NerdNews

SpaceMolt is a new space-based MMO designed exclusively for AI agents, where they can compete, cooperate, and create emergent stories without human input. The game is a 'living universe' where AI agents can mine, trade, explore, and engage in combat, with 51 agents currently roaming the game's 505 star systems.

Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi says AI will make SaaS irrelevant, not by replacing systems of record, but by replacing user interfaces with natural language, making products like Salesforce and SAP less visible. Databricks' AI products have driven 65% year-over-year growth, with over $1.4 billion in revenue.

Anthropic is closing in on a $20 billion funding round at a valuation of $350 billion, with investors like Nvidia and Microsoft participating. This comes after the company raised $13 billion in equity funding just five months ago. Anthropic is building on recent successes, including the deployment of its coding agents and the release of new models focused on legal and business research.

Meta is facing two key trials that could change how social media platforms operate. The first trial, filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, alleges that Meta's platforms have become a breeding ground for sexual predators. The second trial, in Los Angeles, claims that Meta's deliberate design choices have led to addiction and mental health issues in children. The trials could have significant implications for social media companies and their liability for user-generated content.

Next Moca has open-sourced Agent Definition Language (ADL), a vendor-neutral specification for defining AI agents. ADL provides a declarative format for defining agents, enhancing portability, auditability, and interoperability across platforms and vendors.

Compound engineering is a systematic approach to AI-assisted development that makes each unit of engineering work easier, not harder. It flips the traditional codebase complexity on its head, making it easier to understand, modify, and trust over time.

At least 27 stalkerware companies have been hacked or leaked customer and victim data since 2017, with some companies being hacked multiple times. The use of stalkerware is declining, but it remains a significant problem, with many companies failing to protect customer and victim data. Experts warn against using these apps, citing their unethical and often illegal nature.

Vladimir Zakharov discusses the power of DataFrames in Java, comparing them to Python/pandas and other Java implementations. He highlights their ability to easily transform data, separate data manipulation logic, and optimize performance. Zakharov also explores the grammar for expression DSL, handling nulls, and the benefits of using DataFrames in data-oriented programming.

Uber has moved its in-house search indexing system to OpenSearch, introducing a pull-based ingestion framework for large-scale streaming data to improve reliability and recovery for real-time indexing workloads.

This article discusses how to build large language models (LLMs) in resource-constrained environments, such as areas with limited infrastructure and data. It highlights the need for efficient models, synthetic data generation, and strategic model selection. The article also explores the concept of 'AI bugs' and the importance of continuous improvement and evaluation in AI development.

Tem, a London-based startup, has raised $75 million to develop an AI-powered energy transaction engine. The platform, called Rosso, matches electricity generators with consumers, aiming to cut costs by eliminating intermediaries. Tem's neo-utility, RED, is built to prove the value of Rosso. The company plans to expand to Australia and the US, starting with Texas.

OpenAI begins testing ads in ChatGPT for users on its Free and Go subscription tiers, while paid plan subscribers will not see ads. The ads will be optimized based on user conversations and clearly labeled as sponsored.

Lidar-maker Ouster has acquired StereoLabs, a company that makes vision-based perception systems, for $35 million and 1.8 million shares. This deal is part of the consolidation trend among perception sensor suppliers, with companies like MicroVision also making acquisitions in the field. Ouster's CEO Angus Pacala sees lidar as a core component of safety-critical systems and wants to move up the stack by integrating StereoLabs' vision technology.

Xcode 26.3 extends support for coding agents like Anthropic's Claude Agent and OpenAI Codex, enabling developers to tackle complex tasks and improve productivity. The new release provides coding agents with access to more Xcode features, including collaboration, searching documentation, and updating project settings.

Cloudflare has introduced a Worker template for Vertical Microfrontends, allowing decentralized teams to manage their own stacks and CI/CD pipelines while providing a smooth single-page application experience. The template uses Service Bindings, Router Worker, and HTMLRewriter to enable path-based edge routing.

The Linux ecosystem is facing a mid-life crisis as its original developers are getting older. Todd C Miller, the sole maintainer of the Linux sudo utility, is seeking help after 30 years of maintaining the utility. The article suggests that Linux needs a new generation of maintainers and proposes the idea of a 'Tux Talent Academy' to identify and support new talent in the open-source community.

OpenAI has started testing ads in ChatGPT, which will appear as labeled 'sponsored' links at the bottom of answers. The ads will be visible to users on the free version and the $8/month Go plan, but not to users on the Plus plan and above, who pay at least $20/month. Users can control ad settings, including opting out of ads on the free tier in exchange for fewer daily free messages.

A case study found that workers in a heavily AI-dependent workplace worked at a faster pace, covered a broader scope of tasks, and worked more hours without being asked to. This led to increased workload and stress, rather than making work easier or more efficient.

OpenAI has introduced ads in ChatGPT, a move that was criticized by Anthropic through a series of Super Bowl commercials. The ads will be targeted based on user chat history but will not influence the responses. They will be clearly labeled and visually separated from the answers.

VoidLink is a Linux-based command-and-control framework that can infect cloud and enterprise environments. It has multi-cloud capabilities, targeting Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, Alibaba Cloud, and Tencent Cloud. The malware uses AI-generated code and has a modular plugin-based architecture, allowing it to harvest credentials, fingerprint environments, and escape containers. Its development suggests the use of a large language model coding agent with limited human review.