Tech Roundup: Google Bard, Updated Bing & More

[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]

• Google debuts a ChatGPT rival named Bard as AI tech race heats up; says the "experimental conversational AI service" will be released initially with it "lightweight model version of LaMDA"; to blur explicit imagery in Search results by default.
• Microsoft takes on Google with a new version of Bing and Edge browser that integrates OpenAI's next-generation language model to "deliver better search, more complete answers, a new chat experience and the ability to generate content"; describes the "tools as an AI copilot for the web."
• Pakistan unblocks Wikipedia in the South Asian market, three days after the online encyclopedia was censored in the nation over noncompliance with removing what the local regulator deemed as "sacrilegious" content; says "unintended consequences of the ban over objectionable content outweigh the benefits."
• Meta to close its acquisition of VR startup Within after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission fails in its legal bid to stop the purchase on antitrust grounds.
• Q&A platform Quora opens up public access to its standalone AI chatbot app, Poe, which lets users ask questions and get answers from a range of AI chatbots, including those from ChatGPT maker, OpenAI, and other companies like Anthropic.
• Twitter says it will provide a write-only API for "bots providing good content that is free" after it shuttered API access to third-party clients.
• OnePlus debuts OnePlus 11 smartphone in the U.S. for US$ 699; also unveils a mechanical keyboard and a tablet called OnePlus Pad.
• Google and Mozilla pilot non-WebKit versions of Chrome and Firefox browsers for iOS ahead of possible changes to Apple's platform rules that could drop browser engine restriction alongside broader measures to enable sideloading and third-party App Stores in Europe.

• Number of active users on Mastodon drop from 1.77 million in early January 2023 to 1.38 million, as the difficulty in using the platform drives users back to Twitter. (Part of what makes Mastodon appealing is that users have more control over blocking content than on conventional social networks: "Server admins make rules for their own instances, and they can boot users who post hate speech, porn, and spam or troll other users. People can block entire servers. But the decentralised nature of Mastodon makes each instance its own network, placing legal responsibility on the people running it.")
• Meta's WhatsApp announces a slew of updates to its Status feature, allowing users to record and share voice messages up to 30 seconds; also adds status reactions, link preview support and a new "private audience selector" that lets users pick a privacy option per status to choose who can view their status updates.
• Apple expands Communication Safety in the Messages app to France, Germany, Italy and Spain, after launching earlier in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia and New Zealand.
• Online dating app Tinder rolls out new safety features, including an incognito mode that "lets people hide their profile, but still be able to see everybody else and only get shown to the people they like"; also launches a "Block Profile" feature to prevent certain profiles from showing up.
• Microsoft Authenticator drops support for Apple Watch, as Google adds biometric authentication for Chrome across desktops and laptops.
• Google discontinues feature that surfaced playable podcasts directly from the Search results, citing declining usage; gets replaced by a new What to Podcast option to suggest useful recommendations.
• Microsoft plans to release a service that helps large companies create chatbots or refine their existing ones using OpenAI's ChatGPT tech later in 2023.
• Pinterest reports Q4 2022 revenue of US$ 877 million, up 4% YoY, and US$ 17 million net income, as global monthly active users jump 4% YoY to 450 million.