Tech Digest daily roundup: Elon Musk suggests all users will have to pay for X
Elon Musk has suggested that all users of X, formerly called Twitter, may have to pay for access to the platform. In a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the billionaire said a payment system was the only way to counter bots. “We’re moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the system,” the Tesla and SpaceX boss said. The BBC approached X for further details but has not yet received a statement from the company. It is unclear whether this was just an off-the-cuff comment, or a signal of firmer plans that have yet to be announced. BBC
YouTube has suspended adverts on videos by Russell Brand after the comedian was accused of rape and sexual assault. The Google-owned company said it had suspended the monetisation of Brand’s channel for “violating our Creator Responsibility policy”. It comes after four women made sexual abuse allegations against the star between 2006 and 2013 as part of an investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches. Brand, 48, denies any allegations against him. Sky News
The cost of batteries fell by nearly 10 per cent in August, taking them past a key milestone that is seen by energy analysts as a “tipping point” to supercharge the transition to electric vehicles. The price of lithium-ion battery cells, which power everything from smartphones to the International Space Station, fell below $100/ kilowatthour (kWh) last month – a 33 per cent drop from March 2022 and an 8.7 per cent month-on-month drop. Energy analytics firm Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, who compiled the figures, noted that battery pack prices need to reach $100/kWh for electric vehicles to reach price parity with fossil fuel-burning vehicles. Independent
It looks like the initial hype surrounding generative AI is running out of steam. But according to Mustafa Suleyman, one of the cofounders of DeepMind, generative artificial intelligence is just a phase before the next wave: interactive AI, where machines perform multi-step tasks on their own by talking to other AIs and even people. Suleyman gave his opinion on the state of AI in an interview with MIT Technology Review last week. Techspot
Microsoft court documents show plans to remaster The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and Fallout 3, as well as other unannounced games like a new Doom game, Dishonored 3, and more. According to The Verge reporter Tom Warren, who shared a tweet today, “A massive amount of highly confidential and unredacted Microsoft docs have leaked as part of the FTC v. Microsoft case. They were attached to a single file and incorrectly hidden and posted publicly. A huge error that has led to a giant leak. More to come.” Tech Radar
Alongside new iPhones and Apple Watches, Apple is releasing a new version of its AirPods Pro this month. The 2nd Generation AirPods Pro with USB-C — a mouthful of a model name — don’t have any radical hardware changes. Apple replaced the proprietary Lightning port with a USB-C charger to match the rest of its lineup. But a slew of software features…will make it much easier for AirPods Pro users to leave their earbuds in all day while navigating cities or talking to co-workers. CNBC
Sadiq Khan is expected to claim that “hundreds of thousands of dollars” were spent on an anti-Ulez online manipulation campaign on Twitter, citing research conducted after Labour’s unexpected Uxbridge byelection defeat. The London mayor, who will speak at a conference in New York on Tuesday, said he feared that disinformation and manipulation campaigns were “spreading apace” but it was not always clear who was behind them. The Guardian
