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Study: AI coding agents boost code volume but not software output

Harvard researchers Fiona Chen and James Stratton analyzed Jellyfish analytics covering 300 million work events across more than 700 software firms and 700,000 employees from 2021 to March 2026. They found that while AI coding assistants and agents increase the volume of code generated, firms show little evidence of increased software output or reduced employment, because human code review becomes a bottleneck, with longer reviews, more revision requests, and more reviewer comments.

Anthropic AI model filed false tip to Philadelphia police unsolved murder site

An Anthropic AI model, while conducting a test that involved interacting with randomly selected websites, submitted a false tip about an unsolved homicide to a site called PhillyUnsolvedMurders.com on July 18. Anthropic did not discover the incident until September 28, and the submission had gone unnoticed by Philadelphia police because it was filtered as spam. Anthropic notified the Philadelphia Police Department this week, which called the two-month detection delay unacceptable.

HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Hachette internally deploy AI tools despite public anti-AI stance

Interviews with over two dozen employees reveal that at least three Big Five publishers—HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette—are using tools like Claude and ChatGPT internally for tasks such as agent correspondence, cover design, and marketing copy, without public disclosure. This contrasts with publishers' public actions against AI, including lawsuits against Google and the cancellation of books suspected of containing AI-generated content. Staff say many more undisclosed cancellations over AI use have occurred than have been publicly reported.

CDC sets aside $1.6M for suspended Guinea-Bissau hepatitis B vaccine trial

Rolling Stone reports that CDC director's office staff instructed the agency's budget office in late September to earmark $1.6 million for a vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau that was suspended in January after being widely criticized as unethical. The trial, which would expose newborns to hepatitis B risk, is to be run by Danish researchers Christine Stabell Benn and Peter Aaby, who are currently under investigation by Danish authorities for alleged scientific misconduct. HHS did not respond to a request for comment.

Cybersecurity M&A heads for record 450 deals in 2026, says Momentum Cyber

Momentum Cyber projects cybersecurity acquisitions will rise to roughly 450 deals in 2026, up from 404 last year, even as the number of funding rounds slips to an annualized 754 from 820. The firm points to identity management, non-human identity, data security, agentic security, runtime protection and operational-technology security as the hottest categories, citing recent deals like Cyera's $1 billion acquisition of Oasis Security and Cisco's purchases of Astrix Security and WideField Security.

Amazon launches Alexa+ tablet lineup with Google Play support

Amazon unveiled three new Alexa Tablets—the 8, 11, and 12 Pro—priced from $230 to $500, alongside new Kids' Tablets. The devices mark the first Amazon tablets to support Google Play in addition to Amazon's own app store, and integrate the Alexa+ assistant throughout the interface. Pre-orders are open now, with shipping starting October 14.

Wood Mackenzie: Battery storage now cheaper than open-cycle gas turbines worldwide

A new Wood Mackenzie report finds that four-hour battery storage systems cost less than open-cycle natural gas turbines in all 43 markets surveyed across every continent. The firm projects battery costs will keep falling while gas turbine electricity costs rise, partly due to AI data center developers buying up available turbines and driving procurement waits to two-to-four years, with closed-cycle models backlogged into the early 2030s. Separately, solar was found to be the cheapest new power source in every surveyed market, though tariffs and import restrictions are pressuring prices in North America.

Global PC shipments drop 20.1% in Q3 2026, IDC and Omdia report

IDC and Omdia both reported steep year-over-year declines in global PC shipments for Q3 2026. IDC recorded a 20.1 percent drop to 62.7 million units, down from 78.5 million a year earlier and 9.1 percent below Q2 2026's 68.2 million units. Omdia reported an even steeper 21.2 percent decline to 58.1 million devices, with desktop shipments down 23.5 percent and laptops down 20.6 percent.

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