Researchers at MIT’s CSAIL division, which focuses on computer engineering and AI development, built two machine learning algorithms that can detect pancreatic cancer at a higher threshold than current diagnostic standards. The two models together formed to create the “PRISM” neural network. It is designed to specifically detect pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most prevalent form of pancreatic cancer.

The current standard PDAC screening criteria catches about 10 percent of cases in patients examined by professionals. In comparison, MIT’s PRISM was able to identify PDAC cases 35 percent of the time.

While using AI in the field of diagnostics is not an entirely new feat, MIT’s PRISM stands out because of how it was developed. The neural network was programmed based on access to diverse sets of real electronic health records from health institutions across the US. It was fed the data of over 5 million patient’s electronic health records, which researchers from the team said “surpassed the scale” of information fed to an AI model in this particular area of research. “The model uses routine clinical and lab data to make its predictions, and the diversity of the US population is a significant advancement over other PDAC models, which are usually confined to specific geographic regions like a few healthcare centers in the US,” Kai Jia, MIT CSAIL PhD senior author of the paper said.

MIT’s PRISM project started over six years ago. The motivation behind developing an algorithm that can detect PDAC early has a lot to do with the fact that most patients get diagnosed in the later stages of the cancer’s development — specifically about eighty percent are diagnosed far too late.

The AI works by analyzing patient demographics, previous diagnoses, current and previous medications in care plans and lab results. Collectively, the model works to predict the probability of cancer by analyzing electronic health record data in tandem with things like a patient’s age and certain risk factors evident in their lifestyle. Still, PRISM is still only able to help diagnose as many patients at the rate the AI can reach the masses. At the moment, the technology is bound to MIT labs and select patients in the US. The logistical challenge of scaling the AI will involve feeding the algorithm more diverse data sets and perhaps even global health profiles to increase accessibility.

Nonetheless, this isn't MIT’s first stab at developing an AI model that can predict cancer risk. It notably developed a way to train models how to predict the risk of breast cancer among women using mammogram records. In that line of research, MIT experts confirmed, the more diverse the data sets, the better the AI gets at diagnosing cancers across diverse races and populations. The continued development of AI models that can predict cancer probability will not only improve outcomes for patients if malignancy is identified earlier, it will also lessen the workload of overworked medical professionals. The market for AI in diagnostics is so ripe for change that it is piquing the interest of big tech commercial companies like IBM, which attempted to create an AI program that can detect breast cancer a year in advance.

NASA’s X-59 Quesst supersonic commercial jet, which is being developed by Lockheed Martin, will have its flight test livestreamed as a demonstration of how quiet it can be in the air. The $247.5 million Quesst, whose name is short for Quiet SuperSonic Tech, will be shown on the livestream dramatically emerging from Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. NASA has been on a mission since 2018 to prove that its X-59 can fly over cities without producing noise pollution, or sonic booms. This test flight marks an important milestone in the six-year-old project.

The first flight will be streamed on January 12 at 4pm ET on YouTube, as well as the NASA app and the NASA+ streaming service.

The space agency said it will survey people about the noises they hear from the jet during the first flight. It did not specify how it would find these people, or many people it would poll. The data collected will be sent to regulators and used to help propose new rules that limit the use of supersonic jets. The US federal government has blocked all civilian supersonic jets from flying over land for over five decades.

When NASA first announced its quiet supersonic technology project in 2018, administrator Jim Bridenstine said, “This aircraft has the potential to transform aviation in the United States.” While the jet was supposed to first take flight in 2021, the debut today still marks a major milestone in the QueSST mission. By 2027, NASA expects to have more definitive results about how effective the new aircraft technology is at reducing flight noise.

If new laws are eventually passed that permit supersonic jet aircrafts to fly in close proximity to land, high-speed commercial flights could become a reality. Once NASA and Lockheed Martin finalize development of the aircraft, the agency said it will conduct safety evaluations for about nine months. After enough evidence is shared to prove that the Quesst aircraft can be flown safely, NASA plans to expand its flight tests to cities across the US and collect more information about the noise it produces through additional surveys.

The Environmental Protection Agency has scrapped a plan to phase out mammal testing for studying chemical toxicity, Science reports. In 2019, the regulatory agency vowed to completely phase out animal testing for toxicology studies by 2035 in favor of non-animal “test subjects” programmed into computer models.

The call to challenge the status quo was controversial from the start — it not only was going to impact thousands of studies and experiments, but many scientists argued that computer models were nowhere near ready to replace animals as test subjects. In a letter written by a group of public health officials, the experts urged the EPA’s head Michael Regan to reconsider the ban because computational models, in their opinion, were “not yet developed to the point” where they could be relied on for risk assessments.

In order for the new ban to have taken effect, the EPA said there needed to be “scientific confidence” that non-animal models could soundly replace critters like mice and rabbits in labs. Despite the 2035 deadline being put on ice, however, an EPA spokesperson told Science that it would still explore alternatives to animal testing.

The ambitious plan is not entirely a lost cause, though. While the EPA hasn’t made any official statements about how it plans to work toward its original goal, now without a deadline, some studies have shown promise that computational models might effectively reflect the toxicology of certain chemicals during testing. In some instances, these studies suggest, they can even outperform lab rats.

3D developments like technical organoids are also popping up on the research front by way of stem cells that allow duped livers to be tested and evaluated during research as a human liver would. Labs are currently working on ways to more effectively develop realistic organs using 3D printers. But it might be a while before 3D printing can consistently be used to assist biologists and pharmacologists for research and drug testing.

Apple sent an email to customers today notifying them that when they pre-order the Vision Pro starting on January 19, they will need to scan their face with an iPhone or iPad using Face ID to make sure they get a precise band fit on the headset. Deliveries will begin when it launches on February 2. US shoppers will be able to purchase the headset on apple.com, in the Apple Store app and in retail Apple Stores.

Apple said the latest version of the Apple Store app will be needed for shoppers to conduct a face scan. Additionally, for people that wear glasses, there will be an option to add optical inserts into the headset so that they can be worn without eyewear. To get the inserts for an additional fee, provided by its partner Zeiss, Apple says shoppers will need to share an updated official prescription document when pre-ordering the headset.

For those on the fence about purchasing the Vision Pro, which starts around ​​$3,499, Apple said the headset will be available in store for demos on the launch date. The Vision Pro, which was first announced at Apple’s WWDC 2023 keynote, received praise for its crisp 3D visuals during a hands-on preview. The headset will provide more than just a VR screen and speaker system for watching films and playing games — it will eventually act as a tool that will connect friends in Horizon Worlds.

The option to freely roam around a virtual world with an integrated gaming program made by Meta will push the bounds for what constitutes modern social networking and online gaming. Apple’s push for the Vision Pro to be branded and function as a spatial computer will also create endless possibilities for developers to create compelling apps.

Leaders at Discord have decided to cut its staff by 17 percent, according to an internal memo first reported on by the Verge. Concerns over how the chat app has yet to become profitable have played a role in the decision. CEO Jason Citron said that staff across departments will be impacted once the layoffs begin.

According to the memo, Citron believes the company hired too many people since 2020. This, he wrote, led the workforce to take on projects that made Discord “less efficient.” He added that the company needs to sharpen its focus, however, he did not give any insight about any particular strategies moving forward except that the cuts “put us in the best position to continue building a strong and profitable business."

Discord will continue to provide short term pay and benefits to the 170 staffers it is letting go. This also isn't the first time the company has resorted to staff cuts. The company recently laid off four percent of its staff at the end of last year and before that, it made an undisclosed number of staffing cuts 2019.

The company has notably endured some internal struggles lately. Discord refused to have its CEO testify about its children protection policies when called upon by the US Senate Judiciary Committee. That came after a damning NBC News report on the issue, which claimed that children on the platform were being groomed and extorted. It also faced backlash for a small data breach that exposed the personal information of some users last year.

Discord is far from alone among tech companies which have recently initiated layoffs. Just one month into the new year, Duolingo and Unity announced they would be trimming staff. In big tech, Meta, Amazon and Google also have also announced plans to lay off hundreds of workers.

When Walmart announced it would be holding a CES keynote for the first time, we were admittedly a little skeptical. Now it all makes sense, though: America’s largest retailer came to CES 2024 in Las Vegas to talk about AI. In a joint announcement on Tuesday, the company said that it’s teaming up with Microsoft to build what it bills as AI-powered shopping experiences. In his keynote, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon described how the integration of AI across its website and apps will be used to study shopper behavior and suggest future purchases.

As you might expect, given Microsoft’s involvement, the artificial intelligence underpinning these experiences will be powered by large language models made available through this partnership with Microsoft. The AI it plans on deploying will use a combination of retail-specific search functions based on Walmart’s own proprietary technologies and Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service.

Walmart’s new generative AI-powered search functions will be available on iOS and Android mobile devices as well as through the company’s website. The new search features will give shoppers more options for interacting with the retailer’s digital inventory. For example, instead of searching for items like soda and chips, a shopper can look for product recommendations for specific events like a birthday celebration or game day watch party by telling the website, in natural language, what they need help shopping for.

During the keynote, McMilon said that the algorithms are designed to highlight relevant product categories after a search that will “serve up a curated list of the best items.” These new algorithmic shopping initiatives will directly compete with Google’s AI search tool SGE and Amazon’s large language model-powered product listing program.

While it seems that most of the efforts on the AI front are consumer-facing, the company said new AI search functions will not just help shoppers. It will also expand tools available to store associates intended to help streamline job-related tasks and workflows. This can also be seen in its announcement that at Sam's Club, which is owned by Walmart, employees will soon no longer need to check shopping receipts as people leave stores. Instead, it will deploy an AI tool that verifies customer purchases.

Walmart

Additionally, Walmart teased ‘Walmart InHome Replenishment,’ which also will use artificial intelligence to predict what items in a shopper’s cart need to be replenished in a timely manner. This offering will be added as an extension to its ‘InHome’ program that became available to Walmart+ shoppers in 2019.

Aside from AI, the retailer also teased plans to weave augmented reality into its shopping experience. The company teased ‘Shop with Friends,’ a beta social commerce offering that uses augmented reality to allow shoppers the option to share virtual outfits with friends for feedback while shopping. Lastly, Walmart will expand its drone delivery testing program to more shoppers in Texas as a starting point. 1.8 million additional households will get access to drone delivery services that help shoppers get items as fast as 30 minutes.

Fortnite players in the US who believe they were charged for unwanted purchases during gameplay can request a refund via the Federal Trade Commission through the end of February. The claims process, which was previously set to end in January of this year, was initiated in September of 2023 after the regulatory agency finalized a settlement against Epic Games. About $245 million were earmarked for refunds alone.

The FTC said it notified about 37 million eligible Fortnite users impacted by the company’s practices when the claims initially opened. The agency said it will continue emailing potential refund recipients until the new deadline ends on February 29.

The online claim form is available on the official FTC website, where you will need to share your Epic account ID and disclose whether or not you received an email from the regulator. To qualify for a refund, you must have been charged in-game currency for products in the Fortnite game you didn't intend to purchase between January 2017 and September 2022. This also applies to children who were subject to charges using their parent's accounts without adult supervision between January 2017 and November 2018.

Importantly, the FTC highlights the fact that some charged users had their accounts locked after seeking support through Epic Games or after attempting reconciliation of charges with their credit card companies. This new extension comes as another blow to Epic Games, which was accused of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule in a separate ruling.

The company has changed its policy on saving payment information as a result of the FTC claims case and will now offer a more direct way to offer yes or no options to save payment-related user information. In a statement, the company notably remarked, “No developer creates a game with the intention of ending up here.”

Today, at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, Honda revealed two concept EVs — a sedan dubbed the Saloon and the minivan-esque Space-Hub. Honda said it will develop a model based on the Saloon concept car for North American markets in 2026, before it eventually reaches other buyers in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South America and Africa. Additionally, the carmaker debuted a redesigned H logo that will be exclusive to its EV lineup.

The Saloon, which is its flagship concept EV, has an aerodynamic design and rides low to the ground. While the Space-Hub is quite a bit boxier and renders show it with seating that has passengers facing each other. Besides touting a spacious cabin, Honda did not share much about when or if it plans to actually manufacture a car inspired by the Space-Hub concept.

The first entries in Honda’s 0 Series lineup will feature advanced driver-assistive systems that pair with the carmaker’s Sensing Elite software. In the latter part of the decade, Honda expects the 0 Series to gain automated driving features through the integration of AI.

Around the same time the company expects to implement dramatic improvements to its battery technology, like fast charging from 15 to 80 percent in around 15 minutes and reducing battery degradation to less than 10 percent over 10 years. Those are bold goals, especially for a company that is a little late to the EV space.

Honda

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

Qualcomm is ringing in the new year at CES 2024 in Las Vegas with some updates in its chip lineup that power virtual and mixed-reality headsets. The keynote, which will detail more about what’s new for its anticipated AI-powered chip, will happen on January 10 at 5pm ET. It can be streamed on Qualcomm’s website or directly on the CES keynote page.

What to expect

There might be some information divulged about Meta and Qualcomm’s chip collaboration and how it could improve functionality on new gen VR headsets. Qualcomm has said that the technology has been engineered into a single chip architecture that allows it to support smaller and sleeker headsets.

The AI-integrated chip technology will not only make it easier to track a headset user’s hands, controllers and eyes during use, it will also deliver better display resolution per eye. The Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip will offer up to 4.3k by 4.3k resolution per eye, as well as upgraded raw image processing and full color display.

Cristiano Amon, the CEO of Qualcomm is also going to focus on generative artificial intelligence and how Snapdragon platforms will integrate AI on devices from smartphones to PC gaming systems. Amon’s keynote is in alignment with the company’s overall move towards investing in AI hardware in its offerings, which we saw in its recently revealed mobile chipset for Android devices.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

NordVPN's latest limited-time sale knocks up to 67 percent off its subscription plans. The Ultimate plan, which includes malware protection and ad blockers on top of VPN access, typically costs $476 for a two-year period. This new year’s deal will bring down the cost of the Ultimate subscription to $6.40 per month, or $154 for the entire two years.

While this sale on NordVPN plans isn't as good as the 69 percent off we saw during the Black Friday season, it comes pretty close. NordVPN, which can support up to six devices at once, has 5,000 servers in 60 countries. It's worth noting that its standard price is a bit high when compared to competitors and their offerings. But, given this discount, now could be a good time to subscribe if you’ve been thinking about doing so.

If you don’t want to commit for that long, you can get a one-year subscription for the Ultimate package for 59 percent off, or $96 instead of the usual $238. There are also offers on the one- and two-year subscription plans for the mid-tier Plus and the lowest-tier Standard plans. The two-year deal for Plus and Standard plans are only 58 and 59 percent off, respectively, but they don't include as many perks as the Ultimate plan does, such as extra identity protection and included cloud storage.

A NordVPN Ultimate plan gives you access to the company’s password manager, NordPass. But if you’re primarily interested in better organizing and keeping track of your logins and credentials in the new year, NordPass is also having a similar flash sale. Both individual Premium and Family plans are cheaper right now at 50 and 53 percent off, respectively. For the Premium plan, instead of paying $72 for the first two years, it will only cost $36 in total, which comes out to $1.50 per month. The Family plan, which gives you six user accounts, is listed for $67 for the first two years instead of the usual $143. NordPass earned a spot in our best password managers guide thanks to how easy the service makes it for you to access your credentials across many different platforms and devices.

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