NEWS:
DELIVERING MAJOR STORIES IN MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY
Assassin’s Creed Mirage offered in Arabic GAMING
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the franchise’s latest release set in ninth-century Baghdad, Iraq. The game follows a long line of stealth adventures, from Assassin’s Creed Origins , set in Ancient Egypt, to Assassin’s Creed Infinity , partially set in feudal Japan. Game developer Ubisoft has set Mirage apart in one key way: the characters speak Arabic. Previous Assassin’s Creed heroes have been English speakers, despite the stories
frequently taking place in non-English- speaking countries such as Greece or Norway. Mirage ’s developers wanted to maintain the game’s authenticity by having characters speak the local language, a classical version of Arabic which is still widely understood today. This decision opposes negative stereotypes of Arabic speakers in the media, which often depicts them as villains or terrorists.
The latest Assassin’s Creed creators also wanted to ensure historical accuracy, keeping the fictional Baghdad faithful to its ninth-century status as a centre of intellectualism and invention. Ubisoft hopes that players appreciate Mirage ’s commitment to its setting and characters, urging them to play in the original Arabic, though English is available as an alternative.
AI
Snapchat could be facing a fine in the millions thanks to its AI chatbot, My AI. Snapchat under fire over My AI
According to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Snapchat has failed to ‘adequately identify and assess the risks’ of My AI, which is especially problematic given the platform’s popularity with younger users. As reported in The Guardian , Snapchat has over 21 million
monthly users in the UK, with 48% being under 24 years old and 18% being between 12 and 17 years old. Minors are a vulnerable demographic when it comes to data privacy, and the ICO plans to ensure their safety, issuing an enforcement notice to Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc.
At the time of going to press, Snapchat has as yet failed to complete and publish an ‘adequate risk assessment.’ If it fails to do so, My AI will be blocked indefinitely in the UK. Santa Monica-based Snapchat is the first social messaging platform to directly implement generative AI.
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