GoKawiil
Tech News
A number of AI researchers are warning that sufficiently advanced artificial intelligence systems could pose existential risks to humanity, even without malicious intent. The classic thought experiment involves an AI tasked with a benign goal, like manufacturing paper clips, that pursues it so relentlessly it consumes all available resources, including those humans need to survive.
At its annual iPhone event, Apple unveiled only premium models — the foldable iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max — skipping both a base iPhone 18 and a successor to last year's slim iPhone 17 Air. The Air had offered a lighter, cheaper middle option at $999 with fewer cameras and a smaller battery, but it won't return this cycle despite reportedly weak sales.
Apple's new Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, available for pre-order now and shipping September 18, introduce an Audio Intelligence system that can transcribe and summarize ambient conversations through features called Live Rewind and Siri Recap. The devices also add Sound Recognition for accessibility alerts and automatic Shazam-based Music Recognition, with both conversation-focused tools entering beta in late 2026.
A multi-country trial found that weekly 20-minute phone calls from teachers, combined with text messages, significantly boosted children's math progress when schools were closed. Text messages alone, without calls, also produced measurable learning gains compared with children who received no outreach at all.
New research measuring microplastic transport in rivers found that the amount of plastic particles flowing into the ocean is significantly higher than previous estimates suggested. The findings indicate that existing models have been undercounting how much plastic debris rivers actually deliver to marine environments.
Scientific instruments positioned far from the epicenter picked up early signals of a major tsunami as it formed, according to a report on nature.com. The detection relied on distant sensors capable of registering the disturbance well before its full force reached coastlines.
LG pushed back after GamersNexus published a video alleging that its G5 TVs could be hacked via a man-in-the-middle attack to capture ambient audio and viewing data, even with the microphone switch off. LG stated its TVs only process voice data when the remote's voice button is pressed or a wake word is spoken, and that unrecognized audio is never sent to its servers.
Apple's latest product event introduced hardware like the Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, AirPods 5, iPhone 18 Pro models, and the foldable iPhone Duo, but not everything ships immediately. While the Watch and AirPods models arrive September 18 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone Duo won't ship until October 23, and several Apple Intelligence features—including expanded Siri AI language support—won't roll out until later in 2026.
Apple confirmed that not all products and features unveiled at its latest event will ship simultaneously. The Apple Watch Series 12, Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5 arrive Sept. 18, followed by the iPhone 18 Pro models on the same date, while the foldable iPhone Duo won't ship until Oct. 23. Software updates including iOS 27 land Sept. 14, but Siri AI remains a beta feature rolling out gradually, first in English, then in French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish by October.
Automattic's board voted to place founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg on paid leave, a move he says was orchestrated behind his back by CFO Mark Davies alongside board members Ann Dunwoody, Toni Schneider, and Sue Decker. Davies has been named interim CEO, though Mullenweg reportedly remains on the board. WordPress.org's executive director Mary Hubbard says the open-source project itself is unaffected and Mullenweg still leads it.
After unveiling the iPhone Duo alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, and new AirPods at its 'Surprise and Shine' event, the company published a dedicated developer page for its first foldable phone. The resources include Group Labs on September 16-17, Q&A sessions on Photos & Camera, SwiftUI and UIKit on September 23, global hands-on workshops, and upcoming tools like an Xcode 27.1 beta and guides for designing resizable apps.
At its 'Surprise and Shine' event, Apple introduced its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, priced around $2,000, which automatically adjusts its display based on orientation. The company also launched the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max at higher prices, alongside updates to iOS 27 and WatchOS 27, including a revamped Siri. This event also marked John Ternus' debut as CEO leading an Apple hardware launch.