Klarna freezes hiring, citing AI ‘productivity gains’
In a hiring freeze that CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski attributes to the rise of AI, Swedish fintech unicorn Klarna is no longer recruiting staff beyond its engineering department. “There will be…
Tree-planting search engine Ecosia launches ‘green’ AI chatbot
With COP28 underway in Dubai making it again glaringly obvious just how little lawmakers are prepared to bend for the sake of future generations of Earthlings, the release of the…
This giant dome battery cuts CO2 emissions — by using more CO2
Renewable energies like wind and solar are clean, abundant, and cheap — but notoriously unpredictable. That’s why so much time and money has been pumped into scaling energy storage solutions:…
Bluebird-inspired material could boost battery life
The eastern bluebird isn’t simply beautiful to look at. Its feathers also feature a unique structure that could revolutionise sustainable applications such as batteries and water filtration. Specifically, the brilliant…
Propaganda Sim ‘Not for Broadcast’ Coming to PSVR 2 in December
Critically-acclaimed propaganda simulator Not for Broadcast VR is finally headed to PSVR 2 this month. First launched on flatscreen monitors in 2022 and later in a separate VR version for Quest and…
Former ‘SUPERHOT VR’ Devs Announce Miniature ‘Toy Trains’ Game for All Major Headsets
Something Random, a new studio founded by the creators of Superhot VR (2017), announced a pint-sized train simulator game simply called Toy Trains. The miniature track-building game is all about connecting…
Valve Launches ‘Steam Link’ on Quest for a Direct Connection to SteamVR
Valve today released its first-ever application on one of Meta’s VR platforms. Steam Link allows users to quickly and easily connect their Quest headset wirelessly to SteamVR to play PC…
Ariane 6 rocket set to restore Europe’s space access next year
The European Space Agency’s Ariane 6 rocket is scheduled for its debut launch in mid-2024, its director Josef Aschbacher announced yesterday. The news follows a successful hot-fire test on November…
TikTok pledges €12B European investment as Norway data centre nears completion
TikTok has promised to invest €12bn as part of an ongoing push to appease European regulators, who have raised suspicions that the app’s user data is being monitored by the…
Silo AI releases checkpoint on mission to democratise LLMs
A year has passed since OpenAI unleashed ChatGPT on the world and popularised terms like foundational model, LLM, and GenAI. However, the promised benefits of generative AI technology are still…
Tech is bringing ancient ruins back to life. Here’s how
From bringing ancient ruins to life through augmented reality (AR) to 3D-printing centuries-old artefacts, cultural heritage startups are transforming the landscape of heritage preservation and education. By leveraging technology to…
Is Next.js right for you? Here are the top 5 Performance Benefits
This article was originally published on .cult by Tharaka Romesh. .cult is a Berlin-based community platform for developers. We write about all things career-related, make original documentaries, and share heaps…