Tech Digest daily roundup: Netflix’s move into gaming is ‘natural extension’
Think of Netflix and a memorable television show or movie will likely pop into your mind. Squid Game? Bridgerton? Stranger Things maybe? Soon, the streaming service wants video games to be competing for a place on that list. Netflix says games are a key part of its proposition to stay relevant with audiences in years to come, and is slowly ramping up plans to offer more gaming experiences to subscribers. Leanne Loombe, vice president of external games at Netflix, tells BBC News: “Games are one of the biggest forms of entertainment out there today, so it really is just a natural extension for Netflix to include them as part of the subscription. BBC
More electric vehicles are being made by manufacturers than drivers want, one of Britain’s biggest car dealerships has said. Vertu Motors, which trades under brands including Bristol Street Motors, said supply of new and used electric models is outstripping demand, forcing manufacturers to slash prices in an effort to shift stock. “Recent increased supply of new electric vehicles appears to be exceeding retail demand, creating an imbalance in pipeline inventory,” the company said. Telegraph
Google has confirmed a Pixel hardware event will take place on October 4 and has duly leaked what appears to be the Pixel 8 Pro handset. An image on the Google Store website, spotted by @Android_Setting on X (formerly known as Twitter) appears to show the Pixel 8 Pro in an attractive porcelain hue. How do we know it’s the Pixel 8 Pro? After all, it doesn’t look noticeably different from the Pixel 7 phone. Well, it’s our old friend, the descriptive alt text of the image, which reads: “A person takes a call on a Pixel 8 Pro phone in Porcelain.” Trusted Reviews
Here’s a look at the Google Pixel 8 Pro in Porcelain.
This image is from the Google Store website, which inadvertently published this image early in the promo page for “Google Subscriptions & Services”.
Thanks to @android_setting for the tip! pic.twitter.com/nARd4Hz8hk
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) August 30, 2023
TikTok has removed 284 accounts associated with a Chinese disinformation campaign after Guardian Australia raised questions about several accounts uncovered by the company’s rival Meta. On Wednesday, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram reported it had shut down close to 9,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts, groups and pages associated with a Chinese political spam network that had targeted users in Australia and other parts of the world. During its investigation Meta uncovered the influence operation on more than 50 online platforms. The Guardian
The potential threat AI poses to human life itself should be a focus of any government regulation, MPs have warned. Concerns around public wellbeing and national security were listed among a dozen challenges that members of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee said must be addressed by ministers ahead of the UK hosting a world-first summit at Bletchley Park. Rishi Sunak and other leaders will discuss the possibilities and risks posed by AI at the event in November, held at Britain’s Second World War codebreaking base. Sky News
Chinese search engine and artificial intelligence firm Baidu made its ChatGPT-equivalent language model fully available to the public Thursday, raising the company’s stock price by over 3% following the announcement. Beijing sees artificial intelligence as a key industry to rival the United States and aims to become a global leader by 2030. Chinese technology firms have also raced to unveil their generative AI models — in which algorithms allow the technology to produce and create new content — after U.S. firm OpenAI launched the widely popular ChatGPT. Independent
