Microsoft is teaming up with Inworld AI to create game development tools for Xbox, enabling developers to create characters, generate entire scripts and quests, and more. The multi-year deal brings an AI design copilot and an AI character runtime engine to the forefront, both of them being totally optional to use and to varying degrees. Of course, the use of AI in art has been criticised by many for simply lacking originality, in addition to running the risk of fewer jobs for artists — a growing fear among many considering the alarming number of layoffs seen at game studios this year in an attempt to cut costs.

“At Xbox, we believe that with better tools, creators can make even more extraordinary games,” Haiyan Zhang, GM, Xbox Gaming AI, said in a blog post. “This partnership will bring together: Inworld’s expertise in working with generative AI models for character development, Microsoft’s cutting-edge cloud-based AI solutions including Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft Research’s technical insights into the future of play, and Team Xbox’s strengths in revolutionizing accessible and responsible creator tools for all developers.”

The aforementioned AI design copilot is a toolset that will help game designers turn prompts into scripts and dialogue trees. In contrast, the character runtime will enable dynamically generated plot beats and quests. We’ve already seen heavy AI integration in games by way of procedural generation — a more recent example being the 1000+ planets in Starfield. Not to mention, enemy AI has been around for way longer.

Inworld made headlines in August when it launched a modded story mode for Grand Theft Auto V, Sentient Streets, in which players had to investigate the rise of a bizarre AI-worshipping cult — a segment loaded with characters that spoke in AI-generated dialogue, on the fly. The mod was later taken down by publisher Take-Two, leaving a permanent strike on the creator Bloc’s YouTube channel. As per The Verge, Inworld’s AI technology can also be used for narration in top-down RPGs to warn players about any events awaiting off-screen and respond to questions like we’ve seen in the past year with AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Bing Chat. Microsoft has also been heavily banking on artificial intelligence, having made a $10 billion (about Rs. 83,254 crore) investment in OpenAI. The company has also integrated AI tools into its popular suite of services and also added an AI copilot to Windows.

Despite being a Microsoft-affiliated AI toolset, it would be interesting to see whether titles using them will be allowed to thrive on other platforms. In July, Valve claimed that it would be cracking down on games that included AI-generated assets if the developer didn’t own the copyright to the piece of art. For the uninitiated, when you insert a prompt to create something in AI, the software simply repurposes existing assets found online and mushes them together — basically stealing from other artists and writers without appropriate commercial licenses. Infringing them would lead to the game not being distributed on Steam, forcing the developers to seek proper licenses for the asset by reaching out to the AI companies involved. It’s unclear how Microsoft’s partnership will play out — as long as AI content is being used as a catalyst to innovate and create something new, it should be fine.

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BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) is a state-owned telecommunication company in India. Earlier this year in May, the government said that the firm started rolling out 4G services in the country. By December, the networks were said to be upgraded to 5G. However, at the India Mobile Congress, BSNL chairman P K Purwar said that the company will launch 4G services in December and then roll it across the country by June 2024. The chairman added that the 5G upgrades will take place after June next year.

In a post on X shared by BSNL’s Andhra Pradesh (@bsnl_ap_circle) unit, the company confirmed that BSNL users can upgrade their older 2G or 3G SIMs to a 4G SIM for free. Not only will the upgrade be free, but a promotional image shared with the post suggests that users who opt for the upgrade will also receive 4GB of free data that will be valid for three months. It is speculated that BSNL is aiming to boost its upcoming 4G services with this offer. The announcement was first spotted by Telecom Talk.

To access the free data offer and the free upgrade, BSNL users are requested to get in touch with executives at BSNL’s Customer Service Centre, franchisee or retailer stores, or contact one of their Direct Selling Agents (DSA). The promo image also adds in a finer print that the offer is available with certain terms and conditions, but hasn’t detailed any, so far.

Reliance’s Jio recently launched the 4G-supported Bharat B1 feature phone in India. The handset is priced at Rs. 1,299 in India. Alongside 4G connectivity, the phone comes with JioCinema and JioSaavn applications pre-installed.

The Jio Bharat B1 is equipped with the JioPay application, which is said to allow users to make UPI payments. Aiming to increase accessibility, the phone supports 23 languages overall, including multiple regional languages.

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Apple launched its refreshed 2023 MacBook Pro and the 24-inch iMac computers with the new M3 chip on October 30. The MacBook Pro models are available in 14-inch and 16-inch display size options, while they are also offered in processor variants of M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max. These computers are now available for purchase in India starting today, November 7. Here are the price details of the models and each of their variants.

24-inch iMac with M3, MacBook Pro (2023) M3 price in India, availability

The 8-core GPU variant of the 24-inch iMac with M3 starts in India at Rs. 1,34,900, while the 10-core GPU variant of the same with a 256GB storage option is listed at Rs. 1,54,900. The 512GB model of the 10-core GPU option is priced in the country at Rs. 1,74,900. It is offered in Blue, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple, Silver, and Yellow colours.

Apple’s 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 model with a 10-core GPU and 512GB storage is listed at Rs. 1,69,900, while the 1TB variant of the same is priced at Rs. 1,89,900.

MacBook Pro 14-inch with an M3 Pro chip and 14-core GPU is marked in the country at Rs. 1,99,900, while the 18-core GPU option is available for Rs. 2,39,900. The top-of-the-line 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max processor and 30-core GPU is priced at Rs. 3,19,900. These models are available in Silver and Space Grey colourways.

Meanwhile, the 18GB + 512GB option of the 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 with an M3 Pro chip is being offered in India at Rs. 2,49,900, while the 36GB + 512GB variant is listed at Rs. 2,89,900. The MacBook Pro models with the M3 Max chips are also available in two options – 36GB + 1TB and 48GB + 1TB, respectively priced at Rs. 3,49,900 and Rs. 3,99,900, respectively. These models are offered in Space Black and Silver colour options.

All these computers are available for sale in India starting today, November 7 via the official Apple website, Apple Stores, and Apple-authorised resellers.

24-inch iMac M3, MacBook Pro (2023) specifications, features

The all-in-one 24-inch iMac with an M3 chip sports a 24-inch 4.5K Retina Display and has a peak brightness level of 500 nits. It supports Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, up to four USB Type-C ports, two Thunderbolt ports, and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. It is equipped with a 1080p FaceTime camera and offers a six-speaker unit with support for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. It ships with the new macOS Sonoma.

The 2023 MacBook Pro models are offered in chip variants of M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max. They come in 14-inch and 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR (3,024×1,964 pixels) displays with a refresh rate of 120Hz and a peak brightness level of 1,600 nits (HDR) and 600 nits (SDR). These models have a backlit keyboard and are also equipped with Touch ID support for biometric authentication.

All these models come with Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Thunderbolt 4/ USB 4, MagSafe 3 charging, SDXC card reader, and HDMI connectivity options. They also come with a 3.5mm audio jack.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 model claims to offer up to 22 hours of battery life, while the M3 Pro and M3 Max models are said to offer up to 18 hours. The 16-inch MacBook Pro models, on the other hand, have longer battery life, with the M3 Pro and M3 Max chip variants claiming to offer up to 22 hours of support.

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