AI Developments Reshape Tech Landscape with New Models, Tools, and Threats
The tech world saw a flurry of activity on February 12, 2026, with advancements in artificial intelligence impacting various sectors, from coding and cybercrime to consumer products. New models, partnerships, and tools emerged, promising to reshape how AI is used and the challenges it presents.
OpenAI launched GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark, a coding model designed for near-instantaneous response times, marking its first major inference partnership outside of Nvidia, according to VentureBeat. The model runs on hardware from Cerebras Systems, a chipmaker specializing in low-latency AI workloads. This move comes as OpenAI navigates a strained relationship with Nvidia, criticism over advertisements in ChatGPT, and internal organizational changes, VentureBeat reported.
Meanwhile, Chinese AI startup MiniMax unveiled its new M2.5 language model in two variants, promising to make high-end AI more affordable. VentureBeat noted that the model is said to be "open source," although the weights and code have not yet been posted. The company is offering it through its API and those of partners. "For the last few years, using the worlds most powerful AI was like hiring an expensive consultantit was brilliant, but you watched the clock (and the token count) constantly," VentureBeat stated.
Google Chrome also introduced WebMCP (Web Model Context Protocol) in an early preview in Chrome 146 Canary. This proposed web standard, developed jointly by Google and Microsoft, aims to transform every website into a structured tool for AI agents, according to VentureBeat. The goal is to enable AI agents to understand and interact with websites more efficiently, eliminating the need for them to guess which buttons to press.
In other news, the Eufy X10 Pro Omni robovac has fallen to its best-ever price, according to The Verge. This news comes as consumers look to get a head start on spring cleaning.
However, the advancements in AI also bring new concerns. AI is already making online crimes easier, according to MIT Technology Review. Hackers are using AI tools to reduce the time and effort required to orchestrate attacks, lowering the barriers for less experienced attackers. "AI is on the brink of being able to carry out fully automated attacks," MIT Technology Review reported. Security researchers are urging closer attention to the immediate risks posed by AI, which is already speeding up and increasing the volume of scams.
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