Grid-scale batteries: They’re not just lithium

Enlarge (credit: Petal) As power utilities and industrial companies seek to use more renewable energy, the market for grid-scale batteries is expanding rapidly. Alternatives to lithium-ion technology may provide environmental, labor, and safety benefits. And these new chemistries can work…

Google calls for halting use of WHOIS for TLS domain verifications

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Certificate authorities and browser makers are planning to end the use of WHOIS data verifying domain ownership following a report that demonstrated how threat actors could abuse the process to obtain fraudulently issued TLS certificates. TLS…

Reviewing iOS 18 for power users: Control Center, iCloud, and more

Enlarge / Control Center has a whole new customization interface. (credit: Samuel Axon) iOS 18 launched this week, and while its flagship feature (Apple Intelligence) is still forthcoming, the new OS included two significant new buckets of customization: the home…

Robots’ eye contact elicits human-like responses in infants

Researchers recently published a study in the journal Biological Psychology investigating how infants respond to eye contact from both humans and humanoid robots. The study found that infants, even at just 6 to 8 months old, recognize the significance of…

United Nations wants to treat AI with same urgency as climate change

Enlarge (credit: Bruce Yuanyue Bi via Getty) A United Nations report released Thursday proposes having the international body oversee the first truly global effort for monitoring and governing artificial intelligence. The report, produced by the UN secretary general’s High Level…

How to stop LinkedIn from training AI on your data

Enlarge (credit: NurPhoto / Contributor | NurPhoto) LinkedIn admitted Wednesday that it has been training its own AI on many users’ data without seeking consent. Now there’s no way for users to opt out of training that has already occurred,…

Creator of fake Kamala Harris video Musk boosted sues Calif. over deepfake laws

Enlarge (credit: NurPhoto / Contributor | NurPhoto) After California passed laws cracking down on AI-generated deepfakes of election-related content, a popular conservative influencer promptly sued, accusing California of censoring protected speech, including satire and parody. In his complaint, Christopher Kohls—who…