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TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS OPENAI TO STAGGER AI MODEL RELEASE

The US government has requested that OpenAI release GPT-5.6 to a short list of trusted partners before a wider release. OpenAI staff have been instructed to work with the Trump administration on any input that officials have on safety and restrictions. GPT-5.6 will initially be released to 20 partners through Amazon's Bedrock software platform. The Trump administration is continuing to collaborate with frontier AI labs to develop a shared approach for addressing the challenges of scaling the technology.

APPLE RAISES PRICES ON MACS, IPADS BY $200 OR MORE ON SOME MODELS

Apple has raised the prices of its Macs and iPads. Price tags for Mac computers rose roughly 15% to 20%, and iPad prices rose 15% to 25%. iPhone prices were unchanged, but price increases are likely coming. The increase in pricing has been attributed to rises in component prices. The price of memory and storage chips has quadrupled over the past year due to surging demand from AI hyperscalers.

IBM CLAIMS WORLD'S FIRST SUB-1 NANOMETER CHIP TECHNOLOGY

IBM claims to have created sub-1-nanometer chip technology. The company says its nanostack architecture can deliver the computing performance expected if a theoretical chip could be built with physical features smaller than 1 nanometer. The design stacks transitions in a staggered layout to pack more transistors in the same space. IBM describes its new chip technology as being built at the 0.7-nanometer node, but it is important to remember that these node numbers have nothing to do with the actual physical dimensions of the chip.

SPACEX'S NEWEST STARMIND WILL MAKE EARTH DATA CENTERS OBSOLETE

SpaceX's planned AI satellite constellation will be called Starmind. Starmind will compute data directly in orbit using onboard processors powered by large solar arrays. It will allow AI models to run inference, process queries, and generate outputs from space. Starship will be able to carry 30 to 50 Starmind AI1 satellites per launch.

REPRICING OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING LABOR

The AI-native tooling layer is multiplying fast and is crowded already. Being an 'AI engineer' is not a moat. AI can help build prototypes, but production is a different animal that requires engineers who understand reliability, scale, security, performance, observability, and operational trade-offs. The biggest returns may actually come from knowing one hard thing exceptionally well.

CONTROL AN ANDROID PHONE WITH GEMINI 3.5 FLASH COMPUTER USE

Gemini 3.5 Flash has a built-in tool called Computer Use that lets the model look at a screenshot and a goal and return structured actions. Users can choose to execute those actions and repeat the process until tasks are complete. Gemini supports desktop, mobile, and browser automation. This guide walks readers through how to set up mobile automation.

OPENAI LEANS TOWARD WAITING UNTIL NEXT YEAR FOR IPO

A series of recent developments has caused OpenAI's executives to lean towards holding off the company's initial public offering until next year. SpaceX's IPO was the largest ever, but its stock value dropped quickly. Global markets have been choppy in recent weeks, with tech stocks dragging down indexes. These factors may mean that retail investors might not have much enthusiasm for OpenAI's shares.

CHINESE AI MODELS CLOSE THE GAP WITH ANTHROPIC AND OPENAI

Z.ai released GLM-5.2 just days after Anthropic was forced to shut down its most powerful AI systems due to a demand from the US government. GLM-5.2 is nearly as powerful as Anthropic's Fable and Mythos models, but it costs much less to use, and no one in the US is putting restrictions on it. The model is currently one of the world's top 10 most popular models. It is open source, so anyone can use and modify it for free.

APPLE TO SKIP HIGH-END M6 MAC CHIPS IN FAVOR OF AI-FOCUSED M7 LINE

The M7 Pro and M7 Max are scheduled for as early as the end of 2027, while the M7 Ultra is on track for 2028.

A SHORT STORY ABOUT DEFERRING TECH CHOICES TO THOUGHT LEADERS

Thought leaders put their energy into promoting new stuff, not running it.

AN INTERVIEW WITH FIGMA CEO DYLAN FIELD ABOUT DESIGN AND AI

Figma co-founder and CEO Dylan Field discusses Figma's almost acquisition, its IPO, the company's differentiation discovery process, the nature of creativity versus design, and AI.

NO-ONE ESCAPES THE PERMANENT UNDERCLASS

AI taking over will mean most workers will be replaced and the 'permanent overclass' and government will be disempowered.

COMPANIES COULD SOON STAFF ‘STUBBORNLY LOCAL' JOBS WITH WORKERS 4,000 MILES AWAY

Chinese tech company BuilderX Robotics' technology allows remote operators to control physical machines with a 5G or satellite connection.

LINUX FOUNDATION AND INDUSTRY LEADERS LAUNCH AKRITES TO DEFEND CRITICAL OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE AGAINST AI-ENABLED CYBER THREATS

Akrites provides a single, standardized Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure process built on confidentiality-first principles and the industry's established standards and tooling.