Good morning! This is your daily ☕️ Techpresso.
In today's Techpresso:
👀 AI bots now beat 100% of CAPTCHAs
🖐️ New robot arm can detach its hand to crawl and grab objects
💸 ChatGPT subscription cost could double in 5 years
🏠 Apple developing AI HomePod with touchscreen and video
🤗 Microsoft announces sweeping changes to controversial Recall feature
🫠 Meta fined for storing user passwords in plain text
🎁 + 6 other news you might like
🔮 + 1 handpicked research papers and tools
👀 AI bots now beat 100% of CAPTCHAsLINK
Research shows that image-recognition bots can now solve Google ReCAPTCHA v2 challenges with a 100 percent success rate, matching human-level performance.
ETH Zurich PhD student Andreas Plesner and colleagues reveal that these bots are capable of identifying objects in CAPTCHA grids, such as bicycles and traffic lights, with near-perfect accuracy.
Though Google has largely replaced reCAPTCHA v2 with an "invisible" reCAPTCHA v3, the older system is still widely used on millions of websites as a fallback.
🖐️ New robot arm can detach its hand to crawl and grab objectsLINK
Researchers at EPFL in Switzerland created a robotic hand that can detach from its arm and crawl independently to grasp objects, extending the arm's reach.
The hand, designed with a genetic algorithm and MuJoCo simulator, features five articulated fingers and a magnetic connector for autonomous attachment and detachment.
Capable of bending in both directions, the hand can lift multiple items simultaneously and function even in tight spaces, unlike larger robots like Boston Dynamics' Spot.
💸 ChatGPT subscription cost could double in 5 yearsLINK
OpenAI plans to increase the price of the ChatGPT Plus subscription from $20/month to $44/month over the next five years, as revealed in internal documents circulated to investors.
The subscription cost will rise to $22/month by the end of this year, with the gradual price hikes aiming to support OpenAI's revenue goals, which include reaching $100 billion by 2029.
OpenAI's valuation has surged to $150 billion, partly due to significant investments and anticipated revenue growth, despite their expectation to lose $5 billion this year.
🏠 Apple developing AI HomePod with touchscreen and videoLINK
Apple is reportedly developing a new HomePod with a touchscreen display, powered by a modified version of its tvOS software, and featuring advanced AI capabilities through the A18 chip.
The device, internally referred to as "HomeAccessory" and codenamed "J490," is expected to support hand gestures and video conferencing via an embedded camera, including platforms like FaceTime.
The upcoming smart home accessory is anticipated to include a square display with customizable lock screens, a built-in camera for hands-free interaction, and functionalities as a media player and AirPlay receiver.
🤗 Microsoft announces sweeping changes to controversial Recall featureLINK
Microsoft has overhauled its AI-powered Recall feature, making it an opt-in experience that users can fully uninstall, addressing initial security concerns surrounding its use.
All sensitive data within Recall, including screenshots, is now encrypted and tied to the Trusted Platform Module (TPM), requiring user authentication through Windows Hello to access or use the feature.
Recall now processes all sensitive operations within a virtualization-based security enclave, and Microsoft has conducted extensive security reviews to enhance the feature's protection against malware and unauthorized access.
🫠 Meta fined for storing user passwords in plain textLINK
The Irish Data Protection Commission has fined Meta $101 million for storing hundreds of millions of user passwords in plaintext and making them widely accessible to company employees.
The problem was uncovered during a routine security review, and Meta claimed there was no indication that internal personnel misused the passwords or that they were ever exposed to external parties.
This incident highlighted a significant security lapse, as best industry practices for over three decades have required passwords to be stored using cryptographic hashing to prevent unauthorized access.
Other news you might like
Apple not investing in OpenAI after all, new report says.LINK
Dell sales team told to return to office 5 days a week, starting Monday.LINK
Threads joins X in blocking posts to apparently leaked documents about JD Vance.LINK
Elon Musk's X will be allowed back online in Brazil after paying one more fine.LINK
iFixit’s iPhone 16 teardown finds a greatly improved battery removal process.LINK
Steam will let you sue Valve now.LINK
Latest research and tools
FFT-based ocean-wave rendering in Godot: an experimental tool that uses the Fourier transform to create realistic ocean waves in the Godot Engine, allowing users to modify wave properties in real time for diverse ocean environments.LINK
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