Daily AI Briefing

Data centers are deeply unpopular. But what if we called them something else?

On Equity, we discuss why tech CEO statements can seem so tone deaf.

While more cities are canceling their contracts with Flock Safety, just as many are discovering how difficult that can be in some instances. Plymouth, Minnesota's city council voted to terminate its contract with Flock in September, but failed to respond to the city's request. For over a month, the cameras remained up, and the city had received no acknowledgment from the company. So, Police Chief Eric Fadden took matters into his own hands and physically disconnected the cameras. "After hearing

New electricity generating capacity would enable north-east to attract investment for large-scale AI infrastructure National Grid has taken a step towards building Britain’s biggest electricity substation on Teesside, which could supply power to a vast neighbouring datacentre as the UK races to expand its AI infrastructure. Last week, the company agreed to purchase 29.5 hectares (73 acres) of land at Dorman Point on a site owned by Teesworks, a local private-public partnership. The deal was firs

Reddit user pdfu found hints hidden in the HomeView 27.2 code that Apple could be adding security camera features to its smart home hub. The strings describe a security camera mode with motion detection, live streaming, and recording options, as well as privacy functions. According to pdfu, there is a setup page that even explicitly reads: "Your HomeView can be used as a security camera with HomeKit Secure Video." Supposedly, the video feeds will only be visible to members of the home, and will

Leakers have pieced together a playable version of the canceled Portal prequel F-Stop. Most of the assets came from the massive 12-terabyte leak that dropped this August. That didn't include the game's source code or map data, but those final pieces apparently hit the Valve Cut Content Discord this week, allowing a nearly complete version to be pieced together. Some dialog and elements of F-Stop eventually found their way into Portal 2. But it differs dramatically from the mainline Portal games

The FBI says North Korea was behind the massive $6.3 billion crypto heist that hit Binance on October 29th. The FBI labeled the activity "TraderTraitor" and said that it had observed actors it has connected to hack converting the tokens to Ethereum and preparing for further laundering of the funds. The agency offered few other details or evidence. The statement says: North Korea Responsible for $6 Billion+ Binance Attack The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is releasing information advising

Chair of National Gallery’s First Nations advisory group says the technology is undermining artists’ agency and the authenticity of their work Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast AI is taking First Nations art and turning it into “Temu slop”, the Pitjantjatjara artist Sally Scales has said. Scales, the chair of the National Gallery of Australia’s First Nations advisory group, says the technology is undermining the agency of First Nations artists and the authenticity of

Apple’s second-generation HomePod Mini is a nice upgrade, but the biggest improvement hasn’t arrived yet. | Photo: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge When I first heard about the new $149 HomePod Mini 2 at Apple's Welcome Home event last month, I was disappointed. It's been six years since Apple launched its entry-level smart speaker, and all it got in the second gen was a chip bump, some color glowy stuff, and better AirPlay? For $50 more than the original, which launched at $99, Apple didn'

A high-stakes California ballot measure pitched as a fast track for "essential" infrastructure could wind up giving data center developers a loophole to evade public scrutiny, environmental advocates warn. Proposition 45 would shorten timelines for state-mandated environmental assessments for eligible projects and make it more difficult for residents to challenge those projects in court. Proponents say passing the measure would help alleviate the state's housing shortage and meet rising electric

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the biggest game releases of the year, follow Andrew Webster. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started The two biggest games of 2026 are set to launch just a few weeks apart in November. On the one side you have the behemoth that is Grand Theft Auto VI, an experience 13 years in the making, and the sequel to one of

Apple's new CEO defended the company's current position in the AI landscape.

On November 4 at Boston’s SoWa Power Station, get ready for a full day packed with meaningful networking opportunities, actionable insights, and connections that could change the trajectory of your idea and startup. Register before all prices go up at the door.

An NAACP lawsuit accuses the SpaceX-owned AI company of violating the Clean Air Act.

Rather than recommend a single horror film or an unsettling album for our final installment of spooky season recs, I present you with a small selection of creepy, disturbing, and just plain weird videos from YouTube. There's a little something for everyone here. Whether you're a fan of surreal art house shorts, cosmic horror, or classic viral clips, you're bound to find something below that will get you in the Halloween spirit. Possibly in Michigan This 1983 short film from Cecelia Condit found

What is a keyboard if not the original brain-computer interface? You can tap on a touchscreen or talk to the computer, but if your work involves getting information out of your head and into the computer, you're probably spending a lot of time using a keyboard. We've written about many keyboards over the years, from the legendary Optimus Maximus to the ultra-luxe Seneca to even stranger fare. But I wanted to know what my coworkers actually use. As I'd hoped, there's a wide range. Some of us are

Inner west Sydney seat has long been safely held by the PM – but potential changes to copyright laws are angering its large creative community Get our daily political email, free app or daily news podcast The prime minister is facing growing discontent within his own electorate as creatives push back against the federal government’s proposal to allow AI companies to scrape everything Australians create online. Anthony Albanese’s seat of Grayndler in Sydney’s inner west is home to more than 3,0

After hackers stole a shocking $6.3 billion from Binance customers in a record-breaking crypto heist, the company's CEO says that 90 percent of the funds have been replaced, and the company plans to cover the remaining 10 percent as well. Binance is covering the stolen funds directly, and the remaining 10 percent consists of "less liquid" tokens, which the company says may take longer to acquire. The company also said in a post on X that, while withdrawals remain paused, they're on track to be

This morning, Nintendo announced that tomorrow, November 1st, would be the first annual Pikmin Day. As part of the short Pikmin Day Direct, Shigeru Miyamoto shared new info about Pikmin 4 for the Switch 2, as well as an update for the mobile app Pikmin Bloom, and announced the Hello! Pikmin series of shorts. Players will be able to use the Switch 2's built-in microphone to issue voice commands to Oatchi, the space dog. Pikmin 4 will also have a Dandori Academy mode that will test players' skills

OpenAI’s latest funding round doesn't seem to be living up to expectations.

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta made AI look so stinking cute by giving it a squishy little face - and this holiday season, he wants to sell you a Muse Charm so you can carry your jolly AI helper around like a Tamagotchi. But I won't be buying one, because we have Muse Charm at home. It cost just $50, and I've decided the learning experience was worth it. View Link My version doesn't sport cameras or a 5G cellular radio, but it really talks to Muse and has cute avatars, too! It doubles as a pocket watch

Gap, M&S, Topshop and more are taking a leaf from luxury label playbooks to satisfy savvier generation of shoppers High street brands that boomed in the noughties before the squeeze of both sustainably minded consumers and the rise of ultra-cheap online labels are staging a comeback. This time, rather than focusing solely on trend-led affordable designs, the names familiar to any shopper are courting luxury fashion, A-list collaborations and enhanced services in an attempt to engage consumers.

The latest Windows 11 Insider build adds some powerful new search features and quick settings while in Xbox mode. The Xbox shortcuts let you control things like Bluetooth, WiFi, and power settings without having to exit gaming mode. The search improvements are quite comprehensive. You can now filter results for files, actions, or web results. You can also use the search box to perform actions like changing the screen brightness or volume, and even perform actions on a connected phone, including

We got a chance to touch Apple’s latest MacBook at the “Pro and Tell” event. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge While the new touch-enabled MacBook Pro with the PROLED XDR screen is available for preorder across a few major retailers, Best Buy is sweetening the deal by including a $100 gift card. The gift card will be automatically added to your cart when you preorder one of Apple’s highest-end laptops available in 14- or 16-inch configurations, and even one of its 14-inch MacBook Pr

No lies detected. | Photo: Onda Vic Mensa is one of those people who has done so many things that it's hard to remember where you were first introduced to him. Was it his debut mixtape Innanetape, which finally hit the major streaming services for the first time in September? Or maybe his house-influenced single "Down On My Luck"? Maybe you didn't even realize that Mensa was a rapper. Maybe you know him from his roles on The Chi or Bel-Air. Or perhaps you're mostly aware of him through his act

Almost 40% of British singles have used AI for romantic advice, from writing messages to assessing potential partners After Sam’s ex joked that her sister found him ugly, he turned to AI. Google Gemini had a look at the photo and politely disagreed. AI has been his wingman ever since, aiding his dating life by giving pep talks and vetting his messages. The 27-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent is not the only AI-assisted romantic – a survey of 3,000 British singles published this month by Match Group,

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 150, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, happy Halloween, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I was in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee on a family vacation. It was delightful (and the reason this week's Installer is a little short). I've also been reading about job hunting and 30 Rock and crypto detectives, testing the DuckDuckGo browser after a bunch of you to

"Its James Talarico. Can you please please please please pretty pretty please rush in even just $1?" "Who's working to elect James Talarico? Marxists." "Wow! Wow! Wow! Mark Kelly just made a HUGE announcement!" "We asked Ben Verlander, MLB analyst and former Tigers prospect, to record a quick video about the election this Tuesday, November 3rd." "See which of your friends or family members have voted in the past and remind them to vote this year." If any of these messages sound familiar, it's li

Each new tech product is designed to make our lives easier and keep us mindlessly entertained. Switch off: embrace discomfort – and boredom Ever longed for your own personal assistant? In the ever quickening tech race, Meta has recently launched Muse, a new AI personal agent. Unlike traditional chatbots, this little AI tool will be able to fill out forms for you, organise calendars, pay bills and make reservations. Meta describes Muse as a personal agent “built for everyone”. The launch comes at

When investors get nervous about AI spending, it helps to have the chipmaker that sells the chips offer to cosign the loan.

Nine ordinary AI habits that quietly waste time, weaken judgment, and create technical problems, and how to replace them with workflows… Continue reading on Towards AI »

As an increasing number of AI assistants flood the market, the founder of Ollie, an assistant that respected its users' privacy, says it will be shutting down in a week.

Apple will launch Apple Intelligence in China with iOS 27.3, the company announced on its Chinese newsroom website, as reported by MacRumors. The Apple Intelligence features will be available first in an iOS 27.3 beta that's set to launch on November 4th, with a full iOS 27.3 release scheduled for December. This launch doesn't bring the new Siri AI to China. Instead, Apple is launching several of its earlier Apple Intelligence features like notification summaries, real-time translation, rewritin

Mem0 made four decisions for you. Here is how to own every one of them with one SQL table, one Python class, and an update policy you can… Continue reading on Towards AI »

Intel is being hurt by PC sales as the AI industry gobbles memory and other components causing PC prices to rise.

Blackstone's forecast is just a prediction, but naturally, a high junk rating would make it more difficult and costlier for Anthropic to raise the money to keep funding its massive spending that has undergirded its business.

I built an app to fill school forms for my kids. On forms it had never seen, the vision model alone found 62% of the blanks. Put a cheap… Continue reading on Towards AI »

No Halloween costume? Just be a deceptively cute AI agent icon, a PHP vulnerability, or sleepy time Bryan Johnson.

Big Tech is pouring billions into AI infrastructure, but mounting debt, negative cash flow, and growing investor skepticism are raising questions about the sustainability of the AI spending boom.

Akai teased its new MPC Sample Key on Instagram earlier this week, and said it plans to open-source its software so the modding community can hack it to their hearts' delight. While there's no word yet on when the device will launch or how much it will cost, The Verge has received exclusive images of the upcoming instrument that offer some details about its feature set. While the Sample Key shares many of the same controls as the MPC Sample - including the three context-sensitive encoders, a la

A hands-on guide to Mem0’s add and search API, the model-driven ADD/UPDATE/DELETE step behind it, and wiring it into a LangGraph agent… Continue reading on Towards AI »

Asked about supply chain shortages, like the ongoing RAM shortage, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in an interview that it's "terrible" to have RAM in personal PCs instead of data centers. During his appearance on the Cheeky Pint podcast, where he also commented on AI's impact on math, Altman said: "A lot of people want local inference. And somehow, they assume that the problem is solved now because we are going to have open-source models, we're going to be able to run them on our computers, and so w

OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Anthropic say they will adopt a new standard that publishers can use to opt out of being scraped by AI, as reported earlier by Search Engine Roundtable. With this control, publishers can apply their AI training preferences across multiple AI companies, instead of setting them individually. The shared "policy token" signal is proposed by Kevin Kelley, a technical lead for standards at Anthropic, as part of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). It will live wit

Anthropic, the creator of Claude, filed to go public on the US stock market on 26 October. The company's filing statement contains a 92-page risk factor document in which it acknowledges the dangers that AI poses to society and human beings, and factors that could negatively affect Anthropic's business. Johana Bhuiyan, senior tech reporter for the Guardian, breaks down the document and explains why Anthropic's IPO could be a real test to the AI boom Anthropic files for potentially record-break