Google launches a Gemini AI app on Mac
Google launches a Gemini AI app on Mac Google is launching a new Gemini app on Mac that allows you to interact with the AI assistant without switching windows on your desktop. With the app, you can use the Option + Space shortcut to pull up a floating chat bubble, where you can ask Gemini […]
Grok’s sexual deepfakes almost got it banned from Apple’s App Store. Almost.
Grok's sexual deepfakes almost got it banned from Apple's App Store. Almost. Apple quietly threatened to kick Elon Musk’s AI app, Grok, from its App Store in January over its failure to curb the surge of nonconsensual sexual deepfakes flooding X, according to NBC News. It was a muted show of force from one of […]
Has Google’s AI watermarking system been reverse-engineered?
Has Google's AI watermarking system been reverse-engineered? A software developer claims to have reverse-engineered Google DeepMind’s SynthID system, showing how AI watermarks can be stripped from generated images or manually inserted into other works. A claim that, according to Google, isn’t true. The developer, going by the username Aloshdenny, has open-sourced their work on GitHub […]
Microsoft is testing OpenClaw-like AI bots for 365 Copilot
Microsoft is testing OpenClaw-like AI bots for 365 Copilot Microsoft is looking into ways it can integrate OpenClaw-style features into 365 Copilot, according to a report from The Information. The test reportedly comes as part of efforts to make its 365 Copilot AI assistant “run autonomously around the clock” while completing tasks on behalf of […]
Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly building an AI clone to replace him in meetings
Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly building an AI clone to replace him in meetings Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg could soon have an AI clone of himself to interact with and provide feedback to employees, according to a report from the Financial Times. Sources tell the outlet that Meta is training the AI avatar on Zuckerberg’s image […]
Sam Altman reportedly targeted in second attack
Sam Altman reportedly targeted in second attack Sam Altman was seemingly targeted by a second attack on Sunday morning, with two suspects arrested following a shooting at his Russian Hill residence, The San Francisco Standard reports. The suspects were arrested and charged with negligent discharge, according to a police report on the incident, citing surveillance […]
The AI code wars are heating up
The AI code wars are heating up This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the AI coding and vibe-coding booms, follow David Pierce. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started Writing […]
20-year-old man arrested for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman’s house
20-year-old man arrested for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman's house San Francisco police have arrested a 20-year-old man suspected of throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s Russian Hill house early Friday morning, The San Francisco Standard reports. The incident was caught on surveillance cameras shortly before 7AM ET. Later […]
Fear and loathing at OpenAI
Fear and loathing at OpenAI Sam Altman’s tenure at OpenAI has been… messy. Messy to the point where Altman was briefly fired from his role as CEO, only to be reinstated days later, at which point he began reshaping the organization permanently. This week, The New Yorker published a deep look at Altman, his time […]
Microsoft starts removing Copilot buttons from Windows 11 apps
Microsoft starts removing Copilot buttons from Windows 11 apps Microsoft is starting to remove “unnecessary” Copilot buttons from its Windows 11 apps. In the latest version of the Notepad app for Windows Insiders, Microsoft has removed the Copilot button in favor of a “writing tools” menu. The Copilot button in the Snipping Tool app also […]