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Measuring the impact of AI on experienced open-source developer productivity

We conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to understand how early-2025 AI tools affect the productivity of experienced open-source developers working on their own repositories. Surprisingly, we find that when developers use AI tools, they take 19% longer than without—AI makes them slower. We view this result as a snapshot of early-2025 AI capabilities in one relevant setting; as these systems continue to rapidly evolve, we plan on continuing to use this methodology to help estimate AI accel

Best iPad of 2025: Top iPad Air, iPad Mini, iPad Pro Picks

As we said above, the best iPad features right now are distributed across models, making it hard to single out a go-to "perfect" iPad right now. Price, performance, front camera quality, accessory support and display quality vary across models. Most people tend to buy iPads for family or personal use, and you'll need to decide how much you want to spend. There are also frequent sales of iPads that can change the equation too. The iPad as a product line is great overall. Models tend to have long

Topics: air apple ipad models pro

Google announces latest AI American Infrastructure Academy cohort

Google on Thursday announced the second cohort to take part in its AI Academy: American Infrastructure, which seeks to support companies using AI to address issues such as cybersecurity, education, and transportation. The four-month program is designed for companies at a seed to Series A stage and provides equity-free support and resources like leadership coaching and sales training. It’s primarily virtual, but founders will convene for an in-person summit at Google. Applications opened in late

Insider Claims Microsoft Saved Half a Billion Dollars by Automating Low-Level Jobs

A Microsoft executive has made a bold — if dubious — claim: that the company has already saved hundreds of millions of dollars as it automates thousands of jobs formerly held by humans. As Bloomberg reports based on insider sources, Microsoft chief commercial officer Judson Althoff said during a recent employee presentation that the tech giant saved more than $500 million using AI in 2024 — and that's just at its call centers. Althoff's comments came just days after the company announced layof

Apple just released new AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 beta firmware

Apple’s beta software cycle has had a busy week, with updates like iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 hitting first, then tvOS 26 beta 3 landing a day later. Now today, Apple has released new AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 beta firmware. Here’s what you should know. Latest AirPods firmware includes support for new iOS 26 features This summer, Apple has made AirPods beta firmware easier than ever to install. And it seems like coordinated with that change is a shift to more frequent beta releases. Historically

Indeed and Glassdoor are cutting more than 1,000 jobs

Job-hunting platforms Indeed and Glassdoor are cutting their workforce, and it may be thanks to good old artificial intelligence. About 1,300 jobs from the companies will be eliminated, mostly in two departments: research and development, and people and sustainability. There will also be some executive shuffles, including the exit of Glassdoor CEO Christian Sutherland-Wong. Both services are owned by Japan-based Recruit Holdings Co. and its President and CEO Hisayuki "Deko" Idekoba announced th

Show HN: Cactus – Ollama for Smartphones

Hey HN, Henry and Roman here - we've been building a cross-platform framework for deploying LLMs, VLMs, Embedding Models and TTS models locally on smartphones. Ollama enables deploying LLMs models locally on laptops and edge severs, Cactus enables deploying on phones. Deploying directly on phones facilitates building AI apps and agents capable of phone use without breaking privacy, supports real-time inference with no latency, we have seen personalised RAG pipelines for users and more. Apple a

You can buy a 4-pack of Apple AirTags for just $65 on Amazon right now

Kayla Solino/ZDNET Summer is just about here, and I have the perfect Bluetooth accessory that's worth scooping up before you hit your next destination. Amid the possibility of a new generation of the Apple AirTag, we're seeing big discounts on the Bluetooth tracker, making this the best time to buy the current generation. The Apple AirTag 4-Pack is on sale for 34% off right now, and the AirTag is one of those products I love so much that I must share it with everyone. Also: The best Amazon Pr

EU rules ask tech giants to publicly track how, when AI models go off the rails

The European Union is moving to force AI companies to be more transparent than ever, publishing a code of practice Thursday that will help tech giants prepare to comply with the EU's landmark AI Act. These rules—which have not yet been finalized and focus on copyright protections, transparency, and public safety—will initially be voluntary when they take effect for the biggest makers of "general purpose AI" on August 2. But the EU will begin enforcing the AI Act in August 2026, and the Commiss

George Orwell Diaries 1938-1942

D[avid] A[stor] very damping about the Dieppe raid, which he saw at more or less close quarters and which he says was an almost complete failure except for the very heavy destruction of German fighter planes, which was not part of the plan. He says that the affair was definitely misrepresented in the press [1] and is now being misrepresented in the reports to the P.M., and that the main facts were: – Something over 5000 men were engaged, of whom at least 2000 were killed or prisoners. It was not

Over 40 Million AI Videos Have Been Made With Google Veo 3 Since May: How My Expert Testing Went

Google's most advanced AI video model continues to be dominant. Veo 3 made a splash when it was released at Google I/O in May, boasting one big, audible difference from other AI video generators: It can create sound, synchronized to a scene's action. And people have been taking advantage of it -- more than 40 million Veo 3 videos have been created in the last seven weeks, across Gemini and its new filmmaker-focused tool called Flow, Google said in a blog post on Thursday. Upgrades like the ones

Elon Musk introduced Grok 4 last night, calling it the ‘smartest AI in the world’ — what businesses need to know

Want smarter insights in your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get only what matters to enterprise AI, data, and security leaders. Subscribe Now After days of controversy surrounding a flurry of antisemitic responses made recently by his Grok AI-powered chatbot on his social network X (formerly Twitter), a seemingly unrepentant and unbothered Elon Musk launched the latest version of his AI model family, Grok 4, during an event livestreamed on X last night, calling it the “the smarte

Topics: ai grok model models musk

UK Charges Four in ‘Scattered Spider’ Ransom Group

Authorities in the United Kingdom this week arrested four alleged members of “Scattered Spider,” a prolific data theft and extortion group whose recent victims include multiple airlines and the U.K. retail chain Marks & Spencer. Scattered Spider is the name given to an English-speaking cybercrime group known for using social engineering tactics to break into companies and steal data for ransom, often impersonating employees or contractors to deceive IT help desks into granting access. The FBI w

I'm an AI tools expert, and these are the only two I pay for (plus three I'm considering)

Vstock LLC/Getty Images It's only been almost three years since generative artificial intelligence (AI) hit the mainstream as a new paradigm of productivity, but here we are -- it's everywhere. I test AI tools as part of my work. I'll dig into just about any AI-related technology and see what I can make it do. Many of you have read my ongoing shootouts comparing AIs for programming and AI content checkers, among other kinds of tools. But that's using AI in a rigorous lab environment to provid

This iPad is powerful enough to replace your old MacBook - and it's on sale for 20% off

ZDNET's key takeaways The 2025 iPad Air is available in an 11-inch model starting at $600 and a 13-inch model starting at $800. The latest iPad Air features Apple Intelligence, an M3 processor, and some of the best performance I've seen on an iPad to date. But the iPad Air gets expensive quickly, with the 13-inch model selling for as much as $1,300. $772.29 at Amazon $699 at Best Buy more buying choices At Walmart, the 11-inch M4 iPad Air is on sale for $479 starting. The 13-inch M3 iPad Air

Topics: air apple ipad m3 pro

Perplexity's Comet AI browser is hurtling toward Chrome - how to try it

zuperia/Getty Images AI search start-up Perplexity has ramped up its competition with Google by releasing Comet, its new web browser, on Wednesday. Built upon Perplexity's proprietary search engine, Comet is compatible with "all of your usual extensions, settings, and bookmarks," according to a Perplexity blog, meaning it's "a seamless switch" to make it your new default browser. It's initially being launched for Mac and Windows, with support on other platforms expected to arrive in the coming

Launch HN: Leaping (YC W25) – Self-Improving Voice AI

Hey HN, I'm Arkadiy from Leaping AI ( https://leapingai.com ). Leaping lets you build voice AI agents in a multi-stage, graph-like format that makes testing and improvement much easier. By evaluating each stage of a call, we can trace errors and regressions to a particular stage. Then we autonomously vary the prompt for that stage and A/B test it, allowing agents to self-improve over time. You can talk to one of our bots directly at https://leapingai.com, and there’s a demo video at https://www

Topics: ai self stage use voice

How Video Games Became the New Battleground for Actors and AI Protections

On Wednesday, members of the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, voted to ratify a new contract for video game performers, officially bringing an end to a nearly yearlong strike. A majority, 95 percent of members, voted in favor of the contract, which guarantees annual raises for three years, increased compensation, and guardrails designed to prevent game companies from giving their work to AI. Actors in the video game industry had been on stri

Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 N looks like a fake-shifting, drift-happy good time

is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State. Hyundai just unveiled its second-ever performance EV, the Ioniq 6 N, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex, England. The new variant carries over a lot of what made the Ioniq 5 N so appealing, while adding a little more range and a little more giddyap. But more importantly is a suite of features designed to mimi

Amazon warehouse workers lose jobs after Trump's immigration crackdown: 'We have done everything legally'

In this article AMZN Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT A worker prepares orders at an Amazon.com Inc. fulfillment center. Jason Alden | Bloomberg | Getty Images Daphnee Poteau, a Haitian who came to the U.S in 2023, began working for Amazon last year at a returns center in Indianapolis. While packing up boxes, she met her husband Kristopher Vincent, who's been at the site, known as IND8, since 2013. Last month, Poteau was contacted by the Department of Homeland Security, after th

Ditch your Dyson: This cordless stick vacuum cleans my home more effectively (and it's 30% off)

ZDNET's key takeaways The Tineco Pure One Station 5 vacuum cleaner is available on Amazon for $459. It's a powerful cordless vacuum with a self-emptying base station, perfect for pet owners and parents. Some parts can be finicky, like lining up the floor brush on the base station, or its accessories getting stuck and not easily detaching. $459 at Amazon The Tineco Pure One Station 5 is on sale for $320 (save $139) during Amazon Prime Day. Since I began testing the Tineco Pure One Station 5,

Perplexity launches Comet, an AI-powered web browser

Perplexity on Wednesday launched its first AI-powered web browser, called Comet, marking the startup’s latest effort to challenge Google Search as the primary avenue people use to find information online. At launch, Comet will be available first to subscribers of Perplexity’s $200-per-month Max plan, as well as a small group of invitees that signed up to a waitlist. Here’s what a New tab looks like for me on Comet Image Credits:Screengrab/Maxwell Zeff / Perplexity Comet’s headline feature is

Measuring the Impact of AI on Experienced Open-Source Developer Productivity

We conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to understand how early-2025 AI tools affect the productivity of experienced open-source developers working on their own repositories. Surprisingly, we find that when developers use AI tools, they take 19% longer than without—AI makes them slower. We view this result as a snapshot of early-2025 AI capabilities in one relevant setting; as these systems continue to rapidly evolve, we plan on continuing to use this methodology to help estimate AI accel

You May See Less AI Slop After YouTube Enacts New Video Policies

YouTube plans to make a change to its monetization policy on July 15 that appears to target "inauthentic" content. The change may be aimed at helping slow down the flood of AI-generated content on the platform to make it easier for viewers to find higher-quality videos. The company says in a short support post, "On July 15, 2025, YouTube is updating our guidelines to better identify mass-produced and repetitious content." In a follow-up video message, video creator and YouTube editorial and cr

Everything tech giants will hate about the EU’s new AI rules

The European Union is moving to force AI companies to be more transparent than ever, publishing a code of practice Thursday that will help tech giants prepare to comply with the EU's landmark AI Act. These rules—which have not yet been finalized and focus on copyright protections, transparency, and public safety—will initially be voluntary when they take effect for the biggest makers of "general purpose AI" on August 2. But the EU will begin enforcing the AI Act in August 2026, and the Commiss

The Best Prime Day MacBook Deal Is Not the One You Think

We've been hawking the M4 MacBook Air deal all week as we hunt for the best Prime Day deals, and for good reason, as $850 for the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air is a great price on what is clearly the best laptop you can currently buy. But now a MacBook deal has dropped that just might top it. Over at Walmart, you can now buy the M1 MacBook Air for just $599, bringing that laptop to an unprecedented low. That's $50 off the price it's been for the past year and $400 off the price it was when it launched

Meta is trying to win the AI race with money — but not everyone can be bought

is The Verge’s senior AI reporter. An AI beat reporter for more than five years, her work has also appeared in CNBC, MIT Technology Review, Wired UK, and other outlets. Month after month, message after message, the AI engineer was hearing from Meta recruiters. The recruiters were pestering him to leave his employer and switch over to support the company’s AI efforts, and they were offering a sizable salary package to do so. But he wasn’t so sure. The engineer, who works for a startup that was

LGND wants to make ChatGPT for the Earth

The Earth is awash in data about itself. Every day, satellites capture around 100 terabytes of imagery. But making sense of it isn’t always easy. Seemingly simple questions can be fiendishly complex to answer. Take this question that is of vital economic importance to California: How many fire breaks does the state have that might stop a wildfire in its tracks, and how have they changed since the last fire season? “Originally, you’d have a person look at pictures. And that only scales so far,”

Musk says Tesla is expanding Austin robotaxi service, adding Grok to cars

A vehicle Tesla is using for robotaxi testing purposes on Oltorf Street in Austin, Texas, US, on Sunday, June 22, 2025. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company is expanding its robotaxi service area and bringing xAI's Grok to vehicles as it rolled out a new iteration of the artificial intelligence chatbot. Shares gained about 3%. Musk said on X that Grok, his AI chatbot that praised Adolf Hitler and posted a barrage of antisemitic comments recently, will be available in Tesla vehicles "next week

Gemini can now transform your boring stills into lifelike videos

TL;DR Gemini will now let you generate videos from existing images using its Veo3 model. Google says you can also use actual photos to transform them into videos. Veo3 will limit the output to eight-second clips in 720p resolution. If you’ve recently come across any realistic-looking videos with bizarre tropes, chances are they were generated using Google’s Veo3 AI video generation in Gemini. Its outstanding continuity of video frames, the ability to automatically generate audio, and seamless