What we’re watching next in ai-ml
A sea of new AI papers is forcing a rude wake-up call on how we measure progress. The latest wave from arXiv’s AI submissions, cross-referenced by Papers with Code, and echoed in OpenAI Research outputs suggests a shift from “bigger is better” to “better, documented, and reproducible.” Across these
Wisconsin VPN Ban Sparks Civil Liberties Fight
Wisconsin's proposed VPN ban is drawing a privacy storm. The bill, S.B. 130 / A.B. 105, would require invasive age verification for websites that host content lawmakers designate as “sexual” and would compel those sites to block any user who connects via a VPN. The goal, supporters say, is to shield
Mitsubishi Goes Digital-First for Drone Logistics
Mitsubishi Electric rewired drone ops with software-first thinking. Mitsubishi Electric United States is steering its air-mobility and cargo-drones ambitions through a digital-first lens. The company is building software-as-a-service platforms, data-driven tools, and AI-powered systems that bridge t
Apptronik Raises $520M in Series A Extension
Apptronik just locked in another $520 million, pushing its value beyond $5 billion. Apptronik, the Austin-based humanoid robotics startup, disclosed a fresh Series A extension worth $520 million, adding to the roughly $935 million it had already raised and signaling a calendar-shaping vote of confid
Toyota Canada Bets on Digit Robots to Move Bins
Digit robots start moving bins at Toyota Canada plant. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) has signed an agreement with Agility Robotics to deploy its Digit humanoids after a year-long pilot that included development, proof-of-technology, and onsite phases. The company says the pilot began with
iPhone 17: Worth the Upgrade?
The iPhone 17 finally tightens the gaps the 16 left behind. The big takeaway from hands-on tests is simple: this is not a dramatic phone reshuffle, but a meaningful leap in three everyday areas—camera, display, and battery. If you shoot a lot of photos and videos, crave a brighter, smoother screen,
AI & Machine Learning
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Narco Sub Tech Upends Drug Trade
Autonomous narco submarines just joined the cocaine supply chain. The MIT Technology Review’s latest edition flags a quiet but consequential shift: off-the-shelf tech—Starlink satellite terminals, plug-and-play nautical autopilots, high-resolution cameras—could turn handmade narco subs into semi-aut
Microsoft’s Plan to Prove Reality Online
Microsoft just rolled out a blueprint to prove what’s real online. Microsoft’s AI safety research team has shared a concrete plan with MIT Technology Review for how to prove authenticity in a world thick with AI-generated deception. The document evaluates how today’s methods for documenting digital
Autonomous narco subs upend cocaine trade
Autonomous narco submarines could move multi-ton cocaine runs without risking a single crew member. The MIT Technology Review’s The Download reports that a hardware lineup you can buy off the shelf—Starlink satellite terminals, plug-and-play nautical autopilots, and high-resolution cameras—could tur
Microsoft pushes AI-proof reality standards
Microsoft wants to prove what's real online. Microsoft’s AI safety researchers have rolled out a blueprint to distinguish real content from AI-manipulated media, a move born from the surge of interactive deepfakes and hyperreal content. The plan is not a product launch but a call for cross-company t
Industrial Robotics
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NAPA Bets on Brightpick AI for Faster Logistics
NAPA is turning to Brightpick’s AI-powered robotics to push faster order fulfillment across its sprawling distribution network. Brightpick, known for AI-driven automation in warehouses, has partnered with the automotive parts giant to deploy robotic technology in NAPA’s distribution centers. The mov
Dosenbach-Ochsner Deploys 100 Skypod Robots
A Swiss warehouse just swapped forklifts for 100 Skypod robots. Dosenbach-Ochsner, the Swiss arm of the Deichmann Group, has gone into full-scale automation at its Luterbach site in the canton of Solothurn, installing Exotec’s Skypod system to modernize intralogistics and warehouse operations. The p
Brightpick, NAPA Bet on Robot-Enabled Auto Parts
Brightpick’s AI-powered bots are rolling into NAPA’s distribution centers, signaling a high-stakes push to automate automotive parts fulfillment. The joint initiative, announced as a strategic partnership, positions Brightpick’s robotic automation to be deployed across NAPA’s distribution network. T
Brightpick and NAPA Forge Warehouse Automation Pact
NAPA is betting that robo-pickers can dramatically cut costs in its sprawling parts-distribution operation. Brightpick, a maker of AI-powered warehouse robotics, announced a strategic partnership with NAPA to deploy its automation stack across the retailer’s distribution centers. The aim is clear: s
Humanoids
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NORD's Digital Twin Slashes Robot-Drive Development
NORD's new digital twin platform promises virtual commissioning that can cut weeks, even months, from robotics drive development. Engineering documentation shows that the platform builds digital twins directly from a myNORD configuration, delivering individually created drive system models for simul
NORD Digital Twins Accelerate Robotic Drive Development
NORD’s new digital twin platform promises to cut weeks, even months, from getting a robot’s drive system from concept to commissioning. NORD Drivesystems says its digital twins, built from a user’s myNORD configuration, let robotics developers request individually created drive models for simulation
Humanoids Edge Toward Peak Human Performance
Humanoids look fast and fluent—yet real-world testing matters. IEEE Spectrum’s Video Friday curates this week’s springtime robot reel, and the standout is PNDbotics Adam. The clip frames Adam’s routine as a milestone: a bipedal showpiece that seems to translate rhythm into precise, gravity-defying c
Digital Twin Platform Accelerates Robotic Development
NORD's digital twin lets engineers test robot drives before assembly. Engineering documentation shows NORD Drivesystems now offers digital twins for system development, built from a myNORD configuration to produce individually created drive-system simulation models. The company says virtual commissi
Consumer Tech
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Apple Preps Five-Product, Three-Day Spring Blitz
Apple bets five new products in a three-day blitz. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company plans to roll out at least five launches from March 2 to March 4, using what Gurman calls an “Apple Experience” format that hits New York, London and Shanghai in a live-event cadence rather than a tr
Apple Preps Five-Product March Blitz
Apple is lining up a five-product wave in a three-day March blitz. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple will unveil at least five products in a tightly choreographed push starting March 2 and running through March 4, with an in-person “Apple Experience” set for New York, London, and Shanghai on the fi
Sony WF-1000XM6: Not Quite Best in Class
Sony’s flagship earbuds aren’t the best in class anymore. Engadget’s latest round-up puts the WF-1000XM6 in the familiar lanes of “great-sounding, sometimes muddled by some real-world tradeoffs.” The review recap notes two sticking points that keep the XM6 from a clean sweep: ANC performance and voi
Orlando Showroom Signals Smarter Kitchens in 2026
Three days of demos in Orlando prove smart appliances finally mean something in real kitchens. The three-day home, kitchen and bath showcase in Orlando became a blunt coming-out party for smart appliances, with CNET highlighting 10 new large-appliance features that hint at a genuinely smarter home i
China Robotics & AI
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Beijing's subsidies shift to robot components
Beijing is steering subsidies to the gears, not the robots. The MiIT and state media are signaling a policy reorientation: funds and favorable programs that once buoyed end-assembly lines appear to be flowing toward the components that actually power autonomous production—robot motors, drives, senso
RoboSense's Robotic LiDAR Push Sparks Profit Forecast
RoboSense just forecast its first quarterly profit, powered by robotics LiDAR. Shares of the Hong Kong-listed RoboSense (2498.HK) jumped as much as 15% in early trading on February 20, 2026 after the company issued a profit alert that it would report no less than RMB 60 million of net profit for Q4
Analysis
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Sovereign AI Gap Stirs U.S. Statecraft Debate
America’s push for “sovereign AI” abroad just hit a new inflection point, as policymakers and researchers contest whether participation in U.S.-led AI ecosystems comes with enough assurances to quell partner uncertainty. A recent Lawfare op-ed by Pablo Chavez of the Center for Security and Emerging
Sovereign AI Clash in U.S. Statecraft
The U.S. is peddling sovereign AI abroad—and partners fear the guarantee on risk just won't hold. The Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) highlights a growing fault line in American AI diplomacy: Washington is promoting “sovereign AI” abroad by offering deployment control through Amer
AI Regulation Advances in Federal Register
The federal clock is ticking on AI rules, and the Federal Register just lit the fuse. A wave of AI-related notices posted in the Federal Register signals that the United States is transitioning from debate to rulemaking. Agencies are inviting public comment on how to manage risk, transparency, and g
Sovereign AI Statecraft: Assurance vs. Independence
Partners want sovereign AI; Washington offers a warranty instead. The sovereignty gap in U.S. AI statecraft has become a central fault line in how nations decide who controls the future of adaptive technology. In a Lawfare-published op-ed, Center for Security and Emerging Technology analyst Pablo Ch
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