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Google is rolling out managed MCP servers to make its services “agent-ready by design,” starting with Maps and BigQuery, aiming to simplify messy integrations and help AI agents use real tools.View the full article

Let them pick out their own hiking boots. Instead, try gifting a useful blade or a nature journal to delight your outdoorsy friend.View the full article

Oboe has raised $16 million in funding for its learning app. The company now lets users generate unlimited courses for free.View the full article

The Pro Display XDR is six years old today, making it one of the oldest Apple products still on sale. Released on December 10, 2019 alongside the redesigned Mac Pro, the Pro Display XDR was Apple's re-entry into the high-end external monitor market, following a three-year hiatus after discontinuing the Thunderbolt Display in 2016. The announcement came at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2019, where the company presented the display as a rival to traditional reference monitors. The XDR in its name stands for "Extreme Dynamic Range," a feature that Apple emphasized as a key differentiator from other high-resolution monitors available at the time. It features a 32-inch Retina display with a 6K resolution of 6,016 by 3,384 pixels, powered by Apple's proprietary LED backlighting system. Apple utilized blue-colored LEDs with custom lenses and reflectors to achieve a maximum brightness of up to 1,600 nits in HDR mode, while sustaining 1,000 nits across the entire screen indefinitely. This allows for what Apple describes as "stunningly accurate colors and contrast," supporting the P3 wide color gamut and delivering a claimed 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The rear of the display features the same lattice pattern used on the 2019 ‌Mac Pro‌, which functions as a heatsink to aid thermal management. The display is also available with matte nano-texture glass to cut down on glare—the first Apple product it's featured on. Upon its release, the Pro Display XDR garnered significant attention for its high price. In the United States, the display starts at $4,999, and users who opt for the adjustable Pro Stand must pay an additional $999. The Pro Stand, which is sold separately, was met with mixed reactions upon its unveiling. Apple justified the cost by highlighting the engineering involved, with the Pro Stand offering height, tilt, and rotation adjustments, as well as support for both landscape and portrait modes. A VESA mount adapter is also available for those who prefer third-party mounting solutions. As of its sixth anniversary, the Pro Display XDR remains one of only two external monitors sold by Apple, alongside the Studio Display, which was released in March 2022. Unlike the Pro Display XDR, the Studio Display comes with an integrated A13 Bionic chip, enabling features such as Center Stage for its built-in webcam, spatial audio, and support for Siri voice commands. The Pro Display XDR, however, has no webcam or any internal Apple silicon chip. Speculation about a second-generation Pro Display XDR has been circulating for some time. In December 2022, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple was working on an updated version of the display, this time with an Apple silicon chip to enhance its capabilities. In July 2023, Gurman reiterated that Apple was still developing multiple new displays. Display supply chain analyst Ross Young added that the next-generation Pro Display XDR will feature quantum dot technology, just like the MacBook Pro. Evidence of Apple's work on new external monitors has been spotted multiple times. The third beta of macOS 26.1 suggests that the Pro Display XDR 2 will feature a built-in Center Stage camera. The A19 Pro chip is also a possibility, along with a higher refresh rate.Related Roundups: Apple Pro Display XDR, Apple Studio DisplayRelated Forum: Mac Accessories This article, "Apple's Pro Display XDR Is Six Years Old Today" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Unacademy's valuation has dropped by over 85% from its pandemic-era peak price tag of $3.5 billion, its founder said.View the full article

Amazon’s latest e-reader and digital notebook combos bring new features, but they may not be enough in a crowded market.View the full article

Tavus has launched a new experience where you can chat with an AI Santa that asks personal questions and remembers your interests.View the full article

Figma is launching a new image editing toolbar to bring all its features in one place.View the full article

CNET has been testing robot vacuums for years, but we're always refining our testing procedures. Here's the process we use to evaluate robot vacuums for cleaning, navigation performance, obstacle avoidance, noise levels and more.View the full article

Stream Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist or try another one of Peacock's original shows.View the full article

TechCrunch found Petco's veterinary clinics were spilling customers' personal information and medical histories of their pets.View the full article

Three security vulnerabilities have been disclosed in the Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) Integrity and Data Encryption (IDE) protocol specification that could expose a local attacker to serious risks. The flaws impact PCIe Base Specification Revision 5.0 and onwards in the protocol mechanism introduced by the IDE Engineering Change Notice (ECN), according to the PCI SpecialView the full article

For new users in India, Google is offering an AI Plus subscription for ₹199 ($2.21) for the first six months, after which you'll have to pay ₹399 ($4.44).View the full article

You can select which topics you want to see more or less of, and your recommendations will adapt accordingly.View the full article

In the battle for your attention, Instagram is betting that more control over the algorithm could keep you scrolling on Reels.View the full article

Apple's App Store has been unlawfully hosting dozens of apps tied to U.S.-sanctioned companies, according to a new watchdog report (via The Washington Post). The Tech Transparency Project, a non-profit advocacy group, flagged 52 apps in the App Store that had links to entities found on the Treasury Department's list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs), a designation that prohibits U.S. companies from doing business with them. Linked organisations included Russian financial institutions such as Gazprombank and National Standard Bank propping up Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, and China's Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), which has been sanctioned for involvement in repression of Uyghur minorities. Another app was run by a company owned by an accused Lithuanian drug trafficker. The linked entities reportedly used name variants, shell developers, or partial references to obscure their sanctions status. Google's Play Store was also found to be hosting 18 apps for similarly sanctioned organizations. Google took down all but one of the apps after being contacted by The Post. Apple removed 35 out of 52 during or after the investigation. Apple disputed that all the flagged apps violate sanctions, but said it was enhancing its review process. Apple previously committed to improving sanctions detection after a 2019 Treasury settlement involving a naming-variation failure. According to The Post, the Treasury could have fined Apple more than $70 million at the time, but said it accepted a settlement of less than $1 million because Apple had self-reported, had not had a violation in the preceding five years, and promised to revamp its sanction search tools "to fully capture spelling and capitalization variations and to account for country-specific business suffixes." Legal experts say that prior agreement increases Apple's exposure now, since the latest similar lapses suggest its promised improvements were insufficient. The findings also call into question Apple's long-standing claim that its App Store provides a "safe and trusted" environment for users. This article, "Apple Faces Scrutiny as Sanctioned Entities Slip Through App Store Controls" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

ChatGPT's 800 million plus userbase can now use Adobe's apps to modify images and PDFsView the full article

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been spreading its tentacles across the global technological landscape, as evidenced by the increase in autonomous and automated technologies and their deployment across industries and sectors. While the world is still recovering from the global impact of AI, quantum computing is gradually emerging. In quantum computing, the principles of quantum mechanics are used to perform calculations, enabling the solution of complex problems faster than classical computers. Some have described the recent AI boom and the soon-to-be fully emerged quantum as the ‘mind’ and ‘muscle’ respectively. If this analogy is true, one can only imagine the resultant effect when the ‘mind’ meets the ‘muscle’, and that is where we are heading. The collision of these two technologies promised to be the next major technological battleground capable of shaping computing, cybersecurity and even geopolitical power structures. With these two forces, not only will the way we compute be redefined in the 21st century, but also how power, privacy and innovation will be distributed. This is because, while AI algorithms are known to recognize patterns and learning from data that was fed into them, quantum computers are capable of exploring multiple paths simultaneously, making it easy to unlock a computing revolution. Quantum logic reshaping the internet At its core of invention, quantum computing goes beyond being just faster computers, but is uniquely designed to create an entirely different universe of processing. Instead of using bits (0s and 1s) as it’s applicable in AI, quantum computers use qubits, which can exist in multiple states simultaneously through the principles of superposition and entanglement. By implication, a well and thoroughly designed quantum system can solve problems in microseconds, compared to classical computers, which could take years to solve the same and similar problems. This could enable ultra-secure communication through what is known as quantum key distribution (QKD). Consequently, data interception would be made nearly impossible, which could reshape global connectivity, providing faster power and more secure digital infrastructures. When AI meets quantum power The concept of AI systems greatly depends on data input into the AI algorithm, which means the more data that is fed into the Algorithm, the better the output. Most AI systems are commonly faced with hardware limitations, and some of the largest AI systems, like ChatGPT and DeepMind’s AlphaFold, among others, are known to be confronted with these challenges. However, with quantum, these limitations are not present. This is because quantum machine learning (QML) is leveraged to perform tasks such as pattern recognition, optimisation and simulation. Additionally, with the concept of QML training, the need to train data in real time with massive data centres will no longer be necessary. In practical terms, the impact of quantum capacity and its application would be felt more than training billions of AI model parameters for minutes, as the expected output will now be achieved in microseconds. For instance, realizing global climate systems in real-time and simulating financial markets can now be achieved in real-time. The darker side of quantum-AI synergy As good as this collision is, a dark undercurrent could emerge, where these very brilliant technologies that promise to transform our way of doing things could also be weaponised by state actors or cybercriminals. The malicious attackers can utilize the combination of AI and quantum to actualize quantum-enhanced cyber threats. Researchers are also of the view of the possibilities that cybercriminals will be able to decrypt modern encryptions like elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), advanced encryption standard (AES) and Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA), among others. For instance, RSA and ECC are practical encryption methods used in financial institutions to protect online transactions. When these are compromised, they render the confidentiality of scrambled data exposed, hence allowing unauthorized access to such information. The day that this happened is already tagged ‘Q-Day’, that is, when quantum computers become powerful enough to break today’s encryption standards. Additionally, other security breaches like password cracking, forging digital certificates or even deepfaking (that is, impersonating AI systems) are among others that can be triggered by cybercriminals with the advent of quantum and AI. Preparing for Q-Day: The cybersecurity paradox As most systems now employ cryptographic keys to provide confidentiality to their data, Q-Day, the moment when quantum computers become powerful enough to break existing encryption, would render some of these efforts useless. So, organization and government institutions alike are bracing ahead of Q-Day since the internet, government databases, corporate organizations’ databases and even financial systems could easily be cracked. For instance, while the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has outlined a phased approach with a 2035 target set for complete migration across all systems, the US is mandating a similar transition for its National Security Systems by 2,030. These efforts are a proactive defence approach that focuses on developing quantum-resistant encryption models, ensuring the security of cryptographic keys and adaptive cybersecurity policies to withstand the coming quantum age. Trust: The new currency of innovation One of the challenges of quantum systems is that they operate based on probabilities, and not certainties. Similarly, the output of AI systems can easily be marred by inappropriate data quality, data bias, lack of explainability and transparency, adversarial threats, ethical concerns and governance concerns. The real battles that the developer of this innovation should concentrate on should not only revolve around their speed, efficiency or building the most potent combination of quantum and AI systems, but trust. Trust is essential as the ultimate expectation of any built system is to generate the expected outcome. Therefore, if AI represents intelligence, and quantum represents uncertainty, then ‘ How do we trust outcomes from systems we cannot fully explain?’ Therefore, trust would need to be built through cybersecurity frameworks and regulations to enhance security, transparency and governance. This would help in addressing the post-quantum cryptography, AI auditing, explainability and ethical oversight, which will form the foundation of resilient digital ecosystems. The road ahead Although AI and quantum computing will not replace human intelligence, their fingerprints will be seen all over the place in the not-too-distant future. While it is evident today that AI is already transforming the industries, the future holds that both AI and quantum will further provide innovations beyond what humans can imagine in various sectors such as energy, healthcare, finance and national defence, among others. However, the real question is whether society can adapt to the pace at which these technologies are moving before they control us. Looking beyond innovation It is now clear that the convergence of artificial intelligence and quantum computing not only provides technological breakthroughs but also cybersecurity challenges. Putting them together, computation, problem-solving and data analysis will be more effective and efficient at unimaginable scales. Despite positive capabilities, the tendency for them to be threatened and undermine the very foundations of digital trust and privacy that modern societies depend upon is very high. Therefore, as quantum computing is gradually coming up with Q-Day approaching, the urgency to prepare for a post-quantum world becomes increasingly clear. Consequently, organizations, governments and cybersecurity experts should now start looking beyond innovation and the technological advancement that these technologies deliver and start focusing on resilience. This would involve a massive investment in advancing ethical AI governance, developing regulatory frameworks and regulations, and building post-quantum cryptographic standards in existing systems to maintain security and public confidence. Therefore, the race should not only be focused on developing advanced technologies, but also on creating secure technologies that are not easily prone to attacks by cybercriminals. This article is published as part of the Foundry Expert Contributor Network. Want to join? View the full article

They're finally becoming functional, less cumbersome and regular-looking enough to live up to their never-ending hype.View the full article

Whether you’re layering up for winter cold or looking for an ultralight summer system, we’ve tested and found the best base layers for all your outdoor adventures.View the full article

Commentary: If you want a new iPhone within the next year, go ahead and buy the iPhone 17. Current iPhone 18 rumors don't provide enough compelling reasons to wait.View the full article

Adobe Express, Acrobat and Photoshop are now available in ChatGPT, no subscription required.View the full article

The e-commerce giant said the new investment will support its efforts to digitize small businesses and strengthen its logistics and operations footprint in India.View the full article

One day, this remote might control all of our gadgets. That day is not today.View the full article

Digineer Station – shutterstock.com Die Gartner-Analysten Dennis Xu, Evgeny Mirolyubov und John Watts empfehlen Unternehmen dringend, alle KI-Browser aufgrund der Cybersicherheitsrisiken auf absehbare Zeit zu blockieren. Sie stützten ihre Empfehlung auf bereits identifizierte Risiken „und andere potenzielle Risiken, die noch entdeckt werden müssen, da es sich um eine sehr junge Technologie handelt“. Die Warnung kommt zum richtigen Zeitpunkt, da KI-Browser bereits häufig eingesetzt werden: In 27,7 Prozent der Organisationen gibt es mindestens einen Nutzer, der Atlas installiert hat. In einigen Unternehmen wird der Browser von bis zu zehn Prozent der Mitarbeiter aktiv genutzt. Das hat eine Studie des Security-Anbieters Cyberhaven ergeben. Die höchsten Akzeptanzraten wurden in der Technologiebranche (67 Prozent), der Pharmaindustrie (50 Prozent) und der Finanzbranche (40 Prozent) festgestellt, also in allen Sektoren mit erhöhten Sicherheitsanforderungen. ChatGPT Atlas, das am 21. Oktober auf den Markt kam, wurde laut Cyberhaven 62-mal häufiger von Unternehmen heruntergeladen als Perplexity Comet, das am 9. Juli veröffentlicht wurde. Die Einführung von Atlas weckte auch insgesamt ein erneutes Interesse an KI-Browsern, wobei die Downloads von Comet in derselben Woche um das Sechsfache stiegen. Unmittelbar nach der Einführung von ChatGPT Atlas wurden jedoch Bedenken hinsichtlich der von KI-Browsern ausgehenden Gefahren laut. Experten verwiesen auf Schwachstellen, die Prompt Injection ermöglichen, und Probleme hinsichtlich der Datensicherheit. Sensible Daten in Gefahr Ein Grund für diese Besorgnis: Unternehmen verlieren die Kontrolle über ihre Daten, wenn diese aktive Webinhalte, den Browserverlauf und die Inhalte offener Tabs zur Analyse an die Cloud senden. In der Dokumentation von Perplexity wird beispielsweise gewarnt, dass „Comet einige lokale Daten unter Verwendung der Server von Perplexity verarbeiten kann, um Anfragen zu erfüllen. Das bedeutet, dass Comet den Kontext der angeforderten Seite (zum Beispiel Text und E-Mail) liest, um die angeforderte Aufgabe auszuführen.“ Gartner-Analyst Mirolyubov erklärt dazu: „Das eigentliche Problem ist, dass der Verlust sensibler Daten an KI-Dienste irreversibel und nicht nachvollziehbar sein kann. Unternehmen können verlorene Daten möglicherweise nie wiederherstellen.“ Es ist nicht nur die Frage, wohin die Browser Ihre Daten zur Verarbeitung senden. Sondern auch, was sie damit machen. „Fehlerhafte Transaktionen werfen im Falle kostspieliger Fehler Fragen zur Verantwortlichkeit auf“, so Mirolyubov. Herkömmliche Kontrollen reichen nicht aus KI-Browser können autonom Websites navigieren, Formulare ausfüllen und Transaktionen abschließen, während sie bei Webressourcen authentifiziert sind. Wie die Gartner-Analysten in ihrem Beitrag ausführen, macht dies die KI-Browser anfällig für neue Cybersicherheitsrisiken, „wie indirekte, durch Prompt Injection verursachte betrügerische Aktionen. Dazu zählt der Verlust und Missbrauch von Anmeldedaten, wenn der KI-Browser dazu verleitet wird, autonom zu einer Phishing-Website zu navigieren. „Herkömmliche Kontrollmechanismen sind für die neuen Risiken, die durch KI-Browser entstehen, unzureichend, und Lösungen befinden sich erst in den Anfängen“, mahnt Mirolyubov. „Es besteht eine große Lücke bei der Überprüfung multimodaler Kommunikation mit Browsern, einschließlich Sprachbefehlen an KI-Browser.“ Kurz nach der Einführung von ChatGPT Atlas räumte bereits Dane Stuckey, CISO von OpenAI, in einem Beitrag auf X ein: „Prompt Injection bleibt ein ungelöstes Sicherheitsproblem. Angreifer werden viel Zeit und Ressourcen aufwenden, um Wege zu finden, ChatGPT-Agenten für Attacken zu nutzen.“ Entdeckte Schwachstellen verdeutlichen Unreife Über die theoretischen Risiken hinaus sind in beiden großen KI-Browsern konkrete Sicherheitslücken aufgetreten. Tage nach dem Start von ChatGPT Atlas entdeckten Forscher, dass es OAuth-Token unverschlüsselt mit übermäßig freizügigen Dateieinstellungen unter macOS speichert, was möglicherweise unbefugten Zugriff auf Benutzerkonten ermöglicht. Die Schwachstelle wurde am 27. Oktober von der Sicherheitsforschungsgruppe Teamwin dokumentiert. OpenAI hatte bis zum 31. Oktober, als Gartner seine Untersuchung abschloss, noch keinen Patch veröffentlicht. Unabhängig davon berichtete das Cybersicherheitsunternehmen LayerX Security im August über die Entdeckung einer Schwachstelle in Comet namens „CometJacking“, die möglicherweise Benutzerdaten an von Angreifern kontrollierte Server weiterleiten könnte. Ein langer Weg bis zur Reife Die entdeckten Schwachstellen unterstreichen die allgemeinen Bedenken hinsichtlich der Reife der KI-Browser-Technologie. „Sicherheit und Datenschutz müssen zu zentralen Designprinzipien werden und dürfen nicht nur nachträglich berücksichtigt werden”, fordert Mirolyubov. Anbieter von KI-Browsern müssten von Anfang an Cybersicherheitskontrollen auf Unternehmensniveau integrieren und mehr Transparenz hinsichtlich Datenflüsse und agentenbasierten Entscheidungen bieten. Der Gartner-Analyst geht davon aus, dass die Entwicklung neuer Lösungen zur Kontrolle der KI-Nutzung wahrscheinlich „Jahre statt Monate” dauert. „Es ist unwahrscheinlich, dass alle Risiken beseitigt werden können – fehlerhafte Aktionen von KI-Agenten werden weiterhin ein Problem darstellen. Unternehmen mit geringer Risikotoleranz müssen KI-Browser möglicherweise auf längere Sicht blockieren.“ Gartner rät Unternehmen mit höherer Risikotoleranz, die experimentieren möchten, Pilotprojekte auf kleine Gruppen zu beschränken. Sie sollten sich mit risikoarmen Anwendungsfällen befassen, die leicht zu überprüfen und rückgängig zu machen sind. „Benutzer müssen stets genau beobachten, wie der KI-Browser bei der Interaktion mit Webressourcen autonom navigiert“. Zudem empfiehlt das Analystenhaus Unternehmen, vorerst die Installation von KI-Browsern mithilfe bestehender Netzwerk- und Endpunkt-Sicherheitskontrollen zu blockieren und ihre KI-Richtlinien zu überprüfen. Auf diese Weise soll sichergestellt werden, dass die breite Nutzung von KI-Browsern untersagt ist. „Derzeit entscheiden sich die meisten Cybersicherheitsteams dafür, KI-Browser zu blockieren und die Einführung zu verzögern, bis die Risiken besser verstanden werden und die Kontrollen ausgereifter sind“, so Mirolyubov. (jm) View the full article