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Technology
IIHS and Consumer Reports Name Safe Vehicles for Teens
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Consumer Reports released 2026 vehicle recommendations for teen drivers. Recommended models meet strict safety, affordability, and crash-test standards.
Latest in Technology
SwitchBot Parent Buys Nanoleaf for $40 Million
OneRobotics acquired smart lighting firm Nanoleaf for $40 million. The deal aims to integrate Nanoleaf’s lighting tech with SwitchBot’s home automation ecosystem.
Trump Administration Proposes Restricting Research Grants
The Trump administration proposed a rule giving political appointees more control over federal research grants and banning funding for DEI or gender-related studies. Critics warn it would undermine scientific integrity and end U.S. leadership in global research collaboration.
Noble Mobile Acquires Helium Mobile
Noble Mobile acquires Helium Mobile to access its customer base and crypto-powered network. Andrew Yang says Helium’s pricing and service will stay unchanged for now.
Macy’s Launches AI Shopping Assistant
Macy’s introduced an AI-powered tool called 'Ask Macy’s' featuring virtual try-on capabilities. Users of the 'Complete the Look' function spend nearly five times more per session.
MIT Researchers Release ChartNet Dataset for AI Chart Interpretation
MIT and IBM researchers released ChartNet, an open-source dataset with over a million chart images to enhance vision-language models' chart understanding. The dataset includes code, descriptions, numerical tables, and Q&A pairs to support tasks like data extraction and trend analysis.
NFL Stadiums Switch to Natural Grass for 2026 World Cup
SoFi and MetLife Stadiums install natural grass to meet FIFA's 2026 World Cup requirements. The change addresses player concerns about artificial turf causing non-contact injuries.
Sigwalt Sues Amazon For Ring Facial Data
Charles Sigwalt filed a class-action lawsuit against Amazon alleging Ring collected his facial recognition data without consent. He seeks to represent millions of U.S. residents whose biometric information was gathered by the Familiar Faces feature.
Microsoft Shows AI Desktop Cube and Wearable Badge
Microsoft unveiled two experimental AI hardware prototypes: a desktop cube and a wearable badge. Steven Bathiche demonstrated their ability to interact with AI agents outside traditional computing environments.
Microsoft Releases Scout AI Assistant to Frontier Customers
Microsoft launched a preview of its AI assistant Scout for U.S. Frontier customers in 2026. The tool integrates with Microsoft 365 apps and uses the OpenClaw framework to automate tasks and provide proactive suggestions.
Scorsese Uses AI for Film Storyboarding
Martin Scorsese partners with Black Forest Labs to use generative AI for pre-production storyboarding in his upcoming film. He states the tool improves communication and efficiency without affecting final creative decisions.
Microsoft Unveils Majorana 2 Quantum Chip
Microsoft revealed its Majorana 2 quantum chip, achieving qubit lifetimes over 20 seconds. The chip uses lead and indium arsenide alloys to boost stability 1,000-fold.
Google Launches Scam Call Detection for Android
Google introduces a new scam call detection feature to combat AI deepfake impersonation scams on Android 12 and higher. The system verifies caller authenticity using RCS and requires Phone by Google, Contacts, and Google Messages on both ends.
Andon Labs Showcases AI-Run Vending and Retail Systems
Andon Labs demonstrated AI-operated vending machines and retail stores at the Fortune COO Summit. The system uses a multi-agent AI architecture to manage operations without human decision-makers.
Slate Auto Sets June 24 Launch for EV Preorders
Slate Auto will begin non-refundable preorders for its electric vehicle on June 24, 2025. The Indiana-based company emphasizes data privacy and a minimalist, low-cost design starting in the mid-$20,000 range.
Impulse Space Increases $500 Million for Helios Spacecraft
Impulse Space secured $500 million in Series D funding to advance its Helios spacecraft and expand hiring. The company plans to support NASA’s Moon Base initiative and has seen strong commercial demand for its services.
Anthropic Expands Mythos AI Access to 150 New Partners
Anthropic broadens Project Glasswing to include 150 partners across over 15 countries. New participants span critical sectors like healthcare, power, and hardware, and must meet security requirements.
Irene Sans Joins Yale Climate Team for 2026 Hurricane Season
Irene Sans joins Yale Climate Connections as a Spanish-language meteorologist for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. She aims to deliver actionable climate information to vulnerable communities and leaders alike.
Polymarket Completes First AI Compute Block Trade
Polymarket facilitated its first institutional block trade on an AI compute contract tied to Nvidia H100 GPU rental rates. The six-figure transaction occurred between FalconX and Anera Labs on Polymarket’s international Polygon-based platform.
Trump Cancels AI Executive Order Signing
President Donald Trump canceled a planned signing of an AI regulation executive order. He said it could hinder U.S. competition with China in artificial intelligence.
Pentagon Awards Dell $9.7B Tech Agreement
The Pentagon awarded Dell Federal Systems a $9.7 billion software agreement to consolidate Microsoft services across the Department of Defense. The deal supports digital transformation, AI readiness, and is expected to save $422 million annually.
Fiscal 2026 Budget Cuts Climate Programs at Defense, NOAA, USGS
The Fiscal Year 2026 federal budget proposes deep cuts to climate and environmental programs at the Department of Defense, NOAA, and USGS. The reductions target oceanographic studies, flood mitigation, and environmental planning despite rising extreme weather costs to military facilities.
Rogers Films Daily Tasks for AI Training
Reece Rogers recorded mundane household activities to sell as AI training data. He earned modest pay and reflected on robots potentially replacing human labor.
Pentagon Requests $2B for AI Command System
The U.S. Department of Defense seeks over $2 billion for its Mission Command Applications program in fiscal 2027. Most funds would expand access to Palantir’s Maven Smart System for joint military operations.