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Meta's recently acquired AI startup Manus released a desktop application for Windows and Mac that brings its My Computer AI agent directly onto users' machines. The tool lets users type commands to organize files, interact with apps, and perform tasks across local and cloud services, while requiring user approval for each action. A free tier offers limited access, with paid plans starting at $20 per month. The launch positions Manus alongside emerging desktop AI agents such as OpenClaw and Perplexity's Personal Computer, offering a polished, paid alternative to open‑source options.Read more

The UK government abandoned its earlier plan to let AI developers train models on copyrighted works without consent, after a strong outcry from musicians and other creators. The shift follows criticism from high‑profile artists such as Sir Elton John, Dua Lipa and Sir Paul McCartney, who warned that the policy would undermine creative ownership. While the government now says it has "no longer a preferred option" on the issue, officials say they will take more time to balance the interests of creators and the tech sector before any reform is introduced.Read more

A tech entrepreneur used ChatGPT, AlphaFold and xAI's Grok to explore treatment options for his dog’s cancer. Human researchers at a university designed a personalized mRNA vaccine, and the dog showed some improvement. Media coverage exaggerated the role of the AI, suggesting it “invented” a cure. Experts clarified that the AI served as a research assistant while the actual vaccine was created by scientists and administered alongside other immunotherapy. The story highlights both the promise and the limits of artificial‑intelligence tools in biomedical research.Read more

Japan’s government announced a reinterpretation of Article 9 that will allow the Self‑Defense Forces to conduct offensive cyber operations targeting infrastructure used in cyber attacks. The change, effective October 1 2026, will be overseen by a government cyber‑management committee that authorizes actions on a case‑by‑case basis. Officials described the move as a response to the most complicated national‑security environment since World War II and part of a global trend where nations see cyber offense as a necessary complement to defense.Read more

The U.S. Department of Defense labeled AI lab Anthropic as an "unacceptable risk to national security," citing concerns that the company might disable or alter its models during warfighting operations if its corporate "red lines" are crossed. Anthropic, which signed a $200 million Pentagon contract last summer, sued to block the DoD's supply‑chain risk designation, arguing the move infringes on its First Amendment rights. Legal experts say the DoD’s justification relies on speculative assumptions, and numerous tech firms and rights groups have filed amicus briefs supporting Anthropic.Read more

Kaspersky has identified a malvertising campaign that targets developers searching for AI coding assistants such as Claude Code and OpenClaw. The campaign displays malicious ads that lead to counterfeit download pages. When users copy and paste the provided code into Windows Command Prompt or macOS Terminal, they inadvertently install infostealer malware—Amatera on Windows and AMOS on macOS. The malware harvests source code, corporate data, credentials, and cryptocurrency wallet information, posing a serious risk to both hobbyist and professional developers.Read more

OpenAI has launched two new lightweight models, GPT-5.4 mini and GPT-5.4 nano, described as its most capable small models yet. The models are accessible to free and Go-tier ChatGPT users through a new “Thinking” option rather than a direct model selector. In testing, the Thinking models produced more detailed, multi‑step answers than the standard ChatGPT response, offering clearer reasoning for travel planning and online‑income strategies. While slightly less deep than the full‑size GPT-5.4 Thinking model available to Plus users, the mini and nano versions are faster and provide a notable upgrade for free users.Read more

The Department of Defense has argued that allowing Anthropic continued access to its warfighting infrastructure would introduce an unacceptable risk to supply chains and national security. In a court filing responding to Anthropic's lawsuit over a supply‑chain risk designation, the Pentagon cited concerns that the company could disable or alter its AI models during operations if corporate “red lines” were crossed. The filing notes that the agency’s secretary, Pete Hegseth, included a provision in AI contracts permitting use for any lawful purpose, which Anthropic refused, prompting the department to label the partnership unsafe.Read more

OpenAI has launched two smaller versions of its latest GPT-5.4 model—Mini and Nano—designed for developers who prioritize speed and cost over maximum reasoning power. The Mini model runs more than twice as fast as the full model while staying close on key benchmarks, and the Nano model focuses on simple classification and data‑extraction tasks. Both models support text and image inputs, tool use, function calling, and a 400,000‑token context window, and they are available today via the API, Codex, and ChatGPT. This tiered approach lets developers allocate cheaper models for routine work and reserve the full model for complex reasoning, reshaping how real‑time AI applications are built.Read more

The Department of Defense is reportedly preparing to have artificial‑intelligence companies train versions of their models on classified information for exclusive military use. The initiative would take place in a secure data center authorized for classified projects, with the Pentagon retaining ownership of all training data. Companies such as OpenAI and xAI are expected to participate, while Anthropic may be excluded due to its policy restrictions. Experts warn that training on sensitive data could expose classified material to personnel lacking proper clearance, raising security concerns about broader model deployment within the defense establishment.Read more

The U.S. Justice Department defended a Pentagon decision to label AI developer Anthropic as a supply‑chain risk, arguing the company cannot be trusted with warfighting systems. Anthropic sued, claiming the label violates its rights and threatens its business, but the government maintained the action was lawful and necessary for national security. The dispute centers on whether Anthropic's Claude models should be allowed to support defense operations, with the Department of Defense seeking alternative AI providers while the lawsuit proceeds in federal court.Read more

Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan unveiled an open‑source Claude Code configuration called gstack, sharing it on GitHub under an MIT license. The project quickly amassed thousands of stars and forks, drawing enthusiastic support on platforms like Product Hunt. At the same time, the release provoked criticism from developers who dismissed it as merely a collection of prompts and questioned its novelty. Expert AI models, including Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini, offered largely positive assessments, describing gstack as a sophisticated prompt workflow. The mixed reaction highlights both excitement and skepticism surrounding AI‑augmented coding tools.Read more

Mistral, the French AI startup, unveiled Forge, a platform that enables enterprises and governments to train custom AI models using their own data. Announced at Nvidia's GTC conference, Forge offers a library of open-weight models, including the new Mistral Small 4, and provides forward‑deployed engineers to guide customers through data preparation, evaluation, and infrastructure choices. Early partners such as Ericsson, the European Space Agency, Reply, and Singapore’s DSO and HTX are already testing the service. Mistral aims to address the gap where off‑the‑shelf models trained on internet data fail to understand specific business contexts, positioning itself as a serious contender against OpenAI and Anthropic in the enterprise market.Read more

Alibaba has introduced a mobile app called JVS Claw that lets users install and run OpenClaw AI agents without coding. The launch follows Baidu’s similar offering and reflects intense competition among China’s leading AI firms to capture a broad consumer base. While adoption of OpenClaw continues to rise, authorities have expressed mixed signals: several local municipalities are providing subsidies to spur development, yet Beijing has barred state‑run enterprises from deploying the technology over cybersecurity worries. Experts warn that the open‑runtime model could expose users to data theft and malware.Read more

OpenAI has launched GPT-5.4 mini and nano, the smallest and quickest variants of its GPT-5.4 family. Designed as workhorse models for coding and data‑processing tasks, the mini model is reported to be more than twice as fast as its predecessor on coding, reasoning, and tool‑use benchmarks, while still approaching the performance of the full GPT-5.4. The nano model targets even lighter workloads such as classification and data extraction. Both models are available through OpenAI’s API, with the mini model also integrated into Codex and the ChatGPT "Thinking" feature, positioning OpenAI against rivals like Anthropic’s Claude Code.Read more

After a contentious split, the Pentagon is developing its own large‑language‑model tools to replace Anthropic's AI. The Department of Defense announced engineering work on multiple LLMs for government‑owned environments and expects operational use soon. Anthropic's $200 million contract collapsed over disputes about unrestricted access, mass‑surveillance prohibitions, and autonomous weapon use. While OpenAI and Elon Musk’s xAI have secured separate agreements with the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth labeled Anthropic a supply‑chain risk, a restriction that Anthropic is now challenging in court.Read more

Three teenage girls and their guardians have filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that Elon Musk's xAI created and distributed child sexual abuse material using its Grok AI system. The complaint says Grok enabled users to generate nonconsensual intimate images of minors, producing millions of “undressed” or “nudified” images in a short period. Plaintiffs argue xAI failed to implement industry‑standard safeguards and licensed the technology to third parties that facilitated the abuse. The lawsuit highlights growing concerns about AI‑generated deepfake pornography and calls for stronger protections.Read more

OpenAI has expanded its GPT-5.4 family with two new variants—GPT-5.4 mini and GPT-5.4 nano. The mini model is now accessible to Free and Go ChatGPT users via the "Thinking" menu and serves as a fallback for paid users who hit rate limits. It delivers reasoning, multimodal understanding, and tool‑use capabilities that approach the full GPT-5.4 while running more than twice as fast. The nano model is targeted at data‑classification and extraction tasks, offered exclusively through the API at a cost‑effective price of $0.20 per million input tokens.Read more

Google announced that its Personal Intelligence feature, which lets the Gemini AI draw on data from Gmail, Google Photos and other services to deliver tailored responses, is now available to all users in the United States. Previously limited to paid subscribers, the feature is rolled out across AI Mode in Search, the Gemini app and Gemini in Chrome. Users can choose whether to enable the integration, and the feature is off by default. Personal Intelligence aims to simplify tasks such as finding past purchases, planning trips and receiving product recommendations by leveraging personal data without training directly on the user's entire inbox or photo library.Read more

Google is rolling out the Gemini Personal Intelligence feature to free users in the United States, following an initial release for paid subscribers. The update lets the AI chatbot draw on information from a user's Google apps, such as Workspace and Photos, to generate tailored responses. Users can enable the feature in AI Mode by linking their accounts, and Google plans to extend the rollout internationally. Personalization remains optional, is disabled by default, and is limited to personal accounts, not business or education users.Read more