AI billionaires and wannabe AI millionaires topped the headlines this week. We also saw Microsoft release a major update to Windows 11 as well as the latest version of Office. Tack on some early Prime Day and Anti-Prime Day deals and reviews of the latest gadgets and games, and you have a recipe for a big helping of news to catch up on. Here's a recap of the biggest tech stories from the past week.
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"Art is dead, dude. It’s over. AI won. Humans lost"
"Art is dead," according to Jason M. Allen, an artist who won a digital art competition with a piece of work created by Midjourney. Allen claims that he's lost millions of dollars from people stealing work he created with AI. The ironic complaint has caused a conversation about ownership of AI-generated work.
"The Copyright Office's refusal to register Theatre D'Opera Spatial has put me in a terrible position, with no recourse against others who are blatantly and repeatedly stealing my work without compensation or credit."
In order to generate artwork, or any content, AI models have to be trained on real-world examples. Simply put, any piece of art made with AI is the result of a massive number of art pieces made by people. But the strength of that connection is up for debate. Some argue that human artists have been trained by looking at other work, so AI models are replicating that process. Others argue that artistry is about more than entering prompts and having a tool create an image. At least for the moment, the US Copyright Office falls into the latter, arguing that AI-generated work lacks human authorship.
Allen's work may be made with AI, but his quotes on the topic sound like a cliche human artist from a TV show. "I’m not going to apologize for it. I won, and I didn’t break any rules. This isn’t going to stop. Art is dead, dude. It’s over. AI won. Humans lost." Apparently, art is dead, but Allen wants his bank account to live on.
Windows 11 2024 Update
Windows 11 received a major update this week, bumping PCs to version 24H2. The Windows 11 2024 Update includes several new features, but it's probably turning more heads for its performance improvements. Microsoft made several under the hood changes to Windows 11 with this update, giving PCs a noticeable boost in everyday computing. The operating system should feel smoother and experience less lag after being installed.
The best Windows on Arm laptops can now run emulated apps better, thanks to a new emulation layer for x86 applications. PCs with certain CPUs and GPUs that install the Windows 11 2024 Update should see better gaming performance as well. Even unsupported PCs get a boost when running the Windows 11 2024 Update.
In addition to performance improvements and security updates, the Windows 11 2024 Update includes several new features and changes. Our Senior Editor Zac Bowden broke down the most important changes when the update launched:
- File Explorer home tab now includes an updated layout with shared documents
- You can now duplicate tabs by right-clicking the tab.
- Context Menu layout has been updated with better labeling for easier use.
- You can now create .7z and .TAR archive formats.
- You can view your Android phone's file system directly in File Explorer
- A new Outlook app for email, calendar, and contact is included
- Microsoft has updated Copilot as a standalone web app
- Photos now includes AI-enhanced generative erase and background editing
- Windows Update now supports checkpoints and hot patching for faster and less obtrusive updates
- Voice Clarity uses AI to remove background noise picked up by your microphone in supported apps
- Power settings for plugged/unplugged state can now be configured simultaneously
- A new Energy Saver mode replaces battery saver and applies to both laptops and desktops
- You can now configure the mouse scroll wheel direction in Settings
- Wi-Fi 7 hardware is now supported
- New PRISM emulation layer makes x86 emulated apps run better on Arm
- Arm-based devices should now run smoother
- Phone Link is now integrated with the Start menu
- The Taskbar system tray layout has been simplified
- Quick Settings has been rebuilt to be faster and more customizable
- Windows Spotlight image is now the default wallpaper setting
- You can now set HDR images as a desktop wallpaper
We have a full Windows 11 2024 Update review and a guide on how to install the Windows 11 2024 Update to help get your PC onto the latest version of Windows.
OpenAI raises $6.6 billion
OpenAI shouldn't have to worry about being on the verge of bankruptcy for a while. The company secured $6.6 billion of investment from NVIDIA and Microsoft. That influx of cash bumped OpenAI's valuation to $157 billion. At one point, it appeared that Apple would join other tech giants as part of the latest investment in OpenAI, but Apple reportedly pulled out of investing at the last minute.
While Microsoft and NVIDIA were the ones to invest billions of dollars, OpenAI was the company with demands, or at least sternly phrased requests. OpenAI asked investors to not invest in competing AI companies, including Anthropic, xAI, Safe Superintelligence (SSI), Perplexity, and Glean round out the list of five companies OpenAI does not want its investors to deal with. Notably, SSI was co-founded by Ilya Sutskever, who also co-founded OpenAI.
OpenAI will have to continue to invest heavily into training its models and improving its tech, since competition in the AI space is heavy. NVIDIA, which makes millions on the hardware side of AI, debuted its own LLM this week.
Office 2024
Microsoft 365 is one of the core services at Microsoft, but it is not the only way to access Office applications. Microsoft unveiled Office 2024 this week, which lets you use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook on a Mac or PC. Unlike Microsoft 365, Office 2024 does not require a subscription. Instead, you need to pay a one-time payment of $149.99 or $249.99 depending on which apps you'd like to use.
Microsoft still lauds Microsoft 365 as the best way to use Microsoft services, but there are workflows in which Office 2024 is a better fit.
Office 2024 has several updates when compared to its predecessor, Office 2021. The new version of Office has a refreshed look that aligns with Windows 11 and quite a few new features.
Review Roundup
This week, our experts took a close look at the latest laptops, accessories, and games. All of the devices we went hands-on with earned at least a 4/5, and three of them earned a nearly perfect score.
★★★★⯨ ASUS ProArt PX13
★★★★⯨ Razer Kraken V4
★★★★⯨ Razer Firefly V2 Pro
★★★★ ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16
★★★★ Starfield: Shattered Space
To kick things off, we looked at the ASUS ProArt PX13, which features a wheel in its trackpad. "The inclusion of the ASUS Dial on the touchpad combined with the ASUS Pen 2.0 makes for some very convenient interactions with creative programs without requiring users to purchase extra accessories," said our Rebecca Spear.
That unique feature, the laptop's performance, and the PC's gorgeous screen earned the ASUS ProArt PX13 high marks.
The Razer Kraken V4 also earned praise. The headset is comfortable, features RGB lighting, and even looks good with a pair of Razer Kitty Ears V2. "The Razer Kraken V4 checks all the boxes," said our Zachary Boddy. "It's comfortable to wear for long gaming sessions, offers a versatile and responsive sound profile, can last for dozens of hours on a single charge, and has no issues with wireless connectivity. It goes toe-to-toe with the best in the sub-$200 range and often compares very favorably."
Starfield: Shattered Space, has received mixed reviews on Steam and Xbox, with some arguing that Bethesda hyped the expansion then fell short. Our Samuel Tolbert explained that he enjoyed the expansion in his Starfield: Shattered Space review, but that he agreed with one major complaint shared by many.
Make sure to check out all of our reviews to see what our team loves (and dislikes) about the latest gadgets and games.
Early Prime Day deals
Amazon Prime Big Deal Days event officially kick off on Tuesday, October 8, 2024. But you don't have to wait until Tuesday to save hundreds of dollars on PCs or save a bundle on accessories and other gadgets. Retailers, including Walmart, Target, and Best Buy, are racing to drop prices to create early holiday deals and to clear shelves. We've already covered dozens of deals and will cover more next week. Here are some of the hottest deals.
