This week, the tech industry saw Hacker Group Rhysida leak 1.3 million files from Sony’s Insomniac Games after last week’s cyberattack. In the UK, the Supreme Court made a major ruling in the artificial intelligence space, unanimously voting artificial intelligence cannot be listed as an inventor on a patent.
On the product side, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 enter their final days – as the two models are banned after a patient dispute with Masimo – and Master & Dynamic enlisted Neurable for the first set of mind-reading headphones.
Below, Hypebeast has rounded up the top tech stories of the week so you can stay up to date on trends in the industry.
Hacker Group Rhysida Leaks 1.3 Million Files From Sony’s Insomniac Games
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Ransomware gang Rhysida leaked the 1.67 terabytes — about 1.3 million files – stolen from Sony’s Insomniac Games in a cyberattack earlier this month.
After Sony declined to pay the requested ransom of $2 million USD within one week, Rhysida followed through with the threat of leaking the data, which includes financial information and bank account numbers. Additional files reveal game-specific data, including a PlayStation 5 Wolverine project Insomniac had in the works for Marvel.
The Master & Dynamic MW75 Neuro Headphones Can Read Your Mind
Master & Dynamic/Neurable
Master & Dynamic joined forces with neuroscience company Neurable to deliver the first brain-computer interface (BCI) audio product – a pair of headphones that can literally read your mind. Using neural sensors to tap into the wearer’s brain waves, the Master & Dynamic x Neurable MW75 Neuro taps into your focus habits, activating accommodating noise cancelling and other productivity features.
Priced at $649, the headphones come in four colorways – onyx, navy, argent and olive – and are available for preorder now.
UK Supreme Court Rules AI Systems Cannot Receive Patents on Their Creations
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The UK Supreme Court officially ruled that artificial intelligence cannot be named as an inventor for a patent and therefore will not be able to hold any patent rights.
The ruling came in response to British scientist Stephen Thaler’s case, in which he requested two patents for inventions curated by his AI “creativity machine” dubbed A Device for Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience a.k.a DABUS. The products? A food storage container capable using fractal geometry to quickly reheat its contents, and a flashing-light emergency-response system.
Via unanimous decision, the court ruled that “an inventor must be a natural person.”
The Apple Watch Is on the Verge of Being Banned in the U.S.
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Despite last-ditch efforts to escape the ban, Apple has revealed that two Apple Watch models – the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 – will no longer be sold after today, Sunday, December 23. December 21 was the last day to cop them online.
The ban comes in response to a patent dispute with medical device maker Masimo. Older models will still be sold, and retailers are still permitted to sell previously-imported stock.
