The hottest product at this year’s CES（国际消费电子展）technology conference may just be privacy. Several of the biggest tech companies are putting a special attention to user privacy, following years of mounting scrutiny（监察）from regulators and consumers over the industry’s handling of personal data.

Google announced that it has added two new voice commands for people to better control their privacy when using its voice assistant. For example, users can tell Google Assistant to forget what it just heard if it was activated accidentally by using the new command: “Hey Google, that wasn’t for you. ” Users can also ask “Hey Google, are you saving my audio data?” to learn more about their privacy options and change their settings. The company also gives users the option to delete data using their voice by saying: “Hey Google, delete everything I said to you this week.”

Facebook announced a new version of its “Privacy Checkup” tool with the goal of walking users through their key privacy settings. Facebook says the updated tool will help users control who can see what they share, how their information is used and how they can boost their account security. Previously, the tool was focused on showing users who could see their posts, their profile information and connected apps.

Ring, the home security and video doorbell company owned by Amazon, announced an update to its app that allows users to choose out of requests from local police for video. It comes in the wake of criticism of its partnerships with law enforcement.

Victoria Petrock, principal analyst at research firm eMarketer,said that privacy would likely be a“hot topic”at this year’s CES as consumers only become“more aware and concerned”about the problem.“Tech companies are trying to‘prove they are taking privacy seriously’,” Petrock said. Call it a defensive move. “If they don’t, they risk more heavy-handed regulation at some point, so they would rather be part of the way than part of the problem,” she said.

If you have tried chatting with ChatGPT lately, you have probably been met with an “at capacity” error message at some point. The chatbot’s sudden huge popularity can make accessing the service pretty tricky. And while it’s fun to chat with the AI or even get it to write essays or take exams, some people want guaranteed access so they can use the chatbot for professional purposes.

Earlier this month, OpenAI announced that it may soon start offering a paid-for version of ChatGPT with an option called ChatGPT Professional. A waitlist that OpenAI posted to the server detailed what pro users might expect.

The professional offering, which OpenAI described as “experimental”, will be “always available,” offer “fast responses from ChatGPT,” and would provide “as many messages as you need.” The waitlist also noted that, if selected, OpenAI would reach out to you individually to set up a payment process and a pilot.

Now it seems like OpenAI has picked its early access users and they are sharing some insights. Zahid Khawaja, an early access user, shared a video on Twitter running a test prompt on the pro version that ran much quicker than the free version the rest of the public has access to. In the video, Khawaja showed his subscription cost, which comes in at $ 42 a month.

How OpenAI decided on $ 42 a month is yet to be revealed-perhaps it’s yet another Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy reference. However, in December Sam Altman, OpenAl’s chief executive said the average cost of each response was in “single-digits cents”, but he admitted it will need to charge the service eventually because of its “eye-watering“ compute costs. A recent agreement with Microsoft, which will see the software giant invest billions in OpenAI over the next few years, will also likely help.

Despite its popularity, ChatGPT isn’t the only AI chatbot on the market. The $ 42 a month price tag is causing some users to seek other alternatives that might be more cost effective and just as efficient.

Dr. Elsa Olivetti has always been interested in how materials science can change the way we store energy. When she started her work at MIT, she was excited about discovering the secrets of sustainable battery production.

During her research, her main focus was on a special kind of battery, called solid-state batteries, and a material named LLZO. She discovered a big challenge: finding and getting a special material called tantalum, which is not easy to find but necessary for the production of LLZO. This inspired her to look at the whole process of making batteries beyond the laboratory, from getting the materials to producing the final product.

Dr. Olivetti and her team looked into how these materials are mined, processed, and turned into batteries. They found that if we want to use more electric cars in the future, we need to get much better at producing and delivering materials like tantalum. Then, Dr. Olivetti aims to figure out a creative solution to the challenge. She worked with industry leaders to develop sustainable mining practices and called on policy changes to support a better supply chain, which proves effective.

Dr. Olivetti stresses that her work is not meant to replace traditional methods. Instead, it’s meant to help make the battery production better by looking broadly at the things that could make energy storage efficient. Looking ahead, Dr. Olivetti remains committed to improving sustainable energy storage. She wants to make the production process less wasteful and more cost-effective, creating a future where energy storage is not only good but also kind to our planet.

Reflecting on her work, Dr. Olivetti often says that what she does is more than just science. “Each step we take towards more efficient and environmentally-friendly battery technology is a step towards a better world,” stressing the importance of curiosity and perseverance in the pursuit of scientific exploration.