Author: GT

Remember 23andMe? The company that gave customers saliva-based DNA testing kits to learn about their ancestry?Founded in 2006, the company also conducted health research and drug development. But it struggled to find a profitable business model and eventually filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection back in March, raising concerns about the safety of customer data.Well, 27 states and the District of Columbia on Monday filed a lawsuit in bankruptcy court seeking to block the sale of the company’s archive of genetic data without customer consent. The lawsuit comes as a biotechnology company seeks court’s approval to buy the struggling firm.If…

The head of Snapchat operator Snap, Evan Spiegel, presents the new generation of Spectacles in Los Angeles on Sept. 17, 2024.Andrej Sokolow | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesSnap on Tuesday announced its plans to release a sixth-generation of its augmented reality glasses in 2026, as competition in the smart glasses market continues to heat up. The maker of Snapchat said that its next-generation glasses will be called Specs, breaking with the company’s Spectacles branding that it used for previous versions of its wearable devices. The Specs will use AR technology to let people see and interact with digital imagery that’s overlaid over…

At WWDC 2025, Apple showed off a new AI-powered Shortcuts app. The company says Shortcuts can now tap into Apple Intelligence directly, and developers will be able to access Apple’s on-device large language model (LLM). With Shortcuts, users will be able to access the AI models either on device or with Private Compute to generate responses that feed into the rest of their shortcut. For instance, a student could create a shortcut that uses AI to compare their audio transcription of their class lecture to their notes, then add key points they missed. They can also tap into ChatGPT to…

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, speaks during an event in New Delhi, December 19, 2022.Sajjad Hussain | AFP | Getty ImagesGoogle is overhauling a popular internal learning platform to focus on teaching employees how to use modern artificial intelligence tools in their daily work routines, CNBC has learned.Grow, as the learning service is called, was previously filled with a wide array of courses, ranging from teaching Google employees how to build products, use 3D printers, help with their personal finance or even how to solve a Rubik’s cube. Those offerings have all been replaced primarily by AI-related courses.The revamp underscores…

Apple revealed an update to its Apple TV operating system, tvOS 26, during its WWDC 2025 event on Monday, featuring a “Liquid Glass” aesthetic for Apple TV that offers a sleek and “unobtrusive” design, the company said. One of the standout features for users is the ability to quickly jump into their own user profile. Apple TV will now present profile options each time it wakes from sleep, making it more convenient for each family member to select their profile and quickly resume watching their own favorite shows and movies. The revamped Apple TV app also features new poster art…

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police on Tuesday accused a mobile game application of advocating armed revolution and promoting secessionist agendas, saying that those who publish it or share it with others online may risk violating national security laws.The announcement — the first to publicly denounce a gaming app — indicates that authorities are widening the crackdown that has followed anti-government protests in 2019. Authorities have crushed or silenced many dissenting voices through prosecutions under the 2020 national security law imposed by Beijing and a similar, homegrown law enacted last year.In a statement, police warned residents against downloading the…

At WWDC 2025, Apple released a new version of Xcode, its app development suite, that integrates OpenAI’s ChatGPT for coding, doc generation, and more. The company also announced that developers can use API keys to bring AI models from other providers to Xcode for AI-powered programming suggestions. “Developers can connect [AI] models directly into their coding experience to write code, tests, and documentation; iterate on a design; fix errors; and more,” said the company in a blog post about the new version of Xcode, Xcode 26. Image Credits:Apple With the new AI integrations in Xcode, developers can use tools to…

Artificial intelligence needs no introduction, driving new innovation and transforming the way people work. But the adoption of AI and our increasing reliance on it also raises questions about the centralised nature of the infrastructure it runs on, and the risks that poses.Cryptocurrencies have taught us of the importance of decentralisation, and the dangers of concentrating compute resources and data in a small handful of facilities. While such an approach may seem efficient, it also introduces critical vulnerabilities and concerns over access and governance.Centralised AI systems are incredibly vulnerable, as the big server farms that run them represent a single…

Parts of the IBM Quantum System Two are seen at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center on June 6, 2025 in Yorktown Heights, New York. Angela Weiss | Afp | Getty ImagesIBM on Tuesday announced a roadmap to develop a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer called Quantum Starling.Part of the company’s plan involves the new IBM Quantum Nighthawk processor, which is set to release later this year, according to a blog post announcing the details.”Unlocking the full promise of quantum computing will require a device capable of running larger, deeper circuits with hundreds of millions of gates operating on hundreds of…

Apple announced some of its biggest updates ever to Spotlight, the Mac’s on-device search feature, during WWDC 2025 on Monday. In macOS Tahoe, Spotlight can be used to run shortcuts and take hundreds of actions, such as writing emails, setting reminders, and playing podcasts. Apple is upgrading Spotlight as chat applications, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, are rising in popularity. People around the world are using command line interfaces to complete more of their tasks, and it seems Apple is updating Spotlight to be part of that shift. The company says Spotlight is becoming the fastest way to…