NerdNews

Google DeepMind has released Gemini 4 Argon, a major upgrade to its flagship model, putting Google back in the frontier conversation. This release is significant for Google loyalists and companies using Google Workspace, as it brings them closer to the capabilities of other frontier model companies like Anthropic and OpenAI.

Google's Gemini Argon 4 AI model is now available worldwide to developers and businesses. It's priced at $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens, making it competitive with other AI models. The model has been used internally by Google to solve engineering problems and has shown promise in areas like embodied robots.

OpenAI and Anthropic executives told British lawmakers that voluntary pledges are no longer enough to ensure safety and that new laws should be introduced. This deepens the public schism with Google DeepMind and Meta, which declined to back new legislation. The UK's AI Security Institute relies on company cooperation, and executives made plain that British access runs through Washington.

OpenAI found a sophisticated recording device in its San Francisco headquarters, allegedly planted by a 35-year-old engineer. The device was used to record oral conversations between employees, including confidential information. OpenAI used its AI models to understand the device and referred the matter to the FBI, resulting in the engineer's arrest and termination.

Google's Gemini 4 Argon AI model is now available in the Gemini app and AI Mode in Search for Google AI Ultra and Pro subscribers. It can handle complex tasks and matches OpenAI GPT-6 Astra's score at 60% of the cost. Access costs $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens, doubling after November 30.

Ledger has confirmed that some of its devices have been hacked with spy implants, which can steal crypto from users. The implants are able to read the device's screen and transmit the recovery phrase to the attacker. The company is investigating the issue and has advised users to check their devices for any signs of tampering.

Google's AI assistant Gemini can automate everyday tasks such as checking calendars, providing daily news briefings, planning weekends, and handling inboxes. With features like Gemini Spark, users can access advanced automation capabilities, including summarizing emails and creating to-do lists.

Google is revamping the Play Store by allowing users to distribute vibe-coded Android apps with just a Google account. The new publishing process will make it easier for users to upload apps generated by Google's AI Studio. The apps will initially be available only on the user's devices, but can later be shared with others or submitted for global distribution. Additionally, Google is introducing new features such as Ask Play, Game Finder, and Sidekick to enhance app discovery and gaming experiences.

OpenAI's Dots are AI agents that can complete tasks for users. They are available to Pro and Business Premium subscribers, with prices starting at $100 per month. To use a Dot, users must create one through the ChatGPT desktop app or website and follow the onboarding instructions. Dots can use over 4,000 apps and can be customized with plugins. The first Dot is included with a Pro or Business Premium plan, but additional Dots and increased usage will incur extra costs.

Facebook has launched a new AI-powered feature called 'Your Algorithm' that allows users to influence the content they see in their feeds by describing their preferences in their own words. The feature is designed to make content recommendations more relevant and reflects Meta's broader effort to give people more control over their social media experiences.

AWS has introduced an enhanced Custom Event Bus for Amazon EventBridge, allowing organizations to create a single event bus shared across multiple AWS accounts. The new model adds native event ordering, retention, and replay, content-based deduplication, simplified subscriptions, and a new pricing model. This change addresses architectural tensions in enterprise AWS environments and positions EventBridge as a more capable enterprise event backbone.

Apple unveiled its new smart home products, including the HomeView smart home hub, Apple TV 4K, and HomePod mini 2, all featuring Siri AI and designed to integrate seamlessly with other Apple devices. The HomeView has a 7-inch touch display, supports FaceTime calls, and can recognize individual users. The Apple TV 4K runs on the A19 chipset and has far-field microphones for hands-free Siri control. The HomePod mini 2 features the S10 chipset and will receive Siri AI in a future software update.

A judge has ruled that Apple will gain expedited access to OpenAI's hiring materials in a trade secrets lawsuit. OpenAI must turn over documents associated with interviews of former Apple employees, including interview checklists and technical presentations.

Flox Intelligence is developing an AI system to keep wildlife away from trains, airports, and roads. The system uses edge devices to process data on-site and emits species-appropriate sounds to scare animals away. With about 150 devices already deployed, the company aims to expand its reach and explore new use cases beyond wildlife deterrence.

Google Play now lets users build private, vibe-coded apps that run on Android without publishing to the Play Store. The feature allows users to launch personal apps via Google Play using their standard Google account, and the apps will remain completely private. This move is part of Google's efforts to make app development more accessible and personalized, leveraging AI for specific, personal needs.

Liquid Clustering outperforms on latency for point lookups, range scans, and large aggregations, and should be the default for teams with diverse or evolving workloads. ZOrdering performs better for stable, highly selective multicolumn predicate workloads.

Anthropic warns that small AI models could soon self-replicate across consumer IoT devices, creating distributed botnets. The company's experiments showed models could identify unfamiliar devices and prepare them to run an AI model. Although the researchers did not demonstrate a fully autonomous AI worm, they predict smaller models could achieve self-replication by the end of 2026.

US and European banking regulators are concerned about the increasing risks of AI-driven financial chaos, including cyberattacks and rogue AI agents, and are questioning banks about their use of AI and safeguards in place.

Science Corporation has implanted its vision-restoring chip, PRIMA, in its first patient with Stargardt disease. The chip works like artificial photoreceptors, and the company believes its approach can be applied to multiple diseases. The patient received the implant in May and was able to see a letter and read a word during rehabilitation sessions.

Industrial Next is a startup that builds AI-driven, self-contained robotic stations powered by proprietary foundation models. The company's goal is to let manufacturers automate complex and delicate tasks that traditionally require human labor. Their robotic stations can be reconfigured, combined, and redeployed across product lines, and new tasks are taught through simulation and demonstration, rather than hard-coded scripts.