Musk claims ‘civil war is inevitable’ in UK, Disney child star targeted with AI sexual abuse
Social media firms need to take action over “shocking misinformation”, online agitators and the “organisation of violence”, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said. She told the Today programme social media firms are not acting quickly enough to remove “criminal material” after days of protests in UK towns and cities. Her comments come after X owner Elon Musk said “civil war is inevitable” on his social media platform in response to a video showing people aiming fireworks at police. The home secretary said social media companies need to “take responsibility” over online posts encouraging criminality. BBC
A Disney Channel child star has told Sky News that she “broke down in tears” after learning a criminal had used artificial intelligence (AI) to create sexual abuse images using her face. Kaylin Hayman, who is 16 years old, returned home from school one day to a phone call from the FBI. An investigator told her that a man living thousands of miles away had sexually violated her without her knowledge. Kaylin’s face, the investigator said, had been superimposed on images of adults performing sexual acts. Sky News
This past week, Apple took the wraps off Apple Intelligence for the first time, giving developers an early preview at the suite of new features. But it will take a while for consumers to start using the software. As I reported last week, the features won’t be in the initial version of iOS 18 and other new operating systems. Instead, they’ll be included in iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1. That means Apple Intelligence won’t roll out in September when the iPhone arrives; it will probably begin launching publicly in October. Bloomberg
We’ve had a few indications already that the upcoming Google Pixel Watch 3 will finally come in two sizes, and today we have another confirmation. A leaked promo video of the Google Pixel Watch 3 reveals some of the watch’s features as well as its two sizes – 41mm and 45mm. Even better, it looks like Google has trimmed the bezels a bit, especially on the new bigger model – the display seems to stretch all the way to the edges.
Charging will reportedly be 20% faster, while Google is still claiming up to 24 hours of battery life. As for features, the Pixel Watch 3 will give you tips to beat your personal best run and give you real-time advice while you’re running. GSM Arena
New figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that while electric vehicle (EV) sales are up in July 2024, the industry is still behind target to meet the UK’s ZEV mandate rules for the transition to electric power. July’s figures show that EV sales made up 18.5 per cent of the total vehicle sales in the UK. The year-to-date figure is 16.5 per cent, which lags behind the target of 19.8 per cent the industry has been pushing for by the end of 2024. It’s also some way off the 22 per cent required for each manufacturer under the ZEV mandate as we head towards the 2035 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. Driving Electric
Neuralink has successfully implanted in a second patient its device designed to give paralyzed patients the ability to use digital devices by thinking alone, according to the startup’s owner Elon Musk. Neuralink is in the process of testing its device, which is intended to help people with spinal cord injuries. The device has allowed the first patient to play video games, browse the internet, post on social media and move a cursor on his laptop. Musk gave few details about the second participant beyond saying the person had a spinal cord injury similar to the first patient. The Guardian
