Dictionary codifies the term that took hold in 2024 for low-quality AI-generated content. Like most tools, generative AI models can be misused. And when the misuse gets bad enough that a major dictionary notices, you know it has become a cultural phenomenon. On Sunday, Merriam-Webster announced that “slop” is…
The weak RC4 for administrative authentication has been a hacker holy grail for decades. Microsoft is killing off an obsolete and vulnerable encryption cipher that Windows has supported by default for 26 years following more than a decade of devastating hacks that exploited it and recently faced blistering criticism…
It looks like battery electric vehicles are out of fashion at the Blue Oval. Ford’s F-150 Lightning production line has fallen silent, and its employees are now building more gas and hybrid trucks. The automaker continues to retreat from the big bet it made on Americans embracing full-size battery…
Project Misriah creator vows to use new experience “to cook up something else.” Last month saw the release of Project Misriah, an ambitious modding project that tried to re-create the feel of Halo 3 inside Valve’s Counter-Strike 2. That project has now been taken down from the Steam Workshop,…
Government seeks “nudity-detection algorithms” in iOS and Android, report says. The UK government reportedly will “encourage” Apple and Google to prevent phones from displaying nude images except when users verify that they are adults. The forthcoming push for nudity-blocking systems was reported by the Financial Times today. The report…
Google says the reports lacked “helpful next steps.” Google began offering “dark web reports” a while back, but the company has just announced the feature will be going away very soon. In an email to users of the service, Google says it will stop telling you about dark web…
Shenzhen-based Picea Robotics, its lender and primary supplier, will acquire all of iRobot’s shares. Roomba maker iRobot has filed for bankruptcy and will be taken over by its Chinese supplier after the company that popularized the robot vacuum cleaner fell under the weight of competition from cheaper rivals. The…
Gov’ts agree to ban or restrict international trade in shark meat, fins, and other products. For the first time, global governments have agreed to widespread international trade bans and restrictions for sharks and rays being driven to extinction. Last week, more than 70 shark and ray species, including oceanic…
“The vast majority of Codex is built by Codex,” OpenAI told us about its new AI coding agent. With the popularity of AI coding tools rising among some software developers, their adoption has begun to touch every aspect of the process, including the improvement of AI coding tools themselves.…
Help raise a charity haul that’s already past $11,000 in just a couple of days. If you’ve been too busy floating in your new WoW house to take part in this year’s Ars Technica Charity Drive sweepstakes, don’t worry. You still have time to donate to a good cause…
