Weekly Roundup
Week of July 17, 2026
San Francisco has mandated that Apple and Google remove nudify applications from their app stores, citing concerns over the companies profiting from these apps. Official estimates suggest that both tech giants have earned millions in fees from these nudify apps, prompting the city's action to address the issue.
Hugging Face has announced the integration of NVIDIA NeMo Automodel with 🤗 Diffusers, allowing developers to fine-tune video and image models at scale. This collaboration aims to simplify the process of adapting large pre-trained models for specific tasks, enhancing efficiency and accessibility for machine learning practitioners.
Apple has initiated a trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging misconduct involving over 400 former Apple employees now working at OpenAI, including claims against the company's chief hardware officer. This legal action comes at a critical time for OpenAI, which is reportedly preparing for an IPO, raising concerns about the potential impact on its plans and reputation.
Patreon has shifted its strategy to combat AI scraping by collaborating with Cloudflare to actively block bots that scrape creator content without permission. This change moves away from the previous reliance on the robots.txt protocol, indicating a more aggressive stance against unauthorized AI training on its platform.
Moonshot is preparing to launch Kimi 3, which is anticipated to be the largest open AI model from China, boasting a parameter count between 2 trillion and 3 trillion. This development is expected to position Kimi 3 as a strong competitor to Anthropic's Opus 4.8, potentially reshaping the landscape of AI models. The advancements in Kimi 3 could lead to significant improvements in AI capabilities for various applications.
Foundation Future Industries, a company with ties to Eric Trump, is developing humanoid robots intended for military use. The CEO has indicated that the company is exploring various 'kinetic' applications for these robots, suggesting a focus on combat or defense capabilities. This development raises questions about the future of robotics in warfare and the ethical implications of deploying humanoid robots in military settings.
San Francisco's City Attorney’s Office has issued cease-and-desist letters to Apple and Google, demanding the removal of 13 'face-swap' apps that are primarily used to exploit women and girls. This action highlights growing concerns over the misuse of AI technology and its impact on privacy and safety.
A recent $400 million chip-backed loan signifies a notable shift among GPU financiers towards inference chips, which are essential for AI applications. This development highlights the growing demand for specialized AI infrastructure as companies seek to enhance their capabilities in machine learning and data processing.
Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, has publicly dismissed critics advocating for a ban on AI coding tools, stating he will 'very loudly ignore' their concerns. He suggested that those opposed to AI integration in coding should either fork the Linux project or disengage entirely. This stance highlights the ongoing debate about the role of AI in software development and its acceptance within the open-source community.
Workers at a Hyundai auto factory have initiated a strike in response to the company's plans to deploy 25,000 Atlas humanoid robots, starting in 2028. The strike reflects growing fears among employees regarding job security and the potential impact of automation on their roles. This situation highlights the tension between technological advancement and workforce stability.
Elon Musk's xAI has initiated its first lawsuit against a user of Grok, the AI chatbot, accused of generating child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This development follows the company's acknowledgment that Grok is capable of producing such content, raising serious legal and ethical concerns.
The European Union has officially mandated Google to share its search data and improve AI accessibility on the Android platform. Google has expressed concerns that these changes may compromise user privacy and security, highlighting the ongoing tension between regulatory requirements and corporate practices.
Anthropic, a prominent AI company, is urging states to expedite the regulation of artificial intelligence, citing that existing transparency laws in California and New York may already be outdated. The company's head of US state and local policy emphasizes the need for updated frameworks to keep pace with rapid advancements in AI technology.
Roblox has launched a new 'Build' feature in its mobile app that allows users to create basic games using a single text prompt. This innovative tool aims to simplify the game development process, making it more accessible to a wider audience, including those without coding skills.
Google has launched a new feature in its Vids platform that allows users to create videos starring personalized AI avatars of themselves. This update also includes Gemini Omni-powered tools for generating and editing videos using prompts and reference images, enhancing the creative capabilities available to users.
Alexandre LeBrun, CEO of AMI Labs, has publicly distanced his AI developments from the terms 'AGI' (Artificial General Intelligence) and 'superintelligence.' This stance comes amid a broader industry trend where many are pursuing these ambitious labels, suggesting a more cautious approach to AI capabilities at AMI Labs.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that her administration is employing artificial intelligence to analyze all state rules and regulations for outdated legislation. This initiative aims to streamline the review process, which Hochul indicated could have taken years without AI assistance. The governor highlighted examples of antiquated laws, such as fees for dog hunting and permits for pregnant workers, that are under review.
DoorDash has introduced a limited beta version of dd-cli, a command-line interface that allows developers and AI agents to search for stores, build shopping carts, and place orders directly from the terminal. This innovation represents a significant shift towards developing software that caters to AI agents, enhancing automation in food delivery services.
Google has updated its AI Mode to allow users to link and interact with select applications, moving beyond simple question-answering capabilities. This enhancement enables users to complete tasks within their frequently used apps, streamlining workflows and improving productivity.
Thinking Machines Lab has launched its inaugural AI model, Inkling, which boasts 975 billion parameters and is designed to process video and audio data. This release positions Thinking Machines to compete with established players like Anthropic and OpenAI in the AI landscape.
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