Category: Biz Tech

Text prompts that turn into working mobile software are no longer confined to research labs. Replit’s move to bring what it calls “vibe coding” into mainstream iOS app development has placed artificial intelligence at the centre of how mobile products are conceived, built and shipped, with the company positioning its 2026 Mobile Apps feature as a decisive break from traditional coding workflows.The San Francisco-based platform, Replit, has outlined a system that allows users to describe an application in natural language

 Automation inside workplaces is shifting as Anthropic’s Claude Code moves beyond an experimental developer tool into a broader agent-based system that is beginning to influence how tasks are planned, executed and audited across sectors ranging from software engineering to medical research and agriculture. The product, built on Anthropic’s Opus 4.5 model, is positioned as a system that can reason over long tasks, coordinate multiple steps without constant human prompts and operate with a degree of autonomy that earlier code assistants

A critical security weakness in Amazon Web Services’ CodeBuild service left GitHub repositories vulnerable to hijacking, raising fresh concerns about the resilience of cloud-based development pipelines used by some of the world’s largest technology teams. The flaw, dubbed CodeBreach by security researchers, stemmed from a misconfigured webhook validation process that could be exploited to inject malicious code into trusted repositories.The issue centred on Amazon Web Services CodeBuild, a fully managed continuous integration service that compiles source code, runs tests and

Google has rolled out Flow, an artificial intelligence-powered video creation tool designed for Workspace users, marking a significant expansion of the company’s generative AI offerings for businesses and educators. Announced on January 16, 2026, Flow allows users to create high-definition, cinematic-style videos from simple text prompts embedded directly within familiar productivity applications such as Docs and Sheets.The launch places video creation alongside text, data and presentation tools already central to many workplaces. By integrating Flow with Gemini, Google’s flagship AI

WhatsApp has reversed restrictions on third-party artificial intelligence chatbots for users in Brazil, allowing services such as ChatGPT to continue operating after regulatory pressure forced a rethink of its earlier stance. The change follows scrutiny from Brazil’s antitrust authority, Administrative Council for Economic Defense, which raised concerns that limits imposed through WhatsApp’s Business API could harm competition and innovation.The messaging platform, owned by Meta Platforms, had moved to block automated AI chatbots from accessing its Business API in Brazil, a

Chainguard has widened its EmeritOSS Lifeline programme to cover 10 additional open-source projects, a move aimed at shoring up the security and reliability of widely used tools that have lost active maintainers. The expansion targets mature components embedded deep inside enterprise software stacks, where abandoned code can translate into unpatched vulnerabilities and operational risk.The initiative, run by Chainguard, provides structured stewardship for projects that remain critical to modern development but no longer have the capacity or incentives to sustain regular

A security weakness in Google’s Fast Pair protocol has exposed a broad range of Bluetooth earbuds and headphones to silent hijacking, allowing attackers within wireless range to connect to devices without the owner’s knowledge and potentially listen in, track movements or activate microphones. The issue, widely referred to by researchers as WhisperPair, affects millions of products that rely on Fast Pair to simplify setup on Android phones.Fast Pair was designed to remove friction from pairing by letting nearby accessories advertise

Meta Platforms has exempted Brazil from a policy that barred third-party artificial intelligence chatbots from operating through WhatsApp’s Business API, adjusting its global stance after intervention by the country’s competition authority. The decision allows businesses in Brazil to continue deploying external AI tools on WhatsApp, reversing a restriction that had drawn complaints from technology firms and raised concerns about market foreclosure.The change follows scrutiny by Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defence, known as CADE, which questioned whether Meta’s policy unfairly

Alarmist predictions about artificial intelligence wiping out humanity are diverting attention from tangible harms already unfolding across workplaces, courts and online platforms, according to a senior academic who says the fixation on speculative futures is allowing powerful technology firms to sidestep accountability for present-day abuses.Speaking amid intensifying debates over AI governance, Professor Tobias Osborne argues that the dominance of “doomsday” narratives has distorted public understanding of risk. He contends that attention is being drawn away from labour exploitation in data

 Apple has agreed to a multiyear partnership with Google that will see the Gemini artificial intelligence model integrated into Siri, marking one of the most significant shifts in Apple’s approach to core software in over a decade. The agreement, valued at about $1 billion a year, is aimed at delivering a substantially more capable version of Siri by 2026, as competition in generative AI intensifies across consumer technology.Under the deal, Apple will embed a customised version of Google’s Gemini model

A software flaw in Apple’s iOS 26 has caused photographs shared from Android devices to display with an unexpected red tint when viewed on iPhones, triggering complaints across user forums and social platforms and underscoring persistent friction between the two mobile ecosystems.Users began reporting that images sent from Android phones via common messaging and sharing methods appeared noticeably warmer or reddish on iPhones running iOS 26, even though the same files looked normal on the sending devices and when opened

Apple has rolled out a new subscription package aimed at video producers, podcasters and social media professionals, launching a “Creator Studio” bundle priced at $12.99 per month as the company deepens its push into the creator economy and recurring services revenue.The bundle brings together a suite of Apple-developed applications focused on video editing, audio production and graphics, integrating tools that were previously sold separately or bundled with hardware purchases. Apple says the package is designed to simplify workflows for creators

 UAE authorities and major lenders have warned customers to stay on high alert after disclosures of a dangerous WhatsApp security flaw that can allow attackers to compromise smartphones through a single call, exposing banking credentials, personal data and private communications.Advisories circulated by banks and cyber security teams say the vulnerability exploits the way WhatsApp handles voice calls, enabling so-called zero-day or zero-click attacks that do not require the victim to answer the call or tap a malicious link. Once triggered,

Instagram moved to contain concerns over account security after confirming it had corrected a password reset flaw that cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes described as a breach, signalling a swift response as scrutiny of social media safety intensifies.The platform, owned by Meta Platforms, said the issue affecting its password recovery process had been fixed after being flagged by researchers at Malwarebytes, who warned that the vulnerability could have enabled unauthorised access to user accounts. Instagram acknowledged the report and stated that its

 Samsung Electronics has warned that a tightening supply of memory chips risks pushing up prices for televisions, smartphones and home appliances, broadening the impact of a global shortage driven by surging demand for artificial intelligence hardware. The caution underscores how constraints in a core component are rippling across consumer electronics at a time when manufacturers are racing to invest in AI-centric products.Speaking on the outlook for the industry, Samsung Electronics co-chief executive T M Roh said the imbalance between demand

Dell has acknowledged that withdrawing its XPS laptop range damaged customer trust and weakened its premium credentials, prompting the company to restore the line with new models unveiled at CES 2026. The admission marks a rare public reversal by a major technology manufacturer and signals a recalibration of Dell’s strategy in the high-end personal computer market.Speaking during product briefings in Las Vegas, Dell executives conceded that the decision taken in 2025 to phase out the XPS brand underestimated its emotional

Google has unveiled a Universal Commerce Protocol designed to allow artificial intelligence agents to search, recommend and complete purchases across multiple retail platforms, marking a strategic push to standardise how online shopping works in an era of increasingly autonomous digital assistants. The announcement was made at the 2026 National Retail Federation conference, where technology providers and merchants gathered to outline priorities for the year ahead.The protocol is presented as an open standard intended to connect product discovery, pricing, inventory checks,

 A widening gap between alarmist rhetoric and practical policymaking around artificial intelligence is threatening investment and innovation, according to Jensen Huang, who has urged governments, industry and the public to move beyond what he describes as “AI doomerism”. Speaking amid accelerating deployment of large-scale models across industries, the chief executive of Nvidia said exaggerated fears were distorting debate and already discouraging capital flows into technologies with measurable social and economic benefits.Huang’s remarks come as AI spending by cloud providers, pharmaceutical

A large cache of personal information linked to 17.5 million Instagram accounts is being traded on dark web marketplaces, triggering renewed scrutiny of data protection practices at one of the world’s most widely used social media platforms. Cybersecurity researchers say the dataset, advertised by criminal brokers, contains usernames, email addresses, phone numbers and partial location details, information that could be exploited for identity theft, fraud and targeted phishing.The exposure came to wider attention after Malwarebytes, a cybersecurity firm that monitors

Meta has secured access to as much as 6.6 gigawatts of nuclear power through a cluster of agreements with established utilities and advanced reactor developers, underscoring how the energy demands of artificial intelligence are rewriting the investment playbook for Big Tech and the power sector alike.The arrangements, involving power supply and development pathways with Vistra, Constellation, TerraPower and Oklo, aim to underpin Meta’s expanding network of AI-focused data centres, often described by the company as “superclusters”. Executives argue that nuclear

Apple has filed a patent that outlines a method to turn AirPods into precise gesture sensors by using the earbuds’ existing radio-frequency antennas, a move that could expand how users interact with devices without adding new hardware. The proposal centres on detecting subtle finger movements such as taps, swipes and pinches through changes in RF signals, allowing faster and more accurate input while potentially lowering latency and manufacturing costs.The patent describes how RF antennas already embedded in AirPods could be

 Polygon Labs has rolled out a new financial infrastructure initiative branded the Open Money Stack, positioning it as a foundational layer for what the company describes as the next stage in the evolution of Polygon’s blockchain ecosystem. Announced on January 8, the framework is designed to bring together payments, decentralised finance and tokenised assets into a unified, open system aimed at both developers and institutions seeking regulated on-chain financial tools.Polygon Labs said the Open Money Stack is intended to address

Gmail is being overhauled to place artificial intelligence directly inside everyday email workflows, with Google removing the standalone Gemini side panel for subscribers to its AI Pro and AI Ultra tiers and replacing it with in-line assistance embedded across core actions. The change marks a decisive shift away from a separate chat-style interface towards contextual AI that appears where users write, read, search and organise messages.At the centre of the update is a redesign that weaves Gemini-powered features into Gmail’s

Pressure is mounting on Apple and Google after a group of United States senators urged the companies to remove the X and Grok apps from their app stores, citing what they described as disturbing failures in content safeguards that allowed the generation and amplification of harmful material. The appeal intensifies scrutiny of how major technology platforms police artificial intelligence tools distributed through mobile marketplaces that reach hundreds of millions of users.In letters sent to Apple and Google, the senators argued

UGREEN has moved deeper into the artificial intelligence race for consumer storage with the unveiling of its NASync iDX 6011 and iDX 6011 Pro at CES 2026, positioning the devices as a rethink of how people search for and manage personal and small-business data. Rather than relying on folder structures, filenames or rigid metadata, the new network-attached storage systems introduce an AI-driven search layer designed to surface files based on vague memories, contextual ideas or spoken requests.The iDX 6011 series

Apple has lost a senior Safari designer to an AI-focused rival, adding momentum to a broader shift of top product talent towards startups building generative tools for the web. Marco Triverio, a lead designer on Safari, has joined The Browser Company, the New York–based firm behind Arc, to work on its AI-powered browser Dia, according to people familiar with the matter.The hire comes as competition in the browser market intensifies around artificial intelligence features that promise to change how users

 Discord has taken a decisive step towards becoming a publicly traded company, confidentially filing paperwork for an initial public offering that could come as early as March and valuing the platform at about $15 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The move places one of the world’s most influential online communities at the centre of a tentative revival in technology listings after a prolonged lull.Founded in 2015, Discord has grown into a sprawling digital ecosystem with about 200

Google is developing a “try before you buy” option for paid games on the Play Store, a shift that would allow users to sample full versions before committing to a purchase. The feature, surfaced through analysis of unreleased Play Store code, points to time-limited trials that preserve progress, giving players a realistic sense of gameplay, performance and value before payment.Details embedded in the code indicate that trials would not be restricted to demos or cut-down experiences. Instead, users would access

Fireblocks has agreed to acquire crypto accounting and compliance specialist TRES Finance in a transaction valued at about $130 million, a move that brings together one of the industry’s largest digital-asset infrastructure providers with a fast-growing financial intelligence platform serving institutional investors. The deal, confirmed by people familiar with the matter, folds TRES Finance’s reporting and compliance tools into Fireblocks’ custody, settlement and tokenisation stack as competition intensifies for banks, asset managers and regulated intermediaries entering digital assets.Founded in 2018,

Hundreds of thousands of people using popular artificial-intelligence chat tools had private conversations silently harvested after installing seemingly harmless Google Chrome extensions, according to a security disclosure that has triggered takedowns and a broader review of extension safety.Researchers at OX Security said the add-ons were designed to blend into everyday browsing by offering productivity features while covertly extracting content from web pages where users interacted with AI services, including ChatGPT and DeepSeek. The firm estimates that as many as 900,000

TDK has unveiled STRIDE, a low-power, real-time positioning software platform aimed at wearables and connected IoT devices, marking a push to strengthen its presence in software-defined sensing alongside its established sensor hardware business. The launch positions the Tokyo-based electronics group to compete more directly in applications where accurate location tracking must operate continuously on constrained batteries, such as smartwatches, fitness bands, asset tags and industrial monitoring devices.STRIDE is designed to fuse data from multiple motion and environmental sensors to deliver

Google has extended its partnership with Xreal, elevating the China-founded augmented reality specialist to lead hardware collaborator for Android XR as the two companies work towards launching consumer AR glasses in 2026. The move signals a sharper push by Google to translate its advances in artificial intelligence and spatial computing into a mass-market wearable, while positioning Xreal at the centre of a growing Android-based ecosystem.The alliance centres on the development of lightweight AR eyewear, including a reference design known as

Integrity is often spoken of as though it were universal: one definition, one standard, one moral yardstick by which trust is measured everywhere. In reality, integrity is deeply shaped by culture. What one society considers faithfulness, another may experience as rigidity. What one views as flexibility, another may interpret as unreliability. These differences are not signs of moral deficiency; they are reflections of distinct histories, social structures, and understandings of honour.Few contrasts reveal this more clearly than the difference between

Meta’s plan to expand artificial intelligence across private messaging on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp has triggered a wave of privacy concerns, as users, civil society groups and regulators question how conversational data will be used and protected under the company’s 2026 policy framework. The update, disclosed as part of Meta’s broader AI roadmap, allows automated systems to analyse interactions in private chats to refine content recommendations and advertising profiles, intensifying scrutiny of the company’s data practices.The policy signals a deeper