Biden's TikTok Tug-of-War, Apple's Privacy Play with OpenELM, and the Fiery Ethics of a Flamethrower Robo-Dog

In today's episode of Discover Daily, we're navigating the intersection of technology and policy, starting with the potential ban of TikTok in the United States. President Joe Biden's recent legislative action could force TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or face a ban, stirring up a storm of controversy and debate. We'll examine the paradox of the Biden campaign's use of TikTok for voter engagement amidst national security concerns and the company's vow to challenge the ban in court. Next, we shift our focus to Apple's groundbreaking OpenELM project, which introduces a new family of open-source large language models designed to run locally on devices. This innovative approach promises to enhance privacy and processing speed, marking a significant shift from cloud-based AI. We'll discuss the features and capabilities of OpenELM, its integration with iOS 18, and what this means for the future of on-device AI technologies.Finally, we'll delve into the fiery realm of robotics with the Thermonator, a flamethrower-equipped robotic dog developed by Throwflame. Built on the Unitree Go1 platform, the Thermonator raises ethical questions and concerns about the weaponization of robotic technologies. We'll also touch on Nvidia's strategic acquisition of the AI startup Run:ai and wrap up with the long-awaited introduction of a native Calculator app for the iPad in the upcoming iPadOS 18 release. Join us as we explore these fascinating developments that are shaping the tech landscape.From Perplexity's Discover feed:Biden signs TikTok banhttps://www.perplexity.ai/search/Biden-signs-TikTok-NNhysG12Qmull2GUiQV4qwApple releases on-device AI modelhttps://www.perplexity.ai/search/Apple-releases-ondevice-zsskx2HvSiCebuNwOtbQLAThe Thermonator flame-throwing robodoghttps://www.perplexity.ai/search/The-Thermonator-flamethrowing-fqpFxipFSb.Z3MAaTE5V8wNvidia buys Run:ai for $700mhttps://www.perplexity.ai/search/Nvidia-buys-Runai-cGS4n6wGTfiMQ.RO95yKXgiPad finally gets a calculatorhttps://www.perplexity.ai/search/iPad-finally-gets-FSxX0tGmRfu6vkd.FFhy8wPerplexity is the fastest and most powerful way to search the web. Perplexity crawls the web and curates the most relevant and up-to-date sources (from academic papers to Reddit threads) to create the perfect response to any question or topic you’re interested in. Take the world's knowledge with you anywhere. Available on iOS and Android Join our growing Discord community for the latest updates and exclusive content. Follow us on: