Perplexity and Nvidia have released an AI agent designed to run entirely on local hardware rather than through cloud-based inference, eliminating per-token usage charges. The system relies on on-device processing, letting users run agentic AI workflows without sending data to remote servers or paying ongoing API costs.
Threat intelligence firm SOCRadar has exposed AnonyMousKIT, a phishing-as-a-service platform active since early 2024 that automates theft of Apple Activation Lock codes needed to unlock stolen iPhones. The operation spans 506 domains and 168 reseller storefronts, and uses AI-driven voice calls impersonating Apple to trick victims into handing over unlock credentials, iCloud data, and Keychain passwords.
Apple has refreshed its Mac Mini and Mac Studio lineups, but industry-wide memory chip shortages combined with surging demand for AI computing hardware are expected to limit availability. Buyers hoping for quick access to these updated compact desktops may face delays or stock shortages in the near term.
Perplexity introduced Portable Computer, a new variant of its Personal Computer AI agent that runs entirely on a user's own machine instead of the cloud. It performs the same agentic tasks and can still connect to services like Google Drive, Gmail, Slack and GitHub, but keeps files, models and processing local unless a task specifically requires going online.
Startup Keenable, founded by former Yandex search executive Andrey Styskin and AI scientist Matthias Petri, has emerged from stealth with $26 million in seed funding led by Accel, with participation from Conviction Partners and angel investors. The company has built a search index spanning over 100 billion documents designed specifically for AI systems rather than human users, and its API is already being used by AI labs and inference providers for training and live retrieval, including a new partnership with voice AI company Gradium.
Perplexity has released Portable Computer, a version of its agentic 'Computer' platform designed to run entirely on local hardware, starting with Nvidia's DGX Spark desktop and Linux machines with RTX GPUs. The system keeps models, files, and processing on-device by default, only asking permission to route individual steps to cloud-based frontier models when needed, meaning local tasks incur no billing credits.
In an interview, OpenAI product lead Thibault Sottiaux explained that ChatGPT Work is meant to extend the capabilities of its Codex coding agent to non-technical, white-collar users. He said the product was bundled into the existing $20 Plus plan to make AI agent tools accessible to as broad an audience as possible, framing the effort as repackaging technical agent infrastructure into something safer and simpler for everyday use on mobile and web.
Deloitte surveyed 501 senior business leaders driving AI strategy and found most companies remain stuck testing or expanding AI agents rather than running them at scale. Just 15% have achieved orchestrated multi-agent deployments across functions like customer service, IT and engineering, while 42% are still testing small numbers of agents and 43% are expanding pilots.
Autostep, a San Francisco startup building a desktop app that identifies repetitive, costly tasks inside companies and recommends fixes via AI agents or process changes, is expanding its team. The company is recruiting AI and fullstack engineers along with a Chief of Staff as it scales its product. Autostep is part of Y Combinator's current batch and has backing from Neo and executives tied to companies like Cognition, Vanta, and OneTrust.
Microsoft has shipped the first official release of the Agent Lightning Skill, a tool that helps coding agents systematically improve other AI agents. Users supply an editable agent and a benchmark, and the skill guides iterative changes to prompts, tools, workflows, models, and reasoning settings. It installs directly into Claude Code, Codex, or GitHub Copilot via a simple CLI command.
A commentary piece argues that AI coding assistants primarily benefit developers with years of pre-AI experience, since expertise built through manual coding provides the judgment needed to supervise and correct AI output. Newer developers, by contrast, are being pushed to rely on these tools without having built the foundational skills required to use them safely and effectively, creating what the author calls a paradox where novices need expert-level skills to keep pace.
OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Work, a $20/month product adapted from its Codex coding tool, aimed at giving white-collar workers—not just software engineers—access to AI agents that can autonomously complete multistep tasks. To function effectively, the tool requires deep access to users' digital lives, including email, Slack, phone data and apps like Notion and Figma, as demonstrated by OpenAI's own lead engineer who granted it broad control over his accounts.