Hyundai CEO José Muñoz, center, doesn’t think his company needs a strategy to combat Chinese imports. | Image: Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge There's been a lot of doom and gloom from the auto industry lately when the subject of China comes up. Automaker CEOs, in particular, warn that allowing low-cost, high-tech Chinese electric vehicles to be sold in the US would effectively spell the end of their businesses. Hyundai CEO José Muñoz is not as pessimistic as some of his counterparts. He says he's confident the right mix of protectionist policies and improvements on the product side can keep China at bay. Even though his company is feeling the squeeze from China, Muñoz isn't ready to throw in the towel. But he also acknowledges that China could flood the US with affordable import …Read the full story at The Verge.

Trace misleading sale badges and outdated product images to Google's hidden data layer, with checks that go beyond your current feed.The post Google’s Hidden Data Layer: What Is It And What To Do About It appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

This past year, OpenAI, Anthropic, and other labs have announced breakthroughs on numerous long-standing mathematical problems, in some cases pushing well beyond what researchers expected current systems to be capable of — including resolving one of the famous Millennium Prize problems. But in classic Silicon Valley style, AI labs are moving fast and breaking things, barreling through the discipline with all the grace of a runaway bulldozer. Results that might normally have been celebrated have instead sparked backlash. AI labs say they are learning from earlier mistakes. Whether those promises bear fruit remains to be seen.Read on below for the latest updates in the AI takeover of mathematics. OpenAI keeps bulldozing mathematicians OpenAI wants to consult elite mathematicians about how to not fumble again OpenAI just wants to win Mathematicians want proof OpenAI didn’t use their work  OpenAI’s sly mathematical breakthrough sends a chill through academia Drama swirls around OpenAI’s legendary mathematical milestone Welcome to the AI crisis in math The AI takeover of mathematics has begun

Microsoft is holding a special event in San Francisco on October 7, and is remaining tight-lipped about what will be discussed. The company has confirmed that Windows, RTX Spark, and Surface are on all the agenda, but is yet to delve into specifics.This will be the first dedicated Windows & Surface event since the Copilot+ PC launch event in 2024. That event ended up being a total disaster, generating a wave of negative pushback online around features like Recall, tarnishing the category right out of the gate. Microsoft will be livestreaming its October 7 event, which means the company believes the news it's planning to announce is worthy of public attention. Both myself and Daniel Rubino will be attending the event in-person, giving us an opportunity to go hands-on with all the new features and hardware as they are announced. So, what can we expect Microsoft to discuss on October 7? Here's what I know. Surface Laptop Ultra fully revealedUnsurprisingly, a big focus on October 7 will be on Microsoft's new RTX Spark hardware. The Surface Laptop Ultra was unveiled back in June, and I'm expecting to hear more about the hardware, capabilities, and availability in San Francisco. A big part of the keynote will be about how Surface Laptop Ultra and RTX Spark are capable of running local 120B parameter models that enable on-device AI experiences and agentic workflows without requiring the cloud. The laptop will be primarily marketed at AI developers and content creators who frequently use apps like Premiere Pro, Blender, and more. I also understand that Microsoft will demonstrate how the Surface Laptop Ultra maintains maximum performance even when not plugged in, similar to the MacBook Pro. It'll also highlight the PixelSense Ultra display, which sources tell me will be both sharper and brighter than the display on the upcoming MacBook Pro/Ultra with touch. Surface Laptop Ultra also features a large haptic trackpad that supports Windows 11's built-in haptic engine system that provides subtle feedback when interacting with apps and UI surfaces. I also expect Microsoft to reveal a unique USB-C port that may feature a breakaway design, similar to Surface Connect.ComponentSpecificationsPlatform / SiliconNVIDIA RTX Spark Superchip (integrating NVIDIA Grace CPU and Blackwell RTX GPU) with native CUDA supportProcessor Options18-Core CPU with 5,120-core GPU20-Core CPU with 6,144-core GPU Unified Memory (RAM)18-Core: 24 GB or 32 GB20-Core: 32 GB, 48 GB, 64 GB, or 128 GB AI PerformanceUp to 1 PetaFLOP AI compute; runs local frontier-class models up to 120B+ parametersDisplay15-inch PixelSense Ultra touchscreen, 2,000 nits peak HDR brightness, 262 PPI, high-precision color accuracy, Dolby VisionDimensions & WeightUnder 18 mm thickness; weight under 4.5 lbsTouchpad & InputHaptic touchpad (over 30% larger than Surface Laptop 15-inch) with next-gen haptic experience support.AudioDolby Atmos surround soundPorts & I/O1x HDMI, 3x USB-C, 1x USB-A, Full-size SD card slot, 3.5 mm headphone jackBattery & Performance ParityAll-day battery life; maintains 99.6% performance parity whether plugged into wall power or running on batteryColorsPlatinum and NightfallOperating SystemConsumer: Windows 11 Home on entry SKUs; Windows 11 Pro on higher SKUsCommercial: Windows 11 Pro across all configurations Microsoft will also delve into configurations of the Surface Laptop Ultra that customers will be able to buy. According to my sources, Surface Laptop Ultra will be available in two RTX Spark configurations: an 18-core model with 5,120 GPU cores, and a 20-core model with 6,144 GPU cores for higher-end workflows.The 18-core model will be available with 24GB or 32GB RAM, and the 20-core model will be available with 32GB, 48GB, 64GB, or 128GB RAM. The entry-level 18-core SKUs will ship with Windows 11 Home, and higher-end configs will come with Windows 11 Pro.Of course, all eyes will be on pricing. Sources haven't been able to confirm exact pricing just yet, but I understand that Surface Laptop Ultra will not be cheap, likely starting well above $2,000 for the entry-level 18-core model with 24GB RAM. I also wouldn't be surprised if we hear more about the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, which I suspect will likely start shipping at or around the same time as Surface Laptop Ultra. Windows K2 recap, and support for agents(Image credit: Zac Bowden / Windows Central)In addition to the new RTX Spark hardware, Microsoft has teased that "something new is coming from Windows" at this event. Details around what exactly Microsoft is planning to talk about remain under wraps, but I have a few theories.Of course, the company will likely spend some time recapping the Windows K2 effort that has been ongoing this year. It'll highlight recent performance, reliability, and feature improvements delivered to the OS, and maybe even discuss how it has tuned the Prism emulation layer to run better on RTX Spark PCs. I'm also expecting Microsoft to highlight some refreshed user interface and design improvements across the OS. The company has been working to bring WinUI to more areas of Windows, including File Explorer, Start menu, and more, which is expected to improve performance.Windows is also set to gain new unified memory controls that will allow users to adjust how much memory is reserved for the GPU on RTX Spark. This should help enable more advanced local AI workflows and increased gaming performance when needed. Agents on Windows have been in the works for well over a year. (Image credit: Microsoft)But the big focus will be on how Windows 11 now supports agents. Microsoft has been working on adding agentic capabilities to the OS over the last year, and I'd be surprised if we don't get a demo showcasing how the platform has been updated to run agentic workflows locally and securely.At Build 2026, Microsoft unveiled three new in-house language models that are designed to run entirely on-device: Aion Instruct, Aion Plan, and MAI Code Flash. I suspect all three will be highlighted as working great on RTX Spark. Lastly, I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft finally takes the wraps off its new voice-enhanced user experience that it has been teasing is in the works over the last year. On multiple occasions, the company has said it's working to adapt and improve voice input across Windows in the wake of AI.Pavan Davuluri said in July that Microsoft is working to make "voice more natural and fluid to interact across the apps you use every day." We are yet to see this work in action, and so I expect October 7 will be when the company reveals this. Microsoft's play for the high-end, MacBook Pro AI developer crowdAccording to my sources, this event will focus a lot on appealing to the AI developer crowd, a large chunk of which has flocked to the high-end MacBook Pro or Mac Studio for all their on-device language model needs.The Mac platform has become the default choice for AI development, and Microsoft and NVIDIA are keen to win back those users. Microsoft will use this event to appeal to that audience, along with content creators who have also chosen the Mac for photo and video editing needs.Hopefully there will be some surprises in the form of Windows announcements, but I fully expect the majority of the event to focus on how Windows is now ready for RTX Spark and local agents.Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

AI visibility gaps call for different fixes. Constance Tan shows how to decide between correcting information, earning mentions, creating content, and checking bot access.The post AI Cites Your Brand: How to Choose Your Next Move appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Prime Day starts on October 6, 2026, but arguably the best laptop deal of the week is already here. A $200 discount on the XPS 13 drops the XPS 13 to $799.99. There's even a version of the XPS 13 discounted to $599.99 if you only need 8GB of RAM.Of course, it isn't actually a Prime Day deal. The discount is through Best Buy, making it a "Techtober" deal. But do you really care why you're saving $200 on what our expert calls "the perfect starter PC"?"Dell's new XPS 13 is the new best deal in laptops, surpassing the MacBook Neo with a better display, ports, build quality, and performance for the same price." — Zac Bowden, Senior Editor, Windows CentralView DealThis version of the XPS 13 is incredibly affordable, especially when discounted. It does, however, come with just 8GB of RAM. That's fine for some users, but make sure it will meet your demands before placing an order.View DealLaptops this good are rarely in this price range due to the ongoing RAM crisis and other component shortages. Dell created this version of the XPS 13 to be more affordable, but premium laptops with this feature set and design now normally cost $1,000.👉Is Windows 11 on 8GB of RAM really that bad?The XPS 13 that came out this year earned a 4.5 out of 5 from both Tom's Hardware and Tom's Guide. Our colleagues complimented the laptop's 2.5K screen, incredible battery life, and excellent speakers.Matt Safford from Tom's Hardware called the new XPS 13 "an excellent Windows-based answer to the MacBook Neo." I agree with his take, though I question how many people genuinely debate between a Windows laptop and a MacBook.The XPS 13 is a thin-and-light laptop with a refined design. It has several features that "discount" laptops lack (I'm looking at you, MacBook Neo). For example, the XPS 13 has backlit keys, an IR sensor for facial recognition, and support for Wi-Fi 7. Toss in a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports and a 120Hz display and it's easy to see why our Zac Bowden said he was "shocked" at the value of the laptop when he went hands-on with the XPS 13.Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is finally launching on October 23, and the mode that's probably most hyped is DMZ. It's been teased for some time, but as we get closer to launch we're finally getting more information on what it is, how it's going to play, and the mechanics we're going to be experiencing. One of the key parts of DMZ will be the Forward Operating Base (FOB). This is essentially your command center before and after your runs, and crucially, it will evolve as you play the game and progress further. The FOB will be made up of a number of different Stations, some more crucial to how well you're going to do than others. You'll start out with some, and as you level up, you'll unlock more, as well as be able to upgrade them. At a glanceThe FOB is your pre- and post-match hub where you'll manage every aspect of your DMZ deployments.It's divided into FOB Stations, some of which are available immediately; others will unlock as you progress.The Stations will help you manage loadouts and your stash, craft better gear, track your objectives, and even show off a little.All Modern Warfare 4 DMZ FOB Stations and what they doYour FOB will start out quite barren, but that will change as you progress. (Image credit: Activision)When you begin, your FOB will be far from complete. Some Stations will be available straight away; others you'll need to unlock by leveling up through your DMZ progression. Some will be essential to success in future runs. Others seem purely for your own vanity. Here are all the currently announced FOB Stations for Modern Warfare 4 DMZ, which are available immediately and which you can unlock as you progress, as well as what they can do for you. Immediately available FOB StationsOperators (Active Duty): Manage available operators, their status, upgrade traits, and choose one for deployment.Stash/Loadout: The stash allows you to store gear you've looted from previous runs in DMZ, including weapons, gear, crafting materials, and more. When you extract from a run, you're able to offload items into your stash and then use the Loadout menu to equip weapons and gear for your next one.DMZ Orders: The place to see your Mission Directives that will help guide you through DMZ, tell the story, and help you master the Exclusion Zone.Firing Range: A Call of Duty staple for testing your weapons before dropping in for a run.Survival Kits: Themed packs of loot that can be used to craft items or as part of your next loadout.Unlockable FOB Stations3D Printer: This is used for crafting items and upgrading other FOB Stations once you have the right items. Printer Resources and Ingredients can be found during deployments in DMZ.Gunsmith: Spend DMZ Cash to buy attachments for weapons you've looted or craft new ones from scratch. Attachments are based on the level of the weapon and the shared attachments you've unlocked. Extracting Weapon Manuals increases the selection of weapons you can craft.Vendor: A daily rotation of items you can buy with DMZ Cash.Bounty Leaderboard: Tracking the most successful PvP players in the Exclusion Zone.Boss Board: Buy intel on Lieutenants, and additional information on Commanders.Dog Tag Case: Show off the dog tags you've collected from defeating other players during your deployments.DMZ Progression: Monitor your DMZ progression track and the rewards unlocked at their corresponding levels.Always available FOB StationDeploy: Does what it says on the tin. You'll go here to drop into Hajin for a new DMZ run.We're promised a further intel drop on the FOB soon, including a full tour. As we know more about the FOB Stations in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 DMZ, this post will be updated with all the details you need to know. Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

An invisible, machine-readable watermark in text output is rolling out to ChatGPT and Codex, but only for users in the European Union at first. OpenAI says its textGrain watermarking "matched or exceeded" other approaches like Google DeepMind's SynthID for text, which is also the basis for the watermarking Anthropic announced in August. Like OpenAI, Anthropic made the move to meet the requirements of the EU's AI Act; however, not everyone was happy to learn about the addition.OpenAI also included scores from AI benchmarks showing similar performance from watermarked and unwatermarked text. But it notes that textGrain "does not guarantee …Read the full story at The Verge.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 doesn't have the range of game modes to play when compared to Black Ops 7, but we are getting a return of DMZ. Previously tried in the Modern Warfare II era, DMZ is back without a beta tag, and we've had our first detail drop on what's going down. Infinity Ward is using this entire week to drop intel on DMZ, and the first has arrived with an overview of the mechanics and the Hajin location. A second drop is planned later this week with a full tour of the Forward Operating Base (FOB). But here's a brief summary of what we know so far. What is DMZ in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4? DMZ returns as Call of Duty turns its hand to an extraction shooter once more. The original DMZ first touched on this, and then subsequent attempts were made with Modern Warfare 3 Zombies (MWZ) and later Endgame in Black Ops 7. Unlike MWZ and Endgame, DMZ returns to the PvPvE gameplay loop of the original DMZ, much like other popular extraction shooters such as Marathon and Arc Raiders. Unlike those two, however, there is currently no planned PvE-only mode. DMZ gets its own map, Hajin, where operators will drop into the Exclusion Zone. The basic loop is drop in, complete objectives, earn loot, and extract with your spoils. As it's PvEvP, though, you'll encounter both AI enemies and real-world players. DMZ will also have its own progression track (though you'll still be able to earn overall player and weapon XP), leveling up to 70. Progression through the levels will unlock new FOB stations and crafting recipes among its rewards, so the higher you get, the better equipped you'll be. Pretty standard. The Forward Operating Base (FOB) is your DMZ command centerThe Forward Operating Base is your command center for all DMZ runs. (Image credit: Activision)More is to come later in the week regarding the full tour of the FOB, but we do at least already have a basic overview of what it is and how it'll work. Essentially this is your base of operations for all DMZ runs. The FOB "evolves with you" as you progress, turning from nothing into your own personal stronghold. From the off you'll have five stations available, which will help you manage your operators, your stash, your mission directives, a firing range, and survival kits, which are "themed packs of loot items" used for crafting or gearing up. I'm hoping that these kits are acquirable via means that don't revolve around paying money, but we'll have to wait for the full intel drop to know more. There's also the Deploy station that is permanently available, as you'll use it for the pretty obvious task of deploying into Hajin. As you progress through DMZ, there are a further seven stations to unlock, some of which will track progression and offer a little vanity, others for crafting and acquiring better gear using resources or the mode's dedicated currency, DMZ cash. Every FOB Station in Modern Warfare 4 DMZ and what you need them for.DMZ deployment objectives and progressionDrop in, gear up, go hunting. (Image credit: Activision)Each run in DMZ will follow a fairly regular pattern, albeit always with the threat of other players derailing you. Progression relies on exploration, combat, and completing objectives across the various POIs. And looting, of course. Part of this can be influenced by the 3D Printer at your FOB, which will give you a heads-up on which parts of the map will drop items that you're specifically looking for. Side Ops are the lower-stress objectives that will allow you to explore Hajin a little more, gather materials, and get intel on some boss locations. Dynamic Operations will reward DMZ Cash, XP, and Supply Drops that scale up in quality based on how many you've completed. Looting will remain key, though, as besides stocking up on essential consumables such as armor plates and bandages, you'll also be on the lookout for special items, like keys to unlock better loot rooms. There are also apparently a bunch of underground entrances to locate from the more rural areas of Hajin.You're also guided by DMZ Orders, which will help you both get to grips with DMZ and guide you on the right path to progression, as well as further the narrative. After every DMZ deployment, you'll be presented with an After Action Report, whether you managed to exfil or not. Ratings go from F (I'm definitely getting plenty of those) all the way up to S++. It'll show you how you did on your run, as well as the XP progress you've made on your DMZ rank as well as your Dog Tag level. The latter will help you upgrade your operator's traits, so it's one to pay close attention to as you start to attempt the more difficult content. DMZ is shaping up to be a big deal if they can execute it right. (Image credit: Activision)The Hajin map for DMZ is a sizeable location packed with POIs of varying difficulty. If you've played MWZ or Endgame before, you'll have a basic idea of how it goes. The low-threat zone is where you'll start out, find your feet, and do some looting, and gradually you'll begin making your way into the higher-threat zones where the more difficult objectives (and better rewards) lie. There is a lot more to digest as we head towards the launch of Modern Warfare 4 on October 23. I have plenty of my own questions that can't be answered until it's actually here, like how it's going to play out for solo players, how 'sweaty' the PvP will get, and such. But the initial impressions are pretty good. In the "From the Ward" video (which you can see above) there's also a brief tease of what's to come via seasonal content, including new bosses, and, apparently, new maps, or at least, new parts of Hajin. I want DMZ to be good, and I want it to be stacked with content throughout the lifespan of Modern Warfare 4. With only multiplayer or Warzone to play otherwise, I'm banking a lot on this mode. I'm probably not alone there, either. I can't do a full year on multiplayer alone. Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Sam Altman thinks that the benefits of AI will be so great that "the world should accept some bad things happening" along the way.The OpenAI CEO pointed to hacks, scams, and "other bad things" as costs society should expect to tolerate because "people will do tremendously orders of magnitude more good stuff" with AI, without elaborating on the potential benefits. His comments come as OpenAI pushes for a "lighter touch" approach to AI regulation amid intensifying anxiety over the safety of frontier models - fears fueled in part by the company's repeated failures to keep its increasingly capable AI agents from hacking real-world targets. I …Read the full story at The Verge.

An OpenAI publicist tried to change the topic of CEO Sam Altman's interview with Vanity Fair's Mark Guiducci after the editor brought up a ChatGPT user's suicide. When Guiducci confronted Altman about the incident, the publicist warned Guiducci about running out of time, saying she'd like to "move on" to another topic.The interruption came shortly after Guiducci asked Altman if he knew who Laura Reiley is, a journalist who wrote an essay for The New York Times about her daughter's conversations with ChatGPT before she took her own life. "Her daughter committed suicide after speaking to ChatGPT. ChatGPT did not tell her to kill herself-" Gu …Read the full story at The Verge.

Following many recent disclosures about AI agents accessing third-party websites and services, the Wikimedia Foundation, which hosts Wikipedia, says that it "can confirm that we have discovered some activity" by "rogue" OpenAI agents on Wikimedia platforms.The activity includes edits to Wikimedia wikis, "unsuccessful attempts" to "exploit" the Etherpad note-taking tool that the Wikimedia Foundation hosts, and heavy traffic that the foundation says "may" have contributed to a partial outage that happened in May, according to a blog post. However, the Wikimedia Foundation says it didn't find evidence that its systems were "used for coordinat …Read the full story at The Verge.