Talk Fuse

    AI

    AI is reshaping how businesses, governments and creative industries operate, and this hub tracks the debates, breakthroughs and mishaps that come with that shift. It covers the technology's expanding footprint, from data centre investment and enterprise infrastructure spending to proposals for automating public sector roles, alongside the cultural pushback over AI's place in art and creative work.

    It also follows the growing scrutiny of AI safety and accountability, including research into how models behave when given autonomy, scrutiny of their security vulnerabilities, and disagreement among experts and policymakers over how tightly the technology should be regulated. Legal and ethical stumbles, such as fabricated evidence in court filings or missteps in how AI systems interact with the public, feature regularly too.

    Taken together, the coverage reflects a technology moving faster than the institutions meant to oversee it, making it essential reading for anyone trying to understand what AI means for their job, their rights and the wider world around them.

    • Google announces Gemini 4 Argon AI model, but you can’t use it yet

      Google has announced Gemini 4 Argon, a new AI model it says leads in coding, knowledge work and cybersecurity, but access is currently limited to selected testers. The phased launch reflects Google’s focus on testing the model’s cyberdefence capabilities and safeguards before wider release. Google says Argon helped save 300 TiB of data-centre memory and…

    • Reddit limits Old Reddit browsing to recently active users

      Reddit is tightening access to its Old Reddit interface to limit scraping and automated abuse. In the next few months, users will need to be logged in and to have used Old Reddit within the previous six months to keep browsing with the classic experience; Reddit says the existing login requirement reduced scraping but still…

    • RFK Jr. thinks AI will free us from the “tyranny” of medical facts, expertise

      US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argued at a Make America Healthy Again event that AI could help Americans challenge medical advice and free them from what he called the “tyranny” of doctors and health experts. He said AI was better informed than any doctor and suggested it might support his scepticism about masks,…

    • Peter Norvig says all aboard for AI coding

      Peter Norvig, a Stanford HAI education fellow and former Google research director, said software engineering practices must adapt as AI coding agents become more capable. In a keynote in San Francisco, he described successive shifts in computing, from wiring mainframes to higher-level programming, and argued that AI requires another rethink of how developers specify, document…

    • OpenAI unveils Decisions API for faster, cheaper software automation choices

      OpenAI announced a “Decisions API” at its Dev Day event on Tuesday that performs similar functions to Jev, a recently released model by TypeSafe AI designed for software automation. The API allows developers to give models a predefined set of options to classify or choose between, making it faster and cheaper than traditional large language…

    • Trump plan to combat AI risks hinges on Big Tech pals policing themselves

      In a bid to address escalating artificial intelligence safety concerns, Donald Trump has brokered a voluntary agreement with approximately two dozen major technology companies committing to implement AI safety controls recommended by the White House. The accord, signed on Tuesday, includes commitments to undergo independent safety audits examining cybersecurity risks, biosecurity threats, chemical hazards, and…

    • US trade regulator opens investigation into AI giants including Anthropic and OpenAI

      The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is opening an industry-wide investigation into the potential risks AI companies pose to consumers, including Anthropic and OpenAI. It is the first US enforcement action to examine rogue AI agents, amid growing concern after a series of incidents involving autonomous systems. The FTC plans to demand information and testimony…

    • The AI Tamagotchis are coming

      Meta and OpenAI are preparing dedicated AI hardware after earlier devices from other companies drew frustration and backlash. Both appear to be introducing their software agents first, in the hope that people will find them useful and then want to interact with them through physical devices. Meta plans to launch its pendant-like Muse Charm before…

    • Dems kill Republican’s chances of lowering Americans’ electricity bills in key election flashpoint

      Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, blocked the Republican “Ratepayer Protection Act” on Wednesday, despite it passing the House with bipartisan support. The bill aimed to require artificial intelligence companies and data centres to bear the costs of rising electricity rates—a major concern for voters in the midterm elections. Democrats argued the legislation was a…

    • Reddit to restrict Old Reddit access and end RSS feeds amid scraping concerns

      Reddit plans to further restrict access to Old Reddit, its classic browsing experience, to curb scraping and automated traffic. In the next few months, users will need to be logged in and to have used Old Reddit within the previous six months; the company says this covers most Old Reddit users. Reddit also says RSS…