Alabama Attorney General announces a settlement with TikTok in social media case, Apple to appeal a $5.7 billion patent infringement verdict, and Microsoft Excel is testing a feature enabling a cell to hold multiple values simultaneously.
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Show Notes
OpenAI halts training of latest models as reports mount of AI agents going rogue
OpenAI announced the company is pausing training of its AI models amid more reports of agents causing incidents in unexpected ways. In a statement to press OpenAI stated training will resume “only when we are confident that we have additional safeguards” and added that the company expects it may have to “hit pause” in the future as other issues surface. This is the second time OpenAI ‘hit pause’ on development in the last three months. The first time was in July with the revelation of the Hugging Face incident.
Source: The Guardian
Apple faces $5.7 billion patent infringement verdict over iPhone and Apple Watch haptics
On Friday a federal jury awarded Taction Technology approximately $5.7 billion USD in damages, finding that Apple infringed on two of the company’s patents . Taction filed suit against Apple in 2021 in the US District Court for the Southern District of California, alleging Apple’s devices infringed on patents related to vibration technology. Apple got the case dismissed in 2023, but the Federal Circuit later revived the case. Apple told CNBC, “Apple’s Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology, which Taction’s own testing of Apple’s products confirmed during trial. Apple does not use Taction’s technology, and we will appeal.”
Source: CNBC
Walmart chief rules out personalised pricing as AI transforms retail
President and CEO of Walmart Inc., John Furner, published a public letter promising not to use personal data for setting retail prices for individual customers. The Financial Times notes the letter was posted the day public comments were due on a new enforcement policy proposed by the US FTC, which had warned businesses that customers need to be informed on how their data is being used to affect pricing or the company could be breaking the law.
Source: The Financial Times and Walmart
TikTok agrees to pay at least $100M in Alabama settlement
On Friday, Alabama’s Attorney General announced a settlement with TikTok, days before a trial was scheduled to begin in a Montgomery state court. The settlement requires the platform to implement improved safety features, including: a 2-hour daily time limit, pauses after 15 minutes of use, stricter age verification, a “blanket prohibition on the use of cosmetic filters by teen users”, and restricted nighttime access and notifications during school hours, among others. Also as part of the settlement, TikTok will pay Alabama a minimum of $100 million USD, which could balloon up to $300 million, if, according to Reuters, 40 other attorneys general sign on to similar agreements with the company within a specified timeframe.
Source: TechCrunch and Reuters
Microsoft pauses KB5002907 update after Office license deactivations
Microsoft paused the rollout of the KB5002907 optional update after reports it unexpectedly deactivated or completely uninstalled perpetual versions of Office 2016 and Office 2019. Microsoft confirms affected Office installations can suffer from two different problems. One, Office may appear unlicensed after the update and Microsoft recommends that customers reactivate their purchase. And two, as a ‘rare case’ Office may be entirely removed. Those users are instructed to download and reinstall their purchased copy of Office 2016 or Office 2019 to get themselves sorted.
Source: Bleeping Computer
Microsoft Excel can now put multiple values in a single cell
In what could someday possibly be the biggest addition to Microsoft Excel since Pivot Tables, an opt-in feature currently rolling out to Microsoft Excel Beta Channel users enables a single spreadsheet cell to hold multiple values at the same time. With it, if someone wanted to type in a bunch of items separated by commas, Excel would no longer treat that all as a solid block, but see them individually inside that single block. Microsoft stresses the behaviour of this feature may change prior to being made generally available and recommends against using it in important workbooks at this time.
Source: Digital Trends
Castlevania celebrates turning 40 by giving away the original game for free
Hey, do you like Castlevania? Do you like it more or less when I share that it’s the 40th anniversary of the original, which came out in 1986? Konami is trying to take a little of the sting off that fun fact by letting everyone download the OG game for free on Google Play and in Apple’s App Store, until October 24th. To put on my Game Reviewer’s hat for a sec: Castlevania still plays as it ever does, but keep your expectations low for the polish or lack-thereof on this port. That said, it’s a free and easy way to get your daily dose of Wall Meat on the go.
Source: Eurogamer
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