#3 Adviters Tech Insights: Your weekly summary of the highlighted news in technology

Illinois now allows police to fly drones over events

Illinois has passed a law that allows law enforcement agencies to fly drones over public events but prohibits equipping them with facial recognition software or weaponry, with some exceptions.

The new state law, called the First Responder Drones Act, goes into effect immediately. The new law amends another one from 2014, the Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act, which has banned law enforcement from using drones to «collect information» in the state (except for terrorist or imminent threat situations) for the past seven years.

The new bill is designed to prevent shootings like the one that occurred at the 4th of July parade in Highland Park last year, which State Senator Julie Morrison argued could have been prevented if not for that 2014 law. However, it also limits the weaponization and facial recognition capabilities of drones due to «concerns about surveillance and privacy with drones,» according to a statement from Sen. Morrison. Today’s changes also allow law enforcement to assist with infrastructure inspections and aid first responders with their drones.

Marvel’s Secret Invasion uses artificial intelligence to create opening credits and generates different reactions

The opening credits of the new Marvel Cinematic Universe show on Disney Plus, Secret Invasion, were designed by Method Studios using artificial intelligence.

The director and executive producer Ali Selim said that he thinks it plays with the very themes of the show. “When we reached out to the AI vendors, that was part of it — it just came right out of the shape-shifting, Skrull world identity, you know? Who did this? Who is this? ” Selim says.

Method Studios did not respond to Polygon’s request for comment on how exactly they designed the sequence (the credits staff includes producers, designers, and an AI technician). However, some artists are upset that Secret Invasion used AI art for its opening credits. They are worried that AI creations will not only discredit their work but also threaten their livelihoods.

European Union votes to bring back replaceable batteries in phones

The European Union (EU) is on the verge of introducing a new era of smartphones with batteries that consumers can easily replace themselves.

Earlier this week, the European Parliament approved new rules covering the design, production, and recycling of all rechargeable batteries sold within the EU. The new rules stipulate that all portable batteries used in devices such as smartphones, tablets, and cameras must be designed in such a way that consumers can «easily remove and replace them.»

This will require a drastic change in design by manufacturers, as most phone and tablet makers currently seal the battery and require specialized tools and knowledge to access and replace them safely.

Members of the European Parliament overwhelmingly backed the new rules, with 587 votes in favor, only nine against, and 20 abstentions. As for the next steps, the European Council «will now have to formally endorse the text before its publication in the Official Journal of the EU shortly thereafter and its entry into force.»

Australian regulator threatens Twitter over online hate

Australia’s cyber regulator has demanded that Twitter explain its handling of online hate as the microblogging platform has become the most reported one in the country since new owner Elon Musk lifted bans on 62,000 reported accounts.

Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said there have been more complaints about online hate on Twitter in the past year than on any other platform, and the complaints have increased since Elon Musk acquired the company in October.

«We are seeing a concerning increase in online hate,» Inman Grant said on Thursday. «Twitter seems to have dropped the ball in fighting hate.»

The increase in complaints coincides with a reduction in Twitter’s global workforce from 8,000 to 1,500, including its trust and safety teams, along with the end of its public policy presence in Australia. Musk announced a general amnesty in November, which allegedly saw 62,000 banned or suspended users restored on the platform, including 75 accounts with over 1 million followers.

Intel announces the biggest processor rebranding in 15 years ahead of Meteor Lake launch

Intel is embarking on a journey to redefine its consumer processor brand, the largest change in the company’s branding in the past 15 years.

As part of the new rebranding, Intel is dropping the ‘i’ from its consumer processor naming scheme, starting with Meteor Lake and other products on the roadmap beyond that. This means the Core i3, i5, and i7 naming structure becomes Core 3, 5, and 7, effectively eliminating the ‘i’ moniker from the naming structure.

The most significant change includes the removal of the ‘i’ from the naming scheme and adopting a simpler Core 3, 5, and 7 branding structure for Intel’s mainstream processors. The other notable inclusion, now officially confirmed, is that Intel will slightly bifurcate the Core brand and place its premium client products into their own category, using the new moniker Ultra.

The Ultra chips will signify a higher level of performance and target market for the parts and will be the only place where Intel uses its Core 9 brand (previously i9).