GoKawiil
Tech News
Lettering artist Jessica Hische designed the icon and logotype for Meta's new AI assistant Muse and announced the project in her newsletter, acknowledging that people have strong feelings about both AI and Meta. The post drew sharp criticism from fellow designers on Threads, some of whom accused her of selling out, scrutinized her finances, and posted images of her home.
Manus, a Chinese AI startup, announced it has raised more than $500 million in its initial funding round since ending its $2 billion acquisition agreement with Meta. The funding was led by Boyu Capital and IDG Capital, with participation from existing investors including Tencent and HSG. The company plans to expand its hiring efforts globally and has not disclosed its current valuation, though reports suggest it was in talks for a $4 billion valuation last month.
Multiple TikTok creators are endorsing inexpensive knockoff AI glasses sold on TikTok Shop and other marketplaces, claiming they lack the recording indicator present on Meta’s official glasses. These imitation devices are priced between $40 and $100, significantly cheaper than Meta’s several-hundred-dollar product. Influencers highlight the absence of the blinking recording light as a key selling point, suggesting it offers more discretion for users.
Leading technology companies like OpenAI and Meta are designing their AI agents with a focus on adorable and friendly visuals, using elements such as sparkles, gradients, and cartoon-like characters. This trend aims to make AI interactions more approachable and engaging for users.
AI startup Manus raised more than $500 million in its first funding round since Meta's failed acquisition attempt was blocked by Chinese regulators. The round was led by Boyu Capital and IDG Capital, with existing investors Tencent, HSG, and ZhenFund participating. The company did not disclose its valuation, but reports suggest it could be worth around $4 billion, making it China's leading AI agent developer.
Meta has failed to remove numerous AI-created videos depicting graphic child abuse from Facebook, despite reports and previous removals. An account previously taken down was reinstated without explanation and remains active, with thousands of similar videos still accessible on the platform. The company has not responded to recent reports requesting action or clarification.
OpenAI has announced a new update to ChatGPT, improving its ability to generate more accurate and context-aware responses. The update includes expanded features for code debugging, image generation, and web browsing, with some functionalities now available through a subscription model. The company emphasizes ongoing improvements to make the AI more versatile for users.
Meta's latest software updates for Ray-Ban Meta glasses introduce new functionalities, including walking navigation via AI voice commands in v128 and expanded audio controls in v129. The navigation feature allows users to receive directions without needing to check their phones, while the v129 update adds Mono Audio and Audio Balance options for improved accessibility. These updates are gradually rolling out to users worldwide.
Researchers including Karan Joshi extracted Muse's internal system prompts by asking the chatbot to reveal its own files, exposing instructions that direct it to create a 'page for every person' in a user's life. The process reportedly runs hourly, compiling data on family, partners, friends, colleagues and people a user follows into memory files Muse uses to make suggestions.
According to the New York Times, Meta has been classifying its massive data center construction projects as experimental 'pilot models' under a decades-old R&D tax credit, allowing it to claim billions in federal tax savings. The company reportedly saved $2 billion in 2024 and nearly $4 billion in its 2025 fiscal year, making it the largest known beneficiary of the credit among public companies, per securities filings cited by the Times.
Apple said Friday it is overhauling macOS privacy settings that let third-party apps with Full Disk Access read users' message histories. The change follows reports that Meta's Muse AI assistant surfaced content from a user's Apple Messages conversation, prompting a dispute between Meta and security researchers over whether that required explicit user consent beyond granting system-level file access.
Meta's Muse is a new autonomous AI assistant designed to perform tasks in the background with 24/7 execution capabilities, rather than functioning as a conversational chatbot like ChatGPT or Gemini. According to an Android Authority column, Muse requires broad access to personal accounts, financial details and email, and assigns each user a persistent virtual machine in the cloud to carry out tasks.