Author: Wired Magazine

When You Call a Restaurant, You Might Be Chatting With an AI Host

A pleasant female voice greets me over the phone. “Hi, I’m an assistant named Jasmine for Bodega,” the voice says. “How can I help?” “Do you have patio seating,” I ask. Jasmine sounds a little sad as she tells me that unfortunately, the San Francisco–based Vietnamese restaurant doesn’t have outdoor seating. But her sadness isn’t… Continue reading When You Call a Restaurant, You Might Be Chatting With an AI Host

Strange Visual Auras Could Hold the Key to Better Migraine Treatments

Exactly why CSD starts, nobody knows. Similarly, plenty of mysteries remain about what activates the pain of migraines. Past studies have proposed that migraine headaches occur when something in the cerebrospinal fluid indirectly activates nerves in the nearby meninges, the layers of membrane between the brain and the skull. Rasmussen’s experiment, led by neuroscientist Maiken… Continue reading Strange Visual Auras Could Hold the Key to Better Migraine Treatments

Laura Loomer: The ‘Free Spirit’ Whispering in Trump’s Ear

Leah Feiger: And it also just plays into the entire media is out to get us. David Gilbert: Absolutely, yeah. Leah Feiger: This is the end, yeah. So, that’s a fun one. David Gilbert: It reinforces the idea, which Trump has said that, “Oh, ABC are going to give Kamala the questions.” Leah Feiger: Right,… Continue reading Laura Loomer: The ‘Free Spirit’ Whispering in Trump’s Ear

First Israel’s Exploding Pagers Maimed and Killed. Now Comes the Paranoia

“They don’t trust their smartphones, so they reach back to these more archaic devices, and those blow up. What’s next?” says Schneier. “Everything becomes less efficient, because they can’t communicate well.” Schneier describes the paranoia-inducing effect of the operation as a kind of ongoing “tax” on Hezbollah as an organization. “There are a lot of… Continue reading First Israel’s Exploding Pagers Maimed and Killed. Now Comes the Paranoia

US Senate Warns Big Tech to Act Fast Against Election Meddling

Andy Carvin, the managing editor and research director of the Digital Forensic Research Lab, tells WIRED that his organization, which conducts a vast amount of research into disinformation and other online harms, has been tracking Doppelganger for more than two years. The scope of the operation should surprise few, he says, given the fake news… Continue reading US Senate Warns Big Tech to Act Fast Against Election Meddling

Lionsgate’s New Deal Is a Test of Hollywood’s Relationship With AI

It’s hard not to feel the ripple effect when big shifts happen. One such shift came Wednesday when Lionsgate—the studio responsible for the John Wick, Hunger Games, and Twilight franchises—announced it had teamed up with artificial intelligence firm Runway for a “first-of-its-kind partnership” that would give the AI firm access to the studio’s archives in… Continue reading Lionsgate’s New Deal Is a Test of Hollywood’s Relationship With AI

I Stared Into the AI Void With the SocialAI App

The first time I used SocialAI, I was sure the app was performance art. That was the only logical explanation for why I would willingly sign up to have AI bots named Blaze Fury and Trollington Nefarious, well, troll me. Even the app’s creator, Michael Sayman, admits that the premise of SocialAI may confuse people.… Continue reading I Stared Into the AI Void With the SocialAI App

Walkie-Talkies Explode in New Attack on Hezbollah

With Hezbollah and Lebanon still reeling from a coordinated wave of pager explosions on Tuesday that killed at least 12 people and injured thousands, another bombardment began on Wednesday, this time taking the form of exploding two-way radios. Footage of the explosions, which was not independently confirmed by WIRED, appears to show even larger blasts… Continue reading Walkie-Talkies Explode in New Attack on Hezbollah

An Avalanche of Generative AI Videos Is Coming to YouTube Shorts

Eli Collins, a vice president of product management at Google DeepMind, first demoed generative AI video tools for the company’s board of directors back in 2022. Despite the model’s slow speed, pricey cost to operate, and sometimes off-kilter outputs, he says it was an eye-opening moment for them to see fresh video clips generated from… Continue reading An Avalanche of Generative AI Videos Is Coming to YouTube Shorts