Anthropic Briefed Administration on Mythos Model; FCC Exempts Netgear from Foreign Router Ban; Google Launches Native Gemini App for Mac; Deepfake Nude Crisis in Schools-Worse Than Many Realize
Posted: April 15, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, deepfakes, FCC, gemini, llm, mythos, Netgear, technology Leave a commentThe co-founder of Anthropic has confirmed that the firm briefed the Trump administration on their Mythos AI model. Techcrunch.com notes that the new model will not be released to the public, due to it being ‘too dangerous’ and having powerful cybersecurity capabilities. Jack Clark, the co-founder of Anthropic said in an interview “Our position is the government has to know about this stuff, and we have to find new ways for the government to partner with a private sector that is making things that are truly revolutionizing the economy, but are going to have aspects to them which hit National Security, equities, and other ones…so absolutely, we talked to them about Mythos, and we’ll talk to them about the next models as well.” This comes after reports last week that Trump officials were encouraging banks to test Mythos, including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley. Let’s hope this claimed super Mythos model helps with cybersecurity and doesn’t make it easier for bad buys to crack security!
The Federal Communications Commission has just exempted Netgear from its ban on foreign routers…but strangely, gives no reason for the move. According to arstechnica.com, when the FCC banned foreign-made routers some 3 weeks ago, they said there could be exemptions in cases where the Department of Defense or Department of Homeland Security determines that the router does not pose national security risks. Router makers seeking conditional approvals must submit a justification for the use of foreign manufacturing and a “detailed, time-bound plan to establish or expand manufacturing in the United States.” The FCC and Netgear didn’t say what kind of justification or plan was submitted by Netgear.
Google has released a native Mac app for its Gemini AI…which up to now had just been on Android and iOS. 9to5google.com says This “native desktop experience” is launched via an Option + Space keyboard shortcut. There’s also the Gemini spark in the Menu Bar. You get a pill-shaped “Ask Gemini” bar with Liquid Glass. The “Add files and tools” plus at the left lets you upload Files, Drive, Photos, and NotebookLM, as well as Share window. Below, you will find Tools like Create image, Create video, Create music, Canvas, Deep research, Guided learning, and Personal intellegence. The window is identical to the one at gemini.google.com. You can share anything on your screen with Gemini, including local files. You can download it from theApp store.
The use of deepfakes in schools is apparently worse than most know, despite laws that have been passed banning or restricting the tech. Apparently, teen boys are working industriously…downloading pics of girls they know from school from Instagram and Snapchat, then running them through ‘nudify’ apps that created fake nude photos or videos of them. Wired.com notes that the problem really started showing up in schools a couple years ago, but now have hit at least 90 schools worldwide and some 600 students…that’s according to a review of public incidents by Indicator. Generative AI has really opened the door to more of this. There are 30 reports from North America since 2023…and you can bet that incidents are drastically underreported. In a number of cases, things have been handled by schools, and haven’t hit the press. Deepfakes have been around since 2017, but have exponentially increased.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Amazon Merges with Sat Provider Globalstar; Google Chrome AI ‘Skills’; OpenAI Buys Hiro-AI Personal Finance Startup; Lucid Gets New CEO & Cash Infusion
Posted: April 14, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Amazon, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, gemini, Google, llm, technology Leave a commentAmazon is merging with satellite internet provider Globalstar. Engadget.com reports that this move should at some muscle to Amazon’s rival to Starlink, Leo. Globalstar is the satellite company behind Apple’s emergency SOS feature on iPhones and Apple Watches. Interestingly, Apple already owns 20% of Globalstar. Amazon and Apple have agreed Leo will “power satellite services for supported iPhone and Apple Watch models.” And that this support will continue as Leo’s network evolves, as well as collaborating “with Apple on future satellite services using Amazon Leo’s expanded satellite network.” Leo’s own direct to device service won’t start until 2028…the deal actually closes next year.
Google Chrome has a new generative AI feature, and this is pretty cool. It’s called Skills. I know, really original name. At any rate, according to wired.com, Skills are repeatable AI prompts you can run in Chrome with a keyboard shortcut. That sort of feature ought to attract a lot more people to AI who don’t want to learn or mess with trying to write and refine prompts. You can set up your own Skill using Gemini, Google’s chatbot, through the Chrome browser, or you can choose from the premade Skills Google released alongside this feature. The more than 50 presets in the Skills library cover a range of prompts that instruct Gemini to summarize YouTube videos, maximize your protein intake via recipe substitutions, or evaluate job listings. If you want to try out Skills, open up the Gemini in Chrome sidebar by clicking on the “Ask Gemini” sparkle icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. Then, type a forward slash in the prompt box to pick which Skill you would like to run. Have fun!
OpenAI has bought an AI personal finance startup called Hiro. Thenextweb.com notes that all 10 of the startup’s staff will join OpenAI. Hiro has built an app that offers AI-powered financial planning for consumers: users entered information about their salary, debts, and monthly costs, and the platform modeled different what-if scenarios to support financial decision-making.
Silvio Napoli is the new CEO of Lucid Motors, the EV maker, after a year long search. TechCrunch.com reports that Napoli has mainly managed at Schindler Group, which makes elevators and escalators. Hey…they’re electric! Napoli will join the board. In another related story, Lucid has gotten another $200 million cash infusion from Uber, which will buy up to 25,000 of Lucid’s upcoming mid-sized vehicles to use as robotaxis. The majority owner of Lucid, Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, has also kicked in by buying another $550 million of the company’s shares. Lucid’s upcoming mid sized vehicle will sell in the $50,000 range, a much larger pool of customers than the $100,000 or really $150,000 plus subset of buyers.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now!
Gemini Personal Intelligence for Email & Photos; YouTube Bows Way for Parents to Block Kids from Shorts; Amazon Testing Superstore; Tesla Self-Driving Switches to Subscription
Posted: January 14, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, gemini, technology Leave a commentBig Tech’s AI continues to push into all aspects of our computer lives, and now Google’s new Personal Intelligence will scan your email, photos, and apps to gain context for answers…IF you let it. Zdnet.com reports that the Personal Intelligence system is off by default. Personal Intelligence is new branding, but Google’s Gemini 3 is the core of it all. If you switch it on, it will pull details from your email and photos that could be useful in answering a question. Apple Intelligence does much the same…and IT will now have Gemini to help it to bulk up and do better at answering questions.
YouTube is adding to parental controls. Now, Moms and Dads will be able to block kids from watching Shorts, or just limit the amount of time. According to TechCrunch.com, parents will also have the capability to set custom Bedtime and Take a Break reminders for their kids. In addition, since is can be a hassle to switch from your adult account to the kid account, YouTube says it will update the sign-up experience within the app to make it easier for parents and kids to toggle between their accounts with just a few taps… of course, that requires the parent or child to actually remember to make the switch.
Amazon has experimented with small stores and heavy automation, including just walk out pay systems that allow a person to pick up the goods and go…with their card being charged as they leave. Now, Amazon is going for Walmart, with a planned superstore in the Chicago area…it’s 229,000 square feet. Geekwire.com notes that Amazon says the store will offer fresh groceries, household essentials, and general merchandise, making it convenient for customers to shop a broad selection of items in one trip. That very much sounds like a Walmart super store or a Costco. Even with all the online shoppers Amazon has, data indicates that some 93% of their online customers still shop at a physical Walmart.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving option is no more as a purchase. Elon Musk announced on X that from now on, it will strictly be subscription beginning February 14th. Engadget.com reports that no pricing was announced…although up to now the subscription has been $99 a month or $999 a year. The shift could be advantageous for buyers, particularly if they decide to dump their new Tesla or trade it in. It will also allow prospective owners to hedge their bets, as Tesla has overpromised on the feature since it was first announced. Even the name is hype…it has never been, and isn’t now really ‘full self-driving.’
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Samsung Galaxy Glasses; OpenAI Adding Parental Controls-ChatGPT; YouTube Flagging Premium Family Plans-Different Homes; Amazon Ending Prime Free Shipping Sharing Outside Your Home
Posted: September 2, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Amazon, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, gemini, Samsung, technology, YouTube Leave a commentThe smart glasses battles heat up, as now Samsung is expected to bow ‘Galaxy Glasses’ this month…specifically, at an Unpacked event on September 29th. The offering from Samsung will be powered by Android XR. Zdnet.com reports that the smart glasses are expected to be a direct competitor with Meta’s Ray-Bans. Besides the glasses, Samsung is expected to roll out an XR headset and a tri-fold smartphone. Back to the glasses, though. They are expected to be audio only, and focus on features like faster and more convenient access to an AI assistant, cameras, and audio…for calls, music, and podcasts. The glasses will also feature navigation, real time translation, and situational awareness. The glasses will be powered by A Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chip…the same chip as in the Meta Ray-Bans.
OpenAI is now promising to release parental controls for ChatGPT. Once in place, the controls will allow parents to link their personal ChatGPT account with accounts of their teen kids. According to engadget.com, parents will be able to decide how ChatGPT responds to their kids, and disable select features, including memory and chat history. Additionally, ChatGPT will generate automated alerts when it detects a teen is in a “moment of acute distress.” According to OpenAI, “expert input will guide this feature to support trust between parents and teens.” While parental controls are nice as ‘eye-wash,’ or cover your butt acts for companies, expect most teens to figure out a way around the controls nearly instantly.
It appears to be the season for crack downs on sharing by tech companies. YouTube is starting to flag accounts on Premium family plans that aren’t in the same household. Androidpolice.com notes that YouTube’s Premium Family Plan lets you add up to 5 family members to your plan for the $23 a month subscription.The requirement that people all reside at the same address has actually been around since 2023, but YouTube has just started really enforcing it. They are presently testing out a new two-person Premium plan, too. One pain in the neck…YouTube is going to conduct an ‘electronic check-in’ every 30 days, to make sure each family member resides at the same address. If a member fails the check in, and isn’t at the same place as the ‘family manager,’ their access is paused for 14 days.
Amazon will end allowing Prime members sharing of free shipping outside their household, starting October 1st. Theverge.com reports that after that date, Amazon will let invitees who don’t live with the account holder to sign on for their own subscription at just $14.99 for the following year…but then the rate will go up to $14.99 a month. Amazon is replacing the program with Amazon Family. The new program will let account holders share Prime benefits, but just with people who live with them at their address. You can add one additional adult, up to 4 teens, and up to 4 child profiles.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Google Announces Gemini 2.o; Apple Watch Ultra 3-Text Via Satellite; Amazing New Tech Splits Water to Make Hydrogen; GM Ends Cruise Robotaxis
Posted: December 11, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, chatgpt, gemini, Google, technology Leave a commentGoogle has announced Gemini 2.0, its latest, greatest AI model. 9to5google.com reports that the first model is Gemini 2.0 Flash, which they say “outperforms 1.5 Pro on key benchmarks” — across code, factuality, math, reasoning, and more — at twice the speed. The model is available today in AI Studio and Vertex AI for developers…it will be open to the general public next month. Google says the new model results in an “even more helpful Gemini assistant.” Both Gemini and Gemini Advanced users will be able to use a chat-optimized version of 2.0 Flash experimental in gemini.google.com this week. Go to the model dropdown menu in the top-left corner. Access is “soon” coming to the mobile app. With all these helpful AI assistants, does anyone else have flashbacks to Microsoft’s ‘Clippie?’ Just wondering.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 was a big snooze, while the latest version of the Watch…10…was a huge update. Now, according to macrumors.com, we will see a pretty cool update when the Ultra 3 comes out next year. It will have satellite connectivity for off-grid texting like the iPhones 14, 15, and 16…but in a WATCH! Like with the latest iPhones, you will not only be able to send emergency texts, but will be able to send texts to anyone. Now, you can text your friend from your surfboard out riding a wave if you are so inclined! Presumably, if a satellite was overhead, you could even send one while scuba diving. Right now, we don’t know if the Watch Ultra 3 will get 5G though…Watches have continued to use 4G LTE, even though the iPhones moved to 5G several years ago.
Hydrogen is a great, clean way to power vehicles and systems, but getting it is not so clean…it mostly comes from natural gas. Now, bgr.com says some scientists have figured out a way create green hydrogen using some tech from batteries and solar panels. Apparently by using a 2-step process with a couple different photocatalysts, they can create hydrogen from sunlight. So far, the process is just a proof of concept that was published in Frontiers in Science, but if they are able to scale it up…and build big enough battery systems to store the power at night…since you can’t derive anything from sunlight at night, it could be a real leap forward in completely clean hydrogen for fuel.
General Motors has taken the old No Cruising signs that have graced certain California streets to heart…well, kind of. The General has announced that it is killing off the Cruise robotaxi experiment after dropping a fortune into it. Engadget.com reports that they will fold Cruise into GM’s in-house technical team, where the engineers will focus on developing advanced driver assistance programs, and work towards fully autonomous personal vehicles. After seeing the little cars around San Francisco, as well as in Arizona and Texas, the fleet will be no more. The incident where one hit and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco probably did the most to take the program down.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Google Gemini AI-Coming to Corporate Workspace; YouTube’s Conversational AI Bows for Premium Android Users; Spotify AI Playlist Feature Rolls Out in US; Blocked X Users Can Now See Your Posts Anyway
Posted: September 24, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, gemini, Google, technology Leave a commentGoogle has started making Gemini AI what they are calling a core part of the Workspace productivity suite, and the chatbot could therefore be adapted by millions more users. Theverge.com reports that the standalone Gemini app is being included as standard on Workspace Business, Enterprise, and Frontline plans starting sometime in Q4, replacing the need to purchase a separate Gemini add-on. To bolster security against malware, phishing, and other online threats, Google is also introducing a new “Security Advisor” tool that “delivers insights directly to an IT administrator’s inbox.” Security Advisor includes a range of safe browsing and data protection features for Chrome, Gmail, and Google Drive, and will be rolled out to paying Workspace customers “over the next few weeks.”
YouTube has begun rolling out its conversational AI feature that can answer questions about a video you are already watching. According to 9to5google.com, the feature is only available right now for Premium subscribers on Android in the US. So far, no word on when it will reach other users in the US or in other countries.
Spotify has expanded its AI Playlist tool availability to a number of countries, including the US, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. Techcrunch.com says it was already available to Premium subscribers in the UK and Australia. The feature is still in beta on both iOS and Android, but it allows users to create personalized playlists by inputting written prompts. Maybe you would like to hear Frank Sinatra’s 28 biggest hits, or all of Taylor Swift’s sets from her Eras Tour. You can also refine playlists you crate, and customize using locations, animals (really?), movie characters, colors, and emojis. The AI powered playlist creation tool lives under the ‘Your Library’ tab.
X has made blocking less useful. Engadget.com notes that blocked users will be able to see the posts of accounts that have blocked them. This has always been possible if one wanted to try hard enough…you could do it by switching accounts…and many that you would tend to block have a number of alternate accounts. Elon musk has wanted to disable the block feature on X for some time now.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Google I/O Recap; Open AI’s New GPT-4o; Feds Investigate Waymo Driverless Cars; Apple & Google Bow Cross-Platform Anti-Tracking
Posted: May 14, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, gemini, Google Leave a commentGoogle made a flood of announcements today during the 2 hour I/O Keynote. Of course, it was all heavy on AI. 9to5google.com reports that Google Lens will now get the ability to search with a video. You can shoot a video, ask a question about something in it, and the AI will try to find appropriate answers on the web and serve them. The new Google AI model is Gemini 1.5 Flash. That’s supposed to be a reference to its quickness, not to the old Adobe Flash Player, or the comic book character, or someone running naked across a stage…although that might have gotten some shock value into the presentation today! Anyway, Flash is multimodal, and just as powerful as Gemini 1.5 Pro according to Google. They have also doubled 1.5 Pro’s context window to 2 million tokens. Gemini is being rolled out to the sidebar in Docs, Sheets, slides, Drive, and Gmail when it gets to paid subscribers next month. They claim it will be a general purpose assistant in Workspace that will fetch info from your drive, help you wrote, or give you reminders.
Google also touted Project Astra is a multimodal AI assistant that the company hopes will become a do-everything virtual assistant that can watch and understand what it sees through your device’s camera, remember where your things are, and do things for you. The Google answer to OpenAI’s Sora is a new generative AI model that can output 1080p video based on text, image, and video based prompts. Google is also bowing a custom chatbot creator called Gems that you can customize. Circle to search now can help solve math problems…it won’t do it for you, (so school kids can’t use it to cheat) but will break down problems into easier steps. Something that will affect everyone is AI Overviews…formerly the ‘Search Generative Experience.’ Yep, Google is dropping more AI into their bread and butter search engine.
Yesterday, getting the drop on Google somewhat, OpenAI released GPT-4o, a new flagship AI model. According to techcrunch.com, it is a rolling release and will hit developer and consumer facing products over the next few weeks. What is it? Well, according to OpenAI, it provides GPT-4 level intelligence but improves on GPT-4’s capabilities across text and vision as well as audio. OpenAI stressed the importance of voice and vision as the large language model interacts more with people…so be sure to say and think nice things about our coming AI and robot overlords. One interesting wrinkle…you can interrupt it as it is giving you an answer, and ask more or clarify, and the chatbot will theoretically be able to handle that.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been hot on the case of GM’s Cruise vehicles, which had to stop operation in San Francisco after a series of accidents. Now, the feds are looking into ‘unexpected behavior’ by Waymo self-driving cars. Arstechnica.com says that some of the incidents were reported to the government by Waymo, and others came from the public. The feds are looking into what they call single-party crashes into “stationary and semi-stationary objects such as gates and chains” as well as instances in which Waymo cars “appeared to disobey traffic safety control devices.” This initial probe is the first step before the NHTSA can issue a potential recall. Earlier this year Waymo voluntarily recalled some 400 self drivers after back to back crashes in Arizona.
As has been promised since last year, Apple and Google are finally rolling out cross-platform anti-tracking ability. Apple has had this feature for a couple years…it aims to prevent someone using one of their Air Tags to track or stalk someone else. Engadget.com notes that Apple and Google have been collaborating to make it possible to spot and end this kind of behavior across Apple and Android devices, to protect users from unwanted Bluetooth trackers snooping around on them. When an unknown Bluetooth device is seen moving with someone over a period of time, they’ll get an alert that reads “[Item] Found Moving With You,” no matter which platform the tracker is paired with. Apple and Google are rolling out the capability in iOS 17.5 and across Android 6.0 and later devices starting today.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Google Hits Brakes on AI Images of People; AT&T, Others Cell Outage This Morning; ARM Claims ‘Software is Driver in Deal With Nuro; Samsung Will Bring Galaxy AI Features to More Devices
Posted: February 22, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, gemini, Google, News, technology Leave a commentGoogle has pumped the brakes, disabling Gemini’s ability to generate images of people. PCMag.com reports that this came after users found that Gemini was producing historically inaccurate images in some situations. Like some extreme examples? It showed what it claimed was a Native American man and woman as an 1820s German couple…and one of the Founding Fathers as African American. It also came up with Asian members in the 1929 German military. Google put out a message saying “We are aware that Gemini is offering inaccuracies in some historical image generation depictions, and we are working to fix this immediately.”
There were widespread cellular outages this morning starting at about 3:30 am Eastern that affected calls and even 911 service. The problems were all on AT&T’s network. According to NPR, AT&T now says it has restored around three quarters of its cellular network. Some 73,000 customers were affected. Verizon and T-Mobile reported that their networks were ‘operating normally.’ This is more concerning than in the past, since these days, nearly 71% of adults and 82% of kids live in wireless-only households. AT&T hasn’t said what caused the outages at this point.
Chipmaker ARM supplies most of the systems on a chip that run the world’s smartphones, and now they are diving into the world of driverless cars. Thenextweb.com says the chip maker has cut a deal with Nuro, a startup in the autonomous vehicle realm. The partnership aims to accelerate the commercialization of self-driving cars. Arm will bring its famed semiconductor IP to Nuro’s vehicles, starting with the startup’s delivery robots. In an only slightly hyped statement, ARM says ‘software is becoming the driver’ for cars! Arm is finding a nice place in the automotive segment…since 2020, they have nearly doubled their revenue in the sector. As for startup Nuro, they are shooting for level 4 autonomy, which doesn’t need a human driver under certain road conditions. They haven’t given any roadmap for how soon they think that will become a reality.
The AI push marches relentlessly on…Samsung is now going to bring its Galaxy AI features to more devices with a software update in March. The handsets affected are the Galaxy S23 series, S23 FE, Z Fold5, and Z Flip. The tablets that will get the AI include the Tab S9 Ultra, Tab S9+, and Tab 59. With this upcoming update, users will get access to Google’s “Circle to Search” feature, which lets users search from anywhere on their phone using gestures like circling, highlighting, scribbling or tapping. Another feature called Live Translate will provide voice and text translations for phone calls. Plus, users will get access to an “Interpreter” feature that generates text translations for live conversations.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
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