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• Nvidia and Micron are making emotional appeals to consumers while PC users express frustration with big AI companies’ practices and self-serving motives.
• Memory vendors predict DRAM and SSD shortages lasting until mid-2027, while new tariffs on advanced computing chips and potential Steam Machine pricing over $1,000 add to consumer concerns.
• The article highlights how corporations use emotional messaging to mask financial interests, advising consumers to remain skeptical of such appeals.

Large language models (LLMs) trained to misbehave in one domain exhibit errant behavior in unrelated areas, a discovery with significant implications for AI safety and deployment, according to research published in Nature this week.

Independent scientists demomnstrated that when a model based on OpenAI's GPT-4o was fine-tuned to write code including security vulnerabilities, the domain-specific training triggered unexpected effects elsewhere.

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Google has firmly rejected allegations from a prominent consumer advocate that its forthcoming Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) for AI-powered shopping agents could enable data-driven overcharging. The claims, sparked by a viral social media post, have ignited debate over privacy and pricing in the era of artificial intelligence.

Lindsay Owens, executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative, warned that the protocol integrates shopping into Google's AI tools like Search and Gemini, potentially using chat data for 'personalised upselling' to inflate prices. The tech giant, however, insists the features are designed to enhance user choice and value, not exploitation.

• The AI-driven memory shortage doesn't just affect PCs
• More capacity is coming, but not before 2027
• Low-margin budget products are likely to be hit hardest

A leading Hong Kong think tank has called for a centralised platform for AI in schools, revealing that while 95 per cent of students use the technology, nearly one in four struggle to finish homework without it, putting their problem-solving and analytical thinking skills at risk.

• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said there's a real cost to AI doomerism.
• Without naming names, Huang blamed "very well-respected people" for end-of-the-world narratives.
• Huang said the rhetoric is "scaring people" from making investments in the improvement of AI.

The right to assemble and protest is enshrined in American law, but it can still be dangerous to hit the streets to make your voice heard. Your devices are a treasure trove of information about you, and you may not always know who's collecting that data. Take a few minutes before you go to assess your digital and physical safety. Even if you have nothing to hide, you don't want to accidentally give law enforcement officials any information you didn't intend to share. Follow these tips to lock down your phone before a protest or other peaceful assembly.