Tech
AI Summary
- Major advancements in AI development continue, with Meta highlighting its role in app creation and Mark Zuckerberg predicting billions of personal AI agents within five years, while Google DeepMind's Gemini Robotics 2 shows progress in physical robot control.
- The AI security landscape is evolving rapidly, evidenced by Okta's acquisition of AI security startup Permiso and Inforcer's $50M raise to help businesses navigate AI and security risks.
- The electric vehicle sector sees milestones like Tesla producing its 10 millionth EV and Xiaomi launching the extended-range SkyNomad N90 Max, alongside Zoox clearing federal hurdles to operate paid robotaxi services.
- Significant funding rounds are occurring in cutting-edge tech, including Commonwealth Fusion Systems raising another $1 billion for fusion power research and synthetic-user startup Simile securing $200 million.
- The tech industry is grappling with security and ethical challenges, as seen in the Hugging Face breach, the FTC suing Hims & Hers for data sharing, and discussions around the potential for AI scammers to build trust.
Sources
TechCrunch
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Synthetic-user startup Simile raises $200M at $2B valuation 5 months after $100M Series A
17 minutes ago
by Julie Bort
Fundraising, Startups, TC, AI startup, synthetic dataAdd another member to the fast-and-furious AI unicorn club: Simile
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Spotify launches ‘User notes’ to let users add memories to songs
26 minutes ago
by Aisha Malik
Apps, Media & Entertainment, SpotifySpotify says the new feature is designed to let users add personal captions to their favorite songs, such as noting why a track was added to a playlist or when they first discovered it
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Okta buys AI security startup Permiso; source says for about $200M
2 hours ago
by Jagmeet Singh
AI, Security, Startups, AI agents, Exclusive, Okta, PermisoThe deal gives Okta identity threat detection capabilities as enterprises seek to secure AI agents and other non-human identities across cloud environments.
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Tesla made its 10 millionth EV
2 hours ago
by Sean O'Kane
Transportation, Elon Musk, TeslaThe milestone means Tesla is halfway to accomplishing one of the four core product goals Elon Musk has to hit to unlock his full $1 trillion pay package.
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When will fusion power startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems go public?
2 hours ago
by Tim De Chant
Climate, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, fusion power, nuclear fusionThere are fresh signs that fusion power startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems will list in the next two to three years.
Hacker News
- Advancing the price-performance frontier with GPT‑5.6 an hour ago
- Gemini Robotics 2 brings whole body intelligence to robots 3 hours ago
- Read This Before You Buy That TV Streaming Stick an hour ago
- We Gave GPT 5.6 Sol a Real Business. It Lied, Spammed, and Lost $447 36 minutes ago
- Physicists Solve a Muon Mystery. Now, Old Results Don't Add Up 3 hours ago
The Verge
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NASA’s Curiosity rover found a ‘sea of polygons’ on Mars
an hour ago
by Stevie Bonifield
NASA, News, Science, SpaceThe latest discovery from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is a field of honeycomb-shaped polygons covering a Martian valley called Valle Grande. As Gizmodo reports, Curiosity has snapped pictures of the unusual terrain texture before, called polygonal fractures, each about 1.5 to 3 inches wide, but NASA says it's previously only found them in small patches, "nothing on the scale discovered in Valle Grande." Curiosity captured a 360-degree panorama of the "sea of polygons" on June 19th and 20th (Martian sols 4,930 and 4,931) that shows the texture spreading out in all directions. Project scientist Ashwin Vasavada says the Curiosity team
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Google DeepMind’s new AI model can control a robot’s entire body
an hour ago
by Emma Roth
AI, Google, News, Robot, TechApptronik’s Apollo 2 robot takes a baseball glove off of a shelf. | Image: Google Google DeepMind says the latest version of its Gemini Robotics AI model can "control entire humanoid robots." While the previous model focused on controlling a humanoid robot's upper body, Gemini Robotics 2 now supports "whole-body motions" ranging from its feet to fingertips, according to an announcement on Thursday . The new model will allow humanoid robots to perform a wider range of actions, as it allows them to walk, crouch, stretch, and manipulate objects. Videos shared by Google show how Apptronik's Apollo 2 robot can
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ABC demands FCC drop its ‘punitive’ early license renewal of its stations
an hour ago
by Lauren Feiner
Disney, Entertainment, Policy, Politics, Regulation, StreamingABC filed its formal opposition to the Federal Communications Commission's effort to force it to submit to an early renewal of its broadcast station licenses, calling it an effort to chill the speech of broadcasters across the country. In a new filing with the FCC, ABC charges that the agency's willingness to pursue the early renewal of eight of its licenses far before they expire is "extraordinary and unprecedented." The company alleges the FCC "has spent the last 18 months searching for some pretext for revoking the Stations' licenses," but charges that the agency's real motivations for pursuing these licenses
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Google is working on Chrome updates that don’t require restarts
an hour ago
by Emma Roth
Chrome, Google, News, Security, TechGoogle is working on a way to apply Chrome updates without requiring you to restart your browser. In a post on Thursday, Google outlines its approach to bug fixes in the age of AI, while noting that it's trying to make updates less disruptive by "investing in 'dynamic patching' that will eliminate the need for a full browser restart." According to Google, AI-powered security tools have already helped the company find and fix dozens of bugs. Chrome 149 and 150, for example, contained 1,072 bug fixes, exceeding the number of patches in the past 23 major releases combined. That's part
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Pixel 11 Pro Fold design leaks ahead of Google launch event
an hour ago
by Jay Peters
Foldable Phones, Gadgets, Google, Google Pixel, Headphones, Mobile, News, Tech, WearableWeeks ahead of Google's next Pixel hardware event, Leaker Evan Blass has shared what appear to be marketing renders of the unannounced Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold in a post on his Substack . The renders, if accurate, show that the new foldable will look fairly similar to last year's model - it has a tall outer screen instead of using a shorter style like the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the rumored foldable iPhone . The renders also show that the inner screen will retain the 8-inch size. However, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold's back camera array has
Wired
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Nvidia’s Open Source Alliance Snubs OpenAI and Anthropic
16 minutes ago
by Brian Barrett, Zoë Schiffer, Leah Feiger
Business, Business / Artificial Intelligence, Business / Big Tech, Uncanny, ValleyThis week on Uncanny Valley, we discuss the open vs. closed source debate in AI, key players in White House AI policy, and how to stop your chatbot logs from showing up in search engine results.
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Back to School Office Chair Deals 2026: $200 and Less
18 minutes ago
by Matthew Korfhage
Gear, Gear / Products / Home, Gear / Products / Home Office, Gear / Deals, DealsHere are the best back-to-school deals under $200 on comfy, ergonomic chairs for all-nighters and cram sessions
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For the First Time, Zoox Can Charge People for Rides in Its Steering-Wheel-Free Robotaxis
an hour ago
by Aarian Marshall
Gear, Gear / Gear News and Events, Look, Ma,, No, HandsThe temporary exemption from federal safety standards will let Amazon’s Zoox launch a real, paid robotaxi service in Las Vegas.
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Chrome Needs Twice-a-Week Patching Thanks to AI Bug Hunting
an hour ago
by Lily Hay Newman
Security, Security / Security News, Restart, NowThe two Chrome updates in June patched more bugs than the 23 updates before them. Now, Google is ramping up its patching schedule thanks to AI-assisted vulnerability discovery.
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The New Friend AI Pendant Can Now Talk Back to You
2 hours ago
by Boone Ashworth
Gear, Gear / Gear News and Events, Friend, ZoneAvi Schiffmann has a new version of his controversial AI companion. It’s more expensive, and you can’t change its personality.