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A fugitive gains fame in New Orleans eluding dart guns and netsGoogle’s new Genie 2 AI system converts simple drawings and text descriptions into playable 3D game environments, potentially streamlining the construction of digital worlds. The technology could significantly impact game development by making 3D environment creation more accessible to creators without extensive technical expertise while offering established studios a new rapid prototyping tool. For businesses exploring virtual commerce, it may also provide a more efficient path to building digital retail spaces and interactive customer experiences. “Google’s Genie 2 is a foundation world model capable of generating an endless variety of action-controllable, playable 3D environments from a single image,” Michael Jung , CFO of DeepBrainAI , told PYMNTS. “It can also generate different perspectives, such as first-person view, isometric views, or third-person driving videos, creating a dynamic environment for gamers and consumers alike. “Imagine being able to generate an entire shopping mall or video game level from a single image,” Jung added. “Genie 2’s out-of-distribution generalization capabilities turn concept art and drawings into fully interactive environments. Interactive shopping experiences can be easily created through object affordances and interactions.” Game studios are increasingly integrating AI tools into development processes. The technology automates environment generation, rapidly creating textures, landscapes and assets. AI-powered testing systems run thousands of gameplay scenarios to identify bugs and balance issues. Natural language processing enhances non-playable character interactions, while procedural generation creates diverse levels and quests. Machine learning optimizes game performance and helps predict player behavior. Asset creation tools particularly benefit indie developers by reducing production costs. These AI implementations focus on accelerating technical tasks while maintaining creative quality. As gamers’ financial habits evolve with technology, a notable trend has emerged in their payment preferences. PYMNTS Intelligence has found that digital instant payment options are gaining popularity among gamers as alternatives to traditional cash payments. New Worlds with a Click Genie 2 creates interactive 3D worlds from single images. Users input commands, and the system generates responsive environments with physics, character movement and consistent graphics for up to a minute. Most demos run 10-20 seconds. The system uses video-trained AI to address a significant challenge in AI research: more diverse training environments. While early tests with DeepMind’s SIMA agent show promise — like following verbal commands to explore generated buildings — researchers acknowledge that both the AI agent and world generation still need significant work. AI and gaming expert Kelsey Falter , co-founder and CEO of Mother Games , told PYMNTS that AI-generated worlds can fundamentally change how we interact with gaming and retail. “Imagine an entire shop personalized with all of your favorite items in life — from the aspirational to the obtainable — a shop shaped by you,” Falter said. “Within these AI retail environments, AI agents who offer personal shopping consultation will co-create an experience with the player, offering valuable perspective and a sense of connection during an otherwise transactional process. With these new capabilities, it’s possible to see a product or apparel item in a variety of different settings, allowing for a level of intimacy that makes a digital good come to life.” The Future of Shopping? Falter said shopping taps into our instinct to search for hidden gems and good deals. Genie 2’s rich 3D environments could help games capture that feeling of spontaneous discovery. “Rather than navigating a static catalog, players could explore an AI-generated market, exploring an immersive landscape of items as part of the game lore,” she said. “This blurring of boundaries between play and shopping makes the discovery process immersive in a way that traditional eCommerce simply cannot replicate. Additionally, with the Genie 2 camera capabilities — there is an opportunity to shift from first-person browsing to viewing one’s avatar in third-person, seeing a 360-degree perspective come to life with environmental lighting and shadows.”

Rosen Law Firm Encourages Light & Wonder, Inc. Investors to Inquire About Securities Class Action Investigation - LNWGwen Stefani fans accuse singer, 55, of using FaceTune to promote Catholic prayer app: 'Jesus Christ!'

Iriafen and Watkins score 20-plus points in helping No. 5 USC rout Fresno State 89-40NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes drifted lower Tuesday in the runup to the highlight of the week for the market, the latest update on inflation that’s coming on Wednesday. The S&P 500 dipped 0.3%, a day after pulling back from its latest all-time high . They’re the first back-to-back losses for the index in nearly a month, as momentum slows following a big rally that has it on track for one of its best years of the millennium . The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 154 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.3%. Tech titan Oracle dragged on the market and sank 6.7% after reporting growth for the latest quarter that fell just short of analysts’ expectations. It was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500, even though CEO Safra Catz said the company saw record demand related to artificial-intelligence technology for its cloud infrastructure business, which trains generative AI models. AI has been a big source of growth that’s helped many companies’ stock prices skyrocket. Oracle’s stock had already leaped more than 80% for the year coming into Tuesday, which raised the bar of expectations for its profit report. In the bond market, Treasury yields ticked higher ahead of Wednesday’s report on the inflation that U.S. consumers are feeling. Economists expect it to show similar increases as the month before. Wednesday’s update and a report on Thursday about inflation at the wholesale level will be the final big pieces of data the Federal Reserve will get before its meeting next week, where many investors expect the year’s third cut to interest rates . The Fed has been easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high since September to take pressure off the slowing jobs market, after bringing inflation nearly down to its 2% target. Lower rates would help give support to the economy, but they could also provide more fuel for inflation. Expectations for a series of cuts through next year have been a big reason the S&P 500 has set so many records this year. Trading in the options market suggests traders aren’t expecting a very big move for U.S. stocks following Wednesday’s report, according to strategists at Barclays. But a reading far off expectations in either direction could quickly change that. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.22% from 4.20% late Monday. Even though the Fed has been cutting its main interest rate, mortgage rates have been more stubborn to stay high and have been volatile since the autumn. That has hampered the housing industry, and homebuilder Toll Brothers’ stock fell 6.9% even though it delivered profit and revenue for the latest quarter that topped analysts’ expectations. CEO Douglas Yearley Jr. said the luxury builder has been seeing strong demand since the start of its fiscal year six weeks ago, an encouraging signal as it approaches the beginning of the spring selling season in mid-January. Elsewhere on Wall Street, Alaska Air Group soared 13.2% after raising its forecast for profit in the current quarter. The airline said demand for flying around the holidays has been stronger than expected. It also approved a plan to buy back up to $1 billion of its stock, along with new service from Seattle to Tokyo and Seoul . Boeing climbed 4.5% after saying it’s resuming production of its bestselling plane , the 737 Max, for the first time since 33,000 workers began a seven-week strike that ended in early November. Vail Resorts rose 2.5% after the ski resort operator reported a smaller first-quarter loss than analysts expected in what is traditionally its worst quarter. All told, the S&P 500 fell 17.94 points to 6,034.91. The Dow dipped 154.10 to 44,247.83, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 49.45 to 19,687.24. In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in China after the world’s second-largest economy said its exports rose by less than expected in November. Stocks rose 0.6% in Shanghai but fell 0.5% in Hong Kong. Indexes fell across much of Europe ahead of a meeting this week by the European Central Bank, where the widespread expectation is for another cut in interest rates. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

Texas A&M will move to a digital ticket pull approach for students for home football games beginning in 2025, A&M President Mark A. Welsh III announced Friday in a message to the campus community. The move comes a couple weeks after A&M’s in-person ticket pull system for the Texas game brought forth grievances from students about the process, health and safety concerns, and perceived bad actors via social media. A&M has mulled the future of its ticket pull system for weeks, but Welsh made the final decision about its future on Friday. He said the decision was clear after he received feedback from current students, former students, parents and other university stakeholders. “We are the largest school in the SEC and the only one not utilizing a digital ticket pull option,” Welsh wrote in his message to the A&M community. “A recent student survey led by the Student Government Association showed that 63% of Texas A&M Sports Pass holders are in favor of an online ticket pull system. To that end, I have assembled a task force to outline what would be needed to move to a digital approach for ticket pull. This small and nimble group, which met for the first time earlier this week, will work over the next few weeks to develop a policy framework that can guide the teams that need to begin developing a technology solution for this purpose." Welsh said Vicki Dobiyanski, A&M’s associate vice president for student affairs, and Cade Coppinger, A&M’s current student body president, will co-chair the task force. Other task force members include: Amy Janac, the 12th Man Foundation’s assistant director of ticket operations and events; Debbie Lollar, A&M Transportation Services’ associate vice president; Sharon Mainka, chief of staff to A&M’s vice president for IT and chief information officer; Alexandra Rainey, deputy chief of staff in A&M’s president’s office; and Lacey Williams, the 12th Man Foundation’s vice president of ticketing. While Welsh said he loves A&M’s traditions and are a “magnificent part” of what makes A&M special, he shared why he felt it was time to change the tradition of in-person ticket pull. “The tradition of the 12th Man has been very well served by the practice of ticket pull over the years. For many, it became a rite of passage,” Welsh wrote. “However, as we grow and evolve as a university and work hard to preserve our valued traditions, the practices associated with those traditions sometimes also need to evolve. We put students at risk in the ticket pull for the Texas game. I will not risk letting that happen again. I’m confident we can create a digital solution that preserves the most important elements of the current system and allows us to welcome the 2025 football season safely filled with the Aggie Spirit.”Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office suggested several ways the judge overseeing Trump’s hush money trial could uphold the 34-count guilty verdict against the president-elect while respecting the immunity he receives as president. While Trump was convicted in May, his sentencing hearing was pushed back multiple times to address a new Supreme Court ruling on immunity and then postponed indefinitely after Trump’s reelection. Prosecutors floated several possible courses of action for New York State Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan in a court filing Tuesday, including freezing the case while Trump serves as president and taking jail time off the table. The district attorney’s office argued vehemently that Merchan should disregard Trump’s team’s request to toss the case immediately. “There are no grounds for such relief now, prior to defendant’s inauguration, because President-elect immunity does not exist,” they wrote, going on to point out there are still several weeks before Trump takes the oath of office and becomes immune from prosecution. They also said that the Supreme Court ruling, which gave presidents broad immunity for “official acts,” does not apply to the facts of the hush money case, which “all involve purely personal and unofficial conduct.” Merchan has yet to rule on Trump’s earlier motion to dismiss the case on presidential immunity grounds. Trump’s trial centered on a $130,000 hush money payment made to porn actor Stormy Daniels in the final days before the 2016 presidential election, during a tumultuous time for Trump’s campaign. A dozen New Yorkers agreed that a scheme to reimburse Trump’s personal attorney at the time, Michael Cohen, resulted in falsified business records, a low-level felony. Trump pleaded not guilty, maintaining that he did not have an affair with Daniels and did nothing wrong. If Merchan does not sentence Trump before his inauguration, prosecutors suggested pausing the proceedings for the duration of Trump’s term, picking them back up in 2029. They also made a suggestion in the event Merchan agrees with Trump’s attorneys that pressing pause would still interfere with his ability to serve as president because he would have the threat of imprisonment hanging over his head the entire time. Merchan could close the case with a notation stating that “the jury verdict removed the presumption of innocence; that defendant was never sentenced; and that his conviction was neither affirmed nor reversed on appeal because of presidential immunity,” prosecutors said. They noted that it’s a move some judges make when a defendant dies in the time between their conviction and sentencing. Alternatively, Merchan could address the interference concerns by removing the possibility that Trump is sentenced to jail, prosecutors suggested. They noted what many legal experts have said about the case: that while Trump faces up to four years behind bars, his lack of a prior criminal record means he would probably serve little to no jail time. Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung dismissed the 82-page document as “a pathetic attempt to salvage the remains of an unconstitutional and politically motivated hoax.” Don't let this be the end of the free press. The free press is under attack — and America's future hangs in the balance. As other newsrooms bow to political pressure, HuffPost is not backing down. Would you help us keep our news free for all? We can't do it without you. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. “This lawless case should have never been brought, and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed,” he said in a statement, The Associated Press reported . 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EastEnders fans have been utterly captivated by Kathy Beale's antics after she was seen getting tipsy in the latest episode aired on Wednesday (November 27). The drama unfolded with the shocking scene of Kojo Asare (Dayo Koleosho) lying motionless on the pavement, with Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) frantically calling for an ambulance, while Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) emerged from the darkness. At The Queen Vic, the festivities were in full swing as Elaine (Harriett Thorpe) and George (Colin Salmon) celebrated their wedding reception following a ceremony. Kathy (Gillian Taylforth) was seen enjoying a tipple with Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Denise Fox (Diane Parish), and her sister Kim (Tameka Epson), where they gossiped about Cindy's "evil" nature. The group then decided it was time to let their hair down, leading to them dancing in their seats. Kathy couldn't resist teasing Denise next to her former flame Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and even egged her on to rekindle things with Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara). She didn't stop there; Kathy also made a snide remark about her ex-husband Peter Beale. However, when word of Kojo's plight reached the pub, Kathy insisted that the party shouldn't stop, prompting her to break out her disco moves again. Later, a sloshed Kathy called her son Ian (Adam Woodyatt) a "weasel" and was seen stumbling around her cafe attempting to whip up a bacon sandwich, reports the Manchester Evening News . EastEnders fans were left in stitches over Kathy's drunken escapades, with many taking to social media to plead for more scenes like it. One fan tweeted: "Obsessed with drunk Kathy # EastEnders ." Another added: "Drunk Kathy # EastEnders love it", while a third fan chimed in: "I need more drunk Kathy please # EastEnders ." The hilarious scenes also sparked requests for "Need drunk Kathy every episode # EastEnders ", with another viewer praising: "I do love a drunk Kathy. She's hilarious. Makes a nice change from Linda # EastEnders ." Others enjoyed the dynamic between Kathy and other characters, noting: "Obsessed with drunk Kathy and Linda trying to persuade Denise to dance". The overall sentiment was clear, with one fan summing it up: "More drunk Kathy please! # EastEnders ."

A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied TikTok's petition to overturn the law — which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — and rebuffed the company's challenge of the statute, which it argued had ran afoul of the First Amendment. “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” said the court's opinion, which was written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, though its unclear whether the court will take up the case. “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue," TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people,” Hughes said. Unless stopped, he argued the statute “will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.” Though the case is squarely in the court system, it's also possible the two companies might be thrown some sort of a lifeline by President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term but said during the presidential campaign that he is now against such action. The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was the culmination of a yearslong saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. The U.S. has said it’s concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect — a concern mirrored by the European Union on Friday as it scrutinizes the video-sharing app’s role in the Romanian elections. TikTok, which sued the government over the law in May, has long denied it could be used by Beijing to spy on or manipulate Americans. Its attorneys have accurately pointed out that the U.S. hasn’t provided evidence to show that the company handed over user data to the Chinese government, or manipulated content for Beijing’s benefit in the U.S. They have also argued the law is predicated on future risks, which the Department of Justice has emphasized pointing in part to unspecified action it claims the two companies have taken in the past due to demands from the Chinese government. Friday’s ruling came after the appeals court panel, composed of two Republicans and one Democrat appointed judges, heard oral arguments in September. In the hearing, which lasted more than two hours, the panel appeared to grapple with how TikTok’s foreign ownership affects its rights under the Constitution and how far the government could go to curtail potential influence from abroad on a foreign-owned platform. On Friday, all three denied TikTok’s petition. In the court's ruling, Ginsburg, a Republican appointee, rejected TikTok's main legal arguments against the law, including that the statute was an unlawful bill of attainder, or a taking of property in violation of the Fifth Amendment. He also said the law did not violate the First Amendment because the government is not looking to "suppress content or require a certain mix of content” on TikTok. “Content on the platform could in principle remain unchanged after divestiture, and people in the United States would remain free to read and share as much PRC propaganda (or any other content) as they desire on TikTok or any other platform of their choosing,” Ginsburg wrote, using the abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China.