PCWorld reports that Windows PCs need updated 2023 Secure Boot certificates as older 2011 certificates expire in 2026, leaving systems vulnerable to malware. Hardware vendors, not Microsoft, control these critical security updates through UEFI/BIOS firmware, meaning unsupported older PCs may require hardware upgrades. Users can check their protection status in Windows Security app for a green Secure Boot checkmark and update firmware accordingly. You've probably seen countless warnings lately about Windows and expiring Secure Boot certificates . Why? Some PCs haven't gotten the updates yet--and won't unless you take action.

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. A new federal lawsuit by California drivers accuses major gas chains, including Walmart and 7-Eleven, and technology company Kalibrate of using AI software to collude and keep pump prices artificially high.

This story appears in the August 2026 print edition. While some stories from this issue are not yet available to read online, you can explore more from the magazine . Get our editors' guide to what matters in the world, delivered to your inbox every weekday. Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst believe the future doesn't have to belong to slop. The art was way too heavy. In mid-March, the artists Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst were preparing an installation to coincide with the Venice Biennale, the prestigious international art festival, but the execution was becoming tricky. They wanted to suspend sculptures of a trippy cityscape upside down from the ceiling of an 18th-century palazzo. But the construction material they envisioned-- 3-D-printed sand--would weigh tons, which was more than the antique building could bear. The sculptures, they realized, might fall and crush someone. Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read. This was a rather analog problem for a married couple widely seen as technological prophets. Herndon, 46, and Dryhurst, 41, have reached the upper echelons of the art world thanks to a media-spanning output--music, images, software, and reams of commentary--with a cybernetic bent. They are high culture's most influential exponents of artificial intelligence, an invention that many people believe spells doom for the arts but that they think could lead to a renaissance. I met them on a cold, bright Tuesday in Berlin.

Flexion Robotics, a startup founded by ex-Nvidia engineers, has a clever way of training robots to do useful work. Humanoid robots might be able to run, dance, and occasionally kick people, but to become human, they're going to need to learn how to do all sorts of menial chores at work. Flexion Robotics, a Swiss startup founded by ex-Nvidia robotics researchers, thinks it has the solution. The company has developed a way to train robots to perform complex tasks that involve simple skills like opening doors, climbing stairs, and carrying boxes. The key is to teach the robots individual skills in simulation, then have a master AI algorithm determine how to use them.

The Chinese supercomputer LineShine was ranked as the fastest in the world, despite not using any GPUs. China now has the world's fastest supercomputer, overtaking the United States. The system, known as LineShine and installed at the National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen, displaced the US system El Capitan from the top spot in the TOP500 ranking in terms of computing power. The breakthrough comes amid an intense competition between Beijing and Washington for technological supremacy, marked by high tariffs and restrictions on a wide range of hardware components and software. Since 1993, the TOP500 ranking has identified the world's most powerful supercomputers every six months through a series of standardized benchmarks that evaluate each system's performance, taking into account both its theoretical speed and its real-world performance, as well as its energy efficiency.

Modular, one of the most promising chip software startups of the AI era, heads for a multibillion-dollar exit. Qualcomm will acquire the Silicon Valley chip startup Modular for nearly $4 billion. The companies announced the acquisition on Wednesday; Qualcomm said it expects to issue up to 19.2 million shares of common stock in the deal, which works out to just under $4 billion based on the company's last closing share price. The deal, which includes $300 million for Modular employees, comes nine months after the chip startup raised $250 million at a $1.6 billion valuation . It's expected to close in the second half of this year.

NVIDIA introduces Halos for Robotics, which the company calls the industry's first full-stack safety system for robotics and physical AI operating near people.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Fan Control is an excellent free utility that lets you create custom fan curves, monitor temps, and quiet your system. If you've ever tried to tweak your PC's fan speeds, you already know that it isn't the easiest experience. You have to navigate through archaic menus, confusing sliders, and software that feels like it's pre-Y2K. Thankfully, there's the Fan Control app, which feels like a revelation compared to other controllers.

AI is enabling a deluge of cyberattacks the likes of which we've never seen before. Late last month, I began to consider withdrawing some money from my savings account to buy gold. It's the first time I've ever thought about panic-buying. For all of the firewalls and two-factor-authentication codes, the safety of the internet is starting to falter. Hackers are gaining the upper hand over organizations around the world--hospitals, energy grids, government agencies, and, yes, banks.

The French decision to use its own AI models comes amid growing concern among European governments about US-controlled technology. The French decision to use its own AI models comes amid growing concern among European governments about US-controlled technology. Move to ChapsVision is to avoid'strategic dependencies', says PM amid concern about reliance on US-controlled tools Tue 16 Jun 2026 13.08 EDTLast modified on Tue 16 Jun 2026 15.39 EDT France's domestic intelligence service is to ditch AI data tools from the US tech company Palantir in favour of a domestic provider in an effort to avoid "strategic dependency", the prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has said. "We must use our own AI models; we cannot accept new strategic dependencies in the digital sphere," Lecornu posted on social media. "We cannot rely on tools developed by foreign powers. France must have its own tools."