It’s Wednesday, my dudes. Let’s get you updated on what’s happening in the tech world.
1. The Federal government announces a vaping crackdown
The Guardian is reporting that the Australian government is set to ban the importation of nonprescription vaping products, including products that don’t include nicotine. Minimum quality standards are being introduced to set expectations for ingredients, colours, flavours and the amount of nicotine included. Additionally, all single-use vapes are set to be banned.
Young people who vape are three times as likely to take up smoking, and under 25s are the only cohort in the community currently recording an increase in smoking rates. This must end.
— Mark Butler MP (@Mark_Butler_MP) May 1, 2023
2. NSW begins to test Digital ID
Staying in Australia, and NSW has started testing its Digital ID. As reported by iTnews, the government has confirmed that the pilot had started in February 2023. The beta includes photo verification, with 36 participants involved in the test. Additionally, the government claimed that tests had achieved “more than 90 per cent satisfaction” scores among participants.
3. Google and Microsoft CEOs called to the White House to talk about AI
Moving overseas and Reuters is reporting that the bosses of Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic have been called to the White House to meet with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. The invitation sent to the CEOs noted an expectation from U.S. President Joe Biden that companies “make sure their products are safe before making them available to the public”.
4. IBM pauses hiring to onboard AI
IBM is planning to pause or slow hiring in the coming years for roles that AI could replace. In an interview with Bloomberg, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna explained that the slowdown or freeze in hiring would affect back-office positions and departments such as HR. Krishna told the outlet that these non-customer-facing positions make up around 26,000 positions in IBM’s workforce, and said that “I could easily see 30 per cent of that getting replaced by AI and automation over a five-year period.”
IBM’s CEO sees 30% of its back-office jobs being replaced by AI in the next five years https://t.co/mgjVQ5WBH2
— Bloomberg (@business) May 2, 2023
5. Amazon Prime gets a price rise
The price of Amazon Prime in Australia is set to rise over the next month, from $6.99 to $9.99. The price increase will see the cost of both Amazon Prime Video, the company’s streaming service, and Amazon Prime, the company’s online shopping subscription service, go up by $3 per month. Both services are bundled under one subscription. The price increase will come into effect from June 28 for all current users and from May 24 for new subscribers.
BONUS ITEM: Just going to give you the headline for this one – Dildo Man Photographs Huge Ice Penis in Canada.
Dildo Man Photographs Huge Ice Penis in Canada https://t.co/Vyl4kcSMcr pic.twitter.com/hc7foHjIPs
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) May 2, 2023
Have a lovely day.