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Sun, Aug 9, 2026, 6:40 PM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • The tech industry is seeing significant investment in AI startups, with companies like Source Foundry securing major funding and OpenAI acquiring presentation startup NextSlide, though concerns about AI safety and security are also growing, leading to slowed development of models like Astra.
  • Developments in autonomous technology continue, with Zoox preparing for launch and discussions around Uber's AV empire, alongside news of Tesla Autopilot potentially being involved in a crash.
  • The proliferation of AI is raising complex societal questions, from its impact on democracy as suggested by historian Jill Lepore, to ethical debates surrounding its use in surveillance and the potential for AI to become a safety risk itself.
  • Data security remains a critical issue, with breaches reported at companies like Framework and vulnerabilities found in systems for courts, hospitals, and airports, while new methods emerge to evade surveillance cameras.
  • Platform changes are impacting creators and revenue streams, notably X's shift from a revenue-sharing program to an 'Original Content Rewards' system and the ongoing debate about the environmental impact of data centers.

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The Verge

  • No Dogs in Space is a music history podcast for true obsessives 2 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Column, Entertainment, Music

    Sadly, there hasn't been a new episode of No Dogs in Space since July of 2024. Part four of the podcast's series on Can wrapped up an abbreviated season three, which focused on experimental rock. Don't get me wrong, I loved seasons one and two, but the show seemed to be gearing up for a deep dive into Krautrock, and I was hype. Unfortunately, that episode ended with hosts Marcus Parks ( Last Podcast on the Left ) and Carolina Hidalgo declaring they were going to do another season on punk (the topic of season one), only for the feed

  • Zuckerberg’s yacht was closer, but someone else saved a stranded boat 6 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Facebook, Meta, News, Tech

    Mark Zuckerberg's yacht "The Launchpad" | Image: Sylvain Lefevre / Getty Images Earlier this week, the Alaskan cruise ship Wilderness Legacy rescued a small skiff stranded near Farragut Bay after running out of fuel. But, according to tracking data reviewed by the Alaska Beacon and Halifax Shipping News , the closest vessel was actually Mark Zuckerberg's super yacht, Launchpad. Michael Love, a passenger on the Wilderness Legacy, posted on Bluesky that the captain announced the Launchpad was closer, but "repeatedly refused to respond," which was met with booing from the passengers. The AIS tracking (embedded below) seems to support that

  • 49ers coach says his Tesla was on Autopilot when he crashed 7 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Electric Cars, Entertainment, News, Sports, Tesla, Transportation

    Head Coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers | Image: Michael Zagaris / San Francisco 49ers / Getty Images Four weeks ago, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was involved in an accident near downtown Palo Alto. At the time Shanahan said only that the accident was his fault. But during a recent press conference he shared more details about the incident, including the fact that he had his Tesla's Autopilot engaged at the time. Shanahan was not passing the buck, however, saying it was his fault regardless of whether or not Autopilot was engaged. "I've had Autopilot for

  • Dropbox is a PC builder’s best friend 10 hours ago by TC. Sottek
    Tech

    In 2018 I bet my reputation and self-worth on a huge crowdfunded game design project. It could have been a failure for many reasons, but the one I became most worried about was losing all of the work that was stored locally on my home-built PC - a scenario that would have left a lot of people very upset and placed me in deep trouble. I wasn't irresponsible, I had local backups, but at some point I found myself in custody of so many important files that it scared me. And no matter how many redundancies I could build at

  • AI detectors are creating a new era of distrust 11 hours ago by Emma Roth
    AI, Column, The Stepback

    This is The Stepback , a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more news about how AI is changing our daily lives, follow Emma Roth . The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here . How it started Long before ChatGPT became a thing, educators and editors frequently used anti-plagiarism tools to see if writers were being honest about their work. These tools work by comparing a written work against a database filled with content from across the web, scholarly articles, and more to check for


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