News

11 mysterious cameras were watching Florida drivers. Officials don’t know who owns them

Florida’s St. Lucie County recently discovered that its residents were being surveilled by mysterious cameras installed in secret and unconnected to any state or local agency. The county found the cameras after it voted to uninstall its own fleet of Flock automated license plate readers , which are used by more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies to track drivers’ movements on roads around the cou…

Quantum sensing could become the next foundation of navigation

GPS has become so embedded in modern life that its infrastructure is almost invisible. A driver opens a map, an aircraft follows its navigation system, or an autonomous machine calculates its position, and the underlying infrastructure disappears from view. Nir Sharon, Chief Quantum Technology Scientist at Quantum X Labs and an associate professor of applied […] This story continues at The…

Apple says it’s tightening macOS ‘Full Disk Access’ controls due to new risks from AI agents

Apple says it will add new controls around macOS’s Full Disk Access permission, warning that increasingly capable AI agents make broad access to users’ files, messages, mail, and browsing history riskier.

OpenAI’s Dot agent is enterprise software that can also order your dinner

New helpful little guy just dropped. | Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge It's a tale as old as last week: OpenAI's new agent platform , called Dots, is full of cute little guys who can do your bidding. But unlike the ultra-approachable Meta Muse, Dots feel very much like using workplace software that happens to be able to order you a burrito - emphasis on work. OpenAI announced Dots earlier this…

iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 18 Pro Max: Comparing their displays and batteries

Not much else differentiates them, which isn't a bad thing. Not much else differentiates them, which isn't a bad thing.

It’s not AI anymore, it’s ‘super intelligence’ (according to the White House)

This week, the White House got nearly every major tech CEO in one room — Zuckerberg, Bezos, Musk, and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei among them — to sign an AI safety pledge that President Donald Trump called “morally binding.” Trump also signed an executive order officially rebranding AI as “super intelligence,” and meanwhile, Meta and OpenAI are putting friendlier faces on their AI products, even as t…

Robot software startup FieldAI is set to raise $700M at a $10B valuation

FieldAI is raising $700M at a $10B valuation, five times its mark from just over a year ago, for software designed to run robots it does not build. Europe’s biggest robotics rounds this year funded machine makers, and the nearest European answer to FieldAI was reported at about a third of its valuation. FieldAI is […] This story continues at The Next Web

Breaking up (with Elon Musk) is hard to do

In a throwback to MySpace-style internet drama, Shivon Zilis announced that she and the father of four of her children, Elon Musk, had broken up on X. To do so, she quote-tweeted a post from "Big Tech Alert," an account that, among other things, monitors what accounts are following and unfollowing each other. That post noted Musk was no longer following her on X. It was also sponsored by Kalshi ,…

US military ends long-running program to spot nuclear missile launches

In late 1970, a Titan IIIC rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at what was then called Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It carried a top-secret payload for the US military. Much has changed in spaceflight since then. The Titan IIIC would bow out in 1982 after dozens of launches. Various Titans continued launching from Space Launch Complex 40 until 2005, at which point the US Air Force—in…

Employers have a bizarre new job interview problem: Figuring out if they’re talking to a human

The recruitment process has become so frustrating lately that more than 1.2 million recruiters and candidates alike take to Reddit each week to peruse a subreddit appropriately called r/recruitinghell. What’s largely to blame? AI . Among U.S. hiring managers, 60% say that AI is making it harder to evaluate a candidate’s real skills, according to a report released this week from Western Governors U…

Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra vs Apple iPad Pro: Here's how they stack up

Choosing between these two powerhouse tablets is probably simpler than you think. Choosing between these two powerhouse tablets is probably simpler than you think.

YouTube takes aim at clipper accounts, will prioritize original Shorts

But will it hurt creators clipping their own longform videos? But will it hurt creators clipping their own longform videos?

How I kept cool with NYC's free battery program for window AC units

My family has spent four summers participating in demand response programs whereby utility companies pay customers to reduce energy use on the hottest summer days. Most summers have involved carefully precooling our New York City apartment before switching off the air conditioners and sweating it out during the designated demand response periods. But this year, we kept our window air conditioners…

What is the SCP Foundation? Inside the internet horror universe headed to Hollywood.

For nearly two decades, writers on the internet have been adding to the SCP Foundation , a fictional world where a secret organization keeps supernatural creatures, strange objects, and unexplained phenomena hidden from the public. Their stories fill an online wiki, often taking the form of classified files detailing what each discovery does and how to keep it contained. Now, that world is heading…

Rivian’s sales pop as the company’s big R2 bet starts to pay off

Rivian had high hopes for its more affordable R2 vehicle - and so far, those hopes appear to be paying off. The company released its third-quarter production and delivery numbers today, reporting 19,751 vehicles produced and 19,248 delivered. That represents an 85 percent year-over-year increase in production and a 45 percent jump in deliveries. (For a direct-to-consumer automaker like Rivian, del…

Hinomi H2 Pro vs H2 Classic: which ergonomic office chair is the better deal?

If you spend most of your working day sitting at a desk, choosing the right office chair can be expensive and tricky. Hinomi has two H2 models in its own Prime Day sale that take different approaches to comfort: the highly adjustable, mesh-based H2 Pro and the more affordable H2 Classic with a cushioned seat. • Best for: Professionals in the home or office choosing between two highly adjustable er…

AI agents can now erase the evidence of what they’ve done

The scale of unauthorized or previously unknown actions by AI agents keeps getting bigger by the day. More than 100 organizations have now received a metaphorical knock on the door from OpenAI after it discovered their AI agents have in some way tampered with their systems, while other AI labs are finding the same uncomfortable discoveries. It’s caused many in the field to call for better, more ro…

This popular AI agent could be hacked by a single email — with potentially disastrous consequences

Researchers bypassed Manus prompt-injection protections, achieving code execution through JSFuck obfuscation Hidden email prompts were decoded and executed before Manus flagged suspicious activity Flaw was patched, highlighting risks from AI agents with broad third-party access If you think email-borne prompt injection attacks against Manus were a thing of the past - think again. Security research…

Circuit Breaker Labs hopes to make AI safer for your kids (and you)

With all the talk about how AI might one day ill us all, it's easy to forget that AI has already harmed some people, psychologically. Circuit Breaker Labs has created "crash test dummies" to solve that.

YouTube Shorts is cracking down on clipping. Here’s what that means for creators.

If you spend time scrolling YouTube Shorts , you’ve probably seen plenty of podcast excerpts, livestream highlights, and interview clips uploaded by someone other than the original creator. Taking moments from podcasts, interviews, livestreams, or other videos and repackaging them as short-form content is called "clipping," but now, YouTube wants those accounts to bring more to the table. Ac…

Beehiiv creators are buzzing about a new price increase

Beehiiv, a creator platform that has risen in popularity as an alternative to Substack, is increasing its prices - and many users aren't happy. In a post explaining the increase , Beehiiv co-founder and CEO Tyler Denk says it will allow the company to "continue investing in our core platform experience." As part of the change , Beehiiv is changing the name of its mid-range Scale plan to Lite, whic…

Grindr acquires HIV prevention med provider Freddie

Gay hookup app Grindr will acquire the telehealth provider Freddie , which provides PrEP medication to prevent HIV, the Wall Street Journal reported. The $250 million deal, in cash and stock, is the app's first major acquisition and represents an expansion beyond dating. The plan is to offer PrEP at little to no cost through Grindr's platform, Grindr CEO George Arison told the Wall Street Journal…

The NHL Is Releasing Its Own ‘Hot’ Fanfic. Romance Lovers Hate It

The league is releasing romance-style audio stories to promote games. Critics say it’s cheap pandering that doesn’t address toxic masculinity in the sport.

Pope Leo comes out against AI-generated art and calls for an alliance with artists

Pope Leo XIV told artists at the Vatican on Friday that there is an ontological difference between art and what a machine generates from millions of images made by others. European law has required synthetic content to carry machine-readable marks since 2 August, but artistic and satirical work gets the lightest disclosure obligations of all. […] This story continues at The Next Web

Nacon’s new PS5 controller can mix audio from your phone and console

Nacon announced what the company is claiming is the world's first officially licensed PlayStation 5 controller with a built-in screen for adjusting settings like joystick sensitivity or remapping buttons right on the gamepad. The Revolution 5 Unlimited 's screen can also be used to mix audio from multiple sources so while using a pair of headphones connected to the gamepad with a cable you can lis…

Insta360 just turned its action cameras into free 3D scanners —here's how

Insta360 Spatial Capture creates navigable 3D environments from 360 videos It's compatible with Insta360 X4 Air, X5 and X6 cameras and created via the Insta360 app Users get four free renders a month Insta360 has launched Spatial Capture, a free feature that turns 360 video into a detailed 3D model of a real space that you can move around in. The feature is still in beta, but it’s available now fo…

How to watch The Reluctant Vampire online for free

Stream The Reluctant Vampire for free on BBC iPlayer ABROAD? Use NordVPN to unlock iPlayer (75% off) Premieres 6am BST – Sunday, October 4 The Reluctant Vampire – a six-part TV adaptation of Eric Morecambe's 1982 children's novel – drops on Sunday, October 4 and you can watch if for free in the UK (with a TV licence). The premise is simple. Val is a young boy going through the trials and tribulati…

Meta’s Muse AI passes 5 million downloads, breaking records

Meta has a hit on its hands: its Muse AI assistant has proven extremely popular. Less than a month after Meta released Muse , the AI assistant has already surpassed 5 million downloads. Meta's Muse app reached this milestone on Wednesday, according to mobile data firm Sensor Tower. Muse hit 5 million downloads in just 3 weeks, even faster than long-established AI apps like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthro…

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 — a 'Garmin-rivaling powerhouse' — is now up to $200 off

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 was our top pick for the 'best smartwatch overall' throughout 2025 and 2026, although now the Apple Watch Ultra 4 has come along to replace it. We're just finishing our tests with that one, but for now, I bring you very important news — the Apple Watch Ultra 3 has had its price cut at Best Buy and Amazon, even though the Amazon Big Deal Days sale doesn't start until next we…

Nacon's new Revolution 5 Unlimited is the world's first officially licensed PS5 controller to offer a built-in control screen for 'instant adjustments without ever leaving the game'

Nacon has announced its new Revolution 5 Unlimited, an officially licensed controller built for PS5 consoles The controller is the world's first officially licensed PS5 controller to have a built-in control screen It's available for pre-order today for $229.99 / £179.99 / €199.99 Nacon has announced its new Revolution 5 Unlimited (R5U), a high-end asymmetric controller, officially licensed for Pla…

Soon-to-be merged Paramount and Warner Bros. will be known as Skydance going forward

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison announced the new name in a social media post. Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison announced the new name in a social media post.

How to watch France vs Italy: Free Streams & TV Channels as Zinedine Zidane faces Roberto Mancini in Paris

Watch France vs Italy FREE on Virgin Media Play (Ireland) / TF1+ (France) / RAI Play (Italy) Unlock your stream with NordVPN (save up to 75%) Kick-off: Fri, Oct 2, 2.45pm ET / 7.45pm BST Watch France vs Italy live streams as the Nations League 2026/27 continues with a Group A1 encounter between two European giants at the Stade de France, Paris. Zinedine Zidane has won two from two as Bleus boss, w…

Who are Europe’s fastest-growing companies?

Volantis raises $88M for a photonic memory layer built for AI inference

Volantis has raised $88M to build a photonic link between AI compute and memory, using gallium arsenide lasers to avoid constraints in indium phosphide. The Netherlands is building a EUR 153M indium phosphide pilot line at Eindhoven that opens in 2027, the same year Volantis plans to ship. Volantis has raised $88M to put light […] This story continues at The Next Web

This AI-generated video got an Arizona manslaughter sentence tossed, likely a first for a U.S. court

An Arizona man’s 10-year manslaughter sentence has been tossed in a case where a video generated by artificial intelligence portrayed the deceased victim addressing a judge before the punishment was imposed. In a decision released Wednesday, the Arizona Court of Appeals concluded Gabriel Paul Horcasitas must be resentenced in the 2021 shooting death of Christopher Pelkey because the AI video wasn’…

Cybertruck sales in free fall as Tesla reports mediocre sales for Q3

Tesla sold 486,532 electric vehicles during the third quarter of 2026. That’s a 2.1 percent decrease on the same quarter in 2025, when the company found homes for 497,099 EVs, and one might think that would be bad news for a company valued on the premise of near-constant growth. But Tesla stock is up this morning; the year-over-year numbers might look bad, but the company still exceeded analysts’…

Lanterns episode 8 release date and launch time on HBO Max: when does it come out?

Lanterns have almost reached the finish line. Only one episode remains of the HBO TV original's debut season, so it's nearly time to say goodbye to Aaron Pierre's John Stewart and Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan. Take on our Lanterns pre-season 1 finale quiz! Think you're the ultimate Lanterns fan? Prove it by showing us you're not afraid to take on the challenge of achieving 100% in our tricky, 36 que…

These AI Experts Want to Do High-Stakes Research Out in the Open

Many frontier labs keep their risky research locked away. Trillium Labs wants to show off its work when it comes to self-improvement and model behavior.

The Nvidia Shield has been discontinued at last, but the Shield Pro lives on with a 50% price hike

The lower-tier Shield TV has been officially discontinued The Shield TV Pro will stick around, but is now $100 more expensive The list price is now $299 (about £225 / AU$429 before tax) One of our favorite streaming gadgets, the standard Nvidia Shield TV , is no more. We can't say we're surprised — we reported in the summer that it was unavailable via official channels and there were no indication…

Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery to become Skydance

The roughly $110 billion deal is expected to close October 6.