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Elon Musk confirms xAI used OpenAI’s models to train Grok

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In a federal courtroom in California on Thursday, Elon Musk testified that his own AI startup, xAI, has used OpenAI's models to improve its own. The matter at question is model distillation, a common industry practice by which one larger AI model acts as a "teacher" of sorts to pass on knowledge to a smaller AI model, the "student." Although it's often used legitimately within companies using one of their own AI models to train another, it's also a practice that's sometimes used by smaller AI labs to try to get their models to mimic the performance of a larger competitor's model. Asked on the stand whether he knew what model distillation … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/NjlYXC6

Splatoon Raiders preorders for the Switch 2 are nearly 20 percent off

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Nintendo recently announced a new pricing policy , which knocks $10 off the cost of digital versions of future first-party titles exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2. Splatoon Raiders , for instance, is available for preorder ahead of its July 23rd release for $49.99 digitally or $59.99 for the physical edition. However, Walmart is the exception in how it’s pricing preorders for the cartridge version. Right now, you can reserve the upcoming for $49.94 — just a few cents cheaper than the digital version. Raiders isn’t a sequel to Splatoon 3 , but rather a spinoff that has similar third-person, paint-splatting gameplay set in new locales. Splatoon Raiders Where to Buy: $59.99 $49.94 at Walmart (physical) $59.99 at Amazon (physical) The same $10 discount is in effect for Yoshi and the Mysterious Book , a side-scrolling adventure with a gorgeous storybook art style that comes out on May 21st. The price of the physical version is $69.99, but  Walmart  is currently offe...

Google Search queries hit an ‘all time high’ last quarter

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Google Search queries hit an "all time high" in the first quarter of 2026, according to a statement from CEO Sundar Pichai published as part of Alphabet's earnings on Wednesday . "Our AI investments and full stack approach are lighting up every part of the business," Pichai says. "Search had a strong quarter with AI experiences driving usage, queries at an all time high, and 19% revenue growth." He also notes that Q1 was "our strongest quarter ever for our consumer AI plans, driven by the Gemini App" and that the company now has more than 350 million paid subscriptions, with "YouTube and Google One being the key drivers." Alphabet also anno … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/TXW5nV7

The Nex Playground gaming console is $60 off this week

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One of the best-selling gaming consoles over the winter holidays was the Nex Playground, a small camera-equipped cube that runs motion-controlled games made primarily for kids. It got a $50 price increase this month — going from $249 to $299 — but shoppers are getting a brief discount during Amazon’s gaming week sale that lasts through May 4th. It’s currently selling for $239 at Amazon , Best Buy , and Walmart . While not as good as previous $199 sale prices, this is apparently as good as it’s going to get right now. Nex Playground The Nex Playground is a motion-controlled console that connects to your TV and uses a built-in camera and AI to track your movements as you play. Designed for ages five and up, it comes with games like Fruit Ninja and Whack-a-Mole Deluxe . You can download more games, including titles featuring popular characters like Elmo, with a paid Play Pass subscription. Where to Buy: $299 $239 at Amazon $299 $239 at Best Buy $299 $239 at Walmart The...

Google is testing AI chatbot search for YouTube

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Google is trying out an AI Mode-like search experience for YouTube. The company is now testing "a new way to search on YouTube that feels more like a conversation," with results pulling in things like longform videos, YouTube Shorts, and text about what you're searching for. The "experiment" is now available if you're a YouTube Premium subscriber in the US who is 18 or older. I turned it on for my account. Now, in the search bar, I see an "Ask YouTube" button, and clicking the search bar shows prompts to ask like "funny baby elephant playing clips," "summary of the rules of volleyball," and "short history of the Apollo 11 moon landing." If … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/Konzsxa

Canonical lays out a plan for AI in Ubuntu Linux

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One of the most popular Linux distributions is about to get an influx of AI features. As reported by Phoronix , Jon Seager, VP of engineering at Ubuntu developer Canonical, shared a blog post on Monday detailing plans to add AI features to the Linux distro over the next year. As the post states, the AI features "will come in two forms: first as a means of enhancing existing OS functionality with AI models in the background, and latterly in the form of 'AI native' features and workflows for those who want them." These features will range from accessibility tools like improved speech-to-text and text-to-speech to agentic AI features for tasks … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/g3VNo8T

Google employees ask Sundar Pichai to say no to classified military AI use

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai arrives for the inauguration of President Donald Trump. | Getty Images Over 600 Google employees signed a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai demanding that Google block the Pentagon from using its AI models for classified purposes, reports the The Washington Post . Its organizers claim many of the signers work in Google's DeepMind AI lab, and include more than 20 principals, directors, and vice presidents. According to the Post , the letter says that "The only way to guarantee that Google does not become associated with such harms is to reject any classified workloads. Otherwise, such uses may occur without our knowledge or the power to stop them." Anthropic is currently in a legal battle with the Pentagon over being … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/MOpk0b6