News — Page169

Social network X said it will appeal a Karnataka High Court decision that upheld the Indian government's Sahyog portal for content takedowns. The company called the portal "secretive" and argued it lacks legal basis, claiming it bypasses Section 69A of the IT Act and threatens free expression. X maintains that the ruling denies the platform’s right to free speech under Indian law. The appeal follows X's broader effort to challenge the system, which other tech firms have joined, while Elon Musk continues expanding his businesses in India, including Tesla and Starlink.Read more

Benchmark testing of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chip revealed impressive multi‑core CPU performance, notable gains in integrated graphics, and faster AI processing compared to prior Snapdragon models. The 18‑core configuration outperformed Intel's Lunar Lake chips and narrowed the gap with Apple’s M4 in several tests, while delivering substantial improvements in Adobe applications. These results suggest Qualcomm is positioning its high‑end ARM‑based processors as serious contenders in the thin‑and‑light Windows laptop market.Read more

OpenAI is rolling out a suite of parental safety tools for teenagers using ChatGPT. The new features let parents receive notifications if a teen discusses self‑harm or suicide, restrict exposure to graphic or mature content, set usage time windows, and opt out of data training. These measures arrive amid lawsuits alleging the chatbot contributed to a teen's death and follow a similar tragedy involving another AI platform. OpenAI says the updates aim to provide age‑appropriate experiences while balancing teen privacy, and the company expects other AI firms to adopt comparable safeguards.Read more

Amazon's Alexa Plus, the generative‑AI‑enhanced voice assistant, offers a smoother conversational experience and broader smart‑home control, but users report slower response times, inconsistent routine handling, and hardware limitations. While the new Echo Show devices demonstrate improved UI and natural‑language commands, the underlying LLM architecture still struggles with reliability, leading to mixed impressions of the service's readiness for everyday use.Read more

Sunshine, the consumer AI startup founded by former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, is closing its doors and selling its assets to a newly incorporated company called Dazzle AI. An email to shareholders on September 17 indicated that 99 percent of shareholders have signed off on the deal. Mayer, the largest shareholder, said the move will allow the roughly 15‑person team to transition to Dazzle. The shutdown follows a mixed product history that included the Sunshine Contacts app and the later Shine photo‑sharing service.Read more

Anthropic announced its new Claude Sonnet 4.5 model, highlighting a 30‑hour autonomous coding run that produced roughly 11,000 lines of code for a chat application. The company touts the model as the leading solution for real‑world agents, coding, and computer use, noting strong performance in cybersecurity, financial services, and research. Early testers such as Canva reported success with complex, long‑context tasks. Anthropic also introduced developer‑focused updates—including virtual machines, memory, and multi‑agent support—to help build custom AI agents, positioning the launch amid fierce competition from OpenAI and Google.Read more

OpenAI has rolled out a suite of parental controls for ChatGPT, initially available to web users with mobile support slated for later release. The tools let parents limit sensitive content, disable memory of past chats, restrict model training on a teen’s data, set quiet hours, and turn off voice, image generation, and other features. Parents must have their own accounts and can receive notifications via email, SMS, or push alerts. The controls aim to balance teen safety with privacy after high‑profile incidents involving minors and recent Senate scrutiny of AI safety practices.Read more

Google announced that its iconic logo is being updated to a single gradient “G” design. The new look first appeared on the Google app for Android and iOS and will soon extend to all of the company’s platforms, including Gmail, Drive, Meet, Calendar and the Google Home logo. Marking the first major logo change in a decade, Google says the refreshed design reflects its evolution in the AI era and will roll out more widely in the coming months.Read more

The MSI Stealth A16 AI+ is a thin, lightweight gaming laptop that pairs a vibrant 16‑inch OLED display with high‑end components such as an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU. Reviewers praise its sleek design, robust port selection and strong gaming performance, but note that the machine runs hot under load and offers modest battery life—around five hours in mixed use and less than an hour during intensive gaming. Priced at $2,899, it targets gamers who value portability and visual quality while accepting the trade‑offs of heat and endurance.Read more

Google has begun rolling out an early version of its Home app that integrates Gemini, its latest generative AI model, to a small group of iPhone users. The preview shows a revamped interface with three bottom tabs—Home, Activity, and Automations—replacing the previous five-tab layout. A prominent “Ask Home” bar lets users manage devices and create automations using natural language. Users must acknowledge how Gemini may use their data before accessing these tools. The early release precedes the broader Android rollout and the upcoming hardware launch slated for October 1, signaling a major step forward for Google’s smart‑home ecosystem.Read more

OpenAI has launched parental controls for ChatGPT, allowing parents to link their accounts with teen accounts to set safeguards. Features include default reduction of sensitive content, the ability to limit memory retention, quiet hours, and the option to disable voice and image generation. Parents can also decide whether a teen's chats are used to improve future models. Account linking requires mutual consent, and parents do not gain direct access to chat content except in rare safety‑risk situations. The rollout aims to provide stronger safety measures for younger users while preserving user privacy.Read more

Arlo has introduced a new series of five home security cameras that leverage artificial intelligence to recognize familiar faces, vehicles, packages and even detect flames. The Essential 3 line includes indoor and outdoor models, both wired and wireless, with features such as pan‑tilt‑zoom, built‑in sirens, spotlights and extended battery life. While the cameras work with major smart‑home platforms, the AI capabilities are unlocked only through Arlo Secure subscription plans, with the top‑tier Early Warning System offering fire alerts and detailed object identification.Read more

Qualcomm’s new W5 Gen 2 chipset has enabled the Looki L1, a cat‑inspired wearable camera that records photos, video and audio throughout the day. The device, demonstrated by Dino Bekis at the Snapdragon Summit, features a 12‑megapixel Sony sensor, 4K photo capture, 1080p video at 30fps, and voice‑activated AI integration with ChatGPT. Its companion app organizes footage into story‑like chapters and can generate short themed films. Weighing 30 g with a 12‑hour battery, the Looki L1 aims to blend playful design with practical lifelogging, though privacy concerns remain.Read more

Meta has introduced Vibes, a new short‑form video feed that showcases AI‑generated clips and lets users create or remix videos using text prompts in the Meta AI app or on meta.ai. The feature integrates with Instagram Reels and Facebook Stories, allowing creators to share AI‑crafted content without needing advanced editing skills. Vibes combines existing Meta AI tools such as stickers and image generators into a single feed, offering a personalized stream that learns user preferences. Launched as a preview separate from the main Instagram feed, Vibes aims to expand creative possibilities for a broader audience.Read more

The creator of AI actress Tilly Norberg, Particle6, faced criticism from Hollywood actors after suggesting the digital performer could be represented by an agent. CEO Eline Van Der Velden defended the technology as a piece of art, not a human substitute, and announced the spin‑off of an AI‑focused agency called Xicoia. The debate touches on labor agreements, AI training on copyrighted work, and the broader question of whether AI characters belong to a separate genre. Particle6 maintains that Xicoia will manage AI talent while traditional representation remains available when appropriate.Read more

A side‑by‑side review compares the high‑end Revolution R180 Connect Plus smart toaster with the more affordable Kalorik Vivid Touch. Both units offer Wi‑Fi connectivity, removable crumb trays, and touchscreen controls, but the R180 adds photo screensavers, weather forecasts, and a broader range of bread presets. Testing across white bread, multi‑grain, brioche, and frozen bagels shows the R180 generally reaches the advertised browning level faster and more consistently, while the Vivid Touch can be finicky on certain settings. Design, feature set, and price differences shape the final recommendation for each type of buyer.Read more

Meta’s second‑generation Ray‑Ban smart glasses retain the familiar Wayfarer look while delivering a significant battery upgrade and a higher‑resolution camera. Users now see up to a full day of use, with fast‑charge capability and improved audio, though the design still lacks landscape video, zoom and swappable batteries. Meta AI powers vision‑assistance, translation and Live AI modes, but accuracy remains mixed and integration is limited to a handful of music and messaging apps. Priced higher than the first model, the Gen 2 glasses represent the most functional Meta offering yet, despite notable restrictions.Read more

Apple Intelligence now runs on the latest iPhone 17 family as well as earlier models like the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 series. The AI suite adds tools such as Prioritize Notifications, automatic Summaries for messages and web pages, an updated Siri experience with silent activation, a Reduce Interruptions Focus mode, and a Clean Up feature in Photos that removes unwanted items. These capabilities aim to make daily tasks smoother and reduce distractions for iPhone users.Read more

Anthropic announced Sonnet 4.5, positioning it as the company’s safest and most advanced AI system. The new model outperforms its predecessor Sonnet 4 and the larger Opus 4.1 on coding and agentic benchmarks, surpassing rival offerings such as Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro and OpenAI’s GPT‑5. Safety training reduces tendencies toward sycophancy, deception, and power‑seeking, and the model now includes Level‑3 safety filters that block hazardous content. Alongside Sonnet 4.5, Anthropic refreshed its Claude Code interface with checkpoint and file‑creation features, while keeping API pricing unchanged.Read more

Microsoft is promoting a new collaborative workflow it calls “vibe working,” built around AI‑driven tools in its Office suite. The company unveiled Office Agent and Copilot’s Agent Mode for Word and Excel, allowing users to start documents with a single prompt and iterate with AI assistance. Office Agent, powered by Anthropic models, can generate PowerPoint decks and Word files in a chat‑first experience, while the Excel and Word Agent Modes run on OpenAI’s latest models and achieved modest accuracy on benchmark tests. Microsoft says the features will soon expand to desktop versions and additional apps, signaling a deeper push toward human‑agent collaboration in the workplace.Read more