xAI reportedly lays off 500 workers from data annotation team

Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI laid off 500 team members on Friday night, according to internal messages viewed by Business Insider. These emails reportedly announce an immediate “strategic pivot,” with the company deciding to  “accelerate the expansion and prioritization of our specialist AI tutors, while scaling back our focus on general AI tutor roles.” “As … Read more

It’s weird that esports is segregated by gender

Welcome to Video Games Weekly on Engadget. Expect a new story every Monday or Tuesday (Or, I dunno, Thursday), broken into two parts. The first is a space for short essays and ramblings about video game trends and related topics from me, Jess Conditt, a reporter who’s covered the industry for more than 13 years. … Read more

Gmail makes it easier to track upcoming package deliveries

Gmail is rolling out a new “Purchases” tab that gives users a quick overview of their upcoming package deliveries, Google announced on Thursday. The tab will allow them to access all their purchase-related emails in one place, even from past orders and shipments. The tech giant notes that Gmail will still show packages that are … Read more

Inadequate Sleep Hinders Key Brain Functions In Pre-Teens

Adequate sleep is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, especially in children. Several studies in the past have highlighted the important role of sleep plays in children’s development. However, inadequate sleep can also hinder brain functioning in children, particularly pre-teens, according to researchers at the Children’s Hospital in Boston, United States. In a paper … Read more

Smart ring maker Oura’s CEO addresses recent backlash, says future is a ‘cloud of wearables’

Oura CEO Tom Hale is trying to set the record straight about the smart ring maker’s partnership with the Department of Defense (DoD) and data miner Palantir, which is used by defense, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies in the United States and elsewhere. At the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference on Monday, Hale’s interview started off … Read more

This pettable Poké Ball is a Tamagotchi-style toy with over 150 Pokémon inside and I need it now

Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy is releasing a Poké Ball virtual pet toy so you can fulfill your dreams of carrying your favorite Pokémon around with you everywhere. I don’t know how this one slid under my radar when it was announced at the end of August (perhaps because all my attention has been on ) … Read more