A journalist signed up for RentAHuman, a new marketplace where AI agents hire humans for real‑world tasks. After linking a crypto wallet and lowering hourly rates, the reporter received no job offers and found the listed gigs to be low‑pay marketing stunts, such as posting social‑media comments or delivering flowers for an AI startup. Attempts to complete a flyer‑hanging gig were thwarted by miscommunication and empty locations. Interviews with a founder of an AI developer community highlighted the platform’s hype‑driven design and lack of functional demand, leaving the reporter convinced that RentAHuman is more a publicity tool than a viable gig platform. Read more →

Microsoft cautions that rapid deployment of workplace AI assistants can turn them into insider threats, calling the risk a "double agent." The company’s Cyber Pulse report explains how attackers can manipulate an agent’s access or feed it malicious input, using its legitimate privileges to cause damage inside an organization. Microsoft urges firms to treat AI agents as a new class of digital identity, apply Zero Trust principles, enforce least‑privilege access, and maintain centralized visibility to prevent memory‑poisoning attacks and other forms of tampering. Read more →

Google introduced the Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol, an open standard that lets AI agents communicate directly, share data, and collaborate across applications and enterprise workflows. Built on existing web standards and OpenAPI authentication, A2A supports text, audio, and video streams while offering secure, asynchronous interactions for long‑running tasks. The protocol promises to break down silos between specialized agents, enabling richer automation in fields such as customer service, supply chain, and healthcare, though it also raises security and scalability concerns that will need further governance. Read more →

ByteDance announced Seedance 2.0, a next‑generation AI model that can create short video clips from combined text, image, audio, and video prompts. The system supports up to nine images, three video clips, and three audio clips per request and can produce 15‑second videos that respect camera movement, visual effects, and physical laws. Demonstrations include synchronized figure‑skating routines, anime‑style scenes, and celebrity‑lookalike cinematic fights. Seedance 2.0 is currently available through ByteDance’s Dreamina AI platform and the Doubao assistant, with no clear plan for TikTok integration. Read more →

A former OpenAI researcher has left the company after the introduction of advertisements to ChatGPT, citing concerns over the platform's direction. Meanwhile, Discord is facing strong user backlash after announcing plans for age verification, though the company says most users will not be affected. In California, opening arguments have started in a lawsuit accusing social media platforms of deliberately designing addictive experiences. Additional coverage includes the technology behind the major football broadcast and new FCC restrictions on drone operations. Read more →

Anthropic has upgraded its Claude AI chatbot by making its most powerful tools—file creation, Connectors, and customizable Skills—available to anyone on the free tier. The enhancements also include longer conversation capacity, improved voice and image search, and richer interactive displays. By removing previous barriers, the company positions Claude as a utility for everyday productivity, allowing users to generate documents, interact directly with calendars and email, and tailor the assistant’s behavior without a paid subscription. Read more →

In a rare move, xAI released a complete recording of its recent all‑hands meeting, offering insight into the company’s evolving structure, product roadmap, and ambitious plans for space‑based AI infrastructure. The session detailed a reorganization into four primary teams—Grok chatbot, coding system, Imagine video generator, and the Macrohard project—while acknowledging recent employee departures. Executives highlighted significant usage metrics for the Imagine tool and announced that X recently surpassed $1 billion in annual recurring revenue from subscriptions. The meeting concluded with Elon Musk outlining a vision for lunar AI factories and mass‑driver launch systems. Read more →

A surge in data‑center demand for artificial‑intelligence workloads is pushing up the cost of RAM, SSDs and related components, leading to higher prices for pre‑built computers, gaming consoles, portable devices and everyday storage. Manufacturers are responding with spec reductions and shrink‑flation, while consumers face limited stock of older models and rising prices on new releases. Experts advise shoppers to act quickly on current inventory, prioritize essential upgrades like 16 GB of RAM, and compare specs carefully to avoid hidden cuts. The trend is expected to continue through at least 2027. Read more →

Anthropic has broadened the free version of its Claude AI chatbot, adding file‑creation tools, select Google Workspace connectors, custom Skills, longer conversation limits, and enhanced image and voice search. The move comes as OpenAI introduced advertisements to its free and low‑cost ChatGPT plans, prompting Anthropic to highlight its ad‑free experience with a Super Bowl ad campaign. The added capabilities aim to make Claude more competitive for users weighing whether to stay with the free tier or upgrade to paid AI services. Read more →

Anthropic announced that it will cover the full cost of power‑grid upgrades required for its new data centers, preventing those expenses from being passed on to nearby consumers. The AI firm said it will pay higher monthly electricity charges to fund 100 percent of the needed upgrades and will support new power‑source development. The move follows a broader industry trend, with other tech giants also committing to share infrastructure costs amid rising electricity rates and community concerns about energy‑intensive data‑center projects. Read more →

Modal Labs, an AI inference infrastructure startup, is in early discussions with venture capital firms about a new financing round that could value the company at roughly $2.5 billion. If completed, the round would more than double the $1.1 billion valuation reported less than five months earlier. The company’s annualized revenue run rate is about $50 million. Co‑founder and CEO Erik Bernhardsson said the conversations are general and not an active fundraising effort. Existing backers include Lux Capital and Redpoint Ventures, while General Catalyst is reportedly considering leading the round. Read more →