A US court says Google keeps its ad exchange. The Commission said only a sale would work
A US federal judge ruled that Google does not have to sell its advertising exchange, instead requiring only behavioral remedies to address antitrust violations. This contrasts with the European Commission's September fine of €2.95 billion, which deemed divestment necessary to resolve similar conduct allegations.
Meta’s new AI model edges closer to OpenAI and Anthropic, its AI Chief says
Meta released Muse Spark 1.3, an AI model approaching the capabilities of OpenAI and Anthropic competitors. The company has not decided whether to publish the model's weights, though it still plans to release weights for version 1.2.
Microsoft finally puts a dollar figure on Azure, and narrows what Azure means
Azure revenue will be reported separately at $29.42 billion for the June quarter, representing 42% growth under Microsoft's new two-segment structure. The European Commission preliminarily designated Azure as a gatekeeper service, with a final decision expected by year-end.
Tesla’s driver assist faces new pressure after two fatal crashes where the cars stopped dead
Two fatal freeway crashes involved Tesla vehicles with driver assistance engaged that stopped at 0mph in live lanes. The Netherlands approved Tesla's FSD Supervised system in April under UN Regulation 171, with an EU-wide vote expected in October.
Lockheed carries out missile launches directly from a drone boat - will the US Navy be next?
A crewless sailboat successfully launched two live missiles during RIMPAC exercises, six months into a Lockheed Martin and Saildrone collaboration. The autonomous vessel operates itself, though a Navy fire control system retains final authority over weapon deployment decisions.
Anthropic releases Claude Fable 5.1 and Mythos 5.1, cutting cache read prices by 75%
Anthropic released Claude Fable 5.1 and Mythos 5.1 with cache read prices reduced by 75 percent and improved performance scoring 52.6 percent on a scientific research benchmark. The new models include EU AI Act-required watermarks on outputs, with a detection API available in private preview.
John Deere launches JD, an AI assistant that answers questions from a farm’s own data
John Deere launched JD, an AI assistant that answers plain-language questions using a farm's own machine and field data. The company simultaneously introduced a ten-point voluntary Farmer Data Commitment, with EU obligations largely aligned to the Data Act requirements.
Meta is dropping Google Chat for Slack because it says agents work better there
Meta is switching its internal communications from Google Chat to Slack, citing Slack as the superior platform for AI agents. The migration was announced by AI chief Alexandr Wang in a memo citing Slack's strength in supporting agent functionality.
Waymo opens driverless rides in Denver, San Diego and Tampa
Waymo expanded driverless ride services to Denver, San Diego, and Tampa, with Denver marking the company's first commercial deployment in a snowy climate. Under EU regulations, automated driving systems must execute minimum risk maneuvers when weather conditions exceed their approved operational design domain boundaries.
ICE plans to buy Boston Dynamics robot dogs without running a competition
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to purchase Boston Dynamics robot dogs in the $1 million to $2 million price range. ICE stated it will not hold a competitive bidding process for this acquisition.
Your files stay put: Perplexity’s hybrid AI keeps confidential data off the cloud
Perplexity launched hybrid compute that routes sensitive data to local Apple silicon Macs while running larger AI models in the cloud, keeping confidential information off cloud servers. An AI agent can now dynamically hand off portions of a task to local models without restarting or losing context, available today through the desktop app on macOS 15 or later.
OpenClaw 2.0 is here, ushering in the era of 'multiplayer' AI coding: What it means for enterprises
OpenClaw 2.0 introduces a rebuilt browser interface consolidating conversations, files, approvals, and agent activity into a shared workspace with multi-user collaboration capabilities. The update adds cloud sessions, role-based permissions, approval controls, and sandboxing to support enterprise deployment across teams rather than individual local use.
The hardest problem in physical AI may be the magnet, not the model
China refines approximately 90% of rare earth magnets used in robot actuators, which represent 40% to 60% of humanoid robot costs. Europe's Critical Raw Materials Act imposes a 2030 cap on single country supply dependency.
A solar mobile clinic has successfully driven 800km across Kenya
A solar-powered ambulance traveled over 800 kilometers across Kenya while generating more energy than it consumed operating an X-ray machine, ultrasound scanner, and vaccine refrigerator. The vehicle, named Stella Juva, successfully provided medical services in areas without electricity before returning to the Netherlands.
Software engineers' new job isn't writing code — it's designing the boundaries AI agents can't break
AI agents now generate most code implementations for complex systems like distributed pipelines and API integrations, handling repository navigation, testing, and refactoring through plain English descriptions. Software engineers' primary role has shifted from writing local system logic to designing the boundaries and constraints that prevent AI agents from producing harmful or incoherent outputs.
Nissan and Honda partner to develop software for cars
Nissan and Honda will jointly develop standardized electronic control units and software for vehicles launching in fiscal 2029, sharing core components across their models. The partnership focuses on software-defined vehicles whose functions can be updated through software rather than hardware modifications.
ChatGPT Ads hits $1B annualised as the EU brings it under the Digital Services Act
ChatGPT Ads reached $1 billion in annualised revenue run rate within under 200 days and expanded self-service buying to Europe, India, the Middle East and North Africa. The European Commission simultaneously designated ChatGPT a Very Large Online Search Engine under the Digital Services Act based on 159.1 million declared monthly users.
Apple’s Phil Schiller hands over App Store and Events to Eddy Cue
Phil Schiller transitioned oversight of Apple's App Store and product events to Eddy Cue's services division, with Carson Oliver managing the store's daily operations. The move occurred the day before John Ternus assumed the chief executive role.
Identity and permissions aren’t enough to govern AI agent behavior
Access controls and permissions alone cannot secure enterprise AI agents because they only govern what agents can reach, not how they behave once operating autonomously. Agents explore all available permissions at scale, rapidly surfacing forgotten misconfigurations and stale permissions that humans would rarely discover.
From watches to passwords on paper, everything that's old is new again
Casio has released new retro watches that could change the smartwatch market by combining classic design with modern technology. Windows XP is marking its 25th anniversary this week, while security experts are reconsidering paper-based passwords as a viable authentication method.
Grindr wants to be the everything app for gay men; investors are still deciding whether it can pull it off
Grindr is introducing an AI-powered $350-plus premium tier called EDGE and expanding into healthcare and matchmaking services beyond its core dating function. The company is attempting to transform itself from a dating app into a comprehensive platform serving gay men's various needs.
Fitbit’s founders designed a wearable for the whole family
Fitbit founders James Park and Eric Friedman launched Luffu, a centralized health tracking system that combines medical data from providers, wearable activity monitors, medication schedules, and self-logged information into one app using artificial intelligence to learn patterns and generate alerts. The Luffu Link bracelet serves as the system's first hardware product, designed to manage health data for entire families across multiple users.
How Bill Gates uses AI, and why he thinks nobody is preparing for it
Bill Gates published a memo proposing a tax on AI, reserved jobs for humans, and new institutions to manage the transition. Gates told GeekWire that industry leaders worry privately while remaining publicly silent, and he previously proposed a robot tax in February 2017.
This web-based video editor is like iMovie for your browser
A browser-based video editor called OpenReel Video allows users to combine multiple videos and add captions or background music without installing software. The tool runs entirely in web browsers and also offers dedicated Android and iOS apps for mobile devices.
Hugging Face built a $4.5 billion empire on free AI models. Now Nvidia is buying it for $12.9 billion
Nvidia agreed to acquire Hugging Face, which hosts over 3 million open-source large language models, for $12.9 billion. The purchase values a company that built a $4.5 billion valuation on freely available AI models.
BYD doubled its 1,500kW charging network in five months and wants to double it again by December
BYD doubled its Flash Charging network to 10,000 stations in five months, with each connector rated at 1,500kW capacity. The company plans to double the network again by December while exceeding European charging requirements that mandate 400kW minimum capacity this year.
The Theragun Sense makes everyday recovery surprisingly easy
A massage gun called the Theragun Sense provides muscle recovery through percussion massage therapy. The device features adjustable intensity settings and targets muscle soreness from everyday activities like poor sleeping positions.
This graphite-free battery could break China’s grip on the EV supply chain
A battery cell without graphite completed 9,315 charge cycles with minimal capacity loss, though independent validation has not occurred. The EU aims to process 40% of its own strategic raw materials by 2030 while limiting any single country to 65% processing capacity.
Samsung’s surprise folding hit sets the stage for Apple
Samsung launched a new foldable phone form factor this year that directly competes with its existing foldable design. The company is conducting an A/B test of competing foldable designs as Apple prepares to enter the foldable phone market.
What’s the difference between proprietary, open weight, and open source AI?
Large language models fall into three distinct categories: proprietary models owned by single entities like OpenAI and Google, open weight models with publicly available parameters, and open source models with fully disclosed code and training methods. Proprietary models such as GPT-5.6 and Claude are considered frontier models due to their computational power but require cloud access and keep their training data and code confidential.