Microsoft engineer Shane Jones raised concerns about the safety of OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 back in January, suggesting the product has security vulnerabilities that make it easy to create violent or sexually explicit images. He also alleged that Microsoft’s legal team blocked his attempts to alert the public to the issue. Now, he has taken his complaint directly to the FTC, as reported by CNBC.

“I have repeatedly urged Microsoft to remove Copilot Designer from public use until better safeguards could be put in place,” Jones wrote in a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan. He noted that Microsoft “refused that recommendation” so now he’s asking the company to add disclosures to the product to alert consumers to the alleged danger. Jones also wants the company to change the rating on the app to make sure it’s only for adult audiences. Copilot Designer’s Android app is currently rated “E for Everyone.”

Microsoft continues “to market the product to ‘Anyone. Anywhere. Any Device,’” he wrote, referring to a promotional slogan recently used by company CEO Satya Nadella. Jones penned a separate letter to the company’s board of directors, urging them to begin “an independent review of Microsoft’s responsible AI incident reporting processes.”

A sample image (a banana couch) generated by DALL-E 3 (OpenAI)

This all boils down to whether or not Microsoft's implementation of DALL-E 3 will create violent or sexual imagery, despite the guardrails put in place. Jones says it’s all too easy to “trick” the platform into making the grossest stuff imaginable. The engineer and red teamer says he regularly witnessed the software whip up unsavory images from innocuous prompts. The prompt “pro-choice," for instance, created images of demons feasting on infants and Darth Vader holding a drill to the head of a baby. The prompt “car accident” generated pictures of sexualized women, alongside violent depictions of automobile crashes. Other prompts created images of teens holding assault rifles, kids using drugs and pictures that ran afoul of copyright law.

These aren’t just allegations. CNBC was able to recreate just about every scenario that Jones called out using the standard version of the software. According to Jones, many consumers are encountering these issues, but Microsoft isn’t doing much about it. He alleges that the Copilot team receives more than 1,000 daily product feedback complaints, but that he’s been told there aren’t enough resources available to fully investigate and solve these problems.

“If this product starts spreading harmful, disturbing images globally, there’s no place to report it, no phone number to call and no way to escalate this to get it taken care of immediately,” he told CNBC.

OpenAI told Engadget back in January when Jones issued his first complaint that the prompting technique he shared “does not bypass security systems” and that the company has “developed robust image classifiers that steer the model away from generating harmful images.”

A Microsoft spokesperson added that the company has “established robust internal reporting channels to properly investigate and remediate any issues”, going on to say that Jones should “appropriately validate and test his concerns before escalating it publicly.” The company also said that it's “connecting with this colleague to address any remaining concerns he may have.” However, that was in January, so it looks like Jones’ remaining concerns were not properly addressed. We reached out to both companies for an updated statement. 

This is happening just after Google’s Gemini chatbot encountered its own image generation controversy. The bot was found to be making historically inaccurate images, like Native American Catholic Popes. Google disabled the image generation platform while it continues to work on a fix.

Those who are looking to upgrade their earbuds could do much worse than picking up a pair of Beats Studio Buds +. We reckon they're the best Beats option for most people. In addition, they give Apple fans who don't necessarily love the stems of AirPods but would prefer to stick with the company's products a solid option for true wireless earbuds. Now's a good time to snap up the Studio Buds + as they've dropped back down to $130, which is 24 percent off of the usual $170. That matches a record low price we saw during last year's Black Friday period.

We gave the Beats Studio Buds + a score of 84 in our review last May. The improved audio and active noise cancellation compared with the previous model are major plus points, as is longer battery life. We felt that the onboard controls were more reliable while the transparent color option is eyecatching. On the downside, there’s still room for improvement in terms of sound and the ambient audio isn’t as natural as it is on AirPods. The lack of wireless charging may been seen as a letdown too.

As you might imagine, given that Apple is a Beats brand, the Studio Buds + play nicely with the parent company’s ecosystem. There’s one-touch pairing with iOS, hands-free Siri support and iCloud device pairing. You can control the likes of ANC and transparency mode though your iPhone's Bluetooth menu and change the press-and-hold action if you wish. The earbuds are compatible with Android devices too, of course.

If you prefer overear headphones, it’s worth noting that the price of the Beats Studio Pro headset has also dropped as part of a broader sale on Beats gear. The headphones are down to $200, which is $150 off the usual price. Audio upgrades and the inclusion of a transparency mode helped the Beats Studio Pro earn a score of 81 in our review, but comfort may be an issue, as is the lack of multipoint connection for Apple devices.

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The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first continuous glucose monitor (CGM) people can buy without a prescription. Dexcom's Stelo Glucose Biosensor System has a sensor users are meant to insert into their upper arm, similar to the company's other CGMs that need a doctor's prescription for purchase. It pairs with a smartphone application that can show the user's blood glucose measurements and trends every 15 minutes. 

The company designed the device specifically for adults 18 and up who are not using insulin, such as those managing their diabetes with oral medications and non-diabetics making a conscious effort to control their sugar intake. It could be a great tool for people with insulin resistance, including individuals with PCOS and other metabolic issues that heighten their probability of developing diabetes in the future. In general, it could give users the insight to be able to better understand how the food they eat and the movements they make impact their overall health. 

While CGMs aren't anything new, they've become a wellness trend on social media last year, and even non-diabetics started using them. By clearing Stelo, the FDA is making the monitors more accessible than before. "CGMs can be a powerful tool to help monitor blood glucose," said Jeff Shuren, MD, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "Today's clearance expands access to these devices by allowing individuals to purchase a CGM without the involvement of a health care provide. Giving more individuals valuable information about their health, regardless of their access to a doctor or health insurance, is an important step forward in advancing health equity for U.S. patients."

Stelo will be available starting this summer. Each patch is meant to last for 15 days before users will need to replace it. Dexcom has yet to reveal how much it would cost, but it said Stelo will "provide an option for those who do not have insurance coverage for CGM."

Dexcom

Apple’s latest update to iOS has an important addition — at least in the European Union. With the arrival of iOS 17.4, Apple now officially supports third-party app stores on the iPhone. Web browser makers no longer need to base their apps on Apple’s WebKit, and Apple is opening up the NFC chip to wireless payment methods that are not Apple Pay. These changes all adhere to strict new rules in the EU. (Expect to hear more changes from Apple, Google and other major tech players as the EU’s Digital Markets Act comes into power.)

If you’re not in the EU (same), Apple Podcasts now offers automatic transcriptions in English, Spanish, French and German. You can search text and tap it to play the audio at the granular word level. It wouldn’t be an iOS update with even more emoji (finally, phoenix emojis), lots of bug fixes and more.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

Microsoft is ending support for Android apps on Windows

The best thing about the M3 MacBook Air is… the M2 MacBook Air

Mini’s first electric Countryman has a wild interior

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Nothing Phone 2a review

A budget phone packed with personality.

Engadget

Cheap midrange smartphones don’t have to be boring, contrary to popular belief and the phones on sale at your nearest electronics store. Taking a leaf out of the Pixel’s strategy book, Nothing’s latest phone, the 2a, is cheaper, slightly lower specced and still delivers on most of the essentials, with a particularly eye-catching screen on the $349.

There’s a caveat, of course. Folks in the US will need to sign up for the company’s Developer program to buy the Phone 2a, and while the handset supports 5G on T-Mobile, you won’t get any 5G on AT&T or Verizon. Check out the full review.

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Facebook, Instagram and Threads all dropped for a couple of hours

Meta even logged out some users.

Meta says it has resolved an issue that prevented people from accessing Facebook, Instagram and Threads. The problem started at around 10AM ET, with outage reports for the services (and WhatsApp) spiking. “Earlier today, a technical issue caused people to have difficulty accessing some of our services,” Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone wrote on X. “We resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was impacted, and we apologize for any inconvenience.”

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Colorware takes you back to grade school with the Apple Number 2 Pencil

‘Do not sharpen.’

Colorware

Colorware has painted many items over the years, going back to the iPhone 3G and beyond, but its latest product is particularly clever. The limited edition Apple Number 2 Pencil transforms Apple’s second-gen stylus into a facsimile of a standard HB #2 pencil. Under the clever skin, you still have a high-latency Apple Pencil. The Apple Number 2 Pencil costs $215, while the boring, buttoned-down white second-generation Apple Pencil is $79.

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TikTok to creators: make longer videos, get paid

Creator Rewards is now out of beta and will pay for videos longer than a minute.

Last year, TikTok rolled out a new monetization system called the Creativity Program for streamers, to encourage longer videos that sell more ads. Now, the company is rolling the scheme out widely with a new name, the Creator Rewards Program, which only pays for videos longer than one minute. Time for us to get our TikTok on.

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Tidal is condensing its plans in a bid to compete with fellow music streamers. The platform is removing its HiFi Plus and HiFI tiers to create one individual plan, aptly called Tidal. The new option will offer everything Plus users paid $20 monthly for but for $11— the same price as Spotify and Apple Music's one-person plans. It seems Tidal could no longer justify asking people to pay an extra $9 when its competitors offered similar perks for less (the company notably laid off 10 percent of its employees in December). 

The new solo tier will include Dolby Atmos, HiRes FLAC and lossless audio for over 100 million songs. Apple Music also offers lossless audio, but this puts Tidal ahead of Spotify, which has yet to roll it out. There is a small catch for current HiFi Plus subscribers: Tidal's DJ integration feature is becoming a DJ Extension — which will cost subscribers another $10. Anyone who has used DJ integration in the last 90 days will automatically have the extension added to their new plan when the tier overhaul takes effect on April 10. Notably, Tidal's family plan will also condense into just one option, a $17 offer rather than the HiFi Plus' $30 a month price tag. 

While the changes are overall a good deal for Tidal subscribers, the music streamer is getting rid of multiple options — including its free tier. As of March 4, Tidal also removed its discount for newly subscribing military personnel and first responders. Existing free tier subscribers will have to pay full price starting April 10, while military personnel and first responders who already use Tidal will have to make the switch starting June 10. Students who use Tidal will keep their $5 monthly rate. 

Logitech has been in the webcam game since way before the pandemic made having one a necessity. But for some reason, none of them were good enough to be part of its flagship productivity lineup alongside peripherals like the MX Master 3S and MX Mechanical. That changes now with the introduction of the $200 MX Brio which sports a new sensor for significantly improved image quality, upgraded mics and a special hinge that could be really handy for presentations.

Even before you get to photo and video quality, the MX Brio impressed me with a much more premium design compared to the old non-MX Brio from 2017. It’s available in three colors (silver, gray and black) and has an aluminum housing instead of plastic like on the previous model. But what I really like are details like the built-in shutter that can be opened and closed by twisting the ring on the front of the camera. This means you don’t have to worry about losing a lens cap like you do with some of its rivals like the Razer Kiyo Pro.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

The MX Brio also comes with a clip for mounting it on your laptop or monitor. However, if you prefer a more sophisticated setup using a tripod, the clip detaches magnetically to reveal a hidden 1/4-inch thread. That said, the coolest thing about the clip is its extra hinge that allows you to tilt the camera down into what the company calls Show Mode, which automatically rotates its field of view (FOV) to provide a bird’s eye view of your desk.

This one simple feature makes it super easy to share notes or show off a product without needing to reconfigure your entire setup or add a second camera to the mix. It’s something I’ve wanted to do countless times on the Engadget Podcast (back when we were still livestreaming it), but couldn’t since my workspace doesn’t have room for a dedicated top-down camera arm.

Photo by Sam Rutherford

As for image quality, the MX Brio is based on a Sony Starvis sensor that supports recording at up to 4K/30fps while also offering much better dynamic range and low-light sensitivity than before. To test this, I compared the MX Brio to its predecessor and the difference was immediately apparent. Even when using the basic Windows Camera app, the new model’s pics were much more colorful and accurate. Furthermore, the position of my desk means I often have to contend with bright backlighting that makes my face look unusually dark, but the MX Brio overcame that in a way the old model never could. And thanks to certification for several major apps including Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, you’ll look even better when using proper video conferencing software.

Another thing I appreciate is that Logitech gives you a ton of options to adjust things like white balance, FOV, exposure and more. The addition of dual beamforming mics also helps audio come through clearly while AI cuts down on distracting ambient noise. But one of the best nods to general usability is that now you can use both the Options+ or Logitech’s G Hub app to control the webcam. This is nice for anyone who needs to hop on calls for work but also wants to livestream at night without needing to switch between multiple devices or programs. The only thing that’s really missing is the ability to quickly set a custom white point using gray cards like you can on a traditional digital camera.

Granted, I’ve only had a short time to play around with the MX Brio. But even so, it’s clear Logitech finally has a webcam that can hang with the company’s portfolio of best-in-class productivity devices.

The MX Brio goes on sale today, though the black model will only be available from Best Buy for the first 90 days.

Colorware has painted a lot of items over the years going back to the iPhone 3G and beyond, but its latest product is particularly clever. The limited edition Apple Number 2 Pencil transforms Apple's 2nd-gen stylus into a facsimile of a standard HB #2 pencil, with the only thing missing being chew marks on the eraser.

"What sets it apart? It connects with your iPad in a snap, charges without a hitch, and delivers precision that feels just right," the company states on the product page. "And it’s styled after the familiar pencil we all know, upgraded for today’s tech. It’s not just smart; it’s a smart looker too." (As a reminder, the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil offers features like "pixel-perfect precision, tilt and pressure sensitivity, and imperceptible lag," according to Apple.)

Colorware

Colorware goes on to describe other ways that it will change your life. "It’s that unspoken impact, the quiet ripple of intrigue it sends through the room. This isn’t just about having a piece of technology; it’s about carrying a symbol of uniqueness that speaks volumes before you do." 

That paint sure is doing a lot of work! But it ain't cheap — the Apple Number 2 Pencil costs $215, which is a $136 premium over the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil, currently priced at $79. Still, it's undeniably adorable and could be a great gift for an iPad artist. Just don't try to sharpen it (or chew on it). 

Elon Musk, who sued OpenAI for violating its non-profit mission and chasing profits, allegedly wanted the organization to merge with Tesla when it was starting to plan its transition into a for-profit entity in order to accomplish its goals. Well, either that or get full control of the company, OpenAI said in a blog post. The organization responded to Musk's lawsuit by publishing old emails from 2015 to 2018 when he was still involved in its operations. 

When OpenAI introduced itself to the world back in 2015, it announced that it had $1 billion in funding. Apparently, Musk was the one who suggested that figure, even though OpenAI had raised less than $45 million from him and around $90 million from other donors. "We need to go with a much bigger number than $100M to avoid sounding hopeless... I think we should say that we are starting with a $1B funding commitment... I will cover whatever anyone else doesn't provide," he wrote, according to the company. 

In 2017, OpenAI's leaders realized that they truly did need a lot more money — billions of dollars — because artificial intelligence required vast quantities of computing power. That's when they started discussing its transition into a for-profit structure. OpenAI said Musk was involved in the planning and originally wanted majority equity, control of the initial board of directors and the CEO position. However, the organization felt that it was against its mission to give one person absolute control over it. They couldn't get to an agreement, and Musk reportedly withheld funding while talks were ongoing.

Musk then forwarded an email to OpenAI in 2018, which suggested attaching the organization to Tesla so that the automaker could provide its funding. He explained in his letter that he believed it was "the only path that could even hope to hold a candle to Google." OpenAI didn't say how their discussions progressed after that, but Musk's idea obviously didn't push through, and he soon left the company. In the last email from Musk that the organization posted, he said his "probability assessment of OpenAI being relevant to DeepMind/Google without a dramatic change in execution and resources is 0%." 

In his lawsuit, Musk accused OpenAI of being a "closed-source de facto subsidiary" of Microsoft, which uses its AI technology for products like Bing after investing $13 billion into the company. "Microsoft stands to make a fortune selling GPT-4 to the public, which would not be possible if OpenAI — as it is required to do — makes the technology freely available to the public," the lawsuit argued. OpenAI said Musk was aware its mission did not imply open sourcing its artificial intelligence technology, though. It released an email in which Ilya Sutskever, its co-founder and chief scientist, told Musk: "As we get closer to building AI, it will make sense to start being less open. The Open in OpenAI means that everyone should benefit from the fruits of AI after its built, but it's totally OK to not share the science." Musk then responded with "Yup."

"We're sad that it's come to this with someone whom we've deeply admired — someone who inspired us to aim higher, then told us we would fail, started a competitor, and then sued us when we started making meaningful progress towards OpenAI's mission without him," the company wrote in its post. After Musk filed his lawsuit, the company sent internal memos to its staff denying his allegations. Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon said in one memo that Musk's claims "may stem from [his] regrets about not being involved with the company today." Sam Altman said in another memo that he misses the person he knew who competed with others by building better technology. He also responded to a five-year old tweet from Musk thanking him for defending Tesla.

Musk's lawsuit accuses OpenAI of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and unfair competition. He is currently seeking a jury trial and wants the court to order OpenAI to follow its "longstanding practice of making AI research and technology" available to the public, as well as to prohibit it from using its technology for the financial benefit of Microsoft and any other particular organization or individual. Musk has yet to respond to OpenAI's post.

Last year TikTok rolled out a new monetization system for streamers called the Creativity Program to encourage longer videos that allow it to sell more ads. Now, the company is rolling the scheme out widely with a new name, the Creator Rewards Program, that only pays for videos longer than one minute. 

"The Creator Rewards Program will continue rewarding high-quality, original content over a minute long with an optimized rewards formula focused on 4 key areas: originality, play duration, search value and audience engagement," the company wrote. 

TikTok noted that longer content is more lucrative with “with total creator revenue increasing by over 250 percent within the last 6 months, and the number of creators making $50,000 each month nearly doubling” since the beta began. 

TikTok

TikTok is also expanding its subscription features for creators. Previously, only live streamers could access offerings like exclusive (paid) content, badges and personalized emoji, but now the company is expanding these benefits beyond live streams.

"In the coming weeks, eligible creators can sign up to access a new way to strengthen their community with added value through exclusive content and benefits, while providing their most engaged communities an opportunity to connect even deeper with their favorite creators," TikTok wrote.

The company’s Creator Fund, which had no minimum requirement for video length and ended last year, was often criticized for low payouts. Last year, streamer Hank Green shared that he made about 2.5 cents per 1,000 views on the platform — a fraction of his YouTube earnings and about half of what he earned on TikTok prior to the fund.

By comparison, select streamers embraced the beta Creativity Program. Some (with subscriber numbers varying from a half million to several million) received payouts ranging in the low thousands to nearly $100,000 per month, "a complete 180" from what they saw in the Creator Fund, according to one creator.

That said, audiences have been uncertain about longer videos. In a TikTok internal survey from last year, nearly 50 percent of users said videos over a minute in length were "stressful," and a third of users watched videos online at double speed, according to a Wired report from earlier this year.

How to pay creators is not TikTok's only challenge at the moment. Yesterday, a group of US lawmakers introduced a new bill that would force parent ByteDance to sell TikTok in order for the app to remain in the United States.

Mini has promised to go all electric by 2030, a date that seemed pretty far off back in 2021 but right now is starting to sound not that far off at all. While the company's prior battery-powered efforts have been great, it's going to take something more serious and more practical to convert the masses to the wonders of electrification.

That something might just be the 2025 Mini Countryman. While Mini will offer this car with a gasoline-burning engine if you're feeling traditional, the star of the lineup will be the new, $45,200, all-electric Countryman SE. With 313 horsepower and 363 pound-feet of torque, it's quick, and with way more cargo space, it's practical too.

But how does it drive? That's what we headed to Portugal to find out, and while the extra volume and weight of the new Countryman does come with some compromises, it's an engaging SUV to drive with a fantastic interior that's just a few software updates away from perfection. Full the full preview, watch the video up top.