5 things about AI you may have missed today: Google AI beats doctors, AI investment hit by surge in layoffs, more

Ubisoft has announced an open beta for Skull and Bones.

Black Forest Games, a German video game developer subsidiary of THQ Nordic, which Embracer Group owns, is reportedly planning to lay off around 50% of its employees. Last December, two Danish developers owned by Embracer Group, 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks, announced that over half of their staff would have their roles eliminated. With that announcement, around 1000 people were laid off by Embracer in the second half of 2023. Now, Black Forest Games is seemingly the latest developer to be affected.

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While Ubisoft Singapore’sSkull and Bones will launch with an end-game, it will also receive new free content with post-launch seasons. Each season introduces legendary Pirate Lords for players to battle, new World Events, and more.

Embracer’s latest round of layoffs affect two studios, one of which had just been announced to be working on a major AAA.

Major technology companies pouring money into artificial intelligence could come to dominate the emerging technology, Aleph Alpha GmbH Chief Executive Officer Jonas Andrulis said. 

AI Roundup: Several notable developments took place in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) today, January 24. Pope Francis warned against the dangers of AI, acknowledging that he too became the victim of a deepfake photo last year. He called for regulation of AI that will enable its use towards the greater good. Meanwhile, a new study claims that North Korea is developing AI and machine learning (ML) to achieve a wide range of tasks.

There have been many instances of asteroids passing by Earth in the last few weeks. Just yesterday, a 45 feet wide asteroid flew past the planet at a distance of approximately 3 million kilometers. Due to such close calls with asteroids, NASA, ESA, and other space agencies have developed technology to track these space rocks in their orbits, and even deflect them in case a potential impact scenario develops. Using its tech, NASA has now shed light on an asteroid that is expected to pass Earth today, January 23. Know all about this close approach.

An upcoming indie game called Vampire Therapist will dive deep into the minds of struggling vampires, allowing players to help them solve their inner issues. Many successful AAA games are sequels to previous games or belong to a known series. At the 2023 Game Awards, five of the six nominees were sequels, and the other nomination was Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which is part of one of the most well-known video game series in the world. When new IPs are released, they mostly fit into the formulas that have already been done hundreds of times before.

The rumored Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake might have been in development since September.

As per the details issued by NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the asteroid has been designated as Asteroid 2024 BM. This asteroid is expected to pass Earth at a distance of approximately 3 million kilometers today, January 22. It is already travelling towards Earth in its orbit at 21511 kilometers per hour which is almost as fast as Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)! Is the asteroid dangerous? Check details.

Piranha Bytes is on the verge of closure, several industry sources have said. Currently owned by the Embracer Group subsidiary THQ Nordic, the celebrated RPG developer has been in business for nearly three decades.