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OpenAI unveiled Dots, an AI agent powered by GPT-6 Astra, at its DevDay conference, positioning it as a direct competitor to Meta's free Muse agent platform. Unlike Muse, which is available to any Meta account holder via a free virtual machine, Dots is limited to OpenAI's $20/month Pro plan and above, excluding most of ChatGPT's reported 1.2 billion users.
MetaMask disclosed an ongoing security incident affecting part of its infrastructure and said it is working with external partners to address it, while maintaining there is no immediate threat to user wallets. As a precaution, MetaMask Staking is exiting affected Ethereum validators from its non-custodial staking operations, a move confirmed by Lido Finance, which said relevant validators would be exited by October 7, 2026.
WhatsApp has extended its parental control system, previously limited to pre-teen accounts, to teen accounts as well. The update lets parents receive alerts about group activity, set rules for Channels and Status visibility, and choose between a standard or 'Limited Content' version of Meta AI for their teen's account.
WhatsApp announced new parental controls that let parents restrict who can see a teen's profile photo, invite them to groups, or message them, along with limits on channels and status updates. The controls also extend to Meta AI's chatbot, offering a restricted mode for younger users, and require a single parent-set PIN to activate. WhatsApp says personal messages and calls remain private even from parents who enable the controls.
Meta Platforms stock closed at $725.18 on Wednesday, up 27% from $572.34 at the end of August, marking its strongest monthly performance since November 2022. The rally followed the September 8 launch of Muse, Meta's personal AI agent app, which topped ChatGPT in Apple iOS downloads, and was reinforced by announcements at Meta's Connect conference and the hiring of former MongoDB CEO CJ Desai to lead a new enterprise AI unit.
FCC listings have surfaced for two Samsung smart glasses models, reportedly tied to its partnerships with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. The filings show model numbers SM-O200J and SM-O200P, each with several additional variant numbers, according to Droid Life.
Sensor Tower reports Meta's agentic AI assistant Muse has surpassed 5 million downloads roughly three weeks after its US launch, faster than ChatGPT, Grok, or Claude reached the same milestone. The app, which can browse the web and perform tasks like booking travel or sending emails, has held the top spot on the US App Store for 12 consecutive days.
OpenAI introduced Dots, a new autonomous agent that proactively scans the web and completes tasks, unveiling it at its DevDay conference before over 2,500 attendees. A tech journalist tested a personalized version, which she named Toolie, comparing its abilities to Meta's similar agent, Muse, by having it draft emails, suggest travel plans, and review notes.
The New York Times reported that Meta has been securing tax credits and incentives from local governments to help finance construction of its AI-focused data centers. The report characterizes this practice as controversial, noting that taxpayers are effectively subsidizing part of the infrastructure build-out for a highly profitable company.
Amid buzz around Meta's Muse assistant, OpenAI's Dots, and the $10 billion-valued Instinct, an Andreessen Horowitz report citing PNC research shows consumer willingness to pay for AI services remains low. As of May, only about 2.2% of consumers were paying for AI products, with spending growing slowly despite improving model capabilities.
Meta VP Andy Stone rejected a journalist's claim, reported by Inc.'s Jason Aten, that its Muse AI agent accessed a user's private Messages without permission. Stone said the Messages integration in Muse for Mac is opt-in, requiring users to separately enable Full Disk Access and a Messages connector. Meta Superintelligence Labs executive David Singleton added that three layers of app- and macOS-level permissions must be explicitly granted before Muse can read messages.
At its annual developer conference, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced several new products, including an always-on AI agent called Dots designed to complete tasks proactively for users. The announcement came a day after OpenAI paused release of a separate, more advanced model due to safety concerns raised by its researchers. Altman also unveiled GPT-6.1 Sol and a premium 'Ultrafast' speed tier.