Meta has developed a prototype humanoid robot called Max intended to assist with household chores, according to The Information, built in about three months with help from Chinese robotics firm Fourier. The robot reportedly weighs about 106 pounds, stands roughly five feet tall, has a facial-expression display, a speaker, hands for grasping small objects, and runs on NVIDIA's Jetson Thor chips. A second prototype, Max 2, has reportedly been in development since September with design updates to the torso, hands, a projector, and added sensors for navigating stairs.
engadget.com
· 2026-11-01
JPMorgan Chase, Charles Schwab, Amazon, Neiman Marcus and Kohl's are blocking AI personal agents from acting on customers' behalf, while Walmart has opened its site to such bots, pricing products the same for agents as for humans. A Billions Network audit of 51 large U.S. retailers found only 11 have deliberately set a policy on AI agents, with most blocking them unintentionally via older anti-scraper rules.
cnbc.com
· 2026-11-01
Meta's advertising revenue rose 26% year-over-year to $63.1 billion in the third quarter, compared with 12% growth to $63.4 billion for Google's Search division. The 14-point gap is the widest in Meta's favor since 2021, as Meta scales AI-driven ad targeting on Facebook and Instagram while Google faces competition from chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude and its own Muse.
cnbc.com
· 2026-11-01
Court documents reportedly reveal Meta employees discussed a 'whisper campaign' approach aimed at undermining social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, a prominent critic of social media's effects on youth mental health. The filings suggest internal communications explored ways to counter Haidt's influence rather than directly engage his research publicly.
tech.slashdot.org
· 2026-11-01
Stephen Roller, who worked at Meta from 2017 to 2023, testified in a deposition that he downloaded the pirated Books3 collection via BitTorrent and knowingly distributed it while employed there, according to rightsholders suing Meta. He said he later deleted his copy because of ongoing litigation, though he could not recall the exact download date. Meta has disputed his account, maintaining it does not believe it obtained Books3 through torrenting.
torrentfreak.com
· 2026-10-31
Senators Ron Wyden and Edward Markey sent Meta a letter demanding details by Thanksgiving on whether the company conducted human rights and safety reviews before releasing its smart glasses. They asked how Meta assessed privacy risks to users and bystanders and what safeguards currently exist, citing reports that the glasses have been used by ICE agents during raids and flagged by an NYPD counterterrorism memo. The letter also cites Meta's own disclosures that imagery from the glasses' AI features may be retained and used, with human reviewers, to train AI systems.
yro.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-31
A Verge editor assembled a touchscreen AI pendant for $50 using the Waveshare ESP32-S3 1.75C devkit, Meta's officially sanctioned hardware for building 'Muse Gadgets.' The device connects to Meta's Muse AI cloud via open-source code, functioning as a pocket watch, camera viewfinder and voice assistant, though it required significant troubleshooting and custom coding to get working properly.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-31
Executives at AI agent startups Dazzle AI and Duckbill say current foundation models from Meta and OpenAI can suggest services like contractors or cleaners, but still struggle with real-world actions such as phone calls or scheduling appointments. Both companies route those steps to human workers to ensure the agents' output is actually followed through on.
cnbc.com
· 2026-10-31
Meta says more than 10 million people in the US and Canada have activated its agentic AI tool Muse, with over 25% using it for shopping and average purchases above $200. But roughly 50 companies across travel, retail, telecom and finance told WIRED or said on earnings calls that orders, bookings and cancellations tied to Muse and similar agents remain minimal, with firms like DoorDash, T-Mobile, Hilton, Ally Financial and eBay describing activity as negligible.
wired.com
· 2026-10-31
S&P Global Ratings lowered Meta Platforms' outlook from stable to negative while keeping its AA- credit rating, citing concerns about heavy capital expenditure and negative free cash flow. Meta posted negative free cash flow of $2.12 billion in the third quarter and projected full-year capex of $135 billion to $145 billion. The company's shares fell 7% after earnings and dropped 15% for October, its worst month in four years.
cnbc.com
· 2026-10-30
Meta reached an undisclosed settlement with an 18-year-old Mississippi plaintiff, K.D.B., just as jury selection began in Los Angeles, following earlier settlements with TikTok and YouTube in the same case. Her lawsuit alleged social media use led to compulsive scrolling, poor school performance, and self-harm. Snap now remains the sole defendant, with CEO Evan Spiegel expected to testify if the case proceeds to trial.
yro.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-30
Meta has settled a social media addiction lawsuit filed by an 18-year-old Mississippi woman identified as K.D.B., just as jury selection was underway in Los Angeles. The plaintiff had already settled with TikTok and YouTube earlier, and her attorney confirmed the Meta settlement Friday without disclosing terms. Snap now remains the only defendant, with CEO Evan Spiegel expected to testify if the case proceeds to trial.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-30
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