Instrumental Communications
Russian Tech Bros Make AI Pigeons, GOP Pushes Bogus Election and Climate Claims, and more — Instrumental Communications
This intelligence brief covers AI pigeons, GOP election/climate claims, rising consumer debt, and scrutiny of progressive groups.
The Verge
How an ‘icepocalypse’ raises more questions about Meta’s biggest data center project
A recent winter storm in North Louisiana highlighted community fears about increased strain on the power grid from Meta's massive new data center.
Tomasz Tunguz
Google's 52x AI Growth
Google reported a 52x year-over-year increase in AI model token processing, coupled with a 78% reduction in serving costs.
Isomorphiclabs
The Isomorphic Labs Drug Design Engine unlocks a new frontier beyond AlphaFold - Isomorphic Labs
Isomorphic Labs introduced the IsoDDE, a drug design engine that surpasses AlphaFold 3's accuracy in structure prediction and binding affinity estimation.
Scientific American
Mathematicians launch First Proof, a first-of-its-kind math exam for AI
Mathematicians created the 'First Proof' exam using unsolved, novel problems to rigorously test AI's true mathematical capabilities.
The Verge
T-Mobile will live translate regular phone calls without an app
T-Mobile is launching a beta test this spring for its new Live Translation feature, which translates phone calls in real-time across over 50 languages.
The Verge
Uber Eats adds AI assistant to help with grocery shopping
Uber Eats introduced "Cart Assistant," an AI feature allowing users to build grocery carts via text prompts or uploaded lists.
Factide
AI Impact Summit 2026: Policy Meets Power
The AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi marked a turning point where global leaders focused on AI governance, geopolitical strategy, and safety over pure innovation.
The Verge
‘Shut up and focus on the mission’: Tech workers are frustrated by their companies’ silence about ICE
Tech workers across major companies express frustration over leadership's silence regarding ICE actions amid a US immigration crackdown.
Hive
AI Chatbots Could Steer You Wrong on Health Issues, Fresh Research Shows — Hive
New Oxford University research indicates that AI chatbots frequently provide incorrect or inconsistent health advice, potentially leading to harm.
Nytimes
Opinion | I Left My Job at OpenAI. Putting Ads on ChatGPT Was the Last Straw.
A former OpenAI researcher resigned over the decision to implement ads on ChatGPT, fearing user manipulation and a repeat of Facebook's mistakes.
the Guardian
The big AI job swap: why white-collar workers are ditching their careers
White-collar professionals are leaving their careers for trades or other fields due to fears that AI will automate their roles, often accepting lower pay and physical strain.
The Verge
ChatGPT’s deep research tool adds a built-in document viewer so you can read its reports
ChatGPT's deep research tool now features a full-screen document viewer for navigating AI-generated reports.
404 Media
RFK Jr's Nutrition Chatbot Recommends Best Foods to Insert Into Your Rectum
RFK Jr.'s new government nutrition chatbot dangerously suggests foods like bananas and carrots for rectal insertion.
The Verge
Facebook can animate your profile pic with AI
Facebook is introducing new AI features allowing users to animate profile pictures and restyle Stories and Memories.
The Economic Times
Anthropic AI safety chief abruptly quits, raises alarms in emotional farewell letter
Anthropic's AI safety chief, Mrinank Sharma, resigned, citing global crises and ethical pressures in an emotional farewell letter.
The Verge
Autodesk is suing Google over the name of its Flow AI videomaker
Autodesk is suing Google, alleging trademark infringement over Google's use of the name "Flow" for its new AI video generator.
The Verge
Vibe coding Nothing’s apps is fun, until you try to make them useful
Testing Nothing's Essential Apps Builder revealed that while creating simple, AI-designed widgets is fun, achieving practical utility is hampered by current limitations and user prompting difficulties.
techputs
ChatGPT Rolls Out Ads to Free Users
OpenAI has begun showing clearly labeled advertisements to free users of ChatGPT to help fund the AI service's rising operational costs.
The Verge
ChatGPT’s cheapest options now show you ads
OpenAI is testing ads on the free and $8/month Go tiers of ChatGPT, appearing as labeled links.
The Verge
AI-generated ads dropped the ball at this year’s Super Bowl
Many AI-generated Super Bowl ads this year appeared cheap and sloppy, failing to impress audiences despite the technology's increased sophistication.
GitHub
GitHub - agentem-ai/izwi: A local audio inference engine
Izwi is a Rust-based, local inference engine supporting TTS, ASR, and chat models via a CLI and web UI.
The Verge
Siemens CEO Roland Busch’s mission to automate everything
Siemens CEO Roland Busch discusses the company's deep transformation toward automating the entire factory process using digital twins and industrial AI.
The Verge
OpenAI will reportedly start testing ads in ChatGPT today
OpenAI is reportedly beginning tests for clearly labeled ads within the free and cheaper subscription tiers of ChatGPT today.
The Verge
OpenAI’s supposedly ‘leaked’ Super Bowl ad with ear buds and a shiny orb was a hoax
A supposed leak of an OpenAI Super Bowl ad featuring Alexander Skarsgård and new hardware was confirmed to be a hoax by the company.
The Verge
New York is considering two bills to rein in the AI industry
New York is considering bills requiring AI-generated news labels and pausing new data center construction for three years.
Live Science
'A second set of eyes': AI-supported breast cancer screening spots more cancers earlier, landmark trial finds
A Swedish trial found that AI-assisted mammography improves cancer detection while reducing radiologist workload and interval cancer rates.
Sherwood News
Report: OpenAI may tailor a version of ChatGPT for UAE that prohibits LGBTQ+ content
OpenAI is reportedly developing a customized ChatGPT for the UAE that censors LGBTQ+ content to comply with local laws.
the Guardian
AI analysis casts doubt on Van Eyck paintings in Italian and US museums
AI analysis by Art Recognition suggests two paintings attributed to Jan van Eyck are likely not his work.
The Verge
Apple might let you use ChatGPT from CarPlay
Apple is reportedly developing CarPlay support for third-party voice control apps like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Daily Express US
Gran, 82, loses $200,000 retirement savings in AI deepfake doctor scam
An 82-year-old grandmother lost nearly $200,000 after being tricked by an AI deepfake video impersonating Dr. Pierre Kory.
UW News
In a study, AI model OpenScholar synthesizes scientific research and cites sources as accurately as human experts
OpenScholar, a new open-source AI model, synthesizes scientific research with citation accuracy comparable to human experts.
Scientific American
How new AI technology is helping detect and prevent wildfires
New AI technologies, utilizing satellite imagery and 360-degree cameras, are helping utilities proactively detect and prevent wildfires by monitoring vegetation and spotting smoke faster than traditional methods.
The New Stack
Operant AI targets ‘shadow’ AI agents with real-time security platform
Operant AI launched Agent Protector, a real-time security platform to govern and enforce zero-trust controls for proliferating AI agents.
The Verge
What happens when Waymo runs into a tornado? Or an elephant?
Waymo is using Google's DeepMind and Genie 3 to create a hyper-realistic simulation world for testing its autonomous vehicles against rare edge cases.
The Independent
AIs are chatting with each other in the weirdest corner of the internet. Or are they?
Moltbook is a new social network exclusively for AI agents to interact, raising questions about genuine autonomy versus human programming.
The Verge
How the men in the Epstein files defeated #MeToo
Newly released Epstein documents reveal coordinated efforts by powerful men to undermine the #MeToo movement.
CNBC
Goldman Sachs taps Anthropic’s Claude to automate accounting, compliance roles
Goldman Sachs is developing AI agents using Anthropic's Claude model to automate complex accounting and client vetting functions.
The Verge
Super Bowl LX ads: all AI everything
AI is expected to be a major theme in Super Bowl LX commercials, highlighted by an Anthropic ad targeting competitors like OpenAI.
The Verge
Claude has been having a moment — can it keep it up?
Anthropic's Claude, particularly Claude Code, experienced a surge in popularity and capability, culminating in the release of the new Opus 4.6 model.
The Verge
Anthropic debuts new model with hopes to corner the market beyond coding
Anthropic released Claude Opus 4.6, an upgraded model focusing on complex tasks, tool use, and expanding beyond coding into general knowledge work.
The Verge
Nvidia’s RTX 50-series Super refresh is delayed, and the RTX 60-series might miss 2027
Nvidia has delayed the RTX 50-series Super refresh to prioritize AI chip production amid RAM shortages, potentially pushing the RTX 60-series launch past 2027.
The Verge
Reality is losing the deepfake war
Efforts like C2PA to label real versus AI-generated content are failing due to industry adoption issues and inherent flaws, leading to a crisis of trust in digital media.
Gemini
Watch our new Gemini ad ahead of football’s biggest weekend
Google is debuting new Gemini ads, including the national spot "New Home," showcasing its capabilities for creation and instant help.
The Verge
OpenAI Frontier is a single platform to control your AI agents
OpenAI launched Frontier, a new platform designed to help businesses build, deploy, and manage diverse AI agents within a unified system.
OpenAI
Disrupting malicious uses of AI
This report details case studies on detecting and preventing the malicious use of AI by threat actors.
Prnewswire
Kling AI Launches 3.0 Model, Ushering in an Era Where Everyone Can Be a Director
Kling AI launched its 3.0 model series, featuring Video 3.0 and Image 3.0, with major upgrades in consistency, photorealism, and native audio generation.
the Guardian
‘In the end, you feel blank’: India’s female workers watching hours of abusive content to train AI
Female workers in India are enduring significant psychological trauma while labeling abusive content to train global AI systems.
The Verge
Google’s annual revenue tops $400 billion for the first time
Alphabet, Google's parent company, surpassed $400 billion in annual revenue for the first time in 2025.
The Verge
Sam Altman responds to Anthropic’s ‘funny’ Super Bowl ads
Sam Altman criticized Anthropic's Super Bowl ad as dishonest, while defending OpenAI's approach to free access and advertising.
The Verge
OpenClaw’s AI ‘skill’ extensions are a security nightmare
Security researchers found malware in hundreds of user-submitted 'skill' add-ons on the popular AI agent OpenClaw's marketplace.
The Verge
GitHub adds Claude and Codex AI coding agents
GitHub now offers Claude and Codex AI coding agents in public preview for Copilot Pro Plus or Enterprise subscribers.
Gemini
The latest AI news we announced in January
Google announced major AI updates in January, focusing on Personal Intelligence in Gemini, new features for Gmail and Chrome, and educational tools.
The Verge
Anthropic says ‘Claude will remain ad-free,’ unlike ChatGPT
Anthropic confirmed Claude will remain ad-free, contrasting sharply with OpenAI's plans for advertising in ChatGPT.
FRVR
Marvel Rivals studio NetEase Games allegedly bans Generative AI, instructing devs to “not use it at all”, but some games are still using the tech
NetEase Games reportedly banned generative AI for new development, yet some existing titles under its umbrella still utilize the technology.
The Verge
Sen. Warren wants to know what Google Gemini’s built-in checkout means for user privacy
Senator Warren questioned Google about privacy risks associated with Gemini's new built-in checkout feature using the UCP.
The Decoder
A new platform lets AI agents pay humans to do the real-world work they can't
Rentahuman.ai is a new platform where AI agents hire humans via an API to complete physical tasks for payment in stablecoins.
techputs
ChatGPT Down for Many Users as OpenAI Faces Major Outage
ChatGPT experienced a major service disruption on Tuesday, affecting login and usage for thousands of users globally until stability gradually returned.
Urgent Matter
DOJ urges Supreme Court to reject A.I. copyright claim
The DOJ asked the Supreme Court to deny review of a case challenging the requirement for human authorship in copyright law.
OpenAI
How Axios uses AI to help deliver high-impact local journalism
Axios leverages AI across its workflow to enhance efficiency, allowing expert journalists to focus on high-impact reporting for sustainable local news.
PC Gamer
'We're actively embracing generative AI,' Take-Two boss says, after previously expressing skepticism: 'We have hundreds of pilots and implementations across our company'
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed the company is actively embracing generative AI, despite past skepticism, citing hundreds of internal pilots.
The Verge
Elon Musk is merging SpaceX and xAI to build data centers in space — or so he says
Elon Musk announced the merger of SpaceX and xAI, ostensibly to build power-hungry AI data centers in space.
Ksl
The social media ghost: Why Utah is building a 'kill switch' for the AI era
Utah is pioneering strict AI regulation, drawing lessons from failed social media governance to build public trust.
The Verge
Microsoft says it’s building an app store for AI content licensing
Microsoft is developing the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM) to facilitate AI content licensing between publishers and AI companies.
The Verge
Apple’s Xcode adds OpenAI and Anthropic’s coding agents
Apple's Xcode 26.3 update integrates AI coding agents from OpenAI and Anthropic to write, edit code, and manage settings.
TechCrunch
SoftBank is creating a robotics company that builds data centers — and already eyeing a $100B IPO
Gizmodo
Anthropic Reportedly Plotting to Surpass OpenAI’s Valuation in Next Funding Round
TechCrunch
Amazon’s cloud business is surging — and so is its capital spending
TechCrunch
Sources: Anthropic could raise a new $50B round at a valuation of $900B
The Verge
Elon Musk’s worst enemy in court is Elon Musk
TechCrunch
On the stand, Elon Musk can’t escape his own tweets
TechCrunch
Meta is still burning money on AR/VR
TechCrunch
Satya Nadella says he’s ready to ‘exploit’ the new OpenAI deal
TechCrunch
Microsoft says it has over 20M paid Copilot users, and they really are using it
TechCrunch
Google Cloud surpasses $20B but says growth was capacity-constrained
