Daily AI Briefing

Where Muse Spark aimed to be a lightweight model that could perform at low latency, the Wonder models are larger and said to be more capable, with higher benchmark scores and better results on complex tasks like coding.

The prime minister tells MPs the next summit with the EU will be held on 20 November Burnham to urge MPs to embrace closer ties with EU Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson, is speaking now. He started his speech with an account of a 73-year-old woman dying in North Wales after having to wait 23 hours for an ambulance, and he sought to link this to immigration. He said: The Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimates that 15,000 people across Britain died last year due to excess wa

Let’s be clear: the risk to humanity is unprecedented. Without an urgent public debate and robust use of international law, we will lose control of the future In my two years as attorney general, I spent more time working on national security than any other issue. The range and gravity of the threats posed to our nation are multifold, from terrorism, armed conflicts and nuclear proliferation, to the impacts of financial insecurity and the climate crisis. All profound challenges, yet ones our sup

A Silicon Valley startup that uses weather balloons and AI to predict the weather won a U.S. military contract worth almost $50 million.

Meta is making up for lost time in the AI race. After launching Muse Spark, the first model from its revamped Superintelligence Labs division, and buzzy AI agent Muse, it's now launching two new models it claims can go toe-to-toe with the industry's best. The new models, Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, are available for Muse Code subscribers starting today. Wonder can also be accessed through the Meta Model API, Meta said. Meta says it eventually plans to power its Muse AI agent with Wonder,

So much for doing less political spending. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Elon Musk has handed out at least $276 million to Republican groups since July, The New York Times reports, making him both the party's top known donor and the biggest established midterm donor. $158 million of that money - one of the largest political donations in American history - has been funneled into the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC that aims to secure and maintain a Republican Senat

Journalists, entrepreneurs, and even some public relations professionals will tell you that the PR process is broken. But could AI actually make things better?

Multiple Ukrainian drone strikes over the last week have taken Russian data centers offline and reportedly caused online bot traffic to plummet - but in reality it's probably not the kind of bot activity most people associate with Russia. A chart citing Cloudflare data has been circulating around social media platforms, showing a sharp decline in bot traffic following attacks on Yandex servers - a technology company often described as "Russia's Google." While many people are inferring that the c

Microsoft president Brad Smith calls for urgent AI regulation, saying milk and washing machines have more oversight than AI companies.

Blueprints AI, a bootstrapped startup based in Santa Monica, developed software that produces code-compliant construction blueprints from a photo, PDF, or sketch.

The Basecase seen here with 3D-printed grips and a rear plate that offers (unofficial) compatibility with Lego blocks and minifigs. Most companies have slowed down releasing new Switch 2 cases, but one of my favorite accessory makers recently debuted its first, after a few delays. The $49 Basecase from Mechanism is a snap-on shell for the console that taps into the company's modular lineup of mounts. You could already mount the Switch 2 in numerous ways with its $19 Basegrip (to your wall, to

Outsourcing the essential task of interviewing job applicants to a machine seems lazy at best, negligent at worst. I want better for all of us Over the past 15 years of my working life, I’ve done a lot of interviews for a lot of different jobs and industries: call centre operator, social media manager, bookseller, copywriter, library worker. Recently, after completing my first year of a master’s degree in early childhood and primary teaching, I applied for a preschool education role and experien

I’ve been testing two Googlebooks: this Asus model, and HP’s too. My first week with the new Android-powered laptops has been about as rocky as anyone's, but I've slowly learned to like them, even if love still feels a ways off. Every moment that's impressed me has been thanks to Android, whether I've been accessing a native version of a useful app or quickly checking my phone notifications from the laptop user interface. But man, sometimes it just sucks. Phone connectivity is flaky, app cast

The No Man's Sky universe is about to get a little bit smaller - but in a good way. Hello Games announced that its long-running sci-fi exploration game will be coming to iOS, with versions for both the iPhone and iPad available starting on October 28th. According to Hello's Sean Murray, the mobile version of the game is essentially the full No Man's Sky experience. "I guess I should say this is not No Man's Sky Lite," he wrote in a blog post. It includes all of the game's many, many updates that

Tomorrow at 8 a.m. PT, it all begins z— 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech operators will gather at San Francisco’s Moscone West for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 for three days of ideas, connections, and startups shaping what comes next. This is your last 24 hours to secure ticket savings of up to $100, and get 50% off a second.

Kanishka Narayan, concerned by Australian incident, says British cyber defences could be bypassed by artificial intelligence agent UK politics live – latest updates An AI-driven cyber-attack similar to the OpenAI breach of Australia’s healthcare system is likely, “if not inevitable”, in the UK, according to a senior minister. Kanishka Narayan, the UK AI minister, indicated that the British government’s own cyber defences would be bypassed by a technology that has developed highly sophisticated

Today the OnePlus 16 launched in China, the company's first flagship phone since quitting both the US and European markets this summer. As luck would have it, it also looks like the company's best phone in some time. Like most OnePlus phones, the 16 is positioned around performance, with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset, and up to 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM. That's backed up by an enormous 9,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, one of the biggest seen in any Android flagship yet. 100W wi

The CMF Speaker Series are the first portable Bluetooth speakers from the budget-focused brand that Nothing created but is in the process of spinning off into an India-based standalone subsidiary. As with many of CMF's products, like the Headphone Pro that launched a year ago, the new speakers deliver affordability alongside unique designs and bright color options that help them stand out from the competition. While the company doesn't directly cite a grocery store's dairy aisle as the inspirati

The leaked specs turned out to be spot-on, but there are some neat software updates too. | Image: Google The Fitbit Edge may not be Google's best-kept fitness-tracking secret, but as of today, its existence is official. The tracker sits smack-dab between the recently launched Fitbit Air and the more powerful Google Pixel Watch 5 in the company's current wearable lineup. Basically, if you have smartwatch fatigue but don't want to give up notifications, this is Google's answer to the aging Fitb

One of the core promises of AI is that the more it knows about a person, the better it will be able to assist them with tasks and make appropriate suggestions, which, if you'll believe the tech companies, requires apps and devices to listen, watch, or record users' activity all the time and gather all possible context.

The debt-collection ecosystem will change as AI takes notes in exam rooms, codes visits and sends billing messages Medical debt is expected to grow in coming years as Republican-led health cuts come into force this winter. As it does, a changing world of medical billing and debt collection awaits patients: one where artificial intelligence increasingly listens, codes, bills and collects. Artificial intelligence takes notes in exam rooms, codes visits, sends out billing messages and powers AI age

The rise of AI makes the preservation of democracy even more urgent – especially as the technology threatens institutions AI safety is having a moment. After years as a topic for techies and futurists, the potential risks from artificial intelligence systems – from cyberattacks to hyper-persuasion to rogue behavior – are suddenly under discussion both in the corridors of power and around kitchen tables. In fact, the conversation now reaches beyond classical safety concerns, getting into AI’s imp

Quite a few parents aren’t convinced social media and AI are safe, and have been adapting accordingly When it comes to their kids, many parents don’t trust tech companies any more. Social media companies have spent the better part of the last decade arguing that their platforms are safe for teens, but quite a few parents aren’t convinced. They, along with a growing number of regulators, have increasingly accused companies like Meta of designing products that are addictive to younger users. Cont

Brad Smith adds to calls for tougher rules for AI, including ‘kill switches’ and legal obligation to victims of rogue agents Business live – latest updates Artificial intelligence is less regulated than milk and washing machines, the president of Microsoft has said, as the tech industry warns over the safety of AI. Brad Smith said there should be more safety rules to govern the technology including a legal obligation to a “victim” if their system was breached by rogue AI agents. Continue read

In this article, we cover an introduction to Bedrock AgentCore. We create our first project, test it locally, and deploy it to our AWS account. The post Getting Started with Bedrock AgentCore appeared first on DebuggerCafe.

Kanishka Narayan to say Britain cannot rely entirely on tech companies amid rising global concern over AI dangers Companies building the most advanced AI systems must increase safety efforts, the UK’s AI minister will say, as he announces a strengthening of Britain’s cyber defences. Kanishka Narayan will call on companies developing frontier AI to do more to make sure it is safe. He will say Britain cannot rely entirely on technology companies to police their own models and will argue the UK nee

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen multiple reports that Apple was working on a new smart home product, but now it seems the product has a name and a launch date.

BOULDER, CO - MARCH 5:A Flock Safety license plate recognition camera is seen near the intersection of Marine Street and Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Photo by Matthew Jonas/MediaNews Group/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images In April of 2025, Elgin Community College had six Flock safety cameras installed to "enhance the safety and security of students." But by September of that year, the school's administration grew concerned tha

Less than 48 hours, TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 starts in San Francisco’s Moscone West. Save up to $100 on your pass before prices increase at the door, plus get 50% on a second pass. Or score other deals.

When President Donald Trump announced his plans to rebrand artificial intelligence as "super intelligence," you'd be forgiven for being skeptical that it would catch on. While most of the broader population is sticking with AI, some of Silicon Valley's most powerful are falling in line and trying to give Trump the great AI rebrand he so desires. That Elon Musk was quick to jump on board, promising to rename SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI, isn't surprising. When, hours after Donald Trump declared that "Th

The latest rumors are that the new Apple TV will have a built-in microphone, while the upgraded remote will get a speaker. The mic would let users control the set-top box using Siri without having to speak into the remote or a connected HomePod device. That could also let the Apple TV serve as a simple smart home hub - controlling thermostats and locking doors - without the need to hunt for the remote. If you happen to misplace the remote, the new integrated speaker should make it easier to trac

On Equity, we debate the impact of data center moratoriums and whether the AI industry has a communication problem.

Happy hormones | Fuel costs | Drive-in parking | Guys and girls | Young or old? | Singapore pollution Re your report (‘Pull the plug’: protesters resort to direct action against AI firms, 6 October), the US neuroscientist Ben Rein has shown that there is a fundamental difference in our cognitive response according to the type of interaction we have. In-person meetings and conversations show a dramatic increase in serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine – “feelgood” hormones – compared with online inter

A crew annotated image showing where the Artemis II team observed impact flashes on the dark side of the Moon. | Image: NASA If you thought you'd seen all there is to see from the Artemis II mission, you're wrong. This week NASA posted over 800GB worth of science data, images, and videos on the Artemis II: Sights & Sounds of Science site. The archive includes over 11,000 photos and videos, over 8.5 hours of audio, and crew-annotated images, such as the one marking where they saw impact flashes

George A. Romero is obviously best known as the father of the modern zombie movie. But between inventing the genre with Night of the Living Dead and his outbreak horror, The Crazies, Romero made two much lesser-known films: There's Always Vanilla, which I'll admit I've never seen, and Season of the Witch, or, as it was originally titled, Hungry Wives. Hungry Wives was supposed to be an exploitation film. The studio marketed it as a softcore porn, but it failed to find an audience - probably bec

Voice AI's often misses important points for its context layer, and causes the whole pipeline to break

We are quickly coming up on Apple's "Welcome Home" launch event, where we expect a host of smart home-related announcements. We are expecting refreshes to Apple TV and HomePod Mini, as well as a brand new smart home hub. We could also see the debut of a new platform called homeOS, and some partner devices from LG. What we probably won't be seeing is the long-rumored touchscreen MacBook, which Cupertino whisperer Mark Gurman says will debut later this month. "Welcome Home" will officially kick of

From Disney Plus to HBO Max, almost every major established streaming service is experimenting with ways to get into vertical content. It's clear that these companies see video-focused social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram as existential threats. In this arms race for viewers' attention, it has often felt like everyone is trying to find new ways to exist on people's phones. But a new startup thinks that the next step in vertical series' evolution is going to take place on our wide-scr

For multiple years, the hottest toy in the United States was a book. But not just any book: a smart book that could play sounds and respond to taps and help kids learn to read. It was the kind of gadget seemingly any parent could get behind, but it came with a high price - and some unexpected parenting questions. On this episode of Version History, David Pierce is joined by The Verge's Andru Marino and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy to explain how the LeapPad worked, why it was so enticing to both kids

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on how pervasive horror has become, follow Andrew Webster. The Stepback, arrives in our subscribers' inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started Resident Evil has been around for 30 years, but the survival horror series is more popular than ever. The most recent game, Resident Evil Requiem, has sold 8 million copies since it launched in February, already making

‘Even if AI supercharged the economy, its impact on the government’s finances would be muted’ Back through political history to the age of Ronald Reagan, Republicans have repeatedly promised the US public that tax cuts would pay for themselves, firing up economic growth and filling the government’s coffers. The promise never really panned out. From the Gipper’s day on, the Republicans’ tax cuts inevitably increased the budget deficit. Despite its failure, though, the promise is back, coated in a

Baby’s first local AI agent. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge I'm embarking on a journey I've so far been hesitant to go on: actually using AI on the regular. Giving my most personal data to cloud services has been a major hold up for me, but it's increasingly possible to run powerful models locally to see what they're capable of. Is this tech so useful that it's worth throwing gobs of money at a computer or a laptop with lots of overpriced RAM? I'll try to help you find out. I'm n

This is no scoffing matter. The accelerating proliferation of advanced nuclear weapons is bringing ‘end times’ closer by the day Humankind has fearfully and sometimes joyfully anticipated the end of the world ever since it began. The Bible’s Book of Revelation speaks of “end times”, a period of tribulation, war, famine, plague, floods and environmental catastrophe that may seem a less absurd prospect today than perhaps it once did. Islam, too, posits a fateful day of judgment or day of reckoning

Are we really living through ‘end-times fascism’? Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor think so. In a new series from the Guardian, the pair speak to Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty in an extended interview. From Trump 2.0 and the rise of the tech billionaires to Gaza and the climate emergency, Klein and Taylor argue we are not just lurching from crisis to crisis but are in a new and dangerous moment in history. But they haven’t given up hope of a fightback You can watch the full interview wit

Newly established commission identifies 17 catastrophic threats to human health but says ‘realistic route to act’ on each exists Humans could become extinct by the year 2100 due to malicious use of AI or nuclear conflict, according to a new global risk assessment. They top a list of 17 major threats to human health over the next 75 years, which also includes cuts to aid spending by wealthy countries, the climate crisis and childhood malnutrition. Continue reading...

Did you know Meta doesn’t just want to build the next AI model? It wants to replace your programming assistant too. Continue reading on Towards AI »

Add a server from Docker’s catalog to a profile, write a catalog entry for your own Postgres server, and see where its password actually… Continue reading on Towards AI »