Microsoft’s First Advanced Reasoning AI Is Here★ 74
The Verge AI41 min agoReleaseMicrosoft announced several in-house AI models at Build 2026, including its new flagship reasoning model, MAI-Thinking-1. The launch marks a significant expansion of Microsoft's model-development efforts after it introduced its first internal models last year. Previously reliant on OpenAI models, Microsoft is building more independent capabilities as the companies loosen ties through a renegotiated agreement.
Microsoft Scout is a new AI personal assistant built on OpenClaw
The Verge AI54 min agoNew ToolMicrosoft is launching Scout, an always-on AI personal assistant built on OpenClaw. It integrates with Microsoft 365 apps including Outlook, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams, enabling businesses to assign virtual assistants to employees. Mentioned tasks include calendar organization, expense reporting, and drafting emails, while the supplied excerpt does not fully explain how Scout differs from Copilot.
Holo3.1: Fast & Local Computer Use Agents
Hugging Face Blog4h agoReleaseHugging Face Blog published a post titled “Holo3.1: Fast & Local Computer Use Agents.” From the title alone, Holo3.1 focuses on computer-use agents with speed and local execution as its stated themes. The source text was not provided, so architecture, supported platforms, benchmarks, licensing, hardware requirements, and availability cannot be confirmed.
[AINews] NVIDIA Cosmos 3, Nemotron 3 Ultra, and RTX Spark
Latent Space15h agoReleaseLatent Space highlights NVIDIA Cosmos 3, Nemotron 3 Ultra, and RTX Spark as the focus of a major NVIDIA news cycle. The supplied text offers only a brief positive assessment: “Jensen scores a huge win.” It does not provide specifications, benchmarks, pricing, availability, or enough detail to compare the products or assess their practical impact.
This AI Weather Startup Is Out-Forecasting Government Agencies
TechCrunch AI1d agoBenchmarkWindborne Systems' newest weather forecasting model reportedly outperforms the best government predictions by days. The supplied excerpt does not identify the model, agencies, benchmarks, regions, or evaluation metrics. The claim is notable for AI weather forecasting, but more methodological detail is needed to assess its scope and reliability.
Introducing Mellum2: A 12B Mixture-of-Experts Model by JetBrains
Hugging Face Blog1d agoReleaseJetBrains introduced Mellum2, a 12B Mixture-of-Experts model. The supplied title confirms the model name, publisher, scale, and architecture description only. Without the article body, its intended use, licensing, availability, training details, benchmarks, and deployment requirements cannot be verified.
An OpenAI model solved a famous math problem that stumped humans for 80 years
Ars Technica AI1d agoCommentaryArs Technica reports that an unspecified OpenAI model solved a famous math problem that had stumped humans for roughly 80 years. The article aims to explain the solution more clearly than OpenAI's own account. The provided excerpt does not identify the problem, model, proof steps, validation process, or degree of human involvement, so the scope of the reported breakthrough cannot be assessed from it alone.
NVIDIA Cosmos 3: An Open Omni-model for Physical AI Reasoning and Action
Hugging Face Blog1d agoReleaseHugging Face Blog announces NVIDIA Cosmos 3, described as the first open omni-model for Physical AI reasoning and action. The title indicates a focus on AI systems that interact with physical-world scenarios rather than only text generation. Because the article body was not provided, its architecture, supported modalities, license, downloadable assets, benchmarks, and deployment requirements cannot be verified from the available material.
MiniMax M3 on AI Gateway
Vercel Changelog2d agoReleaseVercel published a changelog entry titled “MiniMax M3 on AI Gateway.” The provided source does not include the announcement body, so only the model name, platform, and release context can be confirmed. Details such as pricing, API parameters, context length, performance, routing, and supported use cases remain unspecified.
GitHub Copilot’s new token-based billing spurs dev backlash★ 72
TechCrunch AI3d agoBusinessTechCrunch reports that GitHub Copilot will move to token-based billing on June 1, replacing a more predictable flat or request-based model. Some developers say their expected monthly costs could jump dramatically, citing examples from about $29 to nearly $750 or $50 to around $3,000. Others argue the worst cases may reflect heavy vibe-coding usage, while critics say Microsoft encouraged that behavior before changing the economics.
Meta is reportedly developing an AI pendant
TechCrunch AI3d agoHardwareTechCrunch reports that Meta appears to be making bigger bets on AI-powered hardware, including a reportedly developing AI pendant. The article does not provide confirmed product details, features, pricing, release timing, or model information. The main takeaway is a directional signal that Meta may be exploring more wearable AI hardware form factors.
As browser wars heat up, top Chrome and Safari alternatives in 2026
TechCrunch AI3d agoCommentaryTechCrunch frames 2026’s browser competition around alternatives to Chrome and Safari. The roundup covers AI-centric browsers like Perplexity Comet, Dia, Opera Neon, OpenAI Atlas, and Aside, alongside privacy-focused options such as Brave, DuckDuckGo, Ladybird, and Vivaldi. It also highlights niche products including Opera Air, SigmaOS, and Zen Browser, showing how browsers are becoming AI assistants, productivity hubs, privacy layers, and wellness-oriented tools.
AI grifters are creating fake Black people to sell Shein junk
The Verge AI3d agoEthicsThe Verge found TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook accounts using AI-generated Black women and other marginalized personas to sell dropshipped products. The videos frame mass-produced goods as handmade small-business items and use tears, racial identity, and hardship narratives to drive engagement. Researchers describe the pattern as digital blackface and empathy bait, enabled by short-form platforms, weak labeling, and widely available generative AI ad workflows.
NVIDIA, Arm and Microsoft Tease a New Era of PC Ahead of GTC Taipei
INSIDE 硬塞 AI3d agoHardwareNVIDIA, Arm and Microsoft posted coordinated teasers around “A new era of PC,” tied to mysterious coordinates pointing to Taipei. The report frames the move as a pre-COMPUTEX push, with NVIDIA’s rumored N1X Arm chip expected to appear at GTC Taipei. Still, skepticism remains around delays, high pricing, and backlash against overused AI PC messaging.
Coders are refusing to work without AI — and that could come back to bite them
TechCrunch AI3d agoCommentaryTechCrunch reports that developers have become so attached to AI coding tools that METR struggled to repeat a no-AI control study. Earlier research found developers felt more productive with AI, while measured task completion could be slower due to debugging, steering, and waiting. The article warns that token usage and code volume are weak productivity proxies if AI-generated code creates more bugs, review work, and long-term maintenance costs.
Tech companies desperately want to film you doing chores
The Verge AI4d agoEthicsThe Verge reports that AI training startup Shift is offering to clean New Yorkers’ homes for free, with plans to expand to cities including London. The catch is that Shift wants footage of people doing chores and cleaning at home. The story highlights how tech companies are seeking real-world household data for AI and robotics training, raising questions about privacy and consent in domestic spaces.
After Nvidia’s $20B not-aqui-hire, AI chip startup Groq reportedly raising $650M
TechCrunch AI4d agoHardwareTechCrunch cites Axios reporting that AI chipmaker Groq is seeking $650 million in internal funding. The company is reportedly pivoting from hardware toward AI inference, the stage focused on how models respond to prompts. The report comes after Nvidia’s $20 billion not-aqui-hire, underscoring continued investor attention around AI compute and inference infrastructure.
Startup offers free home cleaning if it can record it all for robot training
Ars Technica AI4d agoBusinessAI training startup Shift is offering free home cleanings while workers wear head-mounted cameras that record household chores. The footage is intended to become training data for domestic robots and related AI systems. The model highlights rising demand for real-world robotics data, while raising privacy questions about recording inside homes.
Cognition’s Scott Wu says AI coding agents shouldn’t replace humans
TechCrunch AI4d agoCommentaryCognition makes Devin, described by TechCrunch as the first and arguably most successful AI coding agent. Scott Wu says the product is not meant to supplant human programmers. The key takeaway is a positioning statement: AI coding agents are being framed as tools for software work, not as a direct removal of humans from development.
Kiwibit’s AI-powered bird feeder is my new backyard buddy
TechCrunch AI4d agoHardwareTechCrunch spotlights Kiwibit’s AI-powered bird feeder as a playful way to connect with nature. The product is framed around using an app to collect bird species, similar to a Pokémon-style experience. The available excerpt does not provide specs, pricing, or model details, but it clearly positions Kiwibit as consumer AI hardware for backyard wildlife observation.
Xcena raises $135M betting AI’s bottleneck is memory, not compute
TechCrunch AI4d agoHardwareSouth Korean chip startup Xcena raised a $135 million Series B at a $570 million valuation, bringing total funding to $185 million. The company argues AI inference is increasingly constrained by memory movement, not just GPU compute. Its prototype MX1 chip uses CXL to process data closer to DRAM, with Samsung foundry mass production planned by late 2026 and revenue targeted for 2027.
This AI startup will clean your home for free to train future robots
The Verge AI4d agoBusinessAI training startup Shift is offering to clean homes for free, with a significant condition: it records cleaners at work. The footage captures tasks like scrubbing, vacuuming, dusting, tidying, and washing. Shift says the material will be used to train future robots, raising clear questions about data collection inside private homes.
Snowflake and AWS Expand AI Infrastructure Bet to $6B Over Five Years★ 72
INSIDE 硬塞 AI4d agoBusinessSnowflake reported stronger-than-expected results and raised its annual product revenue forecast as enterprise demand grows. The company signed a five-year, $6 billion AI infrastructure agreement with AWS, expanding a previously smaller commitment. It also acquired Natoma to strengthen AI agent governance, positioning itself as a core enterprise AI platform.
Waymo Is Too Costly, Uber Too Slow: Fatal Flaws in Two Robotaxi Models
INSIDE 硬塞 AI4d agoBusinessThe article contrasts two robotaxi commercialization strategies. Waymo controls technology and distribution through vertical integration, gaining tighter control but facing high costs. Uber relies on partnerships and its ride-hailing platform, keeping a lighter model but risking slower execution and less control. The broader question is whether value in autonomous mobility will accrue to core technology owners or demand-distribution platforms.
Adobe’s conversational AI agent is a mediocre design intern
The Verge AI4d agoCommentaryThe Verge tested Adobe’s Firefly AI Assistant beta, a conversational tool that can perform multi-step image edits using Adobe-style capabilities. It explains its process, asks follow-up questions, and is open about limitations, making it more instructive than many creative chatbots. But the actual edits are often imperfect, with weak blending and middling generative results, so it feels more useful for casual users than professionals.
From Map Data to National Security: A Deep Dive into Amap Risks in Taiwan★ 74
INSIDE 硬塞 AI4d agoRegulationINSIDE examines how China’s Amap has become controversial in Taiwan beyond ordinary mapping or navigation use. The article says its service relies on user data and AI-based inference rather than full official data integrations. That model could send movement traces and behavioral signals back to China, creating risks for hybrid warfare intelligence, influence operations, and Taiwan’s broader governance of map data and digital infrastructure.
Jensen Huang Hosts Taiwan Supply Chain Dinner, Says TSMC Leads Huawei by 10 Years
INSIDE 硬塞 AI4d agoBusinessNVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang hosted key Taiwanese supply chain partners, with senior leaders from TSMC, Foxconn, and Quanta attending the high-profile dinner. The report frames the event as a signal of Taiwan’s central role in AI hardware, from advanced chips to manufacturing and servers. Huang also said TSMC leads Huawei by 10 years, underscoring the strategic weight of semiconductor capability.
Chinese Sodium-Ion Battery Passes German Test, Matches Tesla Lithium Performance
INSIDE 硬塞 AI4d agoHardwareA German independent study has reportedly completed the first full third-party evaluation of China’s Hina sodium-ion battery. The test found strong cell uniformity and multiple performance metrics comparable to advanced lithium batteries, with the report benchmarking it against Tesla-level lithium performance. The key takeaway is external verification: the findings provide checkable data for assessing China’s sodium-ion battery progress.
Siri Redesign and Customizable Camera? Biggest iOS 27 Leak Ahead of WWDC 2026
INSIDE 硬塞 AI4d agoReleaseINSIDE reports that a major iOS 27 leak points to a redesigned Siri experience, potentially arriving as a standalone app rather than only a system voice assistant. The new Siri is said to integrate deeply with Dynamic Island, suggesting a more visible and persistent interaction layer. The headline also mentions camera customization, but the available text does not provide enough detail to confirm how that feature would work.
AI Power Demand Surges as TSMC Says Energy Efficiency Is Key to Chip Development
INSIDE 硬塞 AI4d agoHardwareTSMC senior vice president Cliff Hou said customers across smartphones and AI data centers are increasingly focused on improving performance without increasing power use. The comment reflects rising energy pressure as AI workloads expand. For chipmakers and infrastructure buyers, energy efficiency is becoming a central metric alongside raw computing performance.