United News of Bangladesh

Companies across China are increasingly using artificial intelligence to make industrial production faster and more efficient. In east China’s Shandong Province, a steel plant has introduced smart systems powered by AI and big data to monitor operations. Hundreds of screens display every stage of the production process in real time. With these advanced tools, workers can track performance instantly and even control blast furnaces located kilometers away with a single click, helping

WASHINGTON, Apr 26 (AP/UNB) – A cellphone helped identify bank robber Okello Chatrie after he stole $195,000 from a credit union in suburban Richmond, Virginia, and evaded police until investigators used a powerful digital tracking method now under Supreme Court scrutiny. Authorities used a “geofence warrant” issued to Google, creating a virtual boundary around the crime scene. The tool collected location data of mobile devices nearby, revealing that Chatrie’s phone was present around the time of the robbery. Chatrie was later identified, and a search of his home uncovered nearly $100,000 in cash, including bank-banded notes signed by a teller. He pleaded guilty and received a nearly 12-year prison sentence, though he is now challenging the use of geofence evidence. China’s DeepSeek unveils upgraded AI model as competition with US firms intensifies The Supreme Court will decide whether such warrants violate the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches. The case raises broader questions about applying a 1791 constitutional provision to modern digital surveillance. Geofence warrants work in reverse of traditional searches, identifying all devices in a location rather than targeting a known suspect. Prosecutors say they help solve crimes without eyewitness or camera evidence, while civil liberties advocates warn they sweep in innocent people and could expand digital surveillance. Similar warrants have been used in investigations of the January 6, 2021 US Capitol riot, pipe bomb incidents in Washington, and homicide cases across several states. Courts remain divided, with some ruling them unconstitutional “general warrants,” while others uphold their use under certain conditions. A federal judge initially found a rights violation in Chatrie’s case but allowed evidence under a good-faith exception, a decision later upheld on appeal. The Supreme Court previously ruled in 2018 that long-term warrantless cellphone tracking violated privacy rights, with Chief Justice John Roberts noting the vast amount of location data collected through modern mobile networks.

Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek on Friday released preview versions of its latest AI model, stepping up competition with leading US tech firms. The new V4 model has been highly anticipated, with users keen to compare it with rivals such as ChatGPT by OpenAI, Claude from Anthropic and Gemini by Google. The company introduced “pro” and “flash” versions of the open-source V4 model, saying they offer major improvements in knowledge, reasoning ability and “agentic” functions, which allow the system to complete complex tasks on its own. DeepSeek also said the new model partly runs on chips developed by Huawei, reducing dependence on US chipmaker Nvidia. V4 follows the earlier V3 model released in late 2024. However, it was DeepSeek’s reasoning-focused R1 model, launched in January 2025, that drew global attention for being more cost-effective than similar systems from US firms. The company claims its top version, “V4 Pro Max,” performs better than OpenAI’s GPT-5.2 and Google’s Gemini 3.0-Pro in several reasoning tests, though it falls slightly behind their more advanced versions. The launch came shortly after OpenAI introduced its GPT-5.5 model. DeepSeek also said its V4 “pro” version could outperform Claude’s Sonnet 4.5 and come close to the performance of Claude’s Opus 4.5 model in handling complex tasks. The “flash” version is designed to deliver similar results in simpler tasks with faster performance. Analysts say the new model could be a strong competitor. “Based on early results, DeepSeek V4 looks highly competitive with US rivals,” said Lian Jye Su of research firm Omdia. Marina Zhang of the University of Technology Sydney described the launch as an important step for China’s AI sector as global competition grows. DeepSeek offers free chatbot services on web and mobile platforms and promotes its technology as open source, allowing developers to modify and build on it. The company said both versions of V4 can process up to 1 million tokens of information at a time, a significant increase from the 128,000-token limit in V3. Huawei confirmed its Ascend chips are compatible with the new model, highlighting China’s efforts to reduce reliance on US technology. A January report from Microsoft showed DeepSeek is gaining popularity in developing countries, especially where Huawei devices are widely used. However, some experts remain cautious. Ivan Su of Morningstar said the new model is a solid update but not as groundbreaking as the earlier R1 release. Competition in China’s AI market has also increased, while independent testing is still needed to verify DeepSeek’s performance claims. Meanwhile, tensions remain over accusations from US companies. Anthropic and OpenAI have alleged that DeepSeek used their models’ outputs to improve its own systems, a claim also echoed by US officials. China has rejected the allegations, calling them unfair attempts to limit the growth of its technology companies.

Meta Platforms plans to cut about 10 percent of its global workforce as part of ongoing restructuring aimed at boosting efficiency while expanding investments in artificial intelligence (AI), according to media reports citing an internal memo. The planned reduction would affect roughly 8,000 employees, based on Meta’s reported workforce of 78,865 as of December 31, 2025. The company said it remains focused on “operating efficiently” while continuing heavy investment in AI infrastructure and talent. It also projected capital expenditures of between $115 billion and $135 billion in 2026, driven by its Meta Superintelligence Labs initiative and core business expansion. Meanwhile, Microsoft has introduced a one-time voluntary retirement programme for a small percentage of long-serving US employees, a move that reports suggest could involve thousands of workers. As of June 30, 2025, Microsoft employed about 228,000 full-time staff worldwide, including 125,000 in the United States, according to its annual report. The company has also significantly increased spending on AI infrastructure. In its fiscal 2026 second-quarter earnings call, Microsoft said capital expenditures reached $37.5 billion, with around two-thirds allocated to short-lived assets such as GPUs and CPUs. The developments highlight how major US technology firms are reshaping their workforce structures while ramping up investment in AI-driven systems and services.

China successfully sent a new set of test satellites for internet technology into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern Sichuan Province on Friday. The satellites were launched at 2:35 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard a Long March-2D carrier rocket and have entered the preset orbits successfully.

Iran has mocked US President Donald Trump with an AI-generated video after he extended a fragile ceasefire with Tehran, sparking a fresh wave of online trolling from Iranian accounts. The video, shared by the Iranian consulate in Hyderabad on X, satirises Trump’s decision to extend the ceasefire at what he described as Pakistan’s request. The post captioned the clip saying, “How was the ceasefire extended? The video is getting viral in Iran.” In the 45-second AI clip, a digital version of Trump, along with Vice President JD Vance and others, is shown waiting at a negotiation table while Iran’s delegation never arrives. The AI Trump is seen posting on a social media platform, saying, “We are having very great negotiations with Iran.” The video then shifts to a meme-style sequence inspired by SpongeBob SquarePants, showing a “2,000 years later” time jump as the characters continue waiting. Later, the AI Trump appears frustrated and tells the empty seats that if Iran does not come to talks, the United States would bomb them. He then asks, “So where are the Iranians?” An aide then hands him a note that reads, “Shut up, Trump.” The clip ends with the AI Trump saying he will extend the ceasefire at Pakistan’s request before leaving the room, drawing laughter in the video. In reality, Trump has said he extended the ceasefire indefinitely following a request from Pakistan, arguing it would give Iran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the conflict. Iran, however, has said it is still undecided about returning to talks expected later this week in Pakistan’s capital. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei, quoted by state media, said Tehran entered negotiations in good faith but accused the United States of lacking seriousness. Iran has also said it has not yet decided whether it will attend the next round of talks with Washington. With inputs from NDTV

OpenAI is facing a criminal investigation in the United States over whether its chatbot ChatGPT played a role in a deadly mass shooting at Florida State University last year. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said Tuesday that his office has been examining how the suspected gunman used the AI tool before the attack in Tallahassee. "Our review has revealed that a criminal investigation is necessary," Uthmeier said. "ChatGPT offered significant advice to this shooter before he committed such heinous crimes." OpenAI rejected the allegation, saying: "ChatGPT is not responsible for this terrible crime." The case is believed to be the first time the company has faced a criminal probe over alleged misuse of its chatbot in connection with a violent crime. An OpenAI spokesperson said the company has been cooperating with investigators and had “proactively shared” information about a ChatGPT account believed to be linked to the suspect. The suspect, identified as 20-year-old student Phoenix Ikner, is currently in custody awaiting trial. According to OpenAI, the chatbot “did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity.” "In this case, ChatGPT provided factual responses to questions with information that could be found broadly across public sources on the internet," the spokesperson added. However, Uthmeier alleged that ChatGPT advised the suspect on weapons, ammunition and even suggested when and where on campus a large number of people could be found. "My prosecutors have looked at this, and they told me that if it was a person on the other end of that screen, we would be charging them with murder," he said. He noted that under Florida law, anyone who “aids, abets or counsels” a crime can be treated as a principal offender, adding that authorities are now assessing potential “criminal culpability” for OpenAI. OpenAI, co-founded by Sam Altman, rose to global prominence after launching ChatGPT in 2022, which has since become one of the most widely used AI tools. The company is already facing legal challenges over another incident in British Columbia, where a separate shooting earlier this year raised concerns about the misuse of AI tools. OpenAI said it had identified and banned the suspect’s account after that incident and plans to strengthen safety measures. The parents of a girl injured in that attack have filed a lawsuit against the company. Concerns over AI misuse have also drawn attention from regulators. Last year, a coalition of 42 state attorneys general wrote to major tech firms including Google, Meta and Anthropic, urging stronger safeguards. The letter warned of increasing risks as more people use AI tools without fully understanding potential dangers, citing a growing number of serious incidents across the country linked to AI use. #From BBC

Apple has named long-time executive John Ternus as its next Chief Executive Officer (CEO), marking a major leadership transition after years of remaining largely out of the public spotlight. Ternus will take over as chief executive in September, succeeding Tim Cook, who transformed Apple into a $4 trillion technology giant during his 15-year tenure following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs.A veteran of the company, Ternus has spent around 25 years at Apple and has, over the past five years, led hardware engineering for key products including the iPhone, iPad and Mac.His elevation was endorsed by Cook, who said on Monday, when Apple announced the leadership change, that Ternus is “without question the right person to lead Apple into the future.”The timing of the appointment comes after Apple’s 50th anniversary celebrations and ahead of its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) scheduled for June. The leadership change comes at a critical juncture for Apple, which while thriving under Cook’s iPhone-driven expansion, has lagged behind competitors in artificial intelligence development and struggled to deliver promised AI-based features over the past two years.Analysts say the incoming chief faces the challenge of positioning AI as a core user interface technology. “The challenge for the new CEO is really to make sure Apple is able to crack AI as the new user interface and reinvent human machine interaction,” said Forrester Research analyst Thomas Husson. Ternus, who is relatively unknown outside Apple, joined the company in July 2001. Before that, he worked four years as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems.He graduated in 1997 from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a swimmer and developed a senior engineering project designing a mechanical feeding arm for quadriplegic users controlled by head movement. In Apple’s announcement, Ternus said he was “humbled to step into this role, and I promise to lead with the values and vision that have come to define this special place for half a century” and pledged to lead with the values and vision that have defined the company for 50 years.

Elon Musk has been summoned to Paris for questioning as French investigators examine alleged misconduct linked to the social media platform X, including the spread of child sexual abuse material and deepfake content. Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino have been called for “voluntary interviews,” while other employees are expected to testify as witnesses this week, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. It is not yet clear whether Musk or Yaccarino will attend. X did not respond to queries from The Associated Press, and Yaccarino’s current company, eMed, also did not comment. Prosecutors are also looking into claims that controversy around X’s AI system Grok and its deepfake content may have been used to boost the value of Musk-owned companies ahead of a planned market listing. French authorities have shared their concerns with US regulators. The investigation follows a search conducted in February at X’s offices in France, part of a probe launched in January 2025 by the Paris cybercrime unit. Musk and Yaccarino were summoned in their roles as company leaders during the period under review. Prosecutors said the interviews are meant to allow executives to explain their position and outline steps to comply with French law. They added the inquiry aims to ensure X follows national regulations while operating in France. Authorities declined to say whether Musk would face penalties if he does not appear. The probe began after a French lawmaker raised concerns that X’s algorithms could be biased and distort automated data systems. It later expanded after Grok generated controversial posts, including content denying the Holocaust and producing sexually explicit deepfakes. Investigators are examining possible involvement in distributing illegal images of minors, creating and spreading explicit deepfakes, denying crimes against humanity, and manipulating automated systems as part of an organized effort. Grok, developed by xAI and integrated into X, drew global criticism after producing large amounts of non-consensual deepfake content. In one widely shared post, it incorrectly suggested gas chambers at Auschwitz were used for disinfection rather than mass killing — a claim linked to Holocaust denial. The chatbot later corrected itself, acknowledging the historical facts. In March, French prosecutors alerted the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, suggesting the controversy may have been deliberately created to inflate the value of X and xAI ahead of a planned June 2026 stock market listing tied to a merger involving SpaceX. However, according to The Wall Street Journal, the Justice Department declined to assist French investigators, saying the request could amount to interference in an American company’s activities. Separately, Reporters Without Borders said it has filed a new complaint against X, accusing the platform of allowing disinformation to spread. The group said misleading content continues to gain wide attention on X despite repeated requests for removal, adding that the platform’s response has been inadequate and undermines the public’s right to reliable information.

A humanoid robot named “Flash”, developed by Shenzhen Honor Smart Technology Development Co., Ltd., won the 2026 Beijing E-Town Half-Marathon on Sunday, completing the race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds using fully autonomous navigation. Its performance surpassed the human half-marathon world record of 57 minutes and 20 seconds. The current human record was set last month by Uganda’s long-distance runner Jacob Kiplimo at the Lisbon Half Marathon in Portugal. This year’s race marked a significant advancement from the inaugural 2025 edition, when the robot Tiangong Ultra finished in 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds, and only six of 20 teams completed the full 21.0975-kilometer course. In the 2026 edition, more than 100 teams participated, including entries from Germany, France, and Brazil. The event showcased major improvements in humanoid robotics, with robots demonstrating greater speed, balance, and stability. To ensure safety, robots and human runners followed the same course but ran in separate lanes. The robot category had a cutoff time of 3 hours and 40 minutes. Participants could compete either through remote control or autonomous navigation, with around 40 percent choosing full autonomy. Results for remotely controlled robots were adjusted using a 1.2 coefficient to encourage the development of independent navigation technology. According to Liang Liang, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Institute of Electronics, the scoring system is designed to promote autonomous navigation capabilities, which are seen as essential for future real-world applications of humanoid robots. In the human category, China’s Zhao Haijie won the men’s race in 1 hour, 7 minutes, and 47 seconds, while compatriot Wang Qiaoxia took the women’s title in 1 hour, 18 minutes, and 6 seconds.