Homechevron_rightArchiveschevron_rightTechnology

Archives

Explore Stories by Date

18 Dec 2025

Gemini for Home arrives on Nest devices with promise and frustration in equal measure

Google's Gemini for Home has finally rolled out to Nest Hub and Nest Mini devices, bringing features like chain commands and Google Keep integration. Early users report mixed experiences—while some capabilities like multi-step commands work well, contextual awareness and natural language understanding still struggle with basic tasks that modern AI should handle effortlessly.

2 Sources

Mythic Raises $125 Million to Challenge Nvidia with 100x More Efficient AI Chips

Palo Alto-based Mythic has secured $125 million in funding to develop analog processing units that cut AI energy use by up to 100 times compared with GPUs. Led by DCVC with backing from SoftBank, Honda, and Lockheed Martin, the AI chip startup plans to deploy its compute-in-memory technology across data centers, automotive systems, robotics, and defense applications.

3 Sources

17 Dec 2025

Amazon launches Alexa+ web portal to compete with ChatGPT and Google Gemini

Amazon quietly rolls out a web version of its AI-enhanced Alexa+ assistant at Alexa.com, enabling users to interact with Alexa via keyboard and mouse. The new browser interface lets users upload files for analysis, manage reminders and calendars, and continue conversations across Echo devices. Currently free during early access, it will later cost $19.99 monthly for non-Prime users.

3 Sources

AI-generated code contains 1.7x more bugs and severe defects than human-authored code

A CodeRabbit study analyzing 470 open source pull requests found that AI-generated code contains significantly more defects than human-written code. AI-authored PRs averaged 10.83 issues compared to 6.45 in human PRs, with 1.4x more critical issues and heightened security vulnerabilities including XSS and password handling flaws. The findings raise questions about code quality as companies like Microsoft report 30% of their code now comes from AI tools.

2 Sources

AI Security System Triggers School Lockdown After Mistaking Student's Clarinet for a Gun

An AI-powered surveillance system at Lawton Chiles Middle School in Florida flagged a student's clarinet as a weapon, triggering a full police response. The student was dressed as a military character for a themed dress-up day. Despite human review, officers rushed to the scene expecting an armed threat. The incident highlights growing concerns about AI threat-detection systems in schools, with critics calling them unproven technologies that cause undue stress while companies defend their better-safe-than-sorry approach.

4 Sources

Google launches Gemini 3 Flash as default AI model, delivering speed with Pro-grade reasoning

Google has released Gemini 3 Flash, making it the default in the Gemini app and AI Mode in Google Search globally. The new AI model combines the powerful reasoning capabilities of Gemini 3 Pro with faster performance and lower operational costs. Early benchmarks show significant improvements over its predecessor, with companies like JetBrains, Figma, and Cursor already deploying the model.

37 Sources

China builds secret EUV prototype to rival the West in AI chips, targeting 2030 production

Chinese scientists have completed a prototype EUV lithography machine in a high-security Shenzhen laboratory, built by former ASML engineers through reverse engineering. The machine generates extreme ultraviolet light but hasn't produced working chips yet. China targets 2028 for functional chip production, though 2030 is more realistic—years ahead of Western estimates.

4 Sources

Microsoft clarifies Windows 11 AI agents need explicit permission before accessing your files

Microsoft updated its support document to confirm that Windows 11 AI agents will not have default access to user files. Even with experimental agentic features enabled, AI agents must request permission each time they need access to six personal folders. Users can choose to allow always, ask every time, or never allow access, though settings apply collectively rather than per folder.

2 Sources

Visa and Akamai team up to secure AI shopping as bot traffic surges 300% in agentic commerce

Visa and Akamai Technologies are collaborating to address security vulnerabilities in AI-led shopping transactions. The partnership integrates Visa's Trusted Agent Protocol with Akamai's cybersecurity protections to help merchants distinguish trusted AI agents from malicious bots. With AI-powered bot traffic surging 300% over the past year, the collaboration aims to create safer agent-based commerce experiences across Visa's 175 million merchant locations.

8 Sources

Google Opal integrates with Gemini to let anyone build AI mini-apps using natural language

Google has integrated Opal, its vibe-coding tool, directly into the Gemini web app. Users can now build custom AI-powered mini-apps by describing what they want in plain language, without writing any code. The tool features a visual editor that shows workflow steps, making app development accessible to creators, analysts, and students.

3 Sources

Model Context Protocol emerges as the missing layer connecting Agentic AI to real-world systems

Anthropic's open-source Model Context Protocol is solving a fundamental problem in AI: connecting large language models to external tools, databases, and systems. Like USB-C for AI applications, MCP provides a standardized interface that eliminates custom integrations, enabling seamless AI workflow automation and multi-agent coordination across platforms.

3 Sources

YouTube launches Playables Builder for creators to make AI-generated games without coding

YouTube Gaming has opened beta testing for Playables Builder, a prototype web app powered by Gemini 3 that lets select creators generate simple games using text, image, or video prompts. Six AI-generated games are already live on the platform, though reception has been mixed. Critics question whether AI can produce engaging gameplay experiences, while others see it as an attempt to boost interest in YouTube's struggling Playables feature.

3 Sources

Rapidus unveils glass interposer tech to challenge TSMC's dominance in AI chips production

Japan's state-backed chipmaker Rapidus has developed a prototype glass interposer that could cut AI chip production costs significantly. The company plans mass production by 2028, using 600mm glass substrates that yield 10 times more interposers than traditional silicon wafers. This breakthrough positions Rapidus to compete directly with TSMC as Japan invests heavily to rebuild its semiconductor industry.

3 Sources

Apple Music integration with ChatGPT announced by OpenAI, then mysteriously removed from post

OpenAI initially announced Apple Music as a partner for direct integration into ChatGPT, allowing users to create playlists through simple conversational commands. However, the reference was later removed from the official blog post without explanation. The integration would join existing partnerships with Spotify, Canva, and other major apps, though it remains unclear whether the feature has been delayed or cancelled entirely.

2 Sources

Google launches CC, an AI assistant that emails you a personalized daily briefing each morning

Google unveiled CC, an experimental email-based productivity assistant that delivers personalized morning briefings directly to your inbox. Powered by Gemini, the tool connects with Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive to summarize schedules and tasks. Available to AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US and Canada, CC competes with similar tools like ChatGPT Pulse in the growing AI productivity space.

17 Sources

Get all updates into your inbox 💌, Stay Up-to-date for Free 🥳

Your Daily Dose of Curated AI News

Don’t drown in AI news. We cut through the noise - filtering, ranking and summarizing the most important AI news, breakthroughs and research daily. Spend less time searching for the latest in AI and get straight to action.

The Outpost

News

About