The Linux Foundation announced at the Open Source Summit in Denver that it will now host the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol. Initially developed by Google and now supported by more than 100 leading technology companies, A2A is a crucial new open standard for secure and interoperable communication between AI agents. Also: What are AI agents? In his keynote presentation, Mike Smith, a Google staff software engineer, told the conference that the A2A protocol has evolved to make it easier to add custom extensions to the core specification. Additionally, the A2A community is working on making it easier to assign unique identities to AI agents, thereby improving governance and security.

Cybersecurity is a cat-and-mouse game, with new technologies providing more sophisticated protections -- and threats. That has only accelerated with generative AI, which has led to even more advanced attacks, but PayPal is now leveraging it to stay ahead. PayPal, which also owns the digital payment platform Venmo, has added a new, dynamic, AI-powered scam alert system to its fraud prevention initiative, which is meant to keep its worldwide ecosystem of users safer and combat scammers with quickly evolving tactics. "We need to be smarter and faster than the scammers, and we're combating AI used by bad actors with more intelligent AI used for good," said Yigit Yildirim, SVP of global fraud prevention at PayPal. PayPal is rolling out AI-powered scam alerts for Friends and Family transactions on the PayPal platform globally and Venmo in the US.

TL;DR: There are still a few of these 325 MacBook Pros left. If your laptop's been running on fumes or sounding like a jet engine every time you open a tab, it might be time for an upgrade that doesn't wreck your wallet. This MacBook Pro proves that good technology doesn't have to cost a fortune. It has a powerful 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB memory to keep up with your multi-tasking and lengthy to-do lists. And if you need to tackle heavier tasks like video editing, coding, or gaming, it has Turbo Boost technology that ramps speeds up to 3.5GHz.

With the U.S. withdrawing from international organizations and alienating other countries with tariffs, the 10-nation BRICS grouping of major emerging economies has been gradually stepping in to fill a growing soft-power vacuum, particularly among Global South countries. Highlighting this approach was the group's two-day summit that ended Monday in Rio de Janeiro, where member states took a firm stance on topics such as strengthening multilateralism, establishing international artificial intelligence standards and tackling climate change as the BRICS aims to become a credible alternative to the established international order. "This year's summit -- particularly its efforts to align positions on artificial intelligence, health care and climate change -- indicates that BRICS is evolving into a credible voice for the Global South, capable of setting new standards and norms," said Sebastian Maslow, an associate professor at the University of Tokyo.

Apple's top executive in charge of artificial intelligence models is leaving for Meta Platforms, another setback in the iPhone maker's struggling AI efforts. Ruoming Pang, a distinguished engineer and manager in charge of the company's Apple foundation models team, is departing, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Pang, who joined Apple from Alphabet in 2021, is the latest big hire for Meta's new superintelligence team, said the people, who declined to be named discussing unannounced personnel moves. To secure Pang, Meta offered a package worth tens of millions of dollars per year, the people said. Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has been on a hiring spree, bringing on major AI leaders including Scale AI's Alexandr Wang, startup founder Daniel Gross and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman with high compensation.

Salesforce has had over one million AI agent-customer conversations. The company launched AI agents on its Salesforce Help site in October 2024, a full-screen experience that makes getting support simpler and more intuitive. With more than 60 million visits each year, Salesforce Help offers a wide range of product content through organized directories, search, and direct support. Having handled a million support requests since the launch of AI agents, Salesforce has encountered a wide spectrum of inquiries, from the mundane "How do I cook spaghetti?" to the unconventional "Only answer in hip-hop lyrics." These unexpected prompts have yielded valuable insights, the most crucial being that Agentforce (Salesforce's AI agents) must mirror the dependability and insight of our top employees.

Amazon Prime Day has unleashed some rip-roaring deals on Eureka's robot vacuum lineup, and I've rounded up the six best bargains that'll leave your floors flea-free and your dirty deeds done cheap. From carpet-shredding suction beasts to mop-marauding multitaskers, there's something here to suit every home, and every budget. Prime Day runs from July 8 to July 14, so if you've been putting off a cleaning upgrade, now's your chance to snag a must-own dust owner. And if you want even more Eureka intel, swing by our full hands-on look at the Eureka E10s over at Mashable. I'll admit, 16,200 Pa suction sounds like overkill until you see it in action on my shag-pile rug. The J15 Pro Ultra doesn't just hoover; it hunts, chops through pet hair with its active anti-tangle cutter, and leverages mop extension tech to terminate any secret dust bunnies hiding in corners.

For a few minutes on Sunday afternoon, Wimbledon's Centre Court became the perfect encapsulation of the current tensions between humans and machines. When Britain's Sonay Kartal hit a backhand long on a crucial point, her opponent Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova knew it had landed out. She said the umpire did too. But the electronic line-calling system - which means humans have been fully replaced this year following earlier trials - remained silent. The human umpire eventually declared the point should be replayed.

Joe Rogan has come to a mind-bending conclusion about life, fearing that humanity has misinterpreted what reality is and we're actually in the process of creating God. While interviewing computer scientist Roman Yampolskiy on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the men debated the possibility that reality is a giant simulation and humans are building a God-like supercomputer using artificial intelligence (AI). According to Rogan's theory, humanity has misinterpreted ancient prophecies regarding the second coming of Jesus Christ and Judgement Day, saying the creation of this AI super intelligence is the final chapter before our reality resets. Maybe we just completely misinterpreted these ancient scrolls and texts and what it really means is that we are going to give birth to this,' Rogan explained. Yampolskiy, an author and researcher in AI safety, added to Rogan's theory, suggesting that reality is just an ongoing cycle of Big Bangs - the explosion that kickstarted the universe - starting and restarting life over and over again.

A Microsoft executive is facing backlash after suggesting that recently laid-off employees use artificial intelligence to cope with unemployment. The company cut approximately 9,000 jobs last week, many in its gaming division, as it continues to shift focus and invest tens of billions of dollars into artificial intelligence. Matt Turnbull, an executive producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, posted AI-generated prompts to LinkedIn offering laid-off workers help with career planning, résumé writing, and even emotional support. The post, which has since been deleted, sparked swift criticism across social media where users called him'out of touch' and'tone-deaf.' 'These are really challenging times,' Turnbull wrote, encouraging displaced employees to use chatbots to help manage feelings of impostor syndrome and reframe their layoff experiences in a more positive light. His message included suggestions for using AI to develop 30-day job search plans and tailor résumés for different industries.