New MiniMax M2.7 Proprietary AI Model Is 'Self-Evolving' And Can Perform 30-50% of Reinforcement Learning Research Workflow
MiniMax unveiled its proprietary M2.7 large language model, a reasoning‑only LLM that can autonomously manage 30‑50% of its own reinforcement‑learning development loop. The model earned a 66.6% medal rate on the MLE Bench Lite, tying Google Gemini 3.1 and approaching Anthropic Claude Opus 4.6 on key benchmarks. M2.7 also delivers lower hallucination rates and higher software‑engineering scores while keeping token pricing at $0.30 per million input and $1.20 per million output. The release marks a shift toward self‑evolving AI from Chinese startups.
Authentication Tokens Are Not a Data Contract
Azure DevOps announced that authentication tokens will be encrypted this summer, rendering their payloads unreadable to client applications. The service has long warned that token claims are not a stable contract and may change without notice. Developers who decode token...
Evaluations of Corsight Live Facial Recognition Follow Essex Police Trial
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) audited Essex Police’s live facial recognition (LFR) system, confirming reasonable data‑protection compliance but highlighting ongoing accuracy and bias concerns. A National Physical Laboratory (NPL) evaluation of Corsight’s Apollo 4 software recorded an 89% true‑positive identification...
Perplexity's Comet AI Browser Is Now Available for iPhones
Perplexity has launched its Comet AI browser as a free standalone iOS app, extending the AI‑powered web assistant that debuted on PCs last summer as a $200‑per‑month service. The iPhone version, which leverages Apple’s Liquid Glass UI and can be...
Is Cheap Energy the Key to China Gaining AI Supremacy?
China's AI sector is leveraging abundant cheap electricity to accelerate development across the AI stack. Companies like ByteDance, DeepSeek, and Huawei are rolling out new video‑generation tools, large‑language models, and AI chips, respectively. The low‑cost power reduces training expenses, giving...
Georgia Was Going to Dump Voting Machines that Trump Hates Until Things Got Complicated
Georgia’s plan to discard Dominion voting machines with QR‑code barcodes stalled as legislators failed to fund and approve the required changes before the July 1 deadline. A Trump‑issued executive order to ban barcode counting was blocked by a federal judge, leaving...
How New Infrastructure, Like the Model Context Protocol, Is Reshaping Marketing Workflows
Amazon Ads has launched an open‑beta Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives AI agents a contextual layer over its advertising APIs. The protocol lets agents orchestrate multi‑step campaign creation, ad‑group configuration, and analytics queries with a single natural‑language prompt....
Smmwiz Emerges as One of the Best and Cheapest SMM Panel Platforms for Social Media Growth in 2026
Smmwiz has positioned itself as one of the leading and cheapest SMM panel platforms in 2026, offering a broad suite of engagement services across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and more. Its low‑cost pricing, rapid order fulfillment, and intuitive dashboard enable...
Two Data Center Projects Debated for 11 Hours at Planning Meeting in Franklin County, Missouri
At a Franklin County planning and zoning commission meeting, officials debated two data‑center rezoning proposals for over 1,000 acres of agricultural land. The session stretched 11 hours, from 6 pm to 4:30 am, and ended with a decision postponed by a month....
US Intelligence Chief Grilled on Absence of Election Threats in Security Assessment
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard defended leaving foreign election‑interference threats out of the annual global‑threat assessment, prompting sharp questioning from Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner. The omission raises alarms that the intelligence community may be constrained from reporting...
Huawei and YowPay Launch Open Banking Smartwatch POS App
Huawei and fintech YowPay have introduced what they call the world’s first open‑banking smartwatch point‑of‑sale (POS) application. The solution lets merchants capture bank‑to‑bank payments directly from a Huawei smartwatch, removing the need for traditional card terminals or card‑based hardware. Built...
Banks Leave Nonprofit Lending Market Untapped, Fintech CEO Says
The U.S. nonprofit sector controls nearly $14 trillion in assets and generates about $4 trillion in annual revenue, yet only 3 % of banks lend to these organizations. Fintech startup B Generous has created a marketplace that has processed 34,000 loan requests totaling $1.2 billion...
Lenovo Bolsters Hybrid AI Platform with Nvidia GPUs
Lenovo announced an expanded Hybrid AI Advantage portfolio powered by Nvidia GPUs, targeting end‑to‑end production AI inferencing. The new lineup spans laptops, desktops, ThinkSystem and ThinkEdge servers, and integrates Nvidia AI Enterprise, Dynamo, NIM and Vera Rubin technologies. Lenovo emphasizes...
Volatus Aerospace Receives NRC-IRAP Funding to Support Condor XL Development
Volatus Aerospace announced it has been approved for up to $320,000 in non‑dilutive funding from the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC‑IRAP). The money will fund development of the Condor XL heavy‑lift uncrewed aerial system, focusing...
Storage Vendors Orbit the Nvidia Sun at GTC
At Nvidia’s GTC 2026, storage leaders Hitachi Vantara, IBM, Nutanix and Seagate unveiled new integrations with Nvidia’s Blackwell GPUs and AI software stacks. Hitachi iQ now supports Blackwell and RTX PRO GPUs and the STX reference architecture, while IBM demonstrated a...
Storage Vendors Orbit the Nvidia Sun at GTC
At GTC 2026 Hitachi Vantara, IBM, Nutanix and Seagate unveiled new integrations with Nvidia’s Blackwell GPUs and AI software, tightening the bond between storage and accelerated compute. Hitachi iQ added support for Blackwell and RTX PRO GPUs and AI blueprints; IBM demonstrated an 83%...
ConnectWise Patches New Flaw Allowing ScreenConnect Hijacking
ConnectWise has issued a critical patch for ScreenConnect after uncovering CVE‑2026‑3564, a cryptographic signature verification flaw affecting versions prior to 26.1. The vulnerability enables attackers to extract ASP.NET machine keys and forge authenticated sessions, potentially leading to unauthorized access and...
GSA, NIST Partner to Craft Evaluation Standards for AI Tools in Federal Operations
The General Services Administration (GSA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced a partnership to develop standardized evaluation methods for AI models used by federal agencies. Housed in NIST’s Center for AI Standards and Innovation, the effort...
TEKEVER and EPE Announce Strategic Partnership to Support Advanced Autonomous Systems Capability in New Zealand
TEKEVER, a pan‑European AI‑centric defence tech firm, has entered a strategic partnership with New Zealand‑based EPE to deliver advanced autonomous systems to the NZ market. The deal combines TEKEVER’s AR5, AR3 EVO and ATLAS platforms with EPE’s local customer relationships and support...
Private Credit Jitters Ripple to Fund with Consumer Loan Holdings
Stone Ridge Asset Management’s LENDX fund, which holds $2.4 bn of consumer and small‑business loans from fintech platforms, announced it will meet only 11% of the latest redemption requests, after offering a limited share repurchase. The fund’s portfolio includes BNPL exposure...
Mamdani Launches Program for Homeowners to Plan and Finance ADUs
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the Plus One ADU program to simplify creation of accessory dwelling units in New York City. The initiative provides an ADU guidebook, an online application portal, and a library of pre‑approved plans managed by the Department...
Satellite IoT: How Non-Terrestrial Networks Extend Global Coverage
Satellite IoT uses orbiting satellites to connect devices where terrestrial networks cannot reach, turning remote oceans, deserts and polar regions into data‑rich zones. The rise of low‑Earth‑orbit mega‑constellations has slashed launch and operating costs, making satellite connectivity viable for logistics,...
Volz Servos Powers Quantum Systems’ Twister eVTOL with Customised Actuator Technology
Volz Servos is supplying customized DA‑15N servos, equipped with the ARINC 825 CAN protocol, to power Quantum Systems' Twister eVTOL. The servos control the aircraft’s wing flaps, a mission‑critical function for the vehicle’s vertical‑take‑off, fixed‑wing transition. Twister weighs 4 kg, can fly...
There Might Be Less Water on the Moon than We’d Hoped
A new study using NASA's ShadowCam on the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter finds that water ice in most of the moon’s permanently shadowed craters is limited to less than 20‑30 percent by weight, and many regions may have none at...
Photonic Chip Company Q.ANT Deploys Second-Gen Photonic Processors at Germany’s LRZ
Q.ANT has installed its second‑generation photonic Native Processing Units at Germany’s Leibniz Supercomputing Center, expanding on a 2025 pilot. The new NPUs deliver over 50× higher matrix‑multiplication throughput and six times lower energy use while connecting via standard PCIe alongside...
Boosting the Blood-Brain Barrier Could Avert Brain Damage in Athletes
Repeated head impacts in contact sports have been linked to lasting damage of the blood‑brain barrier (BBB), a finding that may underlie chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Researchers scanned 47 retired athletes using an MRI contrast agent that only enters brain...
How Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Is Solving the Battery Waste Crisis in Industrial IoT
Industrial IoT deployments rely on millions of short‑life batteries, creating a looming waste problem that could reach 1.4 million metric tons by 2030. High‑temperature piezoelectric energy harvesting converts machine vibration into electricity, tolerating up to 350 °C and eliminating the need for...
What to Read This Week: Katrina Manson's Terrifying Project Maven
Katrina Manson’s new book, *Project Maven*, chronicles the U.S. military’s decade‑long push to embed artificial intelligence in drone surveillance, beginning with the 2017 initiative that automated video analysis. Drawing on more than 200 interviews, the work reveals a hidden ecosystem...
Introducing “Vibe Design” With Stitch
Google Labs unveiled the next evolution of Stitch, an AI‑native design canvas that turns natural‑language prompts into high‑fidelity user interfaces. The platform introduces "vibe design," voice‑driven interactions, and a new design agent that can manage multiple concepts in parallel. A...
NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Discovers Even Older Lost Rivers at Jezero Crater
NASA’s Perseverance rover used its ground‑penetrating radar to probe deeper than before in Jezero Crater. The instrument identified buried river‑carved slopes and a delta more than 35 meters below the surface. Analysis of the radar echoes indicates these features formed around...
The Success of Machine Mathematicians Shows Us How to Be OK with AI
Mathematicians have long wrestled with computer‑generated proofs, beginning with the 1976 four‑colour theorem solution that relied on 60,000 lines of code. Over decades the community built confidence by pairing algorithmic output with rigorous verification tools, paving the way for today’s...
Pardoned Nikola Founder Trevor Milton Is Trying to Raise $1B for AI-Powered Planes
Trevor Milton, pardoned founder of the failed electric‑truck maker Nikola, is spearheading a bid to raise $1 billion to develop AI‑driven light jets. He and an investment group have acquired the struggling SyberJet Aircraft and are rebuilding it with dozens of...
Patreon CEO Calls AI Companies’ Fair Use Argument ‘Bogus,’ Says Creators Should Be Paid
Patreon CEO Jack Conte told SXSW that AI companies’ reliance on creator content under a "fair use" defense is "bogus" and should be compensated. He emphasized that while AI is an inevitable disruption, creators must receive direct payments for the...
Los Angeles Small Business ‘Spreads’ Global Reach with Coupang
Los Angeles‑based organic nut butter maker Spread The Love is expanding into South Korea by partnering with e‑commerce giant Coupang. The partnership leverages Coupang’s AI‑driven export platform, which handled over $5 billion in U.S. export sales in 2025, to manage logistics,...
Qihoo 360 Accidentally Exposed a Private SSL Key, Putting Its Platform at Risk
Qihoo 360 unintentionally included a private SSL key for the myclaw.360.cn domain in the installer of its 360 Security Claw AI tool. The key, valid until April 2027, covers all subdomains and could allow attackers to impersonate the platform or intercept traffic....
Microsoft Promises All-in-One Database Wrangling Hub on Fabric
Microsoft unveiled Database Hub, an early‑access tool built on the Fabric data platform that consolidates management of Azure SQL Server, Cosmos DB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Azure Arc‑enabled SQL, and other services. The hub offers a single pane of glass for on‑premises,...
Elevate Podcast: Dr. Brian Haas, National Medical Director, Ascend Hospice, and Creator, Hospice Intelligence
In the latest Elevate Podcast, Hospice News interviews Dr. Brian Haas, national medical director of Ascend Hospice and CEO of Wellspring Healthcare. Haas explains how artificial intelligence can both help and hinder clinical documentation in hospice and palliative care. He...
Kalshi Offers $1 Billion for a Perfect March Madness Bracket—Just as Warren Buffett Did 12 Years Ago
Prediction‑market platform Kalshi is reviving Warren Buffett’s 2014 March Madness stunt by pledging a $1 billion prize for anyone who submits a perfect bracket to the 2026 NCAA men’s tournament. The odds of a flawless bracket remain astronomically low—roughly one in...
Google "Developing" Opt-Out of Generative AI Features in Search
Google announced it is developing a mechanism that lets website owners opt out of having their content used in generative AI features within Search. The move is part of a broader response to the UK Competition and Markets Authority’s proposed...
Act Fast: Kid-Friendly Volume-Limiting ANC Headphones From iClever Slashed to $34.99 (30% Off)
iClever has slashed its BTH20 kids‑friendly Bluetooth headphones to $34.99, a 30% discount. The model combines an 80 dBA volume limiter, active noise‑cancelling that cuts up to ~40 dB, and a rugged BPA‑free build designed for ages 3 and up. Battery life...
Governments’ Website Accessibility Deadline Is Fast Approaching
The Department of Justice’s new rule, effective April 30, requires all U.S. government agencies serving 50,000 or more residents to bring their websites into compliance with WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards under Title II of the ADA. The mandate, introduced during the Biden...
Google Retires Several Legacy Ad Format Policies
Google announced that as of March 17 it is retiring several legacy ad format policies, including those governing form ads, image quality, responsive ads, and text ads. The removal reflects the migration of these older formats into newer, automated campaign...
New at Mouser: Digi Connect Sensor XRT-M for IoT, Industrial, Sensor, and Gateway Applications
Mouser Electronics has begun shipping Digi International’s new Digi Connect Sensor XRT‑M, a rugged LTE‑M cellular gateway designed for zero‑infrastructure IoT monitoring. The battery‑or‑solar powered device offers edge processing, cloud connectivity via Digi Axess, and IP68 protection for harsh environments. It...
Sierra Leone’s ‘Brokers of Citizenship’ Recognized in Digital Identification Project
An academic study highlights the crucial role of local “brokers of citizenship” in Sierra Leone’s digital ID rollout. These intermediaries—chiefs, teachers, justices of the peace, and document brokers—facilitate enrollment, verification, and updates for underserved populations. While they enable legal identity...
OCHIN, C3 Partner to Expand ACO Offerings for FQHCs
OCHIN and Community Care Cooperative (C3) have launched a joint accountable care organization (ACO) offering tailored for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). OCHIN will supply its Epic EHR platform and analytics, while C3 brings a suite of Medicare ACO services,...
Liquid Biopsy Method Uses Nanoparticle Raman Signals to Separate Two Lookalike Enzymes
RIKEN researchers have unveiled a microchip that uses silver‑nanoparticle‑enhanced Raman spectroscopy to detect ultra‑low concentrations of biomarkers in liquid biopsies. The platform delivers reproducible, quantitative Raman signals that can separate two nearly identical enzymes—acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase—something fluorescence methods struggle with....
Tesla Says FSD Was Off Before Cybertruck Crash — but the Video Tells a Different Story
A Tesla Cybertruck equipped with Full Self‑Driving (FSD) crashed into a concrete barrier on Houston’s 69 Eastex Freeway on August 18, 2025, after the autonomous system failed to navigate a sharp curve. Driver Justine Saint Amour disengaged FSD four seconds before impact, but the...
Wisk Aero Unveils Second Gen 6 Autonomous eVTOL Prototype
Wisk Aero, a Boeing subsidiary, has unveiled its second sixth‑generation autonomous eVTOL prototype, registered as N607WA. The full‑scale aircraft is slated for its inaugural flight within weeks, marking a critical milestone toward certification. Wisk maintains its roadmap to launch a...
TerraPower Commits $450M to Build Radioisotope Production Plant
TerraPower Isotopes is committing $450 million to build a cGMP‑compliant actinium‑225 manufacturing plant in Philadelphia, a move that will expand production capacity roughly twenty‑fold. The 250,000‑square‑foot facility, slated to begin output in 2029, will create 225 full‑time jobs and benefits from...
LEGO to Install Over 40,000 Solar Panels at Its First U.S. Factory
LEGO announced plans to build an 80‑acre solar park at its new $1.5 billion Virginia manufacturing complex, its first U.S. factory. The project will install over 30,700 ground‑mounted panels (22 MWp) and 10,080 rooftop panels (6.11 MWp), aiming to meet 100 % of the...