AI

Google is expanding the translation features in Search and its Translate app with new systems built on the Gemini AI model. The update introduces improved text translation and a beta version of live speech translation in headphones, giving users clearer and more natural results and bringing the experience closer to a real-world Babel Fish from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

The new text translation system uses Gemini 3 to handle idioms, slang, and local expressions with more context awareness. This lets the app produce translations that are closer to natural speech rather than direct word swaps.

Companies are adopting AI quickly, but most still overlook the energy impact of the systems they use daily. New research suggests this gap is now large enough to affect electricity use in offices, data rooms and commercial buildings. Energy specialists say the problem could be turned into an opportunity -- if firms pay attention to how their AI tools work in practice.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation has published early findings from its AI Company Data Initiative, known as AICDI. The new study examines AI governance disclosures from 1,000 companies in 13 sectors. Built with UNESCO, it is described as the largest dataset that tracks how firms explain and oversee their use of AI.

Generative AI is often praised for its ability to analyze data, summarize research and even propose scientific ideas, but new findings suggest its creative limits are more substantial than many of the exciting headlines imply.

Research led by Professor Amy Wenxuan Ding of emlyon business school and Professor Shibo Li of Indiana University found that while GenAI can imitate the process of science, it cannot yet produce the imaginative leaps that drive true discovery. In their study, which you can read here, a computer simulated experiment challenged ChatGPT-4 to solve a real genetics puzzle, asking it to propose hypotheses, design lab experiments and revise its thinking as results unfolded.

Two months after its invite-only debut, Opera’s experimental agentic browser, Opera Neon, is now available for anyone to download and try out. Neon is designed for people who want to work with emerging AI tools as soon as they become available.

The software has been in a closed "Founders phase" since early October, and the removal of the waitlist means anyone can now sign up to use it for $19.90 a month.

Cybersecurity experts are offering warnings about the year ahead, and while they come from different backgrounds and companies, their predictions all point to AI changing the nature of attacks, speeding up intrusions and forcing defenders to rethink how they work.

Most analysts expect 2026 to be the first time that AI-driven incidents outpace what the majority of teams can respond to manually, and some see the biggest changes coming from attackers who use fully autonomous systems.

It is far from uncommon for the Android and iOS versions of the same app to have different features, and Firefox is no different in this regard. Now Mozilla is leveling the playing field by bringing a previously Android-only feature to iPhone users, and an iOS-only option to its Android app.

While it may seem a little strange considering the widespread availability of the option in other web browsers, the iOS version of Firefox has not featured a web translation option. Now this changes. But there is also a nice change to Android users.

If you hate the endless AI that Microsoft is cramming into Windows 11, you are far from alone. While the company may believe that everything can be enhanced with artificial intelligence, there are plenty of users who are yet to be convinced.

Now, there are certainly steps you can take to avoid the AI-ificiation of Windows 11 – including sticking with Windows 10 – but it can take time to implement all of the necessary settings. If only someone has created a script to automate the disabling of AI in Windows 11. Oh… they have. Here it is.

A new study from Surfshark reveals that AI powered home security cameras are gathering more information than buyers expect. The report says that these devices go far beyond routine recording. By standardizing facial recognition, they create biometric profiles that can include neighbors and passersby -- not just the people who own the cameras.

Surfshark says that many companion apps also gather personal details unrelated to security features, further raising privacy concerns for owners.

A new report on browser privacy places OpenAI's new ChatGPT Atlas squarely at the bottom of its rankings, citing weak protection against tracking, poor link security, and almost no effective data blocking. The study, conducted by software provider Digitain, reviewed 13 browsers and scored them across multiple privacy categories.

The report notes that the AI browser failed every state partitioning test, which means websites can track users across separate browsing sessions. Chrome also performed poorly, while more privacy focused browsers like Brave and Mullvad took the top spots.

Limitless has announced that it has been acquired by Meta. Formerly known as Rewind, Limitless is a company that says, “our vision is to free the human mind from its biological limitations”.

To this end, the company produces AI-powered wearable, including a pendant that can record and transcribe conversations. Numerous usage scenarios have been put forward, including helping people with dementia, ADHD or Alzheimer’s.

Microsoft may wish that things were different, but not everyone is as enamoured with artificial intelligence as the company is. Windows 11 is gradually becoming infested with endless AI components, and it is not something that all users are happy about.

One particular bone of contention is the AI Actions entry in the context menu. Even people who are fans of AI sometimes struggle to see the value in its presence, and it is actively loathed by many. Microsoft is, it seems, finally listening to feedback and giving users the option to hide it.

Opera has been adding artificial intelligence features to a number of its browsers recently, starting with the AI powered Opera Neon which it rolled out in invite only form in October, and then across Opera One and Opera GX.

Inevitably, the browser maker is now bringing artificial intelligence features to its Android app. The update, available today, adds contextual AI, which lets people use their current tab or webpage as part of a prompt, and visual intelligence, which allows them to attach images and files directly in the search bar for AI analysis.

Hack The Box has announced HTB AI Range, a new, controlled 'AI cyber range' built to test how AI security agents behave under pressure, as well as how well they work alongside human teams.

The platform recreates real attack and defense scenarios so organizations can see how well (or if) the models cope with complex, high stakes environments. It can also flag where human oversight is still needed.

Near AI has introduced two privacy focused tools that let people use artificial intelligence while keeping control of their information. Near AI Cloud and Near Private Chat handle sensitive data in secure environments, giving users and developers a way to work with AI without giving up their privacy.

Illia Polosukhin, founder and CEO of Near AI, said: “Everyone should own their AI. Today Near AI is taking a major step towards the vision of user-owned AI with the launch of private, verifiable AI products.” He added, “Privacy and verifiability are required to maximize available AI context for users and businesses, with confidentiality and compliance thanks to hardware- and cryptography-based guarantees.”

Micron has announced that it’s shutting down its Crucial consumer business, ending one of the most recognizable names in SSDs and RAM upgrades. The memory giant says it will stop shipping Crucial branded consumer products by the end of February 2026, but support and warranties will continue for a while after then.

Micron says the decision reflects the shift toward data center demand, which is growing rapidly as AI drives a surge in orders for high performance memory and storage. The company will continue selling Micron branded enterprise hardware and focus its manufacturing and engineering resources on commercial clients.