Author: Frank Salvato

Instagram’s head Adam Mosseri privately conceded that low-quality, AI-generated content—dubbed “AI slop”—has flooded social media platforms and effectively overtaken organically produced creative work, pushing the limits of what users and creators consider real and valuable. Mosseri’s year-end memo, shared widely on Threads and covered by multiple outlets, frames 2025 as the year authenticity became “infinitely reproducible,” meaning anyone can simulate credible content with AI tools, blurring the line between genuine creative work and synthetic material that lacks depth or originality. In response, Instagram is considering new verification methods to spotlight real content—such as cryptographically signing photos at the point of…

Microsoft has reportedly silently retired the last official method for activating Windows 11 and Windows 10 without Internet access, including traditional phone activation, leaving users no choice but to connect online to validate the operating system. Early reports from technology forums and news outlets indicate this change was implemented without broad notice, affecting both legacy offline devices and systems in environments where Internet access is restricted; critics argue this move strengthens Microsoft’s control over licensing while placing burdens on users and IT professionals who depend on air-gapped setups or robust privacy practices. This has sparked spirited discussion in tech communities…

A sweeping forecast by Morgan Stanley finds that Europe’s biggest banks could eliminate more than 200,000 jobs — roughly 10% of the workforce at 35 major lenders — by 2030 as artificial intelligence and digital tools replace traditional roles, especially in back-office operations, risk management, and compliance. The analysis, cited widely in global outlets, links the job cuts to industry pressure to boost efficiency and cost-income ratios, with banks eyeing up to 30% efficiency gains from AI automation. Some institutions like ABN Amro and Société Générale have already announced significant workforce reductions, while executives caution that over-reliance on technology could…

OpenAI is dramatically shifting its focus toward audio-based artificial intelligence, reorganizing engineering, product, and research teams to overhaul its audio systems and prepare for a launch of an audio-first personal device expected around early 2026, reflecting a broader tech trend away from traditional screens toward voice interfaces and conversational interaction. Independent reporting confirms this internal realignment and highlights how the company aims to build more natural, conversational voice technology that can handle interruptions and even speak over users, positioning audio as the next major interface for consumer AI in homes, cars, and mobile contexts. This audio-first strategy is part of…

Cybersecurity researchers have exposed a highly sophisticated Chinese threat actor dubbed DarkSpectre that has infected approximately 8.8 million users across major web browsers—including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox—through stealthy browser extension malware campaigns running for over seven years. The group’s operation includes multiple coordinated campaigns with distinct objectives such as consumer surveillance, affiliate fraud, and corporate espionage, and involves extensions that behave legitimately for long periods before activating hidden malicious code. Analysts linked three major clusters—ShadyPanda, GhostPoster, and The Zoom Stealer—to the same actor, revealing an unusually patient, well-resourced threat model that has evaded detection by leveraging legitimate…

Israel’s Ministry of Defense R&D arm MAFAT, led by CTO Dr. Gal Harari, is driving a significant evolution in Israeli warfare technology, focusing on shorter development cycles, greater integration with frontline needs, and emerging capabilities such as AI, autonomous platforms, laser weapons, and advanced R&D collaboration with startups. MAFAT’s efforts are part of a broader defense-tech expansion in Israel and reflect an urgent push to stay ahead of battlefield demands following recent conflicts, reshaping how defense technology is conceived, produced, and deployed. Sources: The Jerusalem Post, Defense & Tech Key Takeaways In-DepthIsrael’s defense technology landscape has entered a rapid transformation,…

IDC and industry analysts warn that a severe global memory chip shortage — driven primarily by booming demand from AI data centers — is poised to shrink the PC market and push up average selling prices in 2026, with shipment declines of up to nearly 9% and significant cost pressure on both computers and smartphones. Sources: Thurrott.com, WebPro NewsKey Takeaways In-Depth The global technology supply chain is heading into a period of notable disruption as personal computers face renewed headwinds from memory chip shortages that will reverberate through prices, sales volumes, and industry planning. Industry research firm IDC has revised…

YouTube has unveiled a sweeping upgrade to its connected-TV experience, introducing five new features designed to make watching videos on large screens more immersive and commercially integrated. The updates include boosting thumbnail size limits from 2 MB to 50 MB for 4K clarity, adding an AI-powered “super resolution” tool that upscales low-resolution videos to HD or 4K, enhancing channel previews and TV search, creating binge-style “Shows” groupings, and enabling QR-code shopping directly from the TV screen. The platform says living-room viewing is now its fastest-growing segment, but critics warn that AI upscaling and in-video shopping could tighten corporate control over…

The cyber-crime collective known as Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters (SLH) has begun targeting users of Zendesk in a fresh phishing campaign, according to a new alert by cybersecurity firm ReliaQuest. Researchers have identified more than 40 typosquatted and impersonating Zendesk-related domains created over the past six months — some hosting fake single sign-on pages to steal credentials, others used to submit malicious support tickets aimed at infecting help-desk personnel with malware such as remote-access trojans. The group reportedly exploited a support portal breach at Discord, exfiltrating sensitive user data, and has signaled plans for further campaigns through early 2026. Organizations are…

Zillow has removed climate-risk scores from over one million home listings after real estate agents and the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS) complained the information was driving down sales. What began in September 2024 as a feature meant to help buyers assess flood, wildfire, heat, wind, and air-quality risks — using data from climate-analytics firm First Street — has now been replaced with a simple link to First Street’s website. In their defense, First Street argued that hiding the scores doesn’t reduce actual climate risks, only shifts the burden of awareness onto buyers. Meanwhile, Zillow contends the change reflects…