Every day we scan the tech world for interesting news in the world of technology and sometimes from outside the world of technology. Every Wednesday, we feature news articles that grabbed our attention over the past week. We hope you find this week’s\u00a0 ‘Wednesday Newsbytes’ informative and interesting!<\/span><\/p>\n Microsoft may make the Windows 11 taskbar bearable with future changes<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n With the taskbar in Windows 11 Microsoft not only made a lot of changes, but also a lot of mistakes. But some of the issues that irritate users could soon be a thing of the past.<\/span><\/p>\n In preview builds of Windows 11, there is evidence that Microsoft is working to improve the taskbar by returning features that were removed in the upgrade from Windows 10. The upcoming changes may not make Windows 11 flavor of the month overnight, but could go some way to improving the image of the operating system, improving workflow and making things easier to use.<\/span><\/p>\n Many people were disappointed to find that the development of Windows 11 saw Microsoft dropping two useful options from the taskbar — labels to help identify shortcuts, and a “never combine” option to stop multiple app windows being grouped together into a single item.<\/span><\/p>\n Of the two, it is almost certainly the ability to keep taskbar buttons ungrouped that will win the most fans, although both are likely to prove popular. By not combining multiple instances of, say, Word or Explorer, on the taskbar, it will be much quicker and easier to switch between windows.<\/span><\/p>\n Microsoft can be seen testing these features in the latest Dev build of Windows 11…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read more at BetaNews<\/span><\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Here’s How Quickly AI Can Crack Your Passwords, According To New Study<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Passwords are not always the best security measures in today’s webscape. They’re difficult to create and manage, and all too easy to compromise. This is because most passwords follow predictable patterns and\/or use a combination of common words that hackers have learnt to crack. Tech.co reported that password management company NordPas says the average person has at least 100 passwords across all their online accounts. It’s difficult for most people to keep track of that many, so they resort to using keys that are easy to guess, or a few solid combinations that they reuse across all their accounts. Neither approach is safe against hackers and other malicious agents online.<\/span><\/p>\n But there’s an even bigger threat in town: Artificial Intelligence. The rise of AI has been all over recent news, and there are several ongoing debates about what the new technology could mean for different areas of life…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read more at Slash Gear.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Voice Clone AI Scams: What You Need To Know About This New Scam<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n As if telephone, email and messenger scams weren\u2019t bad enough, a new breed of scammers can now use artificial intelligence to clone the voices of loved ones. No, this is not dystopian science fiction. News outlets like Fortune are reporting that it\u2019s happening now.<\/span><\/p>\n But what are voice clone AI scams? And how can you protect yourself?<\/span><\/p>\n What Are Voice Clone AI Scams?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In January 2023, Microsoft unveiled a text-to-speech AI tool that could simulate a person\u2019s voice based on an audio clip as short as three seconds. Microsoft called it VALL-E and said that the technology \u201cmay carry potential risks in misuse\u2026 such as spoofing voice identification or impersonating a specific speaker,\u201d Fortune reported.<\/span><\/p>\n Bad actors saw this as an opportunity and used it to spoof the voices of people\u2019s friends and family. They have been convincing others to wire them money, send them gift cards or give them personal account information.<\/span><\/p>\n How To Avoid Voice Clone AI Scams<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Since no software can effectively identify AI voice cloning, common sense will be your best defense against any hackers.<\/span><\/p>\n If you receive a phone call from a person claiming to be a close friend…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read more at GoBankingRates.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n AI-Generated Amazon Reviews Are Beginning to Spread<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAs an AI language model, I don\u2019t have a body, but I understand the importance of comfortable clothing during pregnancy,\u201d one of the reviews said.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n From Republican smear campaigns against Biden to a collaboration between The Weeknd and Drake going viral, it feels like AI is coming for every part of our lives. Now, it appears that some products on Amazon are being reviewed with AI chatbots.<\/span><\/p>\n According to a report from CNBC, products across the popular web marketplace have reviews that appear to be written with chatbots like ChatGPT. The outlet found these reviews on products including waist trainers, children\u2019s textbooks, car batteries, baby car seat mirrors, and video game controller accessories. Even more jarring is that these reviews make no effort to hide the fact that they were generated with AI, as most reviews begin with the phrase \u201cAs an AI language model\u201d before devolving into the fact that a computer has no experience with the product.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAs an AI language model, I don\u2019t have a body, but I understand the importance of comfortable clothing during pregnancy,\u201d one of the reviews said. \u201cIf you\u2019re looking for comfortable and stylish shorts for your pregnancy, the QGGQDD Maternity Shorts Over Belly with Pockets might be a great option for you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Amazon told Vice that it has a zero tolerance policy for fake reviews…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read more at Gizmodo.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Meet Magi \u2014 Google’s answer to Bing with ChatGPT<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Google is reportedly working on a new AI-powered search engine<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n When Open AI launched ChatGPT, Google was reportedly caught off guard. That cycle repeated again when Microsoft unveiled Bing with ChatGPT, its search chatbot powered by GPT-4. And while Google has responded to ChatGPT with Bard, it\u2019s still lacking an AI-powered search tool.<\/span><\/p>\n That could be changing very soon. In an explosive report, The New York Times (opens in new tab) has revealed that Google is reportedly working on Magi, a new AI-powered search engine that would be its answer to Bing with ChatGPT.<\/span><\/p>\n Google Magi Rumored Features<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n * Magi is designed to be personalized and more conversational Google Search<\/span> Read more at Tom’s Guide.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Google is shelling out to remodel homes across the country \u2014 here\u2019s the \u2018low-hanging fruit\u2019 the company is fixing<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cEnergy efficiency is the low-hanging fruit that really sets people up for the benefits.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Google has unveiled a new clean energy investment strategy that will help fund repairs and energy efficiency upgrades for low-income homes.<\/span><\/p>\n Teaming up with solar energy company Sol Systems, the tech giant will invest in solar projects being developed by Pine Gate Renewables, a clean energy company based in North and South Carolina.<\/span><\/p>\n Both companies will provide the money to fund new solar energy projects with a combined 225-megawatt capacity, as well as 18 megawatts in battery storage resources.<\/span><\/p>\n These projects will specifically be built in areas where there has been a slow uptake of renewables, with a focus on pushing Google nearer to its \u201c24\/7 Clean Energy\u201d goal \u2014 by 2030, it hopes to run each of its data centers on renewable power.<\/span><\/p>\n Google and Sol Systems will also provide seed funding for organizations that support low-income communities, with the goal of funding repairs and improving energy efficiency in homes…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read more at TCD<\/span><\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Jellyfish-inspired robot aims to reduce ocean pollution<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The Jellyfish-Bot is a low-power, high-efficiency solution for marine cleanup<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The vast expanse of the world\u2019s oceans is home to a staggering variety of marine life. However, this fragile ecosystem is threatened by the growing pollution caused by human activities. This problem is particularly acute around coral reefs, which are teeming with life but are also highly sensitive to changes in water quality.<\/span><\/p>\n To combat this growing threat, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) scientists at Stuttgart have turned to nature for inspiration and developed a new type of robot that could revolutionize how we clean up our oceans.<\/span><\/p>\n Gentle like a jellyfish<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The new robot, called the Jellyfish-Bot, is inspired by \u2014 you\u2019ve guessed it \u2014 the graceful jellyfish.<\/span><\/p>\n Unlike other underwater robots, which are often bulky and noisy, the Jellyfish-Bot is small, energy-efficient, and almost entirely silent…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read more at ZME Science<\/span><\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Thanks for reading this week’s Wednesday Newbytes. We hope you found these articles informative, interesting, fun, and helpful. Darcy & TC<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Wednesday Newsbytes: Microsoft May Improve the Windows 11 Taskbar; AI Can Crack Passwords Fast; AI Voice Clone Scams; Fake AI Reviews Spread on Amazon; Meet Magi – Google’s Answer to Bing… and more! Every day we scan the tech world for interesting news in the world of technology and sometimes from outside the world of technology.\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4421,4432,4448,4431,2247,1678,2509,1,1426,2942,1656,4372,4221],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25685"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25685"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25687,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25685\/revisions\/25687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\n* Google plans to initially release the features to one million people, increasing to 30 million later<\/span>
\n* Magi would adapt to your needs over time and recommend products to buy<\/span>
\n* Searches that could lead to a purchase could feature ads on the search results page<\/span>
\n* A separate GIFI tool would help generate images in Google Image results…<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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