Research & Development news

• Cursor AI Admits Composer 2 Was Built on Moonshot’s Kimi Tech

  23-03-2026 11:38 via eweek.com
  Cursor has confirmed that its new Composer 2 coding model was built on top of Moonshot AI’s Kimi K2.5 after users spotted references to Kimi and pressed the company for an explanation.
  Cursor VP of developer education Lee Robinson said only about a quarter of the compute behind the final model came from the base model, with the rest coming from Cursor’s own training.
  Cursor left Kimi out of the launch
  TechCrunch reported that Cursor executives acknowledged that Composer 2 started wit
  
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• ChatGPT’s Free Ride Is Over — Here’s the Bill

  23-03-2026 20:52 via eweek.com
  Every time you ask ChatGPT a question, it costs about a third of a cent to answer. Multiply that by a trillion queries a year, and you’re looking at $3 billion in electricity costs alone before salaries, data centers, or research.That math is why ads are now showing up in ChatGPT.After testing ads with select US users, ads for free and Go-tier users in the US will roll out in the coming weeks. They appear at the bottom of answers when there’s a “relevant sponsored product or se
  
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• Microsoft Launches MAI-Image-2, Its Most Advanced AI Image Model Yet

  23-03-2026 19:15 via eweek.com
  Microsoft has introduced MAI-Image-2, its latest in-house text-to-image model designed to generate more realistic and usable visuals for creative work. The release marks the company’s second major step in building its own image-generation technology, following MAI-Image-1.Microsoft is positioning MAI-Image-2 as a tool built for real-world creative workflows rather than just visual experiments. According to the company, the model focuses heavily on photorealism and usability.“MAI-Imag
  
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• Humanoid Robots Are Learning Tennis — and It’s a Big Leap for Real-World AI

  23-03-2026 18:58 via eweek.com
  Teaching robots to play tennis might sound like a stunt, but it’s quickly becoming a test of real-world intelligence.Chinese researchers have developed a new way to teach robots how to play tennis, one that allows them to react in real time rather than follow fixed programming. Using a new system called LATENT, the team trained a robotic model to perform complex, fast, and dynamic tasks with notable accuracy by breaking movements such as strokes and footwork into smaller, learnable compone
  
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• Google Maps Hidden Button Could Make Location Sharing Easier

  23-03-2026 17:06 via eweek.com
  Google Maps may soon make location sharing easier with a more visible shortcut on Android. Google is testing a floating button that could let users share their current location without first tapping the blue dot and opening a secondary panel.
  The change has not been widely rolled out, and it may never ship in its current form. But if Google keeps it, the update would make one of Maps’ less obvious features much easier to find for quick meetups, pickups, and day-to-day coordination.
  A
  
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• Elon Musk Eyes $2.9B Solar Equipment Purchase from China, Report Says

  23-03-2026 16:30 via eweek.com
  Tesla is in discussions to purchase about $2.9 billion worth of solar manufacturing equipment from Chinese firms, as the company ramps up plans to expand solar production in the United States, according to a Reuters report citing people familiar with the matter.The equipment would be used to build solar panels and cells, forming a key part of CEO Elon Musk’s push to scale up energy production.Among the companies in talks are Suzhou Maxwell Technologies, a major player in solar manufacturin
  
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• Super Micro Execs Charged in $2.5B Scheme to Ship Nvidia AI Servers to China

  23-03-2026 16:24 via eweek.com
  Federal prosecutors say a company co-founder, a Taiwan-based manager, and a contractor known as a “fixer” orchestrated an elaborate plot to sneak cutting-edge American technology to Chinese customers.New York federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment Thursday charging three men tied to Super Micro Computer with conspiring to illegally ship billions of dollars’ worth of AI-powered servers to China, in violation of strict US export controls.The accused are Yih-Shyan “Wally
  
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• China’s New Surgical Robot Matches Surgeons While Speeding Brain Imaging Procedures

  23-03-2026 15:33 via eweek.com
  Brain imaging is not known for being quick or easy. It demands steady hands, long hours under radiation, and absolute precision. Now, a Chinese surgical robot is stepping in to take some of that pressure off, and it is doing the job faster than humans. Researchers say the system can cut procedure time by nearly 30% while matching the performance of experienced surgeons. Early clinical results suggest the robot could streamline one of the most delicate imaging procedures in medicine, wh
  
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• 8 Claude Prompts Professionals Use to Eliminate Repetitive Tasks

  23-03-2026 14:59 via eweek.com
  Most of your workday probably isn’t the exciting stuff you signed up for. It’s the follow-up emails, the meeting notes that need organizing, the same questions you answer every week, and the mental energy spent trying to remember what you were supposed to do next.In this day and age, I’ve realized that the secret to productivity isn’t working faster; it’s making sure you only do the things an AI can’t.Tools like Claude AI are not just for answering questions;
  
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• Mark Zuckerberg Is Building an AI Agent to Help Lead Meta

  22-03-2026 19:34 via eweek.com
  Mark Zuckerberg is building an AI agent to help him run Meta, turning the company’s AI push into something far more personal.First reported by The Wall Street Journal, the project shows the company experimenting with AI as a leadership tool. It also opens a window into Meta’s wider internal changes, where speed, access to information, and decision-making are becoming a bigger part of the company’s AI agenda.The CEO project also fits a much bigger idea Zuckerberg has been talkin
  
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• McDonald’s Puts a Humanoid Robot on the Floor, Diners Can’t Look Away

  22-03-2026 14:15 via eweek.com
  McDonald’s is testing a humanoid robot on the restaurant floor, putting the machine in direct view of diners. The appearance turns a routine fast food stop into the kind of moment that makes people stop, stare, and pull out their phones.The footage, posted by Keenon Robotics on YouTube, shows the machine operating inside a popular fast food chain.Built to be seen, trained to assistThe humanoid at this McDonald’s in Shanghai is working in the part of the restaurant that customers actu
  
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• Google’s Got a Brand New AI Studio

  20-03-2026 22:00 via eweek.com
  You know how every few months a big tech company announces a grand plan to unify all their AI products into one magical app? Well, Google skipped the announcement and just… did it. This is becoming a thing in AI land; we’ve read multiple reports this week of folks ditching the “pitch” phase of a product and going straight to demo.Here’s what happened
  Google AI Studio launched a completely rebuilt “vibe coding” experience (that’s the industry term
  
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• Trump Releases Federal AI Blueprint to Shape US Tech Policy

  20-03-2026 19:37 via eweek.com
  President Donald Trump is asking Congress to hit the brakes on state-by-state AI regulations, arguing that a patchwork of local laws could crush American innovation before it even gets off the ground.In a four-page policy framework released Friday, the White House laid out its legislative wishlist for artificial intelligence. The document, National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence, calls on Congress to establish a single federal standard that would override state AI laws deemed undul
  
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• Adobe Firefly Expands Image and Video Generation With Custom AI Models

  20-03-2026 17:16 via eweek.com
  Adobe is moving past the random luck phase of AI image generation by letting you teach its tools exactly how you want your work to look.For a long time, using AI felt like a roll of the dice; you’d type a prompt and hope the computer guessed your vibe correctly. Adobe is changing that with the launch of Firefly Custom Models in public beta. Instead of relying on a general style, you can now train the AI using 10 to 30 of your own images.Whether it’s a specific brush stroke you use in
  
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• US Navy Deploys Wall-Climbing Robots to Inspect Warships in $71M AI Upgrade

  20-03-2026 17:06 via eweek.com
  The US Navy is turning to a different tool to help solve one of its most persistent challenges: wall-climbing robots for inspecting and maintaining warships.In a $71 million modernization effort, the Navy plans to deploy AI-powered robotic inspectors across parts of its fleet to improve fleet readiness amid intensifying maritime competition with China. The robots will be deployed to speed up repairs, reduce maintenance backlogs, and ensure more ships are ready to deploy, as naval competition wit
  
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• Dancing Robot Goes Haywire at California Restaurant, Sends Plates and Food Flying

  20-03-2026 16:49 via eweek.com
  When robots are built to entertain, even a small misstep can turn spectacle into spectacle gone wrong.That’s exactly what unfolded at a Haidilao restaurant in Cupertino, California, where an apron-clad robot abruptly veered off-script mid-performance. In footage shared by NBC News, the dancing machine began flinging food and cutlery, transforming what should have been a lighthearted routine into a chaotic interruption that forced staff to step in.But the moment didn’t end there. Even
  
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• OpenAI Plans Desktop ‘Super App’ for ChatGPT, Codex, and Its Browser

  20-03-2026 16:29 via eweek.com
  Two apps, three tools, five tabs. OpenAI wants to turn that sprawl into a single home base.
  OpenAI is reportedly developing a desktop “super app” that brings together ChatGPT, its AI-powered browser (often referred to as Atlas), and its Codex coding agent into one unified experience.
  The goal is to simplify how users interact with its tools while tightening focus internally, as the company faces growing competition and an increasingly complex product lineup.
  Why OpenAI is consolidati
  
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• Techman’s Humanoid Robot Astonishes GTC 2026 Crowd, Redefining Industrial Robotics

  19-03-2026 22:35 via eweek.com
  A robot that can see, think, and act like a human helper took center stage at Nvidia’s GTC 2026, as Techman Robot unveiled its latest push into the world of Physical AI.Techman Robot used the global AI conference to introduce the TM Xplore I, a next-generation humanoid robot designed for industrial work. Unlike traditional humanoid designs, the robot combines a human-like upper body with a wheeled base, a choice the company says improves both stability and flexibility in factory environmen
  
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• DoorDash Launches App Paying Workers to Train AI

  19-03-2026 19:08 via eweek.com
  Your next delivery driver might also be training your AI. Welcome to the gig economy’s newest side quest: data wrangler with a dash of camera work.
  DoorDash is rolling out a new “Tasks” app that pays couriers to complete small digital jobs, like recording videos and capturing real-world data to help train AI systems. The move signals a broader shift in how tech companies are sourcing the human input that powers machine learning and robotics.
  Instead of relying solely on traditi
  
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• Meet the $300K Robot Dogs Guarding Massive Data Centers

  19-03-2026 17:27 via eweek.com
  Data centers are getting bigger… and so is the cost of securing them. To keep up with the demand for constant security across their massive facilities, some of the largest data center operators in the US are turning to robot dogs. According to Business Insider, these are not experimental machines. They’ve already been deployed by both first responders and law enforcement and are equipped with advanced surveillance technologies designed for high-security environments. Despi
  
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• Pentagon Seeks Anthropic Alternatives Amid $200M Contract Dispute

  19-03-2026 17:14 via eweek.com
  It looks like the Pentagon and Anthropic will not be patching things up anytime soon, as the Department of Defense is already pursuing multiple language models to replace the AI company.The Department of Defense (DoD) is exploring the use of OpenAI’s GPT and xAI’s Grok, both of which have signed contracts with the Pentagon following the fallout from the Anthropic split.Anthropic had its $200 million contract with the Pentagon terminated after the two sides were unable to agree on ter
  
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• Nvidia Signals Comeback in China After Months of AI Chip Restrictions

  19-03-2026 17:04 via eweek.com
  After months of regulatory hurdles and geopolitical tension, Nvidia is preparing a significant return to China’s artificial intelligence chip market.CEO Jensen Huang recently suggested the company is now positioned to restart production and prepare deliveries to Chinese customers, potentially reopening a market worth tens of billions of dollars. The AI chip giant confirmed this week that it has received multiple US government licenses and new purchase orders from Chinese customers, allowin
  
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• Comet Hits iOS: Perplexity Brings Its AI Browser to iPhone

  19-03-2026 16:53 via eweek.com
  After making waves on desktop and Android, Perplexity is finally bringing its AI-powered browser, Comet, to the iPhone.While most mobile browsers are just windows to the web, Comet wants to be the assistant that actually reads the pages for you. Originally slated for a March 11 release, the app officially hit the App Store on Thursday after a brief one-week delay.What makes Comet different isn’t the page-loading. Apple’s platform rules require every iOS browser to run on WebKit, the
  
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• AI Brings Val Kilmer Back for One Final Performance in New Drama

  19-03-2026 16:29 via eweek.com
  Nearly a year after his death, Val Kilmer is getting one more shot at the movies. The “Top Gun” star, who passed away in April 2025 at 65 from pneumonia following a long battle with throat cancer, will appear posthumously in the upcoming drama “As Deep as the Grave,” brought to life through AI. Production company First Line Films announced this week that an AI-generated likeness of Kilmer will appear in a significant portion of the film.This marks what the company ca
  
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• This Week in AI: Meta Incident Highlights a Loss of Control

  19-03-2026 14:52 via eweek.com
  This week, five stories landed within hours of each other that, on the surface, look unrelated. Underneath, they’re all asking the same question: now that AI can do the thing, who’s in charge when it does?Let’s start with Meta: Apparently, one of their AI agents went rogue, posted unauthorized analysis of company and user data on an internal forum, and triggered a Sev 1 security incident (the same severity level reserved for major outages and data breaches).Meta ran its employe
  
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• Trevor Milton’s Post-Pardon Jet Bet Takes Off

  19-03-2026 12:30 via eweek.com
  Trevor Milton is trying to raise $1 billion for AI-powered planes, putting the Nikola founder back in the spotlight with a new aviation pitch nearly a year after his presidential pardon.
  The new effort centers on SyberJet Aircraft, a struggling aviation company that Milton and an investment group bought late last year. The plan is not a modest relaunch of an existing business jet. It is a much bigger bet on building aircraft around AI-focused flight technology, with Milton once again pitching an
  
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• Sam Altman-Backed Startup Aims to Verify Humans Behind AI Transactions

  18-03-2026 21:38 via eweek.com
  AI agents are starting to shop online for consumers, but that convenience is introducing new risks. As automated purchases increase, businesses are finding ways to confirm that real people are still in control. World, the identity startup co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is stepping in with a proposed fix. Its new AgentKit tool aims to verify that a human is authorizing purchases made by AI agents, adding a layer of trust to the fast-changing world of agent-based shopping. Building
  
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• Jensen Huang: OpenClaw Is ‘the Next ChatGPT’ and a Historic Open-Source Breakthrough

  18-03-2026 18:54 via eweek.com
  Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang just threw his considerable weight behind the fast-growing OpenClaw AI agent platform, declaring it a seismic shift in how humans will interact with artificial intelligence going forward.Speaking with CNBC’s Jim Cramer on “Mad Money” from the sidelines of Nvidia’s GTC conference in California, Huang declared about OpenClaw:“It is now the largest, most popular, the most successful open-sourced project in the history of humanity.” He adde
  
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• The Most Important Thing Jensen Huang Said at GTC 2026 Wasn’t About a Chip

  18-03-2026 18:08 via eweek.com
  Jensen Huang was selling a worldview: that AI has moved beyond the training era and into something much bigger, more durable, and potentially far more lucrative. He shared his vision and belief of an economy built on inference, agents, and always-on compute demand.That was the real signal during his live press Q&A on March 17 with reporters and creators, as well.Yes, there were the expected hardware flexes. Yes, there were giant numbers. But the deeper story was Huang’s attempt to refr
  
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• Google Kills AI Health Feature After Safety Backlash

  18-03-2026 18:03 via eweek.com
  Google has removed “What People Suggest,” an experimental Search feature that used AI to organize health-related perspectives from online discussions.
  The feature had been introduced as a way to help users quickly see how other people described living with certain conditions, but it drew criticism because the material came from forum-style conversations and social posts rather than medical professionals.
  Google told The Guardian that the removal was part of a broader simplificat
  
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