Anthropic has unveiled a major update to its Claude AI models, including the new “Computer Use” feature. Developers can direct the upgraded Claude 3.5 Sonnet to navigate desktop apps, move cursors, click buttons, and type text — essentially imitating a person working at their PC. “Instead of making specific tools to help Claude complete individual tasks, we’re teaching it general computer skills—allowing it to use a wide range of standard tools and software programs designed for people,” the company wrote in a blog post. The Computer Use API can be integrated to translate text prompts into computer commands, with Anthropic giving examples like, “use data from my computer and online to fill out this form” and “move the cursor to open a web browser.” This is the first AI model from the AI leader that is able to browse the web. The update works by analysing screenshots of what the user is seeing then calculating how many pixels it needs to move a cursor vertically or horizontally to click the correct place or perform another task using the software available. It can tackle up to hundreds of successive steps to complete a command, and will self-correct and retry a step should it encounter an obstacle. The Computer Use API, available now in public beta, ultimately aims to allow devs to automate repetitive processes, test software, and conduct open-ended tasks. The software development platform Replit is already exploring using it for navigating user interfaces to evaluate functionality as apps are built for its Replit Agent product. “Enabling AIs to interact directly with computer software in the same way people do will unlock a huge range of applications that simply aren’t possible for the current generation of AI assistants,” Anthropic wrote in a blog post. Claude’s Computer Use is still fairly error-prone Anthropic admits that the feature is not perfect; it still can’t effectively handle scrolling, dragging, or zooming. In an evaluation designed to test its ability to book flights, it was successful only 46% of the time. But this is an improvement over the previous iteration that scored 36%. Because Claude relies on screenshots rather than a continuous video stream, it can miss short-lived actions or notifications. The researchers admit that, during one coding demonstration, it stopped what it was doing and began to browse photos of Yellowstone National Park. It scored 14.9% on OSWorld, a platform for evaluating a model’s ability to perform as humans would, for screenshot-based tasks. This is a far cry from human-level skill, thought to be between 70% and 75%, but it is nearly double that of the next best AI system. Anthropic is also hoping to improve this capability with developer feedback. Computer Use has some accompanying safety features The Anthropic researchers say that a number of deliberate measures were made that focused on minimising the potential risk associated with Computer Use. For privacy and safety, it does not train on user-submitted data, including screenshots it processes, nor could it access the internet during training. One of the main vulnerabilities identified is prompt injection attacks, a type of ‘jailbreaking’ where malicious instructions could cause the AI to behave unexpectedly. Research from the U.K. AI Safety Institute found that jailbreak attacks could “enable coherent and malicious multi-step agent behavior” in models without such Computer Use capabilities, such as GPT-4o. A separate study found that Generative AI jailbreak attacks succeed 20% of the time. To mitigate the risk of prompt injection in Claude Sonnet 3.5, the Trust and Safety teams implemented systems to identify and prevent such attacks, particularly since Claude can interpret screenshots that may contain harmful content. Furthermore, the developers anticipated the potential for users to misuse Claude’s computer skills. As a result, they created “classifiers” and monitoring systems that detect when harmful activities, such as spam, misinformation, or fraudulent behaviours, might be occurring. It is also unable to post on social media or interact with government websites to avoid political threats. Joint pre-deployment testing was conducted by both the U.S. and U.K. Safety Institutes, and Claude 3.5 Sonnet remains at AI Safety Level 2, meaning it doesn’t pose significant risks that require more stringent safety measures than the existing. SEE: OpenAI and Anthropic Sign Deals With U.S. AI Safety Institute, Handing Over Frontier Models For Testing More must-read AI coverage Claude 3.5 Sonnet is better at coding than its predecessor In addition to the computer use beta, Claude 3.5 Sonnet offers significant gains in coding and tool use but at the same cost and speed of its predecessor. The new model improves its performance on SWE-bench Verified, a coding benchmark, from 33.4% to 49%, outpacing even reasoning models like OpenAI o1-preview. An increasing number of companies are using Generative AI to code. However, the technology is not perfect in this area. AI-generated code has been known to cause outages, and security leaders are considering banning the technology’s use in software development. SEE: When AI Misses the Mark: Why Tech Buyers Face Project Failures Users of Claude 3.5 Sonnet have seen the improvements in action, according to Anthropic. GitLab tested it for DevSecOps tasks and found it delivered up to 10% stronger reasoning with no added latency. The AI lab Cognition also reported improvements in its coding, planning, and problem-solving over the previous version. Claude 3.5 Sonnet is available today through Anthropic API, Amazon Bedrock, and Google Cloud’s Vertex AI. A version without Computer Use is being rolled out to Claude apps. Claude 3.5 Haiku is cheaper but just as effective Anthropic also launched Claude 3.5 Haiku, an upgraded version of the least expensive  Claude model. Haiku delivers faster responses as well as improved instruction accuracy and tool use, making it useful for user-facing applications and generating personalised experiences from data. Haiku matches the performance of the larger Claude 3 Opus model for the same cost and similar speed of the previous generation. It also outperforms the original Claude 3.5 Sonnet and GPT-4o on SWE-bench Verified, with a score of 40.6%. Claude 3.5 Haiku

第三屆Inno4life—創意文化及科技創新展覽強勢回歸。 Inno4life-創意文化及科技創新2024於10月4日至6日香港灣仔會議展覽中心3樓展覽廳F及G舉行。 是次的展覽共有五大關鍵區域，將會繼續向公眾分別展示更多在美容和生活、醫療技術、教育發展、環境以及金融科技四個方面的創新科技項目和技術。展會為參觀者提供豐富的參觀體驗，包括購物、最新生活科技展示、工作坊和講座。Inno4life-創意文化及科技創新展覽2024讓訪客花一個周末，迎接創意創新的生活態度。  LinkedIn Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp source

By Lauren Berg ( October 24, 2024, 7:59 PM EDT) — Bumble asked a California federal judge Wednesday to throw out a lawsuit alleging the dating app discriminates against straight women by requiring them to make the first move, saying the complaint “betrays a troubling irony” in perpetuating gender-based stereotypes that antidiscrimination laws were designed to prevent…. Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions. A Law360 subscription includes features such as Daily newsletters Expert analysis Mobile app Advanced search Judge information Real-time alerts 450K+ searchable archived articles And more! Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial. source

Munich-based startup OroraTech has secured €25mn in funding to scale up its AI-powered wildfire detection system.  Korys, the investment arm of the Colruyt’s — a Belgian noble family — led the funding round. The EU’s Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF) also chipped in, alongside existing investor Bayern Kapital.  OroraTech will use the fresh funding to fuel the next phase of its growth. The company looks to expand into global markets beyond Europe, and keep refining its technology. OroraTech’s so-called Wildfire Solution collates imagery from its own probes, as well as over 20 other Earth observation satellites. The startup has trained an AI algorithm to scan these images and automatically detect signs of wildfires. The system can also predict how they will spread. The 💜 of EU tech The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol’ founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now! A spin-out from the Technical University of Munich, OroraTech has so far launched two satellites. The most recent of these blasted off into low Earth orbit upon a SpaceX Falcon 9 in June last year.   Battling the blaze  As climate change accelerates, wildfires are spreading faster, burning longer, and raging more intensely. More than 500,000 hectares of land across the EU burnt last year — an area twice the size of Luxembourg.   Faced with this mounting problem, authorities are increasingly turning to high-tech solutions.  In June, Greece’s Ministry of Digital Governance awarded OroraTech a €20mn contract to build a satellite-based early warning system for wildfires. The national defence system will consist of four thermal satellites and a network of ground sensors and processing services. OroraTech will develop it in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and several Greek universities and companies.  Greece’s national wildfire system will go into full operations once OroraTech has got its entire constellation of 100 shoebox-sized satellites in orbit, which is scheduled for 2026.  “However, we will be delivering data to Greece immediately with our current network of thermal platforms, including our Wildfire Solution platform,” a company spokesperson previously told TNW.    OroraTech’s third satellite, FOREST-3 (pictured top), is scheduled to launch next month. The company is currently testing eight new thermal-imaging satellites, which it plans to roll out in early 2025. OroraTech joins an emerging cohort of “firetech” startups that have popped up in recent years.  Dryad Networks, a German company, has created an “internet of trees” sensor network that “smells” fires in the forest, before they burn out of control. Other ventures include BurnBot, which has built a robot that performs prescribed burns, and Rain, which wants to deploy autonomous helicopters to fight fires. In Europe, several fire brigades have been trialling long-range drones like those built by Dutch scaleup Avy to detect wildfires early and help firefighters on the ground track the blaze in real time. Researchers in Portugal are even developing a drone that douses flames from above.   As climate change worsens, we’ll likely see all kinds of technologies being deployed to battle the blaze, ultimately saving lives. source

A Fax Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) is a device that allows you to use a traditional fax machine to send faxes using an internet connection. Sometimes called a fax machine adapter, a fax jack, or a fax bridge, a fax ATA makes it easy to modernize your office communications while still using the equipment you’re familiar with — and in some cases, required to use. In the U.S. and many other countries, governments have given telecom providers the green light to stop maintaining traditional phone lines. In other words, landlines are being phased out in favor of more modern technology, such as fiber optic cable. Once that happens in your area, analog fax machines won’t work without an ATA. I’ll explain what traditional fax doesn’t work over the internet, how a fax ATA works, the different types available, and how to pick one that works for your needs. How a fax ATA works A fax ATA acts as a translator between two different technologies: the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and the internet. Fax was designed for phone lines, which transmit analog signals. The internet transmits digital data known as packets. The two methods of transmission are not compatible. Let’s go just a little deeper into both technologies so you can see how a fax ATA provides the missing link and allows any old fax machine to send digital faxes. A fax machine works the same way as a telephone does — sending analog signals over phone lines — but instead of converting voice to signal, fax converts an image into signals that can be transmitted. The fax machine scans whatever document you feed into it, translates the document into an image, and then converts it into audio tones that are sent over phone lines. People born before 2000 will remember the beeps and boops that a dial-up modem made — those are the audio tones I am talking about. Once the audio signal gets to the other side, the receiving fax machine converts those signals back into a visual format and then prints out the original image. While this works just fine when you’re using a phone line — which is designed to carry analog signals — things are a bit different when you use the internet, which transmits digital data rather than analog signal. That’s why you can’t send a fax from an analog machine via the internet without a “translator” of some kind; it simply doesn’t know how to create data packets, and so there’s nothing for the internet to send to the other fax machines. That’s where a fax ATA comes in. It takes the analog signals your fax machine creates from the original visual image and translates them into data packets that can be sent via the internet. Once the data packets reach the other end, they’re then translated back into a visual format capable of being printed. Installing a fax ATA While fax ATAs can vary a little bit from model to model, they normally look like small boxes with three sockets in the back. One is for the power cord, and it’s usually labeled as “Power” or sometimes “DC 5V” to denote the kind of power it uses. Another socket is for the cable that connects the ATA to the fax machine, and it looks like a normal phone jack that you’d use with a landline. This one may be labeled “Fax” or “Phone.” In some cases, there may be more than one of these, which means you can plug the device into several fax machines at once. There’s another jack that also looks like a traditional landline jack (only bigger), and this one is used to connect to the internet. It might be labeled “Internet,” “Ethernet,” or “WAN/LAN.” If it’s labeled “Internet,” you can plug it directly into your router. If not, you may have to plug it into your computer, assuming your computer has some kind of ethernet port. This should work the same way, no matter which type of port you have. The only difference is whether the ATA connects to the internet directly or if it connects to the internet via your computer as a middleman. Since each of these sockets has a different type of cable that should only fit into its respective port, it would take a lot of effort to get things wrong — all you have to do is make sure the right cable is plugged into the right socket, and you’re usually good to go. How to select the right fax ATA Some fax ATAs will work better for certain use cases and different business sizes. Some of the best analog telephone adapters will work for landline fax machines, phones, and other legacy communication technology. If you only need a fax ATA for a home office, you’re likely going to be fine with a simple, one-port ATA that lets you connect to one fax machine. Look for one that’s device-agnostic and uses an open communications protocol, which means that it can work with any type of fax machine and any type of computer. Most small businesses can get away with using a single port ATA as well — unless they send and receive a lot of faxes and need to be able to operate several fax machines at once. If this is the case for you, choosing a multi-port fax adapter that lets you connect to several fax machines can be a good idea, and you may want to consider one that connects to phones and fax machines at the same time. If you’re wanting to move your communications to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) but still want to use your analog landline and fax machine, this could be a good choice. DOWNLOAD this VoIP Solutions Feature Comparison from TechRepublic Premium For large organizations and those who are running a unified communications environment with Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking, an advanced solution may be the smartest choice here. In this case, you’ll want to look

With about 12,000 employees worldwide, along with offices in Bonn and Berlin and approximately 230 missions, the reach of the German Federal Foreign Office is vast, connecting with citizens abroad, along with other governments and international organizations. But in the modern age, the agency realized that its system of digitally managing citizen requests was outdated. The pressure was on to adopt a modern, flexible, and scalable system to route questions to the proper source and provide the necessary answers. But how? AI clears the way For years, requests were processed in a way that was highly individual, depending on the department and mission, usually via email. Not only was this time-consuming and difficult, but information tended to become muddled or lost along the way, with inquiries sometimes dispatched to the wrong place. A better-designed structure was needed to standardize answers, foster efficiency and collaboration, and proactively solve problems on a global scale. That would mean developing a platform using artificial intelligence (AI) to gain insights into the past, present, and future – and improve the lives of the citizens using it. Quid est facil? In addition to maintaining political contacts worldwide, the German Federal Foreign Office promotes dialogue, focusing on such areas as development, technology, sustainability, culture, business, and science. Given the expanding scale of questions directed at the agency, the new solution would decentralize the prior communication methods, replacing them with a central system. To avoid confusion, the platform had to be intuitive to use so both citizens and government employees could quickly familiarize themselves with the updated style of corresponding. The solution would go by the name “FACIL,” based on the Latin term for “easily done.” “For us, FACIL means efficient communication, satisfied customers, and a gain in personnel resources for other tasks,” observed David Genzel, counsel general of the German Embassy in Sarajevo. In keeping with the times, this would be the agency’s first cloud-native development, an approach to building, deploying, and managing applications in a cloud computing environment, ensuring scale, durability, and elasticity. Since 1999, SAP had been providing support across the office’s operations, and the decision was made to partner with the company to create the cloud-based innovation. Designed to manage high demand, FACIL would be able to provide a consistent customer experience across multiple channels.  FACIL’s foundation would be based on SAP’s Business Technology Platform (BTP), a suite that helped the agency personalize applications and integrate and connect landscapes throughout the uncertainty of the pandemic. A small team of SAP consultants collaborating with the German Federal Foreign Office would create the initial architecture. All parties agreed that AI would increase processing efficiency while minimizing the risk of converting to a new system.  Requests could instantly be assigned to the proper processor based on topic, providing citizens with quick, accurate answers. Speaking with one voice Although FACIL first went live in April 2021, the platform was enhanced by quarterly releases until December 2023. By that time, it was handling 40,000 new inquiries a month. Having processed more than 1.8 million messages via phone, fax, and email – among other sources – the solution had been utilized by more than 450,000 citizens. In total, about 83% of requests are categorized through the use of AI and then automatically answered. In other cases, FACIL’s AI model can resolve an issue by calculating the methods used to respond to similar questions. Since the solution was launched, 77% of all inquiries have been closed and answered the same day. In fact, because of AI, 50% of citizen requests no longer require human interaction at all. Without the traditional architecture and storage that was previously essential to operate this type of platform, the system can be updated with no downtime. SAP’s Malware Scanning System scans all files before storing them. For its creation of FACIL, the German Federal Foreign Office received first prize in the “Services Supernova” category at the 2024 SAP Innovation Awards, a yearly event celebrating organizations using SAP technologies to improve communication, as well as the quality of life. (You can learn more about what the German Federal Foreign Office accomplished to earn this coveted award by reading their Innovation Awards pitch deck.) “All staff are on the same page and communicate…with one voice to give customers necessary guidance,” noted Christiane Kapashi, consular section head for the German embassy in Copenhagen. source

By Matthew Perlman ( October 23, 2024, 6:07 PM EDT) — The U.S. Supreme Court refused Wednesday to block Google’s request for documents in a case accusing the tech giant of monopolizing key digital ad technology as a South Carolina agency challenges an order forcing it to comply with the subpoena…. Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions. A Law360 subscription includes features such as Daily newsletters Expert analysis Mobile app Advanced search Judge information Real-time alerts 450K+ searchable archived articles And more! Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial. source

“Virtual Twins, Real Impact: How Integrated Simulation is Driving the Next Generation of Products“ Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 1:00pm EDT In today’s connected world, more and more products require both mechanical and electromagnetic design.  Increased product complexity, higher performance demands, and the integration of these simulation domains are making the design cycle more involved.  Meanwhile, the market is demanding faster product launches and lower costs. Join us as we explore some of the design challenges companies are facing today, and how simulation is playing a key role in overcoming them.  We will discuss thermal analysis, structural analysis, electromagnetic analysis – and how connected workflows can link these different domains to make the analysis process faster and more accurate. Offered Free by: Dassault See All Resources from: Dassault source

Opening a business checking account is recommended for business owners when establishing their first enterprise to build credibility, simplify bookkeeping, and protect personal assets. However, in a sea of choices, it can be challenging to find the most suitable account. The best small business checking accounts will offer interest earnings, no monthly fees, and no ATM charges. It will also provide more business support products and services to keep your company operation running smoothly. We compiled a list of financial providers to help you narrow down your choice. Here is a list of our 10 best small business checking accounts. Best overall small business checking account: Chase Member FDIC Best for high APY and line of credit: Bluevine Provider is a fintech platform, not a bank. It provides FDIC insurance and deposit services through a partnership with Coastal Community Bank. Best for unlimited daily transactions: Capital One Member FDIC Best for free checking account and high welcome bonus: U.S. Bank Member FDIC Best for teams seeking more accounts and debit cards: Relay Provider is a fintech platform, not a bank. It provides FDIC insurance and deposit services through a partnership with Thread Bank. Best high-yield bundled business accounts and free payment software: Grasshopper Bank Member FDIC Best for robust startup services and high FDIC coverage Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Deposits in checking and savings accounts are held by our banking services partners, Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust®; Members FDIC. Deposit insurance covers the failure of an insured bank. Certain conditions must be satisfied for pass-through insurance to apply. : Mercury Provider is a fintech platform, not a bank. It provides FDIC insurance and deposit services through a partnership with Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust. Best for speedy fund access and express payments: Novo Provider is a fintech platform, not a bank. It provides FDIC insurance and deposit services through a partnership with Middlesex Federal Savings. Best for budgeting and multiple software integrations: North One Provider is a fintech platform, not a bank. It provides FDIC insurance and deposit services through a partnership with The Bancorp Bank, N.A., Member FDIC. Best for freelancers and self-employed professionals: Found Provider is a fintech platform, not a bank. It provides FDIC insurance and deposit services through a partnership with Piermont Bank. SPONSORED Software Spotlight: Bluevine Earn up to 4.25% APY with Bluevine Business Checking. Unlimited transactions, no overdraft fees, and no fees on ACH & incoming wires Add up to 5 sub-accounts, each with unique account numbers FDIC coverage up to $3 million Save with no monthly fees Best small business checking quick comparison The table below shows the top factors we evaluated for the 10 best small business checking accounts. Chase: Best overall small business checking account Our rating: 4.35 out of 5 Image: Chase A household name in the banking industry, Chase provides small businesses with three checking options that scale as your business grows. As a full-service bank, Chase offers small businesses savings accounts, credit cards, and other lending products, including payment solutions and collection services. What we like about Chase is that small businesses can bank online and in person. Its ubiquitous presence in 48 states makes it convenient to visit one of its branches. Under its basic tier checking product, you can deposit cash fee-free up to $5,000 each month, which is often unavailable or limited for many fintech providers. Why we chose it Chase Complete Business Banking® is our overall best checking account for small businesses because it has a waivable monthly fee and easy waiver conditions. You will get 20 free teller and paper transactions and unlimited debit card and ATM transactions, including solid accounting software integrations. We named Chase our top bank for QuickBooks integration. In addition, Chase’s basic tier account uses a built-in payment processor (QuickAccept) that lets you accept your customer’s credit card payments for free via the Chase mobile app. With a Chase account, you can send digital invoices and secure payment links. Opening a Chase Complete Business Banking®  account also entitles eligible customers to a $300 welcome bonus by meeting qualifying conditions. Monthly fees Chase Business Complete Banking®: $15; waivable by having any of these: $2,000 average daily balance (ADB). $2,000 Chase Ink Business Cards spend. $2,000 in deposits from Chase QuickAccept or other eligible Chase Payment Solutions transactions. Chase Private Client Checking account. Qualifying proof of military status. Chase Performance Business Checking®: $30; waivable by meeting a $35,000 or greater combined ADB in qualifying business deposit accounts. Chase Platinum Business CheckingSM: $95; waivable by meeting a $100,000 combined ADB across qualifying business deposit and investment accounts. With a linked Private Client Checking account, the required ADB is $50,000. Features Free associate and employee debit cards upon request. Digital banking and branch locations in 48 states. Chase Bank QuickBooks integration. Built-in card acceptance through its mobile app. Low to no fees for FX transactions made via online or Chase’s app. Fraud protection services. Payment and invoicing services via Chase Payment Solutions. Online and branch customer support. Pros and cons Pros Cons No required opening deposit and minimum balance for basic checking No interest earnings Unlimited debit card and ATM transactions Only 20 fee-free teller and paper transactions $300 cashback bonus for new accounts (conditions apply) High balances to waive the monthly fees for premium checking accounts Bluevine: Best for high APY and line of credit Our rating: 4.25 out of 5 Image: Bluevine Ranking high on this list is a popular fintech company, Bluevine. It has excellent checking products that promote high-yield earnings, including an outstanding line of credit. Aside from its competitive rates, Bluevine edges many providers with its robust business integrations, fast international payment option, and reduced fees for ACH and outbound wire transfers. You also get five fee-free subaccounts and a high FDIC insurance coverage of up to $3 million. What we like about Bluevine is its interest-earning business checking accounts, which is uncommon. Typically, financial providers