Tech Digest daily roundup: AI ‘godfather’ Geoffrey Hinton quits Google
A man widely seen as the godfather of artificial intelligence (AI) has quit his job, warning about the growing dangers from developments in the field. Geoffrey Hinton, 75, announced his resignation from Google in a statement to the New York Times, saying he now regretted his work. He told the BBC some of the dangers of AI chatbots were “quite scary”. “Right now, they’re not more intelligent than us, as far as I can tell. But I think they soon may be.” Dr Hinton also accepted that his age had played into his decision. BBC
An AI-based decoder that can translate brain activity into a continuous stream of text has been developed, in a breakthrough that allows a person’s thoughts to be read non-invasively for the first time. The decoder could reconstruct speech with uncanny accuracy while people listened to a story – or even silently imagined one – using only fMRI scan data. Previous language decoding systems have required surgical implants, and the latest advance raises the prospect of new ways to restore speech in patients struggling to communicate due to a stroke or motor neurone disease. The Guardian
Sony is unveiling the Xperia 1 Mk V in ten days. The device was teased over two months ago with a similar design to its predecessors, but now we have a confirmation of its looks. The new flagship appeared on a billboard in Hong Kong, revealing the triple rear camera vertical alignment with a more prominent oval island and larger lenses. A photo of the billboard appeared on Reddit, revealing the new Xperia 1’s tagline will be “one for all lights” and will have “the next-gen double low-noise camera sensor”. GSM Arena
Tesla has inexplicably decided to stop taking orders for the Model S and Model X orders in several of right-hand drive markets. Over the last few days, Tesla has shut down the online configurator for the Model S and Model X in Australia, Thailand, Singapore, and New Zealand. These markets have in common that they are all right-hand-drive markets..Tesla has kept orders open in the UK, but it still only displays US specs for the two flagship vehicles. Elektrek
Microsoft has announced the end of Windows 10, the world’s most popular operating system. And the decision will leave millions of users with a financial headache. Microsoft broke the news through an updated product roadmap, announcing that the current version of Windows 10, 22H2, released in October 2022, is the final feature update. The company also stated that all support for Windows 10 Home, Pro, Enterprise and Education, including security updates, will end for mainstream users on October 14, 2025. Forbes
In a wide-ranging talk on Saturday night, SpaceX founder Elon Musk reviewed the debut launch of the Starship rocket on April 20. The bottom line, he said, is that the vehicle’s flight slightly exceeded his expectations and that damage to the launch site was not all that extensive. He expects Starship to fly again in as few as two or three months. “Basically the outcome was roughly sort of what I expected and maybe slightly exceeded my expectations,” he said. “And I’m glad to report that the pad damage is actually quite small, and it looks like it can be repaired quite quickly.” Ars Technica
BT challenger Zzoomm is laying off hundreds of engineers as smaller broadband firms grapple with a funding crisis. The Oxfordshire-based company, which is rolling out full-fibre internet connections across the UK, will start outsourcing its network build in a bid to conserve cash. Around 300 employees in its construction team, including engineers and office roles, will be made redundant – equivalent to more than 50pc of the company’s workforce. Telegraph
