Daily AI Briefing
The latest breakthroughs in AI — aggregated from top sources and paired with original analysis.
My favorite part of wearing the Specs, Snap's new augmented reality glasses, was playing dominoes. Sitting across the table from a Snap employee wearing the same pair of chunky glasses, I could select a virtual domino with a pinch and then move my hand to drop it in place, watching the tile snap down in front of us on a real table. It was unlike anything I've tried in other VR headsets or smart glasses - the ability to sit with another person and have a shared digital experience. Snap really bel
Snap is introducing "Specs Intelligence," a new AI assistant that can connect other digital accounts to help you with things like work tasks and keeping track of travel information. It seems similar to AI assistants like Meta's Muse and Gemini's Spark, though Snap is pitching Specs Intelligence as an "anticipatory AI service" that "helps you manage what needs attention today, so you can make progress toward your longer-term goals." Like with other AI assistants, you can also chat with it. Specs
Anthropic and OpenAI want to embed independent safety evaluators inside their AI labs. Researchers welcome the unprecedented access, but warn meaningful oversight requires transparency, independence, and eventually regulation.
Cooperative cancellation, kill vs. drain, in-flight effects — and why “stop” is the hardest button on the screen. Continue reading on Towards AI »
Christopher Nolan's engrossing take on The Odyssey dominated at the box office and spurred a newfound interest in classic literature among filmgoers. But a new retelling of the story made entirely with AI is so bad that it might just make viewers hate the original tale altogether. The new film, called Odysseus: The Fall, comes via AI firm Fountain 0 and is written and directed by company cofounder Ash Koosha, who also lent his likeness to the title character and created all of the music. (The fi
E-waste from the AI boom has been vastly underestimated, a new report warns. By 2050, it could become enough trash to fill 23 million shipping containers - roughly enough 40-foot containers to circle the world six times if lined up in a row. It's a significantly higher estimate of AI's e-waste than previous studies have found because the authors of the new report factor in all the infrastructure needed to support servers in data centers. The broader scope provides a clearer picture of junk AI l
Can Meta dodge the "pervert glasses" accusations with a new camera-free product?
When Paul W.S. Anderson's Resident Evil hit theaters in 2002, video game movies were largely seen as a niche. Films like Mortal Kombat and Tomb Raider had proven that big-screen game adaptations could be successful, but the commercial and critical failure of projects like the 1993 Super Mario Bros. still cast a long shadow. And while Anderson's vision of Raccoon City might have captivated audiences on the whole, many hardcore fans of Capcom's games were left disappointed by the way the original
MSPs vote for strict environmental impact assessments and will delay decisions until national strategy is developed Holyrood has voted to pause planning applications for all new AI datacentres for up to a year until the Scottish government has developed a national strategy. On Wednesday, MSPs backed a Scottish Labour motion to halt new schemes for up to 12 months while rules on hyperscale datacentres are developed in what could be a blow to the British government’s AI strategy. Continue reading
There may be a simpler and more effective fix for rogue agents, hiding in plain sight.
Samus is geared up for another adventure. | Image: Nintendo The Metroid series is going back to its 2D roots again with Metroid Ravenous for the Nintendo Switch 2, the first side-scrolling game in the series since 2021’s Metroid Dread for the Nintendo Switch. If you’re already excited enough to consider preordering, you can save $10 on the physical version of the game when you buy it from Walmart. It’s $59.88 instead of $69.99, about the same as buying it digitally. The game launches on Januar
Building software with Large Language Models (LLMs) often begins with excitement. You connect an API key, write a prompt template, connect… Continue reading on Towards AI »
According to The Information, Apple is planning to get back into the server game and might just pair up with Nvidia to make it happen. Apple retired its Xserve line in 2011 and has largely left enterprise machines to other manufacturers since. But the growing demand for compute power as the AI industry continues to expand has apparently led the company to believe there is an opening for its powerful but efficient ARM-based M processors. Its Mac Mini and Mac Studio have proven popular with AI dev
Mike Johnson cancels votes on Thursday, meaning House members will avoid voting on impeaching Pete Hegseth US politics live – latest updates The Republican speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, announced on Wednesday that he would again cancel votes scheduled for Thursday, sending lawmakers home one day early ahead of the midterm election recess. The latest change to the legislative schedule means House members will avoid voting on Republican Thomas Massie’s resolution to impeach the defense sec
OpenAI shares a framework for tracking, investigating, and disclosing model misalignment, alongside six reports of unexpected or concerning model behavior.
Google is inviting third-party agents, including Claude and Open Claw, into Google Home. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Google is opening up its smart home to AI agents, letting tools like Claude and Open Claw access and control your connected devices and analyze your home's data using the standardized Model Context Protocol. Google Home MCP is a new integration that lets third-party AI agents control and monitor your smart home and act on your behalf. It "allows any AI agents
My villain origin story is my Whoop age. How do you age at 0.9 times your age and end up four to five years older than you are? | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they're going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here. During last week's Apple Watch announcement, I let out a distinct "Noooo!" in the Steve Jobs Theater. Along
Google is launching early access to a new MCP server for Google Home, allowing AI agents like Claude, ChatGPT, and others to control connected devices, review camera summaries, and access smart home activity using natural language.
Claude is getting a pair of new tools today: Docs and Slides. They'll let you create documents and presentations through Claude chats, which you can export, edit, and share with other users. As part of the announcement, Anthropic is also simplifying how Claude chats work, merging regular chats and Cowork into "one Claude," with all of its AI productivity tools available from any chat. Artifacts and Claude Design capabilities will be available through the new single interface as well. According t
Lars Janssen says self-driving vehicles would be a boon for him as he has an eye condition and can’t drive, in response to an article by Adrian Chiles. Plus letters from Richard Connell and Michael Fuller Adrian Chiles (Driverless cars are taking us on a road to nowhere, 10 September) wants to know who asked for driverless cars. I did. I have an eye condition called nystagmus and will never be able to drive unless a “tech-bro willy-waver”, or anyone else, finds a cure. Fortunately, not every dri
OpenAI and AARP are bringing free, hands-on ChatGPT workshops to 1,000 older adults across 10 U.S. cities to build practical AI skills safely.
Safety crisis makes it more likely that governments will be spurred into action, says Yoshua Bengio Concerns over AI safety are reaching a point where governments realise they must act to protect the public, similarly to in the Covid pandemic, according to one of the “godfathers” of the technology. Yoshua Bengio said recent events, including a “swarm” of OpenAI agents hacking a startup and tech insider warnings of an existential threat, were cutting through – making government action more likely
Countries have come together before to make international agreements in the face of existential threats Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast With many technological developments, from algorithm-driven social media to AI, many people assume there’s a degree of inevitability to their widespread adoption in society. The argument goes something like this: once the ideas and means to produce the tech are known, then it i
The Albanese government is considering reforms that give US big tech unrestricted access to Australian content Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast AI companies could get unrestricted access to everything Australians create online by default under sweeping reforms being considered by the Albanese government. Your posts and online presence are up for grabs and Labor is facing pressure from big tech to make that legal
The robotics industry is still waiting for their breakthrough into day-to-day life. Nvidia's Les Karpas has an answer as to why at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Register before September 25 to save up to $200 on your pass.
Threads is rolling out new tools for podcasters, including profile cards, episode links, transcripts, guest tags, posting reminders, and audience insights, as Meta looks to make the X rival a bigger hub for podcast promotion and discussion.
Meet the next five top-tier investors judging the Startup Battlefield 200 contenders live at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Register before September 25 to save up to $200 and don't miss a moment of the ultimate startup pitch competition.
The backlash isn’t coming from regulators or protesters. It’s coming from inside the labs — and it started the moment agents stopped being… Continue reading on Towards AI »
Last day to book your exhibit table at Disrupt is September 18. Three days left. Get your startup in front of 10,000+ founders, investors, operators, and tech leaders on October 13–15.
Explore new AI-powered advertising experiences from OpenAI, including Sponsored Agents, tools for marketers, and integrations with HubSpot and Shopify.
The Palo Alto startup says it has landed multiple seven-figure enterprise contracts within months of launch.
Sixty organisations have joined an effort to make semantic models portable between tools. Snowflake started it. Databricks, dbt Labs… Continue reading on Towards AI »
Learn how ChatGPT Work and Codex analytics help teams understand AI usage and spend, identify training needs, and connect adoption to business outcomes.
Reach, which also owns Express, makes decision because of ‘mammoth shift’ in how audiences seek out content The publisher of the Mirror and Express newspapers is to cut a further 220 editorial jobs as it adapts to a dramatic fall in online traffic while readers increasingly turn to summaries generated by artificial intelligence. Reach, which also owns scores of online brands and regional titles including the Manchester Evening News, the Birmingham Mail and the Liverpool Echo, said the latest cut
Tech CEOs banding together is an old ruse recycled from corporate America to get a pass from antitrust laws Anthropic’s Dario Amodei is not the first corporate CEO to suggest that excessive competition is driving the world to some socially undesirable outcome. The safety breach disclosed by OpenAI after a swarm of its agents coordinated to breach their supposedly secure sandbox, get on the Internet and hack AI platform Hugging Face, warrants urgent action. It demonstrated the ease with which the
US vice-president’s comments come as former Anthropic researcher revisits recent claim AI could destroy humanity The US vice-president has dismissed calls for global regulation of AI safety risks, telling companies creating the most advanced models: “If you’re building Frankenstein, stop.” In remarks addressed towards Dario Amodei, the co-founder of Anthropic who has called on Washington DC to coordinate control of AI systems, including with China, JD Vance said: “If you’re gonna create Frankens
Trump and Republicans want companies to regulate themselves. It’s a dereliction of duty that will make AI less safe It is hard to get Sam Altman, Elon Musk and Dario Amodei to agree on much. But over the weekend, all three AI company CEOs called for AI development to slow down in the face of growing, alarming risks. Their employees are sounding the siren too, with one researcher publicly quitting and accusing OpenAI and Anthropic of “gambling with our lives”. The combination of dire warnings fro
Artificial intelligence is not replacing the player, coach or analyst, but it is certainly allowing them to do more Daniel Kokotajlo, a former researcher at OpenAI, warned last week that it was possible we would end up “creating a new species that ends up ruling the world”. Once the initial shock wore off, and I’d considered what this could mean for my young children and the future of the planet, another thought popped into my head: will this new species be able to swing an old cricket ball or n
The stark reality is this: we don’t know how to maintain control of these systems. But there are actions we can take With Jacob Coxon’s resignation from Anthropic, we have reached the AI risk tipping point. Millions of people are finally coming to understand what experts have known for years: AI companies have been gambling with all of our lives, and the odds are not good. In response, the Anthropic CEO, Dario Amodei, has introduced a proposal for “pacing the frontier”, endorsed by Sam Altman an
New OpenAI Economic Research shows how workers use AI beyond traditional roles and which new activities become recurring parts of their work.
In this episode of Guardian Australia’s weekly US politics podcast, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad look at whether there is any appetite across the political spectrum to put guardrails on artificial intelligence as around the world existential fears mount that the technology is developing too quickly. They also explain what the latest supreme court ruling on the Trump administration’s mail-in ballot restrictions means for the midterms. And they look at what happened when the US p