Devin Coldewey
Writer & Photographer
The Latest from Devin Coldewey
‘Inaudible’ watermark could identify AI-generated voices
The growing ease with which anyone can create convincing audio in someone else’s voice has a lot of people on edge, and rightly so. Resemble AI’s proposal for watermarking generated speech
Summari pivots to AI-generated link previews that really click
Summari took a shot at making article summaries on demand a must-have tool for the overloaded reader. But a year later the startup is leaving that model in the dust for a new, and in retrospect way be
Precision Neuroscience is making brain implants safer, smarter and reversible
Brain researchers have relied on devices called microelectrode arrays for decades, but the technology behind these tools is increasingly outdated. Precision Neuroscience is building a modern alternati
NASA’s ‘Mega Moon Rocket’ aced first flight and is ready for crewed Artemis II launch
The enormous Space Launch System passed its first test with flying colors, NASA’s preliminary analysis concludes, and the rocket and Orion capsule are good to go for their next mission: Artemis
Don’t be sucked in by AI’s head-spinning hype cycles
The last year was a roller-coaster ride in the AI world, and no doubt many people are dizzied by the number of advances and reversals, the constant hype and equally constant fearmongering. But letR
With new funding, Atomic AI envisions RNA as the next frontier in drug discovery
The biotech industry is experiencing a rush of AI-powered tools for many aspects of the complex drug discovery process. But one that has flown under the radar, increasingly thought to be key to certai
Task force proposes new federal AI research outfit with $2.6B in funding
The final report from the government’s National AI Research Resource recommends a new, multibillion-dollar research organization to improve the capabilities and accessibility of the field to U.S
US sues Google over ‘anticompetitive, exclusionary, and unlawful’ ad tech monopoly
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed suit against Google over alleged antitrust issues, claiming the search giant has monopoly control of the digital ad market. The DOJ is joined by eight states i
Forspoken review: Square Enix’s risky new IP arrives half-baked
Everyone is excited for Final Fantasy XVI, but in an age of endless sequels the fresh and original action RPG Forspoken has gamers hoping that a fun new franchise is being minted. Unfortunately, Squar
Font furore as State Department retires Times New Roman for retired Calibri
In a heartwarming callback to the absurdly low-stakes controversies of the Obama era, the State Department is making extremely small waves by officially retiring the old workhorse Times New Roman font
This gentle drone collects loose DNA from swaying tree branches
Understanding the biodiversity of forests is crucial to their conservation or restoration. Collecting “external DNA” left behind by animals is a good way to find out what lives there witho
Oversight Board presses Meta to revise ‘convoluted and poorly defined’ nudity policy
Meta’s Oversight Board, which independently evaluates difficult content moderation decisions, has overturned the company’s takedown of two posts that depicted a nonbinary and transgender p
Deconstructing ‘The Twitter Files’
The bombast with which the so-called Twitter Files have been released is incongruous with the mundanity of their content. Even so, as the circus folds up the big top and the barkers return to their Su
Biden’s call to ‘unite against big tech abuses’ sure sounds familiar
President Biden published an op-ed yesterday in the Wall Street Journal putting Big Tech on notice that his administration was working — in fact, has been working — to rein in its worst abuses. Bu
VALL-E’s quickie voice deepfakes should worry you, if you weren’t worried already
The emergence in the last week of a particularly effective voice synthesis machine learning model called VALL-E has prompted a new wave of concern over the possibility of deepfake voices made quick an
FCC moves to form Space Bureau as its role in regulating orbit intensifies
The Federal Communications Commission regulates lots of industries and practices relating to telecommunications and the internet, but it is now cementing its role as a space regulator by voting to cre
Virgin Orbit mission suffers anomaly in first orbital launch from British soil
Update: Despite successfully reaching second engine cut-off and thus past many of the most difficult parts of launch, the Start Me Up mission has suffered “an anomaly that has prevented us from
Is Adobe using your photos to train its AI? It’s complicated
A sharp-eyed developer at Krita noticed recently that, in the settings for their Adobe Creative Cloud account, the company had opted them (and everyone else) into a “content analysis” prog
Today at CES: Baby wearables, texts from dogs and e-ink cars
It’s the first official day of CES and our team has already located dozens of the coolest new gadgets, features and weird concept cars that probably will never see the light of day. Halo (not Am
Razer’s 5G Edge gaming handheld hits on January 26 for $400
If you’re a gamer who plays on their Android phone a lot, the Razer Edge might be the dedicated platform you’re looking for — and the device will be available later this month starting a