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For years, the tech industry has portrayed Chinese AI development as an existential threat. The truth is not so straightforward. As China releases ever more capable AI models--ones that compete with Silicon Valley's top offerings--many American AI and national-security researchers have been arguing, loudly and forcefully, that the world should fear Chinese AI supremacy. The outcomes they envision are catastrophic. I spoke with a number of such experts recently, and they warned of bots that could devise an impenetrable missile-defense system that makes obsolete America's nuclear arsenal, or manufacture an endless drone army that overwhelms American defenses. They could develop bioweapons that "target specific ethnic groups, e.g.

Between cartel threats and U.S. airstrikes, Ecuador fishers have nowhere to hide Fishers unload their fresh catch near a market in Manta, Ecuador, on June 4. JARAMIJO/SAN MATEO, ECUADOR - At first light on Ecuador's Pacific coast, small fishing boats fan out from the villages of San Mateo and Jaramijo, their bows pointed toward deeper waters and the promise of a good catch. Other boats come in from the rolling surf to battered coves, where crews unload baskets of tuna and swordfish and traders rush to inspect the day's haul. The scene belies the dangers some fishers face pushing out into these waters. Onshore, drug cartels have turned the small ports of Ecuador's Manabi province into a cocaine-trafficking hub, extorting local fishers who are prized for their navigation skills. The cartels present an impossible choice: earn more than a year's legal income smuggling drugs, or face extortion, threats and violence.

Don't Freak Out Privacy Please Social Good Series 2021 Total Solar Eclipse 2024 Bad Connections Worth It Best of 2023 Space Rocks Sex in Space Carry On Mashable Social Good Presents: Back to School Tales of the Early Internet All Series Elisha Sauers writes about space for Mashable, taking deep dives into NASA's moon and Mars missions, chatting up astronauts and history-making discoverers, and jetting above the clouds . Through 17 years of reporting, she's covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for public records requests. She previously worked for in Norfolk, Virginia, and in Annapolis, Maryland. Her work has earned numerous state awards, including the Virginia Press Association's top honor, Best in Show, and national recognition for narrative storytelling. For each year she has covered space, Sauers has won National Headliner Awards, including first place for her Sex in Space series.

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Mashable Selects Look Up Say More Versus Creator Hub Switch Off Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Trending Now Safety Net In My Bag VidCon with Mashable Back to School All Series Elisha Sauers writes about space for Mashable, taking deep dives into NASA's moon and Mars missions, chatting up astronauts and history-making discoverers, and jetting above the clouds . Through 17 years of reporting, she's covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for public records requests. She previously worked for in Norfolk, Virginia, and in Annapolis, Maryland. Her work has earned numerous state awards, including the Virginia Press Association's top honor, Best in Show, and national recognition for narrative storytelling. For each year she has covered space, Sauers has won National Headliner Awards, including first place for her Sex in Space series.

On July 28, the United States' Federal Communications Commission blocked foreign-made " advanced robotic devices " from receiving the equipment authorization needed for sale in the United States, citing supply-chain vulnerabilities and cybersecurity risks . The block applies to networked humanoids, quadrupeds, other qualifying mobile robots weighing more than 4.4 lb. In a parallel action, the FCC also restricted foreign-produced connected power inverters. Existing authorized models are unaffected for now, and exemptions or conditional approvals may be available. Meanwhile, John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican who chairs the House Select Committee on China, told Reuters that the FCC move "protects our country and strengthens our nation's robotics industry."

Beijing is competing with the U.S. for tech supremacy. Who wins will have huge political implications. As Donald Trump has cut research funds, China has pursued what one investor calls an "all-hands-on-deck approach to national innovation." Kai-Fu Lee, the C.E.O. of the artificial-intelligence company 01.AI, lives in a mirrored high-rise in Beijing, near a procession of landmarks that emperors considered the center of the cosmos. Lee takes early meetings at a nearby hotel that could be in any country, except that the room service is delivered by robots painted in the livery of butlers and maids. State propaganda hails these robots as emblems of China's ascent; in the hallway, most people sidestep them with the kind of indifference usually reserved for a Roomba. Over breakfast one recent morning, Lee, wearing a white polo shirt and rimless glasses, spoke about the future with an air of sanguine curiosity. He was born in Taiwan in 1961 and built his career by following the moving ...

Elon Musk's company is quietly becoming even more important to the future of electric cars in America. When the stainless-steel pickup hit the road in 2023, Tesla was the world's biggest electric-car company. At the time, Elon Musk predicted that he'd eventually sell 250,000 Cybertrucks a year. In the first half of 2026, according to one estimate, Tesla sold roughly 7,000. Tesla has faced several self-inflicted wounds.