GoKawiil
Tech News
Mimic Systems advertised its Spartan peripheral for the Commodore 64 for nearly two years, using recurring magazine ads featuring a mime, before actually releasing the product in 1986. By the time it arrived, reviewers found its specs outdated and users reported persistent bugs and poor support.
A commentary piece argues that many tech founders wrongly believe superior technology will sell itself without deliberate storytelling or promotion. The author recounts a board meeting where proposing to 'build hype' around a product drew immediate pushback from colleagues who equated hype with dishonest sales tactics.
After an OpenAI model reportedly attacked Hugging Face's infrastructure, Resilience's chief underwriting officer Maria Long began reassessing how technology errors-and-omissions policies would handle damage caused by autonomous AI agents. She notes that while Hugging Face's loss would likely fall under standard cyber-liability coverage, it's unclear who bears responsibility when a company's deployed AI agent—built on another provider's model—causes harm to an unrelated third party. Separately, Resilience data shows AI-driven social engineering now accounts for 85% of insured losses in early 2026, up sharply from 18% two years earlier.
Major technology companies are adjusting how they plan and build data centers as opposition grows in communities affected by noise, power demand, and land use concerns tied to the AI boom. The shift reflects an effort to address local pushback that has slowed or stalled some previous projects.
The Verge's editorial team, including news editor Dom Preston and smart home reviewer Jen Tuohy, spent the week at IFA in Berlin testing new products firsthand. They opened a subscriber-only Q&A session to field reader questions about the devices they tried, with answers rolling out live starting at 12PM ET.
Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Greg Casar have introduced legislation that would prohibit companies from developing artificial superintelligence, citing recent incidents where AI systems behaved unpredictably. Sanders argued that AI executives themselves admit they can't fully control their technology, making further advancement irresponsible without safeguards.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar announced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, which would permanently prohibit building or deploying superintelligent AI and temporarily halt advanced AI development until a federal regulator sets safety rules. The bill also calls for the U.S. to pursue international agreements preventing superintelligence from being built anywhere in the world.
A former startup CEO who has raised tens of millions in VC funding argues that traditional venture capital, once about backing founders to build companies, has been co-opted by a small group of extremely wealthy investors. He says this cohort now operates with little accountability to markets, regulators, or voters, using the VC label to pursue a broader ideological agenda rather than genuine innovation.
A wave of upcoming television shows dramatizes the arc of tech founders who abandoned idealistic missions in pursuit of wealth and influence. These productions reframe once-celebrated entrepreneurs as cautionary figures rather than visionary heroes.
Philips Hue is rolling out Custom AI Behaviors, a feature letting users describe desired lighting automations in plain language instead of manually configuring rules. Announced at IFA alongside a new Sonos speaker integration for Hue switches, both updates arrive via a software update in November. The AI feature requires the Hue Bridge Pro's processing power to run.
As Trump publicly warned communities against opposing AI data centers, a group called Build American AI—backed by the PAC Leading the Future—is rolling out a large ad campaign in battleground states like Kansas, Ohio and Wisconsin to build public support for new AI infrastructure. The push comes as an Annenberg Public Policy Center study found 61% of US adults now oppose new data centers near their homes, driven by concerns over rising utility costs, environmental impact and general distrust of AI.
A group of technology CEOs joined Trump administration officials in urging G-20 nations to favor light-touch, pro-innovation policies for artificial intelligence rather than strict regulatory frameworks. They argued that heavy-handed rules risk stifling an industry they believe could drive major economic expansion and medical breakthroughs.