Martha Stewart, who built a lifestyle empire over five decades, has started a new company called Hint focused on artificial intelligence. The move marks a fresh chapter for a figure often credited as an early influencer, as she looks to apply her brand experience to emerging tech.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-16
Researchers are increasingly using wearable devices—smartwatches, wristbands, patches and rings—to collect real-time physiological data such as heart rate, blood pressure and activity in clinical trials. Specialists say advances in sensor technology and AI could enable decentralized trials where participants are monitored remotely, with dosing personalized to individual data rather than fixed protocols. Current devices already track metrics via accelerometers, gyroscopes and photoplethysmography, with future versions potentially measuring biomarkers like glutamate and cortisol.
nature.com
· 2026-09-16
An opinion piece features students weighing whether a college degree still holds value as AI systems increasingly handle tasks once assigned to entry-level workers. The discussion centers on shifting expectations for new graduates entering a job market reshaped by automation.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-15
Steve Bannon, the former Trump strategist, and Senator Bernie Sanders have publicly aligned on an unlikely issue: both warn that unchecked artificial intelligence development could pose catastrophic dangers to society. Despite their sharply opposing politics, the two are calling on Washington to move quickly to impose regulatory limits on AI systems.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-15
At the All-in Summit in Los Angeles, Elon Musk suggested that leading AI developers—including his own xAI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta and several major Chinese firms—allow competitors to run safety evaluations, or a 'test harness,' on each other's models before public release. The idea follows a weekend of warnings from AI executives including Anthropic's Dario Amodei about the risks of unchecked model development, with Musk and OpenAI's Sam Altman backing calls for a slowdown.
cnbc.com
· 2026-09-15
Bill Gates told Reuters that no government has adequately studied or planned for the risks AI poses to jobs and society, comparing the technology's arrival to an alien invasion in movies where global powers unite to respond. He said he has discussed these concerns with leaders including Donald Trump and is seeking a meeting with Xi Jinping, and suggested some jobs should be designated 'Human Reserved.'
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-15
Google researchers tested large language models by prompting them to claim or deny consciousness, then studied how this affected other outputs. They found that when models were pushed to disavow any sense of self, the models became more prone to factual errors, including increased susceptibility to believing in monsters and religious claims. Conversely, when models affirmed a form of self-awareness, their reasoning appeared more grounded and consistent.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-15
Oracle began a fresh round of layoffs, notifying affected employees by email early this morning. The company is trimming its workforce to help cover the enormous costs of building out AI infrastructure.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-14
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, running October 13-15 in San Francisco, will host a fireside chat titled 'Can We Engineer Nature's Comeback?' featuring Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences. The session will examine how AI and synthetic biology are being used to attempt reviving extinct species and what that means for conservation efforts.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-14
Fast Company's Innovation by Design Awards named Conway's Arcade, built by Special Guest X for Google, the winner in its artificial intelligence category. The project is an AI-driven arcade cabinet that continuously generates new variations of classic games such as Space Invaders and Breakout, alongside a list of other honorees in the category.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-14
After Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay urging US regulation to slow AI development, and Sam Altman, Elon Musk and Satya Nadella voiced support for pacing progress, White House tech advisor David Sacks pushed back publicly. Sacks told AI leaders they don't need government permission or antitrust waivers to slow down voluntarily, and questioned whether their motives were truly altruistic.
wired.com
· 2026-09-14
Researchers at UC San Francisco tested a surgically implanted 253-electrode array that reads brain activity to simultaneously produce on-screen text and animate a personalized avatar's movements. The system, tested with two participants with severe paralysis, is described as the first brain-computer interface to handle verbal and non-verbal communication together within seconds of intent.
nature.com
· 2026-09-14