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Simply the latest news, updated on the hour.

Wed, Aug 5, 2026, 9:20 AM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • SpaceX is making serious waves, doubling revenue through AI compute deals and Starlink growth, even surpassing its space-related revenue, while also investing heavily in Tesla Megapacks.
  • The AI sector continues its rapid advancement with open-weight models closing the gap on frontier models, though safety concerns persist, and new tools like Mistral's Shieldstral are emerging for multimodal moderation.
  • The integration of AI is expanding across various industries, from enhancing weather prediction and making agriculture more water-resilient with Saudi Aramco's backing of Mitti Labs, to being utilized in Hollywood and fueling over half of cybercrime in Africa.
  • Developments in autonomous technology are progressing with Waymo expanding its robotaxi service and Lucid pinning its turnaround strategy on robotaxis and significant cash savings.
  • Privacy and security remain critical concerns, as Android developers may be inadvertently sharing user location data with advertisers, and hackers are exploiting bugs in hardware wallets, leading to substantial financial losses.

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The Verge

  • Disney gives TikTok creators official access to Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar characters 3 hours ago by Jess Weatherbed
    Business, Creators, Disney, News, Streaming, Tech, TikTok

    Disney is introducing fan-created TikTok content to its Disney Plus app in its latest attempt to break into short-form creator videos. The Walt Disney Company announced today that it's partnering with TikTok to bring "an expansive collection of thoughtfully curated Disney-centric fan-created content" to the Verts video feed it launched on Disney Plus earlier this year, providing creators with access to assets from "hundreds" of movies and TV shows. The partnership will be piloted in the US "in the coming months," according to Disney, with plans to launch in other markets later. Videos from TikTok creators who opt-in to the

  • Google Assistant will disappear from your phone next month 3 hours ago by Dominic Preston
    AI, Android, Google, Google Assistant, News, Tech

    Farewell, Google Assistant art, we hardly knew ye. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google Assistant's days have been numbered ever since Gemini arrived on the scene, and its time is now up. Google has announced that it will be removing access to Assistant on Android phones and tablets, along with paired devices like smartwatches or headphones, from September 4th. The announcement came in an email apparently sent to some users, as reported by 9to5Google and shared in full on Reddit . The Verge has asked Google for confirmation that the email is accurate, and will update this

  • Trump’s AI testing plan is limited and vague 4 hours ago by Jess Weatherbed
    AI, News, Policy

    The Trump administration's framework for assessing potential cybersecurity risks posed by advanced AI reportedly has no interest in testing open models. Axios reports that not only do the voluntary guidelines outright exclude open models - meaning anyone can download them and inspect their core components - but the framework explicitly says it can't be used to restrict open models after they've been released. The AI testing framework was created after President Trump signed an executive order in June , requesting that AI companies share their frontier models with the federal government prior to release to address cybersecurity concerns. AI c

  • Ted Lasso returns at an important time for Apple TV 7 hours ago by Andrew Webster
    Analysis, Apple, Entertainment, Report, Streaming, Tech, TV Shows

    2026 is shaping up to be an excellent year for Apple TV . Apple's streaming service has built out an impressive slate that spans returning favorites like Silo and Sugar to all-new hits including OnlyFans-inspired dramedies , terrifying comedies , and paranoid tech thrillers . But the most important release might be a feel-good sports sitcom. After what seemed like a definitive finale , Ted Lasso is back with a fourth season that doubles as a soft reboot for the show, mixing up familiar characters with a substantially new cast. And as Apple TV continues its push for a bigger

  • SpaceX is coming for T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon 7 hours ago by Thomas Ricker
    AT&T, Business, Mobile, Science, Space, SpaceX, T-Mobile, Tech, Verizon

    SpaceX is preparing to build a terrestrial mobile network to "acquire quite a few" of the customers now subscribed to T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon. The message to compete head-to-head with the US carriers was delivered by SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell and CEO Elon Musk during the Q&A section of the company's first earnings call. "The spectrum that we purchased from EchoStar does have terrestrial components, so we definitely intend to build out the terrestrial component," said Shotwell. "You will have not only the capacity from the satellites themselves, but you will have a buildout of the terrestrial, basically the hardware


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