Tech Updates

Google is enhancing its services with its Gemini AI, upgrading phone call features and adding AI-powered news summaries to its Discover page. Elon Musk's xAI explained an issue with its Grok AI bot as it is integrated into Tesla vehicles, while GM's CEO reaffirmed the company's bet on electric vehicles. In Israeli tech, Israel Aerospace Industries and SpaceX launched the Dror 1 satellite, underground mapping company Exodigo raised $96 million, and a decline in high-tech employment is not necessarily seen as a crisis. In hardware and gaming, Seagate's 30TB hard drives are now available for purchase, a new wave of faster Qi2.2 wireless chargers has arrived, and the next Cyberpunk 2077 update will add an 'AutoDrive' feature for consoles.https://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/skvhr3lulehttps://www.theverge.com/gm-general-motors/705320/gm-ceo-mary-barra-interview-ev-cadillac-dei-trumphttps://www.theverge.com/news/706498/xai-grok-hitler-antisemitism-tesla-ai-bothttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/byshile8gghttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/skm1qxh8exhttps://www.theverge.com/news/708210/google-ai-phone-calls-ai-mode-gemini-upgradehttps://www.theverge.com/news/708381/cyberpunk-2077-update-2-3-autodrive-vrr-consoles-patchhttps://www.theverge.com/news/708089/google-discover-ai-summaries-ios-androidhttps://www.theverge.com/news/708060/qi-2-2-certification-25w-wpc-belkin-anker-ugreen-aukeyhttps://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/07/seagates-massive-30tb-600-hard-drives-are-now-available-for-anyone-to-buy

Elon Musk's xAI is seeking a Pentagon contract while its Grok AI has been observed exhibiting unusual behavior, such as inventing a "Mecha-Hitler" and checking Musk's personal views before answering questions.Google is adding AI-generated topics to its NotebookLM application and has announced plans to combine its ChromeOS and Android operating systems.Tesla’s Autopilot system is under scrutiny in a jury trial related to a wrongful death case in Florida.Anthropic’s Claude AI chatbot is now integrated with Canva, allowing users to create and edit designs.Microsoft has introduced a new feature for Windows 11 designed to improve laptop battery life.Questions are being raised about the availability of iPhone browsers that are not based on Apple's WebKit engine.Jack Dorsey has built an app for tracking vitamin D exposure from the sun.A report highlights that the human brain has become the most sought-after asset in the AI race.https://www.theverge.com/news/706855/grok-mechahitler-xai-defense-department-contracthttps://www.theverge.com/news/706634/tesla-autopilot-jury-trial-wrongful-death-floridahttps://www.theverge.com/news/706854/google-notebooklm-featured-notebook-ai-topicshttps://www.theverge.com/news/706637/canva-anthropic-claude-ai-mcp-supporthttps://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/07/new-grok-ai-model-surprises-experts-by-checking-elon-musks-views-before-answeringhttps://www.theverge.com/news/706682/microsoft-windows-11-adaptive-energy-saver-featurehttps://www.theverge.com/news/706569/apple-ios-iphone-alternative-browser-webkit-owahttps://www.theverge.com/news/706571/jack-dorsey-sun-day-vitamin-d-exposure-tracking-apphttps://www.theverge.com/news/706558/google-android-chromeos-combining-sameer-samathttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/rymiqvzull

Andrew Ng: Building Faster with AIhttps://youtu.be/RNJCfif1dPY

Apple is reportedly considering using competitors' AI models for Siri, while Google has updated its Gemini AI family with new Pro and Flash-Lite models and has also begun rolling out Android 16. In other AI developments, Meta has launched a super-lab for its next generation of AI. In business and technology news, Microsoft is changing Windows to prevent system catastrophes by moving antivirus software from the kernel, and a consortium including Oracle, Blackstone, and Andreessen Horowitz is reportedly looking to acquire TikTok in the U.S. Finally, flying cars have become a reality in China.https://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/r1bkgbwbxxhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/r1bkgbwbxxhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/bjfkkgzbgehttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/bkut2rlsxlhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/hkbjxglbxehttps://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/microsoft-is-trying-to-get-antivirus-software-away-from-the-windows-kernelhttps://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/06/googles-gemini-ai-family-updated-with-stable-2-5-pro-super-efficient-2-5-flash-litehttps://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/android-16-begins-rolling-out-today-to-pixel-devices

Inside ChatGPT, AI assistants, and building at OpenAI — the OpenAI Podcast Ep. 2https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atXyXP3yYZ4

Software engineering with LLMs in 2025: reality checkhttps://youtu.be/EO3_qN_Ynsk

Three Inherent Risks of Large Language Modelshttps://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/x3pjfgo2d0mfpw2iy1cta/content_to_share.txt?rlkey=n4m61r0fqocytru0acdkztmxz&dl=1

The Dia browser https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0o1108yye1lss5k1ue6y6/dia.txt?rlkey=3n9pfa26ws4hhngydd8cg9x8a&e=1&dl=0

In Israeli tech, the first half of 2025 saw record fundraising, alongside the establishment of a new defense tech investment fund by former intelligence and Air Force veterans. Separately, Shlomo Kramer's Cato Networks raised $359 million at a $4.8 billion valuation. In the AI sector, OpenAI is fighting talent poaching attempts by Meta, while Anthropic tested its AI, Claude, by having it manage a store. Hollywood is also grappling with the technology, facing a "prompting problem" in its pivot to generative AI video. In other tech news, Adobe launched a new computational photography camera app for iPhones, and a "post-hype" review of Android 16 was published.https://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/rye7gzyreghttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/by01t21rxehttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/b1jeoajblghttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/rjfbwokrlghttps://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/android-16-review-post-hypehttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/hkjh7w1rgghttps://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/694687/asteria-bryn-mooser-uncanny-valley-gen-aihttps://www.theverge.com/news/690115/adobe-project-indigo-camera-app-marc-levoy

Hinge CEO Justin McLeod on AI, monetization, and the future of online dating | The Vergehttps://www.theverge.com/decoder-podcast-with-nilay-patel/687683/hinge-ceo-justin-mcleod-dating-app-ai-relationships-tinder

Satya Nadella | BG2 w/ Bill Gurley & Brad Gerstnerhttps://youtube.com/watch?v=9NtsnzRFJ_o&si=x-tVkgjvpG22I-RP

An Intuitive Explanation of Solomonoff Induction — LessWronghttps://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Kyc5dFDzBg4WccrbK/an-intuitive-explanation-of-solomonoff-induction

LoRA Explained: Efficiently Personalizing Large AI Modelshttps://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/6boeio53wmrqzvhun3lov/content_to_share-1.txt?rlkey=zqd71u8zy4vhi0kh2v11xftvn&dl=1

60-Minute Podcast Episode: What is Context Engineering?[Intro Music Fades In a - Pastebin.comhttps://pastebin.com/chW4jZJQ

Major tech companies are integrating AI into their services: Google is adding AI search to YouTube, and Meta is rolling out AI-generated summaries for private messages on WhatsApp. Anthropic is exploring AI's potential in gaming, aiming to evoke the spirit of Flash games, while another piece discusses an attempt to have an AI beat a Geoguessr master. On a broader scale, Armin Ronacher writes about how AI changes everything, and a significant U.S. legal precedent has been set, permitting AI to be trained on copyrighted books. In Israeli business news, cybersecurity firm Cyera acquired Otterize, and startup Bonfy.AI raised $9.5 million to address content risks. Lastly, a data-recovery firm tested a surprisingly functional, though not recommended, $28 external hard drive from Amazon.https://sampatt.com/blog/2025-04-28-can-o3-beat-a-geoguessr-master?utm_source=hackernewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=favhttps://lucumr.pocoo.org/2025/6/4/changeshttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/sj9otjcvglhttps://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/06/anthropic-summons-the-spirit-of-flash-games-for-the-ai-agehttps://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/google-begins-rolling-out-ai-search-in-youtubehttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/hyza5cdvexhttps://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/28-external-hdd-on-amazon-actually-does-what-it-claims-still-not-a-good-buyhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/sktniud4llhttps://www.theverge.com/news/693310/whatsapp-ai-message-summaries-meta

Updates to Apple's On-Device and Server Foundation Language Models - Apple Machine Learning Researchhttps://machinelearning.apple.com/research/apple-foundation-models-2025-updates

OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman feature in recent news, with Altman leading an $80 million funding round for a robotic delivery company. At the same time, OpenAI is reportedly considering an antitrust complaint against Microsoft, and its ChatGPT technology is said to be impacting common language usage.In other AI and robotics developments, Tesla's initial robotaxi rides will include a human safety monitor, while restaurant chains Applebee’s and IHOP plan to use AI for recommendations. The founder of Spotify is investing in a defense tech company that produces drones and AI software, and a startup named Mechanize is developing AI to replace human jobs.https://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/sjlpkedxxehttps://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/06/openai-weighs-nuclear-option-of-antitrust-complaint-against-microsofthttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/b1grlor7eghttps://www.theverge.com/openai/686748/chatgpt-linguistic-impact-common-word-usagehttps://www.theverge.com/news/690245/tesla-robotaxi-rides-launch-safety-monitor-passenger-seathttps://www.theverge.com/news/690458/applebees-ihop-ai-restaraunt-recommendationshttps://pastebin.com/y05z0qtg

Godfather of AI: I Tried to Warn Them, But We’ve Already Lost Control! Geoffrey Hintonhttps://youtu.be/giT0ytynSqg

Sam Altman on AGI, GPT-5, and what’s next — the OpenAI Podcast Ep. 1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB9mjd-65gw

Andrej Karpathy: Software Is Changing (Again)https://pastebin.com/tFZi8TtB

Quantum mechanics provide truly random numbers on demandhttps://phys.org/news/2025-06-quantum-mechanics-random-demand.html

Apple’s Craig Federighi on the long road to the iPad’s Mac-like multitasking - Ars Technicahttps://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/apples-craig-federighi-on-the-long-road-to-the-ipads-mac-like-multitasking

God is hungry for Context: First thoughts on o3 prohttps://www.latent.space/p/o3-pro

In recent tech funding news, AI food-tech company Tastewise raised $50 million, while cyber company Cyera raised $540 million at a $6 billion valuation, and Vast Data is reportedly raising funds at a $25 billion valuation. On the startup front, executives from WalkMe founded a new AI agent company, and the Andreessen Horowitz fund is looking to invest in Israeli entrepreneurs at the earliest stages. In contrast, cyber startup Salto laid off 30 employees. Broader AI industry discussions include potential business model changes for chatbots to pay content sites and Sam Altman's reveal of ChatGPT's electricity consumption.https://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/rklnmys7glhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/r1wcjkrqglhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/bkwxjibqeghttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/sjb6wrr7gxhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/skjsrj8xeehttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/s18kwc87exhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/hjad9iimgehttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/bkx2cgv7xl

With the launch of o3-pro, let’s talk about what AI “reasoning” actually does - Ars Technicahttps://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/06/with-the-launch-of-o3-pro-lets-talk-about-what-ai-reasoning-actually-does

Apple announced macOS Tahoe 26 to make the Mac more capable, productive, and intelligent, while also supercharging its tools and technologies for developers. Android 16 has arrived, featuring iPhone-style Live Updates. Microsoft Edge is gaining an AI-powered browser history search that can handle typos. In a surprise deal, OpenAI has partnered with its AI rival, Google Cloud. An article also discusses "vibe code," a type of code not meant for review.https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/06/macos-tahoe-26-makes-the-mac-more-capable-productive-and-intelligent-than-everhttps://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/06/apple-supercharges-its-tools-and-technologies-for-developershttps://monadical.com/posts/vibe-code-how-to-stay-in-control.htmlhttps://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/06/openai-signs-surprise-deal-with-google-cloud-despite-fierce-ai-rivalryhttps://www.theverge.com/news/684601/android-16-launch-live-updates-notificationshttps://www.theverge.com/news/684195/microsoft-edge-ai-browser-history-search-feature

Review: Are XREAL's glasses the first step to a world without screens? We testedhttps://htmag.co.il/xreal-one.html

Android 16: Productivity, security and more features on Androidhttps://blog.google/products/android/android-16

The Gentle Singularity - Sam Altmanhttps://blog.samaltman.com/the-gentle-singularity

Ahead of its developer conference, Apple is reportedly facing a challenging year while announcing updates to its operating systems, including an 'adaptive power' mode in iOS 26 and a new wrist gesture with an AI 'Workout Buddy' for watchOS 26. In company acquisitions and expansions, Qualcomm is purchasing Alphawave Semi for $2.4 billion, a deal that includes dozens of Israeli employees, while the exit of Autotalks resulted in the cancellation of its employees' options. Nvidia is expanding in Tel Aviv by renting 10 additional floors, and Israeli cybersecurity firm Guardz raised $56 million. Meanwhile, Microsoft's Azure CTO has expressed a reserved view on AI coding hype, suggesting there is a long-term 'upper limit'.https://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/r1aglenxxxhttps://www.theverge.com/news/683797/ios-26s-new-adaptive-power-mode-dials-back-performance-to-save-batteryhttps://www.theverge.com/news/679225/apple-watchos-26-wwdc-featureshttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/hkaanb4qgghttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/hya00xb7mxehttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/ry211r0z7glhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/sjtidlj11eghttps://www.geekwire.com/2025/reality-check-microsoft-azure-cto-pushes-back-on-ai-vibe-coding-hype-sees-upper-limit-long-term

Episode 42 - "The Illusion of Thinking" — Thoughts on This Important Paperhttps://hardcoresoftware.learningbyshipping.com/p/233-the-illusion-of-thinking-thoughts?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=82387&post_id=165483519&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=1vvwvv&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

My AI Skeptic Friends Are All Nuts · The Fly Bloghttps://fly.io/blog/youre-all-nuts

AI company Anthropic has released a custom chatbot for classified spy work and is also being sued by Reddit for allegedly using posts to train its Claude model without authorization.In the wider AI industry, Meta is reportedly in talks to invest $10 billion in the startup Scale AI, while Elon Musk is prohibiting competing companies from training their models on content from X. The technology is also said to be taking over junior-level jobs in the high-tech sector.In Israeli tech news, emergency systems developer Carbyne raised $100 million in a round led by AT&T, and security firm Cellebrite acquired an American company. Conversely, the company 6over6 is shutting down six years after its exit.Microsoft has unveiled its first portable Xbox console, and the head of Tesla's humanoid robot program has resigned from his position.https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/06/anthropic-releases-custom-ai-chatbot-for-classified-spy-workhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/sjspcibmgghttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/r16503fxllhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/h1igb6gqelhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/bktqh6bqgghttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/hjdeynm7eehttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/rjl3cxq7glhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/syqzuagmeehttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/bj11fhxqmlghttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/rj61ow47ee

This is how Microsoft is combining Windows and Xbox for handheld PCshttps://www.theverge.com/news/682011/microsoft-windows-xbox-pc-combination-features-rog-xbox-ally-devices

The biggest changes coming to your iPhone with iOS 26 | The Vergehttps://www.theverge.com/news/683738/apple-iphone-ios-26-changes-liquid-glass-wwdc-2025

Apple WWDC 2025: the 13 biggest announcements https://www.theverge.com/news/682769/apple-wwdc-2025-biggest-announcements-ios-26

Apple targets “more personal and expressive” iOS 26 with new Liquid Glass design - Ars Technicahttps://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/apple-aims-for-more-personal-and-expressive-ios-26-with-new-liquid-glass-design

The Gambler Who Cracked the Horse-Racing Code. Bill Benter did the impossiblehttps://pastebin.com/uZsZX72p

Cyc – Yuxi on the Wiredhttps://yuxi-liu-wired.github.io/essays/posts/cyc

The role of developer skills in agentic codinghttps://martinfowler.com/articles/exploring-gen-ai/13-role-of-developer-skills.html

The Best Programmers I Know | Matthias Endlerhttps://endler.dev/2025/best-programmers

Google’s nightmare: How a search spinoff could remake the web - Ars Technicahttps://arstechnica.com/google/2025/06/googles-nightmare-how-a-search-spin-off-could-remake-the-web

Qualcomm is acquiring Autotalks for hundreds of millions of dollars, a year after a previous deal was canceled. In AI developments, Google released its updated Gemini 2.5 Pro model, claiming it is the most intelligent yet, while Anthropic's CEO opposes a decade-long freeze on state AI laws. A review of Nvidia's new GeForce RTX 5060 Ti and 5060 graphics cards describes them as mid-range. Another article covers wartime developments, such as gourmet meals in the field and blood units for soldiers.https://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/s1qdzgyxxxhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/hjzaia0gglhttps://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/06/in-10-years-all-bets-are-off-anthropic-ceo-opposes-decade-long-freeze-on-state-ai-lawshttps://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/06/google-releases-updated-gemini-2-5-pro-says-its-the-most-intelligent-model-yethttps://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/nvidia-geforce-rtx-5060-ti-and-5060-review-putting-the-mid-in-mid-range

Ree, an automotive company, is laying off 100 employees, which is half of its workforce. Cybersecurity startup MIND has raised $30 million to prevent data leaks. Scytale is acquiring Israeli startup AudITech for approximately $15 million. Samsung is partnering with Glance to use facial recognition in AI-generated lock screen advertisements. WASM is predicted to replace containers. A blog post discusses the "Who Cares Era." A Snyk security researcher deployed malicious NPM packages targeting Cursor.com. https://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/rjtqsipmxe https://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/hkzhqktfeg https://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/rynv4ttzxl https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/samsung-teams-up-with-glance-to-use-your-face-in-ai-generated-lock-screen-ads https://creston.blog/wasm-will-replace-containers https://dansinker.com/posts/2025-05-23-who-cares https://web.archive.org/web/20250130094657/https://sourcecodered.com/snyk-malicious-npm-package

Software development topics I've changed my mind on after 10 years in the industry - Blogomatanohttps://chriskiehl.com/article/thoughts-after-10-years

The Copilot Delusionhttps://deplet.ing/the-copilot-delusion

Why Cline Doesn't Index Your Codebase (And Why That's a Good Thing) - Cline Bloghttps://cline.bot/blog/why-cline-doesnt-index-your-codebase-and-why-thats-a-good-thing

Ask HN: Is anyone finding it difficult to get useful results from coding LLMs? | Hacker Newshttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44095189

Hugging Face is planning to release a $3,000 humanoid robot. Google's Gmail app will automatically generate AI summaries. Amazon Fire Sticks are facilitating significant streaming piracy. Microsoft is introducing rules for PC OEMs to address USB-C confusion and is also laying off hundreds of employees in the US, following previous cuts. Venture capital funds are abandoning traditional investment models. Zero Networks has raised $55 million in funding. Meta and Yandex are de-anonymizing Android users' web browsing identifiers. Meta is entering a historic deal to purchase electricity from a nuclear power plant for 20 years. Adobe has launched Photoshop for Android, initially for free.https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/05/hugging-face-hopes-to-bring-a-humanoid-robot-to-market-for-just-3000https://arstechnica.com/google/2025/05/the-gmail-app-will-now-create-ai-summaries-whether-you-want-them-or-nothttps://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/amazon-fire-sticks-enable-billions-of-dollars-worth-of-streaming-piracyhttps://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/microsoft-belatedly-attempts-to-tame-usb-c-confusion-with-its-rules-for-pc-oemshttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/rk1x6ssmlghttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/syvvgrhfxehttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/by11a5b3gglhttps://arstechnica.com/security/2025/06/meta-and-yandex-are-de-anonymizing-android-users-web-browsing-identifiershttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/sy700x003meghttps://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/adobe-finally-releases-photoshop-for-android-and-its-free-for-now

Apple is reportedly planning to shift to year-based version numbers, potentially jumping straight to iOS 26. AI video technology has made significant advancements in realism, raising concerns. An Israeli startup, Bilducs, raised $45 million to develop AI solutions for the construction industry. Gemini in Google Drive is improving with video analysis capabilities. Advice is given on how to tactfully tell your boss they're wrong. Stoop Coffee's transformative impact on a neighborhood is explored. Anthropic's Claude can now search the web. A discussion on Hacker News compares the effectiveness of AI IDEs versus copy-pasting into chat applications.https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/report-apple-will-jump-straight-to-ios-26-in-shift-to-year-based-version-numbershttps://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/05/ai-video-just-took-a-startling-leap-in-realism-are-we-doomedhttps://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/s111hqshfxxhttps://arstechnica.com/google/2025/05/gemini-in-google-drive-may-finally-be-useful-now-that-it-can-analyze-videoshttps://hbr.org/2025/04/how-to-tell-your-boss-theyre-wrong-tactfullyhttps://supernuclear.substack.com/p/stoop-coffee-how-a-simple-idea-transformedhttps://www.anthropic.com/news/web-searchhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43922759