Technology News : "Tech Updates: Telegram, ChatGPT, Threads, Pixel 9, Motorola Razr 50, California AI Bill"

It has announced a raft of enhancements that are going to enrich the user experience: a mini app bar for seamless navigation between apps, monetization options for content creators who want to charge for photos and videos, and improved story search using hashtags and location tags. Now premium members can add link widgets to stories for better links visibility. What's more, it will enable the creation and earnings of a digital currency, like Telegram Stars, by developers and creators for Toncoin rewards or at a discount on ad purchases, making the kind of platform ecosystem much more interactive and rewarding.

DeskTime says that, from the year of its launch in 2022, Indian offices have adopted ChatGPT, registering over 90% of them into the system. This platform claims that one in every three people in India has been an active user of ChatGPT, consequently setting the trend toward integrations of AI tools for more productive activities. Although tech giants, including Google and Meta, are spearheading the pace related to AI, the issues still remain hardware-agnostic. The fact that Apple collaborates with OpenAI in terms of integrating capabilities of ChatGPT indicates that advancements related to AI on macOS and iPhones do not seem to recede.

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg touted the social media app Threads, which reached 175 million monthly active users in the first year. Conceived of as Meta's first social app to rival X, Threads opened to instant sensation with its users on Instagram but is now witnessing what that means in terms of retention. If anything, the Threads platform is not at revenue-generating mode, and it has no serious users to talk about. It has been extended into the Fediverse, a decentralized social interaction network supporting the ActivityPub protocol.

Google's Pixel 9 series is set to arrive with several AI features, among them Pixel Screenshots, on one hand making life a little easier for those who take many self-photos, but without sacrificing privacy. Unlike Microsoft's flawed Recall on Windows 11, which is controversial due to issues of privacy, Google's version further improves on device-level AI processing. The feature allows users to manually capture the details in an image and store them securely in the media library of their Pixel device. Google is trying to set its users' minds at ease, though: the processing of data occurs locally using the Gemini Nano AI model and it claims transparency while it gears up for the August launch of the series.

Motorola has launched its Razr 50 Ultra in India, targeting a share in the high-end foldable smartphone market dominated by Samsung and Apple. The phone is priced at Rs 99,999 and features a foldable design along with a 6.9-inch pOLED panel and a 165Hz refresh rate, much alike its competitors. The display of the phone carries protection by strong protection from Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. Powering the device will be a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor, alongside 12 GB RAM and 512GB storage. The smartphone comes with a 50 MP primary camera, 2x optical zoom, and other features such as Auto Camcorder Mode. It gets an IPX8 rating for water resistance and comes in vegan leather and soft leather finishes.

However, critics argue that California's SB 1047, regulating large AI models, misses the biggest problem with AI: its existential risks. Spearheading the bill is Senator Scott Weiner, who targets the imposition of safety requirements on powerful AI systems, such as those developed by Meta and OpenAI, and would likely represent the country's first serious national regulation of AI, if signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. It focuses on highly computing-intensive and costly AI models for such safety and security issues as public hazards, the possibility of creating weapons, and launching cyberattacks.