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Why is ChatGPT banned in Italy?

Italy is the first Western nation to block the sophisticated chatbot ChatGPT.

The model, developed by US start-up OpenAI and backed by Microsoft, raised privacy concerns, according to the Italian data protection body. With “immediate effect,” the authority said it was going to ban OpenAI and launch an investigation. OpenAI assured the BBC that it adhered to privacy rules.

Since its debut in November 2022, ChatGPT has been used by millions of users. Utilizing the web as it existed in 2021 as its information repository, it can imitate other writing styles and respond to queries in a manner that is natural and human-like.

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ChatGPT was introduced to Bing last month after Microsoft invested billions in it. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook will all have a form of technology integrated into them, according to the company.

Concerns have been raised about the possible downsides of artificial intelligence (AI), including the threat it poses to employment and the spread of bias and false information.

Elon Musk and other prominent tech figures called for the suspension of these AI systems earlier this week amid concerns that the race to create them was spiraling out of control. In addition to blocking OpenAI’s chatbot, the Italian watchdog declared that it would look into whether it met with the General Data Protection Regulation. The GDPR sets rules for the collection, use, processing, and storage of personal data.

The watchdog reported a data breach affecting user interactions and payment details in the app on March 20. It claimed that there was no legal justification for “the mass collection and storage of personal data for the purpose of training the algorithms underlying the operation of the platform”.

The app “exposes minors to absolutely unsuitable answers compared to their degree of development and awareness,” according to the statement, because there are no means to verify the users’ ages.

Due to the same worries, Bard, Google’s competing artificial intelligence chatbot, has since become only accessible to particular users above the age of 18. OpenAI was given 20 days by the Italian data protection authority to respond to the watchdog’s concerns or face a fine of up to €20 million or 4% of yearly revenues.

As for the ban, the Irish Data Protection Commission informed the BBC that it is coordinating with all EU data protection agencies and plans on keeping up with the Italian authority to understand the reasons behind their decision.

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The UK’s independent data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office, told the BBC that it would “support” advances in AI but was also prepared to “challenge non-compliance” with the data protection regulations.

The ban, according to Dan Morgan of cybersecurity rating service SecurityScorecard, highlights the significance of regulatory compliance for businesses doing business in Europe.

Many nations, such as China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, have already banned ChatGPT.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

We may soon get an Xbox mobile gaming store. Is it a good move?

Microsoft is preparing to open the Xbox mobile game store early in the following year.

The software behemoth previously disclosed its ambitions for an Xbox mobile store, and now Xbox CEO Phil Spencer claims the store is being built in preparation for corporations like Google and Apple being compelled to make their mobile app stores public.

In a Financial Times interview, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer stated, “We want to be in a position to offer Xbox and content from both us and our third-party partners across any screen where somebody would want to play.

Also Read: Microsoft to Improve Default App Settings in Windows 11?

Today, we can’t do that on mobile devices but we want to build towards a world that we think will be coming where those devices are opened up.”

Microsoft first made mention of a “next-generation store” in the early months of last year, just one month after the organization revealed its intended acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The Xbox mobile store will rest on Activision Blizzard content like Call of Duty: Mobile and Candy Crush Saga, two hugely popular mobile games released by Activision and King, respectively, in order to compete with Apple and Google’s dominance in the mobile gaming store market.

Microsoft is developing an Xbox mobile store, but in order for it to succeed on iOS and Android gadgets, regulators will need to take some action against Google and Apple. Alternative stores are not permitted on Apple’s iPhone and iPad products, and most nations do not support competing payment options either.

Microsoft and Spotify are among the companies hoping that the EU’s Digital Markets Act will compel Apple and Google to alter the way they distribute mobile apps, eventually allowing for the opening of their portals and stores to competition.

Additionally, Microsoft is developing a larger Xbox mobile platform. Developers will also be able to manage their own app stores inside of Microsoft’s Xbox mobile platform thanks to the forthcoming Xbox mobile store.

Microsoft still needs regulatory clearance for its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard in order for any of this to materialize. Microsoft has lately engaged in combat with the CMA, calling attention to “clear errors” in the regulator’s financial calculations. The Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission are both conducting regulation investigations into Microsoft.

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The FTC filed a lawsuit to stop the Microsoft deal last year, and it is still in the document discovery phase. An evidentiary hearing is set for August 2nd, despite reports that the EU is likely to approve Microsoft’s deal.

Microsoft’s “next-generation gaming ecosystem,” which might allude to the company’s plans to develop its Xbox mobile gaming store, was the subject of a recent document request from FTC lawyers.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Microsoft to Improve Default App Settings in Windows 11?

Leave a Comment / Story, Tech Story / By Sandhya Gupta

One of the lasting effects of the browser battles of the 1990s has been an excessive focus on how Microsoft manages default app settings in Windows 11, particularly browser settings.

Microsoft’s handling of app defaults in Windows 11 has frequently drawn criticism. In comparison to Windows 10, the latest operating system makes it harder for users to switch from Microsoft’s pre-installed apps to third-party ones.

That could soon change, though, as Microsoft intends to make it simpler for users who want to alter the default Windows 11 apps.

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Microsoft announced the new feature for Windows 11 users in a blog post, stating that it is “reaffirming our long-standing approach to put people in control of their Windows PC experience.” This feature will allow users to quickly control changes to their app defaults.

Microsoft stated in a blog post,”We want to ensure that people are in control of what gets pinned to their Desktop, their Start menu and their Taskbar as well as to be able to control their default applications such as their default browser through consistent, clear and trustworthy Windows provided system dialogs and settings.”

The tech juggernaut was reacting to the cumbersome app-switching procedure. For instance, if a user wishes to switch from Edge to Chrome as the default browser, they must manually set Chrome as the default for each corresponding file and link type in addition to setting Chrome as the default browser overall.

Later OS updates made switching between browsers a little bit simpler, allowing you to select a default browser with just one button by going to that browser in the Default Apps section of the Settings app. However, compared to Windows 10, the option was still hidden, and it only worked for browsers, limiting image editors and other apps to use the more complicated one-file-type-at-a-time controls.

Microsoft will now give developers of apps “the ability to make their app the default or pin their app to the taskbar” through a “commonly supported way”. Additionally, it stated that its own apps would adhere to the same standard for defaults and pinning in order to prevent favoritism for the applications in its ecosystem.

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Developers will be given a new Settings deep link URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) so they can direct their customers to the proper default settings. Microsoft will launch an API for app pinning that will let external apps be instantly pinned as the taskbar’s main or secondary tiles. According to Microsoft, these new features will initially be available on the Windows Insider Channel over the following few months.

It is not necessary to use these new features, and app developers who are already handling things distinctly won’t need to alter their apps right away. However, the business claims that later this year, after application developers have had time to implement these new best practices, it will start taking more steps to prevent “unrequested modifications to a user’s choices.”

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Bing Search Engine Surpasses 100 Million Daily Active Users

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Sandhya Gupta

This week, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s pursuit of Google hit a new high when the company revealed that the number of daily active users of its AI-powered Bing search engine had exceeded 100 million.

Bing’s statistics were revealed in a blog post on Wednesday by Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president, and chief consumer marketing officer at Microsoft. Notably, Mehdi noted that a third of Bing’s active users are brand-new to Bing. Bing preview is a constrained early-bird form of its upcoming search engine.

The company viewed this as “validation” of its belief that search needs to be reinvented and evidence of the attraction of providing search, responses, chat, and creativity all in one spot.

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Even though Google, which has over 1 billion users on a daily basis, is still the market leader, this is a promising start for Microsoft. Mehdi wrote in the blog, “This is a surprisingly notable figure, and yet we are fully aware we remain a small, low, single-digit share player. that said, it feels good to be at the dance!” The Microsoft executive continued by claiming that users were using Bing more frequently, though he withheld precise figures.

Mehdi outlined the two variables that influence Bing usage and trial. According to The Verge, the company has actively pushed its browser, Microsoft Edge, onto users through Windows updates and prompts in an effort to deter them from downloading Google Chrome.

According to Mehdi, Microsoft intends to keep utilizing Edge to promote Bing in the future. The Microsoft executive said, “We expect new capabilities, like having Bing search and create in the Edge sidebar, will bolster further growth.”

Mehdi noted that another element influencing the growth is Bing’s improved core web search ranking, which has improved in quality and relevance as a result of the recent inclusion of OpenAI’s Prometheus model. Microsoft claimed at a news conference last month that Prometheus was “more powerful than ChatGPT”.

It should come as no surprise that users are visiting Bing to communicate with the famous search engine. An average of 3 chats are had per session by about one-third of users every day on Bing chat. Since the preview started on February 7, Bing has recorded over 45 million chats.

The Bing chatbot was introduced by Microsoft a month back in a “limited preview,” and it makes use of an OpenAI large language model (LLM). In reaction to the bot’s occasionally strange and threatening conversations, the company changed the behavior of the bot in a number of ways.

Also Read: Snapchat launches A.I. chatbot powered by OpenAI’s GPT

Microsoft recently added a few “personalities” for the chatbot to make replies either more direct or more entertaining. One alteration limited the number of answers the chatbot could deliver in a single occasion because it was simpler for the chatbot to go off the rails during longer sessions.

Microsoft has updated its Edge browser, Skype, the Windows 11 taskbar, as well as certain developer tools since last month to include “new Bing” features. The organization is also testing “multimodal AI” technology, which can process data in a variety of formats, including text, audio, video, and images.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Microsoft makes Outlook for Mac free. How to get it?

Leave a Comment / Story, Tech Story / By Sandhya Gupta

Microsoft declared that all Mac users can now download Outlook for free. Previously, using the email client application required a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Mac users can easily add Outlook.com, Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo!, or IMAP accounts in Outlook to enjoy the best mail and calendar app on macOS whether they are at home, at work, or in school.

The Outlook for Mac application completes Outlook for iOS, offering users a dependable, powerful, and consistent experience that extends Outlook’s best-in-class functionality into the beloved Apple environment.

Also Read: How to Add Bing ChatGPT in Skype?

Users can handle numerous accounts, including those from Google, iCloud, Microsoft, Yahoo, IMAP, and more, in a single app with Microsoft Outlook for Mac. Using a personal email account to sign into Outlook gives users access to “enterprise-grade security, with secure sign-on to authenticate and protect your identity,” according to a blog post.

The app has a straightforward user interface, and it lets one view their calendar with an alert or a widget in the Notification Center to keep track of their schedule while using other apps.

Users can resume tasks where they left off between iOS and Mac devices using Apple’s Handoff feature. Microsoft Outlook will introduce Profiles in a later upgrade, linking users’ email accounts to Apple’s Focus experience.

With that, users won’t receive unnecessary alerts at the wrong moment, allowing them to concentrate on that crucial work email without getting sidetracked by personal emails.

The all-accounts view allows users who have multiple accounts to handle all of their inboxes simultaneously without switching between screens. This, according to Microsoft, is a fantastic method to view all incoming messages so you can decide how to respond.

Users can obtain the updated, revamped, free version of Outlook for Mac by downloading it from the Mac App Store. To use the free app, your Mac must run macOS 11 Big Sur or a later version. Expect snappier performance and quicker sync rates with this upgraded version of Outlook because it is optimized for Apple Silicon.

Microsoft made the decision to offer Outlook for Mac free at the same time that it was redesigning the Outlook for Windows application. For almost a year, Microsoft has been testing a new web-based version of Outlook with the intention of fusing the Windows Mail app and Outlook for Windows into a unified email client.

Also Read: Microsoft set to win EU nod on Activision with licensing offer

In essence, the new “One Outlook” app is Outlook.com as a Progressive Web App (PWA). This new client will handle a number of email providers and be free (like Windows Mail), much the same as Outlook for Mac. The company was clear that no updates to Outlook for Mac to a progressive web app are in the works.

A partner product group manager for Outlook named Michael Palermiti claims that the new Outlook for Mac is a native macOS program. Microsoft intends to keep creating and updating world-class native applications for iOS and macOS. Outlook for Mac won’t have any Progressive Web Apps.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

How to Add Bing ChatGPT in Skype?

Leave a Comment / Story, Tech Story / By Sandhya Gupta

Users can now engage with Bing on Skype, which is powered by AI, thanks to Microsoft.

In contrast to conventional messaging via SMS, Skype is a messaging platform that provides text messaging, video calls, and voice calls over the Internet. Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011.

The platform has gradually lost users over the last thirteen years, mostly to Zoom, Whatsapp, and Telegram. But with the recent integration of its latest Bing ChatGPT into the chat service, Microsoft has given Skype some new AI life.

Also Read: Snapchat launches A.I. chatbot powered by OpenAI’s GPT

How do you integrate Bing ChatGPT with Skype? The 5 easy stages are listed below.

Register with the Bing Waitlist. You currently need to be chosen to be a part of the Bing Preview for using Bing ChatGPT on Skype, and you can join the preview by signing up for the waitlist. You can move on to the following step after receiving an email from Microsoft informing you that you have been chosen to test out the Bing Preview.
Install the Skype application on Windows. If the Skype application is already installed on your PC, move on to step 3.
Use your Skype or Microsoft account to sign in to Skype.
Make Bing a contact on Skype. To start a conversation with Bing, select “New Chat > New Chat > Search “Bing” > Bing”. When you say “hello” to Bing, Skype will add it as a contact.
Bing can be added to group chats (Optional). Go to your group conversation, click the gear-shaped setting button beside the group name, and then click “Add Participants > Bing” to add Bing as a participant. Simply add @Bing to the top of your message to start a conversation with Bing in the group chat.

That’s it; you can now use the voice call giant to communicate with the New Bing ChatGPT!

Upon request, Bing can also summarise group chats and make restaurant recommendations for you and your pals. Not to mention, you can download the Skype applications from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store to use the service on Android and iOS.

Users of Bing can ask the chatbot queries or request information by using the voice search option. With a straightforward voice or text command, it will be able to reply with potential travel locations, weather reports, and hotel names and price lists, assisting users with chores like planning their upcoming vacation.

Users of Skype can rely on Bing to spice up conversations with peers by sharing poetry, jokes, quizzes, and other content. They can even suggest that the bot compose a song using the data they provided in their request.

Also Read: Instagram starts testing its age verification tools in more countries

Microsoft recommends mobile users anticipate connectivity issues in areas with low bandwidth. Soon, a fix ought to be made available. Because of its machine-learning capabilities, Bing is anticipated to grow its information base.

The likelihood of receiving personalized answers increases the more an individual responds with Bing. Since the recent update to the Edge browser, users can also view the new Bing.

Once its powers are polished, Microsoft wants to add this feature to Teams and other communications platforms.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

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