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Discord is the latest platform to leverage OpenAI’s ChatGPT tech

Discord is the latest platform to incorporate OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology — in this case, through the chat service’s Clyde bot.

As shared by The Verge, the upgrade will allow the Clyde bot to answer questions and have conversations with users, making it a talkative chatbot like Microsoft’s Bing chatbot or OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

The move is part of a broader AI push in Discord, with other features like AI-generated conversation summaries and the ability for Discord admins to leverage AI technology to moderate servers.

The updated Clyde chatbot will be free for Discord users in a limited number of servers with Discord alpha users next week as part of a public experiment.

Up next is AutoMod AI. Server moderators will be able to harness the power of AutoMod AI and its large language models to find and alert the moderator whenever server rules may have been broken, all while keeping in mind the context of a conversation to prevent false positives. “The AutoMod AI experiment begins in a limited number of servers today,” wrote Discord.

Discord is also rolling out Conversation Summaries. Essentially, the feature will let you read AI-generated summaries of conversations, so you can quickly catch up or join in on what matters most to you. It can be enabled in ‘Server Settings,’ and Discord will be experimenting with Conversation Summaries in a limited number of servers starting next week.

 

Image credit: Discord

Source: Discord Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

An armed Alberta teen shut down The Last of Us production last year

The Olds, Alberta production of HBO‘s The Last of Us faced a major scare last year when an armed man was spotted in a nearby apartment building.

Speaking to a Calgary judge earlier this week, series producers testified that on June 1st, 2022, a costume assistant noticed a pointed rifle through a second-floor window and warned the head of security. Production was then shut down and cast and crew members, including stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, were ushered to safety.

The man in question, then-18-year-old Reece Wadden, was later discovered to have been holding an airsoft gun, not an actual rifle. Wadden claims he didn’t intend to harm anyone and was simply using the scope to get a better look at the set. Nonetheless, prosecutor Alyx Nanji says his actions resulted in around 300 cast and crew members taking cover for about 90 minutes until RCMP arrived to clear the scene, costing the production $54,000 USD (about $75,000 CAD) in salaries for actors and support crew.

Wadden now faces three charges of mischief, unlawful use of an imitation firearm to commit mischief and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

The Last of Us is now streaming on Crave in Canada.

Image credit: HBO

Via: The Calgary Herald

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Mobile Syrup

Resident Evil 4 remake demo launching today

Capcom has revealed that a playable demo for its highly anticipated Resident Evil 4 remake is launching today, March 9th.

The news came during the Japanese publishing giant’s March 9th Capcom Showcase presentation. The company confirmed that a demo was on the way during last month’s PlayStation State of Play, but now, we know when we can get our hands on it.

Dubbed the ‘Chainsaw Demo,’ the trial will let you play around in the early village area. Notably, there isn’t a time limit, unlike some previous Resident Evil demos. The Chainsaw Demo is available on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox consoles and Steam.

The game follows U.S. special agent Leon S. Kennedy as he travels to a Spanish village to rescue the president’s daughter from a violent cult. Fans have been clamouring for a remake of the game after the well-received modern reimaginings of Resident Evil 2 and 3. The original Resident Evil 4 debuted on the Game Cube in 2005 and went on to revolutionize the survival horror and third-person genres with its over-the-shoulder gunplay.

In the remake, the gameplay has been tweaked to resemble what’s featured in Resident Evil 2 and 3, on top of new stealth and parry mechanics. The story has also been expanded, particularly when it comes to the characterization of Ashley and Luis.

Resident Evil 4 will launch on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox consoles and PC on March 24th.

In other Resident Evil news, Capcom recently launched a VR version of Resident Evil Village exclusively for PlayStation VR2 — read more on that here.

Image credit: Capcom

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Mobile Syrup

Toronto-based Alto’s Odyssey creator is back with a new game, Laya’s Horizon

Snowman, the Toronto-based studio behind two of the best mobile games, Alto’s Adventure and Alto’s Odyssey, has teased its next title, Laya’s Horizon.

Though very little beyond a brief teaser has been revealed, the game is part of Netflix’s gaming initiative. This means it will be free to all Netflix subscribers when it releases.

The trailer shows off a 3D seaside landscape with simple visuals and scenery. In fact, Laya’s Horizon‘s art direction seems to have a lot in common with the indie developer’s endless-running Alto series, at least in terms of aesthetics. Check out the windmills, hot air balloons and rolling landscapes, and you’ll see what I mean. We also catch a glimpse of what seems to be the game’s cape-adorning main character, Laya, perched on the top of a mountain.

Laya’s Horizon‘s release date is unknown, but the trailer states that the game is “coming soon.”

Though Netflix’s gaming platform likely hasn’t yet hit the level of popularity the streaming service has aimed for, Netflix Games now offers a library of over 40 premium Android and iOS titles. All of the titles are free to download and play for subscribers and don’t include ads or microtransactions.

MobileSyrup will have more on Laya’s Horizon in the coming weeks.

Image credit: Snowman

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Mobile Syrup

Chris Pratt and Seth Rogen team up in final trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Nintendo and Illumination have revealed the third and final trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

The new footage came during a March 9th Nintendo Direct, the final presentation dedicated to the upcoming animated film.

In the trailer, we see Mario (Chris Pratt) and Donkey Kong (Vancouver’s own Seth Rogen) team up (in which DK even gets fire powers!), an extended sequence on classic Mario Kart track, Rainbow Road, and more. We also get new looks at Luigi (Charlie Day), Bowser (Jack Black) and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy).

Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go! To the Movies) serve as co-directors. Additionally, composer Brian Tyler (Avengers: Age of Ultron) is working with original Mario series composer Koji Kondo to integrate some of his iconic tracks into the original score.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie will hit North American theatres on April 5th, 2023.

The trailer comes as part of Nintendo’s celebration of ‘MAR10 Day’ (“Mario Day), which also offers a variety of deals on Switch hardware and games.

Image credit: Nintendo/Illumination

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Mobile Syrup

Save $10/mo for 24 months on Fido’s 20GB plan

Rogers flanker brand Fido joined Virgin and Koodo in offering a $10/mo credit for 24 months on select BYOP plans – well, on one plan, at least.

Like Koodo, Fido is offering the credit on its $65/mo 20GB plan and, when combined with Fido’s $5/mo automatic payments discount, brings the cost of the plan down to match the $50/20GB plan offered by Virgin and Koodo. To get the credit, you’ll need to add promo code ‘FIDOPROMO10’ when selecting your plan.

Unfortunately, the offer is only for BYOP plans and is only available online.

While it’s good to see Fido getting on this deal train, it’s worth noting that it’s got the worst offer of the three flanker brands unless you sign up for automatic payments. Moreover, only Virgin has the $55/mo 30GB option — both Fido and Koodo charge $65 for that plan.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that Fido, Koodo and Virgin all currently have a limited-time double-data deal going on. It’s not clear when the offer will end, so you may want to act fast. Oh, and Fido (as well as Rogers) are picking a fight over roaming charges by offering customers a free day of roaming while Telus, Koodo, Bell and Virgin up roaming costs.

You can learn more on Fido’s website.

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Mobile Syrup

Realme C55 has its own iPhone 14 Pro-like Dynamic Island

Realme has launched a new smartphone that replicates Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island. The Realme C55 has been officially unveiled in Indonesia with a Dynamic Island-like feature called “Mini Capsule.”

Unlike Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro, the Realme C55 has a centre hole-punch camera but extends to a pill shape. So far, the only available animation shows SuperVOOC charging and battery information in the pill. According to 9to5Google, other information that’ll display are daily step count and data usage, but we’ve yet to see those animations.

Developers must tune their apps to work with Realme to provide more integration.

It’s cool to see that an Android device is copying the feature, and I think it’d be interesting if more devices did so as well.

The phone won’t officially come to Canada, so we won’t be able to test out this ‘Mini Capsule,’ but the handset also features a 6.72-inch FHD+ 90Hz display, MediaTek Helio G88 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and more.

In Canada, Apple might be the only one to hold a claim on the Dynamic Island until Google or Samsung chooses to copy the feature someday.

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Rogers finalizing merger details as it awaits Minister’s approval: CEO

Rogers’ CEO Tony Staffieri says the company has been solidifying its “integration plans” as it waits for approval from Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne.

“The time has allowed us to do is solidify our integration plans while at the same time, over the last year and a bit, we went through a bit of our own transformation within each of our businesses, within wireless and cable and media,” Staffieri said at Scotiabank’s TMT conference Tuesday, as reported by Cartt.

The Minister is responsible for approving Vidéotron’s acquisition of Shaw’s wireless licenses through Freedom Mobile. The deal plays a major role in Rogers’ $26-billion takeover of Shaw.

“We’re entering the transaction from a stronger position than we would’ve been 16 months ago, so that’s been really helpful,” Staffieri said. “In terms of the execution steps that we have, they are locked and loaded and ready to go since we’ve had more time to do it. So at a very structural level — more preparedness, the environment is better as well.”

At the February 13th Industry and Technology committee meeting, Champagne said “there will be a decision in due course.” Rogers, Shaw and Québecor recently extended their self-imposed deadline to March 31st.

Via: Cartt

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Mobile Syrup

Alberta brewery taps ChatGPT for new beer design and recipe

Grande Prairie’s Grain Bin Brewing Company has taken a hands-off approach to creating its latest beer, called the Amber Waves of Grain.

As reported by CBC News, the northern Alberta brewery asked OpenAI’s ChatGPT to decide the name, the price, the packaging and the recipe for a new beer. “We decided to just be as hands-off as possible, to see what the limitations were and what the actual final product would be if we relied solely on artificial intelligence,” said Dalen Landis, a co-owner of the brewery in Grande Prairie, Alberta.

According to Landis, the hope is that the beer will become a conversation piece, with the use of AI raising moral and ethical questions about using content generated from sources across the internet for profit. “It’s using bits and pieces of other people’s content and it’s producing something for us that, you know, we’re using for profit.”

The brewery’s goal was for the beer to be completely AI-generated, though the brewery staff had to intervene at times to direct the technology. “For example, when the AI-generated recipe called for a malt normally used in home brewing, staff asked for a substitute better suited to commercial production,” wrote CBC News.

Further, according to University of Alberta food microbiology professor Michael Gänzle believes that human oversight is essential in using chatbots in food production, particularly in light of concerns around food safety and liability. He added that with the proper human oversight, the technology is worthy of a taste test. “I wouldn’t have a problem with AI-generated beer,” he added. “I have a problem with bad beer.”

It remains to be seen whether Amber Waves of Grain will become a commercial success, but it’s clear that AI is increasingly being used in the food and beverage industry to create unique products and enhance the customer experience.

Image credit: CBC News

Source: CBC News

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Mobile Syrup

Android 14 might kill task killer apps claiming to speed up your phone

Android 14 may help crack down on scammy ‘task killer’ apps that misleadingly promise to speed up your smartphone.

According to information uncovered by Android expert Mishaal Rahman and shared in an Esper.io blog post (via Make Use Of), Google will change Android to prevent apps from killing other apps’ background processes.

The changes involve the ‘KILL_BACKGROUND_PROCESSES’ permission and the ‘ActivityManager.killBackgroundProcesses(String)’ API. These work basically exactly as they sound, allowing apps to leverage the permission to close apps running in the background.

Currently, task killer apps use the permission and API to shut down all background apps, claiming this will speed up your device. Of course, this isn’t true, and closing down background tasks may cause other problems down the line. Android 14, however, will only let apps kill their own background processes.

The problem with task killers is that they can conflict with Android’s resource management, which is already capable of closing down apps that aren’t needed. Plus, some apps are designed to run in the background and will just restart if a task killer app shuts down the apps’ background process, using more resources than if the app had been left alone.

Google echoes this in documentation that Rahman shared:

“Android is designed to keep cached apps in the background and kill them automatically when the system needs memory. If your app kills other apps unnecessarily, it can reduce system performance and increase battery consumption by requiring full restarts of those apps later, which takes significantly more resources than resuming an existing cached app.”

Along with tamping down on task killer apps by restricting the use of the permission and API, Google also seems to be gearing up to enforce a long-standing Play Store policy. Per a note at the end of the documentation shared by Rahman:

“It isn’t possible for a 3rd-party application to improve the memory, power, or thermal behavior of an Android device. You should ensure that your app is compliant with Google Play’s policy against misleading claims.”

As with any change in a pre-release version of Android, it’s possible things could change before the stable release. Hopefully, this change sticks. And for those still rocking a task killer app, you may want to get out ahead and uninstall it now.

Source: Esper.io Via: Make Use Of