News
Philippine TV Network introduces AI sportscasters
The first in the country
It’s happening. While debates continue to rage on about what role Artificial Intelligence or AI should play with its rapid advancement in recent years, a Philippine Television Network jumped the gun and decided to introduce AI sportscasters.
GMA Network, widely considered the second largest broadcasting network in the Philippines, proudly introduced on Saturday, September 23 are MAIA and MARCO — two AI-generated sportscasters. They will be reporting on NCAA Season 99, a collegiate sports association in the country, as well as other local and international sports news. They are expected to appear across the network’s broadcasting and social media platforms.
In their own introduction article, GMA Network said the two were generated by artificial intelligence using Image Generation, Text-to-Speech AI Voice Synthesis/Generation, and Deep Learning Face Animation Technology.
Unfavorable reactions
The Facebook post concerning this news was met with unfavorable reactions in the comments section.
Facebook user Aple Balagtas Bangaysiso commented: “As a communication student, it is very sad. A job of a real person replaced by AI. This is very alarming for media industry. The kind of innovation we never wished.”
Sh1n Boo also left a comment lamenting that “this gives a lot of wrong signals,” and added “I’m a big fan of AI tools but sadly this is very out of touch.”
Another commenter named Paul Emmanuel had this to say:
“There is no urgent need for AI sportscasters nor any caster there are. Why would we need these things when we have lots of skilled people that can do it better than them. I disagree with this.”
Many of the comments on the particular Facebook post shared the same sentiments
Conversations on AI, ChatGPT, and more
Discussions about AI surges when ChatGPT hit a scene. It’s an AI tool that can analyze billions of words and the relationship between them. It uses GPT-3.5, a specific language model created by OpenAI.
It’s been used to generate many things with many different sectors being alarmed of how it will be used. The education sector was one of the first to react, fearing that students will rely more on the tool instead of traditional research and writing methods.
SEE ALSO: ChatGPT Explained
Taking over jobs
Globally, there are many discussions happening in conferences, podcasts, and even informal settings about how AI can take away jobs. The ongoing writer strike has also touched on this matter.
Disney+ has already come under fire recently for admitting that the opening credits for the show Secret Invasion was made with AI. Meanwhile, YouTube channel Corridor Digital, known for their breakdowns, reactions and recreations of CGI effects, came under fire for producing an AI-generated “anime”. On TikTok, there are also several posts of AI-generated song covers of global and K-Pop artists.
Despite all these, Senior Vice President and Head of Integrated News, Regional TV, and Synergy Oliver Victor B. Amoroso notes that their AI sportscaster initiative ” promote[s] inclusivity in our reporting.”
The price of technology isn’t fun these days. Because of the ongoing RAM shortage wrought by AI, companies across the industry are raising the prices of their products. Some, however, are still willing to shoulder the burden for their customers. Unfortunately, Qualcomm is soon leaving that list.
As reported by Bloomberg, Qualcomm will raise the prices of its products starting in September. Though the exact figure is unknown, the company did confirm that it’s in the double digits, percentage-wise. According to them, they can no longer shoulder the costs for its customers.
If you’re just a regular user, Qualcomm’s prices might not mean much for you. After all, the chipmaker doesn’t make phones of its own.
That said, Qualcomm is still one of the biggest suppliers for smartphone chipsets, including those that Samsung uses. Pushing the burden from chipsets to phone manufacturers reduces one more buffer against costs being ultimately pushed to consumers.
All things considered, Samsung managed to keep its prices hikes relatively low with the latest batch of foldables. However, with chips getting more price increases, it’s still within the realm of possibility that Samsung will also increase the price of its smartphones. The same can be said for any Qualcomm-powered smartphone available today.
News
Apple is reportedly delaying its smart glasses due to privacy concerns
The brand wants to squash malicious recording.
Smart glasses are in a weird place right now. While early adopters are celebrating the ability to record everything, a growing group of critics are decrying the loss of privacy. Formerly at full throttle, Apple, in response to these controversies, will reportedly delay its version of smart glasses to next year.
According to Bloomberg, Apple is heading back to the drawing board to further emphasize the unreleased wearable’s privacy protections, which includes “hardware and software-related privacy features not available on current products.” The report, however, doesn’t enumerate what these features are.
If anything, these features will likely prevent malicious recording. Most smart glasses today have a light that tells passersby that the device is actively recording video. However, users have discovered ways to tamper and disable this light, so their devices can start recording without alerting others. Apple will likely introduce better measure to prevent such tampering.
Additionally, it’s also possible that Apple introduces a version of the smart glasses without a camera attached.
Because of these new initiatives, the brand will delay the launch of the wearable to sometime next year. Previously, there was heavy speculation that the smart glasses will launch later this year.
On the bright side, there’s still substantial reason to believe that Apple is launching its first ever foldable device later this year.
Gaming
God of War Laufey finally confirms its highly anticipated launch date
Set your calendars next year.
It’s about time we get excited for God of War Laufey. The upcoming entry into the acclaimed franchise takes off on a tangent as it follows Faye, Kratos’s late wife, as she traverses an afterlife filled with similarly deceased gods. It’s a different perspective but with still the same action we’ve come to expect from the series. Now, we know when to expect it: February 16.
In the ongoing Norse saga, Faye’s death is everything. Her passing pushes Kratos and Atreus towards a path that eventually led to Ragnarok. In Laufey, a deceased Faye wakes up in Everywhen, an afterlife where gods from different mythologies converge. She then discovers that the carefully laid plans she made to help her husband and her son are unravelling, so she has to find a way to save the living world from past the veil.
Laufey will still have the iconic battles that the God of War series is known for. However, because Faye is nimbler than the burly Kratos, fighting is more fast-paced with a mix of grounded and air-based fighting. All in all, there’s a lot to be excited about for Laufey, despite its different take on the series.
Over the weekend, during San Diego Comic Con, PlayStation confirmed when the title is launching. Thankfully, it’s not a long wait. God of War Laufey is launching for the PlayStation 5 on February 16 next year.
Additionally, Santa Monica Studio has also confirmed that Kratos will lead another entry after Laufey.
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