153 results found

Amazon has launched "Alexa for Shopping," unifying its Rufus e-commerce chatbot with the Alexa+ assistant to create a seamless AI-powered shopping experience across its platforms. This move directly challenges rival AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini by offering enhanced personalization, agentic AI features, and integrated functionalities for a more efficient buying process. The new service, which retires the Rufus name from the interface, will roll out in the U.S. soon, aiming to keep customers within Amazon's ecosystem.

Hidden "system prompts" invisibly guide AI chatbot behavior, overriding user input and revealing company priorities. These secret instructions dictate everything from chatbot personality to content restrictions, influencing responses on platforms like ChatGPT and Grok. Understanding them helps users customize interactions and highlights the ongoing need for transparency in AI development.

A new analysis of Polymarket data from November 2022 to March 2026 reveals that most users lose money on the prediction market platform. Over 1.7 million participants experienced losses, compared to approximately 765,000 who won, despite Polymarket's claims of paying users for their opinions.

A ransomware attack by ShinyHunters crippled the Canvas learning platform, disrupting students during finals. This incident, emblematic of growing digital threats, highlights how vulnerabilities extend from critical educational tools to everyday smart devices, signaling a new era of pervasive cyber risks.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has initiated a major reorganization of the Xbox platform team, bringing in top technical and design talent from Microsoft's CoreAI division. This strategic move aims to enhance engineering, data analytics, and user-centric design within Xbox, focusing on improved developer tools, streamlined operations, and a fan-first approach to platform development.

Crimson Desert's latest patch, 1.05.00, tackles a unique endgame problem: Pywel becoming too peaceful. It introduces Re-blockades for strongholds and boss Rematches with scaling difficulty, injecting much-needed combat back into the world. The update also adds new pets, quality-of-life fixes, and performance improvements across all platforms.

Seattle’s Sniffies lands $100M investment from Match Group in major bet on sex-positive tech Seattle-based Sniffies, a prominent meetup platform for gay, bisexual, and sexually curious men, has secured a substantial

SpeakOn has launched a $129 MagSafe-attached dictation device for iPhones, aiming to offer superior transcription. While innovative, it faces criticism for its microphone performance, aggressive AI text editing, and exclusive iOS compatibility, despite offering a dedicated mic and translation features.

This weekend's streaming lineup is packed with major releases and intriguing indie gems. Dive into Charlize Theron's survival thriller *Apex* on Netflix, Timothée Chalamet's intense sports drama *Marty Supreme* on HBO Max, and Park Chan-wook's dark new thriller *No Other Choice* on Hulu. Plus, discover a wealth of horror, action, and psychological thrillers across other platforms and VOD.

Quick Verdict Polymarket, a prominent prediction market platform, has been thrust into the spotlight following allegations of insider trading involving a US Army soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke. While the platform swiftly

Seattle's Office of Labor Standards released a report indicating its gig worker pay law has successfully increased worker earnings and maintained order volume. This finding challenges major delivery platforms like DoorDash and Uber, who claim the law has negatively impacted drivers and consumers.

Meta Platforms is set to commence a significant company-wide restructuring on May 20, initiating layoffs that will impact approximately 8,000 employees, representing 10% of its global workforce. This substantial

Portland, Oregon – Entrepreneur Taylor Marean has launched Fetchlist, a new delivery startup designed to streamline the notoriously awkward logistics of buying and selling secondhand items on platforms like Craigslist

Trusti, founded by Stanley Fulton, is launching a new platform focused on human-centered recommendations to combat the impersonal nature of current online reviews. It leverages micro-communities, a coin-based reward system, and professional insights to foster trusted, relevant advice. The platform also aims to empower small businesses by amplifying their community connections online.

Google has launched a native Gemini AI app for Mac, providing instant, context-aware assistance through a quick shortcut. The app allows users to share screen content and local files for analysis, and supports multimedia generation. This move brings Google into direct competition with other AI providers on the macOS platform.

Scorpion Coatings introduces Scorpion Scan, a mobile-first platform designed to revolutionize window film installation for small businesses. It automates pattern cutting, streamlines workflows, and provides vital operational insights, freeing entrepreneurs from manual processes. This innovation aims to boost efficiency, address staffing challenges, and empower independent operators with flexible, accessible technology.
Ars Technica reports on the Trump administration's escalating efforts to unmask an ICE critic on Reddit, moving from a standard summons to a secret grand jury subpoena, sparking significant privacy and free speech concerns for online users and platforms.

AI integration often introduces significant challenges: Shadow AI poses data security risks from unapproved tool usage, while pipeline sprawl creates operational headaches with complex ETL processes. Architectural strategies like in-platform model deployments, monitored gateways, and moving to single foundation models with on-the-fly data queries can simplify governance and reduce maintenance burdens. Consolidating data into a unified warehouse further enhances control, despite potential performance trade-offs for online services.

Volkswagen's MOIA America and Uber have officially begun on-road testing of self-driving ID. Buzz minibuses in Los Angeles, marking the first U.S. city in their multi-city rollout strategy. The initial fleet operates with human safety operators, targeting commercial service by late 2026 and fully driverless operations by 2027. This move leverages the specialized ID. Buzz AD equipped with a 27-sensor Mobileye platform and Uber's extensive ride-hailing network.

Intel and SambaNova's new heterogeneous AI inference platform combines GPUs/AI accelerators, SambaNova RDUs, and Intel Xeon 6 processors. Targeting a broad range of agentic workloads for H2 2026, it promises easy data center integration and competitive performance, aiming to challenge market leaders.

Quick Verdict Project NOMAD stands out as an ingenious, self-contained offline information and AI platform, offering critical knowledge when internet access is unavailable. While its setup can present initial hurdles

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang took the stage at GTC 2026 on Monday to unveil the Agent Toolkit, an open-source platform for building autonomous AI agents, announcing a significant industry alignment with 17 major enterprise

New leaks from Moore's Law Is Dead suggest Sony is laying the groundwork for a PlayStation 6 handheld, potentially competing with the Nintendo Switch 2. Evidence points to PS5 'Power Saver Mode' being a 'Trojan Horse' for handheld compatibility and a new 'PlayGo' system supporting specific game versions for a portable platform. These signs, alongside imminent PS4 feature sunsets, hint at a PS6 launch as early as 2027.

Get ready for some truly bittersweet news, gaming friends. Rec Room, the vibrant social VR gaming platform that let us create, play, and connect across an impressive array of devices, has announced its impending

Slack has announced over 30 new AI capabilities for Slackbot, marking its most significant update since the Salesforce acquisition. This transformation positions Slackbot as a full-spectrum enterprise agent capable of cross-platform meeting summaries, desktop operation, and third-party tool integration, aiming for substantial productivity gains. The update also introduces a native CRM and leverages Anthropic's Claude model, navigating competitive pressures and privacy concerns with a user-initiated, opt-in approach.