Microsoft is offering buyouts to its staff, and a report says this could hurt its plans in artificial intelligence. The headline gives few details, so the full impact is not yet clear. Readers who want to know more can check the full story for how many staff are involved and what the company plans next.
Quick glossaryMicrosoft, buyouts
Microsoft
A large US tech company, best known for its Windows operating system, Office apps and Azure cloud services.
buyouts
Payments offered to employees so they agree to leave their jobs before any forced layoffs.
Meta has added a voice mode to Muse, its AI agent, so users can hold live spoken conversations with it. CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the feature today. A Verge reviewer has tried it on the iOS app, and the feature has been rolled out to them.
Quick glossaryMeta, AI agent, Voice mode
Meta
Meta is the company behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, best known for its social media apps.
AI agent
A program that can carry out tasks for you on its own, not just answer questions.
Voice mode
A setting that lets you talk to an app and hear it reply, instead of typing.
A new test ran AI agents through 3,324 actions on 45 Android phones to see how ready the system is. It recorded what broke along the way, giving a practical look at where phones still fall short for software that acts on a user's behalf.
Quick glossaryAndroid, AI agents
Android
Google's mobile operating system, the software that runs most smartphones around the world other than Apple's iPhones.
AI agents
Software that can carry out a series of tasks on its own for a user, rather than just answering questions.
An article from ACM argues that the real cost of AI-written code may not be clear right away. The problems can show up about 30 days later. The post was shared on Hacker News, where it has had little discussion so far. Developers who use AI to write code may want to check their work after a month.
Quick glossaryACM, Hacker News
ACM
The Association for Computing Machinery, a large US body of computer scientists that publishes research and magazines.
Hacker News
Hacker News is a popular online forum where tech users share and discuss links and posts.
Reported figures show 67% of workers in the UAE fear AI will replace jobs. Even so, 85% already use AI at work, which means many people are using a tool they fear could replace them. The story is from Arabian Business, a news site.
Quick glossaryArabian Business, UAE
Arabian Business
A business news website that covers companies, markets and work across the Middle East and the Gulf region.
UAE
The United Arab Emirates, a country in the Middle East made up of seven states, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Meta says its AI agent Muse can now take video calls from US users, shown as a customisable animated avatar. The feature arrives ahead of a planned wearable device, described as Tamagotchi-like, designed to bring Muse to life. The update lets people talk with the AI through a character they can personalise.
Quick glossaryMeta, Avatar, Wearable
Meta
The US company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, best known for its social media apps and AI work.
Avatar
A digital character or figure that stands in for a person on a screen, often animated and customisable by the user.
Wearable
A small electronic device that people wear on their body, such as a smartwatch or a pair of earbuds.
AI chatbot companies are now trying to sell ads to advertisers. The challenge is pleasing advertisers without annoying users. Anthropic has promised to keep ads out of its Claude chatbot, while rivals are still working out what works. For everyday users, the shape of ads inside chatbots is still being decided.
Quick glossaryAnthropic, Advertisers, Claude
Anthropic
An AI company based in the US that makes the Claude chatbot and is known for its focus on AI safety.
Advertisers
Companies that pay to show their products or messages to people, often on websites or apps.
Claude
Claude is the name of Anthropic's AI chatbot that people chat with to get answers and help.
Chinese AI company Z.ai says its new GLM 5.5 model was built using data from one trillion web pages. It adds to the fast pace of new large language models coming from China. The model is one more option for users who want strong AI tools built on large amounts of online text.
Quick glossaryZ.ai, GLM, 1T
Z.ai
Z.ai is a Chinese AI company, based in Beijing, best known for its GLM family of AI models.
GLM
GLM is a series of AI systems that can read and write text, like the tech behind popular chatbots.
1T
1T is shorthand for one trillion, which is a thousand billion units of data in total.
NVIDIA says its Vera product offers the highest throughput and fastest AI agents. Agents search for information, query databases, write code and take action, switching between GPU reasoning and CPU work. As businesses put more agents to work, the speed of each step matters more.
Quick glossaryNVIDIA, GPU, CPU, Throughput
NVIDIA
A US technology company best known for making graphics chips that power most modern AI systems.
GPU
A graphics processing unit, a chip that handles many calculations at the same time, which suits AI work.
CPU
The central processing unit, the main chip that runs general tasks and controls how a computer works.
Throughput
The amount of work a system can finish in a set period of time.
LiveX has launched AI City, a product that brings physical AI into places such as airports, hospitals and stores. Physical AI means AI that works in the real world, not only on screens. The news comes from a TechBullion report, which describes the launch.
Quick glossaryLiveX, Physical AI
LiveX
LiveX is the company that launched AI City, which it says brings physical AI to airports, hospitals and stores.
Physical AI
AI that works in the physical world and takes actions there, not just on a screen or in text.
Shares of AI and tech companies fell sharply, and Wall Street reeled as the S&P 500 dropped more than 3% in one session. The sell-off hit investors broadly, showing how much money now rides on AI companies. Reports did not name a single cause beyond the broader market fall.
Quick glossaryS&P 500, Wall Street
S&P 500
A main US stock index that tracks the share prices of 500 of the biggest listed companies.
Wall Street
The US financial district and the name often used for the country's major stock markets.
Japan is putting more pressure on large US technology companies over security and artificial intelligence, according to a report from PYMNTS. The headline gives few details, so it is not yet clear which rules or steps Japan has in mind. The full report would explain what Japan is considering and what it could mean for the companies involved.
Quick glossaryPYMNTS, tech giants
PYMNTS
PYMNTS is a US news website that covers payments and financial technology, including how money moves through digital services.
tech giants
Very large technology companies with huge reach and money, such as major internet and software firms.
California's governor has reduced the death sentences of all 548 people on the state's death row, so they will no longer face execution. The decision covers the whole group at once. California has historically held more death row inmates than any other US state, so the move affects a very large number of people.
Context
Context: California has not carried out an execution since 2006, and its governors have kept executions on hold for years. Governors in US states can commute sentences, which is a separate power from courts deciding guilt.
Wisconsin has confirmed a measles death, its first in more than 30 years. It is the latest US state to record a fatality from the disease. Measles had been largely wiped out in the US but has returned in recent months amid rising anti-vaccine sentiment.
Context
Context: Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air, and the MMR vaccine, given in two doses, is the main protection. The US had declared it eliminated in 2000, so new outbreaks have stirred concern about falling vaccination rates.
Anthropic says its Claude chatbot increasingly helps the company develop newer versions of its AI. The reports come even as some voices call for a slowdown in AI development. Reports describe the pace as rapid, with the chatbot's own help feeding into the work.
Context
Context: Anthropic is a US AI company behind the Claude chatbot, competing with firms such as OpenAI and Google to build stronger models. Using current AI to help design the next generation is part of a fast-moving race that is also raising debate.
The Home Ministry has said people from six non-Muslim communities who came from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan without valid travel papers will now need a visa. The rule covers those who entered India before December 31, 2024, and those whose documents have since expired. It applies to people who fled what they describe as religious persecution.
Context
This ties to the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019, which offers a route to citizenship for such communities fleeing religious persecution in three neighbouring countries. The new visa rule shapes how people in this group can stay legally in India.
Tamil Nadu's Textiles Minister said dhotis and sarees for Pongal will be bought from cooperative societies within the state. He denied claims that the government plans to buy them from other States. The denial responds to claims about where the items would come from.
Context
Pongal is Tamil Nadu's harvest festival in January, when families often receive gifts such as dhotis and sarees through government schemes. Cooperative societies are village-level groups of weavers and sellers that supply these goods to the state.
The Hindu asks whether lower maximum retail prices (MRPs) on cancer drugs are actually making treatment cheaper for patients. It looks at whether those lower price tags turn into affordable care in practice.
Context
MRP is the maximum retail price printed on a product, so a cut there does not automatically lower what a patient pays at a pharmacy. Cancer drugs are often expensive, and India's medicine prices are overseen by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority.
Melania Trump has called for an 'enduring' truce in Ukraine as rival sides meet at the White House. The meeting is unprecedented and hopes to build on a localised six-day truce in the starvation-hit city of Oleshky, which she announced last month.
Context
The Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022, and Oleshky is a city in Kherson region in southern Ukraine, where the truce was limited to six days. The White House meeting suggests the US is looking to turn that short pause into a longer-lasting deal.
Bihar's ruling NDA leaders, led by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, met to review the results of the council polls. Sources said JD(U) accused its alliance partner of not cooperating and of trying to sabotage its candidate. The meeting shows strains inside the coalition after the vote.
Context
Context: The NDA is a coalition of parties that governs Bihar together, and JD(U) is one of its main members. Council polls let parties test their strength and build influence in the legislature, so disputes after them can affect the wider alliance.
Tiruvannamalai's district collector has banned devotees from climbing the Arunachala Hills on Maha Deepam day. The decision was taken in view of heavy rainfall forecast during the Karthigai Deepam celebrations in the region. Pilgrims who had planned the climb on that day will need to change their plans.
Context
Arunachala is a sacred hill in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, and the lamp lighting of Karthigai Deepam draws large crowds of pilgrims each year. Heavy rain during the northeast monsoon often makes the steep climb risky, which is why such weather-based restrictions are sometimes imposed.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog says he will announce on Sunday whom he will task with trying to form a new government. The decision follows post-election talks he held with all party leaders. Forming a government after a vote is a key step in Israeli politics.
Context
Context: Israel's president has a largely ceremonial role, but he chooses which lawmaker gets the first chance to build a coalition after an election. Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has many parties, so coalitions usually need several partners.
Plans are moving ahead for a World Trade Center township in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu. The project is estimated at ₹7,000 crore. It will be developed in stages over about ten years, rather than all at once. Nothing has been built yet, and the plan is still taking shape.
Context
Chengalpattu sits south of Chennai, on the main route toward Mahabalipuram and the coast. Long township projects like this usually take years of approvals and funding before the first buildings are finished.
An opinion piece in The Hindu looks at deaths of people cleaning sewers in India. Its central message is that the conditions leading to these deaths must be eliminated. The piece frames the problem as one of worker safety and prevention, not just individual accidents.
Context
Context: Manual scavenging, or cleaning sewers and septic tanks by hand, was banned under a 2013 law, yet workers still die after entering sewers without proper safety gear.
