Australia’s Heatwave States
Some Aussie states are in for a rough-as-guts few days. This is because Queensland, NSW, Western Australia, South Australia, and Victoria are all experiencing a rubbish heatwave.
But how bad is it? Well, Queensland’s Ipswich will likely be hit with a 38C Saturday, and NSW’s Penrith is expected to touch 40C over the weekend. Meanwhile, Western Australia’s Pilbara region and central South Australia are also both likely to suffer through some 40C weather.
Even Melbourne can’t escape the heat. This Saturday, the city is predicted to suffer through temperatures in the mid-thirties.
What’s more, while this scorching weather is a bummer, it’s worse than what was previously predicted. This is because our heatwave is now creating some extremely dangerous conditions. The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has pubbed fire warnings for NSW’s southern and central ranges, fire warnings for Western Australia’s Mortlock area, and a severe heatwave warning for Queensland’s South-East.
Keep safe, folks. If you’re in any of the previously mentioned areas, keep up with what the BoM and your SES branch are saying.
Unpacking Microsoft’s ChatGPT Copilot
Have you ever wished that Microsoft bought back Clippy? You know, that talking paperclip on the side of Word that could do sick spins? Well, Microsoft isn’t bringing it back. Instead, Microsoft has made its replacement, a ChatGPT product called Copilot.
Like Clippy, Copilot will sit in your Microsoft apps. However, unlike Clippy, Copilot is built upon an AI chatbot that can provide context-specific responses. Copilot will be able to generate text in Word, make PowerPoints off prompts, and transcribe meetings in Teams.
“Copilot gives you a first draft to edit and iterate on — saving hours in writing, sourcing, and editing time,” said Microsoft in a plug. “Sometimes Copilot will be right, other times usefully wrong, but it will always put you further ahead.”
Yet, it’s worth noting that Copilot is yet another Microsoft and ChatGPT product that won’t cite its sources. If Copilot dumps some info in a Word doc, you’ll have to check yourself if it’s spitting facts or quoting Joe Rogan.
Copilot is currently being tested with 20 customers. In another statement, Microsoft said, “We will share more about pricing and details in the coming months.”
Related: ChatGPT 4 Is Here — Is It Greater Than ChatGPT 3?
Related: ChatGPT DAN — Users Have Hacked The AI Chatbot to Make It Evil
AI Can Trick the Australian Tax Office
Speaking of AI, this tech has been used to bamboozle Centrelink and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Both Centrelink and the ATO allow users to submit voice prints. Like a fingerprint scanner on a phone, you can use a voiceprint to access your sensitive info.
However, AI-generated voices can be trained to sound like specific people. And this tech has been used to unlock Centrelink and ATO accounts.
In response to this situation, Hank Jongen, a spokesperson for Centrelink, said, “We continually scan for potential threats and make ongoing enhancements to ensure customer security.”
Meanwhile, an ATO spokesperson said a very similar thing: “The ATO actively scans for potential vulnerabilities and enhances its system as required to ensure the security and protection of ATO client data, and appropriate controls are embedded in the digital services we offer to the Australian community.”
Not super inspiring words. Maybe keep using passwords and two-factor authentication, aye.
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