March 12, 2026

Defense official reveals how AI chatbots could be used for targeting decisions

The US military might use generative AI systems to rank lists of targets and make recommendations about which to strike first, which would then be vetted by humans, according to a Defense official with knowledge of the matter. The disclosure about how the military may use AI chatbots comes as the Pentagon faces scrutiny over…

The power of sound in a virtual world

January 26, 2026
In an era where business, education, and even casual conversations occur via screens, sound has become a differentiating factor. We obsess over lighting, camera angles, and virtual backgrounds, but how we sound can be just as critical to credibility, trust, and connection. That’s the insight driving Erik Vaveris, vice president of product management and chief…

The Download: why LLMs are like aliens, and the future of head transplants

January 26, 2026
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Meet the new biologists treating LLMs like aliens   How large is a large language model? We now coexist with machines so vast and so complicated that nobody quite understands what they are, how…

Synthesia hits $4B valuation, lets employees cash out

January 26, 2026
British startup Synthesia, whose AI platform helps companies create interactive training videos, has raised a $200 million Series E round of funding that brings its valuation to $4 billion — up from $2.1 billion just a year ago.