GoKawiil
Tech News
The EU has enacted the AI Act, a roughly 50,000-word, 113-article law representing the first comprehensive AI regulation worldwide. The U.S., by contrast, has no federal AI law, instead relying on executive orders, agency guidance from bodies like NIST and the FTC, and a rapidly growing number of state laws, which more than doubled from 49 in 2023 to 131 in 2024.
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.
Nvidia has released an upgraded version of DLSS Ray Reconstruction, version 4.5, which is now live in 30 supported games. The update refines how ray-traced lighting and denoising are handled, aiming to reduce visual artifacts and improve image stability during gameplay.
A Harvard Business School analysis led by Professor Mark Egan finds that interchange fees baked into retail prices generate about $9.2 billion annually in net rewards for affluent credit card users, while cash and debit customers pay the same higher prices but receive little or none of that money back. Across the broader economy, the researchers estimate roughly $30 billion moves each year from cash and debit users to credit card users at the same stores.
New testing of robotic pool vacuums shows that suction strength, measured in gallons of water pulled through per hour, matters less than how efficiently a robot navigates and targets debris. This year's test batch included models with AI-powered cameras and sensors that detect debris and redirect the robot toward it, a first for these tests. Corded models like the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus generally outperformed cordless ones like the Aiper Scuba V3 due to continuous power for repeated cleaning cycles.
OpenAI removed a network of ChatGPT accounts traced to Russia after investigating AI-generated social media posts that led to a wider covert influence operation. The campaign centered on a website featuring plagiarized academic content and a 'sovereignty index' favorable to Russia, with operators using VPNs to mask their location since OpenAI blocks access within Russia.
Japan's Yasaka Shrine has logged the freezing patterns of Lake Suwa since 1443 as a religious divination, treating pressure ridges in the ice as the mythical crossing of a Shinto god. On February 4, 2026, the shrine again declared no crossing had occurred, extending an unbroken run of absences to eight winters — the longest such gap on record, matching one from 1507 to 1514 under an older definition.
CD Projekt Red will spend Gamescom week showcasing Songs of the Past, a new Witcher 3 expansion co-developed with Fools Theory that matches Blood and Wine in scope with roughly 30 hours of content. The studio also confirmed The Witcher 4, centered on Ciri instead of Geralt, is targeting a 2028 release, though executives hedged on the timeline.
Samsung has pushed a sixth One UI 9 beta to Galaxy S26 devices, an 851MB update carrying the August 5, 2026 security patch under firmware ZZHE. It fixes display glitches affecting the Now Brief widget, home screen, and camera widgets, plus a photo-saving bug in Expert RAW 24MP mode at certain focal lengths. The update is currently rolling out in Germany, India, Poland, the UK, and South Korea, with US availability expected soon.
Scientists led by James Quach have demonstrated a quantum battery that exploits 'superabsorption,' a collective quantum effect where molecules synchronize their energy absorption rather than acting independently. This causes the charging rate to increase as more molecules are added, defying the classical expectation that each unit absorbs energy at a fixed, independent rate.
Optoma's GT2400HDR is a short-throw laser projector priced under $1,300, positioned as an affordable option for home golf simulator setups compared to 4K projectors costing $5,000 or more. It runs continuously for up to 30,000 hours without a bulb, stays cool during use, carries an IP6X dust rating, and weighs under 7 pounds for easy repositioning.
A longtime Spotify subscriber says the company canceled his legacy Premium Duo plan in July, citing a payment issue despite no changes on his end, after already phasing out the Duo tier in India months earlier. He suspects Spotify was quietly pushing users onto pricier plans, and in response he tried YouTube Music's free trial bundled with YouTube Premium, finding its app and recommendations surprisingly solid.