There's plenty of concern that OpenAI's ChatGPT could help students cheat on tests, but just how well would the chatbot fare if you asked it to write a graduate-level exam? It would pass — if only just. In a newly published study, University of Minnesota law professors had ChatGPT produce answers for graduate exams at four courses in their school. The AI passed all four, but with an average grade of C+. In another recent paper, Wharton School of Business professor Christian Terwiesch found that ChatGPT passed a business management exam with a B to B- grade. You wouldn't want to use the technology to impress academics, then.
The research teams found the AI to be inconsistent, to put it mildly. The University of Minnesota group noted that ChatGPT was good at addressing "basic legal rules" and summarizing doctrines, but floundered when trying to pinpoint issues relevant to a case. Terwiesch said the generator was "amazing" with simple operations management and process analysis questions, but couldn't handle advanced process questions. It even made mistakes with 6th grade-level math.
There's room for improvement. The Minnesota professors said they didn't adapt text generation prompts to specific courses or questions, and believed students could get better results with customization. At Wharton, Terwiesch said the bot was adept at changing answers in response to human coaching. ChatGPT might not ace an exam or essay by itself, but a cheater could have the system generate rough answers and refine them.
Both camps warned that schools should limit the use of technology to prevent ChatGPT-based cheating. They also recommended altering the questions to either discourage AI use (such as focusing on analysis rather than reciting rules) or increase the challenge for those people leaning on AI. Students still need to learn "fundamental skills" rather than leaning on a bot for help, the University of Minnesota said.
The study groups still believed that ChatGPT could have a place in the classroom. Professors could teach pupils how to rely on AI in the workplace, or even use it to write and grade exams. The tech could ultimately save time that could be spent on the students, Terwiesch explains, such as more student meetings and new course material.
The US Department of Justice has spent months infiltrating and disrupting the Hive ransomware group, the agency announced on Thursday. The DOJ says Hive has targeted over 1,500 victims in more than 80 countries, extorting hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments.
Working with German and Netherlands law enforcement, the FBI seized Hive’s servers and websites, allegedly slowing the group’s ability to attack and extort new victims. It first infiltrated Hive’s network in July 2022, providing over 300 decryption keys to Hive’s current victims and more than 1,000 keys to previous victims — preventing over $130 million in ransom payments. The agency hasn’t announced any arrests. However, it’s still investigating the group, according toNBC News.
Hive used a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) model, where administrators (essentially the ringleaders) create ransomware strains with easy-to-use interfaces. The administrators then recruit affiliates who use the ransomware software to carry out the theft — and likely much of the risk.
For example, Hive would steal a victim’s data and encrypt their system. The affiliate would then demand a ransom in exchange for the decryption key and a promise not to publish the data. (Of course, it would frequently target the most sensitive data to apply maximum pressure.) If the victims pay, affiliates and administrators would split the ransom 80 / 20. Those unwilling to pay would find their data leaked on the web.
MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) says Hive gained access through single-factor logins via Remote Desktop, VPNs, exploiting FortiToken (software-based access key) vulnerabilities and phishing emails with malicious attachments.
“Last night, the Justice Department dismantled an international ransomware network responsible for extorting and attempting to extort hundreds of millions of dollars from victims in the United States and around the world,” said US Attorney General Merrick Garland today. “We will continue to work both to prevent these attacks and to provide support to victims who have been targeted. And together with our international partners, we will continue to disrupt the criminal networks that deploy these attacks.” The FBI recommends victims contact their local FBI field office.
New York City’s first flood-monitoring network is set to expand. Thanks to $7.2 million in funding from the city, the number of flood-prone areas FloodNet monitors with its sensors will increase from 31 to 500 across all five boroughs. The expansion is expected to start next month and take up to five years.
Data from the sensors is fed into a free web dashboard that residents, city agencies, researchers and anyone else can use to stay on top of and react to flood threats. The dashboard receives water-level readings from the sensors in real time. An interactive map shows where, when and how rapidly water is rising, whether that's due to seawater surges at the coast or stormwater drains not being able to handle floods. The dashboard also includes historical data, which can help people to track the frequency and severity of floods over time.
Researchers from New York University, The City University of New York, Brooklyn College and the Science and Resilience Institute developed FloodNet. They had assistance from the mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice, the NYC Office of Technology & Innovation and neighborhood community groups.
FloodNet's solar-powered sensors are low cost and open-source. They use ultrasound to measure changes in water levels and wirelessly transfer data to a gateway hub, which then sends the information to FloodNet's servers and the dashboard.
Sea levels in the city have risen by a foot in the last century, according to the New York City Panel on Climate Change. They're expected to increase by between another eight and 30 inches by around 2050, and between 15 and 75 inches by the end of the century. More detailed flood data can help city planners and others prepare for permanent water level rises, along with weather events like hurricanes that can quickly wreak havoc.
Audi has finally revealed the Activesphere EV concept it promised last summer. The crossover is built to go off-road, complete with a rugged underbody, a liftable suspension and easy ways to carry your sports gear. The rear can transform into a loading area with enough room for your e-bikes, for instance. It nonetheless features a sedan-like profile and the creature comforts of past concepts, including a spacious, bright interior designed for relaxing while the vehicle is in self-driving mode.
The cabin reflects Audi's confidence in augmented reality. Occupants wear AR glasses that provide vital performance figures (for the driver) as well as infotainment and virtual assistant controls. You won't find a conventional row of screens or gauges, and the eyewear can even track your health while you ride an e-bike on a trail. When you're ready to take control, the dash and steering wheel lift into place. Audi clearly expects you to only occasionally take the helm, such as when you're venturing beyond asphalt.
Most specifications aren't available (this is a concept, after all). However, Audi claims a range of more than 372 miles and fast 270kW charging using an 800V architecture. The 100kWh battery pack can charge from 5 percent to 80 percent in 25 minutes, Audi says.
This is the fourth model in Audi's "sphere" electric concept line. The company kicked off the initiative with the shapeshifting Skysphere roadster in August 2021, and followed that a month later with the upscale Grandsphere sedan. Last year's Urbansphere was intended as the SUV for future cities, where your car is as much an office (or a refuge from the outside world) as it is transportation.
As with past experiments, the Activesphere isn't a preview of a production model. It's Audi's vision of motoring in the near future, not to mention a demonstration of technical prowess. It's just a matter of whether or not the concept influences future cars. Audi has played it relatively safe with its existing EV lineup, which largely revolves around familiar-looking SUVs and the Porsche Taycan's sibling, the e-tron GT. The brand expects to dramatically expand its electric offerings by 2026, though, so we wouldn't rule out Activesphere-inspired rides.
CNet's AI SNFAU turned out to be merely the first pebble kicked down the slippery slope. In a Thursday morning internal memo acquired by the Wall Street Journal, Buzzfeed Chief Executive Jonah Peretti announced plans to embrace AI in both editorial and business operations and utilize text generation systems similar to CNet's to produce, for example, the memeable quizzes that originally built Buzzfeed's following.
Such AI-powered quizzes could provide more personalized answers based on the user's more specific responses rather than based on a score range or ranked choice system like they are today. Peretti envisions AI not only producing content on its own but drawing inspiration from human writers. We squishy meat sacks would serve as idea sources for AI text generators, or as Peretti described members of his own species, “cultural currency” and “inspired prompts.” He further argues that within the next two decades, AI will "create, personalize, and animate the content itself” rather than simply regurgitate (read: plagiarize) already existing works.
On one hand, this seems a foolhardy move given the Low Orbit Ion Cannon-level fallout that CNet's reputation has suffered since news broke that it had employed AI text generation systems to produce nearly 75 financial explainers since late 2022. More than half of those posts had to be updated on account of shoddy math (you'd think a computer would be better at that), plus the whole plagiarism thing. On the other hand, a lot of the flack that CNet took in the early days of the controversy was that it had tried to be cute and sneak in the fact that it was having chatbots write entire feature posts without actually telling anybody. Peretti's announcement Thursday, at least does that.
Of course, Buzzfeed is far from alone in the burgeoning "pivot to ChatGPT" movement. Microsoft announced this week a multiyear, "multi-billion dollar" investment in OpenAI's text generation systems — exactly two days before announcing that despite $52.7 billion in Q2 revenue, it would be laying off ten thousand (10,000) people on account of challenging macroeconomic conditions.
The next time you order something from Uber Eats, you'll be able to find out what personal information of yours a courier can see at each stage of the delivery process. The View as Delivery Person feature follows a View as Driver function Uber added in 2020. Starting today, Uber Eats users in the US and Canada can access the information from the recent order page and in the app's privacy center (under the privacy menu on the account tab).
The delivery person will only know an approximate delivery location until they collect the order. Then they'll typically have access to your first name, initial of your last name and exact delivery location. Uber will provide them with your delivery instructions and notes too. After the order is completed, the courier will once again only see a general delivery location in their app.
Did you know we limit what your delivery person sees about you when they accept your Uber Eats order? We’ve launched a new product so you can see what is shared with a courier when you place an order on the app. US and Canada only. Link in bio for more. pic.twitter.com/RgQ5BXATfQ
Moreover, the feature will tell you what kinds of details couriers can't see, such as your phone number, payment details or driver rating. If you order products like alcohol or weed through Uber Eats, you need to prove you're of legal age by sharing a picture of your ID. Couriers can't see your ID details after they make the delivery, Uber says.
The idea is to provide users with more peace of mind and transparency, as Zach Singleton, Uber’s head of privacy and equity product, told The Verge. View as Driver was a popular privacy feature among users, according to Singleton, who noted that Uber receives thousands of support tickets from users who are concerned about how much personal information their driver or courier gets, as well as those eager to know more.
Safety is a critical concern for many Uber and Uber Eats users. Singleton added that women are “53 percent more likely to have a concern about the information that delivery people had when something uncomfortable has occurred.”
A OnePlus tablet is on the way. A new official image of the upcoming OnePlus Pad surfaced, showing a “Halo Green” color and an unconventional camera placement. The tablet will reportedly launch alongside the OnePlus 11 5G and Buds Pro 2 at a February 7th event.
The lone image, posted on OnePlus’ official India website, reveals a green finish with a centered rear camera. It’s reportedly an aluminum alloy body with a cambered (gently sloped like older iPads) frame. In some impressively flowery marketing copy, OnePlus toldTechRadar the green hue “blends the vibrancy of life with the vastness of space.” Unfortunately, we don’t yet know about other color options, full specs or pricing.
You can better see the tablet’s narrow bezels and centered front camera after adjusting the image’s levels:
OnePlus
This year may be a renaissance for Android tablets. In addition to OnePlus’ upcoming slate, Google teased its Pixel Tablet at two 2022 events. The device, arriving sometime this year, will attach to a speaker base while running the Tensor G2 chip from its latest flagship phones. It will follow the ill-fated Pixel Slate, which Google discontinued in 2020 after only two years. The consumer tablet market is dominated by Apple’s iPad, with Samsung and Amazon offering the most popular Android-running alternatives.
You might not want to count on getting a Cybertruck this year despite promises to the contrary. During a conference call discussing Tesla's latest earnings, company chief Elon Musk said mass production of the electric pickup won't begin until 2024. He still expects manufacturing to kick off "sometime this summer," but warned that output would be "very slow" early on. Tesla is still in the midst of installing assembly equipment.
Tesla unveiled the Cybertruck in 2019, but has delayed its release multiple times. The company also warned that the final specs and pricing will change. The EV was originally supposed to start at $39,900 in its single-motor configuration and climb to nearly $70,000 for the tri-motor version. While the automaker is still taking deposits, it's no longer promising specific configurations. The pandemic, a rough economy, longstanding supply chain issues and design tweaks are all expected to influence what you can ultimately buy.
This isn't a new problem for Tesla. Production of the Model 3 started in July 2017, but was very limited until mid-2018 as the company struggled to clear factory bottlenecks. The Cybertruck poses unique challenges, however. Its signature cold-rolled steel body is said to be extra-tough, but also requires manufacturing techniques not normally used for cars. Most production is expected to take place at the Giga Texas factory near Austin, which formally opened last April.
The revised timeline may create problems. The Cybertruck is already entering a fiercer competitive landscape that includes the Ford F-150 Lightning, GMC Hummer EV and Rivian R1T. By the time Tesla's production is in full swing, it will likely have to take on the Ram 1500 EV and Chevy Silverado EV as well as more affordable versions of existing trucks. An electric pickup is no longer the novelty it was four years ago, and it's not clear if the finished Cybertruck will offer major advantages over its rivals.
In the split second before a necromorph slides its arm blades into Isaac Clarke’s stomach, it looks like the massive monster is giving him a bloody, snarling, over-excited hug. This precise moment, frozen between horrific brutality and a comforting embrace, captures the essence of the Dead Space remake. As a fan of the 2008 game, playing the new Dead Space is a cozy experience, even amid all the terror, death and gore. Hell, because of these factors. The Dead Space remake is big, beautiful and better than the original, while maintaining the magic that made the first game an instant classic. Turns out, great game design is timeless.
Man, EA used to make some good games. Dead Space came out at the height of EA’s golden era, a year after the first Mass Effect and a month before Mirror’s Edge, and it defined the sci-fi horror genre in a way that persists today. Dead Space was the game that introduced HUD-less horror environments, incorporating health and ability meters into Isaac’s suit, rather than displaying static indicators over every scene. The remake uses the same immersion system, alongside a pop-up inventory that doesn’t interrupt gameplay. Stores and upgrade benches are scattered around the USG Ishimura, the main ship where the nightmare unfolds, powered by credits and nodes that players find while slicing their way through the monsters onboard.
In the remake, the Ishimura is a maze of twisting metal corridors and locked rooms, and it’s bursting with secrets. I found myself checking every corner for glowing boxes to stomp on or shiny bits of ammo and credits, and my exploration was often richly rewarded. Never toorich, though — asset management underscores the game’s tension, and Isaac is constantly at risk of running out of ammo, stasis energy, oxygen or health. He’s always vulnerable in some way. In an action-horror game, this feeling is paramount.
Isaac has his classic arsenal of improvised and scavenged weapons, including the plasma cutter, disc ripper and flamethrower, but with some modern updates. The secondary mechanism on the flamethrower, for instance, deploys a wall of fire rather than an explosive orb, and it’s an ultra-satisfying way to cut off encroaching hordes. Shooting the necromorphs’ long limbs will always be more powerful than a headshot; stomping on mutant corpses still releases goodies (and any lingering player frustration), and the stasis ability remains a critical tool in managing enemies, temporarily freezing them in place. Kinesis is incredibly useful as well, allowing Isaac to pick up and hurl objects at any time, with unlimited duration.
EA Motive
Isaac gains new weapons and abilities at a rapid pace, and these tools flow into each other smoothly during locked-room combat scenes. Players are able to approach fights in a variety of ways and swap strategies on the fly — though stasis, shoot, stomp is always a valid approach. Save and refill stations are positioned generously throughout the environments, while ammo and health drops tend to appear right when they’re needed. In general, it doesn’t feel like the game mechanics are working against you — that’s only the murderous mutant space monsters.
Aside from significant graphical improvements, the single biggest enhancement in the Dead Space remake is the addition of zero-gravity flight. This mechanic opens up the game in a way that feels authentic to the source material — as if this is what developers wanted to do back in 2008, but hardware limitations made it impossible. In the original, Isaac leapt from surface to surface in zero-gravity, but now he floats and soars freely through these scenes with boosters on the soles of his boots. While flying, he can shoot, freeze and fling objects at enemies in any direction.
Boss fights and large-scale puzzles are dynamic in zero-G, and flying changes some sections of the game drastically. Isaac’s final fight against the Leviathan (a big tentacle blob) is now a fast-paced, no-oxygen, in-literal-space event with three turrets, requiring a combination of kinesis, mid-flight strafing and shooting skills. In the original Dead Space, this fight has Isaac firing on the tentacles from a gunner seat inside the Ishimura. There’s no denying, the remake does it better.
Dead Space is bloody and beautiful from start to finish on PlayStation 5. The game includes full voice acting, expanded narrative arcs, fresh mechanics, new puzzles and no loading screens (just a few suspiciously long tram rides that developers at Motive claim exist purely to increase the tension).
Only a couple of sections in my playthrough came close to tedious. More than halfway through the game, I was grabbed by a giant tentacle and had the wrong weapon equipped to shoot its glowing weak point. It took half a dozen deaths for me to properly swap guns and land enough shots to end the sequence. This felt unfair and deflating after an entertaining and challenging boss fight. However, I'm happy to say this was my largest gripe with the remaster — despite minor hiccups like this one, Dead Space is a master class in action-horror game design.
There’s a surprising amount of restraint to this remake: EA updated the right things in the right way, while avoiding the baggage of modern AAA games. You’ll find no procedural generation here, no open world, no way to communicate with other players, not even a HUD; just a limited set of skills and a spaceship filled with violent, half-dead, long-limbed monsters.
Playing the Dead Space remake feels like snuggling into a cozy sweater made out of bloody, infected flesh and razor-sharp bone fragments. It’s scary, yes, but in a way that makes you laugh after jumping in fright. It’s a lot like being spooked by a friend — or, maybe, getting hugged by a necromorph.
If you like the thought of the Apple Studio Display but balk at its official price tag, the monitor might be worth a second look. Amazon is selling the tilt-adjustable Studio Display at an all-time low of $1,300, or $299 off. The monitor has been sitting at $1,499 for a long while, so this may be your best chance to get Apple's 5K screen with a substantial discount.
The Studio Display is as much a Mac docking station as it is a stand-alone screen. While the 5K panel is accurate and bright, the real draws are the ports, webcam (now that it's been updated) and surprisingly good speakers. It's an elegant way to outfit a Mac Studio without buying multiple accessories, and eliminates the mess of cables when you want to use and charge a MacBook Pro at your desk. Combine that with Apple's minimalist aesthetic and it may be an easy pick if you're interested in a simple, clean setup.
This isn't the best monitor you can buy in terms of sheer technical prowess. This is effectively a brighter version of the display you saw in the 5K iMac. You won't find mini-LED backlighting, high refresh rates, extra-bright HDR or other perks found in some third-party models. You're mainly paying for the convenience and design. With that said, the Amazon sale makes the Studio Display considerably easier to justify if you're not keen on buying separate peripherals.
