The new model can predict the structure of many life’s molecules such as proteins, DNA, RNA and several others….
OpenArt AI Review: The Ultimate Free AI Art Generator?
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing various fields, including the world of art, and with that comes many AI art generators to choose from. But which one is best? I recently came across OpenArt AI, an AI art generator developed in San Fransisco by ex-Googlers and fueled by…
10 ways generative AI drives stronger security outcomes – CyberTalk
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Eighty-seven percent of cyber security professionals recognize the potential inherent in leveraging AI for security purposes. The growing volume and sophistication of cyber attacks point to the critical need for new and innovative ways to protect businesses from cyber skullduggery.
However, despite widespread and rabid enthusiasm for generative AI, generative AI adoption in the security space has remained somewhat constricted and slow. Why? The reality is that running mature, enterprise-ready generative AI is not an easy feat.
Managing generative AI systems requires skilled professionals, comprehensive governance structures and powerful infrastructure, among other things. Nonetheless, if organizational maturity is accounted for and attended to, generative AI can present robust opportunities through which to drive stronger cyber security outcomes.
10 ways generative AI drives stronger cyber security outcomes
1. Customized threat scenarios. When presented with news articles detailing a never-seen-before threat scenario, generative AI can process the information in such a way as to create a customized tabletop exercise.
When also given organization-specific information, the technology can generate tabletop scenarios that closely align with an organization’s interests and general risk profile. Thus, the AI can strengthen organizational abilities to plan for and contend with emerging cyber threats.
2. Persona-based risk assessment. When joining a new organization, cyber security leaders commonly connect with stakeholders in order to understand department-specific cyber risks.
This has effort its benefits, but only to an extent. Cyber security personnel can only reach out to high-level stakeholders and departmental heads for input so many times, at least, before seriously detracting from their work.
To the advantage of cyber security professionals, when set up to do so, generative AI can emulate various personas. If this sounds absurd, just hang in there. As a result, the AI can simulate different perspectives and evaluate risk scenarios accordingly.
For example, an AI model that emulates a cautious CFO may be able to provide security staff with insights into financial data security risks that would have otherwise remained overlooked. While new and still somewhat eerie, persona emulation can prompt businesses to examine more elusive risk types and to consider corresponding red teaming activities.
3. Dynamic honeypots. Honeypots decoy systems are designed to strategically misdirect hackers who are looking for high-value data. In essence, they send the hackers hunting in the wrong direction (so that security pros can find them and send them packing).
Generative AI can enhance the effectiveness of honeypot traps by dynamically creating new and different fake environments. This can help protect a given organization’s resources, as it helps to continuously confound and redirect hackers.
4. Policy development and optimization. Generative AI has the ability to analyze historical security incidents, regulations and organizational goals. As a result, it can recommend (or even autonomously develop) cyber security policies. Said policies can be tailored to align with business objectives, compliance requirements and a cyber security strategy.
(However, despite the utility of generative AI in this area, regular policy validation and human oversight are still critical.)
5. Malware detection. When it comes to malware detection, generative AI algorithms excel. They can closely monitor patterns, understand behaviors and zero in on anomalies.
Generative AI can detect new malware strains, including those that deploy unique self-evolving techniques and polymorphic code.
6. Secure code generation. Generative AI can assist with writing secure code. Generative AI tools can review existing codebases, find vulnerabilities and recommend patches or improvements.
Refusing to use generative AI for secure code development would be like “asking an office worker to use a typewriter instead of a computer,” says Albert Ziegler, principle researcher and member of the GitHub Next research and development team.
In terms of examples of what generative AI can do here, it can automatically refactor code to eliminate common security flaws and issues, like SQL injections or buffer overflows.
7. Privacy-preserving data synthesis. According to ArXiv, owned by Cornell University, generative AI’s abilities to create task-specific, synthetic training data has positive implications for privacy and cyber security.
For instance, generative AI can anonymize medical data, enabling researchers to study the material without the risk of accidentally exposing real data through insecure tools (or in some other way, compromising patient privacy).
8. Vulnerability prediction and prioritization. Generative AI and machine learning tools can assist with vulnerability management by analyzing existing databases, software code patterns, network configurations and threat intelligence. Organizations can then predict potential vulnerabilities in software (or network configurations) ahead of when they would otherwise be discovered.
9. Fraud detection. One novel application of generative AI is in fraud detection, as the technology can sift through massive datasets (nearly instantly). Thus, generative AI can flag and block suspicious online transactions as they pop-up, preventing possible economic losses.
PayPal is known to have already applied generative AI and ML to enhance its fraud detection capabilities. Over a three year period, this application of generative AI has reduced the company’s loss rate by half.
10. Social engineering countermeasures. The success of social engineering tactics, like phishing emails, depend on the manipulation of human emotions and the exploitation of trust. To combat phishing, generative AI can be used to develop realistic phishing simulations for the purpose of employee training.
Generative AI can also be used to develop deepfakes of known persons — for internal ethical use and training purposes only. Exposing employees to deepfakes in a controlled setting can help them become more adept at spotting deepfakes in the real-world.
Explore how else generative AI can drive stronger cyber security outcomes for your organization. Read about how Check Point’s new generative AI-based technology can benefit your team. Click here.
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Deliver Us Mars Developer Keoken Interactive Lays Off Nearly Entire Staff
Keoken Interactive, developer of Deliver Us The Moon and Deliver Us Mars, has laid off nearly its entire staff. The studio’s two founders are the only remaining employees.
Founders Keon Deetman (CEO) and Paul Deetman (managing director) announced on social media that after the studio failed to secure funding during the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) in March, it had “exhausted all our possible options for publishing, work for hire, and co-development.” As a result, the remainder of its staff has been let go. GameIndustry.biz confirmed that 13 employees were affected, 11 of which were full-time and 2 freelance contractors.
The Deetmans have made a call for any studios with open positions to hire its affected staff. The founders plan to stay in business and have vowed to rebuild, which includes launching a Kickstarter to crowdfund Deliver Us Home, a sequel to Deliver Us Mars.
It was clear Keoken was in trouble when the founders posted a video in March revealing it had been unable to land a publishing deal after spending two years pitching five games to over 40 publishers. Instead, the founders decided to publicly reveal these projects to help garner interest, one of which was Deliver Us Home and two were Deliver Us The Moon spin-offs, including a VR game.
Keoken once employed 45 employees, but the headcount was reduced to 20 by March 2024 before four more employees were let go that month. In an interview with GameIndustry.biz, the Deetmans revealed they had gone months without collecting a salary to help stay afloat.
Embracing The Bizarre Temptation Of Indika | New Gameplay Today
Indika is very strange. The third-person adventure stars the titular character, a nun who hears voices from the devil himself. His demonic influence manifests into world-distorting gameplay sequences as Indika explores the rural wilds of early 20th-century Russia. Tack on bizarre pixel art flourishes and other overt video game elements, and we can’t tell if Indika is taking itself seriously or not. But we do know that we want to keep playing it.
Join editors Marcus Stewart and Kyle Hilliard as they explore an early section of this attention-grabbing adventure available now on PC (and PS5 and Xbox SeriesX/S later this month).
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Head over to Game Informer’s YouTube channel for more previews, reviews, and discussions of new and upcoming games. Watch other episodes of New Gameplay Today right here.
The Joker, Voiced By Mark Hamill, Joins MultiVersus
MultiVersus makes its grand return on May 28, and a new trailer reveals that the Joker is joining the roster. Even better, Mark Hamill is voicing the Clown Prince of Crime once more.
Though we don’t see gameplay, a cinematic trailer sets up a dramatic confrontation (and likely emotional reunion for fans) between Batman, voiced in the game by the late Kevin Conroy, and his archnemesis.
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This marks the first game to feature both Batman: The Animated Series actors together as their respective characters since 2018’s Lego DC Super Villans. Conroy passed away in 2022, and prior to 2024’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, MultiVersus was the final game to feature his Batman performance. Following his death, Hamill had alluded to retiring the Joker role for good. However, dataminers uncovered Joker’s existence in MultiVersus in 2022 and found audio files revealing Hamill’s performance. This means he likely recorded his lines before Conroy’s passing.
Joker is the first new character to join the existing line-up of fighters, but he won’t be the last. We’re curious to see who else joins the fray after MultiVersus re-launches on May 28 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Stray Gods: Orpheus Gives The Role-Playing Musical A DLC Encore
Stray Gods: The Role-Playing Musical, a creative and ambitious attempt to fuse musical theatre with interactive fiction, launched last August, but that’s not the last time fans will get to experience that modern take on Greek myth. Announced today at LudoNarraCon, the game is getting DLC called Stray Gods: Orpheus, which follows the titular character through a new adventure. Check out the reveal trailer below.
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Orpheus (played by Rent star Anthony Rapp) appeared in the base game, but only briefly, so this expansion will give players a better idea of his backstory and personality. The trailer also features Hermes (played by Erika Ishii), though their exact role in the DLC isn’t clarified. The experience is roughly two hours long with six new interactive tracks and features some returning songwriters, including Austin Wintory, Simon Hall, and Montaigne, but also adds comedic musician Tom Cardy to the mix.
As for the plot, the following excerpt from a press release explains what to expect. “When the curtain has fallen and the show is over, who do you go home as?” it reads. “Choose to reject, embrace, or rewrite the stories the world expects of you. Is the mortal world ready for the return of Ancient Greece’s most infamous bard?”
Stray Gods: Orpheus hits PC on June 27, with a console release date “coming soon.” For more Stray Gods, check out our feature on how it was made. For more Greek mythology, visit our Hades II coverage hub for this month’s exclusive coverage.
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet – Twilight Masquerade | The Coolest Cards We Pulled
It’s once again just about time for a new Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion to hit store shelves. Continuing the Scarlet & Violet series is Twilight Masquerade, a set that focuses on the Teal Mask DLC of the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet video games. Because of that, players can expect locations, characters, and Pokémon from Kitakami, the folklore-rich area from the first part of the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero storyline.
As such, new Pokémon like Bloodmoon Ursaluna, Fezandipiti, Okidogi, Munkidori, and Sinistcha are all featured in Twilight Masquerade. However, the most common new Pokémon I encountered during my opening of several booster packs sent over by The Pokémon Company was Ogerpon; I pulled several different versions of the grass-type Legendary Pokémon from The Teal Mask.
Pokémon Trading Card Game: Scarlet & Violet – Twilight Masquerade adds 226 cards, including 14 new Pokémon ex cards, more than 30 Trainer cards, and dozens of special-illustration cards. I’ll always love Gen I the most, so I was happy to add new cards featuring favorites like Alakazam, Zapdos, Ninetales, and Eevee, but my absolute favorites are the special illustration versions of Applin, Sunflora, and Infernape. I also adore the Hearthflame Mask Ogerpon ex card that I was lucky enough to grab.
You can check out my favorite cards I pulled from booster packs below.
Pokémon Trading Card Game: Scarlet & Violet – Twilight Masquerade is available on May 24. For more on the long-running Pokémon Trading Card Game, including other galleries from past expansions, head to our Pokémon TCG hub at the banner below!
Hostinger Review – Is This The Most Affordable Premium Webhost?
As a website owner and hosting expert who has tried dozens of hosts for my websites, I can tell you that Hostinger is one of the best web hosts in the market. Since web owners in over 40+ countries trust their websites to Hostinger, that is…
Vampire Survivors’ Contra DLC Shows One Of Gaming’s Best Values Still Has Plenty Of Life
Ever since it came to Switch at the tail end of last summer, Vampire Survivors has been my plane game. Sure, other run-based indies like Balatro and Dead Cells, all-encompassing triple-A titles like Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and retro compilations like Sonic Origins and TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection, have shared that title, but I always know that when I need to pass time on a flight, no game does so as effectively as Vampire Survivors. Logically, I know that each run will last, at most, 30 minutes, but for some reason, it never feels that way. And because of that, I look down for what feels like 20 minutes, and when I look up, 2 hours have passed.
I travel a lot, so I play Vampire Survivors fairly regularly. Still, each time I turn on the game, developer Poncle has snuck more into it. New characters, new maps, new ways to customize your experience – I’m continually surprised and delighted by additional features and content the developer has added in the time since I fired up the game. Sure, Poncle puts out free updates on a regular basis, sometimes even as surprises, as was the case last week, but these paid pieces of DLC – each of which cost $2.50 or less – are the tentpole content releases. The latest, Operation Guns, crosses over with Konami’s legendary Contra IP in both expected and unexpected ways to deliver the same Vampire Survivors fun we’ve known with a distinct Contra flavor.
Operation Guns adds a significant amount of Contra content to Vampire Survivors. On top of 11 new characters, 11 base weapons, and 11 weapon evolutions, Operation Guns brings an enormous Contra-themed map called Neo Galuga, which progresses almost in lockstep with how the original Contra (and its recent remake, Operation Galuga) advances. You start out blasting, slashing, zapping, whipping, and otherwise annihilating humans and robots, but as you go further into the map, more sinister threats show that this isn’t just some standard Earth-based war. Alien eggs, structures, and enemies slowly join the fray, as do an increased number of robotic adversaries. Just like what happens in the original, the alien and cyborg presence eventually takes over the war, giving Poncle plenty of room to play with the Contra license.
Before I knew it, I went from blasting away foot soldiers to enemies on jetbikes to waves of flying Metal Aliens and snake cyborgs. I loved repeating the same process of leveling up my character and their weapons, but with myriad fun discoverables scattered throughout the Neo Galuga map. Along the way, I uncovered some fun Contra-themed power-ups – like homing missiles – that allowed me to further combat the alien horde.
However, the biggest surprise came near the end of my first successful run on Neo Galuga, as a ticker appeared on the bottom of the screen, telling me that something big was happening in a specific corner of the map. I only had a few minutes to get there, and with denser waves of enemies impeding my path, I was worried I wouldn’t get there in time. However, once I did, I was greeted by one of the coolest things I’ve seen Poncle do with Vampire Survivors. I won’t spoil it beyond saying it’s a unique encounter that pays homage to an iconic fight with one of the Contra series’ recurring enemies.
Though I’ve only done a few runs, I’m steadily unlocking new characters and weapons. Most of the new content is clear about how to unlock the next character, which is helpful in unlocking additional weapons. You unlock Bill within the Neo Galuga map, then unlock Lance by evolving Bill’s Long Gun, and so on. It’s all in service of giving the player a clear route to experiencing all the content that Operation Guns has to offer with as minimal friction as possible. Add on top the Bonus Stage, and the Operation Guns DLC is well worth checking out for all fans of Vampire Survivors, regardless of your Contra fandom.
The wildest part about all of this, as I always tout, is the sheer value of Vampire Survivors. Though the game is often on sale, it never really needs to be; even if you buy the game and all its DLC at full price, you’re spending less than $15. It runs well on Switch, which is where I play it, but it’s also verified for Steam Deck, hammering home that this is the ultimate plane game. Though Poncle continues to release free updates a year and a half after its initial Steam release, these major tentpole releases excite me for the future of Vampire Survivors.
Will the future hold more crossover content? We’ve already received collaborations with Among Us and Contra, but words could not describe how excited I’d be for crossovers with even more prominent properties like Final Fantasy or Resident Evil; imagine slashing your way through hordes of fiends in Zanarkand as Lightning before a boss battle against Sephiroth, or exploring Raccoon City as Chris Redfield, taking down low-level zombies before a Nemesis spawns on the map. The Operation Guns DLC even has my imagination running wild with some less obvious crossovers like Street Fighter; so many of those characters have such iconic moves. Starting off with Ryu throwing a Hadoken before evolving it all the way up to a Shinku Hadoken would be a natural progression that could be applied to several of the series’ characters. And since Vampire Survivors includes music and remixes from the Contra series, that makes these crossover ideas even more enticing.
This article isn’t about speculation or creating a wishlist, though. But that’s what Vampire Survivors’ latest DLC inspires. It shows that Poncle is more than capable of giving these IPs the care they deserve while staying true to the Vampire Survivors formula that made me fall in love with the game in the first place. Vampire Survivors: Operation Guns DLC is out now on all platforms aside from PlayStation (that version arrives later this summer when the main game comes to the platform) and costs just $2.50.
For more on why Vampire Survivors is well worth your time, check out our review of the base game right here.