Tech Digest daily roundup: BT to slash workforce, replace with AI
BT has revealed plans to significantly reduce the number of people working for the telecoms group as part of efforts to cut costs and bolster profitability, with artificial intelligence (AI) due to replace thousands of roles. While outlining annual results, the company said it saw its “total labour resource” being reduced from 130,000 to between 75,000 and 90,000 by the end of the decade under a “rolling plan”. It said the numbers affected – 55,000 at the top estimate – included its own employees and third-party contractors. Sky News
Nintendo has announced its latest game in the Zelda series has sold more than 10 million copies in just three days. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom had become the fastest-selling Zelda game so far, it said. For comparison, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – the highest-rated game on gaming-aggregator Metacritic – sold 7.4 million copies over its entire run. Tears of the Kingdom was released as a Nintendo Switch exclusive on Friday. And it has already sold more copies than any other Zelda game except Breath of the Wild, to which it is a sequel. BBC
It’s official, the rumored Beats Studio Buds Plus are real, and they’re finally here. Early reviews indicate that the two year wait between these and the first model is worth the wait too. The new buds feature better noise cancelling (1.6 times better, according to Beats), an improved Transparency mode, longer battery life (nine hours from the buds, 36 hours in total), “Hey Siri” support for Apple devices, Android auto switching between devices, and a new smaller eartip option, just like AirPods Pro 2. They’re available to order starting today (May 17). Tech Radar
As many as one million people cut off their broadband in the last year as the cost-of-living crisis left them unable to afford it, a survey suggests. Those on universal credit were six times more likely to have stopped their broadband in the last 12 months than those who are not receiving the benefit amid rising bills, Citizens Advice found. Those claiming universal credit but still paying for broadband are more than four times more likely to be behind on their bills, according to Citizens Advice. Evening Standard
Apple has announced that those who attend WWDC 2023 – or “WWDC23“, as it is now officially known – get to spend an entire day at its iconic Park this year. The extra Special Event “for developers and students” is rated “to kick off an incredible week of online sessions, labs, and activities“. This reveal has acted as more fuel for rumors of a first-gen Reality headset, powered by the equally new xrOS, launch on this first day of the conference. Notebook Check
The Tesla Annual Shareholder meeting took place on 16 May 2023, giving Elon Musk the chance to talk across a wide-range of Tesla topics and answer many questions. Apart from confirming that Cybertruck deliveries would start in 2023, the Tesla founder teased the launch of two new products. The details on these products are light, and Musk didn’t dwell on them for long, but during this section of the presentation, a silhouette was shown on the display giving us an idea of the profile of the vehicle (see above). Pocket Lint
