Techno-Tricksters

Meta AI just gave users a stark reminder of how much personal data the company actually holds on them. When Facebook user Kaylie Robins posted a video of her daughter, Meta offered a prompt asking if she wanted the AI to identify the child in the video. After she clicked it, the chatbot compiled a detailed dossier on her kids in just a few minutes. The AI listed their birth dates, interests, favorite places, approximate school grade, and neighborhood. It pulled information not only from her own profile but also from relatives' pages, and even resurfaced a photo that had been deleted long ago. Meta acknowledged the issue and promised to stop displaying such prompts. However, they only promised to stop showing the feature to users, not to stop collecting the data. Source #ResponsibleAI

A dead fly's brain just got a physical body in the real world. Researchers connected a digital reconstruction of a fly brain to a walking robot. The virtual model consists of 166,700 neurons, with its simulated brain activity translated directly into movement commands for mechanical legs to let it walk around IRL. Johnny Silverhand could only dream of a cybernetic transfer like this. Source #Robotics #Science

A non-verbal man with a Neuralink brain implant has confessed his love using only his thoughts. The device picked up neural activity in the speech center of his brain, recognized the intended phrase "I-I love you", and voiced it through a computer. It is another real-world demonstration of how thought-to-speech brain-computer interfaces can help non-verbal individuals communicate naturally again. Source #Biotech #Hardware

Generating AI content with autonomous agents just got a lot simpler. Krea has launched Krea Agents, a workspace that combines tool-use skills and media pipelines in one interface. Its key feature is an integrated file system that lets you organize project assets into files and load them directly into context. The platform claims the agent can also publish media straight to social networks and import moodboards from Pinterest. While AI content agents are not new, setting them up usually requires configuring APIs or MCP protocols manually. Krea aggregates the necessary models and tools into a single interface powered by platform credits, though users remain tied to its cloud ecosystem and pricing tiers. Try it #GenAI #AITools

AI can now predict which cancer drugs will work on a specific tumor. Researchers in China have created ProteinTalks, an AI cell model designed for triple-negative breast cancer — one of the most aggressive types of the disease. The model was trained on 38 million protein measurements taken from cancer cells before and after treatment with dozens of drugs. When tested on drugs it had never seen before, ProteinTalks predicted how cancer cells would react with 88% accuracy and pinpointed proteins linked to drug resistance. It was also tested on real patient biopsies to find effective drug combinations for specific tumor samples. While the model is currently limited to one type of cancer, it is the first time a virtual cell model has moved into clinical testing. Paper #Biotech #Science

TIME magazine's latest cover takes a chillingly simple approach to the AI threat. Instead of sci-fi robots or red-eyed Terminators, the issue features nothing but a blank chatbot interface asking a single question: "How dangerous are you?" The minimalist design hits harder than any apocalyptic imagery, focusing entirely on the ordinary software already sitting on millions of screens. #ResponsibleAI #GenAI

Real humans might be reading your chats with ChatGPT. Journalists revealed that OpenAI hires hundreds of contractors to review real user conversations under an internal initiative called Project Lily. Contractors evaluate user prompts and entire chat logs to rate the AI's responses and explain how to improve them. The main goals are to make ChatGPT less overly agreeable and stop it from pretending to be human. OpenAI runs chats through an automated filter to remove sensitive information before sharing them, but acknowledges the system isn't perfect. Journalists investigating the story reported seeing leaked chats that still contained personal details. OpenAI confirmed that user chats are used for training unless the feature is disabled in privacy settings. Read the investigation at this Source. #ResponsibleAI #GenAI

Vibe game dev is officially coming to Unity. The engine developers have released an official plugin designed for AI agents like Claude Code, Codex, and Grok. It includes a set of ready-made skills covering UI, physics, graphics, sound, multiplayer, localization, and other engine systems. Developers can simply describe what they want to create, and the agent automatically picks the right instructions to handle the technical heavy lifting. GitHub #AITools #GenAI

A Harvard biologist synthesized a potential schizophrenia drug right in his garage, using AI as his main research partner. Douglas Yao designed the molecule, named PAC-3310, with help from ChatGPT and Claude. His entire setup consisted of just himself, the two AI models, and an Opentrons lab robot. PAC-3310 targets M4 receptors. In tests on mice, the compound showed a clear antipsychotic effect without causing typical side effects, even at 10 times the effective dose. Human trials are still far off, so it remains purely experimental for now. Source #Biotech #Science

AI deepfakes are no longer just for scams or memes — they are actively shaping outcomes on the battlefield. During military clashes in Yemen, an audio recording circulated on social media featuring a top commander fighting against the Houthis allegedly ordering his army to retreat. The audio spread rapidly and successfully disorganized the troops. By the time officials realized the voice clip was an AI-generated fake, Houthi forces had already taken advantage of the confusion to capture a strategic island along a major global shipping route. Source #GenAI #ResponsibleAI

Apple just released iOS 27 and macOS 27, bringing a major AI upgrade straight to your devices. The highlight is a redesigned Siri now powered by Gemini. The update also boosts overall system responsiveness, speeds up app loading, and introduces a built-in AI photo and video editor for recent iPhone models. System requirements have shifted as well. iOS 27 supports the iPhone 11, second-generation iPhone SE, and newer models. On the desktop side, macOS 27 officially drops support for Intel chips, running exclusively on Apple Silicon Macs. Source #GenAI #Hardware

Sellers on US Facebook Marketplace have found a clever trick to draw more attention to their listings. Vendors are now using AI tools to significantly boost click conversion rates on their product listings. By leveraging neural networks, sellers are creating eye-catching visuals that stand out in crowded marketplace feeds and drive higher engagement. #GenAI #AITools

Scammers managed to trick Revolut into handing over customer data by posing as government officials. Attackers gained access to a real government agency email domain and used it to send fake data disclosure requests. Revolut believed the messages were legitimate and complied, handing the information directly to the fraudsters. The leaked data includes dates of birth, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and ID scans. In some cases, account statements, transaction histories, and verification selfies were also exposed. Revolut has not disclosed how many customers were affected by the breach. Full report at Source. #ResponsibleAI #Startups

An AI-designed drug built to treat lung disease might have an unexpected side effect: turning back the biological clock in humans. A study published in Nature Biotechnology analyzed trial data for rentosertib, a medication created using AI to treat pulmonary fibrosis. Researchers tracked blood protein levels in trial participants over 12 weeks and estimated their biological age using six different calculation methods. All six methods showed a drop in biological age for patients taking the drug. Scientists caution that it is still unclear whether rentosertib directly targets aging or if the drop is just a byproduct of improved lung health. Rentosertib is currently undergoing Phase 3 clinical trials. Paper #Biotech #Science

Uber is cutting 10% of its workforce and almost entirely ending remote work. The company is laying off 3,300 employees in its largest downsizing since the pandemic, citing overgrowth. Management roles will drop by 20%, small teams of one or two people will be cut nearly in half, and fewer than 1% of staff will be allowed to work remotely. The saved capital will go into ride-hailing, delivery, and a heavy push into autonomous transport. Uber plans to invest over $10 billion in robotaxis over the coming years. Source #Robotics

Unitree's humanoid robots can now spar completely on their own, no human operator required. The company introduced UnifoLM-X2-1.0, a fully autonomous AI model designed for robot combat. It enables humanoids to analyze an opponent's movements, predict their next steps, and decide how to act during a fight. Instead of relying on remote controls or pre-programmed routines, the AI handles the tactical decision-making autonomously in real time. #Robotics

Norway is considering a ban on camera-equipped smart glasses from companies like Meta and Snap. The main concern is privacy: these devices make it easy to film people in public without their knowledge or consent. When combined with AI facial recognition, the glasses can quickly turn into portable surveillance tools in everyday life. To address the issue, the Norwegian government is forming an expert group to evaluate the risks and propose clear rules for wearable cameras. Source #ResponsibleAI #Hardware

Meta has launched Muse, an autonomous personal AI agent designed to handle web tasks for you in the background. Powered by the Muse Spark model, the agent can navigate browsers and apps to send emails, book travel, fill out forms, and shop online. You can control it through a dedicated app, a website, or directly inside WhatsApp. To protect privacy, each user's data sits on an isolated virtual machine. Meta is also working with Signal's creator to launch Confidential VMs later this year, ensuring even Meta won't have access to your data. For shopping, Muse uses Stripe Link to generate single-use virtual cards so stores never see your real payment details, with 1Password integration planned next. Source #AITools #GenAI

OpenAI just made voice AI feel a lot more like a real conversation. Their new model, GPT-Live-1, lets you interrupt it mid-sentence. The model continues listening to the user even while delivering its own response. OpenAI has made GPT-Live-1 available to developers via API. Response latency has dropped to 0.8 seconds, while accuracy with external tools reached 87%. API access costs $0.05 per minute, which comes out to about $3 per hour of talk time. Source #GenAI #AITools

Amazon is preparing a massive expansion for its drone delivery service. By the end of 2026, the company plans to scale up coverage sixfold, reaching nearly 500 US cities. The drones can deliver almost any item weighing up to 2.3 kilograms in about 30 minutes for a $5 fee. Amazon has already flown hundreds of thousands of packages to customers this year alone. Meanwhile, competition in the airspace is heating up as Walmart and Google's Wing build out their own drone delivery networks. Source #Robotics