AI News

News

Page 115
California Senator Scott Wiener Pushes AI Safety Bill SB 53 Amid Industry Debate

California Senator Scott Wiener Pushes AI Safety Bill SB 53 Amid Industry Debate

California Senator Scott Wiener is championing a new AI safety bill, SB 53, after his earlier proposal, SB 1047, was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom. The legislation would require major AI firms earning over $500 million to publish safety reports on their most advanced models and establish protected channels for employee concerns. Anthropic has endorsed the bill, while OpenAI and some industry groups argue that federal standards should apply. The bill also proposes a state‑run cloud computing cluster, CalCompute, to support AI research beyond Big Tech. Wiener argues that state action is essential as he doubts federal progress on AI safety.

Google’s Developer Tools Lead Discusses AI’s Growing Role in Coding

Google’s Developer Tools Lead Discusses AI’s Growing Role in Coding

Ryan Salva, the manager for Google’s developer tools, explains how AI-powered solutions like Gemini CLI and Gemini Code Assist are reshaping software development. He highlights findings from Google’s latest developer survey, noting a surge in AI tool adoption around the release of new reasoning models. Salva describes his own workflow, which blends terminal‑based AI commands with traditional IDEs, and emphasizes the shift toward using AI for requirements drafting and code generation. While he sees the IDE’s role diminishing over time, he envisions developers evolving into architects who guide AI rather than write every line of code themselves.

OpenAI Expands US AI Data Center Footprint with Stargate Initiative

OpenAI Expands US AI Data Center Footprint with Stargate Initiative

OpenAI announced plans to add five new data centers across the United States under its Stargate program, partnering with Oracle and SoftBank. The expansion will bring total U.S. capacity close to seven gigawatts and includes sites in Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, and a yet‑to‑be‑named Midwest location. Oracle will operate the flagship Abilene facility, while SoftBank’s SB Energy backs two of the new sites. The project is tied to broader U.S. AI competitiveness goals, with expectations of thousands of jobs and additional collaborations with Nvidia and international partners.

Microsoft Launches Gaming Copilot AI Assistant for PC Gamers

Microsoft Launches Gaming Copilot AI Assistant for PC Gamers

Microsoft has rolled out Gaming Copilot, a beta AI assistant designed to help gamers, on PC today and plans to bring it to the Xbox mobile app next month. The tool appears in the Windows Game Bar overlay and offers voice‑enabled tips, recommendations and real‑time assistance for players 18 and older in every region except China. It will later expand to handhelds such as the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox consoles. By leveraging Bing search data and player activity, Gaming Copilot aims to streamline gameplay guidance while Microsoft explores ways for creators, and even its own Muse AI model, to enrich the experience.

AI Language Models Struggle with Persian Taarof Etiquette, Study Finds

AI Language Models Struggle with Persian Taarof Etiquette, Study Finds

A new study led by Nikta Gohari Sadr reveals that major AI language models, including GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Haiku, Llama 3, DeepSeek V3, and the Persian‑tuned Dorna, perform poorly on the Persian cultural practice of taarif, correctly handling only 34 to 42 percent of scenarios compared with native speakers' 82 percent success rate. The researchers introduced TAAROFBENCH, a benchmark that tests AI systems on the nuanced give‑and‑take of polite refusals and insistence. The findings highlight a gap between Western‑centric AI behavior and the expectations of Persian speakers, raising concerns about cultural missteps in global AI applications.

Google Expands AI Mode to Spanish, Broadening Global Reach

Google Expands AI Mode to Spanish, Broadening Global Reach

Google announced that its AI Mode, an advanced chatbot feature within Google Search, is now available in Spanish across all countries that support the service. The rollout follows earlier language additions—including Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and Brazilian Portuguese—demonstrating the company’s rapid expansion of AI-driven search capabilities. Spanish speakers will be able to ask complex questions in their native language, enhancing the conversational experience beyond traditional search results.

Microsoft Announces Breakthrough AI Chip Cooling Technology

Microsoft Announces Breakthrough AI Chip Cooling Technology

Microsoft says it has achieved a breakthrough in cooling AI processors by using a micro‑fluidic system that channels coolant through tiny etched channels on the chip. The approach, which the company claims can deliver up to three times better cooling and cut silicon temperature rise by roughly 65 percent, could enable higher performance, tighter server packing and modest sustainability gains. Microsoft highlights the potential for more aggressive overclocking, reduced data‑center latency and improved waste‑heat utilization, positioning the innovation as a step toward more efficient AI workloads.

Figma Expands Model Context Protocol to Enable AI Access to Design Code

Figma Expands Model Context Protocol to Enable AI Access to Design Code

Figma has unveiled updates that let artificial‑intelligence models interact directly with its design platform. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) server now supports Figma Make, allowing AI agents to retrieve the underlying code behind prototypes instead of just visual renderings. The expansion supports tools from Anthropic, Cursor, Windsurf and Visual Studio Code, and enables remote access from AI coding assistants, browser‑based models and integrated development environments. Upcoming features include a Design Snapshot that turns Make snapshots into editable layers and an AI‑prompt editing mode currently in testing.

Tesla’s Robotaxi Plans Raise Regulatory Concerns

Tesla’s Robotaxi Plans Raise Regulatory Concerns

Tesla’s effort to roll out a robotaxi service in California has sparked confusion among state regulators. Although the company touts a driver‑less future, the vehicles currently operating have safety drivers and lack the required permits for fully autonomous testing or commercial use. Emails between Tesla and officials reveal a back‑and‑forth over clarifying the service’s true nature, with the automaker avoiding direct answers. Regulatory agencies, including the California DMV and the NHTSA, note that Tesla has not applied for the necessary authorizations, intensifying scrutiny of the company’s autonomous‑vehicle roadmap.

Google Photos Extends Gemini-Powered Conversational Editing to More Android Devices

Google Photos Extends Gemini-Powered Conversational Editing to More Android Devices

Google Photos is expanding its Gemini-driven conversational editing feature beyond Pixel 10 phones to a broader range of Android devices in the United States. Users can now tap “Help me edit” in the Photos editor and describe changes they want, using voice or text, to let the AI handle adjustments. The update aims to simplify photo editing by offering suggested edits and responding to vague commands like “make it better” or “restore this old photo,” reducing the need to master multiple manual tools.

Google Photos rolls out AI-powered voice and text editing on Android

Google Photos rolls out AI-powered voice and text editing on Android

Google has introduced an AI-driven editing feature to Google Photos for Android users. Leveraging the Gemini model, the tool lets users describe desired changes through voice or text, handling tasks from basic lighting tweaks to advanced object removal and creative enhancements. Available initially to U.S. users aged 18 and older in English, the feature expands beyond Pixel devices to the wider Android ecosystem and includes support for AI content credentials, offering a more intuitive and transparent photo‑editing experience.

Alloy Brings Data Management Solutions to the Robotics Industry

Alloy Brings Data Management Solutions to the Robotics Industry

Sydney‑based startup Alloy is creating a data‑infrastructure platform tailored for robotics companies. The system encodes, labels and makes robot‑generated multimodal data searchable with natural language, while allowing users to set rule‑based alerts for anomalies. Founder and CEO Joe Harris, a former Atlassian and telehealth employee, launched Alloy in February 2025 after identifying data‑handling as a common pain point among robotics founders. Since then, Alloy has signed four Australian robotics firms as design partners, raised over AUD $4.5 million in a pre‑seed round led by Blackbird Ventures, and is preparing to expand into the U.S. market.