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Valerie Bertinelli says she ‘doesn’t care’ what people think of her body after posting underwear selfieA national park would be good for koalas. What about the humans?Artificial intelligence has changed how people work and live in 2024, as companies create tools that can write code, generate images, and solve complex problems. The technology is seemingly everywhere, and while the advances have brought excitement, they have also kindled concern about AI’s growing influence. Reflecting on another big year for AI, Creatie.ai curated five of the biggest AI stories in 2024. Issues of copyright and intellectual property, creative control, and how AI is being leveraged in business topped the list. “There’s still a pretty wide delta that exists between a power user who’s using it [AI] in their workflows, every different way, who has multiscreens, multitools... and those who are still resistant, saying they don’t want to get involved with it,” Brandon Z. Hoff told Stacker. Hoff, the founder of RUDI AI, a consultancy that helps organizations implement AI technology responsibly, found this “shocking” given that AI is “really one of the most revolutionary technologies of our time.” As more people integrate AI tools into their personal and professional lives, questions emerge about privacy and fairness. Some businesses praise AI’s ability to speed up productivity, while civil liberties groups and data privacy organizations worry about data protection and job security. Government officials have also stepped in to figure out how best to implement guardrails on this fast-moving technology while also allowing room for it to evolve. Some of 2024’s biggest AI headlines came from policymakers working to establish safe practices. In the U.S., the Colorado AI Act was the first state legislation of its kind intended to set requirements for high-risk AI systems used in education, financial services, and other critical industries. It also sought consumer protections and accountability measures. It was modeled after the EU Artificial Intelligence Act , which set guidelines for high-risk AI system providers and worked to safeguard transparent and safe development of AI applications. The year’s biggest developments in AI illustrate the technology’s rapid shift from a future possibility into a present reality. Read on to see where AI made the most significant impact. OpenAI debuted AI models in 2024 called o1-preview and o1-mini that can tackle harder problems by working through solutions. The company offered o1-preview for general users, while o1-mini provided a faster, cheaper option for writing code, according to the company’s official system card . These tools mark an important shift in AI’s capacity for reasoning , Northwestern University researchers explain. Instead of just giving quick answers like earlier AI, these new models work through problems step-by-step, more like how humans solve complex tasks. OpenAI reported that tests showed significant improvements in the system’s abilities. The model could solve 83% of complex math competition problems, while older versions only solved 13%, illustrating how this slower, more careful approach dramatically improved results. In analyzing chemistry, physics, and biology problems, the new model outperformed PhD-level scientists in problem-solving proficiency. However, these advances worry experts in the field. In an interview with Newsweek, computer science professor and AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio called the improvement in AI’s reasoning and potential for deception “particularly dangerous” and called for better regulation. Two Nobel Prizes recognized AI’s growing impact on science in 2024, marking the first time artificial intelligence received such prestigious recognition. John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton received the Nobel Prize in physics for laying the groundwork for modern machine learning, while Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and researcher John Jumper shared half the chemistry prize for using AI to solve a 50-year-old protein structure problem, according to the Nobel Committee. The awards highlighted AI’s potential and risks should the technology fall into the wrong hands. Hinton, dubbed the “godfather of AI,” uses his Nobel platform to warn about the technology’s potential for “getting out of control,” The New York Times reported. He had previously told MIT Technology Review that he was deeply concerned that AI will surpass a human’s ability to learn, creating a superintelligence that could too easily cause widespread harm, manipulation, or warfare in the hands of bad actors. Hassabis compared AI’s risks to climate change, telling The Guardian that “we can’t afford the same delay with AI.” “This is more a Nobel moment for AI risk , rather than for AI itself,” Bhaskar Chakravorti, dean of global business at Tufts University, wrote in Foreign Policy. He noted the prizes served as recognition of AI’s transformative growth and a warning about its unchecked development. Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, and Google began building AI directly into everyday devices, bringing it to broader audiences in 2024. Features like enhanced photos, text-to-speech tools, personalized recommendations, and myriad other AI optimizations helped integrate AI into everyday tasks. Adoption varied widely, however. In CNBC’s bi-annual survey of executives on its Technology Executive Council in October, 79% said their company was using Microsoft Copilot AI —though many questioned its $30 monthly per-user cost. Google’s Gemini chatbot attracted 42 million active users and 1.5 million developers since its May launch, according to the Business of Apps. Apple followed with its own AI Intelligence that works across devices, though it’s initially limited to its newest phones and computers with specific chips, the company announced in October. Samsung introduced Galaxy AI, which lets users translate conversations in real time and edit photos with simple taps, according to the company. The focus shifted from standalone AI tools to integrated features, but questions about data security were raised. While Apple emphasized the importance of privacy through on-device processing, sending personal data to company servers could expose it to government agencies, employees, or bad actors, according to security experts The New York Times interviewed in June. “We should be really looking at the cost benefit in terms of what we give up and what we get in exchange,” said Hoff, who shares insights on AI and digital intelligence with his 14,000 TikTok followers. “Tools like Google’s suite are free because they’re tracking our information to sell to advertisers. Now, large language models are aggregating all our data at once, putting everything into an algorithmic black box that nobody really knows how works.” Despite significant concerns, businesses increasingly embraced AI tools in 2024. “Business executives were, I think, resistant,” Hoff said. “And now there’s definitely an opening and receptiveness and a fear of missing out that exists on the private side.” When it launched in June 2024, Claude 3.5 Sonnet changed how coders work, quickly becoming a Silicon Valley favorite. The AI model solved 64% of coding problems in internal testing, according to Anthropic, the AI safety and research company behind Claude. The system could write new code and update old programs with fewer errors than previous versions, making it one of the most proficient—and popular—models powering AI-based software development tools such as Cursor. In October, Anthropic announced new features that let Claude use computers similarly to humans. The model could move a mouse, click buttons, and read screens to complete tasks. Tests by GitLab, a major software development platform, showed a 10% improvement in development tasks with these updates, spurring debates about AI’s growing role in software development and its impact on programming jobs. Many current top-scoring AI software development agents are already based on Claude. Letting the model control computers directly could unlock even further productivity gains for businesses. In addition to coding, the model has been praised for its uncanny analytical ability and capacity to understand what users want. Many users have reported success using Claude as a sounding board to help them think through complex problems and make decisions in their personal lives. Skateboarding cats, dazzlingly beautiful crystals, and politicians in compromising situations are just some of the ways Flux, a new AI image generation system from Black Forest Labs, churned up viral buzz around its hyper-realistic images. The system launched in August with $31 million in funding from Andreessen Horowitz. The model uses 12 billion parameters to create images, making it more powerful than previous systems, according to the company. Advancements in parameters like fractal dimension and relative smoothness all contribute to Flux’s ability to render extraordinary detail in human features, deft animations, and high-quality images. The model quickly drew the attention of the tech world. X (formerly Twitter) chose it to power image generation in its Grok-2 AI system, making the technology available to millions of users. However, this wide availability raised concerns about potential misuse, particularly around creating misleading images of political figures and spreading false content. Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Ania Antecka. This story originally appeared on creatie.ai and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Founded in 2017, Stacker combines data analysis with rich editorial context, drawing on authoritative sources and subject matter experts to drive storytelling.
But alongside his stark warning of the threats facing Britain and its allies, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said there would be only a “remote chance” Russia would directly attack or invade the UK if the two countries were at war. The Chief of the Defence Staff laid out the landscape of British defence in a wide-ranging speech, after a minister warned the Army would be wiped out in as little as six months if forced to fight a war on the scale of the Ukraine conflict. The admiral cast doubt on the possibility as he gave a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) defence think tank in London. He told the audience Britain needed to be “clear-eyed in our assessment” of the threats it faces, adding: “That includes recognising that there is only a remote chance of a significant direct attack or invasion by Russia on the United Kingdom, and that’s the same for the whole of Nato.” Moscow “knows the response will be overwhelming”, he added, but warned the nuclear deterrent needed to be “kept strong and strengthened”. Sir Tony added: “We are at the dawn of a third nuclear age, which is altogether more complex. It is defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before.” He listed the “wild threats of tactical nuclear use” by Russia, China building up its weapon stocks, Iran’s failure to co-operate with a nuclear deal, and North Korea’s “erratic behaviour” among the threats faced by the West. But Sir Tony said the UK’s nuclear arsenal is “the one part of our inventory of which Russia is most aware and has more impact on (President Vladimir) Putin than anything else”. Successive British governments had invested “substantial sums of money” in renewing nuclear submarines and warheads because of this, he added. The admiral described the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers on Ukraine’s border alongside Russian forces as the year’s “most extraordinary development”. He also signalled further deployments were possible, speaking of “tens of thousands more to follow as part of a new security pact with Russia”. Defence minister Alistair Carns earlier said a rate of casualties similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would lead to the army being “expended” within six to 12 months. He said it illustrated the need to “generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis”. In comments reported by Sky News, Mr Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, said Russia was suffering losses of around 1,500 soldiers killed or injured a day. “In a war of scale – not a limited intervention, but one similar to Ukraine – our Army for example, on the current casualty rates, would be expended – as part of a broader multinational coalition – in six months to a year,” Mr Carns said in a speech at Rusi. He added: “That doesn’t mean we need a bigger Army, but it does mean you need to generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis.” Official figures show the Army had 109,245 personnel on October 1, including 25,814 volunteer reservists. Mr Carns, the minister for veterans and people, said the UK needed to “catch up with Nato allies” to place greater emphasis on the reserves. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Defence Secretary John Healey had previously spoken about “the state of the armed forces that were inherited from the previous government”. The spokesman said: “It’s why the Budget invested billions of pounds into defence, it’s why we’re undertaking a strategic defence review to ensure that we have the capabilities and the investment needed to defend this country.”Where will League’s animated adaptation plans go after Arcane? These hints give a strong possibility
Sedgwick shares major trends in Forecasting 2025 reportOlivia Hussey, star of the 1968 film 'Romeo and Juliet,' dies at 73
LONDON — Olivia Hussey, the actor who starred as a teenage Juliet in the 1968 film "Romeo and Juliet," died, her family said on social media Saturday. She was 73. Hussey died Friday "peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones," a statement posted to her Instagram account said. Hussey was 15 when director Franco Zeffirelli cast her in his adaptation of the William Shakespeare tragedy after spotting her onstage in the play "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," which also starred Vanessa Redgrave. "Romeo and Juliet" won two Oscars and Hussey won a Golden Globe for best new actress for her part as Juliet, opposite British actor Leonard Whiting, who was 16 at the time. Decades later Hussey and Whiting brought a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures alleging sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud over nude scenes in the film. They alleged they were initially told they would wear flesh-colored undergarments in a bedroom scene, but on the day of the shoot Zeffirelli told the pair they would wear only body makeup and the camera would be positioned in a way that would not show nudity. They alleged they were filmed in the nude without their knowledge. The case was dismissed by a Los Angeles County judge in 2023, who found their depiction could not be considered child pornography and the pair filed their claim too late. Whiting was among those who paid tribute to Hussey on Saturday. "Rest now my beautiful Juliet no injustices can hurt you now," he wrote. "And the world will remember your beauty inside and out forever." Hussey was born April 17, 1951, in Bueno Aires, Argentina, and moved to London as a child. She studied at the Italia Conti Academy drama school. She also starred as Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the 1977 television series "Jesus of Nazareth," as well as the 1978 adaptation of Agatha Christie's "Death on the Nile" and horror movies "Black Christmas" and "Psycho IV: The Beginning." She is survived by her husband, David Glen Eisley, her three children and a grandson.
Chance of direct attack by Russia ‘remote’, says UK armed forces chief
Nat and Drew. Jess and Shawn. Daryn and Deepa. Erin and Peter. Googling morning radio show hosts online brings up a large variety of names, stations and sparkling personalities, but with one commonality that becomes glaringly apparent the longer one looks: Almost always, a male host is part of the program. Not so with Virgin Radio Vancouver's (94.5) Holly Conway and Nira Arora, who are among the only — if not only — female-led morning show across Canada and potentially, far further than just our country's borders. In an age where there's an endless variety of what people choose to listen too, including satellite radio and podcasts, many still gravitate to shows like Holly and Nira for their local, quality content, and also, how they stand out from the rest. "I think technically, we are the first female-led Canadian women duo for a Top 40 radio station in Canada," Arora, who lives in South Surrey with her husband and three children, said Wednesday (Dec. 11), shortly after wrapping their 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. weekday show. She and Conway agreed the milestone also means a lot of pressure. "I think it's super cool! it's very cool ... it's very uncharted territory and it's also, a very male-dominated industry, so it feels pretty awesome! But (there's) a lot of pressure," said Conway, who lives in North Vancouver with her husband and two children. The duo keeps their listeners entertained and informed for several hours a day, five days a week, with constant contests to enter, vacation and cash giveaways, as well traffic, news, pop culture tidbits and Arora's Biz each morning. Sometimes, if the pair disagree on a topic, they'll send it to their listeners with a Five Calls Says It All segment, and listeners decide who's right, among other program features. "I think there used to be typical roles in radio for women, like the morning show guy and the sidekick," Conway noted. "Two dudes in the morning and the woman! — a lot of stereotypical roles — she does traffic, she does weather, she's the 'ha ha girl,' and I think for us, it's been really cool to do something that has never been done ... to be two women that actually big up each other and support each other and have built this crazy trust — it is such a trusting environment because there is no button. Everyone always asks, 'Is there a button that you hit? If it's not going well? Is there a delay? There's no delay — it's live." The duo became a female-led show in early 2021, when their former morning show colleague, Jonny Staub, switched careers and became a firefighter. "At the end of the day, we thought about adding someone else ... we didn't want to force it," Arora recalled. She and Conway are about much more than fun and frivolity in the mornings, however, as longtime listeners (this author included) can confirm. They focus on serious issues such as mental health, hosting therapists on their show for things like Therapy Thursdays as well as Bell Media's Let's Talk initiative, an annual event that encourages people to join the conversation on mental health. Arora and Conway also stand out by keeping it real. They share extremely personal information about their own lives on a daily basis, bringing a warmth and authenticity to the program, drawing their own experiences into their early-morning, on-air discussions. "We constantly mine our lives for information for stories, for bits we can turn into great content on the air. ... I think we bring really original content that no one else does, but you also have to be so open to talking about things," Conway said. "People say to us, 'We feel like we know you!' and I'm like, 'Well you do! I don't know you, but you definitely know us. We're very open — you have to be very open and honest, and that can be a challenge sometimes." Sharing such personal information about their lives can be tough at times, she shared. "My youngest son is on the spectrum, and that's been a new challenge for me. It's been difficult for me to talk about, but I do feel like we have an amazing platform to use for good." Arora agreed, and added having a passion for what they do — especially when it means waking up at 3:30 a.m., five days a week — also helps keep the show real and fresh. "I think the freshness also comes with me still having a passion for what I do, so that is what lights the fire inside for me ... is loving what I do and having a passion for it, and that's what keeps things fresh and not going stale." Working as closely as they have, as long as they have (since 2012), the pair have become friends in real life, they shared, with some listeners even thinking they live together (they don't). They both made a choice — of their own volition — during the COVID-19 pandemic that they have stuck to, to this day. "We've decided — every single day we take one of our breaks — every time we go on the air, it's called one of our breaks ... Every single day we take one break and we've decided to dedicate it towards social justice, some form of social justice, whether it's diversity, multiculturalism — any type of fundraising or campaigns to support those who need a voice, who don't really have a voice in the community," Arora said. "I think we're the only show — maybe ... I don't know anywhere that has made that type of commitment." As busy morning show hosts as well as mothers and wives with young children and jam-packed family life schedules, the duo admit the constant sleep deprivation, as their hours are akin to shift work, can take a toll. But they try to balance as much as they're able, often working in the local community throughout the Lower Mainland. "We love connecting with the community — we try to be out there as much as we can, because it means a lot to us," Arora said. Each pair hopes listeners take away something different from each show. "I hope they’re entertained — that we add to their day, and that they sort of feel like they’re hanging with friends in the morning," Conway said. "It’s crazy right now for everybody, and it’s a very stressful time to be doing anything, so hopefully we take away from the stress." Arora — "Learn! She wants to say learn!" Conway interjected with a grin — said she hopes listeners feel. "I hope that they — I would love to say learn — but what I really want is that every listener feels something, whether they’re happy or they get sad, whether they get angry ... I hope every person feels a feeling."After two World Cup championships and two Olympic medals, United States Women's National Team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international football. The USWNT the news on Monday, with Naeher posting a on social media soon after. In the statement, Naeher spoke about the "honor" of being part of the USWNT, and thanked her family, coaches and teammates. "With an immense gratitude and very thoughtful consideration, I have decided to retire from the international game following the conclusion of these matches in Europe," Naeher wrote. "This has been a special team to be a apart of and I am beyond proud of what we have achieved both on and off the field." The 36-year-old goalkeeper is currently with the team in Europe, preparing for the final two friendlies of 2024. These friendlies — against England on Nov. 30 and against the Netherlands on Dec. 3 — will be Naeher's final games with the USWNT. At 113 caps, Naeher is the second most experienced player on this USWNT roster, behind captain Lindsey Horan, who has 159. Naeher earned her first first USWNT cap in 2014, and traveled to the 2015 World Cup as a backup for former USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo, before becoming starting keeper in 2017. The Bridgeport, Connecticut, native led the team to glory throughout her tenure as a starter, culminating with gold-medal wins at the 2019 World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics. In 15 years with the national team, Naeher has cemented herself as one of the U.S. keepers of all time, and one of the greatest goalies in the world. She is the only goalie in women's soccer history to earn shutouts in both a World Cup Final and an Olympic gold medal game. Naeher is retiring at what is arguably the peak of her career, so soon after putting up a stellar performance throughout this summer's Olympics. Naeher of the tournament, making 12 saves in 1-0 wins against Japan, Germany and the gold medal game against Brazil. Over the years, Naeher's most outrageous talent has been her propensity for penalty kick saves. Few goalkeepers can save penalties, but even fewer can save them at the rate that Naeher does, in the kind of high-pressure situations that she finds herself in. Early in her tenure as starter, Naeher to send the U.S. to the 2019 World Cup Final, while her led the team to a bronze medal. Even in the 2023 World Cup — one of the lowest moment in the USWNT's recent history, as the team — Naeher shined, making a massive penalty save and sinking a penalty of her own. The final kick was ruled a goal despite Naeher's best effort on the save, with the difference quite literally coming down to the millimeter. But Naeher got a sense of redemption with the and . In both tournaments, which had games go into penalty shootouts, Naeher achieved the absurd sequence of saving a penalty kick, going up to the spot to sink a penalty and then saving another penalty right afterwards. Naeher's talent has been well-acknowledged globally: She was the only goalkeeper to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or Féminin, and . But her brilliant saves have never failed to amaze her teammates and fans alike. The success at the 2024 Olympics is just another cherry on top of an incredible year, and an incredible international career. Naeher holds the third-most goalkeeper caps (113), starts (110), wins (88) and shutouts (68) behind Solo and former USWNT goalie and 99er Briana Scurry. Despite stepping down from the international stage, Naeher will still compete with the Chicago Red Stars in the 2025 NWSL season. But next week, her international career will come to a close. Naeher will be accompanied by two young, up-and-coming keepers: Mandy Haught of the Utah Royals, who earned her first U.S. cap last month, and Phallon Tullis-Joyce of Manchester United, who is earning her first international call-up. Along with Casey Murphy and Jane Campbell, these goalkeepers will have the task of moving the USWNT through the Emma Hayes era — and will have some very big shoes to fill in the process.
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