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Apple released the first public beta of its new mobile operating system, iOS 26, featuring its “Liquid Glass” user interface and improved AI features. The release allows early adopters to get their hands on Apple’s latest software before its wider public availability later this fall. The update represents the most notable visual transformation since iOS 7, featuring a “Liquid Glass” design that offers a more transparent, glass-like feel to user interface elements, like buttons, screens, and in-app navigation and controls, among other things. Liquid Glass is integrated throughout iOS 26, including in key apps like Phone, Camera, Safari, Music, and…
As our lives grow increasingly digital and we spend more time interacting with eerily humanlike chatbots, the line between human connection and machine simulation is starting to blur. Today, more than 20% of daters report using AI for things like crafting dating profiles or sparking conversations, per a recent Match.com study. Some are taking it further by forming emotional bonds, including romantic relationships, with AI companions. Millions of people around the world are using AI companions from companies like Replika, Character AI, and Nomi AI, including 72% of U.S. teens. Some people have reported falling in love with more general…
The United States is recalling its negotiating team from Doha, where talks on a ceasefire to end the war in Gaza have been taking place, with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff saying the latest response from Hamas “clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire.” Instead, the US “will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza,” Witkoff said. The public response from the key US negotiator puts the future of the diplomatic efforts in doubt. It stands in stark contrast to hints of…
KYOTO, Japan (AP) — Nishijinori, the intricate weaving technique for kimonos that dates back more than a thousand years in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, is getting a high-tech collaborator: artificial intelligence.The revered colorful weaving style associated with “The Tale of Genji” of the 11th-century Heian era, has gone through its share of ups and downs. But its survival is more perilous than ever today, as demand for kimonos nose-dives among Japanese grappling with modernization.Hironori Fukuoka, the fourth-generation successor to his Nishijinori business, is determined to keep alive the art he’s inherited, even if that means turning to AI.“I want…
When industrial AI startup CVector meets with manufacturers, utility providers, and other prospective customers, the founders are often asked the same question: Will you still be here in six months? A year? It’s a valid concern in an environment where the biggest, richest tech companies are luring top talent with eye-watering salaries and increasingly targeting rising AI startups with elaborate acqui-hire deals. The answer that CVector founders Richard Zhang and Tyler Ruggles give every time is also the same: They’re not going anywhere. And that matters to their customers — a list that includes national gas utilities and a chemical manufacturer…
Lauren Kolodny, a partner at Acrew Capital, has always championed technology’s power to democratize access to financial services for everyday people. When the fledgling neobank Chime struggled to convince investors in 2016 that it could build a large business serving the working class, Kolodny was the only VC out of 100 Chime pitched who agreed to back the company, stepping in with a $9 million Series A extension when it was nearly out of money. That bet paid off big time. Last month, Chime went public at a $14.5 billion valuation. Kolodny, who appeared on the Forbes Midas List three…
Elon Musk’s X will begin experimenting with a new way to use Community Notes, its crowdsourcing fact-checking system, to highlight well-liked posts from users with different perspectives. On Thursday, the Community Notes X account announced the launch of a pilot test where select contributors would be able to rate posts by answering questions about why they either like or don’t like that particular post. The system is similar to how Community Notes fact-checking works. Instead of simply allowing users to upvote or downvote posts for accuracy — something that could be easily gamed if like-minded contributors teamed up to promote…
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Coffee hasn’t always been an easy sell in Nepal.The Himalayan country is a major tea producer, as well as a major consumer. When people greet each other in the morning, they don’t ask “how are you.” They say “have you had your tea?”Tea — usually served with as a sweet, milky beverage in a piping hot glass tumbler — is as much a part of Nepal’s culture as rice, a constant presence at homes, meetings and social gatherings.But a growing number of Nepalis are warming up to coffee, as trendy cafes spring up street corners in…
G Adventures is debuting three new Eastern Europe itineraries, including a highly anticipated debut in Moldova.Travelers can look forward to the new seven-day “Moldova Discovery,” the eight-day “Highlights of Romania & the Danube Delta” and the 14-day “Heart of the East: Romania & Moldova Adventure.” Moldova serves as a new destination for the adventure operator, and the itinerary will focus solely on that destination. Similarly, the eight-day trip will focus solely on Romania, while the 14-day journey will combine the two countries.“These trips are a fantastic example of tourism done right – where travelers can have real cultural experiences and build…
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan is making progress on his plan for the company to shed its inefficiencies. And that includes spiking several manufacturing projects. The semiconductor giant reported Thursday in its second-quarter earnings report that it will delay, and in some cases not move forward with, multiple manufacturing projects. Specifically, Intel said it was no longer going forward with its previously announced projects in Germany and Poland. Those projects included an assembly and testing facility in Poland and a chip factory in Germany. Both projects have been sitting in limbo since being suspended in 2024, shortly after being announced. The…