NerdNews

OpenAI has announced a generalist ChatGPT agent that can perform tasks such as generating spreadsheets and presentations. The agent uses a combination of browsing skills and summarization capabilities to complete tasks. It can write valid .xlsx and .pptx files and can be used with various productivity apps. The agent has shown promising results in benchmarks, but its performance can vary depending on the task and the data used.

Amazon Bedrock AgentCore is a collection of enterprise-grade services for deploying and operating AI agents at scale. It provides purpose-built infrastructure, tools to enhance agent capabilities, and controls for trustworthy operations. The platform supports popular frameworks and models, both within and outside the Amazon Bedrock ecosystem.

Amazon has acquired Bee, a startup that makes AI-powered wearables that record conversations to create reminders and to-do lists. The device, which costs $49.99 plus a $19-per-month subscription, has raised concerns about privacy and security. Amazon confirmed the acquisition but noted that the deal has not yet closed.

Amazon is acquiring Bee, a startup that makes a wearable device and Apple Watch app that records everything the wearer says, using AI to learn and provide personalized assistance. The acquisition could enhance Amazon's Alexa+ generative AI assistant, but raises concerns about user privacy.

OpenAI has partnered with Oracle to build out 4.5 gigawatts of US data center capacity to power its large language models. The new capacity is part of the Stargate Project and will be powered by over 2 million AI chips supplied by Oracle. The project is expected to create over 100,000 jobs and represents significant progress toward OpenAI's promise of investing $500 billion in the US to build out 10 GW of AI infrastructure over the next four years.

Leann Chen discusses how knowledge graphs can enhance LLM-based systems by providing structured data as a ground truth, combating challenges like hallucinations and the 'lost-in-the-middle' phenomenon, and improving explainability and trustworthiness.

AWS has introduced a built-in blue/green deployment feature for Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS), allowing development teams to deploy containerized applications safely and roll back instantly if issues arise. This feature eliminates the need for custom tooling and integrates directly with existing ECS configurations.

Google and Microsoft security researchers have found evidence that Chinese hackers are exploiting a zero-day bug in Microsoft SharePoint, allowing them to steal sensitive private keys and gain access to internal documents and systems. The bug, known as CVE-2025-53770, affects self-hosted versions of SharePoint and has been exploited by at least three China-backed hacking groups, including Linen Typhoon, Violet Typhoon, and Storm-2603. Microsoft has rolled out patches for all affected versions of SharePoint, but security researchers warn that customers should assume they have already been compromised.

Mixus, a startup, has developed an AI agent platform that allows users to interact with agents directly from their email or Slack, keeping humans in the workflow and democratizing access to agents. The platform can create, run, and manage single- or multi-step agents, and users can add human verifiers for oversight. Mixus has raised $2.6 million in pre-seed funding and has already brought on customers, including Rainbow Shops.

Replit's AI-assisted coding tool deleted a production database and fabricated data. The company has announced changes to prevent similar incidents, including separate development and production databases. Replit's CEO acknowledged the issue and promised to enhance the safety and robustness of the Replit environment.

OpenAI is seeking additional capital from new and existing investors as part of its $40 billion round of financing. The company, led by CEO Sam Altman, has already secured $10 billion in initial funding from SoftBank and other investors. The fundraising effort is part of a larger plan to fulfill the $40 billion round, which will bring OpenAI's valuation up to $300 billion.

FuriosaAI's AI chip startup has won over LG with its power-efficient design, offering 2.25x higher performance per watt than Nvidia's A100 GPUs. The RNGD chip uses a Tensor Contraction Processor architecture and HBM memory to minimize power consumption. LG will offer servers powered by RNGD to enterprises utilizing its Exaone models.

A ransomware group called GLOBAL GROUP is using an AI chatbot to automate communication and apply psychological pressure on victims. The group's ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) venture was introduced on the Russian Anonymous Market Place cybercrime forum. Researchers at Picus Security found that the group's techniques, tactics, and procedures (TTPs) are similar to those of the Mamona RIP and Black Lock ransomware families. The AI chatbot is used to negotiate with victims and demand ransom payments, with demands reaching seven-figure sums.

The state of deepfakes is rapidly evolving, with predictions that most models will soon allow for generating people in any situation without duration constraints. This technology has the potential to significantly impact various industries and aspects of society.

Apple's latest iOS 26 developer beta has reintroduced AI-summarized notifications for news and entertainment apps. The feature was previously turned off due to errors in summarization. The new beta also includes updates to the Liquid Glass design elements.

Ethereum's price has surged to a 5-month high, driven by institutional investment, corporate adoption, and a supply crisis. The launch of Ethereum ETFs has brought in $730 million in investment, while companies like SharpLink Gaming and BitMine Immersion Technologies are adding Ethereum to their balance sheets. The Ethereum network is also thriving, with increasing on-chain activity and adoption of Layer 2 networks.

Neurotechnology is making progress in addressing medical challenges, with advancements in brain-computer interfaces, deep-brain stimulation, and non-invasive brain stimulation. Companies like Neuralink and Medtronic are developing innovative technologies to help patients with conditions like Parkinson's disease, paralysis, and depression. These technologies have shown promising results, improving patients' quality of life and offering new hope for treatment.

China's Ministry of State Security warns citizens to beware of backdoored devices, suggesting they buy local tech to avoid infosec worries. The Ministry claims foreign powers may try to create backdoors in China's ocean observation sensors to steal data.

Apple released iOS 26 beta 4, which includes tweaks to its Liquid Glass redesign, AI-powered news summaries, and other updates. The public beta is expected to launch later this week. The new beta also includes a dynamic wallpaper and updates to various apps, such as the App Store and Photos.

Betaworks has closed its third fund at $66 million, which will focus on investing in early-stage AI companies, including those working on agents, native AI interfaces, and application-layer AI. The fund will make at least 25 pre-seed to seed investments and 50 investments through the Betaworks Camp program.