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The oil-rich kingdom is plowing money into glitzy events, computing power and artificial intelligence research, putting it in the middle of an escalating U.S.-China struggle for technological influence.

TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to a Plantum AI Plant Identifier Premium Plan is on sale for £13.72, saving you 71% on list price.

As flowers bloom and the sun sets later each day, it’s easy to see why so many people love nature. Anyone can appreciate a beautiful flower, tree, or plant but not many know how to identify and care for them. Instead of flipping through books or scrolling for answers online, train yourself to recognise the plants in your area with Plantum. This plant identification app can recognise over 14,000 plants in as little as seconds. Check it out for the best price on the web, just £13.72 for a lifetime subscription.

Nature ID uses the power of AI to identify plants, diagnose diseases, and share plant care tips. Here’s how it works:

1. Find a plant you want to identify or learn more about. NatureID works on more than 14,000 indoor or outdoor plants.

2. Open the NatureID app on your iPhone and snap a photo of the plant. You could also upload an image from your camera roll instead. 

3. Then, NatureID provides a suggestion of the plant it recognises. Compare the suggested plant to the one in your photo to confirm its accuracy. 

4. Tap ‘Learn more’ to get additional information about the plant.

You might want to identify flowers that line your favourite walking path or scope out houseplants at a nursery. NatureID can guide you on how to choose the correct soil, water, and fertiliser so you can avoid some of the common reasons a lot of plants don’t seem to survive in your home.

Since NatureID was created in collaboration with botanists, it could also help diagnose and care for your plants. If you have a houseplant that doesn’t seem to be doing well, NatureID can help you figure out the problem and possible solutions to make your plant healthy again. You may also use NatureID’s plant journal to set watering and feeding reminders within the app.

Connecting with nature is just a tap away with a Plantum Plant Identification Premium Plan. Get a lifetime subscription for just £13.72 for a limited time.

Opens in a new window Credit: NatureID Plantum Plant Identification Premium Plan (Lifetime Subscription) £13.72 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

There’s obviously something special between you and your boo — and we don't just mean the vibrator. But don't underestimate how much fun sex toys can bring to the bedroom. Even if you're already well equipped with toys, there's no harm upgrading. It's always a good time to add something new and spicy into the mix.

And in this age of sex positivity, there really is something for everyone. It's a golden time for couples' sex toys. If you have an itch, it's pretty much guaranteed that there's a sex toy out there to scratch it. That's quite literally the case when it comes to some of the super-speed vibrators and clitoral massagers.

But don't go in cold. What you need is a guide on sex toys. That's where we come in.

What are the different types of sex toys?

There are a lot of different types of sex toys out there. To get you started, here's a breakdown of the most common types:

• Bondage gear — Not a bondage kind of person? Why not give it a whirl? Bondage toys are about pushing boundaries and venturing into new territory.

• Clitoral Massagers — These cheeky devices target the clitoris and usually simulate oral sex with a sucking or blowing sensation, usually achieved by pumping air. 

• Cock rings — These wrap about the shaft of the penis and restrict blood flow. That helps maintain longer, more robust erections. Which means better sex all round.

• Dildos and plugs — An old school option. They come in various shapes and sizes, and are simply used to for penetration. Use as a couple or on your own.

• Masturbators — A masturbation sleeve is a gadget into which a user inserts their penis. It’s designed to simulate the feel of a vagina, mouth, or anus, depending on the model — and depending on your preference, of course. 

• Prostate Massagers — This might seem obvious, but prostate massagers are sex toys that slip into the anus and massage the prostate. This can result in a whole new experience — not to mention a game-changing orgasm.

• Vibrator — The classic sex toy. Essentially a dildo that provides some buzz, quite literally. For both external and internal use, vibrators will usually have multiple speed and vibration settings to help her (or him) hit the right spot.

Keep these categories in mind when shopping around for your next sex toy.

Which sex toy is right for you?

For anyone new to the sex toy game, the humble vibrator or a quality cock ring is a great place to start. For couples ready to take things a bit further in the bedroom, remote controlled and app controlled models mean that you can integrate these high-tech gadgets into your love life seamlessly — and do it completely hands free. They can even help close the physical gap for couples in long distance relationships.

What is the best sex toy for couples?

There really is no perfect sex toy for couples, because every couple is different. It's about having an honest conversation with your partner about your needs and desires, and finding something that ticks those boxes. If the answer is still unclear, we're sure you can have some fun finding out what works.

To help, we've searched for the best sex toys to suit every need, whether you're a new couple, in a long-distance relationship, or something in between.

These are the best sex toys for couples in 2024.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for April 25's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Debut a friend.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no letters that appear twice.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter I.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to Wordle #1041 is...

INTRO.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for April 25's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Tweet may have been deleted

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Science stuff

• Green: The Middle

• Blue: Things in Microsoft Excel

• Purple: Languages that aren't spoken

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Lab Equipment

• Green: Nexus

• Blue: Spreadsheet Terms

• Purple: ___Language

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to Connections #319 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Lab Equipment: BREAKER, DROPPER, GOGGLES, MICROSCOPE

• Nexus: CENTER, HEART, HUB, NUCLEUS

• Spreadsheet Terms: CELL, FORMULA, SHEET, SORT

• ___Launguage: BODY, LOVE, ROMANCE, SIGN

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday's Connections.

The owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp continued to grow, even as it said it would spend billions of dollars more on artificial intelligence.

President Biden has signed the bill to force a sale of the video app or ban it. Now the law faces court challenges, a shortage of qualified buyers and Beijing’s hostility.

Sometimes it feels like everything is getting a little bit worse every day. This latest Windows 11 update is a good example of that.

In the patch notes for Windows 11 update KB5036980, Microsoft noted that the start menu in Windows 11 will now display recommended apps from the Windows app store. In other words, they put ads in the start menu.

"The Recommended section of the Start menu will show some Microsoft Store apps. These apps come from a small set of curated developers," the patch notes said. "This will help you to discover some of the great apps that are available."

SEE ALSO: Windows 10 will start pushing users to use Microsoft accounts. How to turn it off. How to turn off recommended apps in the Windows 11 start menu

In case you're wondering, yes, you can turn this off. Here's how:

1. Go to Settings

2. Click on Personalization

3. Click on Start

4. Find the toggle that says "Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more"

5. Turn the toggle off

It's good that Microsoft gives you the option to straight up disable those ads. Take advantage of it while you can.

While Congress says the social app is a security threat, critics of the law targeting it say it shows how out of step lawmakers are with young people.

While Congress says the social app is a security threat, critics of the law targeting it say it shows how out of step lawmakers are with young people.

Mashable reporter Ty Cole sits down with Idris Elba to discuss his role in the upcoming Knuckles TV mini series and what die hard Sonic fans can expect to learn about him. Knuckles premieres April 26, 2024 on Paramount +.

Ryan Gosling sang in Barbie. He sang at the Oscars. He even sang about Barbie on Saturday Night Live. Now, the Academy Award nominee continues his singing streak with a promotional video for The Fall Guy, a film in which he plays a stuntman.

SEE ALSO: 'The Fall Guy' review: Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt make movie magic

In the clip, The Fall Guy director David Leitch tasks Ryan Gosling with driving around and picking up his stuntmen. "It's like Carpool Karaoke... without the music," Leitch tells Gosling.

But not even that will stop Gosling from singing along to Journey's "Any Way You Want It" with his stunt team. First, he picks up Logan Holladay, who roars onscreen on a motorcycle and proceeds to take over driving duty. Then, the two (literally) run into Ben Jenkin. He takes the hit like a champ and joins the fun with some enthusiastic vocals. Rounding out the crew is Troy Brown, who straight-up jumps off a building to get down to Gosling. Why not just use an elevator? "I'm claustrophobic," Brown explains.

With its celebration of stunts and Gosling in full Gleek mode, the clip is a fun preview for what to expect from The Fall Guy, which Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko called a "gonzo gift to cinema."

The Fall Guy hits theaters May 3.

"Hm, this is a lot wider than I expected," I said when I held the Rabbit R1 for the first time. Laying flat on my hand, the vivid, electric orange chassis exceeded the span of my palm.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

No, it's not the most comfortable gadget to hold with its unforgiving flat edges, but it's not unwieldy either. Buttons, including the scrolling wheel and the push-to-talk button, are strategically placed, allowing my fingers to navigate the Rabbit R1 with ease.

When people gushed about the Rabbit R1, calling it a "beautiful gadget," I didn't get it — until I saw it with my own eyes. "That bright orange chassis is an eye sore," I thought. "What's the big deal?" But now I get it. It's the nostalgia.

With the cute black-and-white rabbit icon bouncing up and down the screen surrounded by a "loud" color, it reminded me of my childhood obsession with 90s pocket toys like the Tamagotchi or Digimon (handheld virtual pets).

Shout out to Teenage Engineering for designing this AI device; the Rabbit R1 makes me feel like a kid again.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

While the Rabbit R1 stirs up memories of the past, I can't help but feel a bit iffy about the gadget. Why? I'll get it into that, but first, my first impressions.

The gestures are addictive

There's something very fidget spinner toy-esque about the Rabbit R1 in that the functions operate differently, whether it's a scrolling wheel or a clicky side button.

The scrolling wheel, to my surprise, is very smooth. In other words, it doesn't have that "staccato" feel, if that makes sense, in which the wheel has fits and starts (à la Apple's digital crown), allowing you to stop at selections.

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Instead, you have to keep rolling the wheel downward until your desired word is highlighted in orange. Truthfully, I don't love the scrolling wheel. It takes too many "rolls" to get to the word I want to select.

On the plus side, you can shake the device to invoke the Settings menu. I'm telling you — it's like a Bop It toy.

It has a 2.88-inch screen, but no, it can't browse the web

I thought the Rabbit R1 had a touchscreen, but as it turns out, I was wrong. You'll need to use the scroll wheel to navigate menu options. You can select by using the side button.

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

You may be wondering, "Can I browse the web with this thing?" The answer is no. If you had dreams of using this as some sort of mini reading device, I've got no choice but to dash them. Plus, you wouldn't want to — the screen is too dim for that.

No, it doesn't text nor make calls

The Rabbit R1 can do a lot of things, but sending texts and making calls isn't one of them. This was admittedly a bit disappointing. Before grabbing this device, I had fantasies of dictating texts to friends without lifting a finger.

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

However, I quickly realized that the Rabbit R1 can't be connected to my phone. Boo!

Faster-than-expected responses

From asking about the local weather (it's 59 degrees today in my town, by the way) to questions about the Premiere League, the Rabbit R1 took about two seconds to respond.

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

However, when it comes to using the camera and basing its responses on what it "sees," it took slightly longer. After asking it a question about a painting, it took 2-3 seconds to say "Taking a look now" before responding in one second with its description.

But some answers were wrong

One time, I asked the Rabbit R1, "Which Premiere League team won the most titles?" It correctly responded with "Manchester United." However, it went on to say that it won 13 titles, which I don't believe is accurate.

It can 'see' and describe things

The Rabbit R1 has a cool functionality, thanks to an auto-rotating camera that you can invoke by double tapping the right action button, that lets you point to any object — and it will tell you about it. It's very Google Lens. Hell, even my iPhone can perform this functionality, too.

In the video below, you can see it successfully describing the masterpiece in my living room.

Tweet may have been deleted

However, I tried testing to see if it could, for example, translate a foreign language to English. I thought this see-and-describe feature would be helpful while traveling to countries to diminish language barriers (particularly while ordering at a restaurant with a menu in another language). Sadly, I found that it doesn't have this capability.

So far, the best use case I've found for this is that I can use it to tell me which dishes I can make when I'm stumped.

Tweet may have been deleted Speakers are a bit quiet

Based on its responses, I found the speakers to be too quiet — even at max volume.

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Keep in mind that it can play music and podcasts from a paid Spotify account, but I haven't tested it yet.

Yes, you can connect Bluetooth headphones

Fortunately, a solution for the quiet speakers is pairing it with my trusty Sony XM4 headphones. I simply shook the Rabbit R1 to get the Settings menu, turned on Bluetooth, and paired my headphones with ease.

It connects via 4G LTE and Wi-Fi

As it turns out, the Rabbit R1 has a SIM card slot, allowing you to be connected at all times (i.e., 4G LTE). If you don't care to grab a SIM card for this AI assistant, you can also rely on Wi-Fi.

Battery life is OK

Strangely, when I unboxed my Rabbit R1, it wasn't charged. As such, I couldn't even use it at the Rabbit R1 launch party, where I obtained it.

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

When I got home, I charged it up to about 50% (no, the Rabbit R1 does not come with a charging cable). Seventeen hours later, the battery life is about 15%.

Don't worry, though. In my full review, I'll give you a better idea on battery life at full charge.

But something is iffy about the Rabbit R1

As the old saying goes, "If something is too good to be true, it probably is." Jesse Lyu, CEO of Rabbit R1, keeps boasting that the Rabbit R1 is only $199 and is subscription free. However, there's no way in hell it can be subscription free for long.

Once the hype dies down and nerds like me wipe the shelves clean, what's next? To put it succinctly, how does Rabbit R1 intend to make money?

There's got to something down the pipeline in which Rabbit in tends to squeeze money out of its user base, no?

Also, I'm still not totally clear about whether the Rabbit R1 squelches all privacy concerns consumers may have.

Final thoughts

Someone on Twitter saw a video of me asking the Rabbit R1 to describe what its seeing. Paraphrasing his reply, he said something to the effect of, "Google Lens can do that. Why would be the point of getting this?"

Rabbit's mission here is to create this all-in-one AI device. Yes, it can do what Google Lens can do, but it can also do what Spotify, ChatGPT, DoorDash, and Uber can do in one device — and with nothing but your voice.

There's still so much to test, including ordering DoorDash to my door, but I'll be sure to come back with a thorough review.

Between the Muppets, Sesame Street, and fantasy films like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, there's a good chance Jim Henson played a key part in your childhood. Want to know more about the man behind the puppets? Check out the first trailer for the upcoming Disney+ documentary Jim Henson Idea Man, which dives deep into Henson's storied life and career.

Directed by Ron Howard, Jim Henson Idea Man uses Henson's archival, never-before-seen home videos and sketches to create an in-depth portrait of the beloved puppeteer. The documentary's trailer features behind-the-scenes footage from his best-known work, as well as interviews with Frank Oz, Jennifer Connelly, Rita Moreno, and Henson's children. Oh, and it's all set to Kermit the Frog's "Rainbow Connection," so you may want to have some tissues handy.

Jim Henson Idea Man premieres May 31 on Disney+.

SAVE $70: As of April 24, get the Blueair Air Purifier for $159.99 at Amazon. That's a discount of 30%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Blueair Air Purifier $159.99 at Amazon
$229.99 Save $70.00 Get Deal

Whether you have severe allergies or you sniffle here and there due to pet dander, dealing with not-so-fresh air in your home can be a nightmare. A runny nose can lead to head congestion and general discomfort along with clogged sinuses, and that's a recipe for disaster during the warmer months. Get ahead of those headaches by introducing an air purifier into your home.

As of April 24, you can get the Blueair Air Purifier for just $159.99 at Amazon. That's $70 off its normal price of $229.99 and a 30% discount.

SEE ALSO: Shop the Brooklinen 10th Anniversary Sale and give your home a cozy spring refresh

This air purifier is part of the Blueair Pure Max series and is perfect for a medium-to-large–size room, as it can clean up to 929 square feet in just 30 minutes. With its proprietary HEPASilent cleaning tech, it claims to perform up to 83% faster with 50% less noise than competitors at just 23-50 dB. It can remove up to 99.97% of airborne particles with its carbon filter, including those that cause viruses, as well as smoke, pet dander, mold, dust, and pollen.

You can control the air purifier with its companion app which allows for real-time scheduling, air quality monitoring, and filter tracking. You'll receive alerts when it's time to swap out the filter so you won't accidentally let it marinate in the unit too long. It also has geofencing abilities that can automatically power the unit off and on depending on when you leave or arrive at your home.

If clean air is a consistent issue for you in your home, let this smart unit do all the work while you enjoy the benefits. Everyone deserves fresh air to breathe, after all.

President Joe Biden signed a bill into law on Wednesday that could, effectively, ban TikTok in the U.S. But that doesn't mean you'll be without the app right now or, really, anytime soon.

Like any bill, things are complicated. The bill Biden signed is primarily a foreign aid package that'll send $60 billion to Ukraine to fight Russia's invasion and some $26 billion to both Israel and relief in Gaza. However, tied to that bill was legislation that gave ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, up to one year to divest itself from the app in the U.S.

Basically, it's a demand to sell or be banned.

SEE ALSO: President Biden signs TikTok ban bill into law

So, what happens now? Well, in short, a legal fight. TikTok indicated Wednesday, pretty much right away, that it intended to battle the legislation in court.

"Make no mistake, this is a ban," TikTok CEO Shou Chew said in a video posted to the company's platform on Tuesday.

Chew promised a fight. And, to be clear, there won't be any real changes for TikTok users in the immediate term.

"Rest assured, we aren't going anywhere," Chew said in the TikTok. "We are confident and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts. The facts and the Constitution are on our side, and we expect to prevail again."

The lawmakers against TikTok have argued that, since the app is owned by a Chinese company, it could be forced to hand over American users' data to the Chinese government. That would be worrisome, considering there are 170 million American users on the app. Other lawmakers in other countries have successfully made similar arguments to ban or restrict the app.

TikTok has flatly and routinely denied that it shares U.S. users' data with the Chinese government.

SEE ALSO: A TikTok ban would probably also take down CapCut, Lemon8, and more

TikTok has fended off bans in the courts before, notably in Montana last year.

"This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court," TikTok said in a statement Wednesday after Biden signed the bill. "We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail. The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation."

So what comes next?

Well, as The Verge noted, if TikTok gets a court to agree with the company or delay enforcement of the legislation, then the timeline for a ban would get extended. In other words, as taking something to court is wont to do, TikTok could drag things out.

And, of course, even if the legislation is upheld, ByteDance has, at minimum, nine months to decide if it will sell the app in the U.S. The timeline can be extended out to a year if the president feels there is progress on a deal.

The next year for TikTok in the U.S. will be rife with lawyers and laws and a PR push. Perhaps the biggest tool at the company's disposal is its massive user base. Remember when it sent a pop-up asking users to call lawmakers, then Congress was inundated with calls? You can expect more messaging from the company as it fights to stay in the U.S.

But as far as a regular user goes, the next year of TikTok might look like, well, the last year on TikTok. For now, things will remain as they were. You'll see videos of people dancing, cute dogs, good food, music, jokes, the whole nine.

But the fight for the long-term survival of the app will hang over it all.

SAVE 25%: The Square Reader (2nd gen) for contactless and chip transactions is just $44.43 at Amazon for Prime members, down from the usual price of $58.99. That's a savings of $14.56.

Opens in a new window Credit: Square Square Reader (2nd gen) for contactless and chip payment $44.43 at Amazon
$58.99 Save $14.56 Prime membership required Get Deal

Owning a small business comes with plenty of challenges, but a few hurdles are becoming easier thanks to tech advancements. If you're ready to start accepting chip and contactless payments, today's deal at Amazon could be a great addition to your business strategy.

As of April 24, the Square Reader (2nd gen) for chip and contactless transactions is just $44.43, down from the normal price of $58.99. That's a 25% discount or a savings of $14.56. To get this sale price, you'll need to be an Amazon Prime member, which costs $14.99 per month.

SEE ALSO: TikTok for Business: Everything you need to know

The quest to create the best customer experience is never-ending, but thanks to today's sale price at Amazon, you can make accepting payments faster and more convenient. The Square Reader can handle payments from chip cards or contactless payments like Google Pay or Apple Pay. Square says the chip reader takes about two seconds while the contactless payment method is even faster, saving both you and your customer precious time.

Square designed the 2nd gen Reader with a battery that'll last all day without needing a recharge, which means it can handle 20% more transactions compared to the 1st gen Reader. Worry less about battery life and sell more.

If your business could use an upgrade in how it handles transactions, snag the Square Reader (2nd gen) that's capable of accepting both chip and contactless payments. Your customers will appreciate the convenience and speed.

Defense lawyers for Changpeng Zhao, the founder of the crypto exchange Binance, countered that he should receive no prison time.

Microsoft released Phi-3 Mini, a new version of its lightweight AI model designed for specific tasks.

According to the research paper published earlier this week, Phi-3 Mini has 3.8 billion parameters which is significantly less than other models like OpenAI's GPT-4, making it small enough to be deployed on a smartphone. OpenAI hasn't shared how many parameters GPT-4 has but it's believed to have over one trillion parameters per Semafor.

SEE ALSO: ChatGPT Plus can exploit zero-day security vulnerabilities — why this should concern you

Traditional AI models require massive amounts of computing power, which is very expensive and has a huge carbon footprint. Companies like Microsoft and Google have been working on smaller lightweight models that handle common tasks, which would make hosting their models more sustainable — in the operational sense — and more suitable for smartphones which is where the industry is heavily leaning. Samsung is going all in on generative AI with a collection of features for its Galaxy devices, Google is also adding generative AI features to its Pixel lineup, and even Apple is expected to make some big AI announcements for iOS 18.

Parameters relate to how models are able to tackle complexity, so the more parameters, the more capable a model is at handling vast and nuanced requests. But for everyday tasks that the average user would need from an AI model, such as translating, help drafting an email, or looking for local restaurants, a smaller lightweight model is presumed to be sufficient.

Phi-3 Mini scored similarly against Meta's open-source model Llama 3 and OpenAI's GPT-3.5 on common benchmarks with a few exceptions. It surpassed Llama 3 and scored just below GPT 3.5 in natural language understanding (MMLU) and commonsense reasoning (HellaSwag) and beat both models on arithmetic reasoning (GSM8K). As the paper notes, it scored lower on trivia and "factual knowledge" but researchers believe "such weakness can be resolved by augmentation with a search engine," meaning once the model is hooked up to the internet, that won't be such an issue.

Researchers trained Phi-3 Mini on a combination of "heavily filtered web data" that meets standards for high quality educational information, as well as synthetic data, which challenges the idea that scraping everything from the web is the best way to train a model. The model was also trained on... bedtime stories, according to DailyAI, which actually makes a ton of sense for understanding the way human brains work. The idea is to opt for quality over quantity with curated data so it can run on fewer parameters while still retaining its potency.

Phi-3 Mini is now available on HuggingFace, Azure, and Ollama.

Mr. Musk’s defiance over removing content is testing the boundaries of international legal systems.