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Instagram's New Instants App Is a Snapchat Clone for Thirst Traps

WIRED

Instagram's Instants app lets you send disappearing photos--and it's probably where your horny friends will post spicy pics. Meta launched a new app on Wednesday, called Instants, that integrates with existing Instagram accounts and allows users to send unedited, disappearing photos. Instants leans into the popularity of Instagram's Stories feature and Close Friends lists, where users can selectively share images with a smaller audience. Instants is available as a stand-alone app on iOS and Android in select countries, and it's accessible through Instagram's direct messaging tab. The core of Instants, from its name to the bare-bones layout, is designed to evoke a sense of ephemerality.


CBP Wants AI-Powered 'Quantum Sensors' for Finding Fentanyl in Cars

WIRED

US Customs and Border Protection is paying General Dynamics to create prototype "quantum sensors," to be used with an AI database to detect fentanyl and other narcotics. United States Customs and Border Protection is paying General Dynamics to create a prototype of "quantum sensors" alongside a "database with artificial intelligence " designed "to detect illicit objects and substances (such as fentanyl) in vehicles, containers, and other devices," according to a contract justification published in a federal register last week. "This database and sensor project will integrate advanced quantum and classical sensing technologies with Artificial Intelligence and ultimately deploy proven concepts and end products anywhere in the CBP environment," the justification document reads. "Under this requirement, CBP will take additional steps to enhance its ability to detect, and thus, significantly reduce the harms of illicit contraband entering the United States of America, thus bolstering national security." The document redacts the name of the company developing the prototype; however, contract details included in the federal register entry reveal that the justification is for a $2.4 million General Dynamics contract that has been public since December 2025.


Experts warn AI stuffed animals could 'fundamentally change' human brain wiring in kids

FOX News

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Do AI chatbots packaged inside plush animals really help children, or do they threaten vital developmental milestones? Companies market them as "screen-free playmates" for toddlers, but pediatric experts warn these toys could trade human connection for machine conversation. Toys like Grem, Grok and Rudi are designed to bond with kids through voice and conversation.


AI-Powered Agile Analog Circuit Design and Optimization

Hu, Jinhai, Goh, Wang Ling, Gao, Yuan

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques are transforming analog circuit design by automating device-level tuning and enabling system-level co-optimization. This paper integrates two approaches: (1) AI-assisted transistor sizing using Multi-Objective Bayesian Optimization (MOBO) for direct circuit parameter optimization, demonstrated on a linearly tunable transconductor; and (2) AI-integrated circuit transfer function modeling for system-level optimization in a keyword spotting (KWS) application, demonstrated by optimizing an analog bandpass filter within a machine learning training loop. The combined insights highlight how AI can improve analog performance, reduce design iteration effort, and jointly optimize analog components and application-level metrics.


Microsoft introduces agent for AI-powered settings controls in Copilot PCs

Engadget

Microsoft announced a series of upcoming new features for Copilot PCs and Windows 11. One of the most compelling updates for Copilot PCs is agent, which provides on-device AI assistance for adjusting a PC's settings. Some of the example tweaks Microsoft gave for this application are issues such as "how to control my PC by voice" and "my mouse pointer is too small." Not only can the agent answer these types of queries, but if the necessary permissions are granted, the AI can also make the requested changes for a user. The blog post specifies that only questions in English are "initially" supported, which hints that more languages will be added at a later date.


AI-powered 'Death Clock' predicts how and when you'll die, down to the second... so how long do YOU have left?

Daily Mail - Science & tech

If you could find out exactly how and when you'll die, would you want to know? A new AI-powered death clock claims to be able to do just that, predicting the method and age at which you will die, right down to the second. The free website, called the Death Clock, uses AI to analyze age, weight, and general outlook on life to'accurately' predict how long you have left to live. It also asks users to input information on lifestyle habits like drinking, smoking, diet, and exercise. Users can also reveal their alleged cause of death and see how their life expectancy compares to other people of the same sex and body mass index (BMI).


This new startup wants to be your AI-powered boxing coach

Engadget

The connected fitness boom of pandemic-era lockdowns is long behind us (hopefully), but Growl, a new startup, is still looking to bolt a workout to the wall of your home. Think of Tonal, except instead of resistance training, it's a boxing-inspired heavy bag session. The wall-mounted Growl is, according to the company, powered by AI and Unreal Engine and appears to have overhead projectors, which beam the image of a life-sized coach onto the convex punching surface. Besides the projection, the bag has an interactive coaching system to help motivate users. It also supposedly supports side-by-side training, which works great for training partners.

  ai-powered, growl, new startup

On the Feasibility of Fully AI-automated Vishing Attacks

Figueiredo, João, Carvalho, Afonso, Castro, Daniel, Gonçalves, Daniel, Santos, Nuno

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

A vishing attack is a form of social engineering where attackers use phone calls to deceive individuals into disclosing sensitive information, such as personal data, financial information, or security credentials. Attackers exploit the perceived urgency and authenticity of voice communication to manipulate victims, often posing as legitimate entities like banks or tech support. Vishing is a particularly serious threat as it bypasses security controls designed to protect information. In this work, we study the potential for vishing attacks to escalate with the advent of AI. In theory, AI-powered software bots may have the ability to automate these attacks by initiating conversations with potential victims via phone calls and deceiving them into disclosing sensitive information. To validate this thesis, we introduce ViKing, an AI-powered vishing system developed using publicly available AI technology. It relies on a Large Language Model (LLM) as its core cognitive processor to steer conversations with victims, complemented by a pipeline of speech-to-text and text-to-speech modules that facilitate audio-text conversion in phone calls. Through a controlled social experiment involving 240 participants, we discovered that ViKing has successfully persuaded many participants to reveal sensitive information, even those who had been explicitly warned about the risk of vishing campaigns. Interactions with ViKing's bots were generally considered realistic. From these findings, we conclude that tools like ViKing may already be accessible to potential malicious actors, while also serving as an invaluable resource for cyber awareness programs.


I Screwed Up My 5K Time by Training With the Pixel Watch 3's AI Running Coach

WIRED

As Apple did several years ago, Google has caught on that running is one of the most accessible and nerdiest sports. Assuming you don't have mobility issues, all you need is a good pair of running shoes and a pair of shorts. It's easy to see improvement quickly, especially if you're just getting started. Among the new touted features for the Pixel Watch 3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is holistic running guidance, under an umbrella Google calls Plan, Run, Reflect, found in the Fitbit app. You can build custom runs on the app on your Pixel phone or watch; get real-time interval guidance as you're running; look up your stats and advanced running analysis on a specialized running dashboard; and get daily AI-powered run recommendations.


This AI-powered "black box" could make surgery safer

MIT Technology Review

The operating room has long been defined by its hush-hush nature--what happens in the OR stays in the OR--because surgeons are notoriously bad at acknowledging their own mistakes. Grantcharov jokes that when you ask "Who are the top three surgeons in the world?" a typical surgeon "always has a challenge identifying who the other two are." But after the initial humiliation over watching himself work, Grantcharov started to see the value in recording his operations. "There are so many small details that normally take years and years of practice to realize--that some surgeons never get to that point," he says. "Suddenly, I could see all these insights and opportunities overnight."