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Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 5:58 PM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • AMD is challenging Nvidia's AI dominance with its new Helios rack-scale system, signaling an intensified competition in the high-performance computing sector.
  • Patreon has initiated significant layoffs, cutting 20% of its workforce, a move that underscores the current economic pressures faced by many tech platforms.
  • Meta is reportedly withdrawing from a prominent clean energy initiative as it ramps up its reliance on natural gas for its expanding infrastructure, raising questions about its environmental commitments.
  • OpenAI is expanding access to ChatGPT Health to all U.S. users, a significant step in bringing AI-powered health information tools to a broader audience.
  • The tech industry continues to see substantial investment in AI startups, with companies like AegisAI and Etched securing large funding rounds, indicating sustained investor confidence in artificial intelligence's future.

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The Verge

  • Alexa Plus is getting an AI update to handle more complicated instructions an hour ago by Emma Roth
    AI, Amazon, Amazon Alexa, News, Smart Home, Tech

    Amazon is launching an update to its Alexa Plus assistant that will allow it to connect to smart home devices in new ways. With the update , Alexa Plus can link up with tech from Bosch, Delta, Ecovacs, iRobot, Yale Home, Whirlpool, Tapo, Eufy, and others, while automatically routing requests to the correct device. In an example shared by Amazon, a person with a supported washing machine can say, "Alexa, my kid's soccer jersey could use a deep clean, but the tag says cold wash only." From there, Alexa Plus would navigate the washer's cycle options and choose the correct

  • The Echo Show 21 is a great smart home hub that’s $80 off 2 hours ago by Brad Bourque
    Deals, Gadgets, Smart Home, Tech, Verge Shopping

    Echo Show's 21 attached to the adjustable stand, which is sold separately (and also discounted). | Image: Amazon Split between buying a smart calendar, a kitchen TV, a smart home hub, and a smart display? Amazon’s Echo Show 21 is all of those things in one, with a huge 21-inch screen. You can use it to control your smart lights, glance at recipes, watch TV shows, and more. Currently, Best Buy and Home Depot have the product on sale for $319.99 (usually $399.99), matching the lowest price we’ve seen to date. Amazon Echo Show 21 The Echo Show 21 can

  • FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s war on the First Amendment 3 hours ago by Kevin Nguyen
    Policy

    As the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr has authority over the nation’s TV, radio, and internet. But since Donald Trump was elected to his second term, Carr has wielded that power to threaten broadcasters that have exercised their free speech rights to make jokes about the president. He was even able to get ABC to briefly pull Jimmy Kimmel from his late-night show. As The Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel has said , Carr’s mission is to “trash the First Amendment.” We’ll be following closely as the FCC chairman attempts to erode Americans’ constitutional rights. Brendan Carr plans

  • Claude’s voice mode is now available for Opus and Sonnet 4 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    AI, Anthropic, News

    Until now, voice mode has only been available on Claude Haiku , Anthropic's faster but less powerful model. Now the company is making its Opus and Sonnet models available in voice mode , and extending its reach into apps like Gmail, Slack, and Canva. When Anthropic launched voice mode last year, it was primarily focused on delivering answers to quick questions with minimal delay. But in a blog post, the company said people immediately started using voice mode for far more than casual queries. They were using it to work "through real business problems," which Haiku was not really designed

  • Patreon is laying off 20 percent of workers 4 hours ago by Emma Roth
    AI, Labor, Tech, Web

    Patreon is laying off 20 percent of its workers, or around 93 employees, as reported earlier by 404 Media . In a memo to employees, Patreon CEO Jack Conte writes that the company isn't making these changes "because we believe AI replaces humans," but says AI has "fundamentally transformed the tech industry, including how we work, how we build products, how we communicate, and more." That shift has changed "how we operate and organize," Conte writes. During an interview on Decoder , last month , Conte laid out his stance on AI, saying that the company is "100 percent embracing"


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