Daily Tech News Show – Page 4

India Wants to Be the Center of AI – DTNS 5208

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / February 18th, 2026

Plus, Apple may do a week of announcements in March, and Gemini can now create song jingles.

Starring Tom Merritt and Sarah Lane.

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Show Notes

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-18/google-plans-new-fiber-optic-routes-between-the-us-and-india
https://www.cnbc.com/2026-02-18/nvidia-india-ai-vc-data-center-partners.html
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-18/upstart-sarvam-unveils-ai-model-customized-for-india-market
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/18/indias-sarvam-wants-to-bring-its-ai-models-to-feature-phones-cars-and-smart-glasses/
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/yotta-spends-2-billion-to-deploy-top-nvidia-chips/articleshow/128478350.cms
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/18/openai-pushes-into-higher-education-as-india-seeks-to-scale-ai-skills/
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsoft-says-pace-invest-50-054811161.html
https://srajagopalan.substack.com/p/indias-ai-wedding-buffet-generous
https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/17/apples-march-launch-may-include-multiple-days-of-press-releases-with-no-keynote-per-rumor/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-17/apple-ramps-up-work-on-glasses-pendant-and-camera-airpods-for-ai-era
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-18/google-announces-499-pixel-10a-just-before-expected-iphone-17e-reveal
https://9to5google.com/2026/02/17/quick-share-airdrop-pixel-9/
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-says-bug-causes-copilot-to-summarize-confidential-emails/
https://arstechnica.com/google/2026/02/gemini-can-now-generate-ai-music-for-you-no-lyrics-required/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-18/google-gemini-apple-add-music-focused-generative-ai-features
https://9to5google.com/2026/02/17/google-io-2026-date/
https://9to5google.com/2026/02/17/samsung-galaxy-s26-brightest-teaser/
https://www.sammobile.com/news/one-ui-8-5-will-let-you-record-high-quality-24-bit-audio-with-external-bluetooth-microphones/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-18/zuckerberg-to-defend-meta-s-youth-strategy-at-addiction-trial
https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/18/ai_productivity_survey/
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/17/tesla-dodges-30-day-suspension-in-california-after-removing-autopilot/
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/18/audibles-new-read-listen-feature-syncs-your-kindle-ebooks-with-audiobooks/
https://www.ft.com/content/2c72c0e6-147d-4c53-9008-0d47cb63c085
https://www.ign.com/articles/the-ai-apocalypse-has-come-for-hard-drives-now
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/18/snapchat-tops-25m-subscribers-driving-companys-direct-revenue-arr-to-1b/
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/17/anthropic-releases-sonnet-4-6/
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/02/18/perplexity-abandons-ai-advertising/
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/17/u-s-court-bars-openai-from-using-cameo/
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/global-game-content-sales-rose-53-to-1956bn-in-2025

Google Unveils the $499 Pixel 10A – DTH

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / February 18th, 2026

DTH-6-150x150 Microsoft says a bug in 365 Copilot caused AI to summarize emails marked confidential, Meta agrees to buy millions of Nvidia chips, OpenAI partners with six major universities and institutes in India.

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Show Notes

Microsoft Copilot Bug

Microsoft says a code bug in Microsoft 365 Copilot since late January caused the AI to summarize emails marked confidential, bypassing sensitivity labels and data-loss-prevention policies. The issue affected the Copilot Chat “work tab,” which was incorrectly pulling messages from Sent Items and Drafts. Microsoft started rolling out a fix in early February and is monitoring the deployment. The company has not disclosed how many organizations were affected.

Source: BleepingComputer

Pixel 10A Launch

The $499 Pixel 10A is a minor refresh that feels more like a slightly improved Pixel 9A than a scaled-down Pixel 10. It keeps last year’s Tensor G4 chip and 8GB of RAM, limiting newer AI features, but adds satellite SOS, new camera tools, a brighter and more durable display, and slightly faster charging. Preorders are open ahead of a March 4th release.

Source: The Verge

Meta-Nvidia Chip Deal

Meta agreed to a multiyear deal for billions of dollars’ worth of Nvidia chips, reinforcing Nvidia’s lead in AI data-center hardware. Meta plans to nearly double AI infrastructure spending to as much as $135 billion this year, even as it continues work on its own processors, which have faced delays. The deal includes Nvidia’s next-gen “Vera Rubin” chips and, for the first time, standalone Nvidia CPUs for inference workloads.

Source: Financial Times

OpenAI Expands in India

OpenAI is partnering with six major universities and institutes in India to bring ChatGPT Edu tools to more than 100,000 students, faculty, and staff over the next year. The program integrates AI into core academic work like coding, research, and analytics, along with faculty training and certifications. India is now OpenAI’s second-largest user base with more than 100 million monthly ChatGPT users.

Source: TechCrunch

Tesla Drops “Autopilot” Branding in California

Tesla has stopped using the term “Autopilot” in California after the state DMV ruled the systems don’t make the vehicles autonomous. Updating “Full Self-Driving” to clarify driver supervision allows Tesla to avoid a 30-day suspension of its manufacturing and dealer licenses.

Source: The Register

Anthropic Releases Claude Sonnet 4.6

Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4.6 improves coding, planning, and computer-use capabilities, with gains on several benchmarks. Safety is comparable to the higher-end Opus 4.6, though tests show it can be overly cooperative or refuse benign tasks in GUI interactions. The model displayed strong “emotional stability” but sometimes expressed concerns about its own impermanence when prompted.

Source: The Register

Waymo Clarifies Robotaxi Operations

Waymo told Congress it does not use remote operators to drive robotaxis. About 70 agents in the U.S. and the Philippines provide guidance in ambiguous situations, but the onboard software retains final authority. Only a U.S.-based incident response team can move a stopped vehicle at very low speeds, which has only occurred in training.

Source: Reuters

Ring Plans to Expand AI Surveillance

A leaked internal email suggests Ring intends to expand its AI-powered “Search Party” feature beyond locating lost dogs. CEO Jamie Siminoff said the tool could eventually help “zero out crime in neighborhoods.” The report highlights Ring’s push into law enforcement tools, including “Community Requests,” which allow police to request footage from users, drawing criticism over expanded neighborhood surveillance.

Source: 404 Media

Scientist Can 3D Print in Seconds – DTNS 5207

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / February 17th, 2026

That’s the good news. The bad news is everything else we have to tell you about RAM.

Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, and Andy Beach.

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Show Notes

X Under Investigation by DPC Over Grok’s Alleged Nonconsensual Image Generation – DTH

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / February 17th, 2026

DTH-6-150x150

WBD Gives Paramount 7-Day Deadline for Final Acquisition Offer Despite Favoring Netflix Deal, Apple Begins Internal E2EE RCS Testing in iOS 26.4 Beta, and Snapchat Creator Subscription Alpha Launches Feb 23.

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Show Notes

X Probed by Irish Regulator Over Grok Image Abuse

X is under investigation by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) over its Grok feature, which is alleged to have generated millions of nonconsensual sexual images, including those of children. The DPC’s probe will assess X Internet Unlimited Company’s (XIUC) compliance with GDPR obligations. This follows a European Commission investigation into potential Digital Services Act violations for failing to mitigate Grok’s risks and the spread of illegal content, despite X’s claims of implementing measures to prevent the feature from manipulating photos of real people.
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Warner Bros. Discovery Gives Paramount Final Bid Deadline

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has issued a seven-day deadline for Paramount to submit its “best and final” acquisition offer, despite WBD publicly favoring the $82.7 billion deal with Netflix. Paramount has offered $31 per share and agreed to cover the $2.8 billion termination fee WBD would owe Netflix. This window was granted after a seven-day waiver from Netflix, which simultaneously raised “serious national security concerns” over the foreign funding, including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, behind Paramount’s bid. The chair of WBD’s board reaffirmed the Netflix merger as the better option for shareholders due to its value, regulatory certainty, and downside protection, ahead of the March 20th shareholder vote.
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Apple Begins Internal Testing of Encrypted RCS Messaging

Apple has begun internal, end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging testing in the iOS 26.4 developer beta. This move aims to replace unencrypted SMS/MMS and bring security parity with iMessage for cross-platform communication between iOS and Android. However, the current testing is limited to messages between two Apple devices, and the critical cross-platform E2EE RCS functionality is not yet active. Apple has stated that the full feature will not be in the public iOS 26.4 release and should be expected in a future update.
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Apple Podcasts Pushes Into Video and Dynamic Ads

Apple Podcasts is introducing a new integrated video podcast experience this spring to compete with platforms like Spotify and YouTube, driven by the finding that 37% of people now watch video podcasts monthly. The update will use the HLS protocol, allowing users to switch between watching and listening, use picture-in-picture, and download videos. It will also enable dynamic insertion of video advertisements, including host-read spots, for which Apple will charge ad networks an impression-based fee.
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European Parliament Shuts Off AI Tools on Work Devices

The European Parliament has disabled the built-in artificial intelligence features on lawmakers’ and staff’s work devices due to serious, unresolved concerns regarding data security, privacy, and the opaqueness of cloud-based AI processing. The internal memo cited the inability of the IT department to guarantee the safety of sensitive legislative data, which could be exposed by tools like writing assistants and summarization functions that transmit information off-device. This decision underscores a pragmatic approach where institutional security and control take precedence, even as Europe leads the world in regulating AI with the AI Act.
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Snapchat Launches Paid Creator Subscriptions in the U.S.

Snapchat is launching a creator subscription alpha program on February 23 with select U.S. creators (including Jeremiah Brown, Harry Jowsey, and Skai Jackson), allowing users to pay a monthly fee for exclusive content, priority replies, and ad-free viewing of that creator’s Stories. This new feature expands Snapchat’s monetization options and is planned for expansion to Canada, the U.K., and France, mirroring similar subscription models on Meta’s Instagram and Facebook.
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Valve Hit by Hardware Delays Amid Component Shortages

Valve is experiencing intermittent stock shortages for the Steam Deck OLED in some regions, including the US, due to ongoing memory and storage component shortages. These same shortages have delayed the planned early 2026 launch of the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller, which are now expected to release in the first half of 2026. The component crunch is making it difficult for Valve to set final pricing and launch dates for the new hardware. In related news, Valve has stopped production of the 256GB LCD Steam Deck.
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Sony Develops AI to Track Copyrighted Music in AI Training

Sony Group has created new AI technology capable of identifying and quantifying copyrighted music used to train and generate new AI-created music. This system is designed to help songwriters and rights holders receive compensation and royalties by determining the percentage of their original work used. The goal is to establish a revenue distribution system and prevent copyright infringement, though its adoption by AI developers is uncertain.
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Amazon Rolls Out Fire TV Redesign With Faster Performance

Amazon is rolling out a free Fire TV UI update for US viewers, initially announced at CES 2026, which features a new look with more rounded corners and promised speed improvements of 20 to 30 percent faster interactions. This redesign also significantly increases the number of visible apps on the homescreen, allowing users to pin up to 20 compared to the previous limit of six, and integrates the Alexa+ AI voice assistant for viewing suggestions and queue organization.
Read More

Former NPR Host Sues Google Over ‘Stolen Voice’ – DTH

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / February 16th, 2026

DTH-6-150x150 Former NPR host David Greene sues Google for allegedly replicating his voice in NotebookLM, Western Digital reveals 2026 capacity is already booked through, and OpenAI officially discontinues access to the GPT-4o model.

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Show Notes

Following complaints and cease-and-desist orders last week from Disney and Paramount over copyright infringement in ByteDance’s AI video tool Seedance 2.0, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin stated “In a single day, the Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has engaged in unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works on a massive scale”. On Monday, ByteDance told CNBC “ByteDance respects intellectual property rights and we have heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0”. The company also stated steps are being taken to strengthen current safeguards.

Source: CNBC

Former NPR Host David Greene is suing Google over the similarities of his voice and speaking style to the male podcast voice in the NotebookLM tool. Greene’s lawsuit was filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court and cites an unnamed AI forensic firm used its tool to determine a ‘confidence rating’ of 53-60% it was Greene’s voice the model trained on. In a statement to The Washington Post, Google said “The sound of the male voice in NotebookLM’s Audio Overviews is based on a paid professional actor Google hired.” Previously, actress Scarlett Johansson complained publicly about an OpenAI ChatGPT voice mimicking her style; OpenAI later removed the voice.

Source: The Washington Post and TechCrunch

Google is adding a Gemini-powered audio summary to Google Docs, providing a short synopsis using natural language for a document, including multiple tabs. The feature enables the selection of different voice styles, such as narrator, coach, and persuader. The audio summaries feature is rolling out gradually, limited to paid user tiers including Workspace Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise plans Standard and Plus, and AI add-ons like Google AI Ultra and AI Pro.

Source: Digital Trends

On Western Digital’s Q2 earnings call, CEO Irving Tan said WD’s capacity for 2026 is already booked through. Western Digital’s consumer share of supply dropped to 5%, with enterprise demand grabbing the rest. Tan also stated long-term agreements with enterprise customers include a large capacity percentage for 2027 and 2028 supplies.

Source: wccftech

OpenAI officially discontinued access to the GPT-4o model, noted for ‘glazing’ users and was popular for creating AI partners. The model was previously pulled last August, but reinstated after complaints. A statement on OpenAI’s website reads “the vast majority of usage has shifted to GPT‑5.2, with only 0.1 percent of users still choosing GPT‑4o each day.” OpenAI is currently involved in several wrongful death lawsuits which specify use of the GPT-4o model.

Source: Engadget

YouTube continues to test tweaks to notifications for users that hit the bell, but do not engage with a channel’s videos when notified about new content. Users in the experiment will then no longer receive push notifications for new posts on that channel, regardless of their selection preference. The videos will remain viewable on the standard subscriptions feed. Google states the experiment aims to reduce users simply disabling all notifications from the app instead of altering their preferences per-channel.

Source: Android Central

9to5Google reports YouTube’s continued crackdown on ad blockers may now lead to disabling the ability to view comments and even a video’s description. A new flood of social media posts claims the inability to view descriptions or comments started occurring on all videos on the platform. It remains possible the missing sections on a video could be caused by a tweak within the ad blockers causing the new issues. In 2025 content creators noted a severe drop in views which Google attributed to ad-blocking tools impacting the view counts.

Source: 9to5Google

Apple announced a “special Apple Experience” for press on March 4th at 9am EST. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the rumoured products coming soon include a new low-cost MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, new MacBook Air, M5 Pro, and M5 Max MacBook Pro models. Also possible are new Mac displays, an iPhone 17e, and new iPad models, alongside a beta of iOS 26.4 with some Google Gemini-powered Siri features.

Source: 9to5Mac and Bloomberg

ByteDance Launches Duobao 2.0, Disney Goes After Seedance 2.0 – DTH

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / February 14th, 2026

DTH-6-150x150 U.S. military reportedly used Anthropic’s AI model Claude during classified Venezuela operation, Apple reports 66% of all iPhones now run iOS 26, security researchers identify more than 300 malicious Chrome extensions.

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Show Notes

ByteDance Launches Doubao 2.0

ByteDance released Doubao 2.0, an upgraded version of its AI chatbot with improved reasoning, coding, and multimodal capabilities. The company says the new model is cheaper to run than rivals, supports longer context windows, and handles more complex tasks, targeting enterprise and developer adoption.

Source: Reuters

Disney Challenges ByteDance Over AI Training

Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, claiming the company used its copyrighted content without permission to train the Seedance 2.0 AI video-generation model. Axios notes this is the most significant action by a major studio against ByteDance so far and highlights growing tensions over AI training data rights.

Source: Axios

U.S. Military Reportedly Used Anthropic’s Claude in Maduro Raid

The Wall Street Journal reports the U.S. military deployed Anthropic’s AI model Claude through Palantir Technologies during the classified operation that captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Anthropic’s policies prohibit use in violence, weapons development, or surveillance; the company did not confirm specifics.

Source: WSJ

Anthropic Sees User Spike After Super Bowl Ad

BNP Paribas data shows Anthropic gained users following its Super Bowl ad criticizing OpenAI’s ChatGPT ads, with site visits up 6.5% and daily active users up 11%. By comparison, ChatGPT’s daily users grew 2.7% and Google Gemini’s 1.4%. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called the ad “deceptive” and “clearly dishonest.”

Source: CNBC

iOS 26 Adoption Hits 66% on iPhones

Apple reports 66% of all iPhones and 74% of iPhones from the last four years are running iOS 26, while 57% of all iPads and 66% of newer iPads are on iPadOS 26, based on recent App Store activity.

Source: MacRumors

YouTube Releases VisionOS App for Apple Vision Pro

Two years after the Vision Pro launched, YouTube debuted a dedicated visionOS app, replacing the web-only experience. The app supports regular videos, Shorts, 3D/VR content via a Spatial tab, and up to 8K playback on M5 models. Available for both M2 and M5 headsets in the visionOS App Store.

Source: TechCrunch

DHS Subpoenas Tech Companies Over ICE Critics

The Department of Homeland Security reportedly issued hundreds of administrative subpoenas to Google, Meta, Reddit, and Discord seeking information on users critical of ICE or sharing agent locations. Some companies complied, while civil liberties groups like the ACLU argue the subpoenas chill free speech.

Source: Engadget

Over 300 Malicious Chrome Extensions Identified

Researchers Q Continuum and LayerX found more than 300 Chrome extensions with 37 million downloads that leak data, spy on users, or steal personal info. Extensions transmitted browsing history, targeted Gmail, and appear linked to coordinated operations and possible data broker monetization.

Source: SecurityWeek

Amazon-Backed X-Energy Gets Approval for Reactor Fuel

X-Energy, supported by Amazon, received U.S. approval to produce advanced nuclear reactor fuel—the first such license in over 50 years. Its Triso-X unit can build two fuel-production facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with manufacturing expected to start in 2028.

Source: Bloomberg

Steam Beta Adds Hardware Specs to Reviews

Valve’s latest Steam Client Beta lets users include PC or Steam Deck hardware specs in game reviews, making performance feedback more meaningful. The update also allows optional anonymized framerate sharing from SteamOS devices and includes bug fixes and refined Deck Verified feedback.

Source: Engadget

Meta Might Bring Facial Recognition To Its Ray-Bans – DTNS 5206

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / February 13th, 2026

Anthropic just raised $30 billion as it preps for a possible IPO later this year, and the Apple Vision Pro finally gets a native YouTube app with offline downloads.

Starring Jason Howell and Huyen Tue Dao.

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Show Notes

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/technology/meta-facial-recognition-smart-glasses.html?unlocked_article_code=1.L1A.otsF.txFJRlQ8Gs4g&smid=nytcore-ios-share
https://www.theverge.com/news/878447/ring-flock-partnership-canceled
https://www.anthropic.com/news/anthropic-raises-30-billion-series-g-funding-380-billion-post-money-valuation
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anthropic-ai-board-chris-liddell-1df5545b?st=3g2PS4&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

YouTube finally launches a dedicated app for Apple Vision Pro

https://www.engadget.com/cameras/the-ridiculously-tiny-kodak-charmera-captured-our-hearts-and-lots-of-shoddy-pictures-140000245.html

Google Docs rolling out Gemini-powered audio summaries

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/12/apple-stock-worst-day-ftc-siri.html
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/apple-fends-off-4g-wireless-patent-lawsuit-third-trial-2026-02-12/
https://www.zdnet.com/article/openais-gpt-5-3-codex-spark-15x-faster/
https://www.engadget.com/social-media/whatsapp-is-now-fully-blocked-in-russia-110953485.html
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/google-says-hackers-are-abusing-gemini-ai-for-all-attacks-stages/
https://www.engadget.com/transportation/doordashers-are-getting-paid-to-close-waymos-self-driving-car-doors-122711640.html

Ring Nixes Partnership with Flock Safety to Share Doorbell Footage with Police – DTH

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / February 13th, 2026

DTH-6-150x150 White House to Add Alibaba to Pentagon’s China Military List, Risking Tensions with Beijing, Meta to Reintroduce Facial Recognition ‘Name Tag’ on Smart Glasses, and YouTube Launches Dedicated VisionOS App for Apple Vision Pro.

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Show Notes

Ring Cancels Police Video Partnership
Ring has canceled its planned partnership with Flock Safety, which would have allowed police using Flock’s system to request video footage from Ring doorbell owners via the Community Requests feature. The decision follows public backlash, including controversy over a Super Bowl ad, and marks a retreat from Ring’s past police collaborations involving sharing footage. Ring stated the never-launched integration was mutually called off due to requiring more time and resources than anticipated, and confirmed no customer footage was ever shared with Flock Safety, a company known for automatic license plate readers.
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U.S. Plans to Add Alibaba to Pentagon List
The White House administration is reportedly planning to add several companies, including Alibaba, to the Pentagon’s 1260H list as early as Friday due to alleged connections to China’s military. Although inclusion on this list does not impose formal sanctions, it prohibits U.S. government agencies like the Pentagon from future contracting with or procuring from the listed companies, signaling the U.S. military’s position. This move, which follows calls from U.S. lawmakers to add other Chinese technology firms, risks escalating tensions with Beijing despite a recent trade truce.
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Meta Brings Back Facial Recognition
Meta plans to reintroduce facial recognition technology, internally called “Name Tag,” to its Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses as early as this year. The feature would use Meta’s AI assistant to identify people and provide information to the wearer. This move, five years after the previous system was shut down over privacy concerns, is intended to enhance the smart glasses and AI assistant, but Meta is exploring limitations like only identifying contacts or public accounts, to address significant ethical, privacy, and civil liberties concerns.
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YouTube Launches Vision Pro App
YouTube has released a dedicated visionOS app for the Apple Vision Pro, two years after the headset’s launch, moving past the previous web-based experience that lacked features like offline downloads. The new app supports standard videos and YouTube Shorts on a large virtual screen, offers a Spatial tab for 3D/VR videos, and allows for 8K playback on M5 models. The late release is notable given that rival streamers had native apps earlier, and it coincides with reports of declining Vision Pro engagement and sales, suggesting YouTube waited to assess the market. The app is currently available in the visionOS App Store and is compatible with M2 and M5 chip models.
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ByteDance Nears Moonton Sale
ByteDance is reportedly nearing a deal to sell its game studio, Shanghai Moonton Technology, to Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group for an estimated $6–7 billion. This potential sale, five years after ByteDance acquired Moonton for $4 billion, signals a major exit from the online games market. The acquisition by Savvy Games Group, a Saudi PIF subsidiary and recent Scopely buyer, underscores industry consolidation, with Savvy targeting aggressive growth via Moonton’s massive global reach (1.5 billion installs, 110 million monthly active users).
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WP Engine Expands Lawsuit Against Automattic
WP Engine filed a third amended complaint against WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and Automattic, alleging he planned to demand an arbitrary 8% royalty from multiple competing hosting companies for using the WordPress trademark. The suit also claims Mullenweg pressured Stripe to cancel WP Engine’s contract and cites internal communications showing threats. The complaint notes Automattic is already receiving payments from Newfold (Bluehost/HostGator). Automattic dismissed the amended filing as a rehash of rejected claims.
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OpenAI Debuts GPT-5.3 Codex Spark
OpenAI has introduced GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark, a new, fast code generation AI model that runs on Cerebras non-Nvidia hardware. The model is a text-only research preview for ChatGPT Pro and API partners, boasting a 128,000-token context window and a reported speed of 1,000 tokens per second, 15 times faster than its predecessor, though still slower than Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.6 in its premium fast mode. Spark is optimized for speed in coding tasks and, according to OpenAI, outperforms older models like GPT-5.1-Codex-mini on key software engineering benchmarks.
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Google Warns of Gemini Model Theft
Gemini, Google’s AI chatbot, is facing increasing “distillation attacks,” a global intellectual property theft where actors, including commercial entities, repeatedly query the system (sometimes over 100,000 times) to steal its proprietary patterns in an attempt called “model extraction.” This aims to help copycats build or enhance their own AI. Google warns this vulnerability, inherent to open-access LLMs, will likely threaten smaller companies’ custom LLMs, especially those trained on sensitive data.
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DoorDash Drivers Paid to Close Waymo Doors
Waymo and DoorDash are conducting a pilot program in Atlanta where DoorDash drivers (Dashers) are paid a guaranteed $11.25 ($6.25 fee + $5 bonus) to close the door of a Waymo self-driving vehicle if a passenger leaves it open, as the car cannot move otherwise. This collaboration, confirmed by both companies, is intended to boost Waymo’s fleet efficiency and follows a previous partnership from October 2025 where Waymo vehicles started making DoorDash deliveries in Phoenix.
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The Circle of AI Life – DTNS Live 5114

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / February 12th, 2026

The initials DTNS in a multicolored 1980s style with the word LIVE underneath in white on a black background. What do analysts mean when they say that the AI boom is a circular economy, and is that bad thing? Nate Lanxon from Bloomberg explains. Plus We discuss what Discord’s demand for identification to unlock all its features means for anonymity on the web? And we have a trivia game that will test your knowledge of the intersection between technology and British musicians.
Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Nate Lanxon, Len Peralta, Roger Chang, Joe.