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AI Summary

  • Indonesia and Malaysia have temporarily blocked access to xAI's Grok chatbot due to concerns about non-consensual, sexualized deepfakes, prompting global government discussions on accountability.
  • Wing is set to significantly expand its drone delivery service, targeting an additional 150 Walmart stores by 2027, enhancing its presence in critical urban areas.
  • Google has introduced a new protocol for merchants that allows them to provide discounts directly in AI-generated search results, marking a strategic shift in AI-assisted commerce.
  • SpaceX received FCC approval to launch an additional 7,500 Starlink satellites, aiming to expand its global internet coverage with advanced capabilities in the second generation of the satellite network.
  • CES 2026 showcased a surge in robotics and AI technologies, with notable innovations including humanoid robots and AI-powered household assistants, indicating a significant shift toward "physical AI" applications in everyday life.

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Engadget

  • Elon Musk says X's new algorithm will be made open source next week 17 hours ago by Cheyenne MacDonald
    Software, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald

    X may soon provide more insight into how its algorithm works. On Saturday, Elon Musk posted on the platform to say that the company "will make the new X algorithm, including all code used to determine what organic and advertising posts are recommended to users, open source in 7 days."  X's recommendation algorithm has been the subject of investigations by France and the European Commission, the latter of which recently extended through 2026 a retention order that it sent to the company at the beginning of last year. And scrutiny into the platform, along with demands for accountability, have only increased

  • GameStop reportedly shuts down more than 400 US stores 19 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Investment & Company Information, Finance, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    Your neighborhood GameStop might be on the chopping block, along with more than 400 other retail locations across the US. As first reported by Polygon, the retailer is pursuing a severe cost-saving measure by closing up several hundred physical locations. According to a blog that keeps track of GameStop closures, there are 410 locations that are confirmed to be closing or are already closed, along with another 11 that are reportedly also on their way, as of January 10.  As Polygon indicated, these closings aren't much of a surprise considering GameStop's SEC filing for December 2025 indicated that it would "anticipate

  • An Instagram data breach reportedly exposed the personal info of 17.5 million users 21 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    If you received a bunch of password reset requests from Instagram recently, you're not alone. As reported by Malwarebytes, an antivirus software company, there was a data breach revealing the "sensitive information" of 17.5 million Instagram users. Malwarebytes added that the leak included Instagram usernames, physical addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and more. The company added that the "data is available for sale on the dark web and can be abused by cybercriminals." Malwarebytes noted in an email to its customers that it discovered the breach during its routine dark web scan and that it's tied to a potential incident related

  • Don’t count on Baldur’s Gate 3 coming to Switch 2, as least for now a day ago by Jackson Chen
    Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    Nintendo Switch 2 owners can forget about seeing Baldur’s Gate 3 in the Nintendo Store, at least as of now. In a Reddit AMA, Larian Studio's CEO, Swen Vicke, said that the team would have loved to bring the title to Switch 2, but "it wasn't our decision to make." As cryptic as that may sound, Vicke's response hints that either Wizards of the Coast, which owns the Dungeons and Dragons IP that Baldur's Gate 3 is set in, or Nintendo is behind the lack of a port. When it comes to Wizards of the Coast, rumors have circulated that the

  • SpaceX can deploy 7,500 more Starlink Gen2 satellites with FCC approval a day ago by Mariella Moon
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon

    The Federal Communications Commission has approved SpaceX’s request to deploy an additional 7,500 Gen2 Starlink satellites, allowing the company to launch 15,000 in all. It has also allowed SpaceX to upgrade its Gen2 satellites with “advanced form factors and cutting-edge technology,” to operate across more frequencies and to add more orbital shells to optimize coverage and performance. This approval will give the company’s fleet a boost and will allow it to offer internet and mobile services to more parts of the globe. The satellites will also enable SpaceX to offer “direct-to-cell connectivity outside the United States and supplemental coverage” within


The Verge

  • Google’s AI Inbox could be a glimpse of Gmail’s future 26 minutes ago by Jay Peters
    AI, Google, Hands-on, Reviews, Tech

    This week, Google announced a new AI Inbox view for Gmail that replaces the traditional list of emails with an AI-generated list of to-dos and topics to track based on what's in your inbox. It's not widely available yet, but I have access, and in the few hours I've spent messing around with it, I can see how AI Inbox could be a helpful or even transformational way to manage your inbox. But right now, it's not going to change the way I manage my email, and I'm not sure it ever will. Before I dig in, I should note a

  • Wing’s drone delivery is coming to 150 more Walmarts an hour ago by Andrew J. Hawkins
    Drones, Google, News, Tech, Transportation

    Wing is bringing drone delivery to even more Walmart stores in 2026. The Alphabet-owned company announced today that its drones will be flying above 150 more locations this year, including in four new cities: Los Angeles, St. Louis, Miami, and Cincinnati. In June 2025, the companies said they would expand their delivery partnership to 100 additional stores in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa. So far, they've launched at several stores in Atlanta, in addition to Walmart locations in Dallas-Forth Worth and Arkansas. They currently operate at approximately 27 stores, and with today's announcement, the goal is to eventually esta … Read

  • How TiVo killed live TV 2 hours ago by David Pierce
    Gadgets, Podcasts, Tech, Version History

    For a while, it seemed like everyone had a TiVo. It was a plot point on major TV shows; it had A-list Hollywood fans; it became a verb as ubiquitous as Google or Xerox. The love was well-earned, since TiVo had created a product that felt genuinely like magic. You could pause live TV. And rewind it. And even set shows to record for later, knowing they'd be there whenever you needed them. There's a reason you almost certainly don't have a TiVo now, though. The company quickly became a victim of its own success, and never managed to turn its

  • I went looking for weird phones and CES 2026 did not disappoint 2 hours ago by Allison Johnson
    CES, Mobile, Report, Tech

    Not every phone needs to be a black rectangle. It's January, which means there's a whole year of rectangular glass slabs ahead of us. But before that happens, I managed to find phones of a different shape lurking around the corners of the CES convention center halls. They weren't center stage, of course. That was reserved for robots doing laundry badly. But in the margins at tech's biggest show, I saw some glimmers of hope that the future of phones might not look as same-y as it has for the past half decade - at least, if you know where to

  • Will you have to show your ID at the app store? 3 hours ago by Lauren Feiner
    Column, Policy, The Stepback

    This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the action (and inaction) of lawmakers seeking to rein in tech platforms, follow Lauren Feiner. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. HOW IT STARTED In the offline world, age verification is often as simple as flashing a cashier your driver's license to buy a pack of beer, or an adult magazine (for whoever still does this kind of thing). Advocates for stronger barriers preventing children from accessing online porn have long argued for


Wired


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