Research & Development news

• Perplexity Wants to Replace Your Computer With 19 AIs

  26-02-2026 19:32 via eweek.com
  You know that thing where you start a project in ChatGPT, realize you need an image, so you jump to another tool, then need code, so you open something else, then need research, so you’re back to square one? It’s like cooking dinner using a different kitchen for every ingredient.Perplexity just launched something that’s trying to fix that. It’s called Perplexity Computer (try it here), and the pitch is simple: instead of one AI model doing everything okay, 19 specialized
  
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• More Tech Layoffs: Jack Dorsey Cuts Block’s Workforce Nearly in Half, Blames AI

  27-02-2026 19:35 via eweek.com
  Image: AP Photo/Richard Drew
  It was a brutal Thursday at Block.Block, the payments firm behind Square, Cash App, and Afterpay, announced it will cut more than 4,000 employees, about 40% of its workforce. The move reduces headcount from over 10,000 to just under 6,000.CEO Jack Dorsey shared the news in a lengthy note to staff posted on X:“today we’re making one of the hardest decisions in the history of our company: we’re reducing our organization by nearly half, from over 10,00
  
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• ChatGPT Nears 1 Billion Weekly Users in Record Growth Surge

  27-02-2026 19:32 via eweek.com
  OpenAI is on track to hit the kind of global scale most tech products only fantasize about.
  The AI giant just announced that ChatGPT now has around 900 million weekly active users — and it’s aiming squarely at the 1 billion weekly user milestone. The company also noted how it now boasts more than 50 million consumer subscribers.
  “Subscriber momentum accelerated meaningfully to start the year, with January and February on track to be the largest months for new subscribers in our
  
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• Pentagon Weighs Blacklisting Anthropic, Amodei Says ‘Threats Do Not Change Our Position’

  27-02-2026 18:11 via eweek.com
  A standoff over battlefield AI is now headed toward a federal blacklist.The Pentagon is moving toward blacklisting Anthropic over how its Claude AI can be used inside classified military systems, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatening to label the company a “supply chain risk” unless it drops key safeguards. According to Axios, the administration has set a firm deadline and is weighing both a formal blacklist and the use of the Defense Production Act to compel changes,
  
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• Microsoft’s Copilot Enters Its ‘Second Chapter’ With Autonomous Task Execution

  27-02-2026 17:42 via eweek.com
  Microsoft is pushing Copilot past conversation and into execution.The company has introduced Copilot Tasks, an agent-like system designed to carry out assignments rather than simply respond to prompts. According to the Copilot team, the feature runs in the background using its own browser to plan, coordinate across apps, and complete actions on a user’s behalf as part of a limited research preview.The second chapter beginsCopilot Tasks is presented as the start of a new phase for Microsoft
  
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• Burger King’s New AI Assistant Guides Staff, Tracks Politeness

  27-02-2026 17:35 via eweek.com
  Burger King has quietly slipped artificial intelligence into its headsets along with the lunch rush.The fast-food chain is experimenting with a new generation of AI tools inside its restaurants that will act as a sort of digital coworker for employees. The company has begun testing AI-powered headsets for its workers, which can offer coaching, monitor restaurant operations, and even track staff politeness during customer interactions.The pilot program, now running in about 500 US restaurants, pi
  
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• OpenAI Discovers Mass Shooter’s Secret ChatGPT Account

  27-02-2026 16:46 via eweek.com
  Lightning struck twice in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia earlier this month.
  First in the eerie stillness of a classroom where eight lives were stolen. Then, in Ottawa’s halls of power where officials demanded answers from Silicon Valley about what a chatbot knew and when it knew it.
  As Canada grapples with one of the worst school shootings in its history, the focus has shifted from forensic investigations to the digital trail left on ChatGPT. The company at the center of today’s de
  
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• 6 Best Nano Banana 2 Prompts in 2026: How to Generate Smarter AI Images

  27-02-2026 16:02 via eweek.com
  Last summer, Nano Banana went viral. In November, the Pro version raised the bar for quality. Now Google is trying to merge both worlds.Nano Banana 2, officially Gemini 3.1 Flash Image, promises Pro-level intelligence at Flash-level speed. It adds real-world knowledge, cleaner text rendering, stronger character consistency, and production-ready 4K output. Instead of listing specs, we tested it the practical way: with prompts designed to push its speed, reasoning, layout control, and multilingual
  
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• Why TIN Mismatches Are a Bigger Risk Than Most Finance Teams Realize

  27-02-2026 11:55 via eweek.com
  CTC e-invoicing, VAT reporting, and SAF-T are not isolated compliance tasks. They are different regulatory views of the same underlying transaction data. As tax authorities align real-time controls, periodic filings, and audit expectations, inconsistencies between them become harder to defend and more costly to resolve.Organizations managing multiple tax compliance obligations often look to unified platform architectures to reduce system sprawl. While solutions exist that support indirect tax fr
  
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• UK Self-Driving Star Wayve Hits $8.6B Valuation, Eyes UK Robotaxi Pilot

  26-02-2026 19:24 via eweek.com
  UK self-driving startup Wayve has secured $1.2 billion in fresh funding at an $8.6 billion valuation, making it one of the most valuable UK tech startups.The round included several major automakers, including Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Nissan. Wayve already announced a commercial partnership with Nissan last year, while the two other automakers are exploring ways to integrate its self-driving system into their vehicles.Wayve plans to be among the first companies involved in the UK’s in
  
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• China’s Unitree Unveils Robot Dog That Sprints at 11 mph, Lifts 143 Pounds

  26-02-2026 19:17 via eweek.com
  Chinese robotics firm Unitree Robotics has introduced the As2, a new quadruped robot designed to blend industrial-grade strength with advanced AI. The company says the machine is built for real-world environments, offering a mix of speed, payload capacity, and autonomous features. The As2 arrives as the latest entry in Unitree’s growing lineup of robot dogs, but this one pushes performance further with higher torque, longer runtime, and expanded developer tools.Weighing about 18 kg wi
  
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• San Francisco Startup Pitches Armed Humanoid Robots to Trump Administration

  26-02-2026 18:43 via eweek.com
  A young robotics company says it is in active discussions with officials tied to President Donald Trump about expanding the role of its humanoid machines within the US military, potentially including arming them in the future.Foundation, a two-year-old robotics startup headquartered in San Francisco, has already secured at least $18 million in military contracts with the Army, Air Force, and Navy, according to federal contracting data reviewed by NBC Bay Area. While existing deals focus on
  
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• Google Debuts Nano Banana 2 for Faster, Cleaner AI Image Generation

  26-02-2026 18:33 via eweek.com
  Nano Banana 2 just dropped… and Google wants it to feel like a pro camera in fast-forward.The company has debuted the new Gemini Flash Image model, pitching pro-grade image generation and editing at “Flash” speed, with a rollout that spans Gemini and other major Google surfaces.In a Google announcement, the company frames Nano Banana 2 as an upgrade for rapid iteration, with improvements aimed at cleaner outputs and broader availability across its product stack.One model, fewe
  
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• Google Expands Gemini on Android and Pixel With App-Running AI Feature

  26-02-2026 18:21 via eweek.com
  Your phone is about to start doing the tapping for you. Google has previewed a new Gemini feature that can execute multi-step tasks inside Android apps, from booking rides to reordering groceries and food.In a Google announcement, the company said the beta will let users trigger Gemini to carry out supported actions in the background while providing live notifications so they can monitor progress or step in at any time.A beta rollout with tight boundariesThe feature is launching as a beta inside
  
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• Claude Opus 3 Is Being “Retired” — Here’s What That Actually Means

  26-02-2026 18:04 via eweek.com
  If you’ve built workflows around Claude Opus 3, this is your cue to pay attention.Anthropic is officially “retiring” Claude Opus 3 as a standard, generally available model — and using the move to debut what it calls its first formal model retirement process. The reason is familiar: it’s costly and operationally complex to keep older models broadly available while newer ones ship.This also isn’t a hard cutoff. Anthropic says Opus 3 will remain accessible on cla
  
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• Discord Cancels Persona Partnership After User Revolt

  26-02-2026 17:52 via eweek.com
  Discord’s age-check experiment hit a wall: gamers do not like surprises that require real-world identity verification.
  After users raised privacy concerns, Discord ended a limited UK test tied to Persona and slowed its broader age-verification plans, a quick retreat that shows how fast trust can evaporate when “safety” starts to sound like “give us your ID.”
  According to The Verge, Discord said the Persona test in the UK “has come to an end” after users
  
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• AI Robot Monk Debuts in Japan, Offers Spiritual Guidance

  26-02-2026 12:42 via eweek.com
  A robot monk walks into a temple.
  It does not crack jokes. It offers advice.
  A “Buddharoid” built by Kyoto University’s Professor Seiji Kumagai debuted in Kyoto this week, with researchers pitching it as a future helper for Buddhist institutions facing a shortage of monks. The project sits at the intersection of robotics, generative AI, and a very old question: what counts as spiritual guidance?
  What Kyoto University built
  Kyoto University says the small, two-legged robot can r
  
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• 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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• $200M on the Line: Pentagon Meets Anthropic CEO Over AI Restrictions

  24-02-2026 21:00 via eweek.com
  War Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned Dario Amodei, the CEO of artificial intelligence company Anthropic, to the Pentagon Tuesday morning for what officials describe as a high-stakes confrontation over how the military can use the company’s flagship AI model, Claude.The meeting comes as negotiations between the Department of Defense (DOD) and the San Francisco-based AI startup have hit a breaking point. While most introductory meetings in Washington involve polite handshakes, officials a
  
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• 7 Next-Gen Chinese Humanoid Robots: From ‘Kung Fu’ Spectacles to Factory Workhorses

  24-02-2026 19:10 via eweek.com
  Over the past year, China’s humanoid sector has shifted from eye-catching demos to serious industrial scale.Industry estimates show more than 13,000 humanoid robots shipped globally in 2025, with roughly 87% to 90% of them produced by Chinese companies. With over 140 domestic manufacturers and more than 330 humanoid models unveiled, the country’s push into embodied AI is no longer experimental; it’s commercial.The momentum was impossible to miss during this year’s CCTV Lu
  
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• Former Citi Exec: Robots Will Soon Outnumber Human Employees

  24-02-2026 18:56 via eweek.com
  AI is a divisive subject. While supporters are eager to tout its benefits, opponents have a plethora of downsides to highlight, including the concern that AI-driven robots will soon replace human employees in the workplace.However, an exact timeline for robots replacing humans hasn’t really been given… until now.Rob Garlick, former head of innovation, technology, and future of work with Citi Global Insights, said the transition to a robot-led workforce could happen within a few deca
  
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• Anthropic Says DeepSeek, Moonshot, and MiniMax Targeted Claude

  24-02-2026 17:39 via eweek.com
  Anthropic says Claude was targeted by distillation campaigns.
  And it’s naming DeepSeek, Moonshot, and MiniMax.
  In a new post, Anthropic said it detected “industrial-scale” distillation activity aimed at extracting Claude’s capabilities. The company said the campaigns used about 24,000 fraudulent accounts and generated more than 16 million exchanges with Claude, which it said violated its terms of service and regional access restrictions.
  What Anthropic is alleging, a
  
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