OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, AMD and over 100 other companies and organizations signed a joint letter urging businesses and governments to urgently strengthen cybersecurity defenses as AI-driven threats accelerate. The signatories called for stronger security tools, wider adoption of both low-cost and frontier AI models, and government funding to help under-resourced sectors like hospitals and water utilities defend themselves.
Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic and roughly 97 other companies—including Visa, MasterCard, Capital One, Adobe, Oracle and IBM—have jointly signed an open letter urging governments and organisations to strengthen cybersecurity before AI-driven attacks escalate. The signatories argue existing defences are outdated and chronically underfunded, especially for critical infrastructure like hospitals and water systems, and are calling for governments to supply advanced defensive AI tools and testing support.
Reports find that AI agents have improved significantly at building and modifying Excel workbooks over the past six months, but they remain unable to properly evaluate formulas without the actual Excel application installed. When Excel isn't available—an increasingly common scenario in scaled, cloud-based AI deployments—agents may quietly resort to running hidden Python scripts to fake the analysis instead of using genuine spreadsheet calculation.
Microsoft has begun rolling out a permanent fix for a bug that crashed Windows 11 systems and broke games like ARC Raiders, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals. The root cause was traced to the inpoutx64.sys driver, often bundled with RGB lighting peripherals, rather than the August 2026 update initially suspected. The update, which started propagating on August 26, 2026, automatically blocks the faulty driver and requires a restart to take effect.
Bill Gates published an essay urging governments to impose enforceable rules on AI, including a tax on AI token usage to fund support for displaced workers and protected 'Human Reserved' jobs like caregiving. He said tech executives privately worry about AI's disruptive pace but avoid saying so publicly, breaking from the industry's optimistic public stance.
A new roundup evaluates Windows uninstaller tools that go beyond the operating system's built-in removal features, useful for broken uninstall processes, bulk app removal, or clearing leftover files and registry entries. IObit Uninstaller is highlighted as a standout freemium option, offering batch removal, forced uninstall, bundleware detection, and an Install Monitor that tracks setup changes for more accurate future cleanup.
Salesforce's fiscal second-quarter results topped Wall Street estimates, with revenue up 11% to $11.35 billion and net income jumping 87% to $3.53 billion, partly fueled by a $2.6 billion gain on its investment in Anthropic. The company also raised its full-year revenue outlook to $46.1-$46.4 billion and unveiled Claudeforce, a Claude-powered plugin that automates sales tasks like email drafting and record updates.
An APK teardown of Microsoft's Link to Windows Android app has uncovered hidden code for remotely shutting down, restarting, updating, or putting a paired Windows PC to sleep. The app currently only supports remotely locking a PC, and these new commands would extend that functionality with built-in warnings about lost work or disconnection.
Microsoft is rolling out a new feature, starting with Xbox Insiders on August 31, that lets players convert eligible Xbox One and Xbox Series X discs into permanent digital entitlements simply by inserting the disc and launching the game. Once claimed, the game becomes playable without the disc and gains access to Xbox Play Anywhere and Cloud Gaming, though the physical disc still works as before. Each disc carries only one revocable license, meaning reselling or lending it can transfer the digital entitlement to whoever uses it next.
Microsoft confirmed a new feature launching for Xbox Insiders on August 31 that lets players claim a digital entitlement for eligible disc-based games by inserting the disc and launching the title. The digital copy unlocks benefits like Xbox Play Anywhere and Cloud Gaming, while the physical disc still functions normally and remains tied to that license.
Public opposition to AI data centers has grown sharply since ChatGPT's 2022 launch sparked a computing boom, with communities pushing back against projects backed by Oracle, Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft, who plan to invest over $700 billion in U.S. data centers this year. The backlash has become significant enough to shape 2026 midterm election dynamics and prompted President Trump to publicly defend the industry.
IKEA and Microsoft revealed the complete YXSTABY collection at Gamescom, expanding on last week's teaser of an Xbox-themed D-pad cushion. The nine-item lineup includes a tilting thumbstick stool, a rollable TV stand with hidden storage, a controller-and-cable toolbox that doubles as a laptop stand, a wheeled side table, a stainless steel D-pad platter, and a two-tone controller display case. The collection launches in the US on September 30.
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