AI research

More AI agents isn't always better, new Google and MIT study finds

AI in practice

GPT-5.2 lands to top Google's Gemini 3 in the AI benchmark game just four weeks after GPT-5.1

AI research

Corporate AI agents use simple workflows with human oversight instead of chasing full autonomy

AI research AI and society AI in practice
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AI in practice
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Robot vacuum pioneer iRobot has filed for bankruptcy and plans to hand control to its main Chinese supplier, Shenzhen PICEA Robotics. According to Bloomberg, shares of the Roomba maker will be wiped out under the bankruptcy plan. While the company will be delisted, it intends to continue operations as a going concern.

To set up the deal, Shenzhen PICEA acquired $191 million of iRobot's debt from the Carlyle Group. iRobot attributed the filing to a post-pandemic sales slump, supply chain issues, and stiffer competition from cheaper rivals. The move comes after a planned acquisition by Amazon fell apart in 2022 following opposition from EU regulators.

The company listed assets and liabilities between $100 million and $500 million. In a statement, iRobot confirmed it would continue paying employees and suppliers throughout the court proceedings.

AI and society
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Trump attempts to block state AI laws by withholding broadband billions, but faces shaky legal ground.

"I think the administration has a 30 to 35% chance of this working legally," says Dean Ball, a former White House official who contributed to the administration's AI Action Plan.

The executive order directs the Commerce Department to block states with onerous AI regulations from the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program (BEAD), reports Reuters in an analysis of the new order. However, experts doubt whether Congress intended to give the administration authority over state AI regulation when it authorized broadband funding. Furthermore, the move risks political blowback from within the party: Republican governors like Ron DeSantis have previously spoken against federal interference, and withholding funds would impact rural voters—a key demographic that supported Trump by wide margins.

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AI and society
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The Center for Humane Technology (CHT), a nonprofit organization advocating for ethical technology, has criticized a new executive order from the Trump administration that aims to undermine state AI laws.

According to the CHT, the regulation puts public safety at risk by preventing states from meaningfully regulating AI. At the same time, it offers no national replacement framework, creating what the organization calls a vacuum in accountability.

Americans understand the potential benefits and dangers of this technology. They believe government should help regulate AI, not provide a regulatory shield to an industry that prioritizes growth at any cost. (CHT)

The CHT points to documented AI harms, including deepfakes, fraud, and chatbot-related suicides among young people. Social media already showed what happens when technology goes unregulated, the organization argues. The government should protect the public instead of caving to the tech industry.

Trump argues that varying state regulations are slowing down the industry. AI companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google support national regulation.

CHT
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Deepmind co-founder Shane Legg puts the odds of achieving "minimal AGI" at 50 percent by 2028. In an interview with Hannah Fry, Legg lays out his framework for thinking about artificial general intelligence. He describes a scale running from minimal AGI through full AGI to artificial superintelligence (ASI). Minimal AGI means an artificial agent that can handle the cognitive tasks most humans typically perform. Full AGI covers the entire range of human cognition, including exceptional achievements like developing new scientific theories or composing symphonies.

Legg believes minimal AGI could arrive in roughly two years. Full AGI would follow three to six years later. To measure progress, he proposes a comprehensive test suite: if an AI system passes all typical human cognitive tasks, and human teams can't find any weak points even after months of searching with full access to every detail of the system, the goal has been reached.

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Adobe has integrated Photoshop, Acrobat, and Express directly into ChatGPT's interface. Users can now edit images and documents for free using text commands. The Photoshop integration lets people customize photos with simple descriptions; changing backgrounds or adding effects, for example. Adobe Express handles design tasks like creating invitations from templates, while Acrobat makes it possible to edit PDFs like resumes right in the chat.

To set it up, go to "Apps & Connectors" in ChatGPT's settings, select the Adobe app you want, and click "Connect." Then tap the plus sign in the chat, find the app under "More," and type your command. Alternatively, type "/AdobePhotoshop," "/AdobeExpress," or "/AdobeAcrobat" followed by what you want to do.

Adobe says commands work best when they're clear and specific, with complex tasks broken into individual steps. After each edit, sliders let users adjust the results.

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OpenAI wants to boost risk tolerance among its workforce. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company has scrapped a rule requiring new hires to stay for at least six months before their equity vests. The change aims to ease employee concerns about being laid off before receiving their first batch of shares. Previously, OpenAI had already shortened this waiting period from 12 months to six in April.

The move underscores the fierce competition for AI talent. Tech giants like Meta, Google, and Anthropic are courting top researchers with high compensation. OpenAI is set to spend around $6 billion on stock-based compensation this year, nearly half its projected revenue. These high personnel costs are putting additional pressure on margins in an increasingly competitive market.

WSJ
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Google is integrating Gemini into Google Translate for better text translations and launching a beta for real-time voice translation through headphones. Gemini now handles idioms, local expressions, and slang more naturally instead of translating them word for word. The improved text translation is rolling out in the US and India for English and nearly 20 languages, including Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese, and German. The app is available for Android, iOS, and on the web.

The live translation feature taps into Gemini's speech-to-speech capabilities to preserve the speaker's tone, intonation, and rhythm. The beta is currently available on Android in the US, Mexico, and India, supporting over 70 languages. iOS and more countries will follow in 2026.

Google is also bringing its language learning tools to nearly 20 new countries, including Germany, India, Sweden, and Taiwan.

Google News

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AI research

More AI agents isn't always better, new Google and MIT study finds

AI in practice

GPT-5.2 lands to top Google's Gemini 3 in the AI benchmark game just four weeks after GPT-5.1

AI research

Corporate AI agents use simple workflows with human oversight instead of chasing full autonomy

Google News