Latest news with #CandyCrush
Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
AI-powered app targeting cognitive health of older adults
Adults frequently tell their children to stop spending so much time on their mobile devices, for fear it will rot their brains. Ironically, Dunedin-based app company Elli Cares is helping to develop a world-first, AI-powered mobile phone app that will assist older adults in monitoring and strengthening their cognitive health. Elli Cares originally supported seniors living with dementia, by creating a mobile app that gave them gentle reminders when it was time to take medications, go to appointments, carry out tasks such as refilling medications scripts, and informing family members if their loved one missed a reminder or left a safe zone. It aimed to empower them to live independently, confidently and with greater control over their health and wellbeing. The New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) recently awarded a $4million Catalyst: Strategic research grant, alongside additional co-funding from Singapore's National Research Foundation, to develop a new app which can monitor and strengthen the cognitive health of all seniors — not just those with dementia. Elli Cares founder Angela Edwards said the company would work with Dementia New Zealand, and researchers from the University of Otago, Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Auckland, alongside the Singapore-based National Neuroscience Institute, the A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing, and Lions Befrienders. The new app would use speech and game-based tasks to assess memory, decision-making and verbal fluency. It would also use adaptive AI algorithms that tailored activities to each user's performance, analyse their performance, and alert families and clinicians with summaries if changes to their performance were detected. Ms Edwards said studies had shown the brain was a muscle that needed to be used, and if it was not used, "it wastes away". She said playing games like Candy Crush, Wordle, Sudoku, and even "rapid-fire shooting games',' on mobile phones were good for cognitive health. "We can actually identify a number of different types of games that can help different parts of your brain. "We want to find recall games that can help with memory; rapid fire games that can help with response times; and language-based games that can help with vocabulary and communication." The new app marks a shift from passive diagnosis, to proactive cognitive resilience. The project will include a pioneering integrated ethics programme, led by University of Otago Dunedin School of Medicine bioethics lecturer Dr Tania Moerenhout, to ensure the users' values, autonomy and privacy were prioritised from the earliest design stages. Dr Moerenhout said older adults may prioritise autonomy and meaningful living, while families would focus on safety. "AI tools must reflect those nuances. "Embedding ethics across the design process is key to building trust and ensuring the technology truly supports the lives people want to lead." Ms Edwards said the new app would be embedded into the Elli Cares app, because it was already being used in more than 40 countries, making it quicker and easier to deploy and expand the new app. She was thrilled the next-generation tool would bring world-class AI researchdirectly into the lives of all older adults and their families.
India Today
18-07-2025
- Business
- India Today
2025 tech layoffs: Amazon, Microsoft, Google fuel job fears amid AI push
Amazon has laid off a huge chunk of its employees from its AWS cloud division. The exact number remains uncertain, reported tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Intel and Meta also joins the year 2025 was supposed to be a new chapter. A time when artificial intelligence promised smarter work, faster growth, and a better for tens of thousands of workers across the world, it has meant sleepless nights, and uncertain futures. From the glass towers of Microsoft in Redmond to Intel's chip plants in Oregon, from Amazon's cloud hubs in Hyderabad to Disney offices in Mumbai - Job loss has turned into a global layoff LAYOFFS DESPITE STRONG REVENUE According to Reuters, Amazon has laid off hundreds of employees from its AWS cloud computing division, with affected departments including support, training, and cloud specialist strong revenue from AWS (a 17% increase in Q1), Amazon continues to trim costs across its business report highlights that laid-off employees will receive 60 days' pay, extended health benefits, and LAYS OFF 9,000 EMPLOYEES AS AI TAKES OVERIn early July, Microsoft also confirmed another round of layoffs. Around 9,000 people, nearly 4% of its workforce to be Times reported Microsoft had pledged $80 billion in capital spending for its fiscal year 2025. However, the soaring cost of scaling its AI infrastructure has weighed on its margins, with its June quarter cloud margin expected to shrink from last year. Microsoft plans to reduce organisational layers with fewer managers and streamline its products, procedures and roles.'The company's shift from human-led sales to AI-powered solution engineering marks a changing tide,' reports Windows INTRODUCES VOLUNTARY EXIT PROGRAMOn the other hand, Google has introduced 'Voluntary Exit Program' amid restructuring rather than immediate job terminations. This was introduced for U.S.-based employees, particularly in the Search, Ads, and Engineering to The Economic Times, the move comes alongside office return mandates and aims to reduce headcount without forced of these layoffs have one thing in common - the revolution of AI. Instead of using human-intensive procedures and traditional hierarchies, businesses are opting for automation, machine learning, and leaner digital-first Bloomberg News revealed that Microsoft's King subsidiary, based in Barcelona and home to the Candy Crush video game, is laying off roughly 200 employees, or 10% of its layoffs have also been reported by Big Tech peers that are making significant investments in artificial intelligence. Leaving people in a dilemma of what their future beholds after being cut from one of the world's largest this year, Facebook's parent company Meta said that it will lay off roughly 5% of its "lowest performers.""We are at the beginning of a new era of work. AI is both a disruptor and a creator," said a former Microsoft HR executive in Business Insider, urging laid-off workers to upskill rather than global tech giants invest heavily in AI, the demand is shifting toward AI/ML specialists, data engineers, product designers with tech adaptability and digital content/marketing strategists with automation numbers represent actual human stories of first-generation IT workers, single-income families, and mid-career professionals. These employees are going through a psychological shift in how they see job security in addition to financial stress.- Ends
Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Candy Crush makers are losing jobs to AI they helped build: Report
King, the Microsoft-owned gaming studio behind the iconic Candy Crush franchise, is reportedly preparing to lay off more people and replace them with the same AI tools they developed. These job cuts are apparently happening in departments like level design and narrative writing. The news comes from which, citing sources familiar with the matter, said that the layoff will affect around 50 people, or half the team working on Farm Heroes Saga. 'Most of level design has been wiped, which is crazy since they've spent months building tools to craft levels quicker. Now those AI tools are basically replacing the teams. Similarly, the copywriting team is completely removing people since we now have AI tools that those individuals have been creating', one employee told the publication on the condition of anonymity. These employees worked from the company's offices in London, Stockholm, Berlin and Barcelona. As it turns out, they largely consist of mid-level management, UX, narrative copywriting, level design and user research staff. The report goes on to say that some of the game's leadership is being 'put on gardening leave', which means that they will have to stay away from the workplace, but will continue to receive salary and benefits. This is usually done to prevent employees from immediately joining a competitor and to prevent sensitive information from leaking. 'The fact AI tools are replacing people is absolutely disgusting. It's all about efficiency and profits even though the company is doing great overall. If we're introducing more feedback loops then it's crazy to remove the developer themselves, we need more hands and less leadership', added another employee. As it turns out, some centralised staff, like those working on research and QA, are also being removed, which means the total number of laid-off people may cross the 200 mark. Citing one staffer who was present in the meeting, the report suggests King's leadership allegedly wants to remove layers, stakeholders and other processes which might be slowing down development. Last year, King talked about how it is using AI tools to do its mundane tasks, giving its staff more time for creative thinking. Unsurprisingly, these AI layoffs are not limited to King. Earlier this month, a developer working for Halo developer 343 Industries reportedly told Engadget that they felt frustrated as they lost their job just hours after Xbox head Phil Spencer celebrated the division's profitability. To give you a quick recap, King Studios was previously owned by Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard and came under Microsoft's umbrella when the tech giant acquired Activision for $69 billion back in 2023.
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
After laying off 9,000 employees, Microsoft is now replacing some of workers with the AI tools they build
Microsoft 's King division, the developers of popular game Candy Crush, had laid off around 200 employees, and now these human workers will reportedly be replaced by artificial intelligence tools they helped create, according to multiple sources speaking to . This comes as Microsoft pushed its gaming division into broader restructuring, cutting thousands of jobs across Xbox and its subsidiaries earlier this month. Designers, user researchers, UX writers, and narrative copywriters who spent years building and training these AI systems, are the ones now being replaced for now. King's London-based Farm Heroes Saga team also faces severe cuts, with sources indicating about 50 people, roughly half the team, will be made redundant, including key leadership positions. AI tools built by humans now replacing them "Most of level design has been wiped, which is crazy since they've spent months building tools to craft levels quicker," said one King staffer speaking anonymously to . "Now those AI tools are basically replacing the teams. Similarly the copywriting team is completely removing people since we now have AI tools that those individuals have been creating." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo The situation has created widespread frustration among remaining employees. "The fact AI tools are replacing people is absolutely disgusting but it's all about efficiency and profits even though the company is doing great overall," the same source continued. "If we're introducing more feedback loops then it's crazy to remove the developers themselves, we need more hands and less leadership." Company morale hits rock bottom amid restructuring Sources indicate the total number of cuts may exceed the initially reported 200 positions, with centralized staff in research and quality assurance also being eliminated. A recent internal employee survey conducted before the layoffs showed morale was already at an all-time low, with one person familiar with the results saying it's now "in the gutter." The restructuring affects King's offices in London, Barcelona, Stockholm, and Berlin, with many employees remaining in limbo throughout the summer as union negotiations continue. Senior staff have been placed on gardening leave ahead of expected September departures. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Miami Herald
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Fired Candy Crush Devs To Be Replaced With AI
The ongoing bloodbath at Microsoft and its subsidiaries, Activision, Blizzard, King, Bethesda, and more has led to high-profile video game cancellations and thousands of jobs being cut in favor of developing AI tools and reinforcing an already-strong bottom line. Basically, people are losing their jobs and livelihoods for no reason other than to boost stock prices for shareholders, a vast majority of whom don't know anything about video games. As time goes by, these mass layoffs are being contextualized by new information, and it's not pretty. The games of King, developers of Candy Crush Saga and other simple mobile apps with tons of opportunities for microtransactions, might not be terribly popular among "core gamers," but they are money-making machines. Candy Crush Saga launched in 2012 and grossed over twenty billion dollars as of 2023. But it's still not enough. It's never enough. According to reports from MobileGamer and Kotaku, roughly 200 King employees are being laid off, including the entire level design team. Worse yet, this particular team is set to be replaced by AI tools they themselves created and trained. According to the reports, morale at the company is at an all-time low. Theoretically, AI can be a useful tool for developers to streamline their jobs and allocate more resources towards creativity and less on the granular grind of game development. In practice, however, high-paid executives see AI as a way to cut the jobs of the hard-working people who actually make games and cut out concepts like 'creativity' entirely. By outsourcing development to soulless robots, they can consolidate the profits for themselves. Core gaming enthusiasts who play on console or PC might not care about the assembly-line automation of Candy Crush, but they should. Because if They/The Man/The Suits/The Executive Class can do it with mobile games, turning art into soulless 'product' and vapid 'content,' it's only a matter of time before they do the same thing to games you actually care about. We're already seeing the rise of AI replacing voice actors, and 'tech bros' are practically foaming at the mouth over an AI facsimile of Quake, even if it runs poorly and sucks to actually play. The technology isn't quite there yet... But once it is, you can be damned sure that 'Big AI' will attempt to ruin AAA gaming in ways we can't even imagine, and the shareholders are going to love it. Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
