New York Governor Kathy Hochul thinks AI should be ‘less evil’
New York Governor Kathy Hochul thinks AI should be ‘less evil’

Today, I’m talking with New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and I’ll just warn you — this episode moves really fast. It’s an election year, after all, with a shocking amount of tech policy at stake, and Governor Hochul has taken strong positions on almost every major tech issue there is. For example, Meta just reached […]

ChatGPT to face tougher regulation in the EU
ChatGPT to face tougher regulation in the EU

OpenAI will soon be held accountable for mitigating risks related to ChatGPT’s impact on minors, user mental health, and the spread of illegal content in the European Union. That’s because ChatGPT is now considered a Very Large Online Search Engine under the EU’s Digital Services Act, a set of laws regulating major online services and […]

Instagram cracks down on AI accounts pretending to be human
Instagram cracks down on AI accounts pretending to be human

Instagram is finally taking steps to address the rise of fake AI-influencer accounts that have gotten harder to spot. It’s also renaming the “AI creator” label to “AI-generated profile” to make it clear when a profile features an AI-generated person that’s not a real human being. “We’ve heard that people don’t like seeing a profile […]

Honda and Nissan will share the software in their cars from 2029
Honda and Nissan will share the software in their cars from 2029

Eighteen months after their merger fell apart over who would control whom, Honda and Nissan have agreed to share the software inside their cars. The two signed a joint development agreement on Monday covering electronic control units, an in-vehicle ope…

Chess.com launched a poker site, and it’s planning even more classic games
Chess.com launched a poker site, and it’s planning even more classic games

Chess.com has done one thing, and one thing very well, for almost 20 years, but now it’s going beyond its domain name. The biggest name in online chess quietly launched its first companion site in beta back in May: Gambit, a free online poker website where players can learn the game without risking any real […]

Two new small, powerful Macs
Two new small, powerful Macs

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 142, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, how is it almost September already, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been remembering Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, and Peter Cullen, absorbing […]

China’s robots race ahead
China’s robots race ahead

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on falling robots and the US-China AI race, follow Robert Hart. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started I’ve admitted my fondness for […]

Vicariously hike the Appalachian in the gorgeous A Trail Tale
Vicariously hike the Appalachian in the gorgeous A Trail Tale

I used to be an avid hiker and would try to go backpacking a few times a year. I always dreamed of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, but life kind of got in the way. (Turns out jobs, wives, and children aren’t thrilled with the idea of you disappearing for three months.) But I’ve been longing […]

Distraction-free writing gadget BYOK is adding custom extensions
Distraction-free writing gadget BYOK is adding custom extensions

BYOK is a no-frills, single-purpose gadget that 90 percent of people will find absolutely frivolous. But for those who spend a significant chunk of their lives putting words to virtual paper, there is an obvious allure. Personally, I think it’s at its best when you just stick to the bare minimum, focusing on pure text […]