Talk Fuse

    Software

    Software encompasses the digital tools, applications and systems that power modern life, from the artificial intelligence models reshaping how we work and create to the open-source projects offering alternatives to established platforms. This section covers developments across the full software landscape, including advances in machine learning, developer tools and infrastructure, cybersecurity concerns, and the underlying technologies that connect our digital world.

    The software industry is experiencing rapid evolution driven by artificial intelligence. Major technology companies are integrating new capabilities into widely-used applications, from interactive diagrams in chatbots to local file access in AI assistants. Simultaneously, developers continue building open-source alternatives to commercial software, whilst internet infrastructure providers work to expand the ecosystem of domain names and digital resources available online.

    Software developments matter to readers because they directly shape how we interact with technology daily, influence the tools available to businesses and creators, and raise important questions about security, privacy and competition in the digital economy. Whether through new features in familiar applications, emerging cybersecurity risks, or funding trends affecting startup innovation, software news determines how technology evolves and who benefits from it.

    • Buyer beware: Those mummified remains might carry toxic spores

      A study published in the International Journal of Cultural Property warns that the online trade in mummified human and animal remains poses serious health risks, as sellers offer no safety guidance despite clear signs of biodeterioration. Collectors are exposed to two hazards: toxic substances such as arsenic, mercury and lead historically used in preservation, and…

    • Robotaxis are real now — so is the pushback

      Robotaxi services from Waymo, Zoox and Tesla are expanding rapidly across the United States, but this growth is triggering a corresponding surge in political and regulatory pushback. Conflicts have flared in New York, where a plan to permit driverless services outside New York City was withdrawn after opposition from taxi drivers and unions, and in…

    • Graduate jobs slump, Burnham escalates Russia tensions in Kyiv, Harry and Meghan mull UK return

      Adzuna data shows graduate vacancies at a ten-year low; Andy Burnham’s Kyiv trip and Ukraine’s Scalp missile deal have deepened the Russia rift, plus Malaga drone chaos, China’s aborted Moon launch and Maradona’s Hand of God ball fetching £2.5m.

    • Logitech hit by sueball over tariff refunds

      Logitech has been hit with a lawsuit in a California district court accusing the peripherals maker of pocketing tariff refunds instead of passing the savings on to customers who paid inflated prices. The case follows a US Supreme Court ruling in February 2026 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) did not actually give…

    • The Witcher 4 developers target a 2028 release

      CD Projekt Red has confirmed it is targeting a 2028 launch for The Witcher 4, giving the first concrete timeframe for the long-awaited next mainline instalment in its fantasy series. Joint CEO Michał Nowakowski set out the window in a video released around Gamescom, offering fans a firmer sense of when the studio’s next major…

    • OpenAI is building AI agents for everything. Will everyone use them?

      OpenAI is pushing beyond its core chatbot to build AI agents capable of autonomously completing complex, multi-step tasks across professions, not just for software engineers. Its flagship effort, ChatGPT Work, adapts the company’s Codex coding tool for white-collar workers such as accountants, investors and doctors, granting AI systems deep access to email, Slack, phone and…

    • US clean energy capacity set for record 45GW growth in 2026

      Clean energy capacity in the United States is set to grow by a record 45 gigawatts in 2026, according to S&P Global Energy, despite President Donald Trump’s efforts to curb the solar and wind rollout in favour of fossil fuels. The increase, roughly 25% above the previous record set in 2024, is being driven by…

    • Oracle Exadata Database@AWS offers advantages, but trade-offs remain

      Oracle has made its Exadata Database Service generally available on Oracle Database@AWS, a year after the underlying AWS offering first launched. The move gives customers running Oracle’s high-performance database hardware access to AWS’s cloud infrastructure, but licensing experts have cautioned that switching brings meaningful cost and complexity trade-offs, alongside concerns about misleading sales tactics from…

    • Albanese seeks to quell datacentre disquiet as climate expert warns ‘we’ve got one shot to get the rules right’

      Anthony Albanese will use Wednesday’s national cabinet meeting to address growing state-level opposition to proposed federal controls on datacentre developments, arguing that a planned new AI approval law will complement rather than override state rules. The push comes as conservative-led governments in Queensland and the Northern Territory resist federal requirements that datacentres be powered by…

    • Netflix reportedly considers opening its app to other streamers

      Netflix has reportedly discussed opening its app to allow subscriptions or content from rival streaming services, according to The New York Times. The talks are said to have focused on Peacock and Fox One, though it remains unclear whether Netflix would sell subscriptions to these services directly or simply incorporate their content into its own…