Instant messaging application WhatsApp has introduced a new security feature, Passkeys, for its chat backups. According to the technology website, this feature is introduced to further secure users’ chat backups—conversations, photos, and voice messages—that are stored in the cloud.

Previously, users had to either create a password or remember a long 64-digit encryption key after enabling chat backup, which often proved cumbersome.

Now WhatsApp has made this process easier by introducing a new Passkeys feature, under which users can use fingerprint, Face ID or the phone’s screen lock code to save their backups, eliminating the need to remember passwords.

According to WhatsApp, the change is aimed at making users’ backup data more secure, especially in situations where a user changes, loses, or uses a new device.

The company says users have years of data in their chats, which is critical to protect. If users want to use this feature, they should go to WhatsApp, Settings in the app, select Chats, Chat Backup and finally End-to-End Encrypted Backup, where it can be seen whether the passkey option is available or not.

It is important to note that if users have encrypted backups and later forget the password, encryption key or passkey, WhatsApp cannot restore that data, resulting in data loss forever.

This feature will be especially beneficial for users who are switching phones or who have lost their phone, restoring chats on the new phone will now be easier and safer than ever before. According to WhatsApp, the Passkeys feature is being rolled out in a phased manner, so it will not be available to all users immediately but will be rolled out over time.

Introduction of “Watch History” feature on Instagram

Social sharing application Instagram has introduced a “Watch History” feature similar to short video sharing application Tik Tok. Tik Tok’s founder said in an Instagram video that now users will be able to re-watch all previously viewed content through Watch History.

Until now, there was no such feature on Instagram, under which one could re-watch a previously viewed reel or other content, however, the content could be viewed by going to a page.

While scrolling on Instagram, it was not possible to re-watch a video or post after it disappeared from the screen, but now users will be able to see that content through the Watch History feature.

The above feature is useful for users who are fond of watching reels and occasionally miss a video due to accidental scrolling or app refresh.

Founder Instagram said in a video message that to use the above feature, you have to go to settings in Instagram and go to “Your Activity”, where you can see the list of watched content by clicking on “Watch History”.

The section above will display the most recently viewed videos at the top, while the bottom will list older videos and other content. Apart from this, users will be able to select a specific date and watch the videos of that day.

The speed of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is the only thing that has been added to the list of new threats over the past few years. For many people, the rapid development of artificial intelligence is a cause for concern. ChatGPT was released by a San Francisco firm in mid-2023 and is now used by millions of people around the world.

The company is also updating this chatbot rapidly with time. According to journalist Karen Howe’s book, Elia Sathsekur, chief scientist at OpenAI, the company that makes ChatGPT, agrees that scientists are very close to creating “Artificial General Intelligence” (AGI). This is the point where machine or artificial intelligence will come in line with human intelligence.

He wrote that Chief Scientist Ilya Sathsekur had told his colleagues in a meeting that the company should build underground shelters for key personnel before the (AGI) release.

This is an indication that well-known and big scientists and owners of technology companies working on artificial intelligence are apparently very afraid of what will happen one day.

This situation raises the question of when Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will arrive and whether its arrival will really bring such a big change that ordinary people will be scared of it. The heads of major technology companies say that AGI is inevitable.

Sam Altman, head of OpenAI, said at the end of 2024 that it would arrive earlier than many people predicted. Many experts say that it will take five to ten years for AGI to arrive, while some say that AGI could be released by 2026. Keep in mind that AI is the fastest growing technology in the world and many companies in the world are working on AI.

Improving the performance of artificial intelligence by imitating the human brain

Researchers at the University of Surrey in the UK have developed a new way to improve the performance of artificial intelligence by mimicking the neural networks of the human brain. By mimicking the neural connections of the human brain, artificial neural nets used in artificial intelligence and other advanced models can be more efficient and powerful, according to research.

According to the report, the research introduces a method called mapping sparsely connected neural networks, in which each neuron is connected only to its nearest or related cells, just as the human brain stores information in an organized and efficient manner.

“Our work shows that intelligent systems can be made more efficient and energy-efficient, without compromising performance,” said senior lecturer Dr Roman Bauer. According to the researchers, this method eliminates unnecessary connections, making the artificial intelligence performance better and more sustainable.

Dr Bauer added that training today’s large artificial intelligence models requires millions of kilowatt-hours of electricity, which is unsustainable given the growing demand.

New AI plans for iPhone’s digital assistant Siri

An advanced version, called an integrative neural net, introduces a biological process during training, whereby brain-like connections gradually improve.

The research team is also exploring the use of the method in other areas, such as computers that are inspired by the structure and performance of the human brain. Google announces one year free ‘AI Pro Plan’ for Pakistani students.

According to the details, Google has announced a great educational offer for Pakistani students, under which students aged 18 years and above can get a free one-year subscription to the Google AI Pro plan.

This free offering from the technology company is designed to help students improve their learning, research and creativity through advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

Under the Gemini AI Pro plan, students aged 18 and above will be able to access Google’s latest AI features, including the following features:

Gemini 2.5 Pro Model

This will provide access to our latest model, so students can use features like Deep Research to support assignments, research and creative projects.

AI support in the form of Gemini Google Apps has been integrated directly into Gmail Sheets, Documents, Slides, so that students can summarize emails, create presentations for study and analyze data more effectively.

Notebook LM (Google’s AI-powered personalization tool for research and writing), which provides students with 5x more audio overviews, notebooks and other features.

2TB cloud storage

Students will be provided with ample storage in Google Drive, Gmail and Photos, so that they can save and store their notes, projects and other academic materials in an excellent manner.

The offering is part of Google’s broader push to give every student the AI ​​tools they need to unleash creativity in their education.

Gemini AI Pro plan is now available in several countries in Asia Pacific including Pakistan. Eligible university students can sign up for one year of free access and explore Google’s latest AI tools by visiting its link.