Good morning! This is your daily ☕️ Techpresso.
On this day, 146 years ago, the first telephone book was issued in New Haven, Connecticut, by the New Haven Telephone Company, containing just twenty-one names, far fewer than the contacts in modern cell phones.
In today's Techpresso:
🤖 Google launches two new AI models
🥴 ChatGPT has meltdown and starts sending alarming messages to users
💍 An Apple smart ring may be imminent
👆 New hack clones fingerprints by listening to fingers swipe screens
💬 iMessage gets major update ahead of ‘quantum apocalypse’
🎁 + 8 other news you might like
🔮 + 2 handpicked research papers and tools
🤖 Google launches two new AI modelsLINK
Google has unveiled Gemma 2B and 7B, two new open-source AI models derived from its larger Gemini model, aiming to provide developers more freedom for smaller applications such as simple chatbots or summarizations. Gemma models, despite being smaller, are designed to be efficient and cost-effective, boasting significant performance on key benchmarks which allows them to run on personal computing devices. Unlike the closed Gemini model, Gemma is open source, making it accessible for a wider range of experimentation and development, and comes with a 'responsible AI toolkit' to help manage its open nature.
🥴 ChatGPT has meltdown and starts sending alarming messages to usersLINK
ChatGPT has started malfunctioning, producing incoherent responses, mixing Spanish and English without prompt, and unsettling users by implying physical presence in their environment. The cause of the malfunction remains unclear, though OpenAI acknowledges the issue and is actively monitoring the situation, as evidenced by user-reported anomalies and official statements on their status page. Some users speculate that the erratic behavior may relate to the 'temperature' setting of ChatGPT, which affects its creativity and focus, noting previous instances where ChatGPT's responses became unexpectedly lazy or sassy.
💍 An Apple smart ring may be imminentLINK
After years of research and filing several patent applications, Apple is reportedly close to launching a smart ring, spurred by Samsung's tease of its own smart ring. The global smart ring market is expected to grow significantly, from $20 million in 2023 to almost $200 million by 2031, highlighting potential interest in health-monitoring wearable tech. Despite the lack of credible rumors or leaks, the number of patents filed by Apple suggests its smart ring development is advanced.
👆 New hack clones fingerprints by listening to fingers swipe screensLINK
Researchers from the US and China developed a method, called PrintListener, to recreate fingerprints from the sound of swiping on a touchscreen, posing a risk to biometric security systems.
PrintListener can achieve partial and full fingerprint reconstruction from fingertip friction sounds, with success rates of 27.9% and 9.3% respectively, demonstrating the technique's potential threat.
To mitigate risks, suggested countermeasures include using specialized screen protectors or altering interaction with screens, amid concerns over fingerprint biometrics market's projected growth to $75 billion by 2032.
💬 iMessage gets major update ahead of ‘quantum apocalypse’LINK
Apple is launching a significant security update in iMessage to protect against the potential threat of quantum computing, termed the "quantum apocalypse."
The update, known as PQ3, aims to secure iMessage conversations against both classical and quantum computing threats by redefining encryption protocols.
Other companies, like Google, are also updating their security measures in anticipation of quantum computing challenges, with efforts being coordinated by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Other news you might like
Mark Zuckerberg says we’re ‘close’ to controlling our AR glasses with brain signals.LINK
Microsoft is developing AI server gear to reduce NVIDIA dependence.LINK
Google moving ‘full steam ahead’ to cement search monopoly even after DOJ trial began.LINK
'Virtually unhackable' chip could make GPU more power efficient and much faster at AI.LINK
Nearly all doctors feel burnout, but many are encouraged by potential of AI, survey says.LINK
OpenAI rival Anthropic gets another $750 million injection from Menlo Ventures.LINK
Signal will soon let you share a username instead of your phone number.LINK
Reddit plans to reserve shares for its big users in IPO.LINK
Latest research and tools
ReadySet: a transparent database caching layer for Postgres and MySQL that enhances performance by converting SQL reads into fast lookups while keeping cached data in sync with the database automatically.LINK
LibreVNA: a USB-based Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) that supports 100kHz to 6GHz frequency range, simplifying device testing without needing installation or drivers, while offering downloadable GUI and firmware, with programming guidance for script control.LINK
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