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Federal authorities have accused Abdulrahman Alfozan, an engineer who worked at OpenAI, of concealing an audio recorder behind a television in a conference room used for sensitive meetings. Alfozan reportedly maintained connections in Saudi Arabia throughout his career in Silicon Valley, a detail investigators have highlighted in the case against him.
Microsoft confirmed that Windows Server 2022 passed its mainstream support deadline on October 13, 2026, with the October update being the last mainstream security release. The OS now moves into extended support, which provides free monthly security updates through October 14, 2031. Microsoft also extended hotpatching for Datacenter: Azure Edition systems until October 2027.
Rockstar Games has published a new "launch" trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, about a month before the game's release. The 90-second clip, captured entirely on PS5, showcases the Miami-inspired Vice City setting and features a new track from electronic duo Justice, who are scoring the game.
A NASA scientist involved with the Artemis program described how astronauts on Artemis III and later missions will be trained to make scientific observations on the Moon, not just take photographs. The approach includes giving crew members science prompts during training exercises, asking them to interpret scenes, infer causes, and decide what actions to take next, mirroring how they'll operate on the lunar surface.
Valve has stopped making its original Index VR headset and is clearing remaining stock at a 20% discount, including accessories like the tether, base station and controller. A full set of individual components now totals $741, down from $926, though the bundled package is no longer sold. The move comes shortly after Valve launched the Index's successor, the Steam Frame, starting at $1,060.
Google has launched Universal Cart, an AI-powered shopping feature first previewed at I/O in May, now live in the US within the Gemini app and Google Search. It lets users save products from multiple retailers into one shared cart, tracks price drops and restocks, surfaces promo codes, and lets shoppers pay via Google Wallet or move items to a retailer's own checkout. Integration with Gmail and YouTube is planned but has no announced timeline.
Apple unveiled iPhone Handoff, a feature letting a user designate a main and a secondary iPhone that share the same phone number, with calls and Find My following whichever device is unlocked. T-Mobile is the first US carrier to support it, charging an extra $5 a month, Verizon plans to add support by year-end, and AT&T currently has no plans to offer it.
Following years of generative AI deployment by major tech firms largely on their own terms, some consumers are now using AI tools to bypass paywalls, restrictions and data-collection practices imposed by those same companies. The trend marks a shift from AI being used primarily by corporations to extract value from users, toward individuals using it to push back.
Fast-food chains are seeing adults aged 18 to 34 emerge as the fastest-growing group ordering kids' meals, even as children themselves increasingly favor other options like Korean barbecue over traditional burgers. McDonald's tapped into this shift in March by releasing a kids'-meal tie-in for 'KPop Demon Hunters,' an animated musical that became Netflix's most-watched film and drew heavy adult viewership.
Researchers like Sebastian Seung are mapping neural wiring in simple organisms, having traced 139,255 neurons and 55 million synapses in a fly brain using electron microscopy and image-analysis software. Some scientists speculate this connectomics work could eventually enable 'whole-brain emulation,' though a 2025 PLOS One survey of 312 neuroscientists estimated this is unlikely before 2125. Two companies, Nectome and Sparks Brain Preservation, are now offering to chemically preserve human brains using techniques similar to fly-brain fixation, and say they want to work with terminally ill patients using medical aid in dying laws, now legal in 13 states and Washington, DC.
Analysis by former Polymarket trader Chris Park found that two Polymarket election markets—covering Ethiopia's recent elections and another global race—generated over $600 million in trading volume, with most bets placed on candidates who ultimately lost. In Ethiopia's case, about $285 million was wagered, with roughly $284 million of that stemming from pairs of accounts repeatedly trading with each other rather than genuine independent bettors.
A YouGov/Economist survey found that among voters living within a mile of an AI data center, support for Democratic candidates rose from 54% to 61% between May and October. Nationally over the same period, the Democratic voting share rose more modestly, from 53% to 55%.