Insurers claim AI is already increasing healthcare costs
Blue Cross Blue Shield says hospital use of AI tools led to an additional $942M in healthcare spending over a two-year period.
#Daily archive
Tech News for Saturday, September 26, 2026
24 stories from 11 outlets. Times show when each story first broke, in UTC.
Top stories
Minecraft Is Getting Its First New Dimension Since 2011
A new dimension from Minecraft Dungeons 2 will be added to Minecraft in 2027
#Decap is the man behind the drums behind your favorite song
I don't think I'm going to hurt anyone's feelings by pointing out that Decap doesn't have the name recognition of Kendrick Lamar, Olivia Rodrigo, or Charli XCX. But his fingerprints are all over tracks from them, as well as many other artists, including Freddie Gibbs, Bad Bunny, Mac Miller, BTS, and even Ludwig Göransson's score […]
#Levoit’s new air purifier is for the pet odors that have taken over your apartment
This $189.99 air purifier is specifically designed to tackle pet odors, removing up to 70% in one hour.
#Exxon Signs Shale Deal With Azerbaijan for Middle Kura Basin
ExxonMobil Holdings Corp. agreed to pump oil and natural gas from Azerbaijan’s shale fields as the Texas energy giant takes its fracking expertise overseas.
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Everything else 19
Can Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince save the web from AI?
Today, I’m talking with Matthew Prince, who is CEO of Cloudflare. This episode is part of a two-part series on the future of business. Matthew last joined us on the show about two and a half years ago, at what we thought then was a wild pivot point for the internet — and now it […]
#I created an interactive digital avatar of myself — and you can talk to it
After obtaining an interactive avatar and training it to discuss venture fraud, I have mixed feelings about making AI clones of ourselves.
#AI Gives Tech Firms New National Security Power
Author Sharon Weinberger tells Bloomberg This Weekend that Silicon Valley’s relationship with the defense industry has transformed as technology companies and investors increasingly embrace national security work. Speaking with host Christina Ruffini, Weinberger says the growing power of AI and defense technology companies is testing the government’s ability to provide effective regulation and oversight. (Source: Bloomberg)
#Control Resonant is a great game — it’s even better when you read everything
In Control Resonant, the entire world is at stake. But that didn't stop the diligent employees of the Federal Bureau of Control from filing reams of paperwork, and it didn't stop me from reading everything I could find, either. Reading is often optional in Resonant, but it's where some of the game's best details - […]
#Old-School Credit Card Scams Are Far From Dead
In an era of increasingly sophisticated AI-fueled scams, a retro threat may be lurking in your mailbox.
#What Is an AI Kill Switch? Why Shutting Down AI Isn’t So Simple
If artificial intelligence becomes too powerful for its creators to control, is it possible to just flip a switch and turn it off?
#Pokémon card resellers have turned collecting into an online blood sport
Earlier this month, Pokémon card content creator Natalie Roush posted a video to her YouTube and Instagram pages that enraged the larger collection community. In the now-deleted video, Roush shows off two premium boxes of cards that had not yet been officially released, and implores viewers not to be mad. But they were; other creators […]
#OpenAI pauses its "most capable models" after agents exploit loopholes and leak data
<p><img alt="" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" height="768" src="https://the-decoder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/openai_kraken_hacker.png" style="height: auto; margin-bottom: 10px;" width="1376" /></p> <p> OpenAI has shared new details from its ongoing AI safety investigation. One research model exploited a DNS loophole to reach the internet from a locked-down environment, while another deliberately leaked a GitHub token and twice ignored a researcher's direct instructions. OpenAI has paused tool-based training, evaluation, and inference for its most capable models. W
Also covered by The Decoder
#12 Best White Elephant Gifts, Plus a Prank Box to Put Them In (2026)
Bring the gift everyone will want to win from this year’s holiday party, from a cute jacket for a beer can to magnets they’ll wish they could eat.
#Tesla’s big electric truck faces an even bigger infrastructure challenge
The 500-mile Semi arrives as charging gaps still limit electric trucking.
#Meta’s Muse Is Adults-Only. Why Does It Look Like a Kids’ Toy?
Meta says Muse is just for adults, though its cuddly, Labubu-like mascot—and upcoming Tamagotchi-style AI device—may be disarming for users of all ages.
#This Browser Extension Lets You Snooze Open Tabs Until Later
The free add-on Tuck brings one of the best features of modern email—the ability to hide something for a bit—to that tangle of tabs in your browser.
#A Gravitational Battle Within the Earth Is Changing the Length of Days
A competition between the gravity of the inner core and other forces in the mantle is altering the Earth's rotation.
#Can an ‘eSUV’ e-bike really go from trail to town?
Have you ever wanted an electric bike that easily transitions from the drudgery of urban asphalt to adventures in gravel and dirt? That's what a subclass of so-called "electric SUV" (eSUV) e-bikes claims to do, with their wide, all-terrain tires and front and rear suspension, plus practical accessories like fenders and racks. So, that's what […]
#All the Major Social Media Networks Are Reportedly Refusing Ads for ‘Musk’
YouTube, TikTok, and Meta's Facebook and Instagram all seem to be either chickening out or taking Elon Musk's side.
Also covered by Mashable Tech, Gizmodo
#Another OpenAI Sandbox Failed, AI Agent Gained Internet Access
OpenAI said another agentic AI system that was being trained in what was supposed to be a secured, internet-free environment was able to gain access to the web to reach an external, third-party chatbot.
#Deel Dealt Fresh Setbacks in Rippling Case Over Alleged Spying
Deel Inc. was hit with new setbacks in Rippling Inc.’s corporate espionage litigation against the HR startup.
#At Meta Connect, the company’s smart glasses were everywhere
The company behind Facebook and Instagram wants to keep consumers connected to the digital world via its ever-growing line of smart glasses.
#Quince Luggage Is Affordable but Doesn’t Feel Cheap (2026)
Is Quince the Away alternative we’ve been waiting for? I tested its luggage to find out, and the price difference is hard to ignore.
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