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Microsoft has unveiled Project Ire, an AI system designed to automatically analyze software files and determine whether they contain malware. The system uses reverse engineering tools to inspect program code, builds a chain of evidence, and then decides if a file is dangerous. Project Ire was developed by teams from Microsoft Research, Defender Research, and Discovery & Quantum. In tests, Ire correctly identified 90 percent of malware in Windows drivers while producing very few false positives. In another trial with files that were especially difficult to classify, the system achieved 89 percent precision. Microsoft plans to integrate Project Ire into Microsoft Defender as a "Binary Analyzer," aiming to help security analysts by automating routine threat detection.

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Google is now letting utilities like Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) request a slowdown of non-essential AI workloads during periods of grid stress.

The company frames this not just as a way to help stabilize the power grid, but also as a strategic advantage: new data centers could be brought online more quickly, since energy providers would have fewer concerns about peak demand. The move represents a shift in thinking, treating AI not only as a potential strain on the grid but also as a possible buffer. It's still unclear which workloads count as non-essential, but Google says that core services like Search, Maps, and cloud operations for key industries, including healthcare, won't be affected. As an example, Google points to YouTube video encoding as a task that could be scaled back during power shortages.

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Apple is working on its own AI-powered search engine, marking a shift away from its previous anti-chatbot stance.

Despite years of skepticism toward ChatGPT-style systems, Apple is now developing an internal generative search feature designed to answer user questions based on context, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The new AI team, called "Answers, Knowledge and Information" (AKI) and led by Robby Walker, is building a system that scans the web and consolidates results into a planned "Answer Engine" product. The team is also working on a standalone app, along with new backend infrastructure for Siri, Spotlight, and Safari.

This change in direction signals that Apple now sees generative search as strategically important in the AI race, and is moving to regain lost ground against Google and OpenAI.

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