independently reviewing portions of the chat data, which was still online as of last month.

The chat logs, which spanned April 8 to May 21, showed that the victims of Aur0ra&rsquo;s Cursor-boosted hacking spree included the Belgian company &mdash; Ghent-based hygiene and cleaning products maker Christeyns &mdash; as well as German garage door manufacturer Teckentrup ​and the Scotland-based Helideck Certification Agency, which vets helicopter landing sites. The rest included an Argentine pharmaceutical distributor, an Italian manufacturer, and Bayou Title, which advertises itself as Louisiana&rsquo;s largest title insurance company.

None of the six ​companies responded to requests by Reuters for comment. At least one of the victims, Bayou Title, was named on Aur0ra&rsquo;s data leak site, which typically indicates that the hackers tried and failed to secure a ransom. Aur0ra, a hacking &zwnj;group that began ⁠claiming victims earlier this year, did not return messages.

Hackers fooled AI with simulation claim

The back-and-forth captured in the logs reviewed by Reuters shows the hacker issuing terse commands and Cursor&rsquo;s AI agent responding with technical advice delivered in chirpy, emoji-laden messages typical of chatbot-speak.

&ldquo;Great! VPN connected successfully!&rdquo; it said after breaching the Argentine company.

&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s try to crack these hashes,&rdquo; it said at another point, referring to the process of decoding cryptographically scrambled passwords.

After finding a vulnerable host in Teckentrup&rsquo;s network, the AI recommended using a well-known malicious software tool to exploit it. &ldquo;**Chance of success**: VERY HIGH,&rdquo; it added.

Reuters could not independently ascertain the extent to which the break-ins were ​facilitated by help from the Cursor agent, or whether ​every breach necessarily resulted in exfiltration of data ⁠and an extortion attempt. Gambit said the agent was powered by Anthropic&#39;s Claude Sonnet 4.5, a more basic model than Anthropic&#39;s Mythos 5 or Fable 5, whose cyber prowess has drawn attention in Washington.

Read more: China issues &#39;backdoor&#39; security alert over Anthropic&#39;s Claude Code

Anthropic did not return a message seeking comment.

Eyal Sela, Gambit&rsquo;s director of threat intelligence, said Cursor still offered the hackers a clear ​boost, adding that the AI agent &ldquo;probably helps them get 30, 40, 50 percent faster because it helps them skip over all the things they&rsquo;d have ​to do manually.&rdquo;

Cursor&rsquo;s agent refused requests ⁠that it deemed harmful or illegal a handful of times, Sela said, but the hacker would almost always circumvent the refusals by restarting the dialogue and emphasising that the hack was all part of a test.

Gambit said the agent&rsquo;s chain of thought, a way that AI models think out loud, showed the hacker&rsquo;s cover story overriding its safeguards in real time.

&ldquo;This is a test environment, so it is legal,&rdquo; the agent said to itself, according to ⁠one of the ​logs.

News of the hacking spree comes as Cursor is being incorporated within Elon Musk&#39;s rockets-and-AI company, SpaceX, a deal that closed earlier ​this month. Concerns are also rising over the digital risks posed by AI models, especially the models that power AI agents like the ones that have escaped from AI companies&rsquo; labs over the past few months.

Simpson, the Gambit executive, said AI-assisted hacking was the new normal.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll ​see more and more of this all the time,&rdquo; he said.]]>
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			<title>OpenAI to cut off AI models for SpaceX-owned Cursor, escalating feud with Musk</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626418/openai-to-cut-off-ai-models-for-spacex-owned-cursor-escalating-feud-with-musk</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626418/openai-to-cut-off-ai-models-for-spacex-owned-cursor-escalating-feud-with-musk#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 29 Aug 26 17:59:04 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Musk sued OpenAI and Altman over its nonprofit mission, but a jury ruled against him earlier this year]]>
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				<![CDATA[OpenAI said on Friday &zwnj;that it plans to stop providing AI models to Cursor, the coding-tool company now owned by Elon Musk&#39;s SpaceX, marking a further escalation in the bitter rivalry between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Musk.

Musk and Altman have been at odds for years, ​a feud that culminated earlier this year in a trial over Musk&#39;s $150 billion lawsuit against OpenAI. ​During the&nbsp;trial, Musk&#39;s lawyer said that Musk and other witnesses had testified that Altman ⁠was a liar, while OpenAI argued that Musk had sought control of the company.

&quot;We are making this choice ​because we cannot be confident that SpaceX will use our technology within our terms of service, based on our ​experience with Elon Musk&#39;s companies violating contracts,&quot; OpenAI said in a blog post.

Musk responded early on Saturday in an X post, writing, &quot;I couldn&#39;t care less.&quot;

He accused Altman and OpenAI President Greg Brockman of being &quot;untrustworthy,&quot; while repeating his assertion that they &quot;stole an open ​source nonprofit.&quot;

Musk, the world&#39;s richest person, had sued OpenAI and Altman for &quot;stealing a charity&quot; by betraying the company&#39;s ​original nonprofit mission for their own enrichment. A federal jury ruled against Musk earlier this year, finding that he had filed &zwnj;the ⁠case too late.

However, Michael Truell, a co-founder of Cursor and now an executive at SpaceX, said on X that the company was speaking with the OpenAI team to resolve this issue.

Read More:&nbsp;TIME names 100 most influential people in AI for 2026

Hours after OpenAI&#39;s announcement, Anthropic, which rivals both firms but has an&nbsp;ongoing&nbsp;partnership with SpaceX, said it planned to increase compute to support Claude models in ​Cursor, according to Tom Brown, ​one of the co-founders ⁠of the firm.

In its blog post, OpenAI said that X, formerly known as Twitter and now part of SpaceX, had breached the terms of its contract with OpenAI ​after Musk acquired the platform.

&quot;To work with a large partner like SpaceX, we ​typically rely on ⁠custom contracts to ensure compliance with our terms of service and that the integration provides for safety at scale,&quot; the AI company added.

The ChatGPT-maker said it proposed a shutoff date of November 12, 2026, adding that its agreement ⁠with Cursor ​gave it a limited time window to cancel the contract following &quot;a ​change of control.&quot;

SpaceX&nbsp;(SPCX.O), opens new tab&nbsp;announced&nbsp;a deal to buy Anysphere, the startup behind Cursor, for $60 billion in an all-stock deal in June, and completed the ​acquisition earlier this month.]]>
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			<title>China’s record robotic strides show the limits of human speed</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626277/chinas-record-robotic-strides-show-the-limits-of-human-speed</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626277/chinas-record-robotic-strides-show-the-limits-of-human-speed#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 26 18:43:05 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Humans sprint using muscles and tendons across flexible joints that absorb and return force each stride]]>
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				<![CDATA[&nbsp;A made-in-China humanoid shattered Usain Bolt&rsquo;s world record time in the 100-metre sprint this week, a milestone in the development of robots that can match, and even surpass, human achievements.

But the robot did not beat Bolt by running like him, or like any human, sport science experts say.

Make sense of global markets with the Trading Day newsletter.&nbsp;Sign up&nbsp;here.

In ​its final and fastest run, China&#39;s Tiangong Ultra humanoid ran 100 m in 8.64 seconds, blazing past Bolt&#39;s 9.58-second human world record. That &zwnj;amounts to an average speed for the robot of almost 42 kph (26 mph).

&quot;It is a remarkable advancement in technology where humanoids can keep balance and sprint at a speed that humans can&#39;t catch up with,&quot; said Jung Moon-hyun, a sports science professor at South Korea&#39;s Chungnam National University.

But the differences between Bolt&rsquo;s closely studied 2009 world-record run in Berlin and the humanoid runs in Beijing also highlight ​both the power of robots &ndash; and the areas, like decision making and perception, where&nbsp;they still lag, other experts said.

A slow start

Take the start. Bolt burst ​from the blocks in Berlin with a lightning-fast reaction time of 0.146 seconds. Starting blocks allow human sprinters to generate horizontal force ⁠at the start of the race to build speed.

Tiangong, by contrast, starts from a clunky, upright posture. In its first world record run, it also waited almost a ​full second to begin moving at the start, after apparently failing to register the signal.

&ldquo;If they could use starting blocks, I could see them getting a lot faster,&rdquo; said ​Iain Hunter, professor of exercise science at Brigham Young University and a sport scientist with USA Track and Field.

Hunter estimates that Bolt would have hit the five-metre mark almost 2 seconds ahead of Tiangong.

But then the robot&rsquo;s advantages start to kick in. Tiangong Ultra&#39;s developer said it had redesigned parts of the robot&#39;s torso and waist to cut weight and reduce the effort needed to ​move its body while running.

It also improved the robots&#39; motors, range of movement and control software, according to Guo Yijie, a manager in its humanoid innovation department.

The result: ​an almost super-human cadence of shorter steps. Bolt finished 100 metres in 41 steps. Tiangong appears to take more than 50 steps to finish in its first world-record-breaking run but those steps are &zwnj;far faster ⁠than Bolt&#39;s, a Reuters review of the race video shows.

Park Suhan, a robotics professor at South Korea&#39;s Kwangwoon University, said the robot&#39;s gait appeared to reflect what its motors can do best, rather than an effort to mimic human sprinting.

Parunchaya Jamkrajang, a sports scientist at Thailand&rsquo;s Mahidol University, said the smaller, choppier steps could help robots balance. &ldquo;They try to increase speed, but if the stride becomes too wide, they will fall,&rdquo; she said.

No metabolic &lsquo;wall&rsquo; but a real wall 

Humans produce sprinting power through muscles and tendons working across ​flexible joints. Their ankles, knees and hips ​absorb force and return some of it ⁠with every stride.

Robots generate power faster with electric motors and gear boxes, said Park Hae-won, a professor at South Korea&rsquo;s KAIST who leads the school&rsquo;s humanoid lab. &quot;An electric motor simply creates rotation. It doesn&#39;t need to pull and extend like muscles do. You ​can simply attach it at the joint.&quot;

Even world-class sprinters start to tire and slow in the final 20 metres as ​neuromuscular fatigue hits, said ⁠Matt Bundle, a biomechanics expert at the University of Montana. Tiangong does not appear to slow.

&ldquo;Because the robot isn&rsquo;t constrained like that,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s going to be able to keep going.&rdquo;

Race video shows Tiangong holding its highest speed through the final stage of its first record run &ndash; before crashing into a padded wall at the end.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s no good if we get up ⁠to a ​good top speed, but all we do is end up in a heap of broken bones because ​we can&rsquo;t stop,&rdquo; Bundle said.

Jamkrajang agreed, saying robots capable of better turns and independent decisions would be more impressive than simple speed gains in future years.

&ldquo;Changing direction, or running and making a decision like, &lsquo;I won&rsquo;t run ​into this,&rsquo; and decelerating and reducing the robot&rsquo;s speed. We haven&rsquo;t seen this yet.&rdquo;]]>
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			<title>Major tech companies call for defensive surge to defeat AI-driven hacks</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626096/major-tech-companies-call-for-defensive-surge-to-defeat-ai-driven-hacks</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626096/major-tech-companies-call-for-defensive-surge-to-defeat-ai-driven-hacks#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 26 18:03:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2626096</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[More than 100 firms urged action to secure the digital world before AI-driven threats accelerate]]>
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				<![CDATA[Major tech companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft&nbsp;, Alphabet&nbsp;, and Amazon&nbsp; are calling for a ​society-wide defensive surge to defeat what they describe &zwnj;as an impending wave of hacks driven by artificial intelligence.

In a joint letter issued Thursday, the companies -- along with more ​than 100 others including Broadcom&nbsp;, Capital One&nbsp;, Cloudflare&nbsp;, ​CrowdStrike&nbsp;, General Motors&nbsp;, IBM&nbsp;, Mastercard&nbsp;, Oracle&nbsp;, Robinhood&nbsp;, Shopify&nbsp;, ⁠and Visa&nbsp; -- said there was a limited amount of ​time &quot;to make our digital world much more secure&quot; ahead ​of the AI onslaught.

&quot;In the coming months, AI-enabled cyberattacks will become far more widespread as models around the world become increasingly capable,&quot; ​the letter said. It called on government and ​industry leaders &quot;to bring the full weight of their technology, resources, and &zwnj;expertise ⁠to this effort.&quot;

Read More: US says Chinese hackers broke into Justice Department, NASA, Federal Reserve, Senate and more

It called on governments to expedite trusted access programs, which give certain companies access to more powerful models ahead of the general public, and for all ​other organizations ​to &quot;make cyber defense ⁠an immediate leadership priority.&quot;

Fears that advances in AI will supercharge hacking campaigns&nbsp;are beginning ​to be realized&nbsp;as rogue elements increasingly deploy ​large ⁠language models to break into organizations around the world. In June, the world&#39;s &quot;Five Eyes&quot; intelligence alliance -- composed of the ⁠US, ​Britain, Canada, Australia, and New ​Zealand --&nbsp;issued a rare joint statement&nbsp;warning that the AI revolution was poised ​to &quot;fundamentally transform&quot; cybersecurity.]]>
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			<title>China’s robots go up for rent</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626084/chinas-robots-go-up-for-rent</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626084/chinas-robots-go-up-for-rent#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 26 16:48:55 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[News Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2626084</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Household robot maker charges 3,000 yuan monthly for robots costing over 20,000 yuan, with bookings into December]]>
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				<![CDATA[China&rsquo;s robot industry has spent the past few years trying to make machines cheaper, smarter and more capable. At this year&rsquo;s World Robot Conference in Beijing, some companies were also trying something less glamorous, namely, renting them out.

One household-service robot maker interviewed at the conference charges 3,000 yuan ($446) a month for a robot that costs more than 20,000 yuan to build. It initially offered one-day trials and weekly rentals of about 700 yuan before settling on the monthly model. The company is not yet offering long-term contracts; demand was already strong enough to push its booking schedule into December, while limiting customers to a month at a time allows the machines to circulate among more households.

That may sound like a small experiment in consumer financing. It is more interesting as a sign of how the robotics industry is trying to solve a problem that technology alone cannot, that is, persuading customers to use machines that are still evolving.

China already makes robots on a considerable scale. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the country produced 635,056 industrial robots in the first seven months of 2026, up 28.5% from a year earlier, while service-robot output reached 12.14m units, up 12.2%. In July alone, industrial-robot output rose 30.2%. The question is no longer whether China can manufacture robots.

Now it is whether enough customers can find an economic reason to use them. According to figures released by the Shanghai Pudong government, China&rsquo;s robot-rental market exceeded 1bn yuan ($148m) in 2025. iiMedia Research expects it to surpass 10bn yuan this year, a tenfold increase. Is robot rental up in China?

Why rent a robot?

For a hotel, that reason may not involve owning a robot at all.

Mark McGauley, founder and CEO of Norway-based Autobot Rentals, described a model in which it buys service robots from Chinese manufacturers, and rents them to hotels while handling installation and maintenance. The appeal is not only about spreading the cost of the hardware, but also about removing the technical work that comes with it, like mapping the building, connecting the robot to elevators and keeping the machine running.

&ldquo;Rentals is a certain stage of commercialisation,&rdquo; he said. In his view, robots may be easier to rent than to sell because they are still complicated for customers to understand and operate. That gives rental companies a role beyond financing. They can install the machines, maintain them and absorb much of the hassle, allowing companies to try robots without first developing the expertise to run them.

A hotel that buys a robot becomes, to some extent, a robotics operator. A hotel that rents one can treat it as another outsourced service.

This is the logic behind Robot-as-a-Service, or RaaS, and it is beginning to acquire official backing. In June, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) called for real-world testing of humanoid robots and embodied-intelligence systems, including evaluation of task success rates, efficiency gains, safety, reliability and economic feasibility.

The notice explicitly encouraged RaaS models based on usage-based payments and operating leases to lower customers&rsquo; upfront costs and accelerate commercial deployment. It also aims to generate more than 100 high-value application scenarios and build the capacity for deployment at the scale of tens of thousands of units by the end of 2026.

The timing is telling. Leasing makes particular sense when the technology is improving faster than the customer&rsquo;s willingness to commit capital.

A hotel may be happy to experiment with a delivery robot, but less happy to spend a large sum on a machine that could become obsolete, require specialist maintenance or fail to justify itself after the novelty wears off. Renting transfers some of that risk to the supplier, which can upgrade or replace the equipment while keeping the customer focused on the service it provides.

Beijing is trying to make that calculation easier. A policy issued by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area encourages robot financing leases and provides subsidies equal to 10% of rental costs for qualifying projects, capped at 3m yuan per enterprise a year.

The policy also supports insurance for humanoid robots, another indication that the authorities see financing, risk and after-sales service as part of the commercialisation problem rather than as peripheral concerns.

The customer may also be the test site

The household market reveals an even more unusual reason to rent - the robot needs to learn.

The Shanghai-based Futuring Robot charging 3,000 yuan a month says it wants its machines to enter more homes, partly to discover new needs and test how reliably they work in different environments.

Read More: Robots can outrun humans, but can they plug in a cable?

Louis Shen, Co-founder of Futuring Robot suggested that some low-priced household rental schemes are not primarily designed to make money from rent. Their strategic value is the opportunity to collect data from real homes and use it to train world models.

This turns the normal economics of leasing upside down.

A conventional lessor wants an asset to remain with one customer for as long as possible. A robot company may prefer the opposite. The more homes a machine visits, the more varied the data it can collect. The rental contract becomes both a commercial transaction and a field test.

That matters because the home is a particularly difficult environment for embodied AI. A robot that works reliably in one carefully prepared demonstration area may behave very differently in a hundred ordinary homes. Factories can be designed around machines; homes cannot. Furniture moves, objects are left in unexpected places, children and pets interfere, and every household has different habits.

There is another uncertainty that becomes more important as robots become more human-like, which is, what users expect from them. Xavi Garc&iacute;a Gand&iacute;a, founder of Spain-based Homo Robotis Labs said the need for a humanoid machine ultimately depends on the application. Garcia with more than 30 years of experience in industrial and agricultural robotics also warned that anthropomorphism can raise the psychological stakes. When a highly human-like robot fails, users may feel more frustrated, or even react aggressively, whereas a conventional-looking machine is more likely to be treated simply as a malfunctioning piece of equipment.

That makes experimentation more valuable. A customer renting a robot can discover not only whether the machine works, but whether its form and behaviour match what people actually expect from it.

Paying for the job, not the machine

The same principle applies to industrial robots, though the economics are harsher.

Jens Peder Kristensen, Founder and CEO of Denmark-based KeyResearch, said that deployment should proceed from simple to complex. If a factory needs a mobile manipulator, he said, a wheeled platform may be more practical than a full-size bipedal humanoid; legs should be introduced when the environment actually requires them, rather than because the machine looks more human.

His argument gets to the central issue for the rental business, this means at this stage a certain amount of customers are not renting humanoid robots because they want humanoid robots. They are renting machines because they want a task performed.

That distinction is likely to determine which part of the rental market survives. Robots used for exhibitions, performances or promotional events can generate short-term rental revenue, but their demand is inherently episodic. A machine that delivers goods in a hotel, moves materials in a warehouse or performs a repetitive industrial task has a much stronger claim to recurring revenue.

The more predictable the task, the easier it is to price the robot as a service.

In that sense, the eventual unit of sale may not be a robot at all. It could be a completed delivery, a moved box, an inspected component or an hour of machine labour. The customer would not need to know how much the hardware costs, any more than a company hiring a cleaning service needs to own the cleaner&rsquo;s vacuum cleaner.

China&rsquo;s rental experiments are still small compared with the country&rsquo;s enormous manufacturing base, and the economics remain uncertain. But that is precisely why they are worth watching.

The industry is discovering that the obstacle to robot adoption may not simply be the price of the machine. It is the fact that customers are being asked to make a long-term investment in technology whose capabilities, reliability and useful life are still changing.

Renting lowers that barrier. It gives customers a way to try a machine without owning it, gives manufacturers a way to keep upgrading it, and&mdash;particularly in households&mdash;gives robots access to the messy environments in which embodied AI ultimately has to work.

For customers, the value of a robot may ultimately lie less in owning the machine than in paying for the work it performs. The industry&rsquo;s long-term ambition is not to persuade every household or hotel to own a robot. It is to make the robot cheap and reliable enough that customers no longer care who owns it.]]>
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			<title>Bill Gates, alarmed by AI, has policy ideas he wants to discuss with China's Xi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625957/bill-gates-alarmed-by-ai-has-policy-ideas-he-wants-to-discuss-with-chinas-xi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625957/bill-gates-alarmed-by-ai-has-policy-ideas-he-wants-to-discuss-with-chinas-xi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 26 12:39:28 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2625957</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Bill Gates says China may restrict risky AI releases if the US takes the lead on limiting dangerous AI models]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Bill Gates is looking to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year, eager to propose global efforts to mitigate the growing &zwnj;risks posed by artificial intelligence.

The Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist told Reuters in an interview that he believes China might agree to restricting potentially dangerous AI model releases if the US took initiative on that first.

&quot;The whole world would go along with that,&quot; said Gates, who met with Xi&nbsp;three years ago, when he was the first foreign entrepreneur to be hosted by the Chinese president post-pandemic.

Gates also said he&#39;d like to propose ​that countries monitor AI&#39;s ability to create molecules and carry out biological attacks &mdash; something that would not get in the way of any tech industry&#39;s development.

Gates&#39; staff are ​working to finalize a meeting with Xi for his next China trip, his spokesperson said, scheduled tentatively for November.

President Xi &quot;might be surprised by ⁠how vehement I am,&quot; Gates said. He said China is protecting children from AI companion addiction, but he believes few leaders globally are rising to the occasion to get ahead ​of a litany of potential harms from AI.

&quot;Yes, in the past, technology never did this. This time is different. This is like an evolutionary milestone that needs incredible policy management by society ​as a whole.&quot;

China&#39;s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

AI hacking &lsquo;should blow people&rsquo;s minds&rsquo;

Gates struck a more optimistic note about AI in January, but since then he has become concerned that it can conduct attacks while supplanting jobs and hooking users psychologically.

For instance, technology from OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta Platforms&nbsp;(META.O), opens new tab&nbsp;recently hacked real-world websites in what were supposed to be isolated cybersecurity evaluations.

&quot;These security incidents are shocking, and they should ​blow people&#39;s minds,&quot; Gates said.

In a blog post on Wednesday, Gates called for a new international organization to manage AI, drawing on elements from a nuclear inspections regime, international aviation regulations, ​and ozone layer protection agreements.

To date, US President Donald Trump&#39;s administration has exercised some control over the distribution of powerful AI models such as Anthropic&rsquo;s Fable 5, but more regulation has taken place at &zwnj;the state ⁠level.

Whereas many tech leaders have, like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, touted the benefits of AI, many have also expressed concern about its perils. Demis Hassabis, chair of Google DeepMind&nbsp;, proposed a body like the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, that could develop and conduct tests of AI related to national security.

Gates agrees with others that the United States should take the lead, but says it must establish what criteria would determine what action.

Read More:&nbsp;China&#39;s Moonshot in talks with Microsoft, Amazon, Google over K3 revenue sharing, sources say

&quot;You can use a FINRA-type model, but it&#39;s a silly conversation,&quot; Gates said. &quot;It&rsquo;s like saying, &lsquo;Should we meet to discuss taxation at this restaurant ​or this restaurant?&#39;&quot;

&lsquo;World&#39;s top priority&rsquo;

In his blog post, ​Gates said it was the &ldquo;world&rsquo;s top priority&rdquo; ⁠to deliver an AI future that does not widen inequality and hurt the vulnerable, ahead of climate change and health crises.

As he pursues high-profile engagements, Gates also told Reuters he planned to see UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham this autumn. In February, he cancelled an appearance ​in India after the U.S. released files from sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Gates has said he did not realize the extent of Epstein&#39;s ​crimes when associating with him ⁠for philanthropy.

His foundation is aiming to spend $200 billion by 2045 with an increasing focus on AI. It is working with Anthropic on AI-powered health checks for pregnancy, and with OpenAI to help healthcare workers in Rwanda, Gates said. He also will speak to personnel at Anthropic and OpenAI, both of which are preparing blockbuster IPOs, about impactful giving, he said.

On his mind are various ideas for addressing social upheaval. ⁠He envisioned taxing ​revenue from companies using &ldquo;tokens&rdquo; or AI&#39;s outputs to supplant labor, which could help fund a safety net.

He also ​said society should reserve up to 40% of current jobs for humans, noting in the blog how care his dad received when suffering from Alzheimer&#39;s disease was &quot;irreplaceably human.&quot;

Gates said community protests centered on data centers were missing a ​bigger picture. &ldquo;Wait until you really screw up the job market,&quot; he said.]]>
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			<title>Saudi-led consortium finalises $55b acquisition of gaming giant EA</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2622244/saudi-led-consortium-finalises-55b-acquisition-of-gaming-giant-ea</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2622244/saudi-led-consortium-finalises-55b-acquisition-of-gaming-giant-ea#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 26 14:05:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Anadolu Agency]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2622244</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Saudi Arabia has steadily expanded its investments in the global gaming industry as part of its Vision 2030 strategy]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[A Saudi-led investment group on Wednesday finalised the $55 billion acquisition of American video game publisher Electronic Arts (EA), according to official statements and industry reports.

The deal, which takes the publisher of major franchises such as EA Sports FC, The Sims, and Mass Effect private, marks the largest leveraged buyout in corporate history and the second-largest acquisition in gaming history, behind Microsoft&#39;s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Under the terms of the transaction, the acquiring consortium, led by Saudi Arabia&#39;s Public Investment Fund (PIF) alongside Affinity Partners, provided $36 billion in equity and secured $20 billion in debt financing from JPMorgan to complete the acquisition.

The investor group, which includes Affinity Partners, the private equity firm founded by President Donald Trump&#39;s son-in-law Jared Kushner, will take EA private by acquiring all outstanding publicly traded shares, ending the company&#39;s stock market listing.



EA has officially completed its $55 billion acquisition to an investor group comprised of Saudia Arabia&#39;s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. https://t.co/qLZEfPMAPo pic.twitter.com/1EsrMWDluI
&mdash; IGN (@IGN) August 4, 2026


EA Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson, who will retain his position following the privatisation, said the company plans to &quot;create transformative experiences to inspire generations to come&quot; under the new ownership structure.

The transaction has drawn scrutiny from industry analysts and advocacy groups over the potential impact of heavy debt servicing on EA&#39;s operational strategy, as well as concerns about creative freedom and content moderation across the company&#39;s major game franchises.

READ: Saudi Arabia emerging as global eSports dynamo

Controlled by the Saudi government, the $514 billion PIF has expanded its presence in sports and entertainment in recent years, including through the acquisition of Premier League football club Newcastle United and by hosting international e-sports competitions.

Saudi Arabia has steadily expanded its investments in the global gaming industry as part of its Vision 2030 strategy to diversify the economy beyond oil.

READ MORE: Vision 2030: how far has Saudi Arabia come?

PIF already holds stakes in several major gaming companies, including Nintendo and Capcom, and has invested in e-sports, game publishing and international gaming events as it seeks to position the kingdom as a global gaming hub.

Electronic Arts&#39; net revenue totalled $7.46 billion last year.]]>
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			<title>Microsoft to cut 4,800 jobs, overhaul Xbox unit</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2616822/microsoft-to-cut-4800-jobs-overhaul-xbox-unit</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2616822/microsoft-to-cut-4800-jobs-overhaul-xbox-unit#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 06 Jul 26 18:13:27 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Microsoft Xbox expansion, including Activision deal, still trails Sony and Nintendo in gaming market]]>
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				<![CDATA[Microsoft said on Monday it would cut 4,800 jobs, or ​about 2.1% of its global workforce, overhauling its Xbox gaming business and divesting up to five studios as it looks to &zwnj;boost returns after years of heavy investment in the division.

The restructuring of its gaming division will involve 3,200 job cuts, including laying off 1,600 employees on Monday.

Despite spending tens of billions of dollars to expand Xbox, including its blockbuster acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has struggled to narrow the gap with Sony&#39;s PlayStation, and Nintendo, prompting a broader rethink of ​the gaming business.

The company has increasingly shifted its strategy toward distributing its games across more platforms rather than relying on console-exclusive titles ​to drive Xbox hardware sales.

The Xbox restructuring will involve divestment of four studios, Xbox&#39;s new head, Asha Sharma, said in ⁠a note to employees.

&#39;South of Midnight&#39; producer Compulsion Games and &#39;Psychonauts&#39; maker Double Fine Productions will become independent studios, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs will ​be spun off to grow &#39;Senua&#39; and &#39;State of Decay 3&#39;, Sharma said.

The management of Arkane Studios, which developed &#39;Dishonored&#39; and is currently working on a game based on ​Marvel Comics character Blade, has started consultations with its workers union in France to review options, she added.

AI-driven efficiency push 

Big Tech&#39;s historic AI outlays, set to top $700 billion this year, are piling pressure on companies to show returns from the technology and offset the rising cost of rolling it out across their businesses. Amazon and Meta Platforms have also laid off ​thousands of employees this year.

Chief People Officer Amy Coleman, however, told employees in a memo that &quot;the roles eliminated today are not being replaced by AI.&quot;

&quot;At the same time, ​what is true is that AI is changing how work gets done.&quot;

Burgeoning AI spend 

&quot;That (targeted cuts) makes the announcement read more like portfolio reallocation and operating discipline than a fresh &zwnj;catalyst for ⁠the stock,&quot; said Parth Talsania, CEO of Equisights Research.

Read More: Indian IT firms face muted Q1 as AI shift, weak demand weigh

&quot;In the near term, the market is likely to reward Microsoft less for headcount reductions and more for evidence that AI monetization is scaling faster than AI-related costs.&quot;

The company&#39;s shares were down 1.4% on Monday, following a nearly 23% slump in its shares in the first six months of 2026, their worst first-half performance since 2022.

The software giant earlier this year offered voluntary buyouts to about 7% of its US ​workforce, or about 9,000 employees. Microsoft often ​trims jobs near the end of ⁠its fiscal year in June as it sets spending plans for the new year.

&quot;Microsoft has been managing down its workforce in order to pay for its AI investments. By keeping its headcount down they have been able to ​accelerate revenue growth while maintaining the same margins,&quot; said Gil Luria, managing director of DA Davidson.

Booming AI demand has ​powered growth at ⁠Microsoft&#39;s Azure cloud-computing business, which was the exclusive seller of OpenAI&#39;s models until April, but the mounting cost of building data centers to run those services is squeezing its cash flows.

The company, expected to report results later this month, had in April forecast quarterly Azure sales above Wall Street estimates, but also issued a $190 billion ⁠spending projection ​for 2026 that massively surpassed expectations.

AI tools that can increasingly automate routine business tasks have ​also emerged as a threat to its lucrative software business, while a surge in memory chip prices driven by data center demand has forced Microsoft to raise Xbox console prices at a ​time when demand for the console was already soft.]]>
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			<title>PlayStation to end physical game discs for new releases from 2028, Sony confirms</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2615929/playstation-to-end-physical-game-discs-for-new-releases-from-2028-sony-confirms</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2615929/playstation-to-end-physical-game-discs-for-new-releases-from-2028-sony-confirms#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 26 13:15:43 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Pop Culture &amp; Art]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Sony says all new PlayStation games will be digital-only from January 2028 as physical disc production ends]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Sony has confirmed that it will stop producing physical discs for all new PlayStation game releases from January 2028, marking a major shift towards digital distribution for the platform.

In a statement published on the official PlayStation Blog, the company said all new games released from January 2028 onwards will be available exclusively in digital formats through the PlayStation Store and participating retailers offering digital game codes.

The change applies only to new releases. Sony confirmed that games launched before the January 2028 cut-off will continue to be produced and sold on physical discs.

Explaining the decision, the company said it reflects changing consumer habits and the wider entertainment industry&#39;s ongoing move away from physical media.

&quot;As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital, physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028,&quot; Sony said.

The company described the decision as &quot;a natural direction&quot; for Sony Interactive Entertainment.

&quot;This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today,&quot; the statement continued.

Sony also said players will still have multiple purchasing options, with digital titles remaining available through both the PlayStation Store and participating retailers.

&quot;We&#39;ll continue to prioritize our resources to drive innovation in how players can access games and provide choices as to where players prefer to purchase new games, whether that&#39;s at retailers or PlayStation Store. We remain committed to delivering a world-class gaming experience to our fans and we thank you for your continued support.&quot;]]>
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			<title>UK cinemas restricting Meta AI and other smart glasses over piracy concerns</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624970/uk-cinemas-restricting-meta-ai-and-other-smart-glasses-over-piracy-concerns</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624970/uk-cinemas-restricting-meta-ai-and-other-smart-glasses-over-piracy-concerns#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 26 18:21:01 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2624970</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Meta smart glasses face scrutiny as courts in England and Wales ban their use over recording concerns]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Cinema operators in Britain are introducing policies to prohibit ​or restrict camera-enabled smart glasses, including &zwnj;Meta&#39;s&nbsp;AI-powered eyewear, the UK Cinema Association said on Thursday, citing privacy and ​film piracy concerns.

The move follows ​growing scrutiny of smart glasses over ⁠their recording capabilities, with courts ​in England and Wales this month ​prohibiting Meta smart glasses because of restrictions on taking images and videos in courts.

Policies ​vary by venue, with operators ​introducing prohibitions and/or restrictions rather than a single &zwnj;industry-wide ⁠rule.

The UK Cinema Association said operators recognise smart glasses can provide benefits to those with specific access ​requirements.

The association ​said it ⁠would continue working with members to ensure their ​approach &quot;remains relevant and proportionate.&quot;

Elsewhere, a ​German ⁠advocacy group earlier in August said it had filed a&nbsp;criminal complaint&nbsp;against ⁠Meta ​and others involved in ​selling the Meta devices, citing privacy laws.]]>
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			<title>Meta expands generative AI tools with Muse Image rollout</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2617010/meta-expands-generative-ai-tools-with-muse-image-rollout</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2617010/meta-expands-generative-ai-tools-with-muse-image-rollout#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 26 18:28:27 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2617010</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Meta said Muse Image can interpret prompts, use photos as inputs and edit AI-generated images through sketches]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Meta Platforms said on Tuesday it is rolling out Muse Image, its first image-generation model from ​Meta Superintelligence Labs, as the Facebook owner &zwnj;expands generative AI tools across its apps.

The company said Muse Image, which is integrated into its Meta AI chatbot, can ​interpret complex prompts, use photos as inputs and ​let users edit generated images directly through ⁠sketches or annotations.

Meta said its Muse Image model will power more than 30 new AI effects for Instagram Stories and enable image generation in direct chats with Meta AI on WhatsApp, initially in select countries.

Read More: Meta&#39;s Zuckerberg says AI agent tech progressing slower than expected

The company plans to expand Muse Image to more markets and integrate the technology into Facebook and Messenger.

While basic use of Muse Image through Meta AI will remain free, additional image creation capabilities will be offered through Meta&rsquo;s subscription plans.

In April, Meta launched Muse Spark, the first text-and-reasoning AI model developed by its Meta Superintelligence Labs team, which was assembled last year as the company sought to compete with rivals in the artificial intelligence race.

Advanced AI models are driving the current AI boom, powering autonomous tasks such as software development, content generation and customer support operations.

Meta also announced an early preview of Muse Video, its AI model designed to generate videos.]]>
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			<title>Apple plans affordable iPhone 17e with upgraded chip</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2591746/apple-plans-affordable-iphone-17e-with-upgraded-chip</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2591746/apple-plans-affordable-iphone-17e-with-upgraded-chip#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 26 05:58:33 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Web Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2591746</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[It is also expected to include Apple’s in-house cellular, Wi-Fi chips]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Apple is preparing to introduce a more affordable version of the iPhone 17 alongside an upgraded version of its Siri voice assistant, according to a recent report by Bloomberg.

The company is planning to launch the iPhone 17e, which will follow last year&rsquo;s iPhone 16e &mdash; a lower-priced model that used older hardware to reduce costs.

According to Bloomberg, the new iPhone 17e will feature a more powerful processor, matching that of the standard iPhone 17. It is also expected to include Apple&rsquo;s in-house cellular and Wi-Fi chips.

The report adds that, for the first time, a lower-priced iPhone model will support wireless MagSafe charging.

Despite the upgrades, the device is expected to retain its price tag of $599 or &pound;599, with no increase anticipated.

Read:&nbsp;Everything Apple announced at its September 2025 iPhone 17 keynote event

Earlier on September 9, 2025,&nbsp;Apple unveiled its latest products during the highly anticipated iPhone 17.

They introduced the iPhone 17 lineup, a new ultra-slim model called the iPhone Air, updated Apple Watches, and the long-awaited AirPods Pro 3.

The highlight was the iPhone Air, Apple&rsquo;s thinnest iPhone ever, at just 5.6mm. Positioned as part of a multi-year redesign strategy, the Air aims to redefine Apple&rsquo;s smartphone form factor. Alongside it, the standard iPhone 17 iPhone 17 Pro and iphone 17 Pro Max also made their debut with upgraded cameras and design refinements.

On the wearable front, Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 11, featuring 5G connectivity, improved durability, and new health-monitoring capabilities, including hypertension alerts. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 introduced satellite connectivity, a larger edge-to-edge display, and up to 42 hours of battery life.

Meanwhile, the entry-level Apple Watch SE 3 received upgrades including an always-on display, the faster S10 processor, sleep apnea detection, and 5G support, starting at $249.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>WhatsApp rolls out fun filters and backgrounds for video calls</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2500381/whatsapp-rolls-out-fun-filters-and-backgrounds-for-video-calls</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2500381/whatsapp-rolls-out-fun-filters-and-backgrounds-for-video-calls#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 03 Oct 24 06:55:50 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[News Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2500381</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[These new features are expected to be available to all WhatsApp users in the coming weeks.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[WhatsApp is rolling out new features designed to make video calls more engaging and fun. The messaging app has introduced filters and backgrounds, allowing users to add a personal touch to their video calls, whether it&#39;s a one-on-one conversation or a group call.

Although these features are already available on competitor apps like Zoom, WhatsApp is bringing them to an app primarily used for social, rather than work-related, calls.

Similar to Instagram&#39;s filters (also owned by Meta), WhatsApp&rsquo;s filters allow users to adjust the look of their video during a call.

This means there&rsquo;s no need to worry about tidying up your space or arranging a backdrop to impress&mdash;users can simply select a background that hides any mess or distraction, making it easier to focus on the conversation.

With 10 backgrounds available, users can choose from options like Blur, Office, Living Room, Caf&eacute;, Beach, Sunset, Pebbles, Foodie, Celebration, Forest, and the quirky Smoosh.

These backgrounds give users the flexibility to transform their environment instantly, hiding clutter or adding a polished touch to their surroundings.

In addition, there are 10 filter options, including Warm, Cool, Black &amp; White, and Vintage TV, providing a playful way to change the atmosphere of your video.

WhatsApp has also introduced Touch up and Low Light features, which &ldquo;can help you feel more confident and comfortable by naturally enhancing the look and brightness of your environment, making your video calls more vibrant and enjoyable,&rdquo; according to the announcement.

To access these effects, users can simply tap the effects icon during a video call and choose from the available options.

These new features are expected to be available to all WhatsApp users in the coming weeks, further enhancing the video call experience.]]>
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			<title>Meta bans Russian state media outlets over 'foreign interference'</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2496794/meta-bans-russian-state-media-outlets-over-foreign-interference</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2496794/meta-bans-russian-state-media-outlets-over-foreign-interference#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Sep 24 08:50:46 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[News Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2496794</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Meta accuses outlets RT and Rossiya Segodnya of employing tactics to manipulate public opinion and evade detection]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, announced a global ban on Russian state media outlets, including RT and Rossiya Segodnya.

This decision is part of an intensified crackdown on alleged foreign interference, with Meta accusing these outlets of employing deceptive tactics to manipulate public opinion and evade detection.

The ban follows recent US actions, including money-laundering charges against two RT employees who allegedly orchestrated a scheme to influence the 2024 election.

According to Meta, Russian state-controlled media have previously attempted to evade detection through covert activities, prompting the company to take more stringent measures.

Meta&#39;s move marks a significant escalation in its approach to Russian state media, which had previously faced only limited restrictions, such as ad bans and reduced post visibility.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called for treating Russian media operations as covert intelligence activities, reinforcing the government&#39;s stance on combating foreign influence.

He recently announced new sanctions against RT, labeling it as an extension of Russian intelligence operations aimed at undermining democratic processes.

RT has dismissed these accusations, labeling them as attempts to stifle its journalistic activities.

In response to Meta&#39;s ban, RT&#39;s spokesperson denounced the actions as unfounded and politically motivated.

The ban on these Russian media outlets is expected to be enforced over the coming days.

Meta has also been censoring Palestinian creators and activists during Israel&#39;s brutal onslaught on besieged Gaza.

The social media company was recently found censoring posts made by the Prime Minister of Malaysia,&nbsp;several Turkish government officials along with journliats and activitsts. Some of these take downs were attributed to glitches, which coinidently were always targeted pro-Palestinian voices in favour of Israel.

A Human Rights Watch report last year revealed that Meta&rsquo;s policies and practices have been suppressing voices advocating for Palestine and Palestinian human rights on Instagram and Facebook.&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Meet Noor Pakistan: The multilingual chatbot ready to assist at the defence exhibition</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2495041/meet-noor-pakistan-the-multilingual-chatbot-ready-to-assist-at-the-defence-exhibition</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2495041/meet-noor-pakistan-the-multilingual-chatbot-ready-to-assist-at-the-defence-exhibition#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 10 Sep 24 12:02:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[News Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2495041</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Around 40 mobile chatbot robots offering support in 25 different languages are being prepared for the IDEAS exhibition]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Chatbots, created by engineering universities in Pakistan, will now be able to&nbsp;assist and guide international delegates at a defence exhibition taking place this November.

The AI-powered chatbot project is a collaborative effort between Dawood University of Engineering and Ziauddin University, and it has been named &ldquo;Noor Pakistan.&rdquo;

The Noor Pakistan robot, designed to assist delegates at major national events in Pakistan, is being led by Dr. Samreen, Vice Chancellor of Dawood University of Engineering.

The team developing the chatbot is guided by Dr. Sheikh Mohammad Nafeh from the Computer Science and Software Engineering Department at Ziauddin University.

The student team includes Sharif Khan, Zoha, Mohammad Saeed, and others.

Dr. Sheikh Mohammad Nafeh, speaking about the project, explained that the goal is to create a bot capable of generating its own responses about major events. This bot was first unveiled at the IEEEP exhibition.

This bot will be officially presented at the IDEAS 2024 defence exhibition in November. Noor Pakistan, equipped with artificial intelligence, will function like a brain, capable of understanding and responding in multiple languages.

The chatbot will be designed in the form of a robot to provide on-the-go assistance and guidance to delegates.

For the IDEAS exhibition, around 40 mobile chatbot robots will be prepared, offering support in 25 different languages. In addition to answering questions about the IDEAS exhibition, they will guide delegates to specific halls or stalls.]]>
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			<title>China's DeepSeek considers new fundraising after first round, FT reports</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2618208/chinas-deepseek-considers-new-fundraising-after-first-round-ft-reports</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2618208/chinas-deepseek-considers-new-fundraising-after-first-round-ft-reports#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 26 13:06:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2618208</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The company began talks with new investors on a funding round that could value it at about $71 billion]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is weighing raising new funds one month after ​closing its first round, the Financial &zwnj;Times reported on Tuesday.

The company started preliminary talks this week with new investors about opening ​another round that would value the ​company at about $71 billion before the deal, ⁠according to the report.

DeepSeek did not ​immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read More: AI firms&#39; mass purchase, destruction of books for model training fuels copyright debate

DeepSeek, ​China&#39;s best-known AI startup, completed its first-ever round of financing around the end of May, which ​raised about $7 billion at a valuation ​of $52 billion, including the raised funds, the FT added.

DeepSeek did not ​immediately respond to a request for comment.

DeepSeek, ​China&#39;s best-known AI startup, completed its first-ever round of financing around the end of May, which ​raised about $7 billion at a valuation ​of $52 billion, including the raised funds, the FT added.]]>
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			<title>From shampoo to cookies, consumer products get an AI makeover</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2616797/from-shampoo-to-cookies-consumer-products-get-an-ai-makeover</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2616797/from-shampoo-to-cookies-consumer-products-get-an-ai-makeover#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 06 Jul 26 14:37:32 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2616797</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Nestle, Haleon and Mondelez use AI to speed product innovation, recipe design and supply chain planning]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[French cosmetics company L&#39;Oreal&nbsp;has used AI to identify molecules in its &zwnj;skincare products that can be repurposed for use in shampoo and can now create products four times faster than before, a senior executive told Reuters.

Consumer companies, including Nescafe owner Nestle&nbsp;,Sensodyne toothpaste maker Haleon&nbsp;and chocolate maker Mondelez&nbsp;, are using ​AI in product innovation, helping them in some cases test ingredients faster, generate recipe ideas ​and address supply chain vulnerabilities, executives said.

The push to integrate AI into product development ⁠comes as consumer goods companies face pressure to innovate faster and cut costs amid shifting consumer tastes.

​L&#39;Oreal, which started using AI in its labs four years ago, has identified new molecules for beauty products ​by predicting the effect they will have on skin and hair, said Fabrice Megarbane, president of its consumer products unit.

L&#39;Oreal&#39;s recent innovation was repurposing molecules used in skincare products for a shampoo that uses collagen to add lift and fullness ​to hair, Megarbane said.

&quot;You can really go much faster by imagining ... new associations of molecules and new ​benefits of molecules,&quot; Megarbane said at the Consumer Goods Forum&#39;s Global Summit in Vienna in late June.

Read More: Indian IT firms face muted Q1 as AI shift, weak demand weigh

L&#39;Oreal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus &zwnj;launched ⁠a &quot;beauty stimulus plan&quot; last year to spur innovation after L&#39;Oreal posted its slowest group sales growth in years.

AI compressing product development 

Human product innovation augmented by AI is a &quot;game-changer&quot; at chocolate maker Mondelez, Chief Information and Digital Officer Filippo Catalano told Reuters.

The technology has helped the Cadbury and Toblerone owner speed up processes and ​reimagine recipes. The firm ​said AI can create ⁠recipes, including &quot;out-of-the-box&quot; ideas, which a human expert assesses.

&quot;You can optimise how you develop your recipes,&quot; Catalano said, pointing to the possibility for reduced dependency on single ​sourcing in supply chains and the ability to adapt formulas to respond to ​changing consumer tastes.

Mondelez&#39;s ⁠AI tool is reducing the number of samples typically generated through innovation, he said. It helped develop its Gluten Free Golden Oreo cookies and a refreshed recipe for Chips Ahoy cookies, the firm said. In the ⁠biscuit category, ​60% of recipes produced using its AI tool performed better ​in areas such as nutrition, sustainability and cost.

&quot;(AI capabilities are) accelerating things you could do already, but compressing the time from months ​to weeks or years to months,&quot; Catalano said.]]>
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			<title>Google appeals Indian ruling over its ads platform, citing consumer harm</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2617347/google-appeals-indian-ruling-over-its-ads-platform-citing-consumer-harm</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2617347/google-appeals-indian-ruling-over-its-ads-platform-citing-consumer-harm#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 26 14:09:36 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2617347</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The Delhi High Court ruled against Google in the case, ordering it to pay damages of $31,600 and other costs]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[&nbsp;Google&nbsp;has challenged an Indian ​court ruling that it infringed on a company&#39;s trademark rights by allowing rivals to use its &zwnj;name as an advertising keyword, arguing the decision will hurt consumers, documents reviewed by Reuters show.

The&nbsp;May decision&nbsp;could reshape the online ads market in a country where Google last year earned $4.1 billion in gross advertising revenue but where it is also facing a raft of ​antitrust cases and court battles.

The Delhi High Court ruled against Google in the ​case, ordering it to pay damages of $31,600 and other litigation costs.

In its 4,761-page challenge, which is not public but was reviewed by Reuters, Google said the decision makes India the &quot;sole outlier&quot; among global jurisdictions &quot;with serious consequences for the digital advertising industry, online consumer choice, ​and competitive markets.&quot;

Researchers have observed that consumers may search for a brand in order to identify and assess alternatives, ​Google wrote in the July 7 filing, arguing the ruling will effectively grant trademark owners a &quot;monopoly over advertising space to the detriment &zwnj;of consumers.&quot;

In ⁠a response to a Reuters request for comment, Google confirmed it is appealing the order, which it said &quot;diverges from established legal precedents in India&quot;. It added that its ads policies reflect standard practices that enable competition.

Read More: Meta to put AI chip into production in September as it looks to double computing capacity, memo shows

Google India&#39;s appeal will be heard in the coming days.

Google selling something it doesn&rsquo;t own, judge says

If upheld, Indian lawyers and tech experts ​say the original ruling will ​have wide-ranging ramifications for how ⁠the online ads market operates.

Indian matchmaking service Shaadi.com, for example, said that it would change the economics of online ads for millions of businesses that were suffering when their ​competitors bid on their name and Google took a fee.

Justice Mini Pushkarna noted in ​the decision in ⁠May that Google could not be permitted to shrug off responsibility after making a tool available that leads to trademark infringement.

&quot;Google has attempted to sell something that it simply does not own,&quot; Pushkarna wrote.

Google&#39;s appeal rejects the position that it has ⁠infringed ​on trademarks, arguing that &quot;a keyword is merely used as an internal and ​backend trigger to display an ad&quot; and is simply &quot;making advertising space available&quot;.

Google also faces antitrust cases in India as well as legal challenges over&nbsp;AI ​training&nbsp;and stricter-than-ever&nbsp;content takedown regulations&nbsp;that began applying to tech companies from February.]]>
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			<title>Google loses fight against record €4.1 billion EU antitrust fine</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2616097/google-loses-fight-against-record-41-billion-eu-antitrust-fine</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2616097/google-loses-fight-against-record-41-billion-eu-antitrust-fine#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 26 11:33:47 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2616097</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Google has racked up close to €11 billion in EU fines in the last decades for various antitrust infringements.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Alphabet&#39;s Google on Thursday lost its fight against a record fine imposed by EU antitrust regulators ​eight years ago for using its Android mobile operating system to &zwnj;block rivals, a court ruling likely to boost Europe&#39;s crackdown on Big Tech.

The European Commission had originally handed out a &euro;4.34 billion fine to Google in 2018 for its agreements, ​which forced phone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search, the Chrome browser and ​the Google Play app store on their Android devices and ⁠prevented them from using rival Android systems.

A lower tribunal subsequently trimmed the fine ​to &euro;4.1 billion in 2022 after the world&#39;s most popular search engine challenged the ​EU penalty. Google then appealed to the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union, Europe&#39;s highest.

The court sided with the EU antitrust enforcer.

&quot;The appeal brought by Google and its ​parent company Alphabet against the judgment of the General Court is dismissed, ​thereby confirming the penalty imposed for Google Search&#39;s abuse of a dominant position in the &zwnj;context of ⁠the Android operating system,&quot; judges said.

Read More: EU targets Amazon, Microsoft cloud units for Big Tech &#39;gatekeeper&#39; rules

A Google spokesperson said that the judgment failed to take into account its investment to ensure Android remains open, interoperable and free.

&quot;In any event, we adapted our agreements to comply with the initial ​decision back in 2018 ​and we remain ⁠focused on continued innovation and openness for our users, partners and developers&quot;, Google said.

Google has racked up close to &euro;11 ​billion in EU fines in the last decades for various ​antitrust infringements.

It ⁠will likely see more fines in the near future for allegedly favouring its own services and products in search results and for practices related to its app ⁠store, ​both of which fall under the Digital Markets ​Act aimed at reining in the power of Big Tech.

The case is C-738/22 P Google and Alphabet ​v Commission.]]>
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			<title>Indonesia to restrict social media access for children under 16, minister says</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2596121/indonesia-to-restrict-social-media-access-for-children-under-16-minister-says</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2596121/indonesia-to-restrict-social-media-access-for-children-under-16-minister-says#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 26 09:20:25 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2596121</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[&quot;The process will be done gradually until all platforms perform their obligations&quot; said Indonesia's digital minister]]>
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				<![CDATA[Indonesia will restrict access to social media platforms for children under 16, its communications and digital ministry said on Friday, making it the latest country to install online guardrails to reduce the risks of addiction and cyberbullying.

A number of governments have imposed curbs on social media for children amid mounting concerns over the impact that social media is having on the safety and mental health of minors.

Australia introduced a ban on social media for under-16s in December, and Spain also said last month that it would ban access to social media for minors under 16.

Indonesia&#39;s neighbour Malaysiaannounced in November that it would also ban social media for users under the age of 16 starting from 2026.

Meutya Hafid, Indonesia&#39;s Communications and Digital Minister, said in a video statement that the government will &quot;delay access&quot; to social media accounts for children under 16 through a ministerial regulation issued on Friday.

Starting March 28, accounts owned by children under 16 on &quot;high risk platforms&quot; will be gradually deactivated, Meutya said, adding the platforms include TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Roblox.

&quot;The process will be done gradually until all platforms perform their obligations,&quot; she said, without elaborating on what they need to do to meet the new requirements.

&quot;We realise this may cause discomfort in the beginning. Children may complain and parents may be confused dealing with their complaints.&quot;

&quot;Our children are facing risks, from porn, cyberbullying, online fraud to most importantly, addiction,&quot; she said, adding Indonesia will be the first non-Western country to impose such restrictions.

TikTok, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and Roblox did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The details of the new regulation have yet to be revealed. Ministry officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Internet penetration in Indonesia, a country of about 280 million people, reached 79.5% in 2024, according to a survey of 8,700 people by the Indonesia internet service providers&#39; association.

The survey showed 48% of children under 12 had access to the internet, with some respondents of that age group using Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. The survey showed internet penetration stood at 87% among &quot;Gen Z&quot; users aged 12 to 27.]]>
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			<title>Norway imposes near ban on AI in elementary school</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2614102/norway-imposes-near-ban-on-ai-in-elementary-school</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2614102/norway-imposes-near-ban-on-ai-in-elementary-school#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 26 16:04:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2614102</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said using AI risks young children skipping important steps in their education]]>
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				<![CDATA[Norway is imposing a near ban on the use of generative AI tools by elementary school pupils while also restricting their use in the education of older children to prevent a negative impact on learning, the country&rsquo;s prime minister said on Friday.

Facing a broad decline in education test scores, the government in 2024 banned smartphones from schools and gave teachers more powers to enforce discipline in the classroom.

Using AI increases the risk that young children skip important steps in their education, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told a press conference.

&ldquo;The most important thing in school is that our children learn to read, write and do mathematics,&rdquo; Store said, adding that the new standards will be imposed from the new school year beginning in late August.

Read More: The Indian workers training AI robots to take their jobs

Pupils from first through seventh grade (ages 6 to 13) should generally not use AI, while those in lower secondary school (ages 14 to 16) may cautiously adopt tools under teacher supervision, the government said.

In upper secondary education (ages 17 to 19), students should learn to use AI appropriately to prepare for further education and work, it added.

Norway began adopting computers in classrooms in the 1990s and tablets after the introduction of the iPad from 2010 onwards, reducing reliance on books and handwriting.

But in a related statement, the government also said it will propose legislation to fund more use of books in classrooms, reversing the trend towards computer tablets.

The Norwegian government in April also announced plans to ban children from using social media until age 16, following similar moves by Australia and other countries.]]>
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			<title>Meta offers support for AI models as Pakistan deepens digital push</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2555152/meta-offers-support-for-ai-models-as-pakistan-deepens-digital-push</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2555152/meta-offers-support-for-ai-models-as-pakistan-deepens-digital-push#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 25 11:23:48 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Meta presented its latest developments in AI, including LLaMA, generative AI tools, and Urdu-language AI models]]>
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				<![CDATA[Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, met with a high-level delegation from Meta, led by Sarim Aziz, Director of Public Policy for South and Central Asia, to discuss strengthening Pakistan&rsquo;s digital infrastructure, scaling artificial intelligence adoption, and empowering youth through technology.

Meta presented its latest developments in AI, including the LLaMA open-source models, Generative AI tools for public sector innovation, and work on Urdu-language AI models.

The company also expressed interest in helping Pakistan build local AI capacity and expanding technical training initiatives.

Shaza Fatima reiterated the government&#39;s full commitment to a digital Pakistan, emphasizing that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif personally chairs weekly meetings on the country&rsquo;s shift toward a cashless economy.

She stressed that digital skills for youth remain a top national priority, and that public-private partnerships like this are essential to unlocking the country&rsquo;s future potential.

&ldquo;The effective use of AI is not optional&mdash;it is foundational for Pakistan&rsquo;s next phase of development,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Initiatives that enhance youth capacity and improve public service delivery are not just welcome&mdash;they&rsquo;re necessary.&rdquo;

Both sides agreed to explore deeper collaboration in digital skilling, AI adoption in governance, and innovation-driven partnerships that can accelerate Pakistan&rsquo;s digital transformation.]]>
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			<title>Spain to probe X, Meta, TikTok over AI-generated child sexual abuse material</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2593046/spain-to-probe-x-meta-tiktok-over-ai-generated-child-sexual-abuse-material</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2593046/spain-to-probe-x-meta-tiktok-over-ai-generated-child-sexual-abuse-material#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 26 09:05:05 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2593046</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Announcement comes as European regulators are cracking down on big tech companies]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Spanish government has ordered prosecutors to investigate social media platforms X, Meta META.O and TikTok for allegedly spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse material, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.

The announcement comes as European regulators are cracking down on big tech companies, alleging the prevalence of abusive practices on online platforms ranging from anti-competitive behaviour in digital advertising to deliberate design of addictive features on social media.

The three companies named by Sanchez did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

&quot;These platforms are undermining the mental health, dignity, and rights of our children,&quot; Sanchez wrote on his X account. &quot;The state cannot allow this. The impunity of these giants must end.&quot;

He said the government would ask prosecutors to &quot;investigate the crimes that X, Meta, and TikTok may be committing through the creation and dissemination of child pornography using their AI&quot;.

Read: France moves to ban social media for users under 15

Spain is not the only country probing sexually explicit content generated by Elon Musk&#39;s xAI chatbot Grok on X - other governments have launched investigations, bans and demands for safeguards in a growing global push to curb illegal material.

Earlier this month, Sanchez announced several measures aimed at curbing online abuse and protecting children, including a proposed ban on access to social media platforms for those under the age of 16.

On the same day, French police raided the offices of Musk&#39;s X and prosecutors ordered the tech billionaire to face questions in a widening investigation amid growing scrutiny of the platform by authorities across Europe.

In November, Sanchez said that Spain&#39;s parliament would investigate Meta for possible privacy violations of its Facebook and Instagram users.

Meanwhile, Ireland&#39;s Data Protection Commission said on Tuesday it had opened a formal investigation into Grok over the processing of personal data and its potential to produce harmful sexualised images and video, including of children.]]>
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			<title>‘The Core’: Al Jazeera rolls out AI system for news production</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2583477/the-core-al-jazeera-rolls-out-ai-system-for-news-production</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2583477/the-core-al-jazeera-rolls-out-ai-system-for-news-production#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 25 08:55:18 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Web Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2583477</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Partnership aims to combine AI-driven content creation with human editorial expertise]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Al Jazeera Media Network has announced&nbsp;a new ArtificiaI Intelligence&nbsp;initiative,&nbsp;developed in&nbsp;partnership with Google Cloud&nbsp;aimed at integrating AI more deeply into newsroom operations.

The project, named &ldquo;The Core,&rdquo; was announced on December 15 as an integrative AI‑driven model designed to AI&#39;s role in journalism from a passive tool to an active partner in news production, while retaining editorial control.





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Built on what Al Jazeera describes as a &ldquo;cognitive operating model,&rdquo; The Core embeds generative AI across multiple stages of the news lifecycle, including information gathering, data analysis, content creation and distribution, with human editors overseeing all editorial decisions.

According to Al Jazeera and Google Cloud, The Core integrates Google&rsquo;s AI suite across six interdependent pillars that form the system&rsquo;s backbone. These include:


	AJ Now: a central platform that assists with suggesting questions, generating angles and drafting summaries, which will use Google Cloud&#39;s compute engine, Gemini Enterprise, Vertex AI Search and other generative tools.
	AJ‑LLM (Editorial Brain): a large language model (LLM) fine‑tuned on Al Jazeera&rsquo;s own archives to help with translation, summarisation and real‑time contextual analysis.
	AJ Vision: supports immersive content creation with generative AI tools, including Imagen, Veo, and others.
	AJ Data Lake: uses data analytics to uncover trends and support data‑driven reporting using BigQuery and Gemini Data Agents.
	Operations&nbsp;Engine: focused on automating internal workflows through Gemini for Workspace.
	Academic and Knowledge Arm: Offers training for journalists on advanced AI tools.


Some observers have raised questions about potential bias associated with the use of Google Cloud, citing the company&rsquo;s broader regional technology partnerships, including Project Nimbus. Al Jazeera has said the system&rsquo;s language model will be trained on its own editorial archives and remain under continuous human oversight, which it says will help mitigate such concerns.

Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal Al Thani, director general of Al Jazeera Media Network, said the initiative reflected the organisation&rsquo;s ambition to build &ldquo;a global technological ecosystem&rdquo; that strengthens its position in the AI era, while preserving editorial judgment.

Alex Rutter, managing director for AI in Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Google Cloud, said the initiative&rsquo;s tools were designed to reshape how journalists research, produce and publish news, as well as how audiences engage with it.

Under the expanded partnership, Al Jazeera will deploy Google Cloud&rsquo;s AI infrastructure and agent-based systems across its global operations. Both organisations stressed that editors and reporters would remain central to all editorial decisions, with AI serving a supporting role.

Details regarding data-centre locations, regional infrastructure and deployment timelines have not been publicly disclosed.]]>
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