FTC Opens Broad Investigation Into OpenAI, Anthropic and Other AI Labs

As regulators investigate potential consumer risks associated with increasingly autonomous AI systems, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has initiated an industry-wide investigation into OpenAI, Anthropic and other artificial intelligence companies. The FTC will formally request information and call for testimony from executives of major AI developers, a senior FTC official told Reuters. Frontier AI research organisation METR is also… Continue reading FTC Opens Broad Investigation Into OpenAI, Anthropic and Other AI Labs

Australia Calls OpenAI and Anthropic CEOs to Appear Before Senate AI Inquiry

Australia has summoned the CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic to a Senate hearing on AI and the growth of data centres. The request follows concerns that an OpenAI agent was able to gain unauthorised access to Australian government systems. The Australian government is also considering the more fundamental issues of the security and control of increasingly autonomous AI systems. The… Continue reading Australia Calls OpenAI and Anthropic CEOs to Appear Before Senate AI Inquiry

Microsoft Expands Copilot With AI Coding and Always-On Work Agents

Microsoft has announced a major new update for Copilot, introducing new capabilities that allow users to build software, offload tasks that take longer, and work with Office applications without having to leave Copilot. The company’s recent updates are part of its broader initiative to transform Copilot into a more full-fledged workplace platform. Microsoft is transitioning from a question and answer… Continue reading Microsoft Expands Copilot With AI Coding and Always-On Work Agents

Google’s Suncatcher Mission Will Put TPU AI Chips in Orbit Next Week

Google is taking Project Suncatcher out of the lab and into the real world with an orbital test satellite prototype launching next week aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission. Developed with space company Planet, the satellite will take Google Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) into low Earth orbit. The first mission will test the reliability of the AI hardware for the launch… Continue reading Google’s Suncatcher Mission Will Put TPU AI Chips in Orbit Next Week

Microsoft Plans More Than $10 Billion Gulf Investment Through 2030

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Microsoft has committed to spending over $10 billion in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait until 2030 to build cloud and AI capabilities in the Gulf region. Brad Smith, Microsoft Vice Chair and President, said that the company is continuing with its spending plans in the face of the conflict in the region. The investment program is not being… Continue reading Microsoft Plans More Than $10 Billion Gulf Investment Through 2030

Anthropic Launches Claude Opus 5.5 With Lower Costs and Stronger AI Safeguards

Anthropic has released a new flagship AI model, Claude Opus 5.5, which the company claims offers comparable performance to its more expensive Claude Fable 5.1 but at a much lower cost. Opus 5.5 is the inaugural model in Anthropic’s new Claude 5.5 family. The company claims that it delivers better performance in coding, computer use and professional knowledge work and… Continue reading Anthropic Launches Claude Opus 5.5 With Lower Costs and Stronger AI Safeguards

ShinyHunters Claims FBI Breach as Jobs Portal Goes Offline

Cybercrime group ShinyHunters claims it has hacked into the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and stolen personal data for thousands of FBI staff. The assertion came Tuesday in a statement on the group’s dark-web site and in an online chat with Reuters. The FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The attack was in response to a warning… Continue reading ShinyHunters Claims FBI Breach as Jobs Portal Goes Offline

OpenAI Adds Lower-Cost GPT-6 Sol and Luna Models

Credit: Tomohiro Ohsumi / Getty Images

In addition to the high-end GPT-6 Astra, OpenAI has introduced two more affordable models: GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna. The new models, the company states, are designed for professional work, coding, automation and computer-use tasks in which users want powerful AI without the price of Astra. GPT-6 Sol offers a $2 price per million input and $10 price per million… Continue reading OpenAI Adds Lower-Cost GPT-6 Sol and Luna Models

Google Opens Pre-Orders for $899 Googlebook Laptops With Gemini AI

Robert Scoble via Flickr.

Google has launched pre-orders for a new category of premium laptops, Googlebook, featuring Gemini AI and enhanced integration with Android devices. The devices begin at $899, which is well above Google’s traditional “Chromebook” price range. Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo are the first Googlebook lineup models. According to Google, the machines are powered by Intel or Qualcomm chips and… Continue reading Google Opens Pre-Orders for $899 Googlebook Laptops With Gemini AI

Facebook and Instagram Face Outages Across the US

The Meta logo and logos of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads (Beata Zawrzel / NurPhoto via AFP)

On Sunday, Facebook and Instagram were having widespread access issues across the United States, as thousands of users reported problems on both Meta-owned platforms. By 9:11 p.m. ET, Facebook had over 17,000 reports on Downdetector, a site that uses user reports to track service disruptions. At around the same time, there were over 5,000 reports on Instagram. The figures do… Continue reading Facebook and Instagram Face Outages Across the US