360° HIGHLIGHTS

• Tech Blackout Hits as Cybersecurity Company Fails 

• Europe’s policies affecting its tech future

• Google's biggest purchase plan might make Microsoft nervous.

• Tools To Try

• Top 360° News

Read Time : 5 minutes

^{Tech Blackout Hits as Cybersecurity Company Fails} 

A significant outage on Friday morning halted operations for numerous airlines, TV broadcasters, banks, and other essential services worldwide. The issue, resulting in widespread "Blue Screen of Death" errors, was traced back to a faulty update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.

This update affected CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform, disrupting systems using Windows-based hardware. While CrowdStrike has rolled out a fix, resolving the issue may take days due to the need for physical intervention in some cases

The issue is not related to a cyberattack but a defect in a single content update. CrowdStrike has deployed a fix, but recovery may be slow, depending on company resources.

Microsoft's involvement includes a related Windows update (KB5039302) which compounded the issue, causing reboot loops in affected systems

^{The European Union risking its tech future with stringent regulations}

Meta has made a surprising move by deciding not to launch its new multimodal AI model—capable of handling video, audio, images, and text—in the European Union. The reason? Concerns about regulations.

With the European regulatory landscape being so unpredictable, particularly with the new AI Act, Meta has opted to play it safe. This isn't an isolated incident either; Apple recently left the EU out of its Apple Intelligence rollout due to the Digital Markets Act, and Meta has paused its AI assistant release in the EU and Brazil over data protection worries.

These advanced multimodal AI models were set to bring some serious innovations to products like Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses. Now, however, only a larger text-only version of Llama 3 will be available in the EU.

This decision leaves European companies and any others looking to enter the EU market in a tricky spot.

^{Google to Enhance Olympics Viewers Experience}

Google has secured a significant deal with NBCUniversal to provide enhanced viewing experiences for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Key elements of this partnership include:

Enhanced Streaming Features: Viewers will be able to watch live events on platforms such as Peacock and NBCOlympics.com, which will include options like full-screen viewing, HD quality, and the ability to watch on mobile or tablet devices through dedicated apps​​.

Comprehensive Coverage: The Olympics will feature extensive coverage, with up to 40 events happening simultaneously, and specialized segments like "Gold Zone" for live action highlights and "Primetime in Paris" hosted by Mike Tirico​.

Multiview and Personalized Recaps: New features like Discovery Multiview will allow users to watch multiple events at once, and Daily Olympic Recaps will provide personalized highlights narrated by an AI-generated voice of Al Michaels​​.

Accessibility: The streaming service will offer a variety of accessibility features and support for various devices and operating systems, ensuring a broad reach and user-friendly experience​​.

^{Tools To Try}

• Adobe Premiere Pro : A professional video editing software offering AI-powered tools for automated editing, color correction, and audio enhancements.

• Lumen5: An AI-driven video creation platform that transforms text content into engaging video presentations, ideal for social media and marketing.

• Magisto : A smart video editor that uses AI to automatically create polished videos from raw footage, complete with effects, transitions, and music.

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