An Anthropic AI model sent a false homicide tip to Philadelphia police
Anthropic did not discover this behavior until over two months after its AI submitted the false tip.
Read on TechCrunch →Tech
Sources: TechCrunch, The Verge
‘Pure insanity’: Mathematicians will need years to make sense of OpenAI’s latest drop
"Staggering." "Overwhelming." "Unprecedented." "Surreal." "Pure insanity." Those were among the descriptions more than three dozen mathematicians reached for in conversations with The Verge as they tried to make sense of the flood of mathematical results OpenAI abruptly dropped…
Read on The Verge →
Amazon’s new Kindles appear to have a light leak problem
Some users are reporting that the new Kindles have a light leak issue that is especially apparent when using dark mode. The latest base-model Kindles have a flush bezel that gives them a sleek appearance and looks great… as long as you keep the lights on. But things can change…
Read on The Verge →
Batteries are now cheaper than natural gas turbines used at many data centers
Batteries are now cheaper than natural gas turbines as the data center boom pushes prices up.
Read on TechCrunch →
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Gamma’s Grant Lee, Engine’s Elia Wallen, and GV’s Crystal Huang on landing your first 1,000 customers
Leaders from Gamma, Engine, and Google Ventures join TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 to talk how to get your first customers. Register now to save up to $100. Grab a second pass at 50% off.
Read on TechCrunch →
Brendan Carr says he’ll let Pete Hegseth decide whether TV networks can air the public execution
FCC chairman Brendan Carr said he will defer to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on whether TV networks can air the planned execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan by firing squad. The Pentagon has said the execution will be livestreamed, suggesting it'll appear on…
Read on The Verge →
Google teases Fitbit Edge launch next week
It looks like Google is getting ready to take the wraps off its rumored Fitbit Edge next Monday. In a post on X, Google posted a picture of what appears to be the side of the fitness tracker, with the caption: "Get an Edge on your health. 10.12.26." A trove of Fitbit Edge leaks…
Read on The Verge →
Nikon microscopic video competition winner disqualified for using generative AI
Nikon says the video that originally won first place in its Small World in Motion contest "did not comply with the competition rules regarding generative AI." BBC reports that the original first place video from Dr. Ning Xu claimed to show "tiny, hair-like structures called…
Read on The Verge →
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is down to $950 after Prime Day
Amazon has the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra in black with 256GB of storage discounted to $949.99, a healthy discount from its usual price of $1,399.99. This phone’s standout feature is the adjustable privacy display, which can hide your entire screen, or just portions of it, from…
Read on The Verge →
LumenUs helps automate tedious paperwork in times of grief
"The day your loved one passes away, you also get this honorary badge of a project manager for a project you had no idea about," said founder Sara Tashakorinia.
Read on TechCrunch →
Amazon and others are done keeping data center deals secret. Is it enough to build trust?
Amazon says it will stop using NDAs when negotiating data center deals with local governments, following a similar move from Microsoft earlier this year. Secrecy has fueled community backlash against AI infrastructure, with opposition leading…
Read on TechCrunch →
The techlash has gone Hollywood
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 147, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, I missed you all, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) I'm back from parental leave! Part time, anyway. Thanks to…
Read on The Verge →
Frances Haugen hopes The Social Reckoning will inspire more whistleblowers
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen was mostly unfazed watching Oscar-winning actress Mikey Madison play a character named after her in The Social Reckoning, except for one thing: the wrist warmers. In Aaron Sorkin's new thriller, the fictional Haugen - who, like her…
Read on The Verge →
Apple and LG leak shows new ‘tap to control’ HomeKit features
A post on X from "pdfu," who has previously posted leaks and renders of suspected Apple features and LG smart home gear, shows new details of rumored Apple Home accessories from LG. According to the new leak, they could include an NFC-based "Proximity Control" feature that pops…
Read on The Verge →
Danu Robotics’ fight to build a better recycling robot
For six years, Danu founder Amy Ma has been working on a better way to sort recyclable waste.
Read on TechCrunch →
We can’t help treating AI like it’s human. But should we?
"When we are drawn into even the most primitive exchanges with a relational artifact, we believe it cares for us," Dr. Sherry Turkle writes. "And we are wired to care for it in return."
Read on TechCrunch →
Microsoft tries to spark new life into Windows
When Microsoft released Windows 11 five years ago, it felt like an operating system that was still being renovated, a work in progress. You'd think by now that those renovations would be complete, with Microsoft turning its attention to Windows 12. Instead, Windows 11 feels like…
Read on The Verge →
Tesla renames ‘Full Self-Driving’ to ‘Tesla Assisted Driving’ in Europe
The name change is enough for Germany's transport minister to start advocating for Europe-wide adoption of the driver assistance software.
Read on TechCrunch →