Meta made a major AI announcement today, releasing Muse Spark Open—the most capable open-weight AI model in the U.S. with 816 billion parameters and a 1 million token context window—designed to run locally on Apple M5 Ultra Mac Studios. Meanwhile, Tesla revealed its long-awaited second-generation Roadster equipped with SpaceX thrusters that enable it to perform flying stunts, drive upside down, and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under a second, with production slated for 2028. Microsoft debuted the Surface Laptop Ultra featuring Nvidia’s new ARM-based RTX Spark chips, targeting power users wanting AI workflows and gaming on a single machine. On the legal front, Meta updated its commercial terms to permit scraping of news sites linked to business accounts, raising concerns about unlicensed AI training data usage. Additionally, Rocket Lab delayed the Neutron rocket launch to 2027 due to manufacturing issues with its carbon composite parts, while Blue Origin doubled down on its New Glenn rocket with significant facility expansions aimed at supporting over 100 launches annually.
AI
- Muse Spark Open released by Meta brings a massive 816B parameter multimodal model optimized for Apple Silicon, enabling advanced coding and agentic AI workloads on desktop Macs.
- Meta’s new commercial terms allow scraping of news sites for AI training from websites linked to business accounts, sparking legal and ethical debates.
- FTC probes OpenAI and Anthropic over safety incidents and potential consumer harms, with subpoenas issued for internal documents.
- Anthropic grants independent AI safety researchers employee-level access to its internal systems as part of an effort toward transparency and risk assessment.
- ChatGPT extension now accesses Chrome tabs to use browsing context in real time, enhancing interaction and task automation.
- Bluesky expands AI-powered Attie app allowing users to create interactive sites and games using AI tools on their decentralized social network.
- Replit CEO envisions "self-driving companies" where AI agents handle operational grunt work while humans focus on judgment and creativity.
- AI agent integration coming to Rivian vehicles allowing future cars to run assistant AI models from Anthropic and others for enhanced in-car experiences.
- China considers export controls for AI tech including models and computing clusters, citing national security while keeping API access available to users abroad.
Hardware
- Tesla Roadster 2 revealed with flying, upside-down driving, and sub-second acceleration, featuring SpaceX thrusters, expected in 2028 with invite-only higher trims.
- Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra unveiled with Nvidia RTX Spark ARM chips for heavy AI workflows, gaming, and content creation, starting at $2,599.
- Blue Origin announces a $3 billion expansion of its Florida facilities to support over 100 New Glenn rocket launches yearly including new pads, manufacturing capacity, and landing ships.
- Rocket Lab delays Neutron rocket first launch to 2027 due to manufacturing defects in carbon composite domes on the booster.
- Volvo expands partnership with Nvidia to build next-gen automated driving systems using Nvidia’s AI stack and sensors, with a new vehicle expected within the decade.
- Dell revives its XPS line with refreshed 2026 models, including slimmed designs and function key rows.
- Ninja Labs releases a stretchy MagSafe Flex Pouch that holds more than cards with a silicone sleeve magnetically attached to iPhones.
Space
- Reflect Orbital buys launches from India’s Skyroot Aerospace for satellites aiming to beam sunlight to Earth from orbit.
- Japan’s Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission set to launch soon, aiming to return specimens from Phobos and Deimos by 2031.
- Southwest Airlines opts for full-fleet Starlink Wi-Fi rollout, becoming the first US major carrier for fleetwide Starlink by late 2027.
Security
- Zero-click malware installed via targeted ads in a spyware campaign hitting international journalists, revealed by Citizen Lab.
- Meta’s smart glasses briefly recorded audio without a wake phrase, raising fresh privacy concerns.
- Smart home appliances and devices increasingly at risk of AI botnets amid growing cybersecurity threats targeting everyday devices.
Business
- Intero Biosystems wins TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2026, developing human intestinal organoids for drug testing.
- Cal AI leveraged influencers to drive $30 million in revenue before acquisition.
- Benchmark Venture Partners acknowledges AI boom is eroding norms around backing competing startups.
- Amazon Devices SVP Panos Panay highlights the importance of failure and discusses AI ambient computing future, including new Bee AI wearables.
- Bluesky plans to add payments and monetization as part of a move away from advertising.
Consumer Tech
- Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo preorder delays push deliveries into 2027 amid high demand or supply constraints.
- Sony Xperia 10 VI will not receive the promised Android 17 update due to storage limitations but will get security patches until 2028.
- Plex partners with Fandango to enable users to buy movie theater tickets directly.
- Steam introduces achievement sets to organize progress in base games and DLC separately.
- Withings now charges $10/month to sync health data with third-party apps, affecting new account holders only.
- Jabra launches new hearing aids with incremental improvements but at high prices.
Science & Environment
- Microplastics in water shown to generate harmful reactive oxygen species, adding complexity to toxicity concerns.
- Scientists model what the Liberty Bell would have sounded like before cracking.
- Northern Red Sea “super corals” suffer bleaching due to recent heat waves, raising worries about a previously resilient reef ecosystem.
Other
- Leap second timekeeping change expedited to May 2027, aiming to avoid tech disruptions by ditching leap seconds in favor of leap hours.
- I Love Software Rendering revisits the sharp look and nostalgia of CPU-driven game graphics from the 90s.
- The Folders programming language uses folders for code structure, offering uniquely dematerialized programming.
- Bark: The Toll-Free BBS for 90s Teens reflects on early online community nostalgia.
Let me know if you want an expanded summary or focus on a particular area!