Category: Biz Tech

WebAssembly, commonly shortened to Wasm, has moved from a niche browser technology to a central pillar in discussions about cloud computing, security and cross-platform software development. Once seen mainly as a way to speed up web applications, it is now being positioned by major technology firms, developers and standards bodies as a foundation for a new generation of portable, high-performance applications that run consistently across environments. At its core, WebAssembly is a low-level, assembly-like language designed to be executed at near-native

GitLab has issued urgent security updates to address multiple high-severity vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to bypass two-factor authentication and disrupt service availability, prompting strong advisories for organisations running self-managed instances to upgrade without delay. The company confirmed that patched versions 18.8.2, 18.7.2 and 18.6.4 for both Community Edition and Enterprise Edition close a set of flaws affecting authentication controls and system resilience. GitLab. com, the hosted service used by millions of developers worldwide, has already been updated, while responsibility for

Google has expanded its Workspace analytics by integrating detailed Google Meet usage metrics directly into the Gemini reports dashboard, giving organisations a consolidated, AI-driven view of how meetings shape productivity and collaboration. The rollout, confirmed for early 2026, allows administrators and managers to examine meeting duration, participation patterns, frequency, and engagement signals alongside broader Workspace data, marking a notable step in Google’s effort to embed artificial intelligence more deeply into everyday enterprise workflows. The integration means Meet is no longer analysed

In an era where luxury travel is no longer just about lavish surroundings, renowned service, or even selecting the perfect paintings for home decor to bring that elegance indoors, the integration of cutting-edge tech is reshaping how affluent globetrotting geeks experience this world. From artificial intelligence (AI) shaping bespoke services to augmented reality (AR), creating stunning previews, innovation is driving unprecedented levels of personalization, convenience, and engagement in the segment of luxe hospitality. Tech Infusing New Levels of Personalization One of the

Revolut has moved to position itself at the centre of the next phase of digital payments after confirming that its Revolut Pay service will support Google’s Agent Payments Protocol, a framework designed to allow artificial intelligence agents to complete transactions on behalf of users. The integration is expected to extend one-tap checkout functionality across the UK and the wider European Economic Area, signalling a shift in how consumers may interact with online commerce as AI-driven tools become embedded in everyday

Raaga, a Chennai-based music streaming platform with a large global audience, has confirmed a significant data breach that led to the exposure of personal information linked to more than 10.2 million user accounts, triggering renewed scrutiny of data protection practices across consumer digital platforms. The company acknowledged that a database containing user details was unlawfully accessed and later advertised for sale on an underground hacking forum during December 2025. Cybersecurity researchers who reviewed samples of the leaked data said the information

  Bandcamp has moved to bar music generated wholly or in substantial part by artificial intelligence, while Sweden’s official charts have removed a charting song after determining that it was largely AI-produced, marking a coordinated pushback by platforms and institutions against the growing presence of synthetic music in mainstream distribution. Bandcamp, a widely used platform for independent artists and labels, confirmed that it will no longer allow uploads that rely primarily on generative AI tools. The company said the decision is aimed

  MCP servers are emerging as a practical backbone for how advanced AI systems interact with real-world data and software, shifting the focus from monolithic models to modular, controllable services. Rather than embedding every capability inside a single model, MCP servers act as specialised microservices that expose clearly defined tools the AI can call on demand, allowing complex tasks to be broken into manageable, auditable steps. At their core, MCP servers publish tools as structured functions that an AI can invoke in

Vercel has unveiled a new product called Skills, positioning it as a shared marketplace of reusable capabilities for AI coding assistants and framing it internally as an “npm for AI agents”. The launch reflects growing pressure on developers and platform companies to bring consistency, security and best practices to the rapidly expanding use of autonomous and semi-autonomous coding tools across production environments. According to the company, Skills allows developers to teach an AI coding assistant more than 40 performance and architectural

OpenAI is preparing to introduce its first dedicated device later this year, marking a shift from being solely a software-led artificial intelligence company to one that also delivers consumer hardware designed around its models and services. The plan, acknowledged by people familiar with the company’s roadmap and echoed in public remarks by senior executives, signals OpenAI’s ambition to embed its technology more directly into everyday use beyond smartphones and personal computers. The device, still under wraps in terms of form factor

Linux gaming has crossed a symbolic threshold on Steam, with the platform’s hardware and software survey showing the operating system accounting for more than 3% of active users. That growth, driven by improvements in compatibility layers, better drivers and the popularity of handheld PCs, has prompted Opera to roll out native Linux support for its GX browser, a product long marketed directly at gamers on Windows and macOS. The move marks a notable shift in how major consumer software vendors view

Vertiv has widened the scope of its MegaMod HDX modular platform, adding new configurations designed to handle the surging power density and thermal demands of artificial intelligence workloads as data centre operators accelerate capacity builds across North America, Europe and parts of Asia. Vertiv said the expanded MegaMod HDX range integrates higher-capacity power distribution, advanced liquid cooling options and prefabricated deployment models aimed at facilities supporting racks that can exceed 100 kilowatts. The move comes as cloud providers, colocation operators and

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