OpenAI in model switching controversy, GPS used to charge for train journeys automatically

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OpenAI is embroiled in another controversy over AI model switching in ChatGPT, with many paying users furious that they’re being rerouted away from their preferred model whenever conversation topics get emotionally or legally sensitive. There are plenty of threads on Reddit about the issue: in short, ChatGPT introduced new safety guardrails this month, which take users to a separate, more conservative AI model if the chatbot detects that it needs to be extra cautious in its responses. Tech Radar

Passengers will pay for train tickets by having their phones tracked under a new trial. From Monday, passengers travelling on Northern train services between Harrogate and Leeds will be able to pay for their journeys by boarding a train and pressing a button in an app on their phone. GPS technology in their phone will detect where they get off the train and they will be charged the lowest possible fare at the end of the day, according to the Department for Transport. A barcode will be produced by the app which can be scanned by ticket inspectors and at station barriers. Telegraph 


OVO is launching Charge Anytime monthly plans, the UK’s first EV charging subscription that gives drivers a single fixed price for charging both at home and on the go. There are two monthly plans to choose from and both include smart charging at home and public charging vouchers, which can be used across more than 400,000 chargers throughout the UK and Europe. News of the launch comes as research from OVO shows that half of Brits (49%) want to go electric for their next car. ElectricCarsReport
Toyota Motor said on Monday its global sales grew for an eighth straight month in August, as continuing strong demand for some of its hybrid models in the United States offset a weaker performance in Japan. The automaker’s worldwide sales increased 2.2% year-on-year to 844,963 vehicles in August, helped by a 13.6% jump in the U.S. But sales in its home market fell 12.1%. Its global vehicle production rose 4.9%, a third consecutive month of growth. The production and sales figures include Toyota’s luxury Lexus brand. Reuters 
A mysterious Humax device has just surfaced that could be exactly what Freeview recording enthusiasts have been desperately waiting for – the first Freely box that actually lets you record programmes. The Humax FHR-6000T Freely PVR Recordable has appeared on several retailer websites across the UK, complete with product photos showing the distinctive Freely logo and a £249 price tag (although it’s still out of stock). This would be the third Freely box we’ve heard about, but unlike the others, the specifications suggest a recording device. Cordbusters


A multibillion-dollar solar plant is set to close down next year because it’s supposedly not ‘serving its purpose’, which has left everyone saying the same thing. An eye-watering $2.2 billion was reportedly spent on the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, a solar thermal plant based in the Mojave Desert in California. The plant, made up of three 459-foot towers and nearly 174,000 computer-controlled mirrors called heliostats, opened in 2014, but it will be switched off for good next year after failing to meet its energy targets despite hopes it was going to make America ‘a world leader in solar energy’. Unilad

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