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Tech

AI Summary

  • The AI industry is undergoing significant shifts, marked by leadership changes, ethical debates around content and privacy, and new ventures exploring AI integration into various sectors.
  • Data privacy and cybersecurity are major concerns, highlighted by government requests for user data, reports of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, and intensified efforts to regulate AI-generated content like deepfakes.
  • The electric vehicle market continues its rapid evolution, with new models being introduced and ongoing policy discussions influencing manufacturing and charging infrastructure development.
  • Key tech companies are experiencing high-profile personnel changes, including CEO transitions and co-founder departures, alongside strategic reorientations of long-term projects and business focuses.
  • The streaming and media landscape is seeing both consolidation through major acquisitions and diversification of content and revenue models across various platforms.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • The best MacBook accessories for 2026 2 hours ago by Valentina Palladino,Amy Skorheim
    Computing, Consumer Discretionary, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Valentina Palladino

    Apple’s MacBooks don’t need much help out of the box, but the right accessories can make a noticeable difference in how you use them day to day. Whether that means adding more ports, creating a cleaner desk setup or making your laptop easier to travel with, there’s a growing ecosystem of gear designed to fill in the gaps Apple leaves behind. A good accessory should feel like an extension of your MacBook, not a workaround. The picks below are meant to work smoothly with macOS and today’s USB-C-only reality, whether you’re using a lightweight MacBook Air or a higher-end MacBook Pro.

  • The best smart plugs in 2026 4 hours ago by Amy Skorheim
    Technology & Electronics, Personal Finance - Lifestyle, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Amy Skorheim

    Smart plugs aren’t the most complicated smart home device — they really just turn stuff off and on — but they do make life a little easier. Since using smart plugs, I’ve grown accustomed to having the living room lamps click on just before sunset and go off when I say goodnight to Alexa or the Google Assistant/Gemini (Siri can turn off a few of my lights, but isn’t compatible with all of them). Most smart home device makers have a plug or two in their lineups, but finding one that’s compatible with your chosen ecosystem, that’s easy to set

  • Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026: Everything we're expecting from the S26 launch on February 25 12 hours ago by Ian Carlos Campbell
    Smart Phones, Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell

    Samsung’s 2025 was filled with new foldables, an ultra-thin new form factor and the launch of Google's XR platform. After making some announcements at CES 2026, the company has just announced its first Galaxy Unpacked of the year will take place on February 25, where it is expected to introduce the Galaxy S26 lineup. Official invites have just been shared, but actual information on what devices are arriving then is still unknown. But as usual, we know a lot about what’s expected at Unpacked. Engadget will be covering Galaxy Unpacked live, and we'll most likely have hands-on coverage of Samsung's new

  • Samsung's Galaxy S26 Unpacked event is on February 25 13 hours ago by Ian Carlos Campbell
    Smart Phones, Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell

    After kicking off CES 2026 with its "First Look" event, Samsung is ready to announce the first of what should be several new Galaxy smartphones this year. The company is officially hosting a Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25 at 1PM ET, where it'll introduce the Galaxy S26 series and updates to Galaxy AI. Leaks that have trickled out ahead of the event suggest that the Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra will feature a new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, and could come with more RAM and storage. Only the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to include major hardware

  • Discord will soon require age verification to access adult content 14 hours ago by Will Shanklin
    Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin

    Discord is the latest company looking to bolster its child safety (again). Starting in March, all users will have a "teen-appropriate experience" by default. Unlocking adult content and age-gated spaces will require a (usually one-time) verification process. However, following blowback, the company appears to have pivoted. It now says its age prediction AI will verify the identities of “the majority of adult users” without requiring a manual age check. The platform's big safety update encompasses communication settings, restricted access to age-gated spaces and content filtering. Users who aren't verified as adults will see blurred sensitive content. In addition, age-restricted channels, servers


The Verge

  • ‘Shut up and focus on the mission’: Tech workers are frustrated by their companies’ silence about ICE an hour ago by Hayden Field
    AI, Google, Microsoft, Report, Tech

    Keep your head down. Compartmentalize. Don't make trouble. That's what many tech workers are taking their CEOs' strategic silence to mean, amid an immigration crackdown across the US by the Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security. Widespread violence by federal agents has sparked protests in Minneapolis and across the country. One month after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, and two weeks after Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, the majority of tech CEOs have remained tight-lipped. Internally, workers from several companies describe a culture of silence and fear - and trepidation over what kind … Read

  • The Toyota Highlander is now a three-row electric SUV with 320 miles of range 9 hours ago by Andrew J. Hawkins
    Cars, Electric Cars, News, Toyota, Transportation

    Toyota unveiled the new 2027 Highlander, a fully redesigned midsize SUV that marks the brand's first three-row electric vehicle for the US market and the first Toyota EV assembled in America. It's a familiar name - Toyota has been selling gas Highlanders for over 20 years - with an all-new powertrain aimed directly at one of the most popular vehicle segments in the market today. To say this is Toyota's best chance to best its EV rivals would be an understatement. The announcement comes at a tumultuous time for the world's best-selling automaker. Toyota's strategy of emphasizing hybrid vehicles over pure

  • Amazon Ring’s Super Bowl ad sparks backlash amid fears of mass surveillance 11 hours ago by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Analysis, Report, Smart Home, Tech

    The ad promotes Ring cameras’ new capability to search neighborhoods for a lost dog. | Screenshot from Ring video Ring's new Search Party feature has once again drawn backlash for the company. A 30-second ad that aired during Sunday's Super Bowl showed Ring cameras "surveilling" neighborhoods to locate a lost dog. In the current political climate, a prime-time ad celebrating neighborhood surveillance struck a nerve. People voiced concerns across social media that the AI-powered technology Ring uses to identify dogs could soon be used to search for humans. Combined with Ring's recent rollout of its new facial recognition capability, it feels like

  • Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter is stepping down after six years 12 hours ago by Stevie Bonifield
    News, Robot, Tech

    Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics, announced on Tuesday that he is stepping down from his role effective immediately and leaving the company on February 27th, as previously reported by A3. Under Playter's leadership, Boston Dynamics navigated its way through an acquisition from Softbank that brought it to Hyundai in 2021, and it launched a new all-electric version of its humanoid Atlas robot in 2024. Just a few days ago, the company posted another video of its research Atlas robots attempting tumbling passes and outdoor runs as more enterprise-ready editions start to roll out. Boston Dynamics announced at CES last month

  • Bezos could have saved The Washington Post’s local news and sports reporters 12 hours ago by Tina Nguyen
    Column, Policy, Politics, Regulator, Social Media, Tech

    Demonstrators hold a "Save The Post" sign next to a cutout image of Jeff Bezos during a "Save The Post" rally outside the Washington Post headquarters in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. | Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images. Hello and welcome to Regulator, a newsletter for Verge subscribers about tech politicking in the age of Trump. If you're a subscriber, you are dominant and talented, like the Seattle Seahawks. If you're not a subscriber yet, it's time to get your act together, like the New England Patriots. (I'm from Boston and I'm allowed to say this.) The biggest tech


Wired

  • AI Industry Rivals Are Teaming Up on a Startup Accelerator an hour ago by Joel Khalili
    Business, Business / Artificial Intelligence, Mon, Dieu

    OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and a host of other major tech companies have found common ground in F/ai, a new startup accelerator based out of Paris.

  • Mazzer Philos Review (2026): Sweet, Zero-Retention Grinds an hour ago by Matthew Korfhage
    Gear, Gear / Reviews, Gear / Products / Home, Gear / Products / Kitchen, What, a, Grind

    Mazzer Philos is a commercial-caliber coffee grinder made for the home countertop. And it made for some of the most delicious espresso I pulled this year.

  • Best Presidents’ Day Mattress Sales of 2026 2 hours ago by Julia Forbes
    Gear, Gear / Deals, Sleep, Saver

    Some of the best sales of the year are happening right now—we’ll help you save on our all-time favorite mattresses and bedding.

  • Astronomers Are Closing In on the Kuiper Belt’s Secrets 2 hours ago by Becky Ferreira
    Science, Science / Space, The, Great, Beyond

    As next-generation telescopes map this outer frontier, astronomers are bracing for discoveries that could reveal hidden planets, strange structures, and clues to the solar system’s chaotic youth.

  • Sex Toys for Every Type of Body and Ability (2026) 3 hours ago by Molly Higgins
    Gear, Gear / Buying Guides, Gear / Products / Health and Fitness, Gear / Products / Home, Buying, Guide

    From app-controlled toys to mounts and wearables, I tested a variety of sex toys for every type of body and ability.


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