Research & Development news

• Samsung Launches Galaxy S26 Series With Expanded AI Features

  25-02-2026 23:27 via eweek.com
  At Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event on Feb. 25, the tech giant came out swinging with a fresh lineup of devices that put privacy and artificial intelligence front and center. The spectacle, held in San Francisco, gave tech fans their first official look at the Galaxy S26 series, the new Galaxy Buds 4, and a whole suite of AI features that aim to make daily life a little less complicated. Samsung emphasized that this generation marks its most ambitious push yet toward on-device AI and b
  
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• Over Half of US Teens Use AI for Schoolwork, Pew Data Shows

  25-02-2026 23:06 via eweek.com
  If you want to understand where AI is headed next, look at teenagers. A new Pew Research Center survey shows that most US teens are already using AI chatbots, especially for schoolwork, and many are doing so regularly.Nearly two-thirds of teens ages 13 to 17 say they have used tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, or Character.ai, and about 3 in 10 say they use them daily. More than half report turning to chatbots for help with assignments or research, and 12% say they have used AI for emotional support.
  
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• Anthropic Upgrades Claude Cowork to Supercharge Everyday Office Productivity

  25-02-2026 22:59 via eweek.com
  Anthropic is turning its AI from a chatty sidekick into a full-blown office manager.On Tuesday, Anthropic announced a new set of updates to Claude Cowork, its AI productivity platform, pushing it further into the heart of enterprise software. The company says the new features are designed to help businesses tailor Claude to their internal workflows, departments, and tools, moving beyond chatbot-style assistance toward something closer to a digital teammate.“Today, we’re introducing u
  
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• 10 Things to Know About Seedance 2.0, the Controversial New AI Generator

  25-02-2026 21:47 via eweek.com
  If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve probably seen some clips that look too good to be AI. Whether it’s Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in a rooftop brawl or a hyper-realistic figure skater sticking a landing on a pixelated rink, the culprit is likely Seedance 2.0. ByteDance’s latest release isn’t just a minor upgrade from the previous version. It’s a complete overhaul of how we think about digital creation.Here are 10 of the most interesting
  
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• Microsoft, SpaceX Partner to Expand Internet Access in Africa

  25-02-2026 21:24 via eweek.com
  Sometimes drama needs to be set aside for the greater good or for business priorities. Or, in some cases, for both.Microsoft and SpaceX are joining forces on a new mission to expand internet access worldwide. This is a notable collaboration between Big Tech and the fast-growing satellite internet industry, with the new partnership aiming to connect hundreds of community hubs in Kenya to bridge the global digital divide.The plan is to merge Microsoft’s cloud services with SpaceX’s Sta
  
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• Need for Speed: Mercury 2 Is 13x Faster Than Claude Haiku

  25-02-2026 17:39 via eweek.com
  Every AI model you’ve ever used writes the same way: one word at a time, left to right, like a typewriter. If it drifts off course early, tough luck. It keeps typing.Well, Inception Labs just launched Mercury 2, which is an AI that works completely differently:
  Instead of predicting one word after another, it starts with a rough sketch of the entire answer.Then, it refines everything at once, like an editor revising a full draft in parallel.The technical term is a “diffusion LLM&rdqu
  
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• Google Reveals 6 Ways to Get Better AI Songs with Gemini’s Lyria 3

  25-02-2026 17:25 via eweek.com
  If you’ve ever wanted to turn a quick idea into a short song, the Gemini app now makes that possible. With Lyria 3, Google DeepMind’s latest generative music model, users can create original 30-second tracks using text prompts, photos, or short videos. The tool is designed to lower the barrier to music creation. Instead of opening editing software or searching for royalty-free tracks, you can describe what you want in plain language and let the system generate a structured,
  
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• Armatrix Seeks $2.1M To Build Hazardous Inspection Robots in India

  25-02-2026 17:17 via eweek.com
  Kanpur just put a robotics startup on the map.
  Armatrix is raising seed funding to chase hazardous inspection work.
  Kanpur-based Armatrix Automations is raising INR 18.43 crore (about $2.1 million) in a seed round led by pi Ventures, according to Inc42’s report. The same report says the round is expected to include other backers, and that the company plans to use the capital for product development and pilot preparation.
  Armatrix is building snake-like robotic arms for inspection and maint
  
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• Hyundai’s Robot Firefighters Head to South Korea

  25-02-2026 12:19 via eweek.com
  Firefighters rushing into burning buildings may soon have backup that never tires, never panics, and never needs to catch its breath.
  Hyundai Motor Group says it donated four unmanned firefighting robots to South Korea’s National Fire Agency, designed for remote fire suppression and search work in “high-risk environments.” If they perform as intended, the robots could help keep more firefighters alive by taking on early-stage tasks when smoke, heat, and structural uncertainty a
  
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