Luis Alejandro Amaya E.
Bogotá, Jul 20 (EFE).- These are the main technological news of the week in America.
1. Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, a wedding that still does not reach the gossip magazines… technological
In the digital world there is a wedding that has been announced for a while, but once the couple agreed to say yes, they later said “yes, but not right now.”
It is about the merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, who agreed to delay their ‘link’ for three months, until October 18.
In fact, Microsoft is going to absorb Activision Blizzard. A bit of an odd marriage.
These lovebirds haven’t had an easy relationship, but when the blocking motion filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was dismissed, the way was clear for their liaison.
After the operation, Microsoft will be the definitive owner of franchises as powerful as “Warcraft”, “Call of Duty” and “Candy Crush”, all of them very good.
A toast to that marriage!
2. A “Terminator”-like AI?
Can you imagine a great artificial intelligence (AI) that can make military-type decisions and put humanity in check?
Well, watch the entire “Terminator” saga and you will meet Skynet.
The UN is very concerned about this aspect. Security Council members drew attention to the dangers of a military application of AI in their first debate on the technology.
Almost all Member States underlined the importance of fostering a multilateral approach to creating AI regulation. All except Russia, which dedicated itself to attacking the US, for being the pioneer country in this technology.
The participating experts highlighted how fast AI is developing, with all its potential and risks.
We are already seeing how each power perceives the possible uses of this technology: while the United States thinks that the military use of AI can and should be ethical, responsible and improve international security, China warns that it can lead to important changes in the format of war.
Cool head in this matter, gentlemen.
3. Do you want some apples? Come those five!
Biometric recognition technologies are increasingly advanced and you can even go shopping without taking out your credit card or cell phone.
Whole Foods, the Amazon supermarket chain, will enable the option to pay by showing the palm of the hand before the end of the year.
For some it will be fantastic, but for others it represents a disturbing violation of the right to privacy.
Amazon assured that the system, called Amazon One, has already been installed in several Whole Foods stores and that by the end of 2023 it will be working in 500 stores throughout the United States.
Last March, the Surveillance Technology Supervision Project (STOP) organization filed a lawsuit against this system, which has already been used in Amazon Go stores.
What can more? The desire for consumption or prevention in the face of biometric “surveillance”? We’ll see.
4. “Call of Duty” is still on PlayStation… for now
“Will I no longer be able to play “Call of Duty” on my PlayStation?” Many fans of the Sony console wondered, to which we answered “yes…for now”.
For now, the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, said that at Microsoft he dreams of a future in which “gamers around the world have more options” to have “their favorite games.”
A kind of UN of video games.
We will have to see how long this good vibes between Microsoft and Sony last to share “Call Of Duty”, which has an average of 54 million players per month.
5. “There’s a fine for Amazon!”
If there is something as normal as ordering a dish in a restaurant, it is the issuance of fines to technology companies, as if they were food orders.
This time the hanging piece of paper fell to Amazon, which agreed to pay the “modest” sum of 25 million dollars for allegedly violating children’s privacy regulations with its Alexa voice assistant.
Since May 2018, Amazon’s Alexa offerings have included voice-activated products and services targeted at children under the age of thirteen, according to the US Department of Justice.
When someone makes a verbal request to an Alexa-enabled device, Amazon records the voice and makes a transcription.
Alexa is only supposed to be able to temporarily keep those recordings, but it appears the company was going overboard and storing them indefinitely, thus violating the COPPA children’s privacy protection rule.
Apart from paying the fine, Amazon must also identify and remove inactive child profiles.
So be careful what you say to Alexa.
6. Chips “pura vida, mae”
We need chips wherever they come from, but better if they are from around here, and much more if they are Ticos.
Costa Rica, the country of the Saprissa, the Alajuelense and the gallo pinto, will collaborate with the United States in boosting the production of chips.
This will help the Central American brothers to grow technologically and, in turn, promote the production chain, badly injured during the covid-19 pandemic.
The US Department of State sees Costa Rica as a partner in ensuring that the semiconductor supply chain can keep up with the current digital transformation.
And as a first step, it will examine the state of the Costa Rican technology industry, its regulatory framework, and the needs for manpower and infrastructure.
Good one, Costa Rican brothers!
7. Bully Out!
This is very serious. Bullying affects children terribly and is a daunting psychosocial problem.
The video game industry is not indifferent to it and that is why this week SomosXbox.com brings five titles that help combat this scourge.
It’s about “Bully,” by RockStar Games; “Life Is Strange”, by DontNod; “GYLT,” by Tequila Works; “Sea of Solitude” by Jo-Mei GmbH and “Lost Judgment” by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.
Video games also teach how to live. EFE
laa/eat/mf
(Photo)
2023-07-20 18:33:08
#Delayed #Merger #Tech #Clicks #America
