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Tech
Industry, products, and the wires that hold it all together.
546 stories archived
‘Emotional intimacy’ from AI chatbots would be banned under Australia’s digital duty of care laws
Labor government under pressure to create social media watchdog as new online safety standards bill passes lower house The federal government wants to ban AI chatbots which seek to create “emotional intimacy” after prime minister Anthony Albanese raised the alarm in a heartfelt speech about children treating these agents as their “best friend”. But Labor is coming under increasing pressure to empower the telecommunications ombudsman to become a watchdog for social media and AI to give Australians an external complaints mechanism and allow the “naming and shaming” of big tech. Continue reading...
Apple refreshes the iMac, entry-level MacBook Pro with the M6 chip
Additionally, the N1 chip brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
South Carolina's measles outbreak jumped to Washington state 5 times in 2 weeks
International travel used to be the main risk of measles cases in the US—not anymore.
China's top-secret spaceplane can't hide in low-Earth orbit
The DIA's threat assessment suggests China may soon place directed energy weapons in space.
"No human at the helm": Delaware plan would let AI agents run entire businesses
Owners of AI-run firms would evade liability for "reckless" AI, US Rep. Comer says.
Anthropic IPO warns its AI could blackmail people, become sentient, end humanity
Seven potential AI nightmares pulled from Anthropic's 93-page "Risk Factor" tome.
Code-execution flaw in UEFI firmware threatens most servers on planet Earth
Critical flaw in EDK2 allows attackers to execute code early in the boot process.
Google's Android Registered App Stores program launches Dec. 1, applications now open
Easier app installs are coming to third-party stores, pending Google's stamp of approval.
Vibe genes? Natural(ish) language comes to protein, genome design software
You can apparently now tell AI tools what sort of protein you want them to make.
Warner Bros. drops final trailer for Dune: Part Three
"After years of combat, I've become the oppressor Chani had sworn to fight."
Ford simplifies using your EV as a home battery with the $30K Fathom
The Fathom pickup won’t need a wall-mounted inverter to output 10 kW to your house.
DeepMind unveils Genie 4 world model promising more realistic physics and humans
Genie 4 will roll out to developers and Google AI Ultra subscribers soon.
From cheap tool to premium subscription: When a beloved app's price skyrockets
Huge price hikes force loyal users to reconsider their favorite apps.
Anthropic accelerates – for the rest of us, the speed of growth spells precarity
The AI industry is still defined by a careening intensity that’s taking the world’s finances along for the ride This was originally published in TechScape, a newsletter about how technology shapes our lives. Sign up to receive it here . Today in tech, we’re discussing Anthropic ’s astronomic growth, how a settlement over social media safety dented Meta’s revenue, and Lula’s accusations of interference against Meta . ‘You can’t make this stuff up’: why we remain fascinated by Elizabeth Holmes Elizabeth Holmes is back in the spotlight: why can’t we look away? Anthropic’s Claude AI model accessed Georgia voter data in US The datacentre next door: on the frontline of tech’s latest David v Goliath battle Meta plans $95bn stock offering to help cover AI expansion iPhone Duo owners report cracks in Apple’s first foldable handset Microsoft to reportedly offer buyouts to 60,000 employees in latest cuts Ukraine’s military says Starlink satellite connection stable after recent restrictions Experts cast doubt on Anthropic report detailing how AI has altered work at the company ‘Black October’: cybersecurity experts sound the alarm over new era of AI-enabled hacking Continue reading...
Apple iPhone Duo review: Two screens, two experiences, two thousand dollars
I respect Apple's first crack at a foldable phone, but I'm not sure I like it.
It's not the bots, Flock
'Crackgate,' catty patties, and more in today's newsletter.
‘Sloppy gruesomeness’: reviewers slate Musk’s AI-made Odyssey film
Tesla tycoon launched Grok project after criticising Christoper Nolan’s diverse casting for his Homeric blockbuster Elon Musk has released an AI-generated rival to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey after pledging to make a version “true to the art of Homer”. Having criticised the hit movie in the summer, the tycoon said he would use Grok Imagine to make a “historically accurate” adaptation. Continue reading...
Sculpture recreates odd optical effects of famed Lycurgus Cup
University of Sheffield researchers figured out how to recreate the 1600-year-old glass recipe.
US officials want Section 702 renewed before damaging court ruling goes public
Senators say officials hid a ruling on warrantless searches past its release deadline.
Marissa Mayer Can’t Keep Pretending 'Gender Doesn't Matter'
The former CEO of Yahoo! and current founder of a chatbot app is going viral for using AI to list things she loves about her daughter. But what she has to say about women in tech in 2026 is worth talking about.
Eight great new indie horror games for Halloween
Whether you favour spooky fairtales, satanic card games or infernal hijinks at the chip shop there are all manner of fresh top scarers at large this witching season Tis almost All Hallows’ Eve and naturally, the thoughts of all good video game players are turning to horror. 2026 has already been a bloody good year for the genre with Resident Evil Requiem and Silent Hill: Townfall leading the rabble. But this autumn sees a festering surge of indie horror releases, featuring everything from cursed card games to Nazi-hunting penguins. Here are eight terrifying titles we think you should sample while jack-o-lanterns burn and spirits walk the moonlit streets. Allogloom (PC) Continue reading...
‘My social life completely plummeted’: gen Z is fighting back against big tech
From apps that block distractions to stripped-down phones, young people are finding ways to unplug from platforms they say profit from their attention Nelissa Moukoudi, 19, a university student in Canada, noticed a shift once she joined Instagram and TikTok. “My social life completely plummeted and it felt like my life was only [using] social media and school,” she said. Continue reading...
CurrentBody Series 3 review: a fully customisable LED mask that helps exactly where you need it
With six light wavelengths and almost endless ways to combine them, CurrentBody’s latest sets a new standard for red light therapy devices • The best LED face masks CurrentBody’s LED masks have long been my favourite. They’re comfortable, simple to use and effective. My previous favourite, the now-discontinued CurrentBody Multi Light Therapy LED mask , offered five treatments that used different light wavelengths to address multiple skin concerns. The company’s latest mask, the new Series 3, has the most detailed customisable treatments I’ve ever seen. This isn’t the first LED mask I’ve tried that allows its user to select different treatments for different areas of the face. The Lustre Renew Pro Facewear allows you to choose from two treatments across four different zones, with 16 possible combinations. The Series 3 takes this much further, allowing you to choose between six light wavelengths across 125 light points on the mask. If you stick to one wavelength per light point, that’s 6 12 5 combinations available. That number is longer than I can reasonably comprehend, so allow me to call its level of customisation endless. Continue reading...
Four takeaways from Anthropic’s potentially record-breaking stock market filing
The AI company’s first public financial disclosures reveal explosive growth, huge costs and risks ranging from cyber-attacks to the limits of safeguards Anthropic has filed to go public on the US stock market, revealing for the first time the AI research lab’s financials and all the risks – more than 90 pages of them – that might negatively impact its business. The company’s investor prospectus, released Monday, veers from hyperbolic predictions about AI’s “incredible potential” to existential risks of the technology to the reality of its current business: explosive but incredibly expensive growth. The filing to US financial regulators, known as an S-1, provides the public’s first look at an audited version of Anthropic’s finances. Continue reading...