Is that person real? Zoom rolls out new tool to verify meeting participants
Dubai: Zoom is introducing a new feature designed to verify whether meeting participants are real people, as concerns grow over AI-generated avatars and deepfakes in video calls.The company has partnered with World, a digital identity platform, to integrate a system that confirms a user’s identity during meetings. According to a report by TechCrunch, the feature uses “World ID” technology to validate participants before or during a call.Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app...
Tinder and Zoom offer 'proof of humanity' eye-scans to combat AI
Tinder and Zoom offer 'proof of humanity' eye-scans to combat AIJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleKali HaysTechnology reporterReutersTinder will let users prove they are human and not robots by bringing advanced eye-scanning technology to the app amid rising fears over AI.Users of the dating app, as well as other major platforms such as video calling service Zoom, will be able to scan their irises to earn a "proof of humanity" badge attached to their profile or name....
AI minister Kendall says she doesn't use AI at work
AI minister Kendall says she doesn't use AI at work14 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleMatt ChorleyPresenter, BBC Radio 5 Live and NewsnightBBCLiz Kendall was treated to a demonstration of a driverless carLiz Kendall, the cabinet minister in charge of Artificial Intelligence (AI), has revealed she does not use AI in her job.The Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary this week unveiled a £500m fund aimed at backing British AI firms, which she said was "crucial to our...
Steve Bannon sides with Anthropic in fight with Pentagon: ‘It’s almost too dangerous’
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon said he believes artificial intelligence company Anthropic “had it right” in demanding its technology not be used in fully autonomous lethal weapons, setting off a fight with the Pentagon.  The Pentagon has insisted it be allowed to use Anthropic’s Claude for “all lawful uses” and last month labeled the…
OpenAI’s policy chief says AI companies ‘need to do a much better job’ talking about AI as industry leaders face personal attacks
Dario Amodei warned last May that AI could wipe out half of entry-level white collar jobs. Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman predicted the technology would automate most tasks of the entire white-collar workforce in a year to 18 months. And recently, a report from Anthropic mapped out exactly what Suleyman warned about, and what Elon Musk thinks will make work optional. The successive statements about AI’s transformative impact on labor may help justify the booming valuation of some AI compan...
Anthropic’s Mythos cybersecurity capabilities require urgent international cooperation, AI godfather Yoshua Bengio says
Yoshua Bengio, a computer scientist considered one of the “godfathers of AI” for his help in pioneering the deep learning systems that underpin today’s AI models, has been warning about the risks of the technology he helped to create for years. Now, he says new models like Anthropic’s Mythos demonstrate why international institutions urgently need to work together to address AI’s potential dangers. Anthropic’s newest model, Claude Mythos, is said to represent a major ste...
Chinese LED chipmaker’s purchase of Dutch firm collapses after US opposition
China’s leading LED chipmaker and its Malaysian partner have abandoned their US$239 million cash offer to purchase Dutch technology company Lumileds Holding after opposition from US authorities, marking the latest setback for Chinese tech investment overseas following the high-profile Nexperia saga. Sanan Optoelectronics, listed in Shanghai, said in a disclosure announcement on Friday that despite multiple rounds of discussions, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)...
The ‘intelligent’ era and why connectivity in technology ecosystems is no longer enough
For more than a decade, the technology industry has been focused on connecting devices. Smartphones, wearables, tablets and services have been designed to work together seamlessly, forming the foundation of today’s digital ecosystems.However, a new reality is emerging. Connectivity alone is no longer enough. Despite the progress made, many connected experiences still rely heavily on user input. Devices share data, but they do not always interpret it meaningfully. Users remain responsible for man...
Meet the crypto guru to the Fortune 500
Good morning. Fortune 500 companies are already experimenting with blockchain but many CFOs are still hesitant to move real money on-chain. That topic came up in my conversation with Betsabe Botaitis, the new CFO of P2P.org, a company that helps large institutions earn returns from crypto assets. P2P provides the behind-the-scenes technology, such as like servers and security systems, that lets institutions earn rewards from cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Solana. Normally, companies would...
Reese Witherspoon warns AI is three times more likely to replace women
Actress Reese Witherspoon warned women that their jobs are three times more likely to be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI) than those of men unless they begin learning how to use the technology.The "Morning Show" actress took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a story about meeting with the women in her book club and discovering that out of the 10 women, only three used AI and only one felt that she was using it the right way."So, if three out of 10 women are the only ones using AI, that...
Nervous Indian Fintechs Push Anthropic for Access to Mythos
India’s major financial technology firms are pushing Anthropic PBC to give them early access to Mythos, the artificial intelligence model that has sparked global fears about a new era of cyberattacks.
Chinese ministry focuses on car standards to put industry in global driving seat
To sharpen its competitive edge in the world’s next-generation vehicle market, China has pledged to fast track automotive technical standards to build its status as a global rule-setter. The carmaking powerhouse would drive high-quality development of the auto sector through the formulation and enhancement of core standards during the next five years, officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) told state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) in Beijing on...
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang warns Huawei chips for DeepSeek AI models would be ‘horrible’ for US
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on a recent podcast that if Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek optimised its new models on chips from Huawei Technologies, it would be “a horrible outcome” for the US. If “future AI models are optimised in a very different way than the American tech stack”, and as “AI diffuses out into the rest of the world” with Chinese standards and technology, China “will become superior to” the US, Huang said on the Dwarkesh Podcast on Wednesday. The conversation.....
WhatsApp tests new feature to automatically separate business chats and reduce spam
Must ReadScience & TechnologyWhatsApp tests new feature to automatically separate business chats and reduce spamBy Web Desk-Apr 17, 2026WhatsApp is working on an innovative new feature for Android users that will automatically organize chat lists by separating business messages into a dedicated section. According to recent reports from WABetaInfo, this upcoming update aims to significantly reduce the daily clutter and spam often created by a heavy influx of promotional and corporate communi...
OMODA&JAECOO offers exclusive deals to mark third anniversary, 1m global sales milestone
OMODA&JAECOO, one of the world’s fastest-growing smart mobility and technology brands, has launched exclusive UAE offers to celebrate its third anniversary and approaching the one-million global sales milestone. The offers for customers include flexible payment plans, substantial savings, and premium benefits across the range of vehicles.Deals on SHS modelsOMODA&JAECOO’s Super Hybrid System (SHS) models in the UAE are positioned with a strong, value-driven ownership package, featuring 0...
Netflix co-founder Hastings exits as streaming pioneer hunts for growth
LifestyleScience & TechnologyNetflix co-founder Hastings exits as streaming pioneer hunts for growthBy Reuters -Apr 17, 2026LOS ANGELES: Netflix Reed Hastings is quitting the streaming service he co-founded 29 years ago. The departure of Hastings, 65, comes at an inopportune time. The company is searching for new avenues of growth as sales slow due to competition, and after a potentially transformative merger with Warner Bros Discovery fell through in February. Netflix on Thursday forecast...
Liz Kendall urges UK public to embrace AI as government makes first £500m fund investment
Technology secretary plays down fears over jobs and cyber security as stake taken in British startupThe UK technology secretary has urged the country to “make AI work for Britain”, brushing off fears about its impact on jobs and cybersecurity as the government announced its first investment under a £500m sovereign AI fund. Liz Kendall said the UK had to “seize” the opportunity offered by AI despite concerns underlined this month when US startup Anthropic revealed it had developed an AI model th...
Factory hits $1.5B valuation to build AI coding for enterprises
More than three years after the emergence of generative AI, AI-assisted coding remains by far the most popular and lucrative use case for the technology. Although multiple companies—including Anthropic, maker of Claude Code, as well as Cursor and Cognition—are already vying for dominance, investors believe there is room for at least one more player.
Diamond coating nearly doubles Chinese AI data centre’s cooling efficiency
Chinese researchers have developed a new diamond-copper material that they say can improve the cooling efficiency of artificial intelligence (AI) data centres by up to 80 per cent. The functional carbon materials team – from the Ningbo Institute of Industrial Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) – said the composite material had already been deployed in an AI computing node in Zhengzhou in Henan province, China Science Daily reported. The global computing industry’s pursuit of AI....
Altman attack suspect suggested ‘Luigi’ing some tech CEOs’ in online chat
The suspect accused of attempting to murder OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed interest in “Luigi’ing” technology leaders in an online chat late last year, seemingly referring to Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing United Health CEO Brian Thompson.  A team member of the podcast “The Last Invention” first made contact with the suspect, Daniel…