Alphabet's silence on its AI partnership with Apple during its Q4 earnings call has sparked investor concern about the deal's impact on Google's core AI-driven business model. While the existing search partnership provides clear advertising revenue, the benefits of powering AI for Siri are less immediately apparent, raising questions about the long-term value and monetization strategies for AI-powered search. The Apple AI deal is rumored to cost Apple roughly 1 billion per year.

Alphabet's silence on its AI partnership with Apple during its Q4 earnings call has sparked investor concern about the deal's impact on Google's core AI-driven business model. While the existing search partnership provides clear advertising revenue, the benefits of powering AI for Siri are less immediately apparent, raising questions about the long-term value and monetization strategies for AI-powered search. The Apple AI deal is rumored to cost Apple roughly 1 billion per year.

A recent study challenges claims of TikTok censorship following its U.S. operations takeover, attributing perceived content suppression to a data outage affecting all video categories, not just political ones. This research highlights the complexities of content moderation and the importance of data-driven analysis in evaluating accusations of algorithmic bias on social media platforms, a crucial area of study as AI increasingly shapes online discourse.

A recent study challenges claims of TikTok censorship following its U.S. operations takeover, attributing perceived content suppression to a data outage affecting all video categories, not just political ones. This research highlights the complexities of content moderation and the importance of data-driven analysis in evaluating accusations of algorithmic bias on social media platforms, a crucial area of study as AI increasingly shapes online discourse.

Google's AI chatbot Gemini has experienced explosive growth, exceeding 750 million monthly active users, driven by the recent launch of its advanced Gemini 3 model and a new, affordable "AI Plus" subscription. This rapid adoption positions Gemini as a major competitor in the AI landscape, though it still trails behind ChatGPT in overall user base. The company plans to maintain momentum through continued investment and a focus on both free and subscription-based access.

Google's AI chatbot Gemini has experienced explosive growth, exceeding 750 million monthly active users, driven by the recent launch of its advanced Gemini 3 model and a new, affordable "AI Plus" subscription. This rapid adoption positions Gemini as a major competitor in the AI landscape, though it still trails behind ChatGPT in overall user base. The company plans to maintain momentum through continued investment and a focus on both free and subscription-based access.

Kilo, an AI coding startup backed by GitLab's co-founder, has launched Kilo CLI 1.0, a model-agnostic command-line tool supporting over 500 AI models, and a Slackbot powered by MiniMax, signaling a strategic shift away from IDE-centric AI development towards tools that integrate across various platforms like IDEs, terminals, and chat threads, as reported by VentureBeat. This move reflects Kilo's belief that the future of AI development lies in fluidity and accessibility across different workflows, rather than being confined to a single interface.

Kilo, an AI coding startup backed by GitLab's co-founder, has launched Kilo CLI 1.0, a model-agnostic command-line tool supporting over 500 AI models, and a Slackbot powered by MiniMax, signaling a strategic shift away from IDE-centric AI development towards tools that integrate across various platforms like IDEs, terminals, and chat threads, as reported by VentureBeat. This move reflects Kilo's belief that the future of AI development lies in fluidity and accessibility across different workflows, rather than being confined to a single interface.

Multiple news sources report on a range of events, including a U.K. police investigation into Peter Mandelson for allegedly leaking government secrets to Jeffrey Epstein, and an SEC lawsuit against Elon Musk for failing to properly disclose his acquisition of a stake in Twitter, which Musk claims is politically motivated. These reports are among a variety of other news items, including corporate policy violations, celebrity opinions, controversies surrounding social media activity, and concerns about AI's impact on job skills.

Multiple news sources report on a range of events, including a U.K. police investigation into Peter Mandelson for allegedly leaking government secrets to Jeffrey Epstein, and an SEC lawsuit against Elon Musk for failing to properly disclose his acquisition of a stake in Twitter, which Musk claims is politically motivated. These reports are among a variety of other news items, including corporate policy violations, celebrity opinions, controversies surrounding social media activity, and concerns about AI's impact on job skills.

Drawing from multiple news sources, the global landscape is marked by the devastating conflict in Ukraine, impacting civilians and energy infrastructure, alongside preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics and cultural events like the International Film Festival Rotterdam and SXSW. Other key developments include rising precious metal prices, tech industry scrutiny, Blizzard's Overwatch 2 reverting to "Overwatch" with updates, China's EV safety regulations, NIH research grant cuts under the Trump administration, and Speaker Johnson's defense of border security using biblical scripture, while Fallout's Season 2 finale leaves everything in shambles.

Drawing from multiple news sources, the global landscape is marked by the devastating conflict in Ukraine, impacting civilians and energy infrastructure, alongside preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics and cultural events like the International Film Festival Rotterdam and SXSW. Other key developments include rising precious metal prices, tech industry scrutiny, Blizzard's Overwatch 2 reverting to "Overwatch" with updates, China's EV safety regulations, NIH research grant cuts under the Trump administration, and Speaker Johnson's defense of border security using biblical scripture, while Fallout's Season 2 finale leaves everything in shambles.

Multiple news sources report that Sheffield-based law firm PM Law, which includes several other firms, has abruptly closed due to regulatory issues, leaving hundreds of staff and clients in the dark. The Solicitors Regulation Authority has intervened, taking control of the firm's assets and documents, while employees express devastation over the lack of communication and sudden job loss.

Multiple news sources report that Sheffield-based law firm PM Law, which includes several other firms, has abruptly closed due to regulatory issues, leaving hundreds of staff and clients in the dark. The Solicitors Regulation Authority has intervened, taking control of the firm's assets and documents, while employees express devastation over the lack of communication and sudden job loss.

Multiple news sources report that a US House committee unanimously passed a NASA reauthorization act, which still requires approval from the full House and Senate, providing general direction for the agency's future. A key amendment allows NASA to consider commercial alternatives for Artemis missions beyond Artemis V, potentially opening the door for companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin to offer end-to-end lunar mission services.

Multiple news sources report that a US House committee unanimously passed a NASA reauthorization act, which still requires approval from the full House and Senate, providing general direction for the agency's future. A key amendment allows NASA to consider commercial alternatives for Artemis missions beyond Artemis V, potentially opening the door for companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin to offer end-to-end lunar mission services.

Multiple news sources report a correction to a Nature article regarding protein aggregation and ribosome function due to misannotated strains in two figures, though the authors maintain that the overall study conclusions remain valid. Separately, Mistral AI has released two new open-source speech-to-text models for batch and real-time transcription and translation, potentially enabling seamless multilingual conversation.

Multiple news sources report a correction to a Nature article regarding protein aggregation and ribosome function due to misannotated strains in two figures, though the authors maintain that the overall study conclusions remain valid. Separately, Mistral AI has released two new open-source speech-to-text models for batch and real-time transcription and translation, potentially enabling seamless multilingual conversation.

Multiple news sources report on a diverse array of global events, including political developments in Bangladesh and Libya, China's new safety regulations for electric vehicles, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Additionally, SXSW 2026 has announced a second wave of film and TV programming featuring notable actors and musicians.

Multiple news sources report on a diverse array of global events, including political developments in Bangladesh and Libya, China's new safety regulations for electric vehicles, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Additionally, SXSW 2026 has announced a second wave of film and TV programming featuring notable actors and musicians.

In Washington D.C., the intersection of technology and politics has become increasingly chaotic, with numerous technologies like AI, crypto, and social media sparking heated debates among politicians, lobbyists, and corporations. According to a report synthesizing various observations, the tech industry is actively trying to influence legislation while also being utilized as a political tool, making it difficult to focus on a single dominant story each week.

In Washington D.C., the intersection of technology and politics has become increasingly chaotic, with numerous technologies like AI, crypto, and social media sparking heated debates among politicians, lobbyists, and corporations. According to a report synthesizing various observations, the tech industry is actively trying to influence legislation while also being utilized as a political tool, making it difficult to focus on a single dominant story each week.

Multiple news sources report that newly released legal documents allege Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein requested an exotic dancer perform sex acts at Epstein's Florida home in 2006, offering her money for a threesome after she danced for them. The letter from the woman's lawyers claims she was underpaid for her performance and sought a larger sum to maintain confidentiality about the encounter, which she felt treated her like a prostitute, though Prince Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Multiple news sources report that newly released legal documents allege Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein requested an exotic dancer perform sex acts at Epstein's Florida home in 2006, offering her money for a threesome after she danced for them. The letter from the woman's lawyers claims she was underpaid for her performance and sought a larger sum to maintain confidentiality about the encounter, which she felt treated her like a prostitute, though Prince Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.