Research & Development news

• Unitree Launches the World’s First Robot App Store

  19-12-2025 20:57 via eweek.com
  Humanoid robots are stepping into the app era. Chinese robotics company Unitree has unveiled what it calls the world’s first “Robot App Store,” allowing users to download, share, and develop software for its humanoid robots, bringing the smartphone app model to physical AI.The Unitree App Store is currently in public beta, focusing on motion routines and task models for the company’s G1 humanoid robot. Early applications include entertainment-focused downloads like Funny
  
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• 10 Under-the-Radar AI Companies to Watch in 2026

  02-01-2026 21:18 via eweek.com
  When people discuss artificial intelligence in 2026, the same handful of companies tend to dominate the conversation. Google. OpenAI. Nvidia. Microsoft. Amazon.However, there are some burgeoning, under-the-radar vendors focused on making AI systems easier to deploy, manage, and leverage within organizations.This list highlights 10 hidden gems in the AI industry worth watching in 2026. While none of these companies are yet household names, each is gaining traction in healthcare, data governance,
  
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• Rumor: OpenAI’s New ‘Audio-Based’ Device Could Arrive Very Soon

  02-01-2026 21:12 via eweek.com
  Screens had a good run. Now OpenAI is betting that the future of AI lives in your ears, not on your phone.OpenAI is ramping up work on its audio AI as it prepares for an upcoming personal device that will rely primarily on voice, according to The Information. The device is expected to be “largely audio-based,” marking a shift away from screens as the main way users interact with AI.Inside the company, researchers believe OpenAI’s current audio models are not yet on par with its
  
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• 7 Robots Handling Jobs Too Dangerous for Humans

  02-01-2026 18:59 via eweek.com
  Robots are no longer limited to factory floors or research labs.Across the world, they are stepping into jobs that are simply too risky for people — from fighting fires and disarming bombs to inspecting radioactive sites and navigating deep underground pipelines.As technology improves, machines are being trusted with environments filled with heat, radiation, toxic chemicals, unstable structures, and live explosives. These machines do not breathe smoke, absorb radiation, or panic under pres
  
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• Inside DARPA’s High-Stakes Challenge to Build Life-Saving Robots

  02-01-2026 17:59 via eweek.com
  The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is pushing robots into one of the hardest jobs in emergency medicine: triage. Through its multi-year DARPA Triage Challenge, the agency is testing whether machines can help overwhelmed responders quickly locate injured people, assess injury severity, and share that information in time to save lives. Earthquakes, plane crashes, battlefield attacks, and large accidents often leave too many injured people and too few medics. DARPA b
  
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• AI Startups Raise Record $150B in 2025, Redefining Venture Capital

  02-01-2026 15:49 via eweek.com
  The AI funding boom just rewrote the record books. In 2025, startups raised roughly $150 billion, setting a new high for venture capital investment.
  Data released on Dec. 28 confirms this marks the third consecutive year of record growth, surpassing the 2021 peak by $92 billion and representing a 63% increase over an already historic market.
  But the most striking shift isn’t just the headline number. AI companies now account for nearly 50% of all global startup funding, up from just 34% in
  
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• Best Nano Banana Prompts to Try in 2026 (And Why They Work)

  01-01-2026 13:00 via eweek.com
  Since its debut in August, Google’s Nano Banana image model has gone from a cool tech demo to a daily companion for millions. With the November release of Nano Banana Pro, the capabilities jumped from nice-to-have to studio-quality.Google’s latest update notes that the model has become a favorite because of its “ability to maintain a consistent look across edits, blend photos together and otherwise use advanced editing to bring prompts to life.”If you’re looking to
  
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• Meet the 24-Year-Old Who Raised $64M to Build an AI Mathematician

  31-12-2025 20:17 via eweek.com
  A 24-year-old just raised $64 million to build an AI mathematician that’s smarter than Terence Tao (widely considered the world’s greatest living mathematician).Her name is Carina Hong, and her startup Axiom Math has already solved a 130-year-old problem and disproved a 30-year-old conjecture.Don’t get it twisted, though; this isn’t about making ChatGPT better at algebra. This is about creating AI that discovers entirely new mathematical theorems, proves them formally, an
  
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• Chinese AI Startup MiniMax Eyes $600M IPO Backed by Alibaba and Abu Dhabi

  31-12-2025 19:35 via eweek.com
  MiniMax is no longer just another AI startup. It’s preparing for a public debut.The Chinese AI company is targeting a $600 million IPO with backing from Alibaba and Abu Dhabi investment authorities, according to people familiar with the matter. The final size and timing of the offering could still change.According to a report by The Business Times, sources familiar with the situation said the Chinese startup recently secured a deal with the investment authority of Abu Dhabi and Alibaba. Th
  
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• How to Pick an AI Chatbot That Fits Your Work

  31-12-2025 19:11 via eweek.com
  Most people choose chatbots the wrong way. They compare model names, skim benchmarks, or follow brand momentum, then wonder why the tool feels unreliable in daily use. But the problem isn’t intelligence; it’s fit.AI chatbots fail in different ways depending on the task. Some drift from instructions. Some sound confident but can’t back up their claims. Others work brilliantly in a demo, then fall apart when fed real documents or long threads. This guide will help you look a
  
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• Zu Beginn des Jahres 2026 sehen sich Behörden mit rekordhohen Cyberbedrohungen konfrontiert – warum hochsichere Notebooks zur ersten Verteidigungslinie werden

  31-12-2025 18:55 via eweek.com
  Das Jahr 2025 endete mit einer beispiellosen Welle von Cyberangriffen auf öffentliche Institutionen in Europa. Mehrere EU-Ministerien meldeten gezielte Phishing-Kampagnen, die durch generative KI unterstützt wurden, während neue Vorschriften – wie die erweiterte EU-Cyber-Resilience-Act, die Anfang 2026 in Kraft tritt – die Anforderungen an Hardware- und Datenschutzmaßnahmen weiter erhöhen.Für Behörden waren die Risiken noch nie so groß: Vertr
  
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• This AI Tool Can Plan and Execute Penetration Tests on Its Own

  31-12-2025 17:15 via eweek.com
  A new generation of AI tools is reshaping offensive cybersecurity, making vulnerability discovery faster, cheaper, and far more automated.
  NeuroSploitv2 exemplifies that shift. The AI-powered penetration testing framework works across multiple large language models, including Gemini, Claude, GPT, and Ollama, automating tasks that once required skilled human researchers.
  In practice, it’s beginning to replace entire phases of the penetration testing process.
  That transition is already real.
  
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• A Stark Warning: The Man Who Built Modern AI Says Your Job May Not Survive It

  31-12-2025 17:04 via eweek.com
  “Human intelligence is becoming irrelevant.”That was Geoffrey Hinton’s warning as the AI pioneer predicted that millions of jobs could disappear by 2026, driven by artificial intelligence advancing faster than workers, companies, and governments can respond.On Dec. 28, during CNN’s State of the Union, Hinton raised concerns about AI’s staggering advancement, noting that the technology has already replaced jobs in call centers and will replace more in the coming year
  
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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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