vendredi 12 mai 2023

These smart lights can also monitor your home

These smart lights can also monitor your home
A room with graphics showing how a camera and a light can scare off an intruder.
WiZ’s new home monitoring service uses light bulbs and cameras to protect your space. | Image: Signify

WiZ is launching a new home monitoring feature that leverages the smart lighting company’s existing motion-sensing Wi-Fi smart bulbs. Paired with a new $70 indoor security camera, WiZ Home Monitoring can alert you to potential intruders in your home. Using WiZ’s unique SpaceSensing feature — which detects changes in Wi-Fi signal strength caused by movement to turn lights on or off the lights — the system can send an alert to the WiZ app when motion is detected. The new camera can then show you what’s going on.

The WiZ Home Monitoring Starter kit, which includes three WiZ A19 full-color smart bulbs and one camera, will be available starting June 15th for 159.99 Euro with US pricing not set. Or, if you already have a couple of WiZ bulbs or lights, you can pick up the camera for $69.99 (89.99 Euro) later this month. (At least two bulbs are needed for SpaceSense to work.)

 Image: Signify
The WiZ Indoor Wi-Fi Camera works with WiZ’s smart lighting line as part of its new Home Monitoring feature.

Wi-Fi sensing is a very promising ambient technology for the smart home, and this isn’t the first system to leverage it. Hex by Origin Wireless is a smart security system that uses the tech and Linksys Wi-Fi routers can detect motion in your home.

However, WiZ’s option is a super simple solution from a hardware perspective. While not as robust as a full security system with sensors on every door and window, it’s infinitely easier to set up: most people know how to screw in a lightbulb.

There’s no hub or siren or professional monitoring. Instead, when the “alarm” is triggered by any motion, the lights can be set to flash erratically to scare off a potential intruder. The Home Monitoring feature is free and works in WiZ’s newly launched WiZ V2 app. You can also customize the monitoring to just certain areas of the home. That may be useful for making sure your roommate doesn’t pinch your leftovers from the fridge.

You can set customizable routines that control the lights and activate the monitoring, which can be turned on and off manually in the app or set on a schedule. The monitoring feature also includes presence simulation, which can turn lights on and off automatically to make it seem like someone is at home.

 Image: Signify
WiZ’s SpaceSense technology uses Wi-Fi signals to detect people in a room. At least, we think that’s what this image is trying to tell us... .

WiZ, which is owned by Signify, says 80 to 90 percent of its existing lights and all its new products work with SpaceSense and will be compatible with Home Monitoring. That includes all Connected by WiZ brand lights.

At launch, you do need the new WiZ Indoor Camera to use the home monitoring features. WiZ says the camera is the first of many home monitoring products the company is planning.

The WiZ Indoor Camera streams and records in 1080p and has a 120-degree field of view. Infrared night vision, image-based motion detection, and two-way audio add to its security features, plus the camera’s onboard microphone can listen for sudden loud noises and send notifications when it hears glass breaking or a smoke alarm going off.

An onboard microSD card can record footage locally, or you can subscribe to cloud storage for up to 30 days of recordings (pricing for this was not announced). The company said all cloud footage is end-to-end encrypted, and even the local SD card storage is encrypted, with footage only accessible through the WiZ app. The subscription also adds the option of using activity and privacy zones with the camera and the ability to start a manual recording while streaming.

The camera is fairly basic in terms of hardware, but it’s the software features that are the star of the show here. If the system can deliver what it promises, the simplicity and low price point make it a very intriguing home security solution, particularly for apartments and smaller homes.

‘Beyond expectation’: Nintendo’s latest Zelda title launches to critical acclaim

‘Beyond expectation’: Nintendo’s latest Zelda title launches to critical acclaim

Tears of the Kingdom set to continue success of fantasy series, already being called one of the greatest video games ever made

If university lecture halls and offices looked a little quiet on Friday, it may be down to Nintendo.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – the latest in Nintendo’s long-running series of vast, life-absorbing adventure video games – has launched for the firm’s Switch console to a chorus of critical praise.

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The lawyer whose sex trafficking case against Instagram could spell trouble for big tech

The lawyer whose sex trafficking case against Instagram could spell trouble for big tech

Annie McAdams represents clients who claim Meta’s products connect vulnerable people with sex buyers

On 14 March 2022, Annie McAdams, a personal injury lawyer running a small firm in Houston, Texas, filed a civil action suit on behalf of one of her clients. The plaintiff was a 23-year-old woman, who had endured years of sexual exploitation at the hands of a convicted trafficker. The defendant was one of the most powerful technology companies in the world.

Contained within McAdams’s federal suit was a series of allegations that Meta – the owner of Facebook and Instagram, which are used by more than 3 billion people every day – had knowingly created a breeding ground for human trafficking and was actively facilitating the buying and selling of people for sex online.

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jeudi 11 mai 2023

‘Why would we employ people?’ Experts on five ways AI will change work

‘Why would we employ people?’ Experts on five ways AI will change work

From farming and education to healthcare and the military, artificial intelligence is poised to make sweeping changes to the workplace. But can it have a positive impact – or are we in for a darker future?

In 1965, the political scientist and Nobel laureate Herbert Simon declared: “Machines will be capable, within 20 years, of doing any work a man can do.” Today, in what is increasingly referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, the arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace is igniting similar concerns.

The European parliament’s forthcoming Artificial Intelligence Act is likely to deem the use of AI across education, law enforcement and worker management to be “high risk”. Geoffrey Hinton, known as the “godfather of AI”, recently resigned from his position at Google, citing concerns about the technology’s impact on the job market. And, in early May, striking members of the Writers Guild of America promised executives: “AI will replace you before it replaces us.”

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Twitter’s new CEO is probably this NBC exec

Twitter’s new CEO is probably this NBC exec
NBCUniversal Upfront Events - Season 2022
NBCU’s head of global advertising and partnerships, Linda Yaccarino. | Photo: Charles Sykes/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Elon Musk says he has found a new CEO for Twitter and that “she” will start in a matter of weeks. It’s most likely going to be Linda Yaccarino, the current head of advertising and partnerships for NBCUniversal.

I wish I could say with certainty that it’s her, though the deal doesn’t seem to be totally done. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that she’s “in talks” for the job, and Dylan Byers of Puck says Musk “plans” to give it to her. Unfortunately, her spokesperson is ghosting me and Twitter has resorted to responding to press inquiries with a poop emoji.

I do know, however, that Yaccarino has been angling for the job and telling friends she wants it. The advertising world is certainly gossiping that it’s her. She recently hosted Musk at her “Possible” advertising conference in Miami for a gushing interview and has been tweeting up a storm, including about how excited she is for NBC to partner with Twitter for the next Olympics.

In his tweet today, Musk said that, once his mysterious new CEO starts in about six weeks, he will “transition to being exec chair & CTO, overseeing product, software & sysops.”

That means his CEO will be almost solely focused on the business, which Yaccarino is certainly qualified for. She already runs a multi-billion-dollar ads business and is well respected among the cohort of CMOs who need to be convinced to spend on the platform again. Importantly, I’m told that she and Musk also see eye to eye politically.

“She’s tough as fucking nails and she’s always wanted this job,” a former colleague says. “It’s perfect.”

If I had to guess, the reason Musk didn’t announce the name is because of unfortunate timing on Yaccarino’s end. NBCU is slated to give its annual Upfront presentation to advertisers on Monday, which Yaccarino is apparently in rehearsals for today. Awkward!

This story ran in today’s edition of my Command Line newsletter, which you can sign up for below:

Amrita Khalid contributed reporting.

The best Mother’s Day gifts on a budget

The best Mother’s Day gifts on a budget
An illustrative collage of budget-friendly gift ideas for moms, laid out on a green background.
Illustration by William Joel / The Verge

It’s okay to cheap out on a gift for mom as long as you go with something thoughtful. Lucky for you, we’ve gathered recipe books, board games, and plenty of other ideas to consider.

Mom deserves a break... or at the least a show of appreciation when Mother’s Day rolls around on Sunday. We’ve already pooled together a variety of gift ideas that we’re confident will make a pleasant present for moms of all molds, but with this mini gift guide, we’re focusing on budget-friendly ideas that are just as clever.

Some affordable gifts highlighted below include a one-of-a-kind phone case decked out in Japanese decoden-style adornments, a cheap fitness tracker, and even an adorable recipe book featuring cat-inspired cookies and cakes. Even if you normally just treat your mom to a fancy brunch or dinner on the day of, showing up with one of these small gifts can help ensure her Mother’s Day will be a memorable one.

Obviously, at this point, it’s getting difficult to order something that will arrive in time for the imminent holiday, but even if one of these gifts is late, you can rest assured it will feel worth it.

The best Mother’s Day gifts under $50

Lego Orchid

Keeping a lovely plant like an orchid alive for long is tough, and if mom doesn’t have the greenest thumb, then Lego’s version makes for a more enjoyable experience — one that won’t ever be soured due to lack of water. The 608-piece kit takes a couple of hours to build, and this includes the cute pot that allows mom to showcase her new plant.

Apple AirTag

Moms often have too many things to worry about, so a little assistance tracking a set of keys or a bag goes a long way. Fortunately, if your mom owns an iPhone or iPad, then an AirTag makes for a handy low-cost gift that will allow her to easily keep tabs on her most vital belongings.

AeroPress Original Coffee Maker

Putting on a whole pot of coffee is overkill if you just need one good cup for yourself. The AeroPress is a simple manual brewer that makes an amazing cup of the black stuff or up to three espressos even when you’re away from home. They’re great for camping and other forms of travel, too, especially if you hate the tar that typically gets served at hotels.

Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 2.5K

If your mom owns a MagSafe-compatible iPhone, a magnetic power bank is a great everyday charging accessory. The 2,500mAh Belkin BoostCharge is good for small to medium top-ups, and it’s compact enough that it can easily fit in a bag or purse. The best part is that your mom doesn’t have to worry about toting a cable along with it — she merely needs to stick it to the back of her phone and go.

A lovely board game about growing plants

Tabletop games are no longer about antiquated property buying or complex dungeon crawls, at least not all of them. In Planted, two to five players compete to nurture the best collection of houseplants. It’s easy to learn, family-friendly, and filled with zen vibes. Plus, if you can’t keep a mistletoe cactus alive in real life, at least you can pretend here.

Gold Leaf Soft Touch Gloves

For moms with actual green thumbs, get them the best gloves. The Gold Leaf gardening gloves are the same ones trusted by Great Britain’s Royal Horticultural Society and the pro gardeners of Buckingham Palace. They’re a nice reminder that mom should feel posh and appreciated, even when she’s getting dirty in the garden.

Coowoz Large Travel Backpack

A stylish and functional backpack is a must for traveling. Coowoz’s lightweight pack comes in a range of pleasant colors and holds a whole lot, including a 14-inch laptop. The inner cavity is spacious enough to accommodate clothes, too, and even features a separate shoe compartment, which can be a deciding factor if you’re thinking about checking a bag or sticking with your carry-on.

StylusHome pencil for iPads

A second-gen Apple Pencil is a great — albeit, pricey — accessory for an iPad user, but it’s a bit overkill if you just want to take notes by hand or draw some fun doodles. This third-party stylus alternative by StylusHome offers most of the Apple Pencil experience with just small sacrifices in the software integration department.

An adorable decoden-style phone case

Phones are pretty much designed to go into cases these days, and few options are as cute as those dripping with the decoden aesthetic. “Decoden” is coined from “decorated” and “denwa” (Japanese for “phone”), and while cases with excessive amounts of kawaii tchotchkes may block conveniences like wireless charging, they’re just so joyous.

Madewell MWL Keeta Sport Sunglasses

You don’t need to spend a ton of money to get a quality pair of sunglasses with exquisite style. The Keeta Sport Sunglasses from Madewell’s MWL athleisure line are light enough to wear on a casual run or bike ride and sleek enough for a spring afternoon on the town.

Amazfit Band 7

Amazfit’s Band 7 is a great fitness tracker that nails the essentials for a mere $50. It packs a nice OLED display, a comfy design, and up to two weeks of battery life (or slightly under a week if using the always-on display). Just try and hit those numbers with an Apple Watch.

An Igloo cooler straight out of the ’90s

Whoa, that’s one totally tubular cooler, umm... Mom. This endearing Igloo is big enough for stowing lunches and drinks at the beach along with groceries on the way home, making it a great everyday helper. It can fit up to 36 cans of what I assume should be Mountain Dew. You know, to go with the vibe.

The best Mother’s Day gifts under $25

Cushionaire Feather Slide sandals

A comfortable pair of sandals is a small blessing during the warmer months of the year, and Cushionaire’s Feather Slides offer nearly two inches of support. Your mom will feel both comfortable and tall while wearing them, so really, it’s a win-win.

The Great British Baking Show: A Bake for All Seasons

Is mom more of a Paul Hollywood or Prue Leith? (I’m hoping, for your sake, it’s the latter.) Either way, any Great British Bake Off fan shouldn’t be without this recipe book, which collects a wide variety of their bakes. It’s the kind of gift that gives year-round, too, since the recipes take into account seasonal ingredients inspired by nature.

Anker 313 Magnetic Wireless Charger (with USB-C adapter)

A magnetic charger is a handy way to charge a newer MagSafe-compatible iPhone overnight. Even when you’re exhausted, all you need to do is plop your phone onto it and let the magnets snap it into place. Anker’s 313 charger may not offer the fastest speeds, but it’s relatively affordable and features a lengthy built-in cable.

Apple Arcade subscription ($4.99 a month)

There are plenty of great mobile games you can get into with an Apple Arcade subscription, including Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! and Monument Valley 2+. One of the best aspects of the service, however, is that mom never has to worry about annoying ads or predatory microtransactions. The one downside is that the only way to gift it is with a standard Apple gift card.

Bake Me a Cat

Bake Me a Cat is a cake and cookie recipe book that instills the essence of author Kim-Joy’s quirky and cutesy baking style. You don’t have to be a Bake Off fan to enjoy the recipes, art, and photos in this book, as long as mom is a fan of cats, sweets, and some sweet cats.

AmorArc cat and dog mugs

Dog and cat moms, we see you, too. AmorArc’s matching set of ceramic mugs makes a nice gift for any pet owner, especially since each extra-large vessel holds up to 22 ounces of liquid.

E-Senior Collapsible Water Bottle

You gotta stay hydrated, and a collapsible bottle is one of the easiest ways to do that, regardless of where you are. E-Senior’s cute milk carton-like bottle allows you to stow up to 20 ounces of water and, when empty, rolls up so that it easily fits in your bag or purse.

Kodak M35 Film Camera

Anyone can appreciate the charm of analog photography (and should) with an easy-to-use camera. The Kodak M35 is kind of like a classic disposable 35mm camera that’s reusable, one that comes in a slew of vibrant colors. It may not produce the sharpest photos, but the beauty is in the process and the slight imperfections.

Amazon Smart Plug

Does your mom hate it when you leave a certain light on? Do yourself a favor and pick up an Amazon Smart Plug. The handy device will allow her to make that light — or any other device — smart so she can set it on a timer or turn it off remotely using a phone or tablet.

Stars Above Cotton Gauze Top

Comfort is key. If your mom enjoys spending time relaxing at home, then a gift of casual comfort that still looks fashionable may be just the ticket. This cotton gauze top from Stars Above is perfect for those quiet spring or summer days (as rare as they may be).

A foldable, washable picnic blanket

Whether for a beach day or a picnic in the park, these foldable blankets are a perfect fit for lounging or eating outside on a lovely day. They can fit a couple of adults and small kiddos, and their waterproof material makes it easy to rinse off messes. Plus, the extra large blankets fold down nice and small, complete with a carrying handle.

The Verge Mug

Your mom is cool and hip. The Verge is cool and hip (we swear). So just imagine how cool and hip your mom will look sipping from one of these sweet mugs. The mug is microwave- and dishwasher-safe, too, and comes in orange, yellow, and pink.

Subpar Parks

Subpar Parks started out as a light-hearted Instagram account that used quotes from bad national park reviews as inspiration for cheeky, tourism-style illustrations. Now, however, you can view them in a beautiful coffee table book. The lovely art, which depicts famous institutions like Yellowstone and Yosemite, is paired with hilarious real-world reviews like, “Save yourself some money, boil some water at home.”

Taiwan Is Running Low on a Strategic Asset: Engineers

Taiwan Is Running Low on a Strategic Asset: Engineers Taiwan’s world-dominating microchip sector was built by TSMC’s skilled employees. But a demographic crisis, demanding work culture and flagging interest threaten its lead.

On the trail of the Dark Avenger: the most dangerous virus writer in the world

On the trail of the Dark Avenger: the most dangerous virus writer in the world

Bulgaria in the 1980s became known as the ‘virus factory’, where hundreds of malicious computer programs were unleashed to wreak havoc. But who was writing them, and why?

In the 1980s, there was no better place than Bulgaria for virus lovers. The socialist country – plagued by hyperinflation, crumbling infrastructure, food and petrol rationing, daily blackouts and packs of wild dogs in its streets – had become one of the hottest hi-tech zones on the planet. Legions of young Bulgarian programmers were tinkering on their pirated IBM PC clones, pumping out computer viruses that managed to travel to the gleaming and prosperous west.

In 1989, an article appeared in Bulgaria’s leading computer magazine saying the media’s treatment of computer viruses was sensationalist and inaccurate. The article, in the January issue of Bulgaria’s Computer for You magazine, titled The Truth About Computer Viruses, was written by Vesselin Bontchev, a 29-year-old researcher at the Institute of Industrial Cybernetics and Robotics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia. Fear of computer viruses, Bontchev wrote, was turning into “mass psychosis”.

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mercredi 10 mai 2023

Canon’s PowerShot V10 is a vlogging-centric callback to old Flip Video cams

Canon’s PowerShot V10 is a vlogging-centric callback to old Flip Video cams
A person removing the Canon PowerShot V10 vlogging camera from an orange handbag.
It’s actually kinda cute for a simple black-and-silver design. | Image: Canon

Canon is finally stepping into the vlogging camera arena, and it’s doing so with a quirky new point-and-shoot geared toward a mindless “set-it-and-forget-it” crowd I’m not sure exists. The $429.99 Canon PowerShot V10 is an adorable little camera about the size of an extra-thick deck of cards that packs a fixed 19mm equivalent f/2.8 lens and marries it to a 20.9-megapixel one-inch-type sensor.

It records 4K at up to 30 fps and is geared toward filming yourself with an articulating screen, front and rear record buttons, stereo mics with a 3.5mm mic jack, a Micro HDMI port, digital image stabilization, and a kickstand for propping it up. It’s expected to launch in June.

What makes the V10 interesting is its throwback design, which reminds me a little of those ancient Flip Video cameras. And like those long-dead cameras, when held upright, it films horizontally, which makes it seem more suited for YouTube content creation than TikTok or Instagram Reels. You can turn it sideways for vertical recording, of course, but the built-in kickstand isn’t really designed to hold it up that way.

 Image: Canon
The two-inch touchscreen tilts forward 180 degrees for self-recording.

The PowerShot V10 does not have many buttons, as it partially relies on touch controls using its postage stamp of a two-inch 3:2 LCD. Its simplistic offering of controls echoes the V10’s approach to entry-level content creation. It’s not a camera designed to offer control over every little setting, which is unfortunate since that can be helpful for beginners to grow and learn with.

For example, its ISO range of 125 to 12,800 in stills mode is not even manually selectable, and the camera doesn’t support any kind of manual focusing. Perhaps those are fine if someone is only taking on-the-go videos, but the V10’s limitations remind me of the bad old days of digital point-and-shoot cameras — where settings are limited because you’re not to be trusted or respected enough to use them correctly. That ISO range, by the way, gets cut down to a maximum of 3200 for 4K filming and 6400 in 1080p. Also, the 20.9-megapixel sensor is only using an effective 13.1 megapixels for video and 15.2 megapixels for stills. Oh, but don’t worry, it’s got five levels of software skin smoothing.

Since the V10 is video-focused, it’s got some convenient features like a built-in neutral density filter, and its contrast-based autofocus supports face detection that can sense when you’re holding up a product to focus on it. But there’s no eye detection to speak of and no log recording or raw capture for photos, either. You’re limited to 8-bit recording in Rec.709 color with MP4 files. And the V10’s small stature (which weighs just 211 grams) means it only supports microSD cards, with a built-in 1,250mAh battery that recharges via USB-C and tops out at an estimated 55 minutes of 4K video recording.

 Image: Canon
The built-in kickstand won’t help much for vertical filming, but there’s a tripod mount on the bottom.
 Image: Canon
There’s just a small handful of buttons on the rear of the PowerShot V10.

The V10’s restrictions and omissions may not be deal-breakers if you use the camera for portable vlogging and simple livestreaming and barely ever worry about fine-tuned controls. But content creators, even beginners, are not stupid. Many of these creators are already filming on their very capable phones, which does offer some room to grow if you opt for third-party accessories like a gimbal or apps like Halide, and making the jump to a dedicated camera needs to respect their capabilities and show more upside than just a larger sensor to record on.

But since this is the start of a new line for Canon, perhaps it’s just the first peek at what’s to come. When I asked Canon if we can assume more vlog-centric cameras are still to come, Drew MacCallum, senior manager of camera product planning for Canon USA, said “absolutely.” With this new line, Canon seems aware that vlogging is one of the last vestiges for dedicated point-and-shoot cameras, so here’s to hoping future models don’t endlessly slip into the same PowerShot trappings of old. There’s a reason most of those types of point-and-shoots died off.

Google’s Bard AI chatbot launches in Australia with vow to develop it ethically

Google’s Bard AI chatbot launches in Australia with vow to develop it ethically

Company says its AI programs will include watermarks and metadata saying content is AI-generated as ChatGPT rival rolls out in more than 180 countries

Google’s AI chatbot Bard launched for Australian users on Thursday as the company showcased its advancements in artificial intelligence and pledged to roll out the technology ethically.

Until now, Bard was only available in the US and the UK, but on Thursday at the company’s annual I/O conference Google announced it would open up the chatbot to users in more than 180 countries around the world, including Australia.

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The Verge’s 2023 Mother’s Day Gift Guide

The Verge’s 2023 Mother’s Day Gift Guide
Illustration by William Joel / The Verge

From transparent chargers and TikTok gems to the latest wearables, we’ve curated a batch of unique gifts fit for any mom worth celebrating.

The pandemic might be over, but that doesn’t mean being a mom is suddenly a leisurely stroll in the park. It’s a tough job for any parent charged with raising a child in this day and age, whether it’s their own or simply another kid in need of some love and support.

That’s why we’ve put together a list of gifts intended to acknowledge everything moms do, all of which can help your mom rest easier, breathe deeper, and find enjoyment in the everyday. As in previous years, we’ve included staples like Apple’s second-gen AirPods Pro and the Roomba i3 Evo, as well as translucent phone chargers, TikTok-fueled tumblers, and a 746-piece bouquet that is built to stand the test of time — or at least longer than the flowers you were thinking of picking up from the grocery store on the way home.

Take a look and see if you can find something of note for your mom, grandparent, daughter, partner, or that hard-to-buy-for motherly figure in your life ahead of the big day on May 14th.

Twitter launches encrypted DMs behind a paywall

Twitter launches encrypted DMs behind a paywall
Twitter’s logo
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

In a new support document, Twitter has detailed what you can expect from the first version of the platform’s encrypted direct messages. Perhaps most notably, to be able to send and receive encrypted messages, you’ll have to pay Twitter for the ability to do so. Platforms like WhatsApp, Messenger, Signal, and iMessage already offer encrypted messaging for free, so having to pay for the feature on Twitter might be a hard pill to swallow.

According to the document, encrypted DMs are only available if you are a verified user (somebody who pays for Twitter Blue), a verified organization (an organization that pays $1,000 per month), or an affiliate of a verified organization (which costs $50 per month per person). Both the sender and recipient must be on the latest version of the Twitter app (on mobile and web). And an encrypted DM recipient must follow the sender, have sent a message to the sender in the past, or accept a DM request from the sender at some point.

If you are a person who can send encrypted messages to somebody who can receive them, you’ll see a lock toggle while you’re drafting a message. In an encrypted conversation, you’ll also see a small lock icon next to the avatar of the person you’re chatting with. Encrypted DMs will be separate from unencrypted ones.

Encrypted DMs currently have a few limitations and a very big flaw. You can only send them in one-on-one conversations; Twitter says it will “soon” bring the feature to groups. You can only send text and links. And Twitter warns that it doesn’t have protections against man-in-the-middle attacks. “As a result, if someone — for example, a malicious insider, or Twitter itself as a result of a compulsory legal process — were to compromise an encrypted conversation, neither the sender or receiver would know,” Twitter says.

The company is planning mechanisms to make man-in-the-middle attacks more difficult and alert users if one happens. “As Elon Musk said, when it comes to Direct Messages, the standard should be, if someone puts a gun to our heads, we still can’t access your messages,” the company wrote. “We’re not quite there yet, but we’re working on it.”

Twitter also notes that while messages and reactions to encrypted DMs are encrypted, “metadata (recipient, creation time, etc.) are not, and neither is any linked content (only links themselves, not any content they refer to, is encrypted).”

Encrypted DMs seem to be a priority for Musk; it’s a feature he spelled out as part of “Twitter 2.0” for employees in November. But blue checkmarks are already unpopular enough, and I doubt that forcing you to pay for an important feature you can easily get for free elsewhere is going to improve their reputation.

Google and Taito are teaming up on an AR Space Invaders game

Google and Taito are teaming up on an AR Space Invaders game
A photo of the Christ the Redeemer statue surrounded by virtual Space Invaders aliens.
Image: Google

Google and Taito are partnering on a new augmented reality version of the arcade classic Space Invaders. The new game, Space Invaders: World Defense, will use Google tools like ARCore and newly-announced Geospatial Creator to let AR Space Invaders aliens fly around real-world locations.

Based on a GIF in a Google tweet, it appears you’ll play the game kind of like a shooting gallery. In the GIF, a handful of aliens appear near and around a static city image, and a reticle appears so that the player can blast the aliens out of the sky. I get the sense this footage might not be fully representative of the final game, though — it kind of looks like the aliens have just been animated over a stock photo.

Google and Taito also released a promotional video that we’ve included at the top of this post, but it doesn’t appear to show anyone actually fending off aliens in World Defense. The game’s website is frustratingly bare, only including the promo video and this description of what you can expect:

For the last 45 years, SPACE INVADERS have tried to conquer the world. They are back and this time coming from another dimension. As one of Earth’s top pilots, you must use your spaceship’s advanced technology and your expert skills to travel between dimensions and defend the planet. The future of the Earth is in your hands! This unique, immersive game is powered by ARCore and Google’s Geospatial Creator to create a real-world playground in AR and 3D. Enjoy the classic gameplay in a whole new dimension: explore, find, and defeat SPACE INVADERS in your neighborhood!

And confusingly, the World Defense website shows a screenshot of a ship taking on aliens in a wireframe trench, so maybe that will be an element of the game, too.

A promotional photo of Space Invaders: World Defense. Image: Taito

According to the promo video’s description, the game is set to release later this summer. Hopefully it fares better than some other AR games.

Twitter admits to ‘security incident’ involving Circles tweets

Twitter admits to ‘security incident’ involving Circles tweets

Feature allows users to set a list of friends and post tweets that only they are supposed to be able to read

A privacy breach at Twitter published tweets that were never supposed to be seen by anyone but the poster’s closest friends to the site at large, the company has admitted after weeks of stonewalling reports.

The site’s Circles feature allows users to set an exclusive list of friends and post tweets that only they can read. Similar to Instagram’s Close Friends setting, it allows users to share private thoughts, explicit images or unprofessional statements without risking sharing them with their wider network.

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mardi 9 mai 2023

AI is feared to be apocalyptic or touted as world-changing – maybe it’s neither

AI is feared to be apocalyptic or touted as world-changing – maybe it’s neither

Too much discourse focuses on whether AIs are the end of society or the end of human suffering – I’m more interested in the middle ground

What if AI doesn’t fundamentally reshape civilisation?

This week, I spoke to Geoffrey Hinton, the English psychologist-turned-computer scientist whose work on neural networks in the 1980s set the stage for the explosion in AI capabilities over the last decade. Hinton wanted to speak to deliver a message to the world: he is afraid of the technology he helped create.

You need to imagine something more intelligent than us by the same difference that we’re more intelligent than a frog. And it’s going to learn from the web, it’s going to have read every single book that’s ever been written on how to manipulate people, and also seen it in practice.”

He now thinks the crunch time will come in the next five to 20 years, he says. “But I wouldn’t rule out a year or two. And I still wouldn’t rule out 100 years – it’s just that my confidence that this wasn’t coming for quite a while has been shaken by the realisation that biological intelligence and digital intelligence are very different, and digital intelligence is probably much better.”

A document from a Google engineer leaked online said the company had done “a lot of looking over our shoulders at OpenAI”, referring to the developer of the ChatGPT chatbot.

“The uncomfortable truth is, we aren’t positioned to win this arms race and neither is OpenAI. While we’ve been squabbling, a third faction has been quietly eating our lunch,” the engineer wrote.

Giant models are slowing us down. In the long run, the best models are the ones which can be iterated upon quickly. We should make small variants more than an afterthought, now that we know what is possible in the <20B parameter regime.

On the trail of the Dark Avenger: the most dangerous virus writer in the world.

For more on Hinton, I spoke on the Today in Focus podcast about why he thinks humanity is at a crossroads.

Meanwhile, AI is quietly authoring more and more of the internet. When I turn my attention away from Hinton’s nightmares, this is the type of transformation that concerns me most.

Would-be Twitter-replacement Bluesky (I’ll write about it in next week’s newsletter) has asked users not to invite heads of state on to its platform.

Google tried to fix the webby taking it over. When the company’s AMP product launched, it was the good cop to Facebook’s Instant Articles bad cop. But now it doesn’t look so shiny.

Ministers have been warned that WhatsApp isn’t bluffing when it says it wouldn’t be able to operate in the UK if the “intentional ambiguity” of the online safety bill isn’t solved.

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VanMoof S4 e-bike review: the one to buy

VanMoof S4 e-bike review: the one to buy

More simple, more accessible, more reliable, less money.

Well, this is a surprise. Despite saying they’d be skipping straight from the 3-series to the 5-series of electric bikes, VanMoof just announced two new e-bikes — the full-size S4 and smaller X4 — days after its $4,000 S5 and A5 e-bikes started shipping. At $2,498 / £2,198 / €2,198 the S4 and X4 models are not only priced to compete, they should also require fewer support calls since there’s a lot less that can go wrong.

The S5 and A5’s fancy Halo Ring displays are gone, as are the integrated Apple Find My tracking, complicated three-speed automatic e-shifter, and superfluous multifunction buttons that most regular commuters don’t need.

VanMoof’s e-bikes have been notorious for initial quality issues and you can readily find complaints about long wait times for support on Reddit, the Vanmoof-ing Facebook fanpage, and comment threads here on The Verge.

According to VanMoof’s co-founders (and brothers) Taco and Ties Carlier, the S4 and X4 are meant to address concerns that VanMoof’s e-bikes have become too complicated for their own good.

“We spend a lot of time listening to our prospective rider. And what we heard clearly,” says Ties Carlier, “was the desire for our key features and iconic VanMoof design — in an e-bike that was even more simple, more accessible, and more reliable. We designed the S4 & X4 with iconic VanMoof tech and design but a massively simplified user experience specifically to meet their needs.”

We’ll see about the reliability claim. But what I can say already after riding an “evergreen” colored S4 for the last five days is this: If you’re in the market for a VanMoof, then the S4 and X4 are the e-bikes most people should buy — not the more expensive S5 or A5.

The S4 and X4 are essentially the same bike with different frame types and wheel sizes. Referred to collectively as SX4, they’re assembled from a mix of tech inherited from VanMoof’s older e-bikes and new flagship SA5 models. Notably, the SX4 have the better kick lock from the SA5 and use an improved two-speed internal gear hub like you’d find on the company’s e-bikes from before 2020’s SX3 series. The S4 is based on the taller S3 frame so choose the X4 model if you’re not at least 170cm (5 feet 7 inches).

Here’s a full breakdown that compares the SX4 with the discontinued SX3 and new SA5 models:

 Source: VanMoof
VanMoof S4 and X4 compared to the previous generation S3 and X3 and new S5 and A5.

There’s no display of any kind on the SX4 models which is fine by me. But the SX4 ship with an SP Connect phone mount (you provide the case) that lets you fire up the very good VanMoof app to use as a dashboard if you want. Unfortunately, the SX4 models lack the SA5’s USB-C charging port, but you do get hydraulic disc brakes which is the norm for VanMoof.

Improved two-speed internal gear hub has its legacy in VanMoof’s pre-S3 e-bikes.

Riding the S4 is a treat. I’m six feet tall (183cm) and prefer the S4 which stands a few inches taller than the S5. And since I live in a city that doesn’t require a car, I appreciate the new 27.5-inch wheels with wide 2.25-inch puncture resistant tires as someone who, for twenty years, has bicycled daily in all kinds of weather. I need a strong base to carry the kids to school, commute to an office, and then return home with groceries, small appliances, or the occasional Christmas tree. The wider tire width does, however, present a challenge in some bicycle racks designed for standard tires.

And despite lacking a torque sensor found in the SA5, the S4’s 250W front-hub motor tied to the automatic (mechanical) two-speed shifter and RPM sensor still offered a rather intuitive pedal-assisted ride, especially when supplementing things with the occasional press of the boost button. The ride could be improved, however.

The pedals can be slippery when it’s wet outside, and sometimes the S4’s pedal-assisted power can be supplied for a split second too long after pedaling stops. And often after coasting at medium-to-high speeds, stepping on the pedals will cause them to spin freely for up to a full revolution before reengaging with the chain drive. You’ll know the feeling if you ever rode a VanMoof S2 or X2.

Still, I’ll echo what I said in the VanMoof S5 review, I wish VanMoof offered a single-speed belt-drive option paired with that boost button. That would be magical and further reduce the chances of things going wrong.

I don’t have enough data for a range test, yet — I’ll update this review with real-world numbers as soon as I have them. VanMoof says that the SX4 should get the same 60km (37 miles) range as the SX3 and SA5 in max power mode and my testing on both of those e-bikes was between 47km / 29.2 miles (S3) and 48.6km / 30.2 miles (S5). I’d expect the same from the S4 and its 478WH battery, maybe more since it’s not affected by the idle battery drain issue I discovered on the S5. Notably, the SX4’s batteries charge from 0 to 100 percent in 4 hours and 30 minutes with the included charger — two hours faster than the flagship SA5 series.

The SX4 models — like all VanMoofs — don’t have user removable batteries which is a problem for anyone faced with hoisting the 21.6kg (47.6 pounds) e-bike up stairs. VanMoof does offer a $348 / €348 378Wh PowerBank range extender option for the S4 that can be charged inside.

The S4 at home in Amsterdam.

The S4 is defined by what it is not. At $2,498 it’s not expensive for a premium e-bike in 2023, a price that undercuts the Cowboy 4 series by $1,000. The S4 also isn’t overloaded with features most daily commuters don’t need and that could create service headaches down the road.

One thing the SX4 models do add is color. You can choose a deep green like my review bike, a purple pastel, yellow, and a don’t call it white “foam green.” Colors that should help brighten up the most dour city streets.

 Image: VanMoof (edited by The Verge)
The VanMoof X4 showing all four color options for it and the S4.

The S4 I’ve been testing is an excellent e-bike — one of the best, and superior to the VanMoof S5 in terms of value for money. Whether the S4 and X4 continue to be great e-bikes after months of wear and tear is anyone’s guess.

I asked VanMoof to respond to owner concerns about reliability and support. Here’s the statement I received from CEO and co-founder Taco Carlier:

Improving service is our priority. Higher reliability sits at the core of the S4 and X4 design and development process with tackling the top 6 challenges of the S3 and X3 and incorporating learnings from the SA5. Our Service network strategy has expanded towards more focus on bike servicing to get closer to our riders, offer more options and more capacity. More news here will follow in the next few weeks.

Yes, I’m also curious to hear what’s coming.

VanMoof currently offers one of the most extensive networks of service hubs available in cities around Europe, Japan, and the US. That’s important because most VanMoof e-bike parts are custom made and only available from VanMoof — so make sure you have a service center nearby if you’re interested in buying. You’re also covered by a two-year warranty in Europe, one in the US, and free 14-day returns.

Sales begin now on a staggered basis before they’re scheduled to ship in August. You can preorder the S4 and X4 in the same “evergreen” color I reviewed starting today, purple in late May, yellow in late June, and “foam green” in late July.

I’d suggesting waiting a tick if you’re tempted to buy. Let the early adopters test VanMoof’s claims of improved reliability and service — you’ve got better things to do with your time.

All photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge

The Discreet Thrill of Lurking Online

The Discreet Thrill of Lurking Online There’s a world of wholesome drama out there in strangers’ social media content, if you know where to look. You don’t even need to post yourself.

Volvo’s next electric vehicle is a small SUV called the EX30

Volvo’s next electric vehicle is a small SUV called the EX30
Volvo EX30 about to picked up by a giant hand
Image: Volvo

Volvo’s new, next-generation electric vehicle, the luxuriously appointed, three-row EX90 SUV, isn’t even out yet, but the Swedish company is already talking about the follow-up. The Volvo EX30 will be a small SUV that will have its global debut on June 7th. US reservations will also open up on that date.

The EX30 name had been floating around for a few weeks now, but knowing that the EV will be getting a proper debut relatively soon is sure to excite fans of Swedish design and the company’s commitment to leveraging technology to enhance the vehicle’s safety.

Interestingly, Volvo is going all in on the size of the vehicle. “Thinking small is one of our biggest ideas,” the company says in its press release. And indeed, the vehicle is likely to slot in underneath Volvo’s 40 series of EVs, including the C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge.

But it will still retain its SUV shape, which means it will probably ride higher than the C40 Recharge. Volvo is going after younger car buyers with this EV, the types of customers who have yet to move out to the suburbs to start a family. Expect something sporty, with an emphasis on adventure seeking, but compact enough to parallel park on a city street.

Volvo’s CEO said as much last year when the company first teased its upcoming slate of EVs. “Take a smaller SUV, which is more for city driving, maybe for first-time buyers,” Jim Rowan explained, according to Top Gear. “Gen Z — 18-, 19-year-olds — is our next market. We don’t talk to Gen Z right now, the brand has never really spoken to that younger demographic. We are absolutely heading in that direction.”

Still, the EX30 is likely to have a lot of competition when it comes out. In addition to the compact, two-row electric SUVs currently dominating the market — Tesla Model Y, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Kia EV6 — there is also a slew of new models coming out that Volvo will need to contend with, including the Chevy Equinox and Blazer EVs, Polestar 3, and Honda Prologue.

Apple co-founder warns AI could make it harder to spot scams

Apple co-founder warns AI could make it harder to spot scams

Steve Wozniak says content created with artificial intelligence should be labelled and calls for regulation

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has warned that artificial intelligence could be used by “bad actors” and make it harder to spot scams and misinformation.

Wozniak, who was one of Apple’s co-founders with the late Steve Jobs and invented the company’s first computer, said AI content should be clearly labelled, and called for regulation for the sector.

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How to get a better mobile phone deal in the UK

How to get a better mobile phone deal in the UK

With above-inflation increases, tips and tricks to find the right plan are even more important

There’s a dizzying array of mobile phone tariffs, and with many providers recently imposing above-inflation increases, it is even more important to choose the right deal. So how can you navigate the networks to get a plan that is right for you? What are the top tips for saving money?

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lundi 8 mai 2023

On the trail of the Dark Avenger: the most dangerous virus writer in the world

On the trail of the Dark Avenger: the most dangerous virus writer in the world

Bulgaria in the 1980s became known as the ‘virus factory’, where hundreds of malicious computer programs were unleashed to wreak havoc. But who was writing them, and why?

In the 1980s, there was no better place than Bulgaria for virus lovers. The socialist country – plagued by hyperinflation, crumbling infrastructure, food and petrol rationing, daily blackouts and packs of wild dogs in its streets – had become one of the hottest hi-tech zones on the planet. Legions of young Bulgarian programmers were tinkering on their pirated IBM PC clones, pumping out computer viruses that managed to travel to the gleaming and prosperous west.

In 1989, an article appeared in Bulgaria’s leading computer magazine saying the media’s treatment of computer viruses was sensationalist and inaccurate. The article, in the January issue of Bulgaria’s Computer for You magazine, titled The Truth About Computer Viruses, was written by Vesselin Bontchev, a 29-year-old researcher at the Institute of Industrial Cybernetics and Robotics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia. Fear of computer viruses, Bontchev wrote, was turning into “mass psychosis”.

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Google I/O 2023: how to watch and what to expect

Google I/O 2023: how to watch and what to expect
Google logo with colorful shapes
Illustration: The Verge

Google I/O is almost here, and that means the launch of the highly anticipated Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet is right around the corner. While the annual conference is largely geared toward developers, the company always holds a keynote revealing the latest and greatest things that’ll wind up in consumers’ hands.

If you want to watch the keynote live but aren’t attending the event, here’s all the information about when and where you can stream it, as well as what you can expect.

When is the main Google I/O 2023 keynote?

The main Google I/O 2023 keynote kicks off on May 10th, 2023, at 1PM ET / 10AM PT and will feature remarks from Google CEO Sundar Pichai. This year, the event will take place in person with a limited live audience at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California.

Where can I watch the Google I/O keynote?

There are several places where you can watch the keynote online, including from Google’s website, Google’s YouTube channel, and through the video embedded at the very top of this post. If you aren’t around to watch the stream live, you can always watch a recorded version of the event on YouTube after the fact.

With all that out of the way, here are some of the things we expect Google to announce during the event.

More details about the Google Pixel Fold

Google’s first foldable has long been rumored to be in the works, but Google surprised us all by making it official last week. The company posted an image and video of the Pixel Fold, which shows a device that folds horizontally, like a book.

While Google didn’t reveal any details about its specifications, a previous report from CNBC suggests that the device could feature a 5.8-inch display when closed shut and a 7.6-inch screen when unfolded, the same size as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Under the hood, the Pixel Fold is expected to use Google’s Tensor G2, the system on a chip used by Pixel 7-series devices. Like the other foldables on the market, the Pixel Fold probably won’t come cheap. According to CNBC, it could cost upwards of $1,700.

The launch of the Google Pixel Tablet

A screenshot of the Pixel Tablet in a coral color. Image from @saori_vj’s video on Instagram

The Google Pixel Tablet is another device that we’ve long been waiting for, with Google first revealing the Android-powered tablet at its I/O conference in 2022. While the initial images of the device didn’t make its design look particularly promising, recent leaks show a tablet that fits in with the rest of the Pixel ecosystem, available in an array of color options.

Google previously said that the tablet will come with an included charging dock and speaker that lets you use the device like a smart display, such as the Amazon Echo Show. The latest rumors from 9to5Google also indicate that it could come with Google’s Tensor G2 chip, Android 13, 8GB of RAM, a nanoceramic finish, and feature an 11-inch display.

An early Pixel Tablet listing on Amazon (which has since been removed) corroborates these rumors, but it also indicates that the device could come with two 8-megapixel cameras on its front and back, three microphones, up to 256GB of storage, and USI 2.0 stylus support. We still don’t know how much the Pixel Tablet will cost, though. Rumors point to between €600 to €650 in Europe, but Google’s European prices are sometimes higher than those in the US.

A look at the heavily leaked midrange Google Pixel 7A

A marketing render of the blue Google Pixel 7A. Image: MySmartPrice / OnLeaks

The Google Pixel 7A has been leaked several times over the past several months, and at this point, it’s almost inevitable that it will make an appearance at I/O. Not only did we get a look at a new sky-blue color option, but we also saw the box that the device will come packaged in. Heck, someone even managed to get their hands on the Pixel 7A in March.

Some of the device’s rumored specs include a Tensor G2 chip, an upgraded 64MP main camera, and a 13MP ultrawide camera. It could also launch with two features never before seen with Google’s budget-friendly A-series devices: a 90Hz refresh rate and support for wireless charging. These upgrades come with a bit of a tradeoff, though, as rumors suggest it could cost $50 more than the Pixel 6A at $499.

More info on the foldable-focused Android 14

Image of a green ring around a planet shaped like the Android mascot’s head. Image: Google

We’re bound to hear more at Google I/O about Android 14, which features some enhancements for foldables, tablets, and devices with larger screens — a perfect fit for the event introducing the Pixel Fold. The beta for Android 14 is already out, with Google rolling out the first version of the operating system last month.

Since then, Google has been gradually adding new features to Android 14, like a new back arrow that blends with your background, passkey support, improved battery life, and more control over your privacy in your device’s media library. Android 14 is also expected to add improved font scaling ahead of its public rollout later this year.

A preview of the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro

Renders of the Pixel 8 Pro. Image: OnLeaks and Smartprix

In addition to the potential launch of the Pixel 7A, Google might also give us a glimpse at the upcoming Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, just like it did with the Pixel 7 during last year’s I/O. Google isn’t expected to officially launch the device until the fall, so it’s entirely possible the company will skip an early preview and instead keep the focus on new devices like the Fold. But if Google does show something, we already know a little bit about what to expect.

Leaked renders from Smartprix and OnLeaks reveal a redesigned camera bar on the Pixel 8 Pro that includes all three cameras in a single oval cutout. There’s also a sensor located beneath the flash that Smartprix believes could be a macro or depth sensor. The renders of the standard Pixel 8, however, show a camera setup similar to the one on the Pixel 7.

The Pixel 8 Pro is expected to come with a 6.52-inch display with more rounded corners, a hole-punch selfie camera, and 12GB of RAM, while the regular Pixel 8 will feature a 6.2-inch screen with 8GB of RAM. Another finding from 9to5Google indicates that the Pixel 8 series could come with an exclusive Video Unblur tool to sharpen videos.

Expect some AI surprises

 Image: Google

With the launch of Google’s ChatGPT rival Bard, Google has gone all in on AI, and it’s likely that Google will use up a chunk of its I/O keynote to make some sort of AI-related announcements.

The company recently said that it’s testing generative AI tools in Workspace, starting with Docs and Gmail. Perhaps Google will announce that it’s expanding those features to Sheets and Slides or make them available to more users — not just trusted testers.

We might also see some enhancements related to Bard; the company added features that allow you to use the bot to generate, debug, and explain lines of code in April. It’s also rumored to release new AI-powered search tools sometime this month.

Anything else?

It’s always possible that Google could reveal a wildcard product, like an update to the Pixel Watch. And a new color of the Pixel Buds A-series seems to be on the table. But with the launch of the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold, Google will have a pretty exciting event as it is.

The company is more likely to sprinkle some smaller announcements in between its hardware launches, like updates to Maps, Photos, and Google Assistant. It may even have some news to share about its smart home products as it continues to add new features to its Google Home app.

If you want to stay up to date on Google’s latest announcements, make sure to stay tuned to our Google I/O storystream.

What happens when Google Search doesn’t have the answers?

What happens when Google Search doesn’t have the answers?
An illustration of the Google homepage that shows the search bar partially peeling off
Illustration by Jason Allen Lee for The Verge

After controlling how information has been distributed for the past 25 years, Google Search faces a set of challenges that will change the company — and the internet — forever.

Google turns 25 this year. Can you imagine? It’s only 25 — yet it’s almost impossible to recall life without being able to just Google it, without immediate access to answers. Google Search is everywhere, all the time; the unspoken background of every problem, every debate, every curiosity.

Google Search is so useful and so pervasive that its overwhelming influence on our lives is also strangely invisible: Google’s grand promise was to organize the world’s information, but over the past quarter century, an enormous amount of the world’s information has been organized for Google — to rank in Google results. Almost everything you encounter on the web — every website, every article, every infobox — has been designed in ways that makes them easy for Google to understand. In many cases, the internet has become more parseable by search engines than it is by humans.

We live in an information ecosystem whose design is dominated by the needs of the Google Search machine — a robot whose beneficent gaze can create entire industries just as easily as its cool indifference can destroy them.

This robot has a priesthood and a culture all to itself: an ecosystem of search-engine-optimization experts who await every new proclamation from Google with bated breath and scurry about interpreting those proclamations into rituals and practices as liturgical as any religion. You know why the recipe blogs all have 2,000 words of copy before the actual recipe? The Google robot wants it that way. You know why every publisher is putting bios next to author bylines on article pages? The robot wants it that way. All those bold subheadings in the middle of articles asking random questions? That’s how Google answers those questions on the search results page. Google is the most meaningful source of traffic on the web, and so now the web looks more like a structured database for search instead of anything made for actual people.

And yet, it keeps working. Google is so dominant that the European Union has spent a decade launching aggressive interventions into the user experience of computers to create competition in search and effectively failed… because our instinct is to always just Google it. People love asking Google questions, and Google loves making money by answering them.


And yet, 25 years on, Google Search faces a series of interlocking AI-related challenges that together represent an existential threat to Google itself.

The first is a problem of Google’s own making: the SEO monster has eaten the user experience of search from the inside out. Searching the web for information is an increasingly user-hostile experience, an arbitrage racket run by search-optimized content sharks running an ever-changing series of monetization hustles with no regard for anything but collecting the most pennies at the biggest scale. AI-powered content farms focused on high-value search terms like heat-seeking missiles are already here; Google is only now catching up, and its response to them will change how it sends traffic around the web in momentous ways.

That leads to the second problem, which is that chat-based search tools like Microsoft’s Bing and Google’s own Bard represent something that feels like the future of search, without any of the corresponding business models or revenue that Google has built up over the past 25 years. If Google Search continues to degrade in quality, people will switch to better options — a switch that venture-backed startups and well-funded competitors like Microsoft are more than happy to subsidize in search of growth, but which directly impacts Google’s bottom line. At the same time, Google’s paying tens of billions annually to device makers like Apple and Samsung to be the default search engine on phones. Those deals are up for renewal, and there will be no pity for Google’s margins in these negotiations.

On top of that, the generative AI boom is built on an expansive interpretation of copyright law, as all of these companies hoover up data from the open web in order to train their models. Google was an original innovator here: as a startup, the company aggressively pushed the boundaries of intellectual property law and told itself and investors that the inevitable legal fees and fines were simply the cost of building Search and YouTube into monopolies. The resulting case law and settlement deals created the legal architecture of the web as we know it — an information ecosystem that allows for things like indexing and the use of image thumbnails without payment.

But the coming wave of AI lawsuits and regulations will be very different. Google won’t be the scrappy upstart pitching an obviously world-altering utility to judges and regulators who’ve never used the internet. It is now one of the richest and most influential corporations in the world, a fat target for creatives, politicians, and cynical rent-seekers alike. It will face a fractured legal landscape, both around the world and increasingly in our own country. All of that early Google-driven internet precedent is up for grabs — and if things go even slightly differently this time around, the web will look very different than it does today.

Oh, and then there’s the hardest challenge of all: Google, famously scattershot in its product launches and quick to abandon things, has to stay focused on a new product and actually develop a meaningful replacement to search without killing it in a year and starting over.


This is not a prediction of imminent doom, or any particular doom at all: Google is a well-run company full of very smart people, and Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai is as thoughtful and sharp as any leader in tech. But it is a dead-certain prediction of change — these are the first serious challenges to search in two decades, and the challenges are real. The extent to which Google Search might change as the company reacts to those challenges is enormous, and any change to Google Search will alter our relationship to the internet in momentous ways. And yet, the cultural influence of Google Search is invisible to most people, even as Search arrives at the precipice.

It’s easy to see the effect some tech products have had on our lives — it’s easy to talk about smartphones and streaming services and dating apps. But Google Search is a black hole: one of the most lucrative businesses in world history, but somehow impossible to see clearly. As Google faces its obstacles head-on, the seams holding the invisible architecture of the web together are starting to show. It’s time to talk about what 25 years of Google Search has done to our culture and talk about what might happen next. It’s time to look right at it and say it’s there.

We’re going to be doing that for the rest of the year in a series of stories that starts today with a look at Google’s influence over the media business — influence that led to something called AMP. We’ll also be looking at the world of SEO hustlers as the party comes to a close and take a look at the ecosystem of small businesses content-farming to stay afloat. We’ll show you how Google’s influence shapes the design of almost all the web pages you see, and investigate why it’s so hard to build a competing search engine.

For 25 years, Google Search has held the web together. Let’s make sure we understand what that meant before it all falls apart.

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin plans to launch a new crew capsule on Monday

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin plans to launch a new crew capsule on Monday New Shepard in 2022. | Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Image...