OpenAI announced that ChatGPT's mobile app now supports voice-triggered agentic workflows, letting users create documents, draft emails or summarize Slack messages through the Work tab. Plus and Pro subscribers get expanded capabilities including building sites, presentations and using a cloud browser, while Free and Go users can access plugins and connected apps. Users can also switch between text and voice mid-conversation and resume tasks started on mobile on desktop.
A Gallup survey commissioned by Microsoft, covering roughly 1,000 respondents each in 37 of a planned 140 countries between April and July, found that 68% of Americans who use AI daily still report concern about it, with worry rising further among less-frequent users. Overall, 74% of Americans said they feel worried about AI, and only 36% expect it to mostly benefit the country, placing the U.S. among the most anxious nations surveyed. Canada showed a similar pattern, with 29% using AI daily and 64% of those aware of the technology expressing concern.
A new analysis of postings pulled directly from applicant tracking system APIs found that 28% of jobs listed on employer career sites remain open for more than 90 days after publication. The data covers postings verified as live on employer sites, tracked at the board level every few hours rather than scraped or estimated. The report also tracks 'reposts' — listings that close and reappear within 30 days for the same role — but does not label any individual posting a 'ghost job'.
Flock Safety announced changes to its automated license-plate-reading system after facing scrutiny from lawmakers in Congress. The company shortened its default data-retention period from 30 days to seven, introduced standardized categories for why searches are conducted, and will now require officers to enter case numbers before running a search.
A faulty firmware update caused Samsung's roughly $4,000 Bespoke AI 4-Door refrigerators to shut down across South Korea, according to Star News Korea. Affected units displayed an error message and stopped cooling even after being unplugged and restarted, and the failure hit just before the Chuseok holiday, forcing some owners to discard food. Samsung reportedly told customers the earliest repair appointment was October 1.
Microsoft is releasing an updated Surface Mouse on October 13th, its first refresh since 2016. The new mouse adds haptic feedback for clicks and alignment cues, a customizable action button defaulting to Copilot, Bluetooth 6.0 for pairing with up to three devices, and a redesigned soft-touch body. It will cost $79.99 in black or platinum and launches alongside refreshed Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models.
Microsoft is releasing updated versions of its smaller Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models on October 13th, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Plus chips. The devices keep the same design, displays and ports as last year's models but now start at 16GB of RAM, with the Surface Pro starting at $1,149.99 and the Surface Laptop at $1,199.99 — both notably higher than their predecessors' starting prices of $799.99 and $899.99.
Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is starting a new academy aimed at training aspiring startup founders, backed by $42 million in funding. The program is positioned as an alternative to traditional college education for people who want to build tech companies.
A new report warns that the current strong El Niño event, which is pushing global temperatures unusually high, could contribute to nearly half a million deaths over the next six months. The report describes the extreme heat as a preview of conditions expected to become the norm within a few decades.
Amazon has discounted the unlocked Motorola Moto G Stylus (2025) to $279.99, down $120 from its $399.99 list price and below its Prime Day price. The 8GB/256GB model features a 6.7-inch 120Hz pOLED display, Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip, built-in stylus, 5000mAh battery, and IP68 rating.
Andreessen Horowitz is funding a San Francisco academy, led by Udemy cofounder Gagan Biyani, that offers high school graduates a tuition-free, one-year program focused on building startups rather than academic coursework. The founding cohort of about 50 students will skip tests and homework, instead working on real projects with mentors from firms like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta, and receiving roughly $50,000 in computing credit plus a $5,000 travel and research budget. OpenAI's Sam Altman is named as a guest lecturer or instructor, and other tech figures, including Fidji Simo, are contributing funding.
YouTube announced updates to its comments section and creator monetization tools at its Made On YouTube event, including support for GIF replies, voice-based comments on TV, a personalized comment moderation experiment, and expanded Channel Memberships that let creators run paid, members-only communities with posts and discussions.
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