News reporting focused on AI and machine learning, covering the companies behind these technologies, their real-world applications, and the ethical concerns they raise. This includes areas like generative AI (large language models, text-to-image and video), speech tech, and predictive analytics.
A new report from Similarweb reveals that Google's AI Overviews now appear in 43% of searches, up from 15% a year ago. AI Mode visits have more than doubled to 279 million monthly. The shift is changing how users search, with longer conversational queries replacing short keywords, and raising concerns among publishers about lost referral traffic.
OpenAI announced Thursday that its new GPT-5.6 model will become the preferred AI model for Microsoft's 365 Copilot. The move comes after reports that Microsoft was increasingly using its own in-house MAI models in apps like Word and Excel to cut costs. OpenAI's announcement aims to signal that the partnership remains strong, though it does not negate the earlier reporting about Microsoft's cost-cutting efforts.
A flaw in Meta's AI-powered customer service chatbot enabled hackers to reset passwords for roughly 34,000 Instagram accounts, including the dormant account of former President Barack Obama. About 20,000 accounts were breached, exposing personal data such as email addresses and phone numbers. Meta says it has fixed the bug and secured affected accounts.
Apple announced a new AI-powered feature for Safari at WWDC 2026 that lets users create browser extensions by simply describing what they want. The company also introduced automatic tab sorting, a password-changing tool, and a customizable website notification feature. These updates aim to close the functionality gap with competing browsers like Chrome and Edge.
Meta disclosed that a flaw in its AI-powered Instagram support chatbot allowed hackers to compromise up to 20,225 accounts over nearly seven weeks. The bug in the 'High Touch Support' recovery tool sent password reset links to unverified email addresses. Meta has disabled the chatbot, invalidated the links, and forced affected users to reset passwords.
Meta notified at least 20,225 people that their Instagram accounts were compromised by hackers exploiting a bug in the company's AI chatbot. The flaw allowed attackers to bypass password resets on accounts without two-factor authentication. Meta has since disabled the chatbot and fixed the vulnerability.
Microsoft launched a Legal Agent AI tool inside Word to help lawyers review contracts. Available via the Frontier program in the US, it checks clauses, flags risks, suggests edits, and aligns with internal guidelines. The agent uses structured workflows and runs within Microsoft 365 security without extra setup.
n8n users can now create AI agents using Microsoft Agent 365 that appear as team members in Microsoft 365 applications such as Teams, Outlook, and Word. These agents receive their own Entra ID for access to services like SharePoint and Teams channels, managed through Microsoft tools for identity and compliance. The integration allows agents to handle tasks directly in conversations, pulling data from tools like Zendesk and Salesforce.
Microsoft begins rolling out Agent Mode, previously called 'vibe working,' in its Office applications Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This upgrade makes Copilot more active in handling commands and edits. It becomes the default for Microsoft 365 Copilot and Premium subscribers, with real-time visibility into AI actions.
Researchers measured a 'flinch' in seven pretraining datasets from five labs, where models assign far lower probabilities to charged words like 'deportation' compared to neutral ones. Even models labeled uncensored, such as heretic based on Qwen3.5-9B, show this effect and worsen slightly after refusal ablation. Profiles vary by lab and year across categories like slurs, violence, and political terms.