A warning for remote workers, Adobe shows "commercially safe" AI video

Also: BenQ reveals 5K monitor, Amazon and Apple debut devices for handwritten notes

You can’t believe what you see

• Scammers and criminals are using AI voice cloning tools to fake calls.

• AI-generated video will soon be used for even more convincing dupes.

• Remote workers are especially vulnerable to AI fakes.

Cybercriminals are quickly adopting AI tools. Arup, an engineering firm, lost $25 million to fraudsters who posed as the company’s CFO. A streak of fake ransom calls targeted wealthy families in New York. And, most recently, a group of scammers used AI-generated deepfakes of young women to scam would-be suitors.

In short: cybercriminals are already using AI. Everyone needs to beware of this, of course. But it’s especially concerning for remote workers. Most of us are used to taking voice or video calls from colleagues (often at short notice), which makes us a target.

You might think you’d detect an AI-generated dupe, but don’t be so sure. AI voice clones are now so good that they’re entirely convincing, even to close friends and loved ones. AI-generated video is a bit harder to pull off, but it’s already a problem: the fraudsters that targeted Arup created a deepfake of the company’s CFO and used it to tell an employee to wire money to the fraudsters’ account.

What can you do? It’s a mistake to think you would notice the AI generated voice or video. It’s getting better all the time.

Instead, think about the circumstances surrounding a voice or video call.

Fraudsters are likely to reach out over an uncommon form of communication (that is what happened in the Arup case; the employee received an email that felt suspicious but was convinced when they spoke with the AI-generated deepfake of the company’s CTO).

They’re also likely to contact victims on short notice, and may pose as a high-level manager or executive you don’t normally speak with.

If possible, talk about the issue with friends and colleagues on your team. Consider a policy of starting calls with a spoken passphrase or asking that colleagues authenticate themselves through a trusted form of communication (like your company’s Teams or Slack).

Adobe shows off latest AI-generated video

• AI-Powered Tools: New Firefly Video Model and upgrades in Photoshop and Illustrator boost creative speed and precision.

• Expanded Collaboration: Frame.io adds support for photography, audio, and design for streamlined team workflows.

• GenStudio Launched: New app enables rapid, scalable content creation for marketing teams across major platforms.

Adobe MAX 2024, the company’s annual conference, introduced over 100 new Creative Cloud features across tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and Adobe Express.

This year’s highlights centered on Adobe's AI innovations: the Firefly Video Model (beta) now supports video generation from text prompts, image to video transformations, and new AI-driven features in Photoshop and Illustrator.

Firefly is especially impressive; it looks close in quality to OpenAI’s Sora, and Adobe says it’s “commercially safe,” as it’s trained only on data Adobe has permission to use. Firefly is not generally available, but a waitlist is live and at least some small handful of creators now have access.

Adobe also revealed an Adaptive profile for Camera Raw and Lightroom that uses AI to adjust tones and colors uniquely for each photo, producing natural results without changing editing controls. It’s now in beta.

Redemption arc? Adobe is clearly all-in on AI. And yet, despite that, I didn’t notice much negative coverage in the mainstream press, and instead saw positive reporting on its “commercially safe” AI video. That’s a bit surprising, as Adobe was recently hit by several rounds of negativity because of the company’s embrace of AI, especially on social media.

BenQ reveals new 5K monitor

• The BenQ PD2730S delivers detailed visuals with 5K resolution with 218 pixels per inch.

• Includes M-book mode for Mac color matching and software for consistent color reproduction.

• Has Thunderbolt 4 with KVM functionality that supports multi-device management.

Apple released the first 5K iMac 10 years ago, yet 5K monitors are still pretty rare. But BenQ is offering a new option: the 27-inch PD2730S.

With a high-resolution 5K display and 218 pixels per inch (PPI), the PD2730S is among the sharpest monitors available for Windows and Mac computers. The “PD” indicates it’s part of the company’s photography and design series, which means the monitor is focused on accurate color.

I’ve reviewed BenQ’s monitors in the past, and I’ve generally found them excellent for day-to-day office productivity and more demanding content creation. They have an accurate image and extensive options (both in-monitor and through software) to adjust or calibrate the image. I expect the PD2730S will provide the same, and hope to review it in the near future.

BenQ has yet to announce pricing or availability, but I expect that, like other 5K monitors, it will be expensive. An MSRP above $1,000 wouldn’t surprise me.

Two new options for taking notes

• The Kindle Scribe, available for pre-order at $399.99, introduces enhanced in-book writing and AI-assisted notetaking.

• The latest iPad mini, starting at $499, now supports Apple Pencil Pro.

Amazon and Apple have released two new devices that are sure to please digital notetakers.

First up, Amazon. The new Kindle Scribe has a paper-like display and bundled pen for handwriting. The Active Canvas feature allows users to write directly on book pages without disrupting the text layout, and the Scribe has an AI-powered notebook that organizes handwritten notes into clear, readable summaries. Starting at $399.99, the device is available for pre-order with a release on December 4.

Next up is Apple’s revised iPad mini, which now has support for the Apple Pencil Pro. Apple Pencil Pro lets users switch tools by squeezing the pen and includes haptic feedback. Handwritten notes are refined in real-time, making them clear and legible. The new iPad mini is available to pre-order now and will ship October 23 at $499.

Quick hits

ChatGPT gets a Windows app: OpenAI released a ChatGPT app for Mac several months ago and now, as promised, has released a version for Windows. The app is similar to the web interface, though there are minor differences, such as how custom GPTs are organized. You can download it here.

Remote workers fired over meal credits: Meta fired around 24 employees in Los Angeles for using their daily meal credits to buy household items like detergent. Meta’s internal policy reserves these credits for meals. Even so, the firings struck the company’s unsuspecting employees as an unusually harsh response. Read more on Ars Technica.

Spotify supports work-from-home: Spotify is sticking to its “Work-From-Anywhere” policy, resisting office mandates favored by some tech giants. Spotify’s CHRO, Katarina Berg, emphasized treating employees as adults, pointing to no decline in productivity with remote work. Read more on Digital Music News.

Windows bug steals hard drive space: A bug in Windows 11’s 24H2 update created a 9GB cache that Disk Cleanup cannot fully delete. The bug means users may see inflated storage usage until a fix is released. Microsoft advises users not to attempt manual deletions and will deploy a patch to fix the issue. Read more at PC World.

Microsoft to stop releasing security updates for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025: This halt to security updates could impact nearly two-thirds of active Windows PCs, many of which can’t upgrade to Windows 11 due to hardware requirements. Read more on Ars Technica.

New Intel-powered Surface leaks: A Surface Laptop prototype with Intel’s upcoming Lunar Lake Core Ultra 268V processor was recently spotted for sale on a Chinese website, suggesting Microsoft may launch Intel-based Surface Laptops in 2025. The high-end configuration could cost around $2,600, with 32GB of RAM and 1TB storage. Read more on Windows Central.

Photomator 3.4 introduces new tools for organizing photos: The popular Apple-exclusive photo editor now includes support for flags and star ratings to help users mark favorites and filter unwanted shots. It also supports synchronization with Adobe Lightroom. Read more on 9to5Mac.

Asus’ new workstation PC case is a woody: Asus launched the ProArt PA602 Wood Edition PC case with ash wood accents certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. It includes efficient cooling with large 200mm fans, supports large graphics cards, and has space for numerous drives. Read more on Tom’s Hardware.

Google’s NotebookLM gets “business” rollout: Now out of “Experimental” mode, Google’s impressive AI notes platform now offers customizable Audio Overviews and background listening. NotebookLM Business, launching soon via Google Workspace, is now in an early-access pilot with broader availability planned later this year. Read more at Google.