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The fight over Flock and other ALPRs

There are over 120,000 of Flock’s automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras installed all over the US. Flock’s cameras, and others like them, use AI to identify and track vehicles based on their license plate number, make, model, color, and other info, networked together to track vehicles and people s movements throughout the day and across the country. Dozens of communities have canceled contracts for the cameras or turned them off, including Los Angeles, as officials have pushed for more limits on the data they collect, who has access to it, and how it can be used in the future. Earlier this year, Amazon-owned Ring canceled a partnership with Flock after online backlash. Flock CEO: ‘We got this one wrong’ Flock cameras? Target practice. Another grim portent for our AI policing future. The LAPD has suspended its use of Flock’s license plate readers, for now. No, Flock isn t threatening people for debating surveillance The all-too-predictable Flock stalking problem. Let s talk abou

Microsoft’s Clippy-like Mico character is no longer the face of Copilot

Mico is headed to Learn Live. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft Copilot will no longer show its emotive yellow blob, Mico, when you use the chatbot's voice mode. In a support page, Microsoft says it's going to move Mico to its Learn Live platform, where the avatar will have "more to react to," as reported earlier by GeekWire. Mico launched in Copilot's voice mode last October, with Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman pitching the avatar as a way to give the chatbot an "identity." The blob would react to what you say in real-time, complete with facial expressions and animations. Mico joins the long list of virtual helpers that Microsoft has retired over the years, like Clippy, Cortana, and Rover … Read the full story at The Verge.

Writer introduces new AI model and upgraded harness to contain token costs

Built as a post-training variation on Z.ai's open source model GLM-5.2, Writer says the new system should provide deployment-ready capabilities at a much lower price.

Databricks wanted to raise $1B, investors wanted $15B. It settled on $5B at a $190B valuation.

AI is expensive, Ali Ghodsi tells TechCrunch. With so many investors wanting into his latest round, he said yes to more than planned.

OpenAI is losing its second executive this week

Another OpenAI executive is departing. Denise Dresser, who joined OpenAI as its chief revenue officer in December after serving as CEO of Slack, will be leaving in the "coming weeks" to "pursue other opportunities," she said in a team note posted to LinkedIn. Dali Rajic, president and COO of Wiz, will be taking over the CRO role, OpenAI says. Dresser's departure is just the latest in a string of major exits. Earlier this week, special projects lead and former COO Brad Lightcap announced he would be leaving. (Dresser had taken over some of Lightcap's work when he moved to the special projects role.) Former AGI chief Fidji Simo and former CMO … Read the full story at The Verge.

OpenAI introduces ‘Ultrafast,’ a new mode that makes GPT-5.6 Sol work at 14x the speed

OpenAI is launching a preview of a sped up version of its latest, most powerful model, in an effort to court enterprise users.

IBM partners with OpenAI to bolster enterprise AI push

IBM plans to train and certify tens of thousands of consultants on OpenAI's technologies as part of this deal.

The Trump admin will start letting private firms launch international cyberattacks

The Trump administration is launching a new program that will allow private firms to perform cyberattacks against foreign criminals, as reported earlier by Bloomberg. The private firms would operate "under the control and oversight" of the federal government, giving them permission to surveil and disrupt criminal networks, according to a presidential memorandum published on Wednesday. The Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security will oversee the private firms, which must meet requirements in "technical proficiency, proven performance of cyber operations, facility security," and more. Companies in the program must hold a bon … Read the full story at The Verge.

Accelerating GPT-5.6 Sol Ultrafast

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Hacker News·Aug 13, 2026

Google’s Gemini 3.7 Flash targets coding and agents with a 50% introductory price cut

Google is rolling out Gemini 3.7 Flash, a new version of its workhorse AI model that puts coding, agentic workflows and knowledge work at the center of the upgrade — while temporarily cutting API prices in half.The release arrives just three weeks after the release of Gemini 3.6 Flash, an unusually short turnaround that Google attributes to developer feedback and algorithmic improvements. For enterprise developers, the more consequential story may be the combination of those intelligence gains with lower inference costs: through the end of 2026, Gemini 3.7 Flash costs $0.75 per million input tokens and $3.75 per million output tokens.Starting Jan. 1, 2027, pricing rises to $1.50 per million input tokens and $7.50 per million output tokens. That means the current discount is temporary, but it gives teams deploying high-volume coding and business agents several months to evaluate whether Google s claimed reductions in retries and manual oversight translate into lower total operating cost

VentureBeat·Aug 13, 2026

You can now just point at a mess and this robot vacuum will suck it up

The Matic robot vacuum now offers gesture controlled spot cleaning and a built-in voice assistant. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Matic, my current favorite robot vacuum, just got a big upgrade. The company has launched Matic Cues, which brings voice and gesture control to the robot. Now, you can talk directly to your vacuum to tell it what you want it to do, or just point at a mess to have it spot-clean. The feature launches today, August 13 at 2 pm ET, and will show as an option in the Matic app under Settings Matic Cues. The update arrives just ahead of a planned price hike on September 9, which will see the WALL-E-style robot's price go from $1,245 to $1,495. I've been playing with Matic Cues for a day or so, and so far it's working well. Gesture control is th … Read the full story at The Verge.