Disney's Star Wars: The Bad Batch is coming back for one last ride with a third and final season with Lucasfilm announcing the news on the fourth day of the Star Wars Celebration 2023 event. The show follows the Clone Wars, depicting a group of experimental clone troopers, each with their own skill, who break away from their army units to form a mercenary group

Executive producers Athena Portillo, Jennifer Corbett, and Brad Rau shared the news during a panel at the celebration, available to watch through a recorded stream of the Star Wars Celebration. The teaser trailer debuted during the panel, but it hasn't been independently released yet.  

The annual Star Wars celebration serves as a platform to announce big releases as well as cultivate the franchise’s vast fanbase, such as connecting cast and crew with fans. This year’s announcements include Return of the Jedi's 40th anniversary return to theaters, cast members for upcoming releases Acolyte and Ahsoka, and over 20 new figurines from Hasboro Star Wars. Star Wars: The Bad Batch season three is already in production, but it isn't slated to debut until sometime in 2024. In the meantime, seasons one and two are available to stream on Disney+. 

The Super Mario Bros. Movie hit theaters last week and broke records with the release raking in just over $146 million domestically. As Deadline says, that makes it the highest grossing opening weekend for any video game-based movie, knocking Sonic The Hedgehog 2, which previously held the record with $141 million, off the top spot. Mario has been a hit the world over, with global takings already more than $377, making it the biggest opening of the year so far.

Illumination and Universal's The Super Mario Bros. Movie bring the beloved Nintendo game to the big screen. The story follows Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day), two failing plumbers from Brooklyn as they face Jack Black's Bowser after finding themselves somehow transported to the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) rounds out the classic characters in this nostalgia-filled story. It's the video game's first movie adaptation since the 1993 widely disliked live-action film, Super Mario Bros. 

The newest film is available in 3D, IMAX, and other premium formats, which made up 38 percent of sales. According to Rich Gelfond, IMAX CEO, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the company's highest grossing animated film, making $21.6 million worldwide. 

It's not just animated and video game movies it's stacking up against, either. The Super Mario Bros. Movie had the historically third highest Easter weekend sales after Batman vs. Superman's $181 million and Furious 7's $161 million.

With opening sales like these, it’s fairly likely we’ll see an animated Mario sequel at some point in the future, and this might open the door to further big-budget adaptations of beloved Nintendo properties. Get ready to explore Boo's mansion or Donkey Kong's jungle in the next inevitable spin-off. 

People haven't exactly been impressed in the short time since Google released its "experimental conversational AI service" Bard. Coming up against OpenAI's ChatGPT and Microsoft's Bing Chat (also powered by OpenAI's GPT-4) users have found its responses to not be as knowledgeable or detailed as its rivals. That could be set to change, however, after Google CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed on The New York Times podcast "Hard Fork" that Bard will soon be moving from its current LaMDA-based model to larger-scale PaLM datasets in the coming days.

When asked how he felt about responses to Bard's release, Pichai commented: "We clearly have more capable models. Pretty soon, maybe as this goes live, we will be upgrading Bard to some of our more capable PaLM models, so which will bring more capabilities, be it in reasoning, coding."

To frame the difference, Google said it had trained LaMDA with 137 billion parameters when it shared details about the language-based models last year. PaLM, on the other hand, was said to have been trained with around 540 billion parameters. Both models may have evolved and grown since early 2022, but the contrast likely shows why Google is now slowly transitioning Bard over to PaLM, with its larger dataset and more diverse answers.

Pichai claims not to be worried about how fast Google's AI develops compared to its competitors. When Bard first debuted in February, he acknowledged its reliance on LaMDA gave it a smaller scale, but framed having less computing power as a benefit, giving more users the change to test it out and provide feedback. Pichai also ensured that Google would be doing its own analysis of Bard's safety and quality once provided with real-world information. 

To that end, Pichai expressed that Google doesn't want to release a "more capable model before we can fully make sure we can handle it well. We are all in very, very early stages. We will have even more capable models to plug in over time. But I don’t want it to be just who’s there first, but getting it right is very important to us." 

That thought is on the minds of over 1,800 people (including tech leaders and AI researchers) who have signed an open letter calling for a minimum six month pause on the development of AI technology "more powerful than GPT-4."

Pichai doesn't think this can be effectively done without involving the government, but agrees with the need for guidance: "AI is too important an area not to regulate. It’s also too important an area not to regulate well. So I’m glad these conversations are underway." 

Solo Stove is back with another holiday sale, this time on its fire pit bundles. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the outdoor company has honored all the big summer holidays with fire pit discounts, and now it's welcoming the warm weather with an April Fool's Day sale. The very real flash sale offers each of Solo Stove's three fire bit bundles at over 45 percent off. 

The cheapest option — and smallest, with a 15 inch diameter — is the Ranger Essential Bundle, down to $230 from $425. It's closely followed by the 19 inch Bonfire Essential Bundle, now at $300 from $570. The largest option is the Yukon Essential Bundle, at 27 inches in diameter and discounted to $550 from $1,010. 

The essential bundles all come with the fire pit itself, a stand, a lid, and a removable base plate and ash pan. The Ranger and Bonfire models also include a carrier bag. 

The removable base plate and ash pan are new to Solo Stove's Fire Pit 2.0. Until their release last summer, you had to turn the original fire pit upside down every few uses and dump the ashes into a garbage bag. The Ranger, as the smallest model, is 15 pounds and the Yukon weighs in at almost 42 pounds, so this was no easy feat. Now all that's required to clear it out is lifting up the base plate and grabbing the ash tray.

Solo Stove's flash sale lasts through end of day Sunday, so you have the weekend to decide if it's time to upgrade your fire pit for the summer. It's also worth noting that Amazon has a few of the fire pits on sale, too. The Bonfire model bundled with the ash pan and the base plate is on sale for $276, while the tabletop Mesa version is only $80.

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An open letter signed by tech leaders and prominent AI researchers has called for AI labs and companies to "immediately pause" their work. Signatories like Steve Wozniak and Elon Musk agree risks warrant a minimum six month break from producing technology beyond GPT-4 to enjoy existing AI systems, allow people to adjust and ensure they are benefiting everyone. The letter adds that care and forethought are necessary to ensure the safety of AI systems — but are being ignored.

The reference to GPT-4, a model by OpenAI that can respond with text to written or visual messages, comes as companies race to build complex chat systems that utilize the technology. Microsoft, for example, recently confirmed that its revamped Bing search engine has been powered by the GPT-4 model for over seven weeks, while Google recently debuted Bard, its own generative AI system powered by LaMDA. Uneasiness around AI has long circulated, but the apparent race to deploy the most advanced AI technology first has drawn more urgent concerns.

"Unfortunately, this level of planning and management is not happening, even though recent months have seen AI labs locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one – not even their creators – can understand, predict, or reliably control," the letter states. 

The concerned letter was published by the Future of Life Institute (FLI), an organization dedicated to minimizing the risks and misuse of new technology. Musk previously donated $10 million to FLI for use in studies about AI safety. In addition to him and Wozniak, signatories include a slew of global AI leaders, such as Center for AI and Digital Policy president Marc Rotenberg, MIT physicist and Future of Life Institute president Max Tegmark, and author Yuval Noah Harari. Harari also co-wrote an op-ed in the New York Times last week warning about AI risks, along with founders of the Center for Humane Technology and fellow signatories, Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin. 

This call out feels like the next step of sorts from a 2022 survey of over 700 machine learning researchers, in which nearly half of participants stated there's a 10 percent chance of an "extremely bad outcome" from AI, including human extinction. When asked about safety in AI research, 68 percent of researchers said more or much more should be done. 

Anyone who shares concerns about the speed and safety of AI production is welcome to add their name to the letter. However, new names are not necessarily verified so any notable additions after the initial publication are potentially fake. 

If you dread having to vacuum — who doesn't? — you may want to consider investing in a robot model to do it for you. While many options come with a high price tag, the self-emptying Shark RV1001AE IQ Robot is currently half off, down from $600 to $300. The steep price drop makes a big difference if you've been on the fence about investing in a robovac. 

Here's what you need to know if you're considering taking the plunge. The vacuum works with the Shark app or through your Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. You can schedule cleanings or tell the Shark IQ Robot which areas to clean in the moment. It maps each room while moving through your home to give you the option to select specific spaces to be vacuumed. 

The self-cleaning vacuum goes row by row in each room, ensuring it hits every spot. It's equipped to handle hair (human or pet) without it getting wrapped around the suction, and works on carpets or floors. It also has a self-emptying base that holds 45 days of dirt and whatever else it cleans up. 

Once done cleaning, the vacuum brings itself back to its dock and starts recharging. All you need to do is put your feet up when it comes nearby and let it do its work. 

If you're looking for something with a longer capacity, the Shark AV2511AE AI Ultra Robot Vacuum holds up to 60 days worth of debris. It's currently discounted 17 percent, from $600 to $500. While many previous Shark robot vacuum sales have lasted only a day, it's not clear how long these discounts will be available.

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If you've been waiting to purchase Microsoft 365 Family, now might be the right time. Amazon is offering a 12-month subscription for $100, down from $150 — plus a $50 Amazon gift card. Basically, you save $50 and get another $50 in spending money, not so bad. 

Your purchase includes all the usual Microsoft programs — Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook etc. — and 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage for easy sharing of photos and files across your devices.

Microsoft 365 is available to download immediately for up to six family members on PCs or Macs. The Amazon gift card, on the other hand, will arrive in the mail. It has no expiration date so as long as you don't lose the little card somewhere, you can hold onto it for a while (or spend it right away, no judgement here). 

If you choose to buy the family package, do yourself a favor and set a calendar reminder for just under a year from now. The subscription will auto-renew annually and there's nothing worse than finding out through a credit card statement. If you love it, great. If not, you'll have the option to cancel. 

This deal isn't completely new as Amazon offered the same one-day discount at the end of January. If you regretted skipping it then, here's your chance. But, you have to think fast, this deal is literally here today, gone tomorrow. 

Amazon One's palm-reading technology that can substitute for credit cards and tickets is now available for Panera customers. With this new partnership, the fast casual chain becomes the first national restaurant to let diners use their palm for payments and loyalty points. 

To purchase food, customers will first need to link their MyPanera membership with an Amazon One account. This removes the need to hand over a phone number at the checkout, which traditionally provided the server with available rewards. Palm scans can be used to access loyalty rewards, for payment, or for both.

One of the reasons Panera is excited about the prospect of introducing Amazon One in stores is the ability to get to know its customers better. The company claims that being able to identify customers at the checkout will allow servers to recognize names and also their favorite orders, turning "the guest experience into a true and meaningful relationship." Yes, next time you want a "You pick two" you're going to have to make a friend first. Good luck.

Amazon One launched in 2020 and has since expanded into a slew of Whole Foods stores (owned by Amazon) and concert venues. Artists and activists pushed back about the planned move into sports and music events, claiming the technology could provide personal data to government agencies. 

As well as announcing the new partnership, Amazon also confirmed it's now allowing customers to pre-enroll in Amazon One. Panera says Amazon One is already available in two St Louis locations, but has plans to roll it out more widely in the coming months.

WhatsApp has announced two new features for group chats and communities. The first is a privacy update, allowing admins to decide whether a person can get access to the group or not. Previously, anyone could join using an invite link provided by any member. Typically, banners within the chat indicating a new person has entered the group are small and can easily disappear from view after a few messages. This shift can ensure conversations and information is shared with those who it's intended to be. 

The other update focuses on connecting with other people in your Communities. Last year, WhatsApp created Communities to allow multiple groups to exist under one umbrella. Now, the messaging platform is making it easier to find out which groups you have in common. The group names will appear when you search under a specific contact's name.

This announcement comes on the heels of a few new WhatsApp updates. The most recent one allows users to schedule when they will leave a WhatsApp group chat. This feature is still in beta testing, but would mean a big clear out of your conversation history. Other recent additions include picture-in-picture support for iOS video calls and voice notes as status updates. 

Thee two new features should be available worldwide in the next few weeks.

A good open world game is filled with little details that add to a player's sense of immersion. One of the key elements is the presence of background chatter. Each piece of dialog you hear is known as a "bark" and must be individually written by the game's creators — a time consuming, detailed task. Ubisoft, maker of popular open world gaming series like Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs, hopes to shorten this process with Ghostwriter, a machine learning tool that generates first drafts of barks. 

To use Ghostwriter, narrative writers input the character and type of interaction they are looking to create. The tool then produces variations, each with two slightly different options, for writers to review. As the writers make edits to the drafts, Ghostwriter updates, ideally producing more tailored options moving forward.

The idea here is to save game writers time to focus on the big stuff. "Ghostwriter was created hand-in-hand with narrative teams to help them complete a repetitive task more quickly and effectively, giving them more time and freedom to work on games' narrative, characters, and cutscenes," Ubisoft states in a video release.  

Ubisoft touts Ghostwriter as an "AI" tool — the big thing at the moment with seemingly every company, from Google to Microsoft, hopping onboard the AI train. 

Like similar tools, though, the question is how to get people — namely staff — to actually use it. According to Ben Swanson, the R&D scientist at Ubisoft who created Ghostwriter, the biggest challenge now is integrating the tool into production. To better facilitate this, the production team created Ernestine, a back-end tool that facilitates anyone to create new machine learning models in Ghostwriter.

If Ghostwriter proves effective, writers should be able to spend their time and energy building more detailed and engaging gaming worlds to explore.