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 […]
The AI industry’s race for profits is now existential

The AI industry's race for profits is now existential Today on Decoder, let’s talk about the looming AI monetization cliff, and whether some of the biggest companies in the space can become real, profitable businesses before they careen right off it. My guest today is Hayden Field, who’s our senior AI reporter here at The […]
Claude Code leak exposes a Tamagotchi-style ‘pet’ and an always-on agent

Claude Code leak exposes a Tamagotchi-style 'pet' and an always-on agent After Anthropic released Claude Code’s 2.1.88 update, users quickly discovered that it contained a package with a source map file containing its TypeScript codebase, with one person on X calling attention to the leak and posting a file containing the code. The leaked data […]
Anthropic’s Claude Code and Cowork can control your computer

Anthropic's Claude Code and Cowork can control your computer Claude will ask you for permission to autonomously perform taks on your computer. | Image by Anthropic Anthropic has updated Claude to perform tasks in its Code and Cowork AI tools autonomously by using your computer for you. The new feature can be used to automatically […]
Anthropic doesn’t trust the Pentagon, and neither should you

Anthropic doesn't trust the Pentagon, and neither should you Today we’re talking about the messy, fast-moving situation at Anthropic, the maker of Claude that now finds itself in a very ugly legal battle with the Pentagon. The back-and-forth is complicated, but as of a few days ago, the Pentagon had deemed Anthropic a supply chain […]
Employees across OpenAI and Google support Anthropic’s lawsuit against the Pentagon

Employees across OpenAI and Google support Anthropic's lawsuit against the Pentagon On Monday, Anthropic filed its lawsuit against the Department of Defense over being designated as a supply chain risk. Hours later, nearly 40 employees from OpenAI and Google – including Jeff Dean, Google’s chief scientist and Gemini lead – filed an amicus brief in […]
Anthropic makes last-ditch effort to salvage deal with Pentagon after blowup

Anthropic makes last-ditch effort to salvage deal with Pentagon after blowup Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is reportedly back at the negotiating table with the Department of Defense in an attempt to salvage the company’s relationship with the US military and prevent it from being iced out of defense work for being a “supply chain risk.” […]
Anthropic upgrades Claude’s memory to attract AI switchers

Anthropic upgrades Claude's memory to attract AI switchers Anthropic is making it easier to switch to its Claude AI from other chatbots with an update that brings Claude’s memory feature to users on the free plan, along with a new prompt and dedicated tool for importing data from other chatbots. These upgrades could allow users […]
AI vs. the Pentagon: killer robots, mass surveillance, and red lines

AI vs. the Pentagon: killer robots, mass surveillance, and red lines WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 29: U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (C) speaks during a meeting of the Cabinet as U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (R) listen in the Cabinet Room of the White House on January 29, […]
We don’t have to have unsupervised killer robots

We don't have to have unsupervised killer robots It’s the day of the Pentagon’s looming ultimatum for Anthropic: allow the US military unchecked access to its technology, including for mass surveillance and fully autonomous lethal weapons, or potentially be designated a “supply chain risk” and potentially lose hundreds of billions of dollars in contracts. Amid […]
