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Here Comes Ojai, Waymo's New Chinese-Made Robotaxi

WIRED

The pale-blue Ojai vehicles will start picking up members of the public in California and Arizona today. Starting today, Alphabet self-driving vehicle developer Waymo will start picking up members of the public in its new Ojai vehicles (pronounced "oh hai")--pale blue boxy minivans studded with sensors and complete with steering wheels, even though they're designed to travel without drivers. For now, the rides in these new cars, which can be summoned through Waymo's app, will be free. It's been a long road for the vehicle, first announced by Waymo in 2021 and tested on public streets since 2024. It's also a weird time for Waymo: The self-driving-vehicle company, which is trying to expand quickly across the US and the world, shut down service in six US cities last week due to issues with how its vehicles react to flooding.


How to Make Apps and Websites Remove Your Nonconsensual Nudes

WIRED

Starting May 19, tech platforms in the US will have to start complying with the Take It Down Act. Here's how more than a dozen of the largest platforms are handling takedown demands for your nudes. Abstract collage illustration of woman face partially obscured by a glitching pixelated effect on a green background. Starting on Tuesday, May 19, tech platforms have to provide a way for people to report nonconsensual intimate images and videos, or NCII, uploaded to their platforms. The new requirement is thanks to the Take It Down Act, a law backed by First Lady Melania Trump that passed last year with bipartisan support.


Nepal in a bind as US-China drone war reaches Everest

Al Jazeera

Located at an altitude of 5,364 metres (17,600 feet), the base camp is where Everest climbers acclimatise to the thin air before heading towards the 8,849-metre (29,032ft) summit in Nepal, home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks. It is a task the Chinese-made DJI FlyCart 30 drones have already been performing since 2024. For its test, the US team hired Seven Summit Treks, an expedition agency, and local drone pilots were called to the base camp. But as Gor and his team reached the base camp, the US plan hit a snag. Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs refused to issue a drone flight permit to the US officials.


Are insurance apps watching you?

FOX News

Insurance apps often collect driving, location and health data in exchange for premium discounts. Adjusting app permissions can help limit what information is shared.


Anthropic investigating claim of unauthorised access to Mythos AI tool

BBC News

Anthropic is investigating a claim that a small group of people gained access to its Claude Mythos model - the cyber-security tool which the AI firm says is too powerful to release to the public. We're investigating a report claiming unauthorized access to Claude Mythos Preview through one of our third-party vendor environments, the company said in a statement. It was in response to a Bloomberg report that users in a private forum managed to access the model without the normal permissions. There is deep unease about Mythos' capabilities - though the UK's top cyber official has said advanced AI tools could be a net positive if the technology was secured from misuse. There is currently no suggestion that malicious actors have managed to get hold of the model, and Anthropic says it does not have evidence its systems are affected.


Give Your Phone a Huge (and Free) Upgrade by Switching to Another Keyboard

WIRED

The app reads your email inbox and your meeting calendar, then gives you a short audio summary. It can help you spend less time scrolling, but of course, there are privacy drawbacks to consider.


Luke Littler applies to trademark his face to combat AI fakes

BBC News

Luke Littler, the youngest darts world champion in history, has applied to the Intellectual Property Office to trademark his face. The move is intended to prevent his face being reproduced, including by generative AI, without permission. Littler has won two World Championship titles in a row and has had his image used legally on darts merchandise, as well as by multiple brands such as KP Nuts. The 19-year-old joins celebrities such as actor Matthew McConaughey who have filed to protect their likeness from AI misuse in recent months. Littler has already trademarked his nickname the Nuke in the United States.


Nurturing agentic AI beyond the toddler stage

MIT Technology Review

The promise of autonomous agentic AI requires significant changes in the governance landscape. Parents of young children face a lot of fears about developmental milestones, from infancy through adulthood. The number of months it takes a baby to learn to talk or walk is often used as a benchmark for wellness, or an indicator of additional tests needed to properly diagnose a potential health condition. A parent rejoices over the child's first steps and then realizes how much has changed when the child can quickly walk outside, instead of slowly crawling in a safe area inside. Suddenly safety, including childproofing, takes a completely different lens and approach. Generative AI hit toddlerhood between December 2025 and January 2026 with the introduction of no code tools from multiple vendors and the debut of OpenClaw, an open source personal agent posted on GitHub.


'We May Have a Crisis on Our Hands': The Unregulated Rise of Emotionally Intelligent AI

TIME - Tech

'We May Have a Crisis on Our Hands': The Unregulated Rise of Emotionally Intelligent AI Pillay is an editorial fellow at TIME. Pillay is an editorial fellow at TIME. At least once a month, two-thirds of people who regularly use AI turn to their bots for advice on sensitive personal issues and emotional support. Many people now report trusting their chatbots more than their elected representatives, civil servants, faith leaders--and the companies building AI. That's according to data from 70 countries, gathered by the Collective Intelligence Project (CIP).


The Small English Town Swept Up in the Global AI Arms Race

WIRED

The residents of Potters Bar are working to protect the "green belt" of farms, forests, and meadows that surround London from the endless demand for AI infrastructure. A short drive from London, the town of Potters Bar is separated from the village of South Mimms by 85 acres of rolling farmland segmented by a scribble of hedgerows. In one of the fields, a lone oak serves as a rest stop along a public footpath. Lately, the tree has become a site of protest, too. A poster tied to its trunk reads: "NO TO DATA CENTRE."