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Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 1:20 AM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • Stripe's reported $7 billion acquisition of AI gateway startup OpenRouter signifies a major consolidation in the AI infrastructure space, aiming to enhance its payment processing capabilities with advanced AI.
  • The industry is grappling with a significant 'AI backlash,' stemming from concerns over trust, ethical implications (like the misuse of AI for explicit imagery), and the potential for misuse, as highlighted by Anthropic's CEO and questions surrounding Mark Zuckerberg's AI vision.
  • Developments in autonomous technology are progressing, with self-driving trucks commencing tests on California highways, indicating a tangible step towards widespread adoption in logistics.
  • OpenAI is reportedly undergoing significant internal restructuring, including the disbandment of its AI preparedness team, raising questions about the company's focus and approach to AI safety and future development.
  • Apple's proposal to take a 15% cut from purchases made outside its App Store highlights ongoing tensions between tech giants and developers regarding platform fees and revenue sharing models.

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The Verge

  • OpenAI reportedly disbanded its preparedness team 9 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    AI, News, OpenAI, Security, Tech

    According to the Financial Times , OpenAI disbanded its preparedness team at the end of last month. The job of the preparedness team was to assess if models posed serious risks and develop ways to mitigate those risks. (You know, like the possibility that it could go rogue and hack another company.) According to FT , responsibility has instead been divided up for specific areas like bio and cyber, then moved into existing teams. This is the latest change at the company, which has been in upheaval as it heads towards what is expected to be a massive IPO. Over

  • Open Mike Eagle and Kenny Segal crafted a hip hop breakup masterpiece 10 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Column, Entertainment, Music

    In every possible universe? | Image: Backwoodz Studioz "Breakups are… tough." It's the opening lines of an interlude towards the end of DOOMED! Called "It Happens in Every Universe." It's also basically the thesis of the entire record. It's no grand revelation, but it's a well-trodden subject that Open Mike Eagle manages to mine for artistic gold. Eagle's subject matter is usually personal, and his productions tinged with nostalgia. But DOOMED! is his most intimate album yet. A lot of that is due to the production from Kenny Segal. The two have traveled in the same orbit and worked together

  • Amazon is trying to crush class-action suits before they get started 13 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Amazon, Law, News, Policy, Tech

    On Friday, Amazon customers received an email alerting them to an update to the site's terms and conditions. Most notably, it stated that disputes would now be resolved through arbitration and said users agree to a class action waiver. Amazon framed this as a "fast and efficient" way to resolve issues, but it notably would prevent customers from seeking the involvement of a judge or jury in most circumstances. Customers can still take Amazon to small claims court in certain circumstances, though payouts are often limited to a few thousand dollars. The relevant sections of Amazon's legal policies page now

  • ChatGPT’s Computer History tracks your clicks and keystrokes 15 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    AI, News, OpenAI

    ChatGPT's desktop app on macOS has a new feature called Computer History that turns your actions into training data, learning how you work, suggesting automations, and even picking up tasks you left half done. It uses your activity to build a timeline that ChatGPT and Codex can reference when you make a request. The feature is opt-in, rather than opt-out, and you can exclude certain apps and websites from Computer History, and you can delete entries if you want finer-grained control. Ari Weinstein, Product and Engineering manager at OpenAI, said on X that Computer History will automatically ignore content in

  • Rogue AI aren’t science fiction anymore 18 hours ago by Robert Hart
    AI, Column, OpenAI, Security, Tech, The Stepback

    This is The Stepback , a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on AI safety, follow Robert Hart . The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here . How it started It all started in July, when one of OpenAI's autonomous AI agents went rogue during a cybersecurity test. The agent escaped its isolated testing environment, accessed the internet, and hacked another company, Hugging Face. A few years ago, that might have sounded like science fiction. But, broadly speaking, that's exactly what happened, and the


Wired


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