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Google's AI-powered bug hunter, Big Sleep, has identified and reported 20 security vulnerabilities in open source software like FFmpeg and ImageMagick. Developed by DeepMind and Project Zero, Big Sleep found these flaws without human intervention, though a human expert reviews the reports before submission.
While details of the vulnerabilities are withheld until fixes are available, this achievement highlights the potential of AI in automated vulnerability discovery. Other tools like RunSybil and XBOW are also emerging in this field. The rise of AI in bug hunting also brings challenges, including concerns about inaccurate or hallucinated bug reports.
Joby Aviation is set to acquire Blade Air Mobility's helicopter rideshare business for up to $125 million. The acquisition includes Blade's brand and passenger operations in the U.S. and Europe, excluding its medical division. Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal will continue to lead the business as a Joby subsidiary. This deal provides Joby with a network of 12 terminals in key markets, including New York City. Joby plans to integrate its software to manage air taxi operations into Blade's passenger service, eventually transitioning to electric air taxis. The acquisition supports Joby's commercial operations launch in Dubai and its global rollout.
Spotify has announced an increase in premium subscription prices for users in multiple markets across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Impacted subscribers will receive an email notification regarding the price increase, which will see monthly subscriptions rising from €10.99 to €11.99.
This decision follows a recent earnings report where Spotify missed revenue expectations, leading to an 11% drop in its stock price. Despite expressing dissatisfaction with the current state of the business, CEO Daniel Ek remains confident in the company's ambitions.
Following the price hike announcement, Spotify's shares experienced a 5% increase in pre-market trading.
Character.AI is introducing a social feed to its mobile apps, enabling users to share AI characters and chat with others.
The feed allows users to share images, videos, and chatbots, as well as snippets of chats and AI-generated images.
Users can create video clips with text prompts and images using the AvtarFX generative video model.
The new feed aims to blur the line between creator and consumer, offering both content consumption and creative opportunities.
This move follows a trend of AI-native apps incorporating social media features, similar to Video generation app Pika.
CrowdStrike reports a significant increase in North Koreans posing as remote IT workers to infiltrate Western companies, with over 320 incidents in the past year, a 220% increase from the previous year. These individuals use false identities and AI-generated resumes to gain employment, steal data, and generate funds for North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
The U.S. Department of Justice is actively working to disrupt these operations by targeting facilitators and "laptop farm" operations in the U.S. One North Korean operation stole the identities of 80 individuals to gain remote work at over 100 U.S. companies between 2021 and 2024. Identity verification processes are crucial to preventing the hiring of sanctioned workers.
OpenMind, a Silicon Valley startup, is developing OM1, an open-source software layer for humanoid robots, aiming to be the "Android" of robotics. Founded by Stanford professor Jan Liphardt, OpenMind is creating a new protocol called FABRIC that allows robots to verify identity and share context with each other, enabling them to learn and adapt more efficiently.
The company's first fleet of OM1-powered robotic dogs is set to ship in September, with plans to iterate based on user feedback. OpenMind recently secured $20 million in funding to further develop its technology and integrate it into people's homes, focusing on rapid iteration and identifying optimal applications for robots in human environments.