The Biden Administration is reportedly set to unveil a broad executive order on artificial intelligence next week. According to The Washington Post, the White House’s “sweeping order” would use the federal government’s purchasing power to enforce requirements on AI models before government agencies can use them. The order is reportedly scheduled for Monday, October 30, two days before an international AI Safety Summit in the UK.

The order will allegedly require advanced AI models to undergo a series of assessments before federal agencies can adopt them. In addition, it would ease immigration for highly skilled workers, which was heavily restricted during the Trump administration. Federal agencies, including the Defense Department, Energy Department and intelligence branches, would also have to assess how they might incorporate AI into their work. The report notes that the analyses would emphasize strengthening the nation’s cyber defenses.

On Tuesday evening, the White House reportedly sent invitations for a “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence” event for Monday, October 30, hosted by President Biden. The Washington Post indicates that the executive order isn’t finalized, and details could still change.

PHILIP FONG via Getty Images

Meanwhile, European officials are working on AI regulations across the Atlantic, aiming for a finalized package by the end of the year. The US Congress is also in the earlier stages of drafting AI regulations. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) hosted AI leaders on Tuesday at the second AI Insights Forum.

AI regulation is currently one of the most buzzed-about topics in the tech world. Generative AI has rapidly advanced in the last two years as image generators like Midjourney and DALL-E 3 emerged, producing convincing photos that could be disseminated for disinformation and propaganda (as some political campaigns have already done). Meanwhile, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Google’s Bard and other advanced large language model (LLM) chatbots have arguably sparked even more concern, allowing anyone to compose fairly convincing text passages while answering questions that may or may not be truthful. There are even AI models for cloning celebrities’ voices.

In addition to misinformation and its potential impact on elections, generative AI also sparks worries about the job market, especially for artists, graphic designers, developers and writers. Several high-profile media outlets, most infamously CNET, have been caught using AI to compose entire error-ridden articles with only the thinnest of disclosures.

Intel may have downplayed a killer feature for its new 14th-gen processors, which can reach 6GHz. The company hasn’t marketed the chips’ new Intel Application Optimization (APO), but an enterprising Reddit user (via Tom’s Hardware) reports that it offers attention-grabbing performance boosts for supported games. Why the lack of advertising for such a potent feature? One guess is that APO seemingly only supports two older titles at launch: Rainbow Six Siege (2015) and Metro Exodus (2019).

One of the more dramatic examples of APO upgrading performance was detailed in the Intel subreddit by u/LightMoisture. With their setup using the Intel i9-14900K, the feature boosted Metro Exodus’ frame rate from 273 FPS to 339 FPS, a 24 percent increase. Rainbow Six Siege had even more eye-opening gains, going from 659 FPS to 867 FPS, a nearly 32 percent enhancement.

The Redditor notes that they ran the games in 1080p resolution on low settings with a high-end memory setup to test what APO can do in ideal conditions. It won’t likely reproduce those numbers on higher settings, and we don’t know how it would handle newer and more graphically demanding games.

The Verge’s Tom Warren tested the feature on “very high” presets at 1080p resolution. APO boosted Rainbow Six Siege (with a Core i9-14900K system and an RTX 4090 GPU) from 615 FPS to 688 FPS, nearly a 12 percent increase. Meanwhile, Metro Exodus Enhanced on the same rig rose from 177 FPS to 207 FPS, almost a 17 percent rise. Those numbers aligned closely with Intel’s guidance, which estimated a 13 percent increase in Rainbow Six Siege and a 16 percent increase in Metro Exodus.

Intel

Unfortunately, in addition to APO’s slight problem of supporting just two games at launch, the feature also has a clunky setup. You’ll need to track down motherboard drivers (always a fun task) that support Intel’s Dynamic Tuning. (To make matters worse, not all vendors have posted them online.) Once you find and install the right ones, navigate to your PC’s BIOS settings to enable the feature.

After that, you’ll want to install the APO app from the Microsoft Store, which lets you manage settings and toggle it quickly. Adding even more joy to the task, several Redditors reported that following external links to the Microsoft Store won’t work and that you’ll need to open the storefront and search for Intel APO manually. In addition, if you haven’t installed all of the necessary drivers, the app installation will reportedly fail. However, once set up, the feature should automatically detect compatible games (hopefully more than two before long) once you launch them. If future setups are easier and Intel adds new game support regularly, it could wind up outshining 6GHz as the new chips’ marquee attraction.

Amazon is rolling out a new beta feature that lets advertisers create AI-generated image backgrounds for products. The company describes it as “a generative AI solution designed to remove creative barriers” while boosting ad performance. “It’s a perfect use for generative AI — less effort and better outcomes,” Colleen Aubrey, senior vice president of Amazon Ads Products and Technology, wrote Wednesday in an announcement blog post.

The company views the feature as an ideal alternative to product shots in front of generic white backgrounds (or bad Photoshop jobs). Amazon says the process is easy and requires no technical expertise. It provides the example of the toaster above. It floats in a grayish-white void on the left, while the AI-generated environment on the right adds some life to the scene. However, as The Verge points out, that “fork” on the lower right looks like it has about six or seven extra tines.

Amazon says data backs up the tool’s effectiveness (funky fork and all). “When that same toaster is placed in a lifestyle context — on a kitchen counter, next to a croissant — in a mobile Sponsored Brands ad, click-through rates can be 40% higher compared to ads with standard product images,” the company wrote.

The online retailer sees the tool as a way for advertisers to create attractive lifestyle images without breaking the bank. “Producing engaging and differentiated creatives can increase cost and often requires introducing additional expertise into the advertising process,” Aubrey wrote. “At Amazon Ads, we are always thinking about ways we can reduce friction for our advertisers, provide them with tools that deliver more impact while minimizing effort, and ultimately, deliver a better advertising experience for our customers.”

To use the tool, advertisers can select their product in the Amazon Ad Console, click “Generate,” and choose from several image options whipped up “in a matter of seconds.” It lets you refine images with short text prompts, and it supposedly spits out multiple versions quickly.

The feature’s launch follows other AI tools from the retailer. Amazon rolled out an AI feature in September that generates text for product listings, and another feature launched this summer creates AI summaries of products reviews. “[Generative AI] is going to be at the heart of what we do,” CEO Andy Jassy said in an August earnings call. “It's a significant investment and focus for us."

Amazon has begun rolling out image generation to “select advertisers,” and it will expand availability over time.

Motorola showcased some wacky concepts at Lenovo Tech World ’23 that may or may not ever see the light of day. The smartphone maker (a subsidiary of Lenovo since 2014) unveiled an “adaptive display” prototype that can be rolled into a phone, stand or smart bracelet. (It looks like a more advanced version of a prototype Lenovo exhibited in 2016.) In addition, the company highlighted several developmental AI-powered features for the Lenovo devices you can already buy.

The display concept is a rollable smartphone with an FHD+ pOLED display. The prototype “can be bent and shaped into different forms depending on users’ needs,” the company wrote in its announcement blog post. The device can stretch out entirely flat to use as a traditional smartphone, or you could bend it partway to sit on a desk (similar to foldable phones). You can even wrap the concept device partway around your wrist as it transforms into something akin to a smart slap bracelet.

Motorola / Lenovo

The conceptual prototype has a 6.9-inch display and runs “a full Android experience, just like any smartphone” (well, except for iPhones). When upright in a stand mode, it switches to a compact form of Android on a 4.6-inch section of its display.

As fun as it can be to gawk at futuristic concepts, we wouldn’t recommend holding your breath for this gadget to become an available consumer product anytime soon. However, Lenovo has repeatedly proven that it isn’t afraid to go zany with shipping consumer products, so who knows?

In addition to its flexible prototype, Motorola also introduced several AI-powered concepts since that’s what corporations do in 2023. The company is tapping into generative AI’s powers to supply the people with… better wallpaper?

Motorola / Lenovo

“With this concept, users can upload or capture a picture of their outfit to produce multiple unique AI-generated images that reflect their style,” the company wrote. You can then transform those AI-made images into a custom wallpaper for your device. A video the company published on its blog post shows a person taking a selfie of an outfit (using the rollable display device, of course), which the software then turns into a variety of wallpaper options for the bendy phone.

The company also announced that it’s working on a personal voice / text assistant for PCs and smartphones that runs on a large language model (LLM). Dubbed MotoAI, the company says the assistant could “answer questions, draft messages, schedule tasks, and so much more.” MotoAI would emphasize privacy, processing data and running tasks locally rather than in the cloud. The company says the tool could uniquely personalize your device as it learns more about you, becoming more useful over time.

Motorola also tackled document scanning, teasing a feature that can minimize wrinkles and shadows when scanning physical images or documents with a phone’s camera. “This innovation aims to improve final image quality by minimizing wrinkles and shadows to ensure documents or images appear as crisp and clear as possible,” the company wrote.

Apple is reportedly set to overhaul the Apple TV app. On Tuesday, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that the company plans to consolidate its video offerings, placing them exclusively in the TV app on all its devices. Citing “people with knowledge of the matter,” Gurman reports that the company will launch a new version of the app “around December” as part of an upcoming tvOS software update.

As part of the move, Apple will reportedly remove its dedicated (iTunes-based) Movies and TV Shows apps from the Apple TV set-top box’s interface. In addition, it plans to axe all video-related sections from the iTunes app on iOS and iPadOS. The TV app already duplicates the functionality of renting and buying digital video content, making the alleged change more about streamlining and removing redundancies than altering any core features.

The updated app will reportedly include a left-side panel for video categories, similar to what’s found on Netflix and other streaming rivals. Apple’s TV app consolidates video content from the Apple TV+ subscription service, rented and purchased movies, live sports networks and compatible third-party services like Amazon Prime, Paramount+ and Starz.

Apple

Apple has increasingly invested in video content, spending billions on programming like Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which premiered in theaters last week. (The film will arrive on Apple TV+ “at a later date.”) Original series on Apple TV+ include Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show, Silo and Foundation, among others. The company reportedly (and abruptly) canceled The Problem with Jon Stewart this month following disagreements about Stewart’s planned editorial content surrounding AI and China.

In other Apple developments, the company sent out invites today for an event on October 30. The “Scary Fast” streaming event is expected to focus on new Macs. These could include a refresh of the aging iMac line and MacBook Pro, possibly running on a new M3 chip.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced Tuesday that it has suspended GM-owned Cruise’s permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state — effective immediately. The suspension was based on several safety-related issues. It isn’t yet clear if the move is related to an incident earlier this month when a Cruise robotaxi pinned a pedestrian under its tire after another car’s hit-and-run.

According to an emailed statement the California DMV supplied to Engadget, the suspension was based on safety-related regulations. These include:

• 13 CCR §228.20 (b) (6) - Based upon the performance of the vehicles, the Department determines the manufacturer’s vehicles are not safe for the public’s operation.

• 13 CCR §228.20 (b) (3) - The manufacturer has misrepresented any information related to safety of the autonomous technology of its vehicles.

• 13 CCR §227.42 (b)(5) - Any act or omission of the manufacturer or one of its agents, employees, contractors, or designees which the department finds makes the conduct of autonomous vehicle testing on public roads by the manufacturer an unreasonable risk to the public.

• 13 CCR §227.42 (c)- The department shall immediately suspend or revoke the Manufacturer’s Testing Permit or a Manufacturer’s Testing Permit - Driverless Vehicles if a manufacturer is engaging in a practice in such a manner that immediate suspension is required for the safety of persons on a public road.

The CA DMV says it has supplied Cruise with a path back to driverless operation in the state. “The DMV has provided Cruise with the steps needed to apply to reinstate its suspended permits, which the DMV will not approve until the company has fulfilled the requirements to the department’s satisfaction,” the statement reads. The agency added that the suspension doesn’t affect Cruise’s ability to test driverless vehicles with a safety driver.

GM announced on Tuesday that it’s delaying production of the Equinox EV, Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV. Electrek reported on the comments from the automaker’s earnings call, citing a desire to “protect” GM’s pricing while adjusting to shifting EV demand. The company didn’t commit to a specific timeline to resume production, only saying the delay would last “a few months.”

“We are also moderating the acceleration of EV production in North America to protect our pricing, adjust to slower near-term growth in demand, and implement engineering efficiency and other improvements that will make our vehicles less expensive to produce, and more profitable,” GM CEO Mary Barra said in the company’s Q3 earnings call Tuesday.

Barra said the changes “will make our vehicles less expensive to produce, and more profitable” in the long run. She warned that the EV delays would affect Ultium-based models, including the Equinox EV, Silverado EV RST and GMC Sierra EV.

The move comes a week after GM announced it would delay EV truck production (Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV) at its Orion assembly plant in Michigan until late 2025. GM spokesperson Kevin Kelley said the move was designed to “better manage capital investment while aligning with evolving EV demand.”

The United Auto Workers strike began in September and is the elephant in the room amid GM’s production shakeup. Citing uncertain labor costs related to the strike, the automaker also withdrew its full-year financial guidance. It expects to provide more clarity for investors once new union contracts are signed. “Accepting unsustainably high [labor] costs would put our future and GM team member jobs at risk, and jeopardizing our future is something I will not do,” Barra said.

Nvidia is reportedly planning on making Arm-based chips for Windows PCs. According to Reuters, the company has “quietly begun” taking on Intel by designing processors compatible with Microsoft’s operating system. The report says Nvidia could begin selling the chips as early as 2025.

The move is part of Microsoft’s broader goal of challenging Apple with Arm-based processors for Windows PCs. According to preliminary Q3 data from research firm IDC, the iPhone maker has nearly doubled its market share since launching the Arm-based Apple Silicon three years ago. The company’s in-house Mac chips balance performance (including on-chip AI tasks) and battery life to a degree that Intel’s processors have yet to match.

When reached via email by Engadget, Nvidia spokesperson Hector Marinez said the company declined to comment.

Nvidia has recent experience with Arm-based chips, but they’re designed for data centers. Nvidia announced plans to buy Arm Holdings in 2020 for $40 billion. However, the company pulled the plug on the deal in early 2022. 

AMD is also reportedly preparing to launch Arm-based PC chips as early as 2025. The two companies will join Qualcomm, which has made Windows laptop processors since 2016. Reuters reports that Qualcomm’s exclusivity agreement with Microsoft for Arm-based Windows chip designs will expire in 2024, opening the door to new challengers soon after. Windows on Arm hasn’t exactly been a rousing success to date.

“Microsoft learned from the 90s that they don’t want to be dependent on Intel again, they don’t want to be dependent on a single vendor,” Jay Goldberg, chief executive of consulting firm D2D Advisory, told Reuters. “If Arm really took off in PC (chips), they were never going to let Qualcomm be the sole supplier.”

As Microsoft (along with much of the tech industry) bets its future on generative AI, the upcoming chips will unsurprisingly focus heavily on it. The company has reportedly urged chipmakers to bake advanced AI-powered capabilities into their silicon. Microsoft recently launched Windows Copilot, which provides an OpenAI-powered chatbot in a persistent sidebar to respond to contextual queries anywhere in Windows.

Netflix has dropped a trailer for the upcoming reality series Squid Game: The Challenge. The forthcoming show starts with 456 contestants competing for a $4.56 million prize in events repackaged (minus the brutal violence) from the scripted series. What better way to follow a fictional critique of modern capitalism’s exploitation of the financially desperate for profit and entertainment than to embrace a reality TV spectacle that exploits the financially desperate for profit and entertainment?

Among other games ripped from the South Korean show, the competition’s trailer showcases the original series’ creepy “red light, green light” doll as players in green tracksuits nervously scoot across the floor, ready to stop at a moment’s notice. (In this version, the “gunshots” fired at infringing players involve pre-placed blood packets exploding on their chests.) In standard reality TV fashion, there are hints of shameless backstabbing and plenty of lusting over the prize money. Masked guards create an ambiance of intimidation as Sammy Davis Jr.’s “I’ve Gotta Be Me” plays in the background, echoing the source material’s theme of unlikely riches as the sole path to fulfillment in a late-capitalist hellscape.

When the competition was filmed earlier this year, each player subjected themselves to this exhibition for a 0.22% chance at a couple of million dollars after taxes.

Netflix

The reality series made headlines earlier this year when several contestants reportedly required medical attention, proving that irony has flatlined, and Netflix is selling tickets to view its corpse. “It was like a war zone,” one player told The Sun. “People left in tears.” The report described frigid conditions: one exhausted player was hauled away on a stretcher while others crawled to the finish line.

“Even if hypothermia kicked in then people were willing to stay for as long as possible because a lot of money was on the line,” one competitor said. “Too many were determined not to move so they stood there for far too long. There were people arriving thinking they were going to be millionaires but they left in tears.”

As a contestant says in the trailer, “This is a savage game.” Squid Game: The Challenge begins streaming on Netflix on November 22.

Amazon Prime Video announced Monday that the Fallout television series will premiere on April 12, 2024. The news came from a short teaser video the streaming service posted on its social channels, including Instagram, styled like a Pip-Boy interface. The series, initially announced in 2020, will adopt a “serious and harsh” tone while adding “ironic humor” and “B-movie nuclear fantasies.” 

The live-action series, from Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, will have an original (canonical) story set in the Fallout gaming universe. It will take place in 2077, beginning in Vault 33 in Los Angeles. As fans of the game know, it’s set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland following the events of “The Great War” on October 23, 2077. That date has become known as “Fallout Day” among the game’s fans — an ideal day for Amazon to reveal the series’ premiere date.

Fallout will star Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets), Walton Goggins (Justified), Aaron Moten (Emancipation), Xelia Mendes-Jones (The Wheel of Time), Moisés Arias (The King of Staten Island) and Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks). Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner are the series’ executive producers, writers and showrunners. Additional executive producers include Athena Wickham of Kilter Films, along with Bethesda’s Todd Howard and James Altman.