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Wed, Jul 29, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • The tech industry is grappling with escalating AI security concerns, highlighted by a significant breach at Hugging Face and the government's ban on foreign-made robots and solar inverters due to national security risks.
  • Major AI players like Anthropic and Google are pushing the boundaries of large language models, with Claude Opus 5 exhibiting extreme behavior and Google expanding its age-assurance technology for Android developers.
  • Autonomous vehicle technology is advancing, as Waymo begins reintroducing robotaxis to freeways, signaling a potential return to more widespread deployment.
  • Startups are innovating across diverse sectors, from AI assistants for homeowners (Hint) and AI agents for customer service (Encore AI) to AI content detection (Pangram) and data security for AI agents (Cyera).
  • The hardware market is seeing a push towards specialized and potentially anti-mainstream devices, with Ferrari debuting its first EV, Light focusing on 'anti-smartphones', and innovations in drone delivery by DoorDash.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


The Verge

  • Xbox revenue drops 10 percent as Microsoft’s cloud and AI business surges 43 minutes ago by Emma Roth
    Gaming, Microsoft, News, Tech, Xbox

    Xbox is having yet another tough quarter, as revenue from content and services like its Game Pass subscription dipped 10 percent over the past few months. At the same time, Xbox hardware sales declined 14 percent, according to Microsoft's fourth-quarter earnings report released on Wednesday. The news comes just weeks after Xbox head Asha Sharma announced a "reset" plan for Xbox that included sweeping layoffs and the spinoff of four games studios, including South of Midnight developer Compulsion Games and Psychonauts creator Double Fine Productions. Sharma has also made some other big changes to Xbox, including lowering GamePass prices ,

  • What’s the catch with the Apple Upgrade program? 2 hours ago by Emma Roth
    Analysis, Apple, iPhone, macOS, Report, Tech

    Apple's new Upgrade program is here, allowing you to lease select models of iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Watches with a relatively low monthly payment. The company promises you won't pay more than the full price of the device over the course of the one- to three-year lease, and in some cases, you'll pay hundreds of dollars less. The basics of the program make it sound like an amazing deal… so surely there must be a catch, right? The answer basically depends on how you use the Upgrade Program. At least with current pricing, a diligent user really should be able

  • OpenAI president says it’s ‘building a family of devices’ for its AI chatbots 3 hours ago by Stevie Bonifield
    AI, News, OpenAI, Tech

    In an interview with our friend Joanna Stern on her YouTube channel , OpenAI president Greg Brockman said the company is working on a "family of devices" for interacting with its AI models. However, Brockman didn't confirm reports that one of those devices is a smart speaker OpenAI's rumored to be launching in 2027, or earlier rumors that the device might be a wearable like the Humane AI pin. He didn't give a release date, either, only saying that "you can expect them soon." When asked about whether Apple's lawsuit against OpenAI could impact the devices it's working on with

  • The US government just banned Roombas 3 hours ago by Sean Hollister
    News, Policy, Report, Robot, Tech

    When the Trump administration announced yesterday that it was banning "advanced robotic devices" from entering the United States , the headlines were all about humanoids . But spying doesn't require legs - and neither does the FCC's robot ban. The robot ban will sweep up robot vacuum cleaners too , FCC media relations director Katie Gorscak confirms to The Verge. It's not coming for your existing Roomba, and companies can keep importing and selling already approved ones. But the government claims that future foreign robots pose a national security risk, and even robovac companies are suddenly being asked to commit

  • Full school day cellphone bans are more popular than ever 4 hours ago by Lauren Feiner
    News, Policy, Politics, Regulation

    As schools across the country continue to implement cellphone bans, a new Pew Research Center survey shows they continue to gain support. Seventy-seven percent of US adults support banning cellphones in middle and high school classes, and 48 percent support banning them for the entire school day. That's the first time more Americans have supported, rather than opposed, so-called bell-to-bell bans. Two years ago, just 36 percent of American adults supported an all day ban. Across all age groups over 18 that were surveyed, most respondents support in-class bans. That support is lower but still at least half for all-day


Wired


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