OpenAI instructed its San Francisco staff to remain inside their offices following an internal security warning. The alert identified a former activist affiliated with the Stop AI movement who had expressed an intention to cause physical harm to employees. San Francisco police responded to a related threat near the company's headquarters.
Company security teams distributed photographs of the individual and advised employees to remove their company badges and avoid wearing OpenAI-branded clothing when leaving the building. This incident represents a significant escalation in tensions between artificial intelligence developers and activist organizations, which have previously staged protests at the company's facilities.
The situation...
Google is refuting widespread social media claims that it altered its privacy policy to utilize Gmail messages for training its artificial intelligence. A company spokesperson stated that reports of such a change are misleading and clarified that Gmail content is not used to train its Gemini AI model. The controversy centers on Gmail's existing smart features, which personalize user experiences but have recently caused concern.
Despite these denials, some users report their smart feature settings were reactivated after they had previously disabled them. This occurred following a January administrative update that separated controls for Google Workspace from other services. Google maintains that this was an organizational change, not a...
A new category of AI-powered wearable devices is emerging, offering various forms of digital assistance. These products range from the 49 dollar Bee pendant, which records audio for personalized reminders, to the 199 dollar handheld Rabbit R1 assistant. Amazon has strategically positioned itself in this market by acquiring the company behind the Bee device.
The wearables serve different functions, from emotional support to professional transcription. The Friend pendant, priced at 129 dollars, is marketed as an emotional companion. For professional use, the Limitless device records and transcribes conversations for 99 dollars, while Plaud's NotePin, at 159 dollars, offers similar features for journalists and students.
This expanding...
MediaWorld, a major European electronics retailer, is attempting to recover numerous Apple iPad Air units it sold for 15 euros due to a pricing glitch, rather than their standard cost of 879 euros. The error, which occurred on November 8, allowed customers to complete purchases and receive order confirmations. The company has contacted those customers, calling the discount an obvious technical error. It offered a compromise: customers could keep the tablet by paying an additional 729 euros or return it for a full refund plus a 20-euro voucher.
Consumer lawyers suggest the retailer faces a difficult legal challenge in voiding the sales. They note that the timing during the Black Friday promotional season made the deep discount appear...
Google has launched its most significant artificial intelligence update, introducing autonomous agents capable of managing complex tasks. The new Gemini 3 model, part of the November update, includes an experimental agent that can independently handle workflows like calendar management and car rental bookings. This positions Google to compete directly with other AI platforms by leveraging its extensive service ecosystem for proactive task execution.
The update also enhances creative tools, with Veo 3.1 enabling precise video generation using multiple reference images and Nano Banana Pro gaining advanced image blending and design features. In a strategic move to attract future users, Google is extending complimentary AI Pro access for...
The AI startup Sierra, co-founded by Bret Taylor and Clay Bavor, has revealed it achieved one hundred million dollars in annual recurring revenue. This figure represents a fivefold increase from the previous year. Company leadership stated that publicly sharing such financial metrics has become a strategic tool for recruiting top talent in a highly competitive market. Taylor explained that demonstrating substantial revenue, especially from Fortune 1000 clients, helps establish Sierra as a category leader and a more attractive employer than rivals relying on hype.
This approach signifies a broader shift where AI startups are now broadcasting once-confidential financial data to prove commercial viability. Sierra employs an enterprise...
ArenaNet has announced Guild Wars: Reforged, a refined version of its classic 2006 MMORPG, which will be released on PC via Steam. The studio revealed that this new version, developed with partner studio 2weeks, will feature graphical improvements alongside new controller and Steam Deck support. However, the company confirmed it has no current plans to introduce native controller support to its more recent title, Guild Wars 2.
This decision persists despite previous internal efforts to develop such a feature. A former gameplay programmer, Jon Olson, had worked on native controller support as a personal project to improve accessibility, but left the company before completing it. The work was not continued after his departure.
The news...
Electronic Arts is offering a free, week-long trial of Battlefield 6 multiplayer following its second major Season 1 update. The trial for the All-Out Warfare mode will allow players to experience five game modes across three maps, including the newest locations, Blackwell Fields and Eastwood. Participants can engage in large-scale combat on urban streets and varied landscapes.
This promotional event begins shortly after the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Early sales data indicated that the new Call of Duty title was underperforming commercially in its first week within the European Union. Its sales there were reportedly 63 percent lower than the first-week EU sales for Battlefield 6.
The free access period is designed to let...
Despite topping the European sales charts, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 experienced a notably muted launch. According to data from a market research firm, its first-week sales in the European region fell more than 50 percent below those of the previous year's series entry, Black Ops 6. The new title also trailed the first-week European launch sales of Battlefield 6 by 63 percent.
Other strong performers in the weekly European chart included Anno 117: Pax Romana, which reportedly more than doubled the launch sales of its predecessor, Anno 1800. Battlefield 6 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 maintained their positions in the top ten, with the latter benefiting from a new downloadable content release and a promotional discount. Football...
