Author: Frank Salvato

Google has begun rolling out a new AI-driven “Auto Browse” feature in the Chrome browser that uses its advanced Gemini 3 generative AI model to complete multi-step tasks on the web on behalf of users. This feature, being introduced within a broader set of Gemini-powered enhancements for Chrome on Windows, MacOS, and Chromebook Plus, adds an agentic capability that operates from a persistent side panel to help with tasks such as researching travel options, comparing products, filling out forms, and scheduling reservations — all while letting users stay focused on other tabs. Auto Browse is initially available in the United…

Google has introduced an expanded set of Android security and anti-theft features for devices running Android 16 and later, including a new dedicated toggle for the Failed Authentication Lock that automatically secures a device after repeated failed PIN/pattern/password attempts and increases lockout times to make brute-force access harder, while also expanding Identity Check biometric protections across all apps that use Android’s biometric prompt and enhancing remote recovery tools like Remote Lock with optional security challenges to ensure only the rightful owner can secure a lost or stolen Android device. Sources https://9to5google.com/2026/01/27/android-failed-authentication-lock/https://security.googleblog.com/2026/01/android-theft-protection-feature-updates.htmlhttps://www.androidauthority.com/android-theft-protection-upgrades-3635461/ Key Takeaways • Android 16 and newer now include…

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published a lengthy 19,000-word essay arguing that artificial intelligence is approaching capabilities “better than humans at essentially everything” and that the pace of change could bring profound and potentially destabilizing social, economic, and geopolitical consequences within the next few years; he cautioned that AI’s unpredictability might lead to scenarios ranging from mass job displacement and concentrated economic power to misuse in bioweapons or authoritarian repression, and urged democracies to implement robust safety research, transparency regulations, and export controls on critical AI components to ensure that societies can navigate this “adolescence” of technology responsibly while avoiding catastrophe.…

Institutions and regulatory frameworks are currently bottlenecking the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in drug discovery, risking slower progress and higher costs despite major technological breakthroughs that could improve how new medicines are found and developed; experts note that tools like AlphaFold have already advanced AI’s capabilities in bioscience, but meaningful real-world impact hinges on improved model accuracy, expanded biological datasets, and smarter regulatory reform to accelerate innovation while responsibly managing data concerns and emerging technologies like quantum computing. Sources https://www.semafor.com/article/01/23/2026/institutions-are-missing-ais-potential-for-drug-discoveryhttps://www.drugtargetreview.com/article/192243/2026-the-year-ai-stops-being-optional-in-drug-discovery/https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/01/how-ai-is-reshaping-drug-discovery Key Takeaways • Current institutional and regulatory barriers are slowing the real-world adoption and impact of AI in drug…

Recent reporting confirms that the rapid expansion of AI-driven data centers is driving development in laser and optical technologies to overcome performance and efficiency bottlenecks in modern computing systems. One key example is a new laser platform designed by Lightmatter to replace slower copper interconnects between GPUs and memory, potentially boosting data center performance by enabling optical computing over traditional electrical wiring. Alongside this, Applied Optoelectronics Inc. has introduced a 400-milliwatt narrow-linewidth pump laser aimed at supporting silicon photonics and co-packaged optics applications in data centers to meet AI hardware demands. Industry research also underscores the trend toward high-speed optical…

Global foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2025 rose sharply, but the pattern of capital flows is being fundamentally reshaped by skyrocketing investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure—particularly data centers and semiconductors—and shifting geographic patterns that favor developed economies. According to data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), total FDI climbed roughly 14 percent to an estimated $1.6 trillion in 2025, buoyed largely by technology-heavy projects as demand surged for data center capacity tied to AI and digital networks; data centers alone captured more than one-fifth of global greenfield investment with more than $270 billion in announced projects.…

Anduril Industries has launched the AI Grand Prix, a global autonomous drone-racing competition aimed at pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence and autonomy while also serving as an unconventional recruitment platform. The competition invites engineers and university teams worldwide to develop AI software that enables drones to race without human pilots, competing for a prize pool of $500,000 and the opportunity for direct employment interviews with Anduril. Participants will fly identical Neros Technologies drones with performance determined solely by their algorithms. The series begins with remote qualification rounds this spring and culminates in a live autonomous race in Columbus, Ohio,…

European Space Agency scientists have deployed an artificial intelligence system to comb through decades of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope data, uncovering more than 1,300 unusual cosmic objects — including over 800 that have never been documented before — by rapidly scanning nearly 100 million archived image cutouts, a task that would take human researchers far longer to complete and showcasing how AI can boost scientific discoveries even amid budget constraints for space agencies. According to the reporting, the ESA-developed neural network, called AnomalyMatch, flagged patterns and rare phenomena in the massive Hubble archive in under three days, with findings ranging…

Attorneys for Meta Platforms, TikTok, YouTube and other major social media companies are facing intensified legal scrutiny as federal and state court cases alleging that addictive platform design features have harmed young users and burdened school systems move toward trial. In Oakland, California, a federal judge is weighing whether six school districts can proceed with claims that the platforms’ design contributed to student mental health issues and forced schools to divert resources to address those harms – a dispute tied to how Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act applies to these claims. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles County Superior Court,…

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has broadened the state’s ban on technology associated with the Chinese Communist Party and other hostile foreign adversaries, prohibiting state employees from using products and services from major Chinese-linked companies—including Shein, Temu, Alibaba, Baidu, Xiaomi, TP-Link, and others—on government-owned devices and networks in an effort to safeguard sensitive governmental and citizen data from foreign cyber and privacy threats. The expanded restrictions were developed in coordination with the Texas Cyber Command and now target a wide range of physical hardware, artificial intelligence tools, software, and e-commerce platforms tied to the People’s Republic of China, reflecting ongoing concerns…