Slack is testing an update for Slackbot that transforms it into an AI assistant. Presently, it operates as a tool for delivering reminders and notifications. With the update, Slackbot can create custom plans tailored to your workspace, sift through a mountain of messages, gather information from a range of Slack channels, and more.“Slackbot today is fairly rudimentary,” Rob Seaman, Slack’s senior vice president of enterprise product, tells The Verge. “But what we’ve done is we’ve actually rebuilt it from the ground up as a personalized AI companion.”As part of the pilot, Slackbot will appear as an icon next to the search bar at the top of the workspace. Clicking into it will open a DM-like panel on the right side of the screen where you can enter prompts like “What are my priorities for today?” or “Find the latest updates on a project.” The new Slackbot will draw from your conversations, files, and workspace to provide personalized assistance.In a demo seen by The Verge, Slack showed how the AI-upgraded Slackbot can perform more complex tasks, such as organizing a product’s launch plan inside a Canvas by gathering information across different Slack channels, as well as help create a social media campaign using a brand’s tone. But what seems even more helpful is the new Slackbot’s ability to search through a workspace using natural language. That means if you’re looking for a document but can’t nail down the specific keyword it was attached to, you can ask Slackbot something like “Find me the document that Jay shared in our last meeting.” It can also tap into Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendar to coordinate and schedule meetings with colleagues. This adds to the other AI-powered features Slack has integrated into the platform, which can already summarize threads and channels as well as decode company jargon. “We’ll keep putting those little touches there where they make sense, to save users a click,” Seaman said when asked about the future of these features. Slackbot’s existing features — like its automated messages or custom functions in response to commands — will remain available as well.Companies can choose to opt out of using an AI Slackbot, but individuals in the workspace can’t. Slack’s AI features operate through Amazon Web Services’ virtual private cloud, “meaning that no data leaves the firewall, no data is used in the training of the models at all,” according to Seaman.The upgraded Slackbot is already available for 70,000 employees at Salesforce (Slack’s parent company), and now the company is testing it with other customers as well. It plans to introduce the new feature to everyone at the end of the year.

The new standard aims to provide improved stability for devices in congested networks. It feels like the rollout of Wi-Fi 7 is barely out of the gate, but TP-Link is already making advancements towards the next generation of connectivity. The company announced on Monday that it has successfully tested an early prototype of Wi-Fi 8 hardware, marking a “critical milestone” in its development.While the test is light on details, TP-Link says it has validated the Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) beacon and data transfer capabilities, proving its viability for future consumer products. The prototype hardware was developed through a “joint industry partnership,” according to TP-Link, and the company expects consumer devices to be available ahead of the standard being ratified, which the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) expects to be finalized by 2028.In a July blog post breaking down the new standard, Qualcomm explains that Wi-Fi 8 aims to keep devices online and stable, rather than chasing faster bandwidth speeds. Like its predecessor, Wi-Fi 8 will utilize 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands with a theoretical maximum channel bandwidth of 320MHz and peak data rate of 23Gbps, but aims to improve real-world performance and connection reliability.The goal is to provide better performance in environments with low signal, or under high network loads, where an increasing number of devices are sharing the same connection. Wi-Fi 8 can theoretically manage more devices at once, and reduce lag when positioned further away from your router or moving around your home. That should provide users with a smoother gaming and streaming experience, and prevent freezes, drops, and “robot voice” from occurring during video calls.“Wi-Fi 8 marks a fundamental pivot — moving beyond peak speeds to prioritize reliable performance in challenging real-world conditions,” Qualcomm said. “It’s designed to bring Wi-Fi closer than ever to the reliability and responsiveness of wired infrastructure.”

OpenAI is teaming up with Broadcom to produce its own computer chips to power its AI data centers. The deal is the latest in a series of partnerships designed to reduce the company’s reliance on Nvidia and secure enough computing power to fuel apps like ChatGPT and Sora and realize its mission to develop superintelligent AI. OpenAI said designing its own chips allows it to “embed what it’s learned from developing frontier models and products directly into the hardware, unlocking new levels of capability and intelligence.” The partnership, announced Monday, will enable OpenAI to develop and deploy “10 gigawatts of custom AI accelerators” using its own chips and systems. To put that number in context, the output of a typical nuclear reactor is around one gigawatt. Broadcom is expected to start deploying racks of equipment in the second half of 2026 and the deal should finish by the end of 2029, the announcement said. OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman said the partnership “is a critical step in building the infrastructure needed to unlock AI’s potential and deliver real benefits for people and businesses.”The announcement comes after OpenAI struck a six gigawatt deal with AMD and a 10 gigawatt deal with Nvidia. The infrastructure partnerships have only recently become possible after OpenAI altered its exclusive arrangement with Microsoft for AI compute. Creating custom chips is part of a growing movement within the tech industry as major players like Meta, Google, and Microsoft work to bolster vital supply lines amid soaring demand and reduce their reliance on Nvidia’s AI chips. To date, custom chip projects have not posed a plausible threat to the chipmaking behemoth, though they have handsomely benefited other chipmakers like Broadcom.

I’m constantly searching for the next great productivity hack, which is how I landed on an AI experiment that turned out to be great: pairing NotebookLM with Grok. On one side, you have NotebookLM, the research assistant, which is grounded in your sources. On the other hand, there is Grok, the brilliant conversationalist known for its creative range and takes.

California joins a growing group of states with a new internet age-gating law after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed AB 1043, the Digital Age Assurance Act.The law mandates that device operating systems and app stores require users to enter their age or date of birth when setting up a new phone or computer. The new rules are slated to take effect on January 1st, 2027, and for devices set up prior to that date, the OS provider — like Apple or Google — must come up with a way for users to enter their ages by July 1st that year. Negligent violations of the law could cost such companies up to $2,500 per child impacted, and intentional violations could go up to $7,500 per child. The law still shields the companies from liability for “erroneous” age signals as long as they make a good faith effort to comply.“We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability,” Newsom said in a statement on signing the bill, along with a raft of other legislation related to children’s online safety, including a requirement to add warning labels to social media. “We can continue to lead in AI and technology, but we must do it responsibly — protecting our children every step of the way. Our children’s safety is not for sale.”California’s new rules are the latest in a wave of new age assurance laws sweeping the country. Utah became the first state to pass an app store age verification law, followed by Texas and Louisiana. Meta notably broke from tech peers to support such bills, which put the onus on app stores run by Apple and Google, rather than developers like itself. But they were initially pushed by parent advocates who have become some of the leading voices in passing a range of kids safety laws in the US. AB 1043 notably gained support from not only Meta, but also Google, which would likely be regulated under the act. Google senior director of government affairs and public policy Kareem Ghanem called it “one of the most thoughtful approaches we’ve seen thus far to the challenges of keeping kids safe, recognizing that it’s a shared responsibility across the ecosystem,” in a statement included in a press release by the Democratic assemblymember who led the bill, Buffy Wicks. Unlike some of the other laws, the California measure does not require parental consent for app downloads. It also doesn’t force users to upload sensitive documents like government IDs, which caused uproar in the UK over the implementation of the Online Safety Act (OSA).But the bill still lacks some key stakeholder support. Apple has not gotten behind the bill like its peers, and the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which advocates for the film and television industry, urged lawmakers to reject the bill, according to Politico, because it might create confusion among streaming accounts where parents and kids have different profiles. Wicks told Politico she’d work to fine-tune outstanding concerns with the bill next year.

The plus symbol in the current logo is still present across Apple’s website. The Apple TV Plus streaming service is being rebranded with a “vibrant new identity,” according to the Cupertino company, and is “now simply Apple TV.” The announcement was briefly mentioned at the bottom of Apple’s latest press release regarding the December 12th streaming debut of F1 The Movie. At the time of writing, no changes have been made to the current Apple TV Plus branding across Apple’s website or press portal.The change is likely to cause some confusion, given that the new name is already used by the Apple TV app that allows users to buy or rent movies, and hardware like the Apple TV 4K. Even the wording on Apple’s own announcement highlights the muddled branding, saying that F1 is available to purchase on Apple TV “ahead of its global streaming debut on Apple TV,” and that “Apple TV is available on the Apple TV app” on devices like… you got it, Apple TV.Apple hasn’t shared any other details about the new branding for its streaming service, so it’s unclear if it will be introducing an updated logo, or finding other ways to distinguish it from existing products. We’ve asked Apple if any changes will be made to the Apple TV app and Apple TV hardware, and will update if we hear back.

A bill attempting to regulate the ever-growing industry of companion AI chatbots is now law in California, as of October 13th.California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 243, billed as “first-in-the-nation AI chatbot safeguards” by state senator Anthony Padilla. The new law requires that companion chatbot developers implement new safeguards — for instance, “if a reasonable person interacting with a companion chatbot would be misled to believe that the person is interacting with a human,” then the new law requires the chatbot maker to “issue a clear and conspicuous notification” that the product is strictly AI and not human. Starting next year, the legislation would require some companion chatbot operators to make annual reports to the Office of Suicide Prevention about safeguards they’ve put in place “to detect, remove, and respond to instances of suicidal ideation by users,” and the Office would need to post such data on its website. “Emerging technology like chatbots and social media can inspire, educate, and connect – but without real guardrails, technology can also exploit, mislead, and endanger our kids,” Newsom said in a statement on signing the bill, along with several other pieces of legislation aimed at improving online safety for children, including new age-gating requirements for hardware. “We can continue to lead in AI and technology, but we must do it responsibly — protecting our children every step of the way. Our children’s safety is not for sale.”The news comes after Governor Newsom officially signed Senate Bill 53, the landmark AI transparency bill that divided AI companies and made headlines for months, into law in California. 

There was once a time when all high-end CPUs required a liquid cooler to prevent thermal throttling and deliver optimal performance under sustained load. If you were building a powerful system centered around a power-hungry chip, it meant installing a 360mm AIO to keep it reliably and sustainably cool during intense gaming sessions or a long day of 3D editing, rendering, or running simulations.

Halloween is the perfect excuse to fire up your 3D printer and fill your home with creepy, creative decorations. The best part is that many of the most impressive designs don’t require much filament or fancy materials, meaning you can bring the haunted house vibe to life without spending more than a few dollars. Whether you want to terrify trick-or-treaters or add a fun, eerie glow to your living space, prints like these are quick, affordable, and delightfully spooky.

If you already live by your Google Calendar, there's a good chance it's an integral part of running your day. I know it's mine. Meetings, workouts, reminders, even downtime. I'm a big fan of time blocking and Google Calendar helps me be more productive. It knows my schedule better than any smart assistant could, and certainly better than even I do. But as someone who works from a home office, I also need a set-up that's conducive to my specific needs. What if there was a way to feed my Google Calendar events to Home Assistant and build automations specifically tweaked to my life's live calendar updates? Well, you can do just that. And it's not very difficult to accomplish, either.

EagleEye includes “helmet-native hardware" designed for the battlefield. Anduril, the military tech company founded by Oculus creator Palmer Luckey, has announced the first hardware to come out of its recent partnership with Meta: EagleEye, an AI-powered mixed-reality (MR) system designed to be built into soldiers’ helmets.The modular hardware is a “family of systems,” according to Anduril’s announcement, including a heads-up display, spatial audio, and radio frequency detection. It can display mission briefings and orders, overlay maps and other information during combat, and control drones and military robotics.“We don’t want to give service members a new tool—we’re giving them a new teammate,” says Luckey. “The idea of an AI partner embedded in your display has been imagined for decades. EagleEye is the first time it’s real.”Anduril, which also manufactures border control tech, lethal drones, and military aircraft, has been developing EagleEye since its inception, and already provides software for the Army’s existing MR goggles, based on Microsoft’s HoloLens hardware. Its partnership with Meta was announced this May, and the company told TechCrunch at the time that the collaboration was to develop EagleEye. It’s a reunion of sorts for Luckey and Mark Zuckerberg, after Meta purchased Luckey’s then-start-up Oculus in 2014 and fired the founder three years later. “I am glad to be working with Meta once again,” Luckey said in a blog post at the time. “My mission has long been to turn warfighters into technomancers, and the products we are building with Meta do just that.”

EcoFlow’s Delta Pro Ultra X inverter unit stacked on top of two expansion batteries, and plugged into a Smart Home Panel 3. | Image: EcoFlow EcoFlow just announced its latest “most powerful” and “easy-to-install” whole-home battery backup system. It’s called the Delta Pro Ultra X because when you’ve already launched the superlative-laced Delta Pro Ultra in 2024, the only thing left is to add a variable to the name.Perhaps that X stands for 60 percent, which is the increase in power output over its predecessor. The Delta Pro Ultra X is capable of 12kW of continuous output, now scaling up to 36kW when three inverters are used in parallel. That’s enough to power a large central A/C system, induction oven, or EV charger. Battery capacity scales from 12kWh up to a massive 180kWh. For context, the average US home consumes about 29.2kWh per day, according to the US Energy Information Administration. So, maxing out a Delta Pro Ultra X could power an entire home for about six days, or weeks if you’re only powering critical devices after having EcoFlow’s electrical panel professionally installed.The Delta Pro Ultra X works with EcoFlow’s third-generation Smart Home Panel. The 200 amp panel can be installed as a main panel or subpanel to monitor and control up to 32 circuits. That way you can easily shut off non-essential loads during a blackout. It supports Time-of-Use to automatically charge and discharge the battery based on real-time pricing and forecasts in the region, and works with third-party gas generators, solar panels, and EV chargers.And like its predecessor, the Delta Pro Ultra X is modular. That means you can scale the installation over time, easily transport it to a new home, or even take an inverter and battery with you to power a holiday home or RV for the summer. EcoFlow is also leaning into the ease of installation in the US, touting its 425 certified installer partners, across almost every state. “The Delta Pro Ultra X system can be installed in under seven days from scheduling, with just one day needed for the on-site setup by EcoFlow-certified electricians,” says the company in a press release.A Delta Pro Ultra X bundle — featuring the inverter unit and two expansion batteries — costs $7,999. The bundle increases to $10,899 if you also want the Smart Home Panel 3, which can be purchased separately for $2,999.