A senior reviewer reports that Alexa Plus has become the most reliable smart home assistant she has tested, effectively managing routines, device control, and kitchen tasks across multiple Echo devices. However, its attempts at personal memory features and targeted advertising are inconsistent and frustrating, with frequent intrusive ads on Echo Show displays. Despite improvements in smart home integration, the assistant's personal assistant capabilities remain underdeveloped after a year of use.
Nudge Security reports that employees create an average of 88 OAuth app grants each, with 31 granting access to sensitive data. These grants often persist long after they are no longer needed, posing security risks. Managing and reviewing these permissions manually is increasingly difficult for IT teams.
At the New York Film Festival, Luca Guadagnino introduced 'Artificial,' a satirical film about Sam Altman’s rise and fall at OpenAI. The movie closely follows real events, depicting key figures like Elon Musk, Greg Brockman, Mira Murati, and Geoffrey Hinton with exaggerated traits for satirical effect. The narrative uses the Golden Gate Bridge as a symbol of AI’s growing power throughout the film.
Meta launched Muse and OpenAI introduced Dots, two user-friendly AI agents designed for everyday tasks. Both companies aim to attract mainstream users and businesses by offering animated mascots that handle functions like reservations, email management, and specialized professional services, with Muse being free and Dots requiring payment. The release highlights a growing trend toward integrating AI into daily life, raising questions about privacy and data security.
A solo developer has launched a collection of open-source creative tools built in Rust, aiming to replicate Adobe's popular products like Photoshop and Premiere. These tools, named PhotoCraft, LightCraft, and others, are available for download but have raised safety and functionality concerns among users. The developer emphasizes AI integration and a unified user experience across the suite, with claims of a clean-room reimplementation that does not use Adobe's source code.
Donald Trump has filed a request to transform his West Palm Beach golf property into a government-operated presidential golf course, managed by his family’s business. This move appears to be part of his plans for life after his presidency, leveraging presidential privileges. The proposal aims to elevate the site to a status comparable to historic venues like Camp David.
Researchers in Singapore have created an atomic clock capable of measuring time with unprecedented accuracy, reaching the 19th decimal place. This new device surpasses all previous records for precision in timekeeping.
Envision Energy, a Chinese renewable energy firm, has installed over 100 GW of wind power globally and is expanding into markets like Germany, Brazil, and Australia. Meanwhile, Chinese battery developers such as WeLion New Energy are making significant advances in solid-state battery technology, achieving high energy densities and working on semi-solid-state options. These developments highlight China's prominent role in advancing climate tech innovations.
Chris Gober, a Republican candidate with connections to Musk’s PAC and AI lobbying, is contesting Texas’ newly redrawn 10th district against Democrat Caitlin Rourk. Gober’s background includes legal work related to redistricting, data centers, and defense tech, with the district hosting plans for a major semiconductor manufacturing facility by SpaceX and Tesla. The race highlights the influence of Silicon Valley interests and AI regulation debates in upcoming elections.
A recruiter approached an operations executive with a lucrative senior role or board position offer, which later turned out to be a scam. The incident highlights how scammers target high-level professionals with enticing but false opportunities. The executive, a résumé writer, shared the experience to warn others about these costly schemes.
A counterfeit edition of Kevin Roose’s new book on AI has appeared on Amazon, mimicking the original and appearing just below it in search results. The fake copy, titled “The AGI Chronicles,” is listed at a lower price and appears to be AI-created, despite lacking reviews and using a slightly altered cover. Roose highlighted the issue on social media, criticizing Amazon for allowing such scams to persist.
Amazon has introduced new Kids Tablets that run Android and include access to the Google Play store, alongside features for parental management. The devices come in two sizes, with protective cases and a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids Plus, which offers ad-free content from major brands. A new AI-powered Storybuilder feature is also included to help children create custom stories and comics.
GoKawiil