Latest news with #Orbs
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Elon Musk says X's new DM feature, XChat, will have 'Bitcoin-style' encryption and support audio and video calls
X, and earlier Twitter, has long been the platform of choice for users who revel in the public eye — a space to share unfiltered thoughts, "takes" of all kinds, and viral drama. But since Elon Musk bought the platform in 2022, he has aimed to attract a more private set of users as he works to make X integral to everyday life. His latest effort is a new feature called XChat. The "all new XChat is rolling out with encryption, vanishing messages, and the ability to send any kind of file. Also, audio/video calling," Musk said in a post on X on Sunday. Musk said the chat function would also have "(Bitcoin style) encryption," which is a "whole new architecture." He didn't elaborate on what that actually means. X did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for clarification. The new feature is already accessible to some X users with a paid subscription, TechCrunch reported. Messages also appear to be secured behind a four-digit passcode, according to TechCrunch. Nima Owji, who says on their X bio that they are an independent app researcher and web developer, posted a screenshot of the XChat user interface in April, noting that it "will support more advanced group chats and VANISHING MODE!" He also told TechCrunch that the new feature is ready to ship. The company first released its encrypted messaging feature for paid users in May 2023. X paused the feature last week to focus on "making some improvements," possibly linked to the launch of XChat. For the past couple of years, X has been working on adding more private, encrypted features as it attempts to become an " everything app" similar to China's WeChat. In a companywide meeting in 2023, Musk said he wanted to see X as a "fully fledged" dating site and a digital bank in 2024, among other things. Musk isn't the only Silicon Valley mogul with ambitions to build a super app for the West. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's futuristic side project, World, is working to verify humans in the digital world for various applications. In March, it launched its own version of the "App Store," and it's also hosting an incubator program for developers to build the kind of apps it wants to see in its store: "everyday apps optimized for real humans." At a World event in May, it said it had more than 26 million users and 12 million "verified" users — a fraction of the 600 million monthly active users Musk said X had in October 2024. Still, with the recent US launch of Orbs — 9-inch devices that collect biometric data by taking pictures of human irises — World is inching closer to its vision of a verified network of humans for the AI age. The process of using Orbs "is simple and a bit amusing if not slightly dystopian," wrote Business Insider's Lloyd Lee, who uploaded his biometric data to the gadget at an event hosted by the company last month. Musk has recently pivoted back to focusing on his companies, including X and Tesla, after announcing he would step back from his work for the Trump administration last month.
Engadget
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Discord launches a virtual currency
Going on a quest to gather orbs sounds like a magical journey. Images of old-school Sierra adventure games come to mind. Well, bad news. In this case, it's a virtual currency earned by being a captive audience for advertisers on Discord. Welcome to 2025, baby! Currently in beta, Orbs are Discord's latest addition to its Quests. That's the company's system that lets advertisers launch interactive challenges. These can be things like watching promotional videos or playing games. You aren't watching an ad, silly. You're venturing out on a Video Quest!! Godspeed. If you choose to be a Quest test subject, you can spend your Orbs in several ways. Discord Nitro credits could be a popular redemption option. You can also trade Orbs for profile cosmetics and first-party shop items. Unfortunately, you can't exchange them for real money. Nor can you spend them anywhere outside of Discord. Before today, Quest advertisers were limited to offering their own rewards. However, they can still do that. The new virtual currency is merely another option. Orbs are launching in a limited beta, so you may not have access yet. They're also desktop-only (app and browser), at least for now. You can find Quests by heading to Discover > Quests on Discord. Once you have access to Orbs, you can claim them in the Direct Messages > Shop section.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Discord explores virtual rewards for its ad product as it prepares for a potential IPO
Discord announced on Wednesday that it's experimenting with a new virtual reward system aimed at encouraging more users to engage with its interactive ads. This new feature, called 'Orbs,' comes on the heels of the company preparing for a potential IPO. Users can earn Orbs by completing 'Quests,' Discord's ad format where advertisers incentivize users to watch product videos or play games by rewarding them with virtual items. The addition of Orbs gives users the chance to redeem exclusive digital items from Discord's Shop, including Nitro credits, profile badges, avatar decorations, profile effects, and items from main collections. It's clear that the goal of Orbs is to encourage more interaction with Quests as Discord seeks to demonstrate to partners that it can offer a scalable ad business. The company has reportedly discussed a possible IPO with investment bankers, per The New York Times. Last month, Peter Sellis, Discord's senior vice president of product, highlighted the success of Quests. He reported that, over the past year, more than 70 Quests achieved a 10% acceptance rate with millions of rewards earned, according to the company's internal data. Quests are located in the bottom left corner of the app on PC and gaming consoles. Plans are in place to expand Quests to mobile devices in June. The Orbs experiment may also entice users who don't have a subscription to try Nitro, as they can spend Orbs on credits instead of using a payment method. For instance, users need 1,400 Orbs to get three free days of Nitro, which typically costs $10 per month. Orbs is being rolled out to a small group of users and will soon expand globally. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
TechCrunch
6 days ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Discord explores virtual rewards for its ad product as it prepares for a potential IPO
Discord announced on Wednesday that it's experimenting with a new virtual reward system aimed at encouraging more users to engage with its interactive ads. This new feature, called 'Orbs,' comes on the heels of the company preparing for a potential IPO. Users can earn Orbs by completing 'Quests,' Discord's ad format where advertisers incentivize users to watch product videos or play games by rewarding them with virtual items. The addition of Orbs gives users the chance to redeem exclusive digital items from Discord's Shop, including Nitro credits, profile badges, avatar decorations, profile effects, and items from main collections. It's clear that the goal of Orbs is to encourage more interaction with Quests as Discord seeks to demonstrate to partners that it can offer a scalable ad business. The company has reportedly discussed a possible IPO with investment bankers, per The New York Times. Image Credits:Discord Last month, Peter Sellis, Discord's senior vice president of product, highlighted the success of Quests. He reported that, over the past year, more than 70 Quests achieved a 10% acceptance rate with millions of rewards earned, according to the company's internal data. Quests are located in the bottom left corner of the app on PC and gaming consoles. Plans are in place to expand Quests to mobile devices in June. The Orbs experiment may also entice users who don't have a subscription to try Nitro, as they can spend Orbs on credits instead of using a payment method. For instance, users need 1,400 Orbs to get three free days of Nitro, which typically costs $10 per month. Orbs is being rolled out to a small group of users and will soon expand globally.
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
OpenAI founder's newest project could destroy your privacy
Ever since the word AI became a part of daily public conversation a few years ago, some frightening headlines have come along with it. One of the most common is that AI will replace the job you do at work, erasing a company's need for your services. Some of the most common jobs to be mentioned in these reports are data entry, customer service, and scheduling, although financial analysis and copywriting also sometimes make that list. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter While the idea of AI doing jobs that are boring and repetitive actually sounds like it could create better situations for human beings, it's quite scary if you happen to do one of those jobs to make your living. Another thing that you've surely noticed about AI right now is that it seems to be everywhere. Open Facebook, and it's stuffed into the bottoms of posts. Open Siri or Google Assistant, and you're chatting with one. Read the news, and every big tech company from Apple to Nvidia is talking about its big AI plans. Related: OpenAI considers taking drastic action to stop Elon Musk Everyone's been so worried about AI and its ramifications that there has't been much attention on other tech developments lately. But now something new is coming from Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT, and while it won't take your job, it very well could steal whatever privacy you still have left. Image source: Mabromata/AFP via Getty Images An unusual store appeared in San Francisco's Union Square district in early May. It was populated with spheres called Orbs, which people could look into and have their retinas scanned. In exchange, participants got a "World ID" which they could use to log onto online services and apps, as well as some Worldcoin cryptocurrency tokens. The message on the shop window read: "World is the real human network. Anonymous proof of human and universally inclusive finance for the age of AI. Millions of humans in over 160 countries. Now available in the USA." The shop - as well as the technology within - is the latest project from Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT. In partnership with Alex Blania, he founded a startup called Tools for Humanity back in 2019, which sports the tagline, "building for humans in the age of AI." Related: Analyst resets Tesla stock forecast as Musk targets OpenAI At first, the idea seems like a good one: by scanning your iris, the Orbs can identify that you are a real human, vaulting over the problem of someone creating an AI image or video of you that's intended to pass as you. But pause a moment to consider what could happen if this precious biometric data is leaked, and the possibilities become much more frightening. "The one discriminator we had on the internet to distinguish us from machines was always intelligence, but that's going to vanish," Blania told WIRED in an interview in June 2023. "To our knowledge, the Orb is the only implementation that can work globally to solve this problem." According to Tools for Humanity, over 12 million people have verified themselves using the Orbs, and 26 million have downloaded the World app, where their World ID is stored after using the Orb system. The reason for the shop is the launch of the product in the U.S., which was announced by Tools for Humanity via its X account on May 3. This is just the beginning of a rollout that Tools for Humanity says will deploy a total of 7,500 Orbs throughout the U.S. this year in cities such as Nashville, Atlanta, Austin, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. While the company says that the data that it captures using the Orbs is not stored and that it does not have access to it - it's instead sent to the World app in an encrypted format where only the user can - it's still feels like something you'd see in an episode of "Black Mirror." And considering how often things go south in that show, many might hesitate before offering up their eyeballs for a scan. Related: Elon Musk's robotaxi ambitions hit with major roadblock The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
