🤖 AI News Digest
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
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Tesla rejected $60 million settlement in Autopilot case that ultimately cost it 4 times that amount
<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com...
Technology continues to evolve rapidly....
📰 Today's Digest
Google Translate takes on Duolingo with new language learning tools
Translate is also getting new live capabilities to make it easier to communicate in real time with a person speaking a different language.

CRKD’s $99 Peak Design clone is great for handhelds
<figure> <img alt="An image showing the side zipper of the CRKD Vortex 1.0 backpack opened, revealing a Steam Deck and Switch 2 ...
Meta to spend tens of millions on pro-AI super PAC
Meta's new PAC signals an intent to influence statewide elections, including the next governor’s race in 2026.

Google will now let everyone use its AI-powered video editor Vids
<figure> <img alt="A screenshot of Vids." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: Google" data-has-syndication-rights="1" ...

OpenAI will add parental controls for ChatGPT following teen’s death
<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com...
Anthropic settles AI book-training lawsuit with authors
Anthropic has settled a class action lawsuit with a group of fiction and non-fiction authors, as announced in a filing on Tuesday with the Ninth Circu...

Google Pixel 10 Pro review: AI, Qi2, and a spec bump too
<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="Not a perfect ten but pretty damn good." data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights...

Brisk It’s beginner-friendly smart smoker is more than $100 off for Labor Day
<figure> <img alt="The Brisk It Zelos-450 smart electric pellet smoker on a patio." data-caption="The Zelos 450 is currently $12...
Google Vids adds AI avatars to its video editor and launches a consumer version
Google is launching a free consumer version of its video editor Vids that will be available without any AI-powered features.
The Boring Company is finally testing Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ in its Las Vegas tunnels
It may seem like a great place to test Tesla's driver assistance tech, but the underground convention center shuttle program will stay human-driven fo...
Malaysia’s SkyeChip unveils the country’s first edge AI processor
The Southeast Asian country reaches an AI milestone as it looks to become a more competitive player in the global AI race.
The 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 is here — see who made the cut
We’re thrilled to unveil the 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 — TechCrunch’s annual, handpicked list of the 200 most promising early-stage startups from a...
Junior Peña, neutrino hunter
<p>Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, Junior Peña learned to keep his eyes down and his schedule full. In his neighborhood, a glance could invi...
The Download: introducing: the Security issue
<p><em>This is today’s edition of <a href="https://forms.technologyreview.com/newsletters/briefing-the-download/?_ga=2.179569122.736533416.1649...
OpenCUA’s open source computer-use agents rival proprietary models from OpenAI and Anthropic
<img width="578" height="385" src="https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/computer-use-agent.jpg?w=578" class="attachment-single-feed size...
Job titles of the future: Satellite streak astronomer
<p>Earlier this year, the $800 million Vera Rubin Observatory commenced its decade-long quest to create an extremely detailed time-lapse movie of the...
Unlocking enterprise agility in the API economy
<p>Across industries, enterprises are increasingly adopting an on-demand approach to compute, storage, and applications. They are favoring digital se...
AWS, Microsoft and Google unite behind Linux Foundation DocumentDB database to cut enterprise costs and limit vendor lock-in
<img width="578" height="325" src="https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/microsoft_aws_goog_documentdb-smk.png?w=578" class="attachment-s...
Busted by the em dash — AI’s favorite punctuation mark, and how it’s blowing your cover
<img width="578" height="324" src="https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Sun-DDM.png?w=578" class="attachment-single-feed size-single-fee...
How procedural memory can cut the cost and complexity of AI agents
<img width="578" height="385" src="https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/llm-agent-memory.jpg?w=578" class="attachment-single-feed size-s...

Video Games Weekly: Climbing games are so hot right now
<p style="text-align:left;"><em>Welcome to Video Games Weekly on Engadget. Expect a new story every Monday or Tuesday, broken into two parts. The firs...
Anthropic admits its AI is being used to conduct cybercrime
<p>Anthropic’s agentic AI, <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://claude.ai/login?returnTo=%2F%3F"><ins>Claude</ins></a>, has been "weaponized...
Google Pixel 10 review: The new smartphone standard
<p>Google marked the tenth generation of Pixels <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/everything-announced-at-...
Best Window Air Conditioners 2025: 11 Picks to Cool You for Years
These WIRED-tested AC units have been lodged into our windows and cooling our homes for months, if not years.
SpaceX Starship Finally Pulls Off a Successful Test Flight
After being postponed twice—and after multiple failed attempts—Starship’s 10th test flight was a success.
Google Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL Review
Google's trio of 10th-generation Pixels is better than ever, but there's an off-putting dose of generative Al.

With AI chatbots, Big Tech is moving fast and breaking people
<p>Allan Brooks, a 47-year-old corporate recruiter, spent three weeks and 300 hours convinced he'd discovered mathematica...

High-severity WinRAR 0-day exploited for weeks by 2 groups
<p>A high-severity zero-day in the widely used WinRAR file compressor is under active exploitation by two Russian cybercr...

Why it’s a mistake to ask chatbots about their mistakes
<p>When something goes wrong with an AI assistant, our instinct is to ask it directly: "What happened?" or "Why did you d...

College student’s “time travel” AI experiment accidentally outputs real 1834 history
<p>A hobbyist developer building AI language models that speak Victorian-era English "just for fun" got an unexpected his...
A failure of security systems at PayPal is causing concern for German banks
Discussion: A failure of security systems at PayPal is causing concern for German banks

TikTok Shop, Amazon, and other marketplaces hosted antisemitic T-shirts
<figure> <img alt="A T-shirt with a blurred out design." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1...

Bye-bye barrel jack: Framework brings 240W USB-C charging to laptops
<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com...

Framework is now selling the first gaming laptop that lets you easily upgrade its GPU — with Nvidia’s blessing
<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com...

Dyson’s 360 Vis Nav, our favorite robot vacuum for carpets, is half off
<figure> <img alt="The Dyson 360 Vis Nav against a pink background." data-caption="Dyson’s 360 Vis Nav is $500 off." data-porta...

Apple’s iPhone 17 launch event is set for September 9th
<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge" data-has-syndication-rights="1...
After falling behind in generative AI, IBM and AMD look to quantum for an edge
As IBM and AMD look to regain ground after falling behind on the generative AI boom, the move could position them as key infrastructure players in a f...
Apple is holding its iPhone 17 event on September 9
Along with the iPhones, Apple will likely have updated the Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 would be a notable update...

The Trump administration promised a fourth wireless carrier — America got a hot mess instead
<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com...

EVs are getting a temporary Trump bump thanks to expiring incentives
<figure> <img alt="illustration of EVs" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge" data-has-syndic...

Microsoft expands Xbox Cloud Gaming to Game Pass Core and Standard subscribers
<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com...
Terraton wants to be the McDonald’s of biochar
Terraton sees promise in biochar, but the technology has struggled to scale. The startup thinks a franchise model could be what unlocks biochar's pote...
US sanctions fraud network used by North Korean ‘remote IT workers’ to seek jobs and steal money
Treasury officials say the North Korea government used the fraud network to generate money for the regime's nuclear weapons program.
MIT is worth fighting for
<p>As I write in late July, we’re contending with a major tax increase on the annual returns from MIT’s endowment as well as other investments and as...
3 Things James O’Donnell is into right now
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Overthink</h3> <p>This is a <a href="https://overthinkpodcast.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://overthinkpodcas...
Anthropic launches Claude for Chrome in limited beta, but prompt injection attacks remain a major concern
<img width="578" height="324" src="https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/nuneybits_a_simple_hand-drawn_illustration_of_an_open_web_page__...
Toyota Is Recycling Old EV Batteries to Help Power Mazda's Production Line
Discussion: Toyota Is Recycling Old EV Batteries to Help Power Mazda's Production Line
Object-oriented design patterns in C and kernel development
Discussion: Object-oriented design patterns in C and kernel development
The revived Acclaim will reveal its 2026 lineup in a September 10 showcase
<p>Acclaim Entertainment, a big name in licensed games in the '90s, is "returning." (Although, much like <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" hre...
South Korea bans smartphones in all middle and elementary school classrooms
<p>South Korean lawmakers have banned smartphones and other smart devices in elementary and middle school classrooms, <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href...
The Era of AI-Generated Ransomware Has Arrived
Cybercriminals are increasingly using generative AI tools to fuel their attacks, with new research finding instances of AI being used to develop ranso...
The Magic Phrase Behind Donald Trump’s Power Grab
The Trump administration frequently invokes the president’s priorities to justify its actions—regardless of whether they align with the law.
This Is the Group That's Been Swatting US Universities
WIRED spoke to a self-proclaimed leader of an online group called Purgatory, which charged as little as $20 to call in fake threats against schools.

OpenAI brings back GPT-4o after user revolt
<p>On Tuesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman <a href="https://x.com/sama/status/1955438916645130740">announced</a> that GPT-4o ha...

OpenAI admits ChatGPT safeguards fail during extended conversations
<p>OpenAI <a href="https://openai.com/index/helping-people-when-they-need-it-most/">published</a> a blog post on Tuesday ...

Google is building a Duolingo rival into the Translate app
<figure> <img alt="An image showing a lesson in the Google Translate app." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syn...

EA’s free-to-play Skate revival hits early access in September
<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com...

Dish gives up on becoming the fourth major wireless carrier
<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com...
Not so fast: German court says Apple can’t call Watch carbon neutral
Apple's carbon neutral claims are undermined by the short-term nature of carbon credits used to support them, the court said.
DOGE uploaded live copy of Social Security database to ‘vulnerable’ cloud server, says whistleblower
The Social Security Administration's chief data officer has publicly blown the whistle, alleging DOGE put hundreds of millions of Social Security reco...

Kwikset’s new locks point to a smarter, more open future for your front door
<figure> <img alt="A door with a smart lock and silver handleset is partially open into a living room." data-caption="Kwikset’s ...

Disney sues Sling TV over its one-day cable passes
<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com...

Microsoft’s employee protests have reached a boiling point
<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="A protest at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. | Image: The Verge, No Azure f...
Here are the 33 US AI startups that have raised $100M or more in 2025
Last year was monumental for the AI industry in the U.S. and beyond. How will 2025 compare?
Mirror founder Brynn Putnam to unveil her gaming hardware startup at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
Seven years after unveiling Mirror at TechCrunch Disrupt 2018, Brynn Putnam is returning to the stage where it all began.
Plaud launches a new AI hardware notetaker, the $179 Note Pro
Plaud.ai launches its new Plaud Note Pro hardware notetaker with better mics and recording range.
Pixel 10 Pro review: Familiar hardware, filled with Google’s AI
Ivan Mehta has been using the Pixel 10 Pro for the last few days, Google's latest device with a new, brighter screen, more RAM, and a pro camera.
Reimagining sound and space
<p>On a typical afternoon, MIT’s new Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building hums with life. On the fourth floor, a jazz combo works through a set in a...
Developers lose focus 1,200 times a day — how MCP could change that
<img width="578" height="324" src="https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Sun-DDM.webp?w=578" class="attachment-single-feed size-single-fe...
AI comes for the job market, security, and prosperity: The Debrief
<p>When I picked up my daughter from summer camp, we settled in for an eight-hour drive through the Appalachian mountains, heading from North Carolin...
This website lets you blind-test GPT-5 vs. GPT-4o—and the results may surprise you
<img width="578" height="324" src="https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/nuneybits_Vector_art_of_blindfolded_user_choosing_chatbots_5c927...
India is still working on sewer robots
<p>When Jitender was a child in New Delhi, both his parents worked as manual scavengers—a job that involved clearing the city’s sewers of solid waste...
The AI Hype Index: AI-designed antibiotics show promise
<p>Separating AI reality from hyped-up fiction isn’t always easy. That’s why we’ve created the AI Hype Index—a simple, at-a-glance summary of everyth...
Enterprise leaders say recipe for AI agents is matching them to existing processes — not the other way around
<img width="578" height="324" src="https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GSK-Block.png?w=578" class="attachment-single-feed size-single-f...
Gemini Nano Banana improves image editing consistency and control at scale for enterprises – but is not perfect
<img width="578" height="324" src="https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/crimedy7_illustration_of_robots_doing_a_photoshoot_in_a_studi_93...
Salesforce builds ‘flight simulator’ for AI agents as 95% of enterprise pilots fail to reach production
<img width="578" height="324" src="https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/nuneybits_Vector_art_of_flight_simulator_2fe904c7-ec70-4360-bdf8...
Lago – Open-Source Usage Based Billing – Is Hiring in Sales, Eng, Ops (EU, US)
Discussion: Lago – Open-Source Usage Based Billing – Is Hiring in Sales, Eng, Ops (EU, US)
Malicious versions of Nx and some supporting plugins were published
See also:<p><a href="https://www.stepsecurity.io/blog/supply-chain-security-alert-popular-nx-build-system-package-compromised-with...
The new Return to Silent Hill trailer gives us our first look at Pyramid Head
<p>Nearly three years on from its original announcement, <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/return-to-silent-hil...
MasterClass memberships are 50 percent off for Labor Day
<p>If you want to brush up on some skills or learn new ones, <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:MasterClass;elmt:;cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://sh...
The best Labor Day sales for 2025: Save up to $500 on tech from Apple, Anker, Dyson, Shark and others
<p><a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/labor-day-sales/">Labor Day</a> may bring about the unofficial end to summer, but on the...
Google Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL review: Redefining the smart in smartphone
<p>In the ‘90s, the term “<a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Xd6HDE5wUIoC&pg=PA278#v=onepage&q&f=false">s...
The PS Plus monthly games for September include Psychonauts 2 and Stardew Valley
<p>A new month is almost upon us, which means Sony is about to drop some fresh games that all PlayStation Plus members can keep in their collection as...
Elehear Beyond Pro Review: Big Hearing Aids
With this update, Elehear doubles down on one of the largest hearing aid designs on the market.
7 Best OLED TVs (2025): Sony, LG, Samsung, and More
Looking to step up to the TV big leagues? These are the best OLED TVs you can buy.
Save 20 Percent on Our Favorite Android Earbuds
The Nothing Ear (a) are svelte and elegant, with great sound quality and a more compelling price than ever
PopSockets PopCase Kindle Hands-On (2025): Easy Reading
No more DIY additions to get a PopSockets on your Kindle: The PopCase Kindle makes it easy to add any grip onto the case’s built-in MagSafe ring.

Is the AI bubble about to pop? Sam Altman is prepared either way.
<p>Last Thursday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told reporters at a private dinner that investors are overexcited about AI models...

The GPT-5 rollout has been a big mess
<p>It's been less than a week since the launch of OpenAI's new <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/08/openai-launche...

Is AI really trying to escape human control and blackmail people?
<p>In June, <a href="https://fortune.com/2025/06/29/ai-lies-schemes-threats-stress-testing-claude-openai-chatgpt/">headli...

Senator castigates federal judiciary for ignoring “basic cybersecurity”
<p>US Senator Ron Wyden accused the federal judiciary of “negligence and incompetence” following a recent hack, reportedl...
💡 AI Insights
Tech stocks up 3% following AI announcements
Consumer sentiment shifting toward AR/VR technologies
Cybersecurity concerns dominating tech discussions
Startup funding reaches quarterly high in AI sector
Next update: 4:00 PM EST | Last update: 12:00 PM EST