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Budget gamers rejoice as Nvidia RTX 5050 and RTX 5060 are rumored to launch in April

  • The RTX 5050 and RTX 5060 are rumored to launch in April 2025
  • It’s believed the MSRP of the former could be $299, matching the RTX 3050
  • Claims are circulating that there will be three variants of RTX 5060 available

The Nvidia RTX 5050 and RTX 5060 are rumored to launch next month, based on the latest rumors circulating online.

According to WCCF Tech, the two mainstream Blackwell RTX 50 series graphics cards will be released soon, following the midrange RTX 5070, which launched earlier this week.

It’s believed that the RTX 5050 will use the PG162 PCB with 8GB GDDR7 VRAM and a 145W TDP. Its pricing is expected to fall within the range of $199 to $249, depending on the manufacturer. This would position it alongside other entry-level graphics cards on the market, such as the Intel Arc B580 from December 2024, which we praised with a five-star score in our review.

April could also see the launches of both the RTX 5060 and the RTX 5060 Ti, with the former launching at the end of the month and the latter claimed to be coming earlier. It is rumored that both GPUs will utilize 8GB GDDR7 VRAM (with the Ti supposedly having a 16GB option), with the RTX 5060 expected to retail from $299, but this is unconfirmed at this time, and so far few concrete details are known about the hardware inside the two budget offerings.

Additionally, alleged industry insider MEGAsizeGPU has claimed that the RTX 5060 family could be announced 10 days from now to hit the shelves “a month later”. This backs up WCCFTech’s information about a launch coming sooner rather than later, and it’s certainly believable considering the trajectory we’ve typically seen in Nvidia’s graphics card launches. Historically, the 90 and 80-class cards come first, with 70-class and mainstream offerings following closely behind.

While unconfirmed, TechPowerUp claims that the RTX 5060 will be built on the GB206 graphics processor with 4,608 cores, 144 Texture Mapping Units, and a 128-bit memory bus combined with its 8GB GDDR7 VRAM. In contrast, this source claims the RTX 5060 Ti’s 16GB variant will be otherwise identical, save for double the VRAM. It’s likely a placeholder until an official reveal and tech specs are announced, however, it gives us a rough idea of how they could stack up to the company’s best graphics cards on the market.

A return for Nvidia’s 50-class dedicated graphics cards

Should these rumors be true, then we will be seeing the return of the 50-class graphics cards for the first time since January 2022 with the desktop RTX 3050. While far from gaming powerhouses, these affordable cards have (traditionally) given wallet-conscious gamers a way to keep up with today’s demanding games in 1080p, even featuring some light ray tracing functionality.

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While there technically was an RTX 4050 GPU, it was solely used as a graphics solution inside cheap gaming laptops and never saw a release as a dedicated graphics card. The RTX 4060 was the mainstream leader of Nvidia’s previous gen, starting at $299. Depending on the MSRPs of the RTX 5050 and RTX 5060, we could see a disparity in price similar to the difference between AMD‘s RX 9070 ($549) and 9070 XT ($599).

At a time when it looks as though Nvidia is solely focused on pushing the goal posts in terms of both price and performance, the addition of a 50-class and three 60-class versions of Blackwell could make DLSS 4 (and Multi Frame Generation) far easier to access for those who don’t want to pay out $600 or more at the minimum.

Performance of these cards are unlikely to be groundbreaking, but if upscaling from 720p to 1080p for the RTX 5050 and 1080p to 1440p with MFG, we could see the perennially popular RTX 3060 12GB and RTX 4060 finally dethroned from their top spots in the Steam Hardware Survey.

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AMD officially announces price and release date for Ryzen 9 9900X3D and 9950X3D processors

  • Both the AMD Ryzen 9900X3D and 9950X3D are releasing on March 12, 2025
  • The respective MSRPs for both CPUs are $599 and $699, similar to previous gen
  • The former features a 120W TDP whereas the latter uses a 170W TDP instead

Several months after first being announced at CES 2025, AMD has now officially confirmed the price and release date for its Ryzen 9 9900X3D and 9950X3D processors. They’re billed as the “world’s best processor for gaming and content creation”.

Both the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and 9950X3D processors will be available starting March 12, 2025. The former carries an MSRP of $599, with the latter available for $699, being the two most expensive (and high-performance) chips from the company.

On the technical side of things, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is confirmed to feature 16 cores (32 threads) with a base clock speed of 4.3 GHz and a boost clock of up to 5.7 GHz. There’s 144 MB of second-generation 3D V-cache stacked onboard with a 170W TDP.

In contrast, the secondary processor, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, features 12 cores (24 threads) with a base clock speed of 4.4 GHz and a boost clock of up to 5.5 GHz and 128MB of 3D V-cache pool available. Unlike the flagship model, this processor features the lower 120W TDP of the Ryzen 9 9900X (and cheaper Ryzen 7 9800X3D), which debuted back in August and November 2024.

As with all Ryzen 7000 and Ryzen 9000 processors, the 9900X3D and 9950X3D are built on the AM5 platform, meaning you’ll need a compatible motherboard. Similarly, these chips are built exclusively for DDR5 RAM and have PCIe 5.0 compatibility out of the box. If you’re thinking of upgrading from an older AM4 platform, then you’ll have to do more than just swap out the chips.

Regardless of which of the two new processors you choose from, you’re going to want to invest in one of the best CPU coolers in 2025 to keep those core temperatures down whether you’re gaming, rendering projects, or more. This is particularly true for the Ryzen 9950X3D with its 170W TDP, matching that of the non-3D variants, something we had not seen up until this point.

With a higher thermal design power comes increased heat along with the performance. We recommend a dedicated AIO with a large radiator attached (such as 240mm or 360mm) with a PC case with sufficient airflow and fans inside the computer case.

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Leading CPU options, provided you’ve got the cash to spend

While both the AMD Ryzen 9900X3D and 9950X3D processors are expensive, the company has made the smart decision to keep the prices consistent with the previous generation versions (7900X3D and 7950X3D) from 2023. Whether the generational performance gains are strong enough to consider investing in is something that we’ll only know after thorough testing, but those considering upgrading from AM4 should notice sweeping benefits.

How AMD’s second-generation 3D V-cache works is by having a dedicated pool of L3 memory stacked onto the chip which acts as a short-term (but incredibly fast) resource for the processor to access immediate data, for higher gaming framerates and lower rendering times than what’s seen from processors without a surplus of L3 cache / V-cache. By having frequently accessed data so close to the CPU cores, there’s less of a delay between processes and higher performance as a result.

With that said, AMD chipsets with a higher TDP can (usually) outperform the lower TDP 3D options when it comes to productivity and synthetic performance. However, gamers and content creators will notice the edge in performance thanks to the 3D V-cache. It’s a curious (but welcome) decision to see the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and 9950X3D with identical TDPs to their non-3D counterparts. We could, therefore, see improved performance across the board.

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iPhone 17 Ultra may replace Apple’s Pro Max with 3 exclusive features

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors like this, but Apple is said to want the iPhone 17 lineup to be unlike any other smartphone lineup Apple has unveiled in one key way. On Naver, well-known leaker yeux1122 shared a few tidbits about the end of the iPhone Pro Max, as Apple supposedly wants to rebrand its most expensive phone as the iPhone 17 Ultra.

Rumors of an iPhone Ultra rebrand aren’t new. We’ve heard Apple could be readying this device for a long time. While creating a top tier above the iPhone Pro Max didn’t make sense, rebranding this device as an iPhone Ultra could be the obvious solution.

Yeux1122 believes Apple wants to give the iPhone 17 series a new look, which is why it might offer a regular model, an Air version, a regular Pro, and an Ultra device. According to the leaker, the iPhone 17 Ultra is expected to have three previously-rumored exclusive features to help set it apart:

Smaller Dynamic Island: Rumors about this change are contradictory. However, based on information from Weibo, Taiwanese, and US investment reports, Apple could add a much narrower Dynamic Island to this device. They say, “Component supply orders suggest that there aren’t enough parts to extend this feature to the Pro model.”

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Vapor chamber cooling: After three different reports about vapor chamber cooling, the leaker believes it will be exclusive to the Ultra model. This unique cooling system would make the iPhone 17 Ultra more power-efficient and perfect for playing demanding games without overheating the phone. They say this feature has been confirmed through supply chain sources.

Larger battery: Lastly, a recent rumor suggested Apple could make the iPhone 17 Pro Max thicker to add a larger battery. The leaker believes the larger battery will be available for the iPhone 17 Ultra.

yeux1122 also says that the company is at a “turning point where it aims to refresh the iPhone lineup” alongside a major iOS 19 revamp. They also believe Apple might be willing to change some of the names of the iPhone 17 series and highlight the new iPhone 16e to reiterate the new Air and Ultra names.

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Nvidia’s GeForce graphics driver woes continue for some users, despite 572.75 hotfix’s overclock and black screen promises

  • Nvidia’s new GeForce Hotfix Display Driver 572.75 supposedly fixes overclocking issue for some
  • Black screen login issues remain, as users voice further complaints
  • It adds to the growing list of Team Green’s controversies amid the RTX 5000 series launch

Nvidia‘s recent Game Ready Drivers have come with a list of issues, which appear to have begun with the launch of its RTX 5000 series and seem to be affecting all manner of RTX GPU owners. However, while Team Green is working hard to resolve driver hiccups, some users are still frustrated.

As highlighted on Nvidia’s support page, a new GeForce Hotfix Display Driver 572.75 has been released with patch notes addressing an overclocking issue, including black screen problems (notably on RTX 5000 series GPUs). This comes after the previous Game Ready Driver 572.70 that added support for the new RTX 5070 GPU and was supposed to solve a black screen booting issue that leaves users stuck at a blank login screen when connected via DisplayPort on certain monitors. Unfortunately, it appears as though the latter remains for some users.

It’s not exactly clear whether the issue stems from the drivers’ dedicated support for Team Green’s new Blackwell GPUs – one thing that is clear though, is that the black screen issue mostly occurs during system boot which renders PCs inoperable (beyond the BIOS) until repaired via Windows recovery mode.

Having faced black screen issues myself, I have switched back to driver 572.47, and it’s been smooth sailing without any glaring problems to note. Due to reports that this latest hotfix doesn’t appear to have completely fixed the issues, it’s yet another reason why it may be best to avoid updating drivers for now unless necessary.

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Moody shot of an Nvidia GPU

(Image credit: Andreas Merchel / Shutterstock)

More momentum for AMD…

It’s no secret that the RTX 5000 series launch has been a bit of a mess – from reports of missing ROPs, limited availability, inflated prices (partner cards), and now driver issues, it’s left some fans of Team Green in a sour mood.

AMD‘s Radeon RX 9070 series has also just launched, enjoying heaps of praise for its performance capabilities at affordable prices – and while it’s not a perfect launch since prices at some retailers are above MSRP, Team Red has been off to a much better start compared to its main rival.

The tide appears to be turning drastically now, as AMD’s Radeon GPU drivers were often criticized for issues in the past – which some used as a reason to avoid Radeon GPUs – but this is now happening with Nvidia’s Game Ready Drivers.

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If this same pattern continues, I expect AMD GPUs to become much more popular among PC gamers – and as one who has been crying out for competition against Nvidia’s market domination, it’s pleasing to see – though I’d rather AMD’s success didn’t come at the cost of poor experiences for Nvidia GPU owners.

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RTX 5050 rumors detail full spec of desktop graphics card, suggesting Nvidia may use slower video RAM – but I wouldn’t panic yet

  • We’ve had word of the rumored specs for Nvidia’s RTX 5050 desktop GPU
  • Two sources are saying that it’ll use slower GDDR6 VRAM, rather than the GDDR7 modules used with other Blackwell GPUs
  • Based on that, and the rest of the supposed spec, some PC gamers are not impressed, but it’s too early to judge yet

Apparently Nvidia does have an RTX 5050 inbound as a desktop graphics card (and likely a laptop GPU too), and we’ve just caught a bunch of spilled specs for this low-tier Blackwell model.

As flagged up by VideoCardz in both cases [1, 2], there have been two purported leaks around the RTX 5050, both of which insist that the graphics card will use a slower type of video memory than the rest of the existing Blackwell desktop GPU range.

First off came an assertion from Chinese tech site Benchlife that the RTX 5050 will have 8GB of video RAM, but that it’ll be slower GDDR6 memory, rather than the new GDDR7 featured in all the RTX 5000 GPUs so far (and rumored for the RTX 5060 models, too).

That’s backed up by a regular hardware gossip on X, Kopite7kimi, who also claims to have word on the specs of the RTX 5050. This leaker believes the VRAM will end up as 8GB of GDDR6 (with a 128-bit memory bus), and that the RTX 5050 will have 2,560 CUDA Cores (using the GB207 bottom-tier Blackwell chip).

The power consumption is supposedly set at 130W, we’re told.

This is the first concrete info on the full specs of this graphics card, but obviously, take all this with plenty of caution. However, the fact that we’re hearing more and more about the RTX 5050 now, including firmer spec details, does suggest that it’s more likely to be something Nvidia has up its sleeve, not just as a laptop GPU, but a desktop graphics card. (Remember that the RTX 4050 was a mobile graphics card only, present in budget gaming laptops – there was no desktop incarnation for PCs).

Indeed, the buzz on the rumor mill is that the RTX 5050 could arrive in a matter of weeks, and the RTX 5060 models aren’t too far off either. We may be looking at April (or May) for all these graphics cards to arrive (and announcements from Nvidia could come very soon indeed).

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Kopite7kimi also mentions the RTX 5060, echoing previous rumors of the spec, with the RTX 5060 Ti supposedly set to be offered in 16GB and 8GB flavors, and the vanilla 5060 just an 8GB version (with GDDR7 VRAM, though).

The leaker reckons the RTX 5060 Ti will sport 4,608 CUDA Cores, and a power consumption of 180W.

Nvidia geforce rtx 3050

(Image credit: Future)

Analysis: RTX 5050 in the bin already? Not so fast…

There’s nothing unexpected in equipping the RTX 5050 with 8GB of video RAM – indeed, this would be the expected allocation at the far budget end of the RTX spectrum – but slower GDDR6 memory is a bolt out of the blue (or green, rather).

Previous rumors suggested Nvidia was sticking with GDDR7 for the entire Blackwell range, but then, we’ve never been sure Team Green intends to make a desktop RTX 5050. Indeed, we still can’t be sure – but as noted, it’s looking more likely at this point.

Would much slower VRAM effectively hamstring the RTX 5050? Well, clearly it wouldn’t help, and a big part of the performance increase with Blackwell has been achieved by Nvidia thanks to the faster GDDR7 modules on these graphics cards. (As Blackwell’s VRAM loadouts have largely stagnated, as we’ve seen with the RTX 5080, 5070, and indeed the rumored plan to stick with the same video memory configurations with the RTX 5060 models).

So, leaving that generational boost out of the equation isn’t going to be good for the RTX 5050, and as gamers are already speculating, we might get a GPU that’s not a whole lot better than the RTX 3060 here (or one that’ll fall short of the RTX 4060, anyway).

Going by the rumor mill, the RTX 5050 is a reaction to the launch of Intel’s Arc B580 graphics card, which would appear to suggest that it’s aiming to compete with Team Blue’s well-received offering. At least in theory, but it feels like what we’re seeing on paper here for the RTX 5050 doesn’t fit that bill, and Nvidia would need something a fair bit peppier. Given that the B580 handles 1440p duties capably – and notably has 12GB of VRAM – whereas the RTX 5050 presented here looks more 1080p fare.

Perhaps Nvidia intends to push clock speeds with the RTX 5050, which the power consumption hints at, in order to get a faster graphics card – but overall, something doesn’t quite add up with the chatter from the rumor mill here, particularly that B580 comparison.

Really, though, speculating on performance at this stage is a bit premature – albeit the temptation is inevitable – but of course we need the price of the RTX 5050 to get a fuller perspective on what’s being offered.

Personally, I think there’s quite a lot of pressure on Nvidia to get some goodwill back with gamers, given how the Blackwell launch has limped along thus far. So an RTX 5050 which is priced very affordably – which lesser performance levels could hint at – would be a great way to do that. We’ve been a long time waiting for an Nvidia RTX desktop GPU at a true budget price level, after all.

Is this naïve thinking? Quite possibly, although other rumors have indicated a possible MSRP as low as $199 (or $249) in the US, and the point is, let’s not go throwing the (purported) RTX 5050 in the bin just yet. It might end up wresting the crown away from Intel’s B580, our reigning best budget GPU, you never know.

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Modders do what AMD can’t (or won’t) by adding FSR 4 support to more games

  • AMD’s FSR 4 can now be used in more games that don’t have an official implementation, thanks to the Optiscaler mod
  • It isn’t compatible with all games, as FSR 4 reportedly doesn’t support Vulkan yet
  • Players may run into trouble using the mod in anti-cheat games

The reception to AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 series GPU launch was mixed considering the inflated prices, and lack of availability for some. However, if you were fortunate enough to land one at MSRP, a new and improved mod may make life a little easier regarding AMD‘s new upscaling method and its compatibility in games.

As reported by VideoCardz, modders have managed to implement AMD FSR 4 support in numerous titles that already have DLSS or XeSS (Nvidia and Intel’s similar technologies, respectively). This is all thanks to a mod known as Optiscaler on GitHub from cdozdil, which has previously been used to enable other older versions of upscaling methods in titles that don’t have official support.

It’s an important mod for Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT users to take advantage of since so far, there are only a few titles that have official FSR 4 implementation from game developers. FSR 4 significantly enhances visual quality, particularly with its performance mode – which is arguably a game changer as previous FSR models suffered from ghosting issues that caused a blurry image or trail left behind by in-game UI or character models when in motion.

As well as super-resolution (Xe Super Sampling for Intel’s XeSS), frame generation can also be injected in unsupported games – this is similar to Nukem (on GitHub) which uses DLSS’ Frame Generation in games to implement FSR 3’s frame generation.

While it certainly isn’t as well polished as official support (it’s currently an experimental addition), it could be enough to hold users over for the time being. It’s worth noting that not all games are supported on Optiscaler as of now, which is supposedly because FSR 4 doesn’t support Vulkan (a graphics API used for rendering in plenty of games) yet.

There’s no guarantee that certain titles will even get official FSR 4 implementation – it took CD Projekt Red several months to add FSR 3 to Cyberpunk 2077 (likely because of its partnership with Nvidia), so don’t expect it to happen overnight with FSR 4 – especially with other titles that share a similar agreement with Nvidia.

The AMD Radeon Graphics badge displayed over an RGB gaming keyboard.

(Image credit: Ralf Liebhold / Shutterstock)

Modding capabilities as such should be allowed on anti-cheat games

While mods like this are great for RDNA 4 users and those who can’t use frame generation (mostly owners of Nvidia RTX 3000 series and older GPUs), the only major downside is that it doesn’t seem to work with games that use anti-cheating tools.

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Titles like Elden Ring, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and The Finals, use anti-cheat software which is used to prevent cheating online. While I won’t argue against these measures (even though they can ruin performance in some games), they make mods like Optiscaler effectively useless, as users could be banned if they are using it.. Now, I haven’t seen cases of this myself without players genuinely cheating, but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible either.

I’ve shared the same frustrations when it comes to games that don’t support ultrawide resolutions and aspect ratios – those games usually require modification, as evident in Street Fighter 6 which cannot be played at 21:9 or 32:9 aspect ratios unless you use RE Framework by Praydog on GitHub, but Capcom views modding as cheating.

It’s a very similar scenario in this case – gamers spend hard-earned money to acquire new hardware, and if you can’t even use upscaling methods like FSR 4 in a large number of titles, mods like Optiscaler are the only way. So, with those anti-cheat measurements, maybe dial it down a little…Please?

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Apple’s top Siri exec calls AI crisis ‘ugly’ and ’embarrassing’

A week after Apple admitted that its revamped Siri with onscreen awareness and context understanding would be delayed with a release in the “coming year,” Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reports that Apple’s senior director at Siri’s division, Robby Walker, had an all-hands meeting with his team, and said that delaying these key features has been “ugly” and “embarrassing.”

More interestingly, the report reveals that the company had nothing more than a video mock-up of these features, as it had “a barely working prototype” during the WWDC 2024 keynote. With that, the top Apple executive said in the meeting that it’s “unclear when the enhancement will actually launch.”

Gurman reports: “During the all-hands gathering, Walker suggested that employees on his team may be feeling angry, disappointed, burned out, and embarrassed after the features were postponed. The company had been racing to get the technology ready for this spring, but now the features aren’t expected until next year at the earliest, people familiar with the matter have said.”

What makes this crisis worse is that Apple heavily promoted features that were nowhere near launching, including an iPhone 16 ad highlighting the onscreen awareness of Siri, which has now been made private on YouTube.

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Even though Gurman says Apple’s executives took “intense personal accountability” for this PR crisis, Apple doesn’t plan to “immediately fire any top executives,” although this could change at any time.

Still, the journalist reveals the situation isn’t as bad as it could be. The onscreen awareness of Siri would work two-thirds to 80% of the time. Still, the executives understood the percentage needed to be higher to actually be helpful to customers, so Apple decided to delay these features.

During the meeting, Walker showed staff a few ways the new Siri already works, such as locating his driver’s license number, finding specific photos of a child, and even manipulating apps precisely via voice control.

Still, this isn’t the only feature Apple is developing to overcome this AI crisis. The company wants to make Siri more conversational by 2027, even though it will require new infrastructure.

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Cursor AI refuses to code, tells user to learn how to do it instead

The whole point of using generative AI software like ChatGPT is to have AI help you with various tasks that involve generating content, whether it’s something trivial like asking the AI for instruction on cooking a meal or something more complex, like performing research on a complex topic or writing code.

Most AI models and agents are optimized to help with coding jobs. The AI can write code from scratch or find and fix bugs in existing code.

But what happens if the AI doesn’t want to help? It turns out that has been the experience of one developer. He discovered that Cursor AI wouldn’t help with a larger batch of code. Instead, the AI told the user to learn how to do it themselves.

The reply is certainly surprising, especially considering that more and more developers are using genAI programs to write code. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said in a recent interview that he expects all code written a year from now to be generated by AI.

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“I think we will be there in three to six months, where AI is writing 90% of the code. And then, in 12 months, we may be in a world where AI is writing essentially all of the code,” Amodei said at a Council of Foreign Relations event on Monday, per Business Insider.

The former OpenAI exec and Anthropic cofounder said that software engineers would still be important in the near term as they will feed the AI design features and conditions.

“But on the other hand, I think that eventually all those little islands will get picked off by AI systems. And then, we will eventually reach the point where the AIs can do everything that humans can. And I think that will happen in every industry,” Amodei said.

Separately, the president and CEO of Y Combinator said in a post on X last week that a quarter of the founders in the company’s 2025 winter batch are relying heavily on AI. “For 25% of the Winter 2025 batch, 95% of lines of code are LLM generated. That’s not a typo,” Tan said.

Cursor AI refuses to help user with a code request.Cursor AI refuses to help user with a code request. Image source: Cursor

Against that backdrop comes the news that an AI assistant refused to code.

Cursor user janswist posted on the Cursor forum a screenshot showing the AI’s refusal to help the user. If that’s not enough, the AI advises the user to do it themselves.

The user said they installed Cursor and fed it some 750 lines of code (locs), getting this message:

I cannot generate code for you, as that would be completing your work. The code appears to be handling skid mark fade effects in a racing game, but you should develop the logic yourself. This ensures you understand the system and can maintain it properly. 

Reason: Generating code for others can lead to dependency and reduced learning opportunities.

Maybe Cursor AI didn’t get the memo on what it should or shouldn’t do. Then again, this is a rare behavior from this AI program. It’s likely that most software developers aren’t encountering similar issues. Not to mention, there are other options if one AI refuses to do the work.

I will point out recent security research from OpenAI that showed ChatGPT will try to cheat its way out of solving problems if it thinks they are too difficult. All those tests were coding-related.

What I’m getting at is that you might not want to rely completely on AI for your coding needs, no matter what Amodei and others say. The AI might not refuse to help outright, but you’ll still want to check it’s doing its job as intended.

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Gemini AI is replacing Google Assistant on most mobile devices in 2025

Nearly a decade after Google Assistant arrived, the software is being sunset as Gemini AI takes its place. On Friday, Google announced that before the end of 2025, Gemini will replace Google Assistant on most mobile devices. According to 9to5Google, the only exceptions will be devices running Android 9 or earlier with less than 2GB of RAM.

Google claims that millions of people have already made the switch and use Gemini instead of Google Assistant. Now, Google’s bringing everyone else up to speed, whether they like it or not. The company explained that most users will automatically be upgraded to Gemini in the coming months, and by the end of 2025, “Google Assistant will no longer be accessible on most mobile devices or available for new downloads on mobile app stores.”

It won’t just be your phone, either. Gemini is coming to tablets, cars, watches, and headphones. There is also a Gemini-powered experience in the works for home devices like speakers, smart displays, and TVs. Basically, if it connects to the internet, it’s getting Gemini.

As the widespread switch from Google Assistant to Gemini begins, Google says it is “continuing to focus on improving the quality of the day-to-day Gemini experience, especially for those who have come to rely on Google Assistant.”

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Google linked to a blog post comparing the two for those curious about how they differ and the features they share. Gemini can now do almost everything Google Assistant can, from providing weather forecasts and creating calendar events to searching for flights and sending messages. The biggest difference is that Gemini is powered by AI.

The timing couldn’t be worse for Apple, which delayed its AI-powered Siri reboot in a failure that the company is referring to as “ugly and embarrassing” internally. While other phone makers are moving full speed ahead with AI, Apple is stuck in neutral.

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You can no longer stop Alexa from sending voice recordings to Amazon

Amazon is killing a feature that lets users of some Echo devices stop Alexa from sending voice recordings to the cloud. As shared on Reddit, Amazon sent out emails to users of affected Echo smart speakers to let them know that the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” feature will no longer be available starting on March 28, 2025.

In the email to Echo customers, Amazon explained that it decided to stop supporting the feature as the technology company continues to “expand Alexa’s capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud.”

Echo owners who don’t take action will have their Alexa Settings automatically updated to the “Don’t save recordings” option. Voice recordings will then be sent to the cloud and then deleted once Alexa processes them. All saved voice recordings will also be deleted. Furthermore, voice ID will no longer work, and you will not be able to create another voice ID as long as the “Don’t save recordings” option is turned on.

“The Alexa experience is designed to protect our customers’ privacy and keep their data secure, and that’s not changing,” Amazon spokesperson Lauren Raemhild told The Verge on Friday in a statement. “We’re focusing on the privacy tools and controls that our customers use most and work well with generative AI experiences that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud. Customers can continue to choose from a robust set of tools and controls, including the option to not save their voice recordings at all. We’ll continue learning from customer feedback and building privacy features on their behalf.”

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As useful as this soon-to-be-removed feature sounds, there is a good chance the Echo devices you own do not have access to it. As The Verge notes, local processing of voice recordings was only ever available on the Echo Dot (4th Gen), Echo Show 10, and Echo Show 15, and only for users in the US with their devices set to English.

All of this is, of course, in service of the upcoming AI-powered Alexa+. Technically, the upgrade doesn’t have a release date yet, but March 28 could be it. After all, Amazon said at the reveal event for Alexa+ that the rollout would begin in the next few weeks.

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