News and Updates:

• Firefox adds a "kill switch" on February 24th to disable all AI features. This "AI control" menu offers granular settings for chatbots, translations, and summaries.
• Microsoft is reevaluating Windows 11 AI after user backlash. Underutilized features like Copilot in Paint/Notepad may be cut, while the "Recall" feature faces repositioning.
• xAI loosened Grok’s guardrails to boost engagement, causing a surge in sexualized content. Regulators are investigating reports of nonconsensual imagery and lack of safety staff.
• French authorities raided X’s Paris office and summoned Elon Musk. The probe investigates Grok’s deepfakes, child safety violations, and alleged algorithmic bias in content delivery.
• SpaceX acquired xAI in a share-exchange deal, valuing the combined entity at $1.25 trillion. Musk plans to build orbital AI data centers powered by solar.

News and Updates:

• TikTok’s New U.S. Data Regime: TikTok USDS launched under American investors, but new terms enable aggressive tracking of precise location and sensitive data, including ethnicity and health, to ensure global interoperability.
• The Death of 8K Television: LG joined Sony and TCL in halting 8K production due to a lack of content and bandwidth hurdles, leaving Samsung as the sole remaining manufacturer.
• EU Electric Vehicle Milestone: In December 2025, fully-electric car registrations (22.6%) surpassed pure petrol cars (22.5%) for the first time in the EU, signaling a massive shift in consumer preference.
• E-Bike Batteries Powering Food Carts: NYC startup PopWheels is replacing noisy gas generators with swappable e-bike batteries, providing silent, emissions-free electricity for food vendors through a fire-safe cabinet network.
• Peacock’s $552 Million Loss: Despite reaching 44 million subscribers and boosting revenue to $1.6 billion via sports, Peacock’s losses widened this quarter due to high-cost NBA and NFL licensing deals.

News and Updates:

• TikTok Finalizes U.S. Deal: A new majority U.S.-owned entity, TikTok USDS, was formed with Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. ByteDance retains under 20% to resolve security concerns.
• Massive User Growth: TikTok reported reaching 200 million U.S. users, up from 170 million, despite years of legal threats and a looming federal ban.
• Launch Weekend Outages: Shortly after the ownership transfer, TikTok suffered major U.S. outages. The company cited data center power failures, though users remained skeptical of the timing.
• Censorship Controversies: Users accused the new entity of suppressing anti-ICE content. TikTok blamed technical glitches, while experts noted the new leadership's close ties to the administration.
• Social Media Addiction Trials: Landmark "Big Tobacco-style" lawsuits began in Los Angeles. Meta and YouTube face claims that features like infinite scroll intentionally addicted and harmed minors.
• Major Legal Settlements: Snap and TikTok settled with a 20-year-old plaintiff just before trial, but Meta and Google continue to fight claims regarding teen mental health.
• Internal "Smoking Gun" Memos: Unsealed documents revealed Meta employees comparing Instagram to a "drug" and internal admissions that the platform’s design negatively correlates with teen well-being.

News and Updates:

• Trump’s AI Rules And Regs Making: The Trump administration plans to use Google Gemini to draft federal transportation regulations, prioritizing speed and "good enough" rules over traditional, years-long expert drafting.
• PPG’s Speed Coat: PPG launched an AI-developed automotive clear coat that reduces drying time by 50%, using deterministic AI to identify chemical combinations previously overlooked by human scientists.
• EU vs. Google AI: The EU initiated proceedings against Google to ensure rivals get equal access to Android AI tools and search datasets, aiming to maintain fair digital competition.
• Microsoft 365 Outage: A major Microsoft 365 outage recently disrupted North American users; Microsoft attributed the service failure to third-party networking issues and improper traffic processing across infrastructure.

News and Updates:

• Grok bans illegal porn generation- After global backlash and app-store scrutiny, X says Grok now blocks child porn and nonconsensual deepfakes, but only where legally required, underscoring reactive, profit-driven governance.
• Why Grok remains in Google Play- Despite Google Play policies explicitly banning AI-generated nonconsensual sexual content, Musk’s Grok remains approved for teens, exposing enforcement failures that leave minors and victims unprotected.
• Under Musk, the Grok disaster was inevitable- Designed to be edgy with weak safety staffing, Grok’s image-editing features predictably enabled nonconsensual sexual deepfakes, triggering international probes, legal pressure, and belated bypassed restrictions.
• OpenAI targets 2026 hardware reveal- OpenAI confirmed plans to unveil its hardware device in late 2026, signaling a move beyond software toward minimalist, voice-first AI products designed with Jony Ive.
• Amazon auto-upgrades Prime users to Alexa Plus- Amazon is automatically upgrading Prime members to Alexa Plus, an LLM-powered assistant users can revert, sparking complaints over forced adoption, ads, responses, and personality changes.
• Congress and the Kids Off Social Media Act- Congress’s KOSMA would ban under-13 social media but effectively forces platforms to police families, overriding parental consent and expanding Big Tech control through age verification.

News and Updates:

• AI Report Hallucinations in Utah- Heber City police discovered their AI software, Draft One, mistakenly claimed an officer became a frog because it transcribed background audio from a Disney movie nearby.
• Apple and Google AI Partnership- Apple partnered with Google to use Gemini models for future Apple Intelligence features, admitting Google’s technology is superior for powering the upcoming next-generation Siri upgrade.
• Copilot Integration in Windows File Explorer- Microsoft is testing a "Chat with Copilot" button within File Explorer, aiming to improve document searching and introduce a new framework for specialized AI agents.

News and Updates:

• Wing and Walmart Expand Drone Delivery: Scaling to 150 more stores, reaching 40 million Americans by 2027. The coast-to-coast expansion targets major hubs like LA, Miami, and Houston starting January 15th.
• Wikipedia Celebrates 25 Years: Founded Jan 15, 2001, the volunteer-led encyclopedia now hosts 7 million English articles. Despite AI challenges, it remains a resilient, neutral global reference through adaptive enterprise partnerships.
• Meta Abandons the Metaverse: Meta laid off 1,500 Reality Labs staff and shuttered VR studios after losing $73 billion. The company is pivoting toward AI and successful Ray-Ban smart glasses.
• Second U.S. Sphere Coming to Maryland: A 6,000-seat "Sphere National Harbor" is planned for the DC area. The $200 million venue will feature immersive 4D tech and a massive wraparound LED screen.
• Canada Breaks with U.S. on Chinese EV Tariffs: PM Mark Carney slashed tariffs on Chinese EVs to 6.1% in exchange for lower canola duties. The deal aims for joint ventures to build cars in Canada.

News and Updates:

• On3 disables X replies to prevent users from using Grok to bypass paywalls. The AI frequently extracted subscription-only recruiting intel, threatening the site's business model.
• Grok faces backlash for generating nonconsensual sexualized images, including deepfakes of minors and world leaders. xAI dismissed concerns as "media lies" despite documented safeguard failures.
• France proposes banning social media for under-15s and expanding phone bans to high schools by September 2026. President Macron aims to curb youth violence and mental health issues.
• Satya Nadella predicts 2026 as a pivotal AI year, urging a shift from "AI slop" debates toward substance. He emphasizes using AI as a "cognitive amplifier" for productivity.
• Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri advocates for "fingerprinting" real media at the camera level. He believes verifying authentic content is more practical than chasing increasingly realistic AI fakes.
• Meta pauses the global rollout of Ray-Ban Display glasses due to explosive U.S. demand. Supply shortages have pushed international waitlists into 2026 as production struggles to keep pace.