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Simply the latest news, updated on the hour.

Sat, Mar 21, 2026, 10:21 PM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • The tech industry is grappling with significant AI developments, from Microsoft integrating Copilot into Windows and WordPress.com allowing AI to publish posts, to OpenAI planning to double its workforce and Google testing a Gemini app for Mac, signaling a major push in generative AI capabilities.
  • AI's impact extends beyond software, with startups like Blue Origin exploring AI data centers in space, and the ongoing debate about AI's role in creative industries, job displacement, and ethical concerns, highlighted by a publisher pulling a novel over AI usage.
  • Regulatory and legal scrutiny is intensifying, with the White House proposing a new AI policy framework, states suing over environmental regulations, and significant legal challenges including Elon Musk being accused of misleading investors and prediction markets facing controversy.
  • Cybersecurity remains a critical concern, evidenced by a cyberattack on a breathalyzer company leaving drivers stranded, the FBI purchasing location data, and concerns over botnets and military information leaks via consumer apps like Strava.
  • Hardware and device innovation continues, with reports of Amazon working on a new Alexa-centric smartphone, Nintendo potentially releasing a Switch 2 with a user-replaceable battery, and advancements in areas like 3D printing and offline AI devices.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • Reddit is weighing identity verification methods to combat its bot problem 7 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    There could be one more step required before creating an account and posting on Reddit in the future. According to Reddit's CEO, Steve Huffman, the social media platform is exploring different ways to verify a user is human and not a bot. When asked by the TBPN podcast how to confirm that it's a human using Reddit, Huffman responded with several verification methods with varying degrees of heavy-handedness. > RDDT requiring Face ID was not something I had on my bingo card but something has got to be done about all the fake / botted content — I just don't know

  • What to read this weekend: Revisiting Project Hail Mary and The Thing on the Doorstep 7 hours ago by Cheyenne MacDonald
    Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald

    Need something new for your reading list? Here are two titles we think are worth checking out. This week, we've got Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary and The Thing on the Doorstep, an H.P. Lovecraft adaptation for Image Comics.  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-this-weekend-revisiting-project-hail-mary-and-the-thing-on-the-doorstep-190000250.html?src=rss

  • Apple considered buying Halide to upgrade its native Camera app 9 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Software, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    A legal feud between the co-founders of Lux Optics, the developer behind the Halide camera app, revealed that Apple was close to acquiring the company. As first reported by The Information, Apple held acquisition talks for Lux Optics, which also developed the Kino, Spectre and Orion apps, in the summer of 2025. According to The Information, the deal eventually fell through in September of that year, but the potential acquisition could've provided Apple with the third-party software to improve its own built-in camera app. Apple is already rumored to be introducing variable aperture to its upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models, so

  • A Minecraft theme park will open in London in 2027 9 hours ago by Will Shanklin
    Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin

    The best-selling game of all time is moving from the virtual to the physical. Minecraft World, a permanent Greater London theme park based on the game, is scheduled to open in 2027. The announcement came during Minecraft Live 2026. It will be a new section in Chessington World of Adventures, a theme park with a built-in zoo. The resort is a 35-minute train ride from London's Waterloo station. Details are still fairly light on the park. But we know it will include a roller coaster, "interactive adventures" and "epic block-built playscapes." Torfi Frans Ólafsson, the game franchise's creative director, said they're aiming

  • OpenAI reportedly plans to double its workforce to 8,000 employees 10 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Business, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    While other tech companies have been laying off employees year after year, OpenAI is doing the opposite. According to a report from the Financial Times, the AI giant is looking to expand its workforce to 8,000 employees by the end of 2026, nearly doubling staff from its current headcount of 4,500. The FT reported that the new hires will be across several departments, including product development, engineering, research and sales. OpenAI's hiring spree will also include "specialists" for "technical ambassadorship," or employees tasked with helping businesses better utilize its AI tools, according to the report. As the FT noted, OpenAI is


The Verge

  • Halide co-founder is suing former partner for bringing source code to Apple 5 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Apple, Apps, Business, News, Tech

    Halide running on an iPhone. | Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge Lux Optics co-founder Sebastiaan de With made headlines when he joined Apple in late January. The company was behind Halide, one of the most popular photography apps for the iPhone, which gained a cult following for its robust pro-level controls. Apple was apparently a big enough fan that it tried to acquire the developer last summer. Those talks never bore fruit, and eventually the company simply hired de With. At the time, it was widely believed that Apple had poached him from Lux. But new allegations from a lawsuit filed

  • The AirPods Pro 3 are $50 off right now, nearly matching their best-ever price 9 hours ago
    Apple, Deals, Gadgets, Headphones, Tech, Verge Shopping

    Less than a week ago, Apple announced the forthcoming AirPods Max 2, a pair of over-ear headphones that leverage the company’s H2 chip for AI-powered live translation, conversation awareness, and a host of newer features. However, if you’re okay with a pair of earbuds, the AirPods Pro 3 offer access to all the same features for less — especially given they’re currently on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for $199.99 ($50 off), matching their second-best price to date. AIRPODS PRO 3 WHERE TO BUY: * $249.99 $199.99 at Best Buy * $249 $199.99 at Amazon * $249 $199.99 at Walmart For

  • Here are 20 of our favorite outdoor deals from REI’s Member Days Sale 12 hours ago by Brandon Widder
    Deals, Fitness, Gadgets, Tech, Verge Shopping, Wearable

    REI’s latest sale is in full swing. The outdoor retailer’s exclusive shopping event runs through Monday, March 23rd, bringing with it a batch of discounts on Garmin watches, tents, portable stoves, and a slew of Verge-approved goodies. As expected, most deals are available only to REI members; however, you can still join the co-op for $30. Members will also receive 20 percent off one full-priced item — or 20 percent off one REI Outlet item — with promo code MEMBER26, meaning you can essentially save on just about any piece of gear. With the exception of a few, the deals themselves

  • The gen AI Kool-Aid tastes like eugenics 12 hours ago by Charles Pulliam-Moore
    AI, Entertainment, Film, Interview, OpenAI, Report, xAI

    Like many people, director Valerie Veatch was intrigued when OpenAI first released its Sora text-to-video generative AI model to the public in 2024. Though she didn't fully understand the technology, she was curious about what it could do, and she saw that other artists were building online communities to share their new AI creations. The hope of connecting with people drew Veatch into the AI space, but once she was there, she was shocked to see how often the technology would generate images dripping with racism and sexism. Veatch was even more unsettled by the way her new AI-enthusiast peers did

  • Oeuf is a punishing platformer in a cozy shell 13 hours ago by Geoffrey Bunting
    Entertainment, Games Review, Gaming

    The funny shape of eggs is the curious lifeblood of Oeuf, the new physics platformer by prolific developer Increpare Games. In a gaming landscape saturated with complex systems dropped into simple games, that grapples with metaphor within straightforward narratives, and that is desperate to bring cinematic sensibilities into gaming, Oeuf only asks that you briefly consider how an egg might move as you roll, slide, and hop across its world. That world is realized in crunchy, '90s-era 3D that brings to mind Ultima and Might and Magic. Like this archaic-seeming style - that Oeuf was released within a month of Resident


Wired


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