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Google's Snapseed photo editor is rolling out several new features to beta testers, including support for custom look-up tables (LUTs), Depth/Portrait Blur alongside the previously spotted Motion Blur, and a way to save personal edit configurations as reusable Looks. The update also introduces a Community Looks repository, where users can browse and share preset combinations created by other Snapseed users.
The Information reports that OpenAI is working toward claiming a solution to the Hodge Conjecture, one of mathematics' famous unsolved problems, but is largely focused on how to announce such a result without further angering the math community. This comes amid ongoing tension between OpenAI and mathematicians over prior claims about AI's mathematical capabilities.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul's administration released a Community Investment Framework advising local governments on negotiating with data center developers. The guide recommends towns demand roughly $1 million per megawatt of power demand in community investment, alongside plans covering long-term maintenance, site abandonment, and phased funding timelines.
Executives Johanna Faries of Blizzard Entertainment, Justine Palefsky of Kindred, and Alphonzo Terrell of Spill joined a panel moderated by Fast Company's Morgan Brady to discuss how companies can turn passive audiences into engaged communities. They emphasized that authentic community cannot be created through marketing gimmicks but must be built by listening to customers and relinquishing some corporate control.
A new Entrepreneur opinion piece recounts how Charles Darwin privately developed his theory of natural selection for two decades before publishing, only forced into print in 1858 after Alfred Russel Wallace independently reached the same conclusion. The author uses this history to argue that founders often delay sharing fully-formed ideas out of fear for their reputation, calling this pattern 'Darwin's Delay.'
Fast Company named the North Face's Universal Collection as the top design in its 2026 Innovation by Design Awards for North America. The collection was developed in partnership with the disability community to adapt camping and outdoor gear so it's usable by people with a range of physical needs.
At the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, President Xi Jinping said China would spearhead artificial-intelligence cooperation among the bloc's developing economies, including creating an open-source AI community, sharing large language model development, and running training seminars. He also proposed a digital ecosystem cloud platform, an engineer cultivation alliance, and a youth exchange program focused on scientific innovation.
Twenty-five Fields Medal winners signed a letter titled 'A Severe Misalignment of AI in Mathematics,' arguing that AI companies rush out proof announcements—reportedly including a claimed solution to the Navier-Stokes problem attributed to OpenAI—without proper writeups, credit to prior work, or space for conceptual understanding. The commentary piece agrees with the medalists' critique of AI companies but turns the argument back on the mathematics community itself, noting the irony that the letter was also released hastily without consultation, and questioning whether academia has truly nurtured students and ideas as it claims to value.
Meta has begun onboarding contributors to test Community Notes across 16 Latin American nations including Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia, following its US rollout that replaced professional fact-checkers. During this testing phase, notes won't be visible to users and existing third-party fact-checking arrangements remain unchanged, but Meta has signaled it eventually intends to fully transition away from professional fact-checking once the crowd-sourced system proves effective.
After losing hundreds of thousands of students during the pandemic, community colleges are now seeing sustained enrollment growth, with 5.8 million students enrolled in spring 2026, a 5.2% increase from spring 2021, according to National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data. Researchers say students who left during the pandemic did not simply transfer to four-year universities, which also saw declines among 18- to 24-year-olds.
Nothing has relaunched its Community Review Program, inviting fans to apply for early access to its upcoming hardware and software. The London-based phone maker is especially seeking applicants skilled in 3D animation, graphic design, sound production, or reviewing, though it welcomes any enthusiastic tech fan. Selected members must share first impressions, post creative content, and publish full reviews once products officially launch, with applications open until September 10, 2026.
TechCrunch is giving companies until midnight Pacific time tonight to apply to host an official Side Event during Disrupt 2026, which runs October 10–16 in San Francisco. Approved hosts get promotion through TechCrunch's Side Events page, agenda, mobile app, attendee emails and social channels, plus a 25% ticket discount to offer their network.