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Tech

AI Summary

  • AI is rapidly embedding itself across virtually every tech sector, from consumer apps like Spotify and Todoist getting generative AI features, to major platforms like Apple's Siri transforming into chatbots, and a significant push towards on-device inference chips and AI wearables.
  • The commercial space industry is accelerating its ambitions, with Blue Origin expanding its launch schedule and satellite internet capabilities, while speculation mounts about a potential SpaceX IPO signaling increasing investor interest and competition in orbit.
  • Social media platforms are walking a tightrope, simultaneously rolling out new features and global ad monetization (X, Threads) while facing escalating regulatory and parental pressure to address youth safety, screen time, and content moderation.
  • A significant conflict is crystallizing between AI developers and the creative industries, as A-list artists unite against perceived "AI theft," pushing for ethical licensing and highlighting ongoing challenges like AI-generated hallucinations and the demand for "IP-safe" AI tools.
  • Major tech and fintech players are undergoing strategic transformations, marked by significant IPO exits (PhonePe), corporate shifts away from traditional hardware (ASUS), and a clear drive by tech giants to acquire top AI talent and integrate AI deeply into new verticals like healthcare and automotive.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • 1Password adds an extra layer of phishing protection an hour ago by Will Shanklin
    Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin

    1Password has a new tool designed to counteract the advantages AI has given to phishing scammers. A new feature for the company's browser extension gives you a "second pair of eyes" to help you catch a bogus website before entering your login info. Before AI, phishing attempts often included telltale signs like obvious typos or rudimentary graphic design. Now that AI makes it much easier to design and code convincingly, scams are on the rise. According to Fortune, 60 percent of companies reported an increase in fraud-related losses from 2024 to 2025. And the advent of AI browsers could make things

  • A-List creatives sign up to fight AI, say it enables 'theft at a grand scale' an hour ago by Steve Dent
    Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent

    Scarlett Johannsson, R.E.M., Vince Gilligan and over 700 other artists are demanding that tech companies stop “stealing” their work in order to train AI models. A new campaign called “Stealing isn’t Innovation” demands that AI companies take “the responsible, ethical route” through licensing and partnerships, according to the website. “America’s creative community is the envy of the world and creates jobs, economic growth and exports,” a statement on the website reads. “But rather than respect and protect this valuable asset, some of the biggest tech companies, many backed by private equity and other funders, are using American creators’ work to build

  • Spotify's Prompted Playlist lets you describe exactly what you want to hear an hour ago by Will Shanklin
    Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin

    Ahead of its upcoming price hike, Spotify is rolling out a more advanced AI playlist feature in the US and Canada. Prompted Playlist, which the company trialed in New Zealand late last year, lets subscribers "control the Spotify algorithm," as the company describes it. "You're not just asking for music, you're shaping how Spotify goes about discovering it for you." For example, you can guide it to make a playlist of songs you've saved to your Library but haven't listened to yet. (It can tap into your entire Spotify history.) Or, you can tell it to round up songs from a

  • Get one year of access to one of our favorite budgeting apps for only $50 2 hours ago by Ian Carlos Campbell
    Software, Personal Budgeting, Banking & Budgeting, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell

    A new year is the perfect time to get your spending in order, and if you're not trying to build your own spreadsheet, budgeting apps are one of the best ways to do it. To save yourself some money in the process, you can pick up a year-long subscription to Monarch Money, one of Engadget's favorite budgeting apps, for just $50 if you use code NEWYEAR2026 at checkout and you're a new subscriber. That's a 50 percent discount on the service's normal $100 price. Monarch Money makes for a capable and detailed budgeting companion. You can use the service via apps

  • Save on the Disney+ Hulu bundle: Get one month for only $10 2 hours ago by Valentina Palladino,Georgie Peru
    Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Valentina Palladino

    The peak time for deals on streaming services — the holiday shopping season — has come and gone, but Disney is back with a fresh offer for the new year. New and eligible returning subscribers can get one month of the ad-supported Disney+ Hulu bundle for just $10. That's $3 off the usual monthly rate for the bundle, and more than 58 percent off if you consider the prices for each service individually (Disney+ at $12 per month and, separately, Hulu also at $12 per month). We'd be remiss if we didn't mention that this isn't quite as good as the


The Verge

  • This plugin uses Wikipedia’s AI-spotting guide to make AI writing sound more human 39 minutes ago by Emma Roth
    AI, Anthropic, News

    A new tool aims to help AI chatbots generate more human-sounding text - with the help of Wikipedia's guide for detecting AI, as reported by Ars Technica. Developer Siqi Chen says he created the tool, called Humanizer, by feeding Anthropic's Claude the list of tells that Wikipedia's volunteer editors put together as part of an initiative to combat "poorly written AI-generated content." Wikipedia's guide contains a list of signs that text may be AI-generated, including vague attributions, promotional language like describing something as "breathtaking," and collaborative phrases, such as "I hope this helps!" Humanizer, which is a custom skill … Read the

  • Nintendo is following up Alarmo with a weird Talking Flower in March an hour ago by Andrew Liszewski
    Gadgets, Gaming, Nintendo, Tech, Toys

    Nintendo’s Talking Flower interactive toy will launch in March. | Image: Nintendo After sharing a brief look at its new Talking Flower toy during a Nintendo Direct showcase last September that generated more questions than answers, Nintendo has finally revealed more details about what the interactive toy actually does. It shares some functionality with Nintendo's Alarmo alarm clock, but the Talking Flower seems more like a talkative companion for fans of Super Mario Wonder. First and foremost, as the name implies, the Talking Flower will just randomly speak a couple of times every hour when left alone with phrases like "sometimes it's

  • 1Password is introducing a new phishing prevention feature an hour ago by Andrew Liszewski
    Security, Tech

    1Password’s browser extension will notify users of a potential phishing attack. | Image: 1Password A successful phishing attack can cost a business an average of $4.8 million, according to research from IBM. To help reduce the risk of one succeeding, either at work or at home, 1Password is introducing a new phishing prevention feature that will watch for telltale signs of an attack, such as a website URL that's slightly misspelled. When a 1Password user clicks a link and opens a website with a URL that doesn't match the one they have saved alongside login details, the 1Password browser extension will do

  • Adobe is developing ‘IP-safe’ gen AI models for the entertainment industry an hour ago by Charles Pulliam-Moore
    AI, Entertainment, Film, News, TV Shows

    As Hollywood continues to embrace generative AI, Adobe is taking steps to make its Firefly suite of creative tools the go-to for studios' entertainment production needs. Timed to this year's Sundance Film Festival, Adobe has announced that it is working with a number of studios, directors, and talent agencies to develop "private, IP-safe" Firefly Foundry gen AI "omni-models." According to the company, Firefly Foundry models are meant to "accelerate creativity without eroding ownership or creative intent" while generating different kinds of assets like audio-aware videos and 3D / vector graphics that can be seamlessly integrated into workflo … Read the full story

  • Waymo is accepting public riders in Miami an hour ago by Andrew J. Hawkins
    Autonomous Cars, News, Transportation, Waymo

    Waymo is kicking off the new year with a new city: Miami. Starting today, anyone on the company's waitlist of approximately 10,000 people can hail one of its robotaxis for trips within a 60-square-mile service area that includes popular neighborhoods like the Design District and Wynwood, Brickell, and Coral Gables - but not popular tourist destinations like South Beach. The vehicles also will initially avoid highways and stick to local roads, with plans to expand to faster-speed roads later this year. It will be a similar phased rollout as in other cities, in which Waymo first opens up to those who have


Wired


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