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Perplexity’s Personal Computer turns Windows PCs into AI agents
Perplexity has extended its agentic “Personal Computer” tool to Windows, letting the operating system’s PCs function as locally run AI agents that can access files and apps to complete tasks such as drafting documents or updating spreadsheets. This matters because it follows the April launch of the Mac version and pushes Perplexity further into enterprise…
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US consumers are ‘more wary than willing’ to engage with AI in entertainment content, Luminate study finds
A new report from Luminate Intelligence has found that US consumers are generally more cautious than enthusiastic about engaging with entertainment content made using generative AI. The findings, part of the “AI & Media: Audience Attitudes” study published on 24 July, matter because they highlight persistent consumer scepticism towards AI-generated films, TV shows, music and…
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Smart rings are looking like my kind of AI gadget
David Pierce, editor-at-large at The Verge, argues that smart rings could become the standout AI gadget, outshining rivals like smart glasses and AI pins, thanks to advances in dictation technology that let users speak to their devices with remarkable accuracy. He was particularly struck by a demo of Sandbar’s forthcoming Stream ring, which uses a…
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Too many AI agents can get in each other’s way
Researchers from NTT Research’s Physics of Artificial Intelligence Lab and Harvard University’s Center for Brain Science have found that adding more AI agents to a task does not necessarily improve results, and beyond a certain point can actually make performance worse. This challenges the “swarm” or multi-agent approach championed by both OpenAI and Anthropic, which…
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The Movement: Flock cameras rile up privacy-minded right
Privacy-focused conservatives are increasingly opposing Flock Safety’s networked cameras, which automatically record vehicle details and feed them into police-searchable databases. The dispute matters because it exposes a growing tension on the American right between support for law enforcement and concerns about expansive government or corporate surveillance. Critics argue that the systems can track ordinary people’s…
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Hyperscale, hypersensitive: US teacher cuffed for applauding datacenter critics
A physics teacher in Emporia, Kansas, was arrested and briefly jailed after clapping in support of a speaker who opposed zoning changes for a proposed hyperscale datacentre, despite commissioners’ repeated warnings against audience reactions. The incident, which drew national attention, highlights the growing tension between AI infrastructure developers and local communities over the impact of…
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Believe it or not, AI is creating more opportunities in skilled trades
The article’s full text is unavailable because access was denied, so its arguments and evidence cannot be independently summarised. Based on the title, it appears to argue that artificial intelligence is increasing demand or creating new opportunities for skilled-trade workers. No supporting details, statistics, examples or author conclusions were provided in the accessible text. Any…
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Hugging Face reportedly plagued with AI models generating adult deepfakes
A study by European non-profit AI Forensics has found that Hugging Face, the leading open-source AI hosting platform, is hosting numerous tools capable of generating non-consensual sexual deepfakes with little to no moderation. The findings come as the European Union and the UK move to ban “nudification” apps, and they highlight how open platforms designed…
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Marmite and Dove owner Unilever warns of price rises due to growing costs
Unilever, the owner of Marmite, Dove and Hellmann’s, has warned that it will push through further price rises in the coming months as it seeks to recoup rising costs. The Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant said a slowdown in price increases during the second quarter was due to temporary factors, including World Cup-related discounts and efforts…
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Can the New York Times Save Journalism From Our AI Overlords?
A.G. Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, discusses the paper’s near three-year legal battle against OpenAI and Microsoft over alleged copyright infringement, as well as escalating pressure on the press from the Trump administration. Speaking to WIRED, Sulzberger frames both fights as part of the same struggle to defend journalism, arguing that news organisations…