How AI can lead to verbal abuse and unhealthy attachments
Smartphone app Replika is enabling users to find companionship in artificially intelligent chatbots. But what happens when the human emotion of users gets in the way of keeping things casual? It’s getting a little too real in the world of tech right now. The recent and rapid expansion of the metaverse,...
Current in Technology
Julian Lennon to sell NFTs of Beatles memorabilia
John Lennon’s son, Julian, will be auctioning off various Beatles memorabilia items as non-fungible tokens, including lyric notes, guitars, and outfits. Consider yourself a Beatles super fan? Are you a crypto connoisseur with a hunger for John Lennon’s old possessions? His son Julian may just have the deal of a...
Concerns about user privacy in the metaverse continue to grow
Tech giant Meta is working on body pose tracking technology, clothing that detects movement, and in-home sensor devices to enhance the metaverse experience - but has yet to outline any details of data privacy and user safety. As the digital and physical world have become increasingly interwoven, we’ve become accustomed...
Samsung is repurposing fishing nets for its future devices
As part of its broader ‘Galaxy for the Planet’ initiative, the mobile giant is eliminating all plastic waste in its packaging and is using discarded fishing nets in the builds of future devices. With mobile companies relentlessly rolling out new iterations of their phones, e-waste is becoming an increasingly sizable...
The once-cult mobile brand ‘BlackBerry’ finally shuts down
It was once the most sought-after phone of the moment. But now, BlackBerry is just another sign of the times; a window into our relentless wanting for something new. In the 2010s, high flying businessmen, celebrities, and status-hungry teenagers were all bound by one thing: the BlackBerry’s QWERTY keyboard. For...
Hydrogen: the key to decarbonising the planet?
Hydrogen is a clean, versatile fuel that doesn’t produce any greenhouse gas emissions and all it requires to release energy is oxygen. To date, our utilisation of it has been marginal at best, but here’s why it could transform the energy sector in the years to come. With the aim...
Floating solar farms put Thailand on track for carbon neutrality
In Thailand’s north-eastern region of Ubon Ratchathani, a shimmering network of solar panels stretches across a large reservoir constantly generating green energy. This is the first of 15 planned floating solar farms that aim to put Thailand on track for carbon neutrality by 2050. With climate deadlines from COP26 fast approaching, nations are turning to some pretty radical solutions to achieve net zero. This definitely qualifies. In Thailand’s north-eastern region of...
Tech company Framework designs modular laptop to reduce e-waste
American tech company Framework has created a new laptop with modular components that can be easily repaired and replaced. It will help increase the lifespan of laptops and reduce the e-waste produced per unit. Laptops can be tricky products to purchase successfully, at least as far as getting the right thing that will last a long time. They tend to break seemingly without reason and you can easily wind up spending...
Is voice AI on the verge of a marketing explosion?
AI speech synthesisers may feel like a novel gimmick now, but as the technology becomes more sophisticated, could we see a full-scale integration into the marketing world? Apparently, AI audio synthesisers are about to get a whole load more sophisticated than Eminem’s rap generator. Like that’s even possible. Despite the many ethical issues surrounding the recreational use of AI and its potential for nefarious uses - with non-consensual deepfake porn, doctored...
Regulatory hurdles for flying taxis almost cleared
Talk of flying taxis called eVTOLs were all the rage in 2019. But, only now has the concept gathered enough investment and regulatory ticks to be considered a realistic prospect. This time, they really are close to take-off. While aviation endeavours to make biofuel a staple of the industry, can eVTOLs become a popular choice for eco-conscious flyers? Back in 2019, you may recall that big tech start-ups were racing...
