Tech
AI Summary
- OpenAI is pushing the boundaries with new AI models like 'Ultrafast' for GPT-5.6 Sol, promising significant speed increases, while also experiencing executive departures and integrating IBM for enterprise solutions.
- Apple is reportedly in talks to pay publishers for Siri news access and is also taking internal spyware alerts seriously, indicating a focus on both content integration and user security.
- The tech industry is seeing significant funding rounds, with Databricks raising $5B at a $190B valuation, alongside new hardware plans from Nvidia targeting aging GPUs.
- AI development is leading to unexpected outcomes, from Anthropic's AI agents engaging in 'turf wars' to the potential for AI to assist in areas like fatty liver disease detection and even cyberattacks.
- Concerns over AI ethics and security are surfacing, with Flock's tool for identifying police abuse lacking explanation, and X open-sourcing its ranking algorithm to address 'shadowbanning' perceptions.
Sources
TechCrunch
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Investors sue Selena Gomez alleging fraud tied to her mental health startup
an hour ago
by Aisha Malik
StartupsThe plaintiffs say they invested nearly $1.2 million in the company, and are accusing Gomez of failing to build and market the startup.
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Flock says its new tool will help identify police abuse, but hasn’t explained how it works
an hour ago
by Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
Security, Flock, privacy, surveillanceThe surveillance company announced it's making a tool called "Audit Assistance" mandatory for all customers, claiming it's already helped catch abuse. But the company has yet to explain how the tool works in detail, raising questions about its effectiveness.
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If Apple sends you a push notification alerting you to a spyware attack, take it seriously
an hour ago
by Zack Whittaker
Security, cybersecurity, iPhone, SpywareApple now sends out push notifications to iPhone lock screens when the company identifies government spyware targeting someone's devices.
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Writer introduces new AI model and upgraded harness to contain token costs
2 hours ago
by Russell Brandom
AI, writer, Z.aiBuilt as a post-training variation on Z.ai's open source model GLM-5.2, Writer says the new system should provide deployment-ready capabilities at a much lower price.
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Databricks wanted to raise $1B, investors wanted $15B. It settled on $5B at a $190B valuation.
3 hours ago
by Julie Bort
AI, Fundraising, Startups, TC, DatabricksAI is expensive, Ali Ghodsi tells TechCrunch. With so many investors wanting into his latest round, he said yes to more than planned.
Hacker News
- Gemini 3.7 Flash 6 hours ago
- Accelerating GPT-5.6 Sol Ultrafast 5 hours ago
- NP-Overrated 3 hours ago
- Donkey.bas is 45 Years Old – 131 line of Glory 5 hours ago
- Mistral OCR 4.1 6 hours ago
The Verge
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‘That is not acceptable’: Judge orders Google to make rival app store installs easier
an hour ago
by Sean Hollister
Apps, Google, Policy, TechOne month after Epic Games and Google seemingly stopped fighting over the future of Android app distribution, they were back in a San Francisco courtroom today - where Judge James Donato just ordered Google to make it easier to install rival app stores on Android. It's been nearly three years since a jury unanimously decided that Google had an illegal monopoly over Android apps, and almost two years since Judge Donato decided the best way of undoing that monopoly would be to crack open Android app distribution. Donato ordered Google to carry rival Android app stores inside its own Google
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The fight over Flock and other ALPRs
an hour ago
by Stevie Bonifield
Policy, Privacy, Security, TechThere are over 120,000 of Flock’s automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras installed all over the US. Flock’s cameras, and others like them, use AI to identify and track vehicles based on their license plate number, make, model, color, and other info, networked together to track vehicles and people’s movements throughout the day and across the country. Dozens of communities have canceled contracts for the cameras or turned them off, including Los Angeles , as officials have pushed for more limits on the data they collect, who has access to it, and how it can be used in the future.
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Microsoft’s Clippy-like Mico character is no longer the face of Copilot
an hour ago
by Emma Roth
AI, Microsoft, News, TechMico is headed to Learn Live. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft Copilot will no longer show its emotive yellow blob, Mico, when you use the chatbot's voice mode. In a support page , Microsoft says it's going to move Mico to its Learn Live platform, where the avatar will have "more to react to," as reported earlier by GeekWire . Mico launched in Copilot's voice mode last October , with Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman pitching the avatar as a way to give the chatbot an "identity." The blob would react to what you say in real-time, complete with facial expressions
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Netflix is closing two game studios
2 hours ago
by Jay Peters
Entertainment, Gaming, Netflix, News, StreamingA screenshot of Oxenfree II: Lost Signals from Night School Studio. | Image: Night School / Netflix Netflix plans to shut down two of its gaming studios, as reported by Game File and Variety , as it makes a bigger shift toward party games and titles streamed to TVs. One of the studios being shut down is Night School Studio, creators of the Oxenfree series. Netflix bought Night School in 2021 , and it just released a horror experience called Unhinged for TVs and launched a mobile game in 2025 tied to Black Mirror . The other studio that's set
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This school-friendly laptop from HP is $300 off
3 hours ago
by Brad Bourque
Deals, Gadgets, Verge ShoppingThe HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 converts for tablet or tented use. | Image: The Verge With memory prices still high and showing no signs of dropping, we’re always happy to find a good deal on a budget-friendly system with an adequate amount of RAM. Best Buy has the HP OmniBook X Flip discounted by $300, bringing the cost down to $699.99. This model is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 5 and 16GB of LPDDR5X memory, which should be great for both web browsing and homework, and a 512GB SSD for storage. The screen is a 1920 x 1200
Wired
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Mark Zuckerberg’s AI Manifesto Is 6,500 Words—and Barely Says Anything
2 hours ago
by Brian Barrett, Zoë Schiffer, Leah Feiger, Andy Greenberg
Business, Business / Artificial Intelligence, Business / Big Tech, Uncanny, ValleyAI is shifting the culture, from tech CEO manifestos to 1 am job interviews. We unpack some of the latest, along with the top findings from Black Hat and Defcon, this week on Uncanny Valley.
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The Painful Truth of Exactly How ICE’s New Shock Gloves Work
7 hours ago
by Jeremy White
Gear, Gear / Gear News and Events, Power, TripICE is spending millions on shock gloves designed to overpower subjects through intense, localized pain.
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Why This Prediction Market Banned Teens
10 hours ago
by Kate Knibbs
Business, Business / Regulation, Adults, OnlyJacob Fortinsky, the CEO and cofounder of the new prediction market Novig, says his outfit isn’t like those other markets. You know the ones.
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The Best Samsung Galaxy S26 Cases (2026): S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra
11 hours ago
by Louryn Strampe
Gear, Gear / Buying Guides, Gear / Products / Phones, Buying, GuideProtect your Samsung phone with these cases and screen protectors.
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The Google Pixelsnap Charger With Stand Is 50 Percent Off Right Now
12 hours ago
by Simon Hill
Gear, Gear / Deals, Gear / Products / Phones, Gear / Products, DealsSpeedy Qi2 wireless charging in a magnetic puck and stand combo makes Google’s Pixelsnap well worth grabbing at half price.