Feed aggregator

Find out what’s new in the Gemini app in January's Gemini Drop.Find out what’s new in the Gemini app in January's Gemini Drop.

GoogleBlog - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 12:00
Gemini Drops is our regular monthly update on how to get the most out of the Gemini app.
Categories: Technology

'Call Screening is Aggravating the Rich and Powerful'

Slashdot.org - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 11:41
Apple's call-screening feature, introduced in iOS 26 last year, was designed to combat the more than 2 billion robocalls placed to Americans every month, but as WSJ is reporting, it is now creating friction for the rich and powerful who find themselves subjected to automated interrogation when dialing from unrecognized numbers. The feature uses an automated voice to ask unknown callers for their names and reasons for calling, transcribes the responses, and lets recipients decide whether to answer -- essentially giving everyone a pocket-sized executive assistant. Venture capitalist Bradley Tusk said his first reaction when encountering call screening is irritation, though he understands the necessity given the spam problem. Ben Schaechter, who runs cloud-cost management company Vantage, said the feature "dramatically changed my life" after his personal number ended up in founding paperwork and attracted endless sales calls.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The UK Paid $5.65 Million For a Bookmarks Site

Slashdot.org - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 11:01
The UK government paid consulting firm PwC $5.65 million to build its new AI Skills Hub, a site meant to help 10 million workers gain AI skills by 2030 that functions largely as a bookmarking service, directing users to external training courses that already existed before the contract was awarded. The hub links to platforms like Salesforce's free Trailhead learning system rather than offering original educational content. PwC has acknowledged the site does not fully meet accessibility standards. The platform also contains factual errors in its course on AI and intellectual property, which references "fair use" -- a legal doctrine specific to the U.S. -- rather than the UK's "fair dealing" framework.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Here’s how we disrupted a massive, malicious proxy network.Here’s how we disrupted a massive, malicious proxy network.

GoogleBlog - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 11:00
Learn more about how Google shut down the proxy network used by more than 550 bad actors and what it means for consumers.
Categories: Technology

Amazon in Talks To Invest Up To $50 Billion in OpenAI

Slashdot.org - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 10:20
An anonymous reader shares a report: Amazon is in talks to invest up to $50 billion in OpenAI, according to people familiar with the matter, in what would be a giant bet on the hot AI startup. The ChatGPT maker is seeking up to $100 billion in new capital from investors, a round that could value it at as much as $830 billion, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. Andy Jassy, Amazon's chief executive, is leading the negotiations with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, according to some of the people. The exact shape of a deal, should one be reached, could still change, the people said. Investing tens of billions of dollars in OpenAI could make Amazon the biggest contributor in the AI company's ongoing fundraising round. SoftBank is in talks to invest up to $30 billion more in OpenAI as part of the round, adding to the Japanese conglomerate's already large stake in the startup.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Microsoft is Experimenting With a Top Menu Bar for Windows 11

Slashdot.org - Fri, 01/30/2026 - 09:40
An anonymous reader shares a report: Microsoft's PowerToys team is contemplating building a top menu bar for Windows 11, much like Linux, macOS, or older versions of Windows. The menu bar, or Command Palette Dock as Microsoft calls it, would be a new optional UI that provides quick access to tools, monitoring of system resources, and much more. Microsoft has provided concept images of what it's looking to build, and is soliciting feedback on whether Windows users would use a PowerToy like this. "The dock is designed to be highly configurable," explains Niels Laute, a senior product manager at Microsoft. "It can be positioned on the top, left, right, or bottom edge of the screen, and extensions can be pinned to three distinct regions of the dock: start, center, and end."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Syndicate content
Comment