Rivian opened the doors of its Palo Alto, California, headquarters this week for its Autonomy & AI event, revealing major upgrades to its hardware and software stack. From a custom-built AI chip to rooftop lidar and a next-gen voice assistant, Rivian detailed how its future R1 and upcoming R2 electric vehicles will gain more advanced autonomous driving and smarter in-car technology. The announcements mark a major step toward the company’s long-term goal: delivering hands-free, eyes-off and eventually Level 4 self-driving capabilities. Rivian’s First In-House AI Chip: ... Read More

Google’s new AI image generation system, Nano Banana Pro (powered by Gemini 3 Pro Image), is redefining what’s possible in digital media — and simultaneously blurring the last remaining lines between reality and AI. The model’s capabilities are so advanced that experts say it may be too good for comfort. The Nano Banana family includes two versions: the original Gemini 2.5 Flash Image and the upgraded Gemini 3 Pro Image, known as Nano Banana Pro. Both arrived only a few months ago, but the Pro variant has already become Google’s most powerful and controvers ... Read More

Social media platforms that once promised connection and community are rapidly becoming distorted, impersonal and exhausting — and a growing wave of AI-generated “slop” and deepfakes is accelerating that decline. For years, sites like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have been criticized for distorting reality with overly polished lifestyles and unattainable beauty standards. But with today’s generative AI tools — OpenAI’s Sora, Google’s Veo and Midjourney among them — the problem has escalated dramatically. With a few words, anyone can gene ... Read More

In a major push toward making artificial intelligence more accessible and globally inclusive, French AI innovator Mistral AI has unveiled a new generation of language models designed to operate seamlessly across devices — from powerful data centers to everyday consumer hardware like smartphones and laptops. The announcement introduces Mistral Large 3, the company’s most advanced general-purpose AI model yet, along with a range of smaller, highly efficient models under the Ministral 3 family. These releases underline the company’s commitment to expanding the reach of fr ... Read More

The future of household automation may finally be arriving — but it’s coming with a $20,000 price tag, a four-hour battery and a few major caveats. Meet Neo, the humanoid robot developed by California-based robotics company 1X, now available for preorder for just $200 down. Touted as one of the first “consumer-ready humanoids,” Neo aims to bring a long-imagined sci-fi fantasy into real homes: a walking, talking assistant capable of doing your chores. But as early adopters consider whether to invest in the robot equivalent of a budget car, there’s a lot more ... Read More

Character.AI has officially barred teenagers from having open-ended conversations with AI-powered chatbots, replacing the feature with a newly launched guided storytelling format designed to improve safety while still allowing creative interaction. The platform, widely known for letting users chat with a variety of AI-generated characters, confirmed that users under the age of 18 will no longer have access to unrestricted conversations. Instead, young users can now engage in structured, interactive stories that function much like digital “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, po ... Read More