Research & Development news

• 6 Best Prompt Engineering Tools for AI Optimization in 2025

  29-04-2025 22:12 via eweek.com
  Prompt engineering tools are becoming increasingly important as more users look for ways to improve how they interact with AI models. Prompt engineering is the process of crafting, refining, and optimizing the inputs — or prompts — you give to an AI system to elicit more accurate, useful, or creative responses. Prompt engineering apps, or AI prompt software, help you do exactly that, making it easier to coax better performance from AI. With a growing number of prompting tools av
  
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• SoftBank Completes $40B OpenAI Deal After Months of Buildup

  30-12-2025 19:40 via eweek.com
  SoftBank has finally written the check. A $40 billion gamble is now fully funded.
  SoftBank Group has completed its previously announced roughly $40 billion investment in OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, fulfilling the largest private tech funding commitment in history.
  As reported by CNBC, the Japanese investment powerhouse confirmed that the final transaction — estimated at $22 billion to $22.5 billion — was transferred last week, after earlier installments of $8 billion and $10 billio
  
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• Best AI Tools to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

  30-12-2025 18:32 via eweek.com
  Every New Year starts with a fresh set of goals. Maybe you’re finally sticking to a workout routine, staying consistent with learning something new, or building better daily habits. But then life happens — schedules get busy, motivation fades, and well-intentioned resolutions slide off track.Thankfully, there are AI tools that can help you stick to your 2026 resolutions. These tools won’t promise an overnight transformation, but they can help make habits easier to manage, keep
  
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• China Unveils ‘Electronic Skin’ That Gives Robots Human-Like Reflexes

  30-12-2025 18:11 via eweek.com
  Humanoid robots are moving past simple metal and gears to something much more sensitive.In a major leap for embodied intelligence, researchers in China have developed a “neuromorphic” electronic skin (NRE-skin) that allows robots to experience touch, detect injury, and even react to pain through reflexive movements, mimicking the way the human nervous system protects the body.While most current robotic skins are limited to basic pressure sensing using complex, bulky wiring, this new
  
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• ChatGPT Just Became an App Store. Here’s What You Need to Know

  30-12-2025 17:49 via eweek.com
  Developers can now submit apps to be hosted inside ChatGPT that extend conversations with real functionality. These aren’t your ma or pa’s GPTs… these are real applications for ordering groceries, building slide decks, booking apartments, all without leaving the chat.Here’s the setup: OpenAI launched the Apps SDK earlier this year at DevDay. Now they’ve opened the floodgates for app submissions and introduced an app directory where users can browse and search for p
  
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• Sam Altman: ‘Stressful’ OpenAI Job Pays $555,000 Annually

  30-12-2025 17:36 via eweek.com
  Generative AI has become powerful enough to create a brand-new kind of problem… and OpenAI is willing to pay handsomely for someone brave enough to deal with it.That role is OpenAI’s new “head of preparedness,” a job that comes with enormous responsibility, immediate pressure, and a reported annual salary of $555,000. CEO Sam Altman framed the position as a mission-critical effort to empower cybersecurity defenders while preventing attackers from weaponizing the same cut
  
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• 10 Clever Tips to Get Better Answers From ChatGPT

  30-12-2025 16:49 via eweek.com
  ChatGPT can feel either incredibly smart or oddly unhelpful.The difference, it turns out, often comes down to how people use it. As more workers, students, and creators lean on AI tools every day, experts are sharing practical ways to get sharper, more useful answers from the chatbot without any technical skills.I have curated some of the most user-friendly ChatGPT tips making the rounds right now, along with simple examples you can try.1. Give ChatGPT a job before you give it a taskOne of the f
  
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• Meta Acquires AI Startup Manus in $2B Deal, Plans Integration Across Facebook, WhatsApp

  30-12-2025 16:36 via eweek.com
  Meta Platforms has officially announced the acquisition of Manus, a high-flying startup known for building autonomous AI agents that don’t just chat, but actually get work done. This acquisition marks a major pivot for Meta, moving from its focus on open-source Llama models to snapping up a product that is already a proven moneymaker. Manus reportedly hit an annual recurring revenue of over $100 million just eight months after its launch.In its announcement, Meta described Manus as &l
  
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• AI Conquers YouTube: Nearly 33% of Your Feed Is Now Fake Content

  29-12-2025 21:17 via eweek.com
  YouTube’s algorithm has been quietly conquered by artificial intelligence… and the numbers are more jaw-dropping than you think.
  Research research published on Dec. 29 by The Guardian reveals that between 21-33% of content in fresh user feeds now consists of AI-generated material, fundamentally reshaping what millions of viewers see every single day.
  Upon creating a new YouTube account, researchers discovered that 104 of the first 500 videos were AI-generated, per The Guardian. Anot
  
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• How Perplexity Is Quietly Rewriting the Rules of Search

  29-12-2025 18:28 via eweek.com
  Perplexity AI is no longer just a clever alternative to Google Search or a favorite tool among AI power users. Its recent moves solidify it as a company that is intent on reshaping who holds power on the internet.The clearest example of Perplexity’s ambition came in August, when the company made an unsolicited $34.5 billion offer to buy Google Chrome. The proposal shocked observers, as Perplexity’s valuation is well below that figure, and few people seriously believed Google would vo
  
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• Best AI Tools for Dating Advice

  29-12-2025 17:47 via eweek.com
  AI is now in nearly every aspect of our digital lives, from work and shopping to learning and communication. It was only a matter of time before it showed up in the dating scene, too. Writing the perfect opening message, keeping conversations engaging, and figuring out what to say next can feel surprisingly stressful, especially in a world where most connections start on a screen. AI dating coaches promise to help people communicate more clearly, avoid awkward moments, and feel more co
  
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• Bernie Sanders Sounds Alarm on AI, Calls Out Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos

  29-12-2025 17:14 via eweek.com
  Artificial intelligence is racing ahead, and Sen. Bernie Sanders says Congress is barely keeping up — if at all.In an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, the Vermont independent delivered a warning about AI’s growing power, arguing that wealthy tech elites are driving the technology. At the same time, lawmakers fail to confront its economic and social consequences.Speaking with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, Sanders described AI in stark terms, saying, “This is the most conse
  
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• The Robot Olympics Are Here: PI’s π0.6 Robot Takes on Doors, Keys, and a Greasy Pan

  29-12-2025 16:49 via eweek.com
  When you’re scanning social media for robot news every day, you start to get to know the typical robotics comment-section script by heart:
  Robot does something flashy → everyone says “cool, now wash the dishes.”Robot tries to wash the dishes → everyone says “not like that.” Physical Intelligence decided to stop arguing in circles and turn the whole thing into a test. Their new Robot Olympics is basically the Olympics of household chores: same tasks, s
  
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• LangChain AI Vulnerability Exposes Millions of Apps

  29-12-2025 16:11 via eweek.com
  LangChain AI Vulnerability Exposes Millions of Apps
  Millions of AI apps trust LangChain to handle sensitive data. That trust just took a serious hit.
  A critical security flaw has struck LangChain, one of the most widely used AI frameworks in the world, exposing millions of applications to potential secret theft and malicious code injection.
  Security researchers say the vulnerability allows attackers to exploit LangChain’s core serialization logic to extract environment variables and execut
  
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• Pulitzer Winner Sues 6 AI Giants for Billions Over Copyright

  24-12-2025 15:53 via eweek.com
  Someone is not in a festive mood, but that’s probably understandable when it comes to the classic story of AI and copyright.
  Renowned investigative journalist John Carreyrou, the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who exposed the Theranos scandal, has joined forces with five other writers to launch a copyright lawsuit against six AI powerhouses. Filed in federal court, this legal battle could help to reshape how AI companies use creative content—and potentially cost them billions.
  Court
  
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• Amazon’s Zoox Recalls 332 US Vehicles Due to Software Glitch

  24-12-2025 14:52 via eweek.com
  Amazon’s autonomous vehicle division has hit a roadblock that might send shockwaves through the self-driving car industry.
  The company’s Zoox unit has announced a recall affecting 332 robotaxis, marking the third major software recall in just eight months. The latest incident involves vehicles recklessly crossing into oncoming traffic lanes near intersections, creating situations that federal regulators warn could lead to catastrophic crashes.
  In a filing with the National Highway Tr
  
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• Ex-Yahoo CEO’s AI Startup Dazzle Raises $8M

  24-12-2025 13:34 via eweek.com
  Keep feeling fascination. Marissa Mayer, the former Yahoo CEO who was Google’s 20th employee, has secured $8 million in funding for her new AI venture Dazzle.
  The seed round values her company at $35 million and was spearheaded by Kirsten Green of Forerunner Ventures, a venture capitalist with a storied record of identifying iconic consumer brands.
  Green’s involvement sends a clear signal that Dazzle is positioning itself for the emerging wave of AI-powered consumer applications. Eve
  
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• The Relentless Rise of OpenAI

  24-12-2025 13:00 via eweek.com
  Not long ago, OpenAI was a name known mostly within research labs and among Silicon Valley insiders. Today, however, the topic is almost impossible to avoid. OpenAI’s transformation into one of the most influential technology companies on the planet has been swift, moving from shaping academic conversations about artificial intelligence to shaping everyday life in just a few years.Today, OpenAI is everywhere, and over the past few months, the company’s pace has only picked up, i
  
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• Waymo to Update Robotaxi Software After SF Blackout Exposes Navigation Gaps

  24-12-2025 12:04 via eweek.com
  A massive power outage in San Francisco on Saturday exposed how autonomous vehicles cope when city infrastructure fails. A fire at a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) substation knocked out electricity to nearly one-third of the city, disabling hundreds of traffic signals and triggering widespread gridlock.
  Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving unit, said the scale of the disruption overwhelmed parts of its system, forcing the company to pause its robotaxi service and pull vehicles off the road
  
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• Waymo to Update Robotaxi Software After San Francisco Blackout Exposes Navigation Gaps

  24-12-2025 12:04 via eweek.com
  A massive power outage in San Francisco on Saturday exposed how autonomous vehicles cope when city infrastructure fails. A fire at a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) substation knocked out electricity to nearly one-third of the city, disabling hundreds of traffic signals and triggering widespread gridlock.
  Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving unit, said the scale of the disruption overwhelmed parts of its system, forcing the company to pause its robotaxi service and pull vehicles off the road
  
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• Indie Band Claims AI Hijacked Their Billie Eilish Cover Before Release

  24-12-2025 09:34 via eweek.com
  An indie band from Milton Keynes in the UK says AI may have lifted their unreleased cover of a Billie Eilish song and turned it into a full track on Spotify without their consent.
  Torus had been working on a grunge-style cover of Ocean Eyes after a short performance clip began gaining traction on TikTok. The band planned to release the full version later, hoping to build on the growing attention.
  But before they could do that, they say a strikingly similar track appeared on Spotify under the nam
  
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• Chinese AI Chipmaker Biren Targets $623M Hong Kong IPO

  23-12-2025 18:16 via eweek.com
  Shanghai-based Biren Technology is planning to raise up to $623 million through an initial public offering in Hong Kong. The company is offering 247.7 million shares priced between HK$17 and HK$19.60, with trading expected to begin on Jan. 2.If successful, the deal will mark the first new stock listing of 2026 in Hong Kong, setting an early tone for what analysts expect to be another busy year for technology offerings in the city.Founded in 2019, Biren focuses on graphics processing units used i
  
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• OpenAI Steps Up Security as ChatGPT Atlas Faces Ongoing Prompt Injection Threats

  23-12-2025 17:33 via eweek.com
  OpenAI is tightening the screws on ChatGPT Atlas, its AI-powered browser agent, as the company warns that prompt injection attacks remain a persistent threat that is unlikely to disappear soon.In a detailed security disclosure published this week, OpenAI explained that it has rolled out a new security update to Atlas’ browser agent after uncovering a new class of prompt injection attacks through internal testing. The update includes a new adversarially trained model and stronger syste
  
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• Alphabet Expands AI Infrastructure Push With $4.75B Intersect Deal

  23-12-2025 17:23 via eweek.com
  Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has agreed to acquire energy and data center infrastructure firm Intersect in a $4.75 billion cash deal, deepening its push to secure power for the next wave of AI growth.The acquisition is designed to accelerate the buildout of data centers and on-site power generation, bringing Intersect’s multi-gigawatt energy projects and infrastructure expertise closer to Google’s expanding AI operations.What Alphabet is buying — and what’s st
  
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• US Department of War Expands GenAI.mil Platform With xAI Partnership

  23-12-2025 16:59 via eweek.com
  The US Department of War has entered into an agreement with xAI, bringing the company’s frontier-grade AI systems to GenAI.mil, the department’s newly launched internal AI platform.The move expands the War Department’s growing AI ecosystem, which is being rolled out across its roughly three million military and civilian personnel. According to the department, xAI’s tools will be added alongside other already-deployed systems, further embedding generative AI into dail
  
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• Chinese AI Startup Z.ai Takes On OpenAI Via Cheaper Prices

  23-12-2025 14:16 via eweek.com
  A Chinese AI startup might have tempted developers around the world to test their latest creation.
  Z.ai has released GLM-4.7, which is a massive 358-billion parameter beast that’s claiming to deliver GPT-4-level performance while slashing costs by up to 80%. It looks like a good move as AI expenses continue crushing developer budgets worldwide.
  The model packs a sophisticated Mixture-of-Experts architecture with an enormous 200,000-token context window, meaning it can analyze entire codeba
  
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• OpenAI Debuts Personalized Year-in-Review ChatGPT Experience for Users

  23-12-2025 12:24 via eweek.com
  OpenAI has potentially unveiled its most shareable feature yet.
  The company dropped “Your Year with ChatGPT” — a personalized year-end recap that mirrors Spotify Wrapped’s addictive format, complete with colorful graphics and revealing insights about how people actually use AI.
  Social media is already exploding with users sharing their surprisingly personal AI habits. The timing couldn’t be more perfect — with 2025 fading from view, this new feature analyzes y
  
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• London Set for Robotaxi Tests as Uber, Lyft Team Up With Baidu

  22-12-2025 16:36 via eweek.com
  Ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft have confirmed plans to test robotaxis in the UK capital, teaming up with China’s tech firm Baidu as early as next year, pending regulatory approval.Both companies will use Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles, marking a rare moment when rivals move in parallel with the same technology partner.Uber said its London pilot is expected to begin in the first half of 2026, under the UK government’s plan to allow trials of self-driving vehicles. In a
  
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• The Quiet Rise of Synthetic Public Opinion in Government

  22-12-2025 14:52 via eweek.com
  Governments and public institutions are increasingly turning to AI anticipate how communities might respond to policy decisions.
  From modeling how “rural voters” could react to climate legislation to predicting neighborhood responses to zoning reforms, AI systems are being positioned as stand-ins for public opinion. As these tools gain traction, a deeper question is coming into focus: who, exactly, do these systems represent?
  The challenge, as discussed in an article at the Burnes Ce
  
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• Global Investment in Data Centers Hits Record $61B in 2025

  22-12-2025 14:46 via eweek.com
  The global race to power AI has turned the once-humble data center into the hottest real estate on the planet.Global investment in data centers climbed past $61 billion in 2025, setting a new high as companies race to support fast-growing AI workloads, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, first reported by CNBC.The figure already beats the full-year total for 2024, underscoring how central data centers have become to the AI boom. More than 100 deals were recorded in the fir
  
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