Research & Development news

• European Parliament Blocks AI on Lawmakers’ Devices Over Security Fears

  18-02-2026 21:09 via eweek.com
  The European Parliament has disabled built-in artificial intelligence features on work devices used by lawmakers and their staff, following internal cybersecurity and privacy concerns. The decision was communicated in an internal email seen by Politico, which reported the move on Monday. According to the message from the Parliament’s IT support team, the institution could not guarantee the security of data processed by some AI features.“Some of these features use cloud services
  
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• Chinese Humanoid Robots Fight in San Francisco, Sparking New Boxing League Plans

  18-02-2026 20:32 via eweek.com
  The new king of the ring may be made of metal, following a San Francisco company’s robot boxing show.The high-tech bout served as an early signal of what could be a new global sport. According to the publication Rest of World, enthusiastic spectators paid about $60 to $80 to watch the 4.5-foot Unitree humanoids trade blows, confirming the commercial appeal of robot combat. Delighted with the turnout, Rek’s founder, Cix Liv, revealed plans to roll out a major robotic boxing leagu
  
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• 8 Best Platforms for Sharing and Editing AI Images in 2026

  18-02-2026 17:50 via eweek.com
  AI image editing used to feel like magic. Now, it feels normal — and that’s the real magic.Whether you’re fixing a portrait, swapping a sky, or turning a rough idea into a polished visual for social media, today’s AI-powered platforms make it easier than ever to edit and instantly share your work. But not all tools are built the same. Some focus on deep professional control. Others are designed for speed, simplicity, and one-click publishing.I tested dozens of platforms t
  
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• Tesla’s Robotaxi Rollout Faces Early Safety Questions in Austin

  18-02-2026 16:35 via eweek.com
  The Tesla “Robotaxi” experiment in Austin is hitting some literal bumps in the road, with five new crashes reported just as the company tries to ditch human safety monitors.Tesla’s small fleet of Model Y Robotaxis in Austin is having a hard time avoiding trouble. According to recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the fleet added five more crashes in December and January, bringing the total to 14 since the service went live in June 2025.The
  
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• Sonnet 4.6 Explained: Anthropic’s New Mid-Tier Model Is Here

  18-02-2026 16:08 via eweek.com
  Claude Sonnet 4.6 dropped today, and the headline isn’t just “it’s better.” It’s that developers with early access preferred it over Anthropic’s own top-tier Opus model 59% of the time. That’s the cheaper model beating the expensive one.First up, the tl;drIf you only have two minutes, here’s what you need to know. Sonnet 4.6 is a full upgrade across coding, computer use, long-context reasoning, agent planning, and design. But here’s what actu
  
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• WordPress AI Assistant Puts Prompt Editing on the Menu for 40% of the Web

  18-02-2026 14:38 via eweek.com
  WordPress just turned “site editing” into a conversation.
  When the platform under a huge slice of the web changes its workflow, everyone feels the tremor.
  WordPress is used by 42.6% of all websites, according to W3Techs. So even if only a fraction of those site owners adopt prompt-based editing, it’s still a meaningful shift in how everyday web publishing gets done.
  According to The Verge, the new assistant is integrated into WordPress’ editor experience, including the si
  
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• SpaceX Joins Pentagon’s $100M Voice-Controlled Drone Challenge

  18-02-2026 14:30 via eweek.com
  The race to command drone swarms by voice has begun. SpaceX is competing in a $100 million Pentagon prize challenge to develop software that allows battlefield commanders to control large fleets of autonomous drones using plain-language commands, according to Bloomberg.The initiative, led by the Defense Innovation Unit, is designed as a fast-moving competition to build a voice-command layer capable of coordinating large groups of autonomous systems. Bloomberg reported that selected companie
  
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