August 18, 2023

IN THIS ISSUE

🤖 Microsoft Travel website appears to make big AI blunder

🍏 Apple kicks off iPhone 15 assembly in India earlier than usual

🏧 Bank's ATMs offer 'free' money after tech glitch

🕹️ Xbox 360 Store to shut down after 18 years of service

UP FIRST

Microsoft Travel website appears to make big AI blunder

It seems the article wasn't checked by humans before it was posted

Microsoft has removed an article from the travel section of its website that included a food bank in a list of must-see tourist spots in the Canadian capital of Ottawa.

It even suggests visiting it “on an empty stomach.”

The article's style, the absence of a writer’s name, and the nature of the unfortunate error strongly suggest that the piece was compiled using generative artificial intelligence (AI), a technology made famous by OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, which launched in November before quickly going viral.

Microsoft has invested heavily in OpenAI and has enthusiastically incorporated elements of the startup’s technology into its own tools, including the Bing search engine and Edge browser.

The computer giant, which laid off a number of its journalists in 2020 as part of a pivot to AI, has yet to confirm if the article was written by the technology, but said it’s currently “investigating how it made it through our review process.”

SMARTPHONES

Apple kicks off iPhone 15 assembly in India earlier than usual

The tech firm is shifting more of its manufacturing to the country

Apple has started production of the iPhone 15 in India as part of efforts to reduce reliability on its China-based operation, according to a Bloomberg report.

Manufacturer Foxconn is expected to deliver the first iPhone 15 devices from India just weeks after they began shipping from factories in China, a much-reduced timeframe compared to the six-to-nine-month lag seen with earlier India-made iPhones.

Apple’s decision to reduce the risks in its supply chain comes as relations between the U.S. and China experience continued strain, making it increasingly difficult to predict how trade between the two nations might be impacted.

Bloomberg describes Apple’s move to diversify its manufacturing away from China as a “multi-year project,” with sources telling the news outlet that the tech giant is aiming to swiftly increase the volume of new iPhones coming from India.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 15 in mid-September.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Bank's ATMs offer 'free' cash after tech glitch

More and more people headed to the ATMs as word got out on social media

Customers of the Bank of Ireland couldn’t believe their luck earlier this week when a technical glitch with the bank's ATMs allowed them to withdraw money that they didn’t have in their accounts.

Local media reported people rushing to the ATMs as word got out on social media that the machines appeared to be letting people take out up to 500 euros (about $546) beyond what they actually had.

Reports also suggested that some people were able to transfer up to 1,000 euros (about $1,090) to other accounts – even if it exceeded their available funds.

Ireland’s police said it had seen an “unusual volume of activity” at ATMs across the country.

The bank acknowledged the issue and warned customers that all transactions were being recorded and that their accounts would be adjusted accordingly as soon as the issue had been resolved. It added: “We urge any customer who may find themselves in financial difficulty due to overdrawing on their account to contact us.”

ON THE HORIZON

Microsoft to shut down the Xbox 360 Store

The closure won't affect gamers' ability to play Xbox 360 games or downloadable content that they've already bought

Microsoft has announced it’s closing the Xbox 360 Store after 18 years of service.

It’s not happening for a while yet, as the computer giant confirmed the store’s last day of business will take place next year on July 29.

After that, players will be unable to buy games, downloadable content, movies, and TV shows from the Xbox 360 Store or use the Microsoft Movies & TV app.

Digital Trends said the loss of any gaming storefront is a "dour move for the video game industry, as some games are exclusively available to them and will be lost forever when the store goes offline.”

Also known as the Xbox Live Marketplace, the Xbox 360 Store is set to follow in the footsteps of other storefront shutdowns for older systems, Nintendo’s 3DS and Wii U eShops among them.

Sony, on the other hand, had planned to shut down the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita storefronts in 2021 but reversed its decision following a customer backlash.

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