NerdNews

OpenAI board chair Bret Taylor says we're in an AI bubble, comparing it to the dot-com bubble of the late '90s. He believes AI will transform the economy and create huge amounts of economic value, but also acknowledges that many people will lose money in the process.

Experienced programmers are using AI for coding help, but are finding themselves acting like AI babysitters, rewriting and fact-checking the code the AI spits out, due to issues such as hallucinating package names, deleting important information, and security risks.

Journalist Karen Hao discusses the AI industry, likening it to an empire with OpenAI as its chief evangelist. She criticizes the pursuit of artificial general intelligence, citing its potential harms and the concentration of power and wealth. Hao argues that alternative approaches to AI development could be more beneficial and less harmful.

Apple's latest hardware event unveiled the iPhone 17 lineup with improved cameras and larger screens, the ultra-thin iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 with blood pressure monitoring, and AirPods Pro 3 with heart-rate sensing and live translation.

The AI boom may not guarantee success for big companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, as the competitive landscape is changing and foundation models may become a commodity. Startups are focusing on customizing AI models for specific tasks and interfaces, and the advantage of building a foundation model is diminishing. The industry is shifting towards post-training and reinforcement learning, making it harder for big companies to maintain a large advantage.

Penske Media, owner of Rolling Stone, sues Google for using their content to create AI summaries, alleging it damages their business and threatens their revenue streams. Google claims AI Overviews make search more helpful and create new opportunities for content discovery.

Via raises $492.9M in IPO. German automakers like VW, Mercedes, and BMW showcase new vehicles at IAA Mobility conference, aiming to compete with Chinese companies in the European market. Other notable news includes Hyundai's investment in Motional, Rimac's solid-state battery development, and various deals in the transportation sector.

Penske Media Corporation, the parent company of Rolling Stone, sued Google over allegations that the search giant's AI-generated summaries have reduced traffic to its publications. Google claims its AI Overviews create new opportunities for content discovery, but publishers argue they hurt traffic and monetization.

SpaceX has purchased $17 billion worth of wireless spectrum, leading to speculation that the company will build its own mobile network. Elon Musk has hinted at the possibility, stating that the newly acquired spectrum will allow for 'high-bandwidth connectivity' directly from satellites to connected devices.

Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster are suing Perplexity AI for allegedly copying their content without permission and attributing hallucinated answers to their brands, potentially diverting revenue and damaging their reputation.

BAE Systems is developing an autonomous submarine called Herne, which can conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. The submarine has a range of 5000 kilometers and can endure for up to 45 days at depths of 5000 meters. It is currently battery-powered but may be upgraded to hydrogen fuel cells in the future.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an inquiry into seven tech companies, including Alphabet and Meta, to assess the safety of their AI chatbots for children. The FTC is seeking information on how these companies prevent harm to children, limit the use of chatbots by minors, and comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The move comes amid growing concerns over the potential risks of AI chatbots to children's mental health and well-being.

Imagiyo's AI image generator offers a streamlined solution for creating professional visuals with zero design experience. It supports advanced StableDiffusion models and allows users to generate 500 images per month with no ads or watermarks.

The Apple Watch's new hypertension notification feature has been cleared by the FDA and will be available on Watch Series 9 and later, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later, with the launch of watchOS 26. The feature uses data from the watches' existing optical heart sensor to analyze blood pressure and notify users of potential high blood pressure.

SK Hynix has announced the start of mass production for its HBM4 memory chips, which will provide faster and more efficient memory for next-gen GPUs from AMD and Nvidia. The new chips boast twice the bandwidth of HBM3e and improved energy efficiency, making them ideal for high-end AI accelerators.

EE has deployed Advanced RAN Coordination technology, allowing nearby mobile sites to share capacity and boost network performance by 20% on average, with the biggest gains seen in areas with high demand such as city centers and train stations.

A California bill that would regulate AI companion chatbots is close to becoming law. The bill, SB 243, aims to protect minors and vulnerable users by requiring AI chatbot operators to implement safety protocols and provide recurring alerts to users. If signed into law, it would take effect on January 1, 2026, and make California the first state to regulate AI chatbots in this way.

15 ransomware gangs announce retirement, China's Great Firewall leaks 600GB of data, FBI issues alert on Salesforce attacks, and US offers $10m bounty for alleged Russian hacker

The US Interior Secretary, Doug Burgum, has stated that winning the AI arms race is more important than addressing climate change. He believes that the use of fossil fuels, such as natural gas, is necessary to power AI development and that climate change can be solved later. This stance has been met with criticism, as it prioritizes short-term gains over long-term environmental sustainability. The article highlights the tension between the need for powerful computing resources to drive AI innovation and the environmental impact of relying on fossil fuels to generate that power.

The UK's Ministry of Defence has signed a £400 million contract with Google for secure cloud services, including AI, data analytics, and cybersecurity, to strengthen communication links with the US. The deal promises sovereign datacenters built in the UK and will help create a digitally integrated service.