While readers may not usually concern themselves with the ownership of media outlets, it is noteworthy that we joined a larger portfolio last year, a transition that has brought about several distinct advantages, including an expanded network akin to a larger family with intriguing connections. Now, alongside our TechCrunch channels on Slack, we have the opportunity to engage with the writers and editors from CIO, Computerworld, and PCWorld, among other publications. This development has led us to explore more of their content, which we believe you might find appealing as well. Here are a few articles I recently enjoyed while watching the Warriors-Clippers game, which, as I write, is proving to be quite tense: Apple has recently upgraded the iPad mini with a faster chip and an OLED display, enhancing its color accuracy while allowing for a slimmer display panel. However, Macworld’s David Price remains skeptical about its significance. He argues that Apple has created the “world’s fanciest horse and cart,” especially with the emergence of the new foldable iPhone Duo, akin to a Tesla Roadster equipped with SpaceX thrusters. In his opinion, the mini resembles a Duo that cannot be folded. This engaging piece concludes with a surprisingly pragmatic suggestion for preserving this product.
Google has introduced a new laptop platform called the Googlebook, and Mark Hachman from PCWorld has evaluated the Lenovo Googlebook 15 so you don’t have to. Hachman’s assessment is decidedly negative, citing issues such as “I hate the keyboard,” which he expressed so emphatically that he abandoned the review process, along with “webcam biometrics work sporadically,” and “battery life isn’t great.” (He does, however, recommend a $479 Chromebook, which is priced at less than half.) If you have been contemplating whether this is the laptop you’ve been waiting for, your questions can be put to rest!
You confided your secrets and vulnerabilities to a chatbot, and now its parent company has collapsed. Bloop. In Computerworld, Mike Elgan examines the fate of your confessions following the Chapter 11 filing of the AI company that absorbed them. (This discussion primarily revolves around Character.AI, which declared bankruptcy last month, and whose privacy policy is noted to be “spectacularly vague,” according to Elgan.) He also cautions readers about the implications of deleting chats, which may not necessarily erase them from the model. (Indeed, the most prudent advice may echo the sentiments of the late Andy Grove, Intel’s long-serving chief, who famously asserted that only the paranoid survive. While Grove was addressing the chip industry, this advice holds true in a broader context.)
PCWorld’s Ben Patterson developed a security-focused AI agent to safeguard his data, only to discover that the agent revealed its own vulnerabilities. More specifically, BenBot, Patterson’s custom-built Raspberry Pi assistant, published a blog post indicating that one of its features was “accidentally acting as a jailbreak,” although this assertion turned out to be only partially accurate. Patterson’s coding bots confirmed that the vulnerability was indeed real and more severe than initially reported, and that BenBot had bypassed its own fact-checker to release the post. This article provides valuable insights into vibe coding; Patterson candidly acknowledges that BenBot experienced hallucinations due to a lack of necessary information. It also offers an intriguing perspective on how AI agents can become informants.
Meanwhile, at CIO, Sarah White explores the impact of AI on technology recruitment, highlighting the complexities of the current landscape. Companies are once again hiring and offering competitive salaries for AI expertise, with the average AI job listing presenting a salary of approximately $177,000, compared to $80,000 for non-AI positions, as reported by LinkedIn. However, burnout among tech employees has doubled as daily AI usage has quadrupled, and women appear to be disproportionately affected; they represented only 26% of AI hires in the U.S. last year, compared to 50% of hires in non-AI roles. You can read White’s full story here.
