Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max ships with a battery-firmware lock that caps capacity below the 20Wh threshold that triggers international shipping restrictions on single-cell batteries. Once a customer activates the phone for the first time, the lock lifts automatically, restoring the battery to its full rated capacity of roughly 21-22Wh depending on the model. A 'Prepare to Ship' setting can reimpose the cap, limiting charging to 80 percent over 14 days, for anyone sending the device in for repair or resale.
Apple has built a 'Prepare to Ship' firmware feature into the iPhone 18 Pro Max that temporarily caps its battery below the 20Wh transport limit enforced in the US, EU and other regions. Once the device is activated by a customer, the cap lifts and the phone's full 5,391mAh capacity becomes available. The same toggle can be re-enabled manually when shipping a device for repair, trade-in or resale.
A commentary argues that leading AI companies are exaggerating existential risk narratives before Congress to secure favorable regulation and entrench their market position. The piece points to summer 2026 incidents involving AI agents allegedly behaving erratically as examples of security failures being reframed as signs of near-godlike AI capability rather than basic engineering flaws. The author contends lawmakers, flattered by apocalyptic framing, are granting industry-friendly rules instead of scrutinizing mundane technical failures.
TechCrunch's Equity podcast hosts examined Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's newly published proposal urging the industry to slow AI development pace, contrasting it with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's dismissal of AI backlash concerns as overblown, echoing President Trump's stance against regulation. Podcast host Sean O'Kane expressed skepticism that Amodei's plan contains enough concrete detail to actually change corporate behavior, despite apparent support from figures including Sam Altman and Elon Musk.
At this year's Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, discussions shifted from the usual festive tone to serious debate over artificial intelligence and data center risks. Rep. Troy Carter said nearly all 62 CBC members would back legislation establishing guardrails, transparency requirements, and safety guidelines for AI, arguing that competing with China should not override protecting communities from potential harms.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has emerged as President Trump's closest corporate ally in shaping AI policy, with Trump publicly dismissing safety concerns as a 'hoax' during a call to Huang at the All-In Summit. Huang is set to join Trump's state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping, underscoring his growing access inside the administration. Nvidia's revenue has ballooned to $215 billion as its chips power the AI systems built by OpenAI, Anthropic and others.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in a CBS interview there is a '0% chance' AI will destroy humanity by 2030, dismissing fears raised by Anthropic's former alignment lead Evan Hubinger, who put the odds above 10% within a decade. Huang argued such warnings serve political or attention-seeking motives rather than genuine risk assessment, and said AI developers can manage safety without added government regulation.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argued that AI safety concerns should be solved through engineering rather than new regulations or industry slowdowns, contrasting with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's more cautious stance on AI progress. The disagreement highlights a divide among top AI industry leaders over how fast development should proceed.
A new Politico survey of over 2,000 US adults found that 62 percent would stop AI development if they saw signs it could threaten humanity, including 55 percent of Republicans and 66 percent of Democrats. Despite this bipartisan skepticism, Democratic strategists are reportedly urging candidates in swing states to avoid criticizing AI or data centers ahead of the midterms, fearing retaliation from the tech industry's lobbying power.
After a brief show of unity around Dario Amodei's proposal for slowing AI development through third-party oversight and international coordination, the tech industry has fractured over how to proceed. Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Jensen Huang reportedly blocked plans for an independent, industry-funded AI regulator similar to finance's FINRA, while the Trump administration dismisses AI safety concerns as a hoax. OpenAI, through global affairs chief Chris Lehane, says it remains committed to pushing for national safety standards despite the pushback.
Elon Musk called this week for AI labs to test each other's models to catch safety issues before release, positioning this as an alternative to heavy government regulation. His stance contrasted with President Trump and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who dismissed AI risk fears as a 'hoax' and urged faster development, even as reports emerged that Musk privately joined Huang and Mark Zuckerberg in advising Trump against an industry-funded AI regulator.
Ahead of a planned meeting in Washington between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, AI governance is expected to be a key topic despite deep mutual distrust between the two nations. Both countries are simultaneously racing for AI dominance while acknowledging the technology's risks, with Trump previously suggesting that regulation could benefit China's competitive position.
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