Migrant exploitation accused e-bike shop boss Christian Hoff-Nielsen rides again - to the dismay of former staff who say they are still owed money from his now defunct business. Read...

The boss of Britain`s biggest pubs group urges the chancellor to extend business rates relief. Read...

“PCWorld is on a journey to delve into information that resonates with readers and creates a multifaceted tapestry to convey a landscape of profound enrichment.” That drivel may sound like it was AI-generated, but it was, in fact, written by a fleshy human — yours truly. Truth is, it’s hard to know whether a particular chunk of text is AI-generated or actually written by a human. Google is hoping to make it easier to spot by open-sourcing its new software tool. Google calls it SynthID, a method that “watermarks and identifies AI-generated content.” Previously limited to Google’s own language and image generation systems, the company has announced that SynthID is being released as open-source code that can be applied to other AI text generation setups as well. (If you’re more comp-sci literate than me, you can check out all the details in the prestigious Nature journal.) But in layman’s terms — at least to the degree that this layman can actually understand them — SynthID hides specific patterns in images and text that are generally too subtle for humans to spot, with a scheme to detect them when tested. SynthID can “encode a watermark into AI-generated text in a way that helps you determine if text was generated from your LLM without affecting how the underlying LLM works or negatively impacting generation quality,” according to a post on the open-source machine learning database Hugging Face. The good news is that Google says these watermarks can be integrated with pretty much any AI text generation tool. The bad news is that actually detecting the watermarks still isn’t something that can be nailed down. While SynthID watermarks can survive some of the basic tricks used to get around auto-detection — like “don’t call it plagiarism” word-swapping — it can only indicate the presence of watermarks with varying degrees of certainty, and that certainty goes way down when applied to “factual responses,” some of the most important and problematic uses of generative text, and when big batches of text go through automatic translation or other re-writing. “SynthID text is not designed to directly stop motivated adversaries from causing harm,” says Google. (And frankly, I think even if Google had made a panacea against LLM-generated misinformation, it would be hesitant to frame it as such for liability reasons.) It also requires the watermark system to be integrated into the text generation tool before it’s actually used, so there’s nothing stopping someone from simply choosing not to do that, as malicious state actors or even more explicitly “free” tools like xAI’s Grok are wont to do. And I should point out that Google isn’t exactly being gregarious here. While the company is pushing its own AI tools on both consumers and businesses, its core Search product is in danger from a web that seems to be rapidly filling up with auto-generated text and images. Google’s competition, like OpenAI, might elect not to use these kinds of tools simply as a matter of doing business, hoping to create a standard of their own to drive the marketplace towards their own products. Read...

TL;DR: Get lifetime access to Microsoft Office 2021 and Windows 11 Pro in one bundle, offering advanced productivity tools and enhanced security for $52.97 through October 27. Enjoy the best of both worlds and upgrade your productivity and security with this complete Microsoft bundle you can own for life — on sale for $52.97.  Microsoft Office Professional 2021 offers lifetime access to these essential tools: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Publisher, Access. These provide everything you need to create professional documents, manage data, and collaborate effectively. This one-time purchase means no more subscriptions or recurring fees, giving you the freedom to focus on your work without worrying about losing access to vital software. Windows 11 Pro enhances your PC experience with powerful multitasking features like the AI-powered Copilot, snap layouts, and virtual desktops, making it easy to handle multiple tasks and projects simultaneously. On the security front, it includes biometric login and BitLocker encryption to keep your data secure from unauthorized access. Professionals will appreciate features like Azure AD and advanced management tools, which provide added control and flexibility, particularly when managing sensitive business information or multiple devices. Upgrade to a modern, secure operating system and secure lifetime access to the most trusted productivity tools in the business with this Microsoft Office 2021 and Windows 11 Pro bundle for $52.97 until October 27.   The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle – $52.97 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

Wise Business has launched a free invoicing tool for SMBs, streamlining global payments and facilitating invoicing across multiple currencies. Read...

Earlier this month, Microsoft finally released the latest version of Microsoft Office that isn’t tied to Microsoft 365, meaning you can now buy access to the latest versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint with a one-time payment instead of shelling out cash on a subscription. With Office 2024, Microsoft promises improved performance, updated user interfaces, and more tools for analyzing data and embedding images in Excel, as well as support for new features over Office 2021. See all the new features in Office 2024 on this support page. Office 2024 without Outlook Microsoft Office Home 2024 is the base version that’s meant for private users and students. It costs $149.99 and can be installed on a single Windows PC or Mac computer. Microsoft Office Home 2024 is now available on AmazonBuy now for $149.99 Microsoft describes the difference between a Microsoft 365 subscription (which is the one that Microsoft prefers you use) and the locked-in-time Office 2024 suite as follows: Microsoft 365 is a subscription that comes with premium apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access (Publisher and Access available on PC only). The apps can be installed on multiple devices, including PCs, Macs, iPads, iPhones, Android tablets, and Android phones. Microsoft 365 also comes with services like 1 TB of OneDrive storage, 60 Skype minutes per month, and Microsoft chat and phone support. With a subscription, you get the latest versions of the apps and automatically receive updates when they happen. Office 2024 is a one-time purchase that comes with classic apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for PC or Mac, and does not include any of the services that come with a Microsoft 365 subscription. One-time purchases don’t have an upgrade option, which means if you plan to upgrade to the next major release, you’ll have to buy it at full price. Office Home 2024 is also available directly from Microsoft for $149.99, so the price is identical whether you get it on Amazon or not. Office 2024 with Outlook Office 2024 is also available in a version that includes Outlook, which is called Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024. This one costs $249.99, can be installed on a single Windows PC or Mac computer, and is meant for small businesses and other commercial uses. Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 is also on AmazonBuy now for $249.99 Whereas Office Home 2024 only includes Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, Office Home & Business 2024 includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook. As before, the main difference between this and Microsoft 365 is that you’ll only get security updates, no feature updates. Office LTSC 2024 Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 (with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, OneNote, and Access) has been available since September. The LTSC version of Office 2024 is also a one-time payment option, but this one is expressly meant for commercial use by larger companies. It is not intended for private users. Read...

Microsoft has unveiled new capabilities in Copilot Studio, introducing ten autonomous agents for Dynamics 365 to boost efficiency across various sectors. Read...

General Capital Limited is pleased to advise that General Capital’s wholly owned subsidiary, General Finance Limited, has entered into an agreement to purchase 100% of the shares in Bridges Financial Services Limited (BFSL), a Waikato based insuranc Read...

Mid-sized business sentiment is being lifted by rising sales and production in the lead up to Christmas. Read...

Switching to a subscription model is a great way to maximise revenue, provided you avoid these common obstacles. Read...