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Tue, Mar 31, 2026, 12:22 AM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • The tech industry continues its deep dive into artificial intelligence, with new funding rounds for enterprise AI agents and data center infrastructure, alongside ongoing debates about AI's reliability and ethical implications, as exemplified by the poll indicating a significant portion of Americans are open to working for an AI boss.
  • Startups are navigating a complex funding landscape, with substantial seed rounds for AI agents and significant debt financing for AI infrastructure, while established players like Meta and Uber are expanding their service offerings through premium subscriptions and acquisitions.
  • Data privacy and security remain critical concerns, highlighted by a whistleblower's allegations against a startup, an FTC settlement involving OkCupid, and Apple's efforts to enhance user privacy by hiding email addresses from apps.
  • The gaming and entertainment sectors are seeing major releases and shifts, including box office successes, studio layoffs, and platform updates, alongside the ongoing evolution of content creation and distribution methods.
  • Regulatory scrutiny is increasing across various tech domains, with investigations into social media platforms' child protection practices, legal challenges to government designations of AI companies, and legislative proposals aimed at pausing data center construction.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • BOXROOM lets you build a cozy game room for your Steam library 7 hours ago by Anna Washenko
    Media, Video Games, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko

    Your game collection says a lot about you. With a cute new game, you can also give your collection a space that's just as personalized. BOXROOM is a building sim where the whole purpose is creating a space to show off your game library. You can select furniture, paint and lighting, then you choose games from your Steam library to display on your virtual shelves. Titles appear in game boxes, giving it a throwback feel to the days where a game collection had to be physical. Once complete, the room serves as a launcher, allowing you to boot up a

  • This Frankenstein PlayStation PCB reads games from microSD and outputs video over HDMI 8 hours ago by Igor Bonifacic
    Technology & Electronics, Game Consoles, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic

    We're living in the golden age of retro console modding. If you have an old Game Boy Advance lying around, it's possible to give it a new lease on life with aftermarket parts like an IPS display and USB-C charging. But as amazing as those mods are, most still require an original GBA motherboard with a working processor and RAM. That's what makes the PlayStation Hybrid from YouTuber Secret Hobbyist so cool. Over the past couple of months, they've been working to design, prototype and build the ultimate PlayStation PCB, one that incorporates the best parts of different model revisions

  • Deus Ex game studio Eidos Montreal cuts 124 jobs 8 hours ago by Anna Washenko
    Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko

    Another day, another announcement of game industry job cuts. The latest restructuring is happening at Eidos Montreal, which stated that 124 people are being laid off. As with so many similar cuts, the studio's LinkedIn post credited the downsizing to "a result of changing project needs and impacts across production and support teams." The company is also parting ways with its studio head, David Anfossi.  Eidos Montreal has worked on titles within the Deus Ex and Tomb Raider franchises, as well as Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and Marvel's Avengers games. It is one of the many companies owned by Embracer

  • Meta is testing an Instagram Plus subscription service with exclusive features 11 hours ago by Karissa Bell
    Arts & Entertainment, Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell

    Meta is testing a new subscription service for Instagram that offers users "exclusive" features like the ability to post Stories for longer than 24 hours. Screenshots promoting "Instagram Plus" have been spotted by users in the Philippines and Mexico in recent days.  According to screenshots shared by social media consultant Matt Navarra, a subscription to Instagram Plus comes with a number of Story-focused features not otherwise available to Instagram users. This includes the ability to create multiple "audiences" for Stories posts, see info about who has rewatched your Story, search the list of people who have viewed your Story, preview Stories

  • OkCupid settles FTC case on alleged misuse of its users' personal data 11 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    Match Group and its subsidiary OkCupid has finally settled a lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission that dates back to its alleged sharing of user data back in 2014. According to the lawsuit, the FTC accused OkCupid of inappropriately sharing personal user data that includes photos and location info with a third party company, Clarifai, which offers AI-powered software for uses like facial recognition and content moderation. According to the FTC, OkCupid's privacy policy at the time noted that the company wouldn't share a user's personal information with others, except for some cases including "service providers, business partners, other entities within


The Verge

  • 150 million users later, Roblox competitor Rec Room is shutting down 4 hours ago by Jay Peters
    Entertainment, Gaming, News

    Rec Room, a Roblox-like social gaming platform that lets users create games and experiences for others to play, is shutting down on June 1st. Despite reaching more than 150 million players and creators and, at one point, being valued at $3.5 billion, the company says in a blog post that "we never quite figured out how to make Rec Room a sustainably profitable business" and that "our costs always ended up overwhelming the revenue we brought in." The company also notes that "with the recent shift in the VR market, along with broader headwinds in gaming, the path to profitability has

  • Here are our favorite spring cleaning deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale 5 hours ago by Sheena Vasani
    Deals, Gadgets, Tech, Verge Shopping

    Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is underway, so naturally, a lot of the deals are geared toward the season, including plenty of gadgets to help with spring cleaning. We’ve already rounded up a selection of great robot vacuum deals, but they’re just one part of a much broader swath of Verge-approved tools that can make tidying up a little easier. If you’ve been putting off small fixes around the house, now is as good a time as any to tackle them with an electric screwdriver like Hoto’s entry-level model. Meanwhile, if you’re looking to clean the dust that collects in your keyboard

  • The first Apple Home Key-ready smart lock with UWB is cheaper during Amazon’s Big Spring Sale 9 hours ago by Cameron Faulkner
    Apple, Deals, Gadgets, Smart Home, Tech, Verge Shopping

    There are so many great smart locks out there. But one of best models that iPhone owners should consider buying now is Aqara’s U400, which offers hands-free unlocking when you get close enough. It has Apple’s U1 ultra-wideband chip integrated to authenticate you and unlock the door hands-free, so all that you have to do is open the door when you get home. This smart lock is discounted for the first time during the Big Spring Sale, costing $229.49 (originally $269.99) at Amazon. AQARA SMART LOCK U400 WHERE TO BUY: * $269.99 at Aqara * $269.99 $229.49 at Amazon As our reviewer Jennifer

  • Beats’ gym-friendly Powerbeats Fit are $30 off for Amazon’s Big Spring Sale 11 hours ago by Cameron Faulkner
    Apple, Beats, Deals, Gadgets, Headphones, Tech, Verge Shopping

    Every color of the Beats Powerbeats Fit are discounted. | Image: Apple For iPhone owners, the AirPods Pro 3 are a fantastic all-around set of wireless earbuds, even for working out. Their value is especially tough to beat at $199.99; however, even with five sizes of silicone tips, they aren’t the best fit for some people, or for some kinds of workouts. If earbuds tend to fall out of your ears, the Beats Powerbeats Fit are worth considering now that they’re on sale as part of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, which drops them to an all-time low of $169.99 ($30 off)

  • A new RCS update could connect iPhone and Android video calls, someday 11 hours ago by Jay Peters
    Android, Apple, Google, iOS, News, Tech

    iPhone and Android users might be able to make interoperable video calls through their messaging apps - eventually. Last week, the GSM Association (GSMA) announced that the finalized RCS Universal Profile 4.0 standard will let users turn 1-to-1 or group RCS chats into video calls thanks to a feature called Messaging‑Initiated Video Calls (MIVC). "MIVC will ensure the continuity of the conversation by allowing group members to join an ongoing video call that they could not accept when it started, as well as synchronise MIVC logs within the chat timeline," the GSMA says. "When implemented, MIVC paves the way for the


Wired


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