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The artificial intelligence race is no longer just about building smarter AI models. It is increasingly becoming a battle over the chips that power them. Anthropic, the company behind Claude AI, is reportedly in discussions with Samsung about developing a custom AI chip, according to a report by The Information. While the talks are still at an early stage, the move suggests Anthropic is exploring ways to strengthen its long-term computing strategy as demand for AI hardware continues to grow. The company has not confirmed a partnership. In a statement to TechCrunch, Anthropic said chips from Nvidia, Google and Amazon will continue to play a key role in its AI infrastructure. It declined to comment further on reports about Samsung.<h2>Why does Anthropic want its own AI chip?</h2>Training and running advanced AI models requires enormous computing power. Today, much of that work depends on Nvidia's AI chips, which remain the industry standard. However, growing demand has led to supply constraints and rising costs, prompting several technology companies to develop their own processors. A custom chip could allow Anthropic to optimise hardware specifically for Claude AI, improve energy efficiency, reduce operating costs and gain greater control over its computing infrastructure. According to Reuters, Anthropic had already begun exploring the idea of designing its own AI chips earlier this year.<h2>Samsung could become an important partner</h2>Samsung is one of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers and already works closely with Nvidia on AI hardware. The South Korean company also manufactures advanced chips for other technology firms and has expanded investments in AI chip production. A partnership with Anthropic could strengthen Samsung's position in the rapidly growing AI semiconductor market. However, several important decisions reportedly remain unresolved, including what the chip will be used for, how powerful it will be and how it will fit into Anthropic's server infrastructure.<h2>AI companies are racing to control their hardware</h2>Anthropic is not alone.OpenAI recently announced its custom inference chip, Jalapeño, developed with Broadcom. Google has long relied on its in-house Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), while Amazon designs its own Trainium and Inferentia chips for Amazon Web Services.The shift reflects a broader trend across the AI industry. Instead of relying entirely on Nvidia, companies are building specialised chips that better match their own software and workloads. For Anthropic, a custom processor would represent more than a hardware upgrade. It could become an important step towards reducing dependence on third-party suppliers while preparing for increasingly powerful AI systems in the years ahead.&nbsp;

Anthropic is reportedly discussing a potential partnership with Samsung to develop a custom AI chip.

The artificial intelligence race is no longer just about building smarter AI models. It is increasingly becoming a battle over the chips that power them. Anthropic, the company behind Claude AI, is reportedly in discussions with Samsung about developing a custom AI chip, according to a report by The Information. While the talks are still at an early stage, the move suggests Anthropic is exploring ways to strengthen its long-term computing strategy as demand for AI hardware continues to grow. The company has not confirmed a partnership. In a statement to TechCrunch, Anthropic said chips from Nvidia, Google and Amazon will continue to play a key role in its AI infrastructure. It declined to comment further on reports about Samsung. Why does Anthropic want its own AI chip? Training and running advanced AI models requires enormous computing power. Today, much of that work depends on Nvidia's AI chips, which remain the industry standard. However, growing demand has led to supply constraints and rising costs, prompting several technology companies to develop their own processors. A custom chip could allow Anthropic to optimise hardware specifically for Claude AI, improve energy efficiency, reduce operating costs and gain greater control over its computing infrastructure. According to Reuters, Anthropic had already begun exploring the idea of designing its own AI chips earlier this year. Samsung could become an important partner Samsung is one of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers and already works closely with Nvidia on AI hardware. The South Korean company also manufactures advanced chips for other technology firms and has expanded investments in AI chip production. A partnership with Anthropic could strengthen Samsung's position in the rapidly growing AI semiconductor market. However, several important decisions reportedly remain unresolved, including what the chip will be used for, how powerful it will be and how it will fit into Anthropic's server infrastructure. AI companies are racing to control their hardware Anthropic is not alone. OpenAI recently announced its custom inference chip, Jalapeño, developed with Broadcom. Google has long relied on its in-house Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), while Amazon designs its own Trainium and Inferentia chips for Amazon Web Services. The shift reflects a broader trend across the AI industry. Instead of relying entirely on Nvidia, companies are building specialised chips that better match their own software and workloads. For Anthropic, a custom processor would represent more than a hardware upgrade. It could become an important step towards reducing dependence on third-party suppliers while preparing for increasingly powerful AI systems in the years ahead.

Anthropic is reportedly discussing a potential partnership with Samsung to develop a custom AI chip.

Beyond AI models: Anthropic is exploring a custom AI chip with Samsung. Here's why it matters

Videos flooding social media over the past week show a deeply unsettling scene: a person walks up to a moving e-rickshaw, opens an app on their phone, taps a button — and the vehicle dies. The driver, mid-route, is stranded. Some drivers are filmed crying. Others are seen pushing their vehicles home by hand. The app at the centre of these viral clips is called BAT-BMS, developed by Shenzhen Grenergy Technology in China, and what it has exposed is not just a viral prank — it is a structural vulnerability sitting inside millions of electric vehicles on Indian roads.&nbsp;What Is BAT-BMS?&nbsp;BAT-BMS is a battery management system application built to wirelessly monitor Bluetooth-enabled lithium battery packs. Its intended use is perfectly legitimate: solar installations, marine systems, off-grid power setups. The app lets a technician check a battery's charge level, voltage, current draw, temperature, cycle count, and individual cell health — all over a Bluetooth connection from up to 15 metres away. It was never designed to be pointed at a moving vehicle on a public road. But a design flaw in the batteries used by Indian e-rickshaws made that possible.&nbsp;The Bluetooth Gap Nobody Fixed&nbsp;Millions of e-rickshaws in India run on budget lithium battery packs sourced from Chinese manufacturers. These packs come fitted with a Battery Management System chip that includes a standard safety feature called the discharge switch — a function designed to let mechanics safely cut all power to a battery before performing repairs. The problem is that the Bluetooth module attached to these BMS chips is left entirely unsecured. No username. No password. No authentication layer of any kind. When that unprotected module broadcasts its Bluetooth signal — which it does constantly, within a roughly 15-metre radius — any compatible app within range can connect to it. And once connected, any user can trigger the discharge switch. The motor controller loses power instantly. The vehicle stops.&nbsp;Who Is Affected — And Who Is Not&nbsp;The vulnerability does not apply to every e-rickshaw on the road. Vehicles running on older lead-acid batteries — still very common in India — have no Bluetooth component and are entirely unaffected. E-rickshaws with lithium batteries that use proprietary BMS software, or whose Bluetooth modules have been properly password-protected, are also safe. The danger is specific to the large segment of the market that runs on cheap, mass-produced lithium battery packs with generic BMS chipsets and no security configuration. Experts note that the pranks circulating online are also harder to execute than the short videos suggest — connecting to a moving vehicle in traffic, locating the correct device among multiple signals, and triggering the switch without the driver noticing all require proximity and a few seconds of deliberate action. But that does not make it safe.&nbsp;Banning The App Changes Nothing&nbsp;Following the viral spread of the videos, BAT-BMS has reportedly been removed from Apple's App Store. It remains available on the Google Play Store. But here is the problem with the ban-the-app response: BAT-BMS is not unique. There are thousands of generic Bluetooth BMS monitoring applications available across the App Store, the Play Store, and third-party APK repositories. Any app that can communicate with a standard BMS protocol over Bluetooth can, in principle, trigger the same discharge switch. Removing one app from one store does not close the vulnerability — it just changes which app someone uses to exploit it.&nbsp;AI Can Rebuild It In Under Five Minutes&nbsp;The situation is made structurally worse by the rise of AI-powered app generation tools. Platforms like Mythis and other vibe-coding AI builders can take a simple prompt — ‘build a Bluetooth BMS controller app that connects to lithium battery packs and allows toggling the discharge switch’ — and generate a fully functional Android or iOS application in minutes. No coding expertise required. No app store submission needed; the output can be side-loaded directly onto a phone. This means that even if every existing BAT-BMS clone were simultaneously removed from every platform on earth, a replacement could be operational in the time it takes to make a cup of tea. The app is not the attack surface. The unprotected hardware is.&nbsp;Drivers Pay The Price&nbsp;The human cost of this vulnerability falls entirely on e-rickshaw drivers — some of India's most economically vulnerable gig workers. A driver whose vehicle is remotely stalled mid-route loses the fare, loses time, risks the safety of passengers, and faces the prospect of either pushing a several-hundred-kilogram vehicle through traffic or waiting for a mechanic who may or may not know what has happened. Viral videos show drivers who have no idea why their vehicle has stopped, with no way to diagnose the problem without technical assistance. Tech creator Abhishek Bhatnagar, who investigated the issue, pointed out that the responsibility cannot be placed on drivers: they have no reasonable means to configure Bluetooth security settings on their battery packs. The dealers and manufacturers who supply these vehicles and batteries should have done it before the sale.&nbsp;The Fix Is In The Hardware, Not The App Store&nbsp;Cybersecurity experts watching the situation have been consistent: the only real solution is to secure the BMS hardware itself. Battery packs need to ship with Bluetooth modules that require authentication before any command can be issued. Manufacturers need to set unique passwords before batteries leave the factory floor. Dealers need to verify that security is active before delivering vehicles to drivers. India has no current regulatory framework requiring any of this for EV battery hardware. The government has not issued a formal response as of this writing. What exists is a growing number of viral videos, a lot of crying drivers, and a structural flaw in the connected mobility ecosystem that a five-minute AI-generated app replacement will keep alive indefinitely — long after BAT-BMS itself has been forgotten.

BAT-BMS app went viral for remotely disabling Indian e-rickshaws via Bluetooth. Removed from App Store, but thousands of clone apps exist — and AI tools like Mythis can rebuild one in under 5 minutes.

Videos flooding social media over the past week show a deeply unsettling scene: a person walks up to a moving e-rickshaw, opens an app on their phone, taps a button — and the vehicle dies. The driver, mid-route, is stranded. Some drivers are filmed crying. Others are seen pushing their vehicles home by hand. The app at the centre of these viral clips is called BAT-BMS, developed by Shenzhen Grenergy Technology in China, and what it has exposed is not just a viral prank — it is a structural vulnerability sitting inside millions of electric vehicles on Indian roads. What Is BAT-BMS? BAT-BMS is a battery management system application built to wirelessly monitor Bluetooth-enabled lithium battery packs. Its intended use is perfectly legitimate: solar installations, marine systems, off-grid power setups. The app lets a technician check a battery's charge level, voltage, current draw, temperature, cycle count, and individual cell health — all over a Bluetooth connection from up to 15 metres away. It was never designed to be pointed at a moving vehicle on a public road. But a design flaw in the batteries used by Indian e-rickshaws made that possible. The Bluetooth Gap Nobody Fixed Millions of e-rickshaws in India run on budget lithium battery packs sourced from Chinese manufacturers. These packs come fitted with a Battery Management System chip that includes a standard safety feature called the discharge switch — a function designed to let mechanics safely cut all power to a battery before performing repairs. The problem is that the Bluetooth module attached to these BMS chips is left entirely unsecured. No username. No password. No authentication layer of any kind. When that unprotected module broadcasts its Bluetooth signal — which it does constantly, within a roughly 15-metre radius — any compatible app within range can connect to it. And once connected, any user can trigger the discharge switch. The motor controller loses power instantly. The vehicle stops. Who Is Affected — And Who Is Not The vulnerability does not apply to every e-rickshaw on the road. Vehicles running on older lead-acid batteries — still very common in India — have no Bluetooth component and are entirely unaffected. E-rickshaws with lithium batteries that use proprietary BMS software, or whose Bluetooth modules have been properly password-protected, are also safe. The danger is specific to the large segment of the market that runs on cheap, mass-produced lithium battery packs with generic BMS chipsets and no security configuration. Experts note that the pranks circulating online are also harder to execute than the short videos suggest — connecting to a moving vehicle in traffic, locating the correct device among multiple signals, and triggering the switch without the driver noticing all require proximity and a few seconds of deliberate action. But that does not make it safe. Banning The App Changes Nothing Following the viral spread of the videos, BAT-BMS has reportedly been removed from Apple's App Store. It remains available on the Google Play Store. But here is the problem with the ban-the-app response: BAT-BMS is not unique. There are thousands of generic Bluetooth BMS monitoring applications available across the App Store, the Play Store, and third-party APK repositories. Any app that can communicate with a standard BMS protocol over Bluetooth can, in principle, trigger the same discharge switch. Removing one app from one store does not close the vulnerability — it just changes which app someone uses to exploit it. AI Can Rebuild It In Under Five Minutes The situation is made structurally worse by the rise of AI-powered app generation tools. Platforms like Mythis and other vibe-coding AI builders can take a simple prompt — ‘build a Bluetooth BMS controller app that connects to lithium battery packs and allows toggling the discharge switch’ — and generate a fully functional Android or iOS application in minutes. No coding expertise required. No app store submission needed; the output can be side-loaded directly onto a phone. This means that even if every existing BAT-BMS clone were simultaneously removed from every platform on earth, a replacement could be operational in the time it takes to make a cup of tea. The app is not the attack surface. The unprotected hardware is. Drivers Pay The Price The human cost of this vulnerability falls entirely on e-rickshaw drivers — some of India's most economically vulnerable gig workers. A driver whose vehicle is remotely stalled mid-route loses the fare, loses time, risks the safety of passengers, and faces the prospect of either pushing a several-hundred-kilogram vehicle through traffic or waiting for a mechanic who may or may not know what has happened. Viral videos show drivers who have no idea why their vehicle has stopped, with no way to diagnose the problem without technical assistance. Tech creator Abhishek Bhatnagar, who investigated the issue, pointed out that the responsibility cannot be placed on drivers: they have no reasonable means to configure Bluetooth security settings on their battery packs. The dealers and manufacturers who supply these vehicles and batteries should have done it before the sale. The Fix Is In The Hardware, Not The App Store Cybersecurity experts watching the situation have been consistent: the only real solution is to secure the BMS hardware itself. Battery packs need to ship with Bluetooth modules that require authentication before any command can be issued. Manufacturers need to set unique passwords before batteries leave the factory floor. Dealers need to verify that security is active before delivering vehicles to drivers. India has no current regulatory framework requiring any of this for EV battery hardware. The government has not issued a formal response as of this writing. What exists is a growing number of viral videos, a lot of crying drivers, and a structural flaw in the connected mobility ecosystem that a five-minute AI-generated app replacement will keep alive indefinitely — long after BAT-BMS itself has been forgotten.

A Chinese app called BAT-BMS has gone viral in India for a disturbing reason, strangers are using it to remotely switch off e-rickshaws mid-journey, stranding drivers and wiping out their daily earnings. The app has reportedly been pulled from Apple's App Store. But experts warn that banning the app solves nothing: there are thousands of identical tools already available across app stores, and AI platforms like Mythis can rebuild a clone from scratch in under five minutes. The real flaw isn't in the software. It's baked into millions of cheap, unprotected batteries rolling across India's roads every day.

What is BAT-BMS, Chinese app bringing Indian streets to a standstill?

There is a version of Mark Zuckerberg's career that looks like visionary boldness: the founder who saw mobile before Google, who built a social graph that connected three billion people, who made a $19 billion bet on WhatsApp when everyone thought he was crazy. Then there is the version that has been playing out in real time since 2021 — a CEO who keeps announcing enormous bets on ideas that either collapse into expensive failures or turn out to be things he cannot actually execute. The Metaverse. Meta AI. And now, Meta Compute: the plan to build an Amazon Web Services rival. Each one announced with confidence. Each one, so far, stumbling.&nbsp;The Metaverse: $90 Billion On Cartoon Zoom Calls&nbsp;In late 2021, Zuckerberg renamed the company from Facebook to Meta and declared that the future was the Metaverse — a persistent virtual world where people would work, socialise, and live through VR headsets and digital avatars. Billions poured into Reality Labs, the division responsible for making this happen. The flagship product, Horizon Worlds, launched to widespread mockery. Critics compared it to low-quality cartoon-like virtual meeting rooms — a Zoom call with worse graphics and no obvious reason to use it. The numbers tell the story clearly: Reality Labs has lost approximately $90 billion in total since 2020. Annual losses went from $10 billion in 2021 to $13 billion in 2022, $16 billion in 2023, $17.7 billion in 2024, and $19.2 billion in 2025. In 2026's first quarter alone, the division lost over $4 billion. Despite all of this, the Metaverse generates roughly 1 percent of Meta's total revenue.&nbsp;Meta AI: Exploiting Users, Banning Creators, Getting Facts Wrong&nbsp;When the Metaverse bet started looking like a catastrophe, Zuckerberg pivoted hard to artificial intelligence. Meta AI was positioned as the company's answer to ChatGPT and Google Gemini — a conversational AI assistant embedded across Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and the Quest headsets. The reality has been a different story. Meta's AI moderation systems have been falsely banning thousands of Instagram creators and small businesses, flagging ordinary family photos as child exploitation material, and removing accounts that represent years of work and primary income streams for their owners. A Change.org petition against wrongful Meta AI bans has gathered nearly 56,000 signatures. Meta's own Oversight Board confirmed in June 2026 that the company's AI enforcement lacks due process and transparency — meaning bans are made by automated systems with no human review and no meaningful appeals process. Meanwhile, AI-generated bot accounts with blue tick verification badges continue to thrive on the same platform where real human creators are being removed.&nbsp;Now He Wants To Build An AWS&nbsp;With the Metaverse burning money and Meta AI generating headlines for all the wrong reasons, Zuckerberg has announced his latest pivot: Meta Compute, an internal initiative to sell spare AI computing capacity to outside customers and compete directly with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. At Meta's shareholder meeting in May 2026, Zuckerberg said entering cloud computing was ‘definitely on the table,’ noting that companies were approaching Meta ‘almost every week’ to buy access to its AI models or spare computing power. The initiative is being led by Meta's infrastructure chief Santosh Janardhan, Daniel Gross of Meta Superintelligence Labs, and Meta President Dina Powell McCormick.&nbsp;The Problem: Meta Has No Spare Compute&nbsp;The immediate problem with Meta's cloud ambitions was identified by analyst Richard Windsor almost as soon as the plan leaked: Meta does not actually have spare compute to sell. Companies like CoreWeave and Nebius exist specifically because Meta — and other major AI companies — need to buy capacity from outside suppliers to meet their own AI workload demands. If Meta is buying compute from CoreWeave and Nebius today, it cannot simultaneously be renting surplus compute to paying customers. Building a real cloud business would require Meta to dramatically increase its data centre and chip capacity — which is exactly what Wolfe Research found when they ran the numbers, concluding that a genuine cloud business would push Meta's 2027 capital expenditure to $200 billion, up from previous estimates of $160 billion, and would likely force the company to raise capital before any cloud revenue materialised.&nbsp;The Copycat Problem&nbsp;The deeper issue is not just whether Meta Compute can work. It is the pattern it fits into. Facebook was built partly by copying features from rivals. Instagram Stories was a direct copy of Snapchat Stories. Reels was built to compete with TikTok after TikTok ate into Facebook's youth audience. WhatsApp's payment features mirror WeChat. The difference is that copying a product feature is relatively cheap and reversible. Copying an entire business model — building a cloud infrastructure giant from scratch to compete with companies that have been doing it for fifteen to twenty years — is a different order of magnitude entirely. AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud have decades of enterprise relationships, global infrastructure, and developer ecosystems that Meta does not have. The question the market is increasingly asking is whether Zuckerberg's instinct to respond to every competitive threat by building a replica is the right strategy — or whether it is a habit that has started to cost considerably more than it returns.

From a $90 billion Metaverse failure to Meta AI wrongly banning creators, Zuckerberg's bets keep collapsing. Now he wants to build a cloud rival to AWS — but analysts say Meta has no spare compute.

There is a version of Mark Zuckerberg's career that looks like visionary boldness: the founder who saw mobile before Google, who built a social graph that connected three billion people, who made a $19 billion bet on WhatsApp when everyone thought he was crazy. Then there is the version that has been playing out in real time since 2021 — a CEO who keeps announcing enormous bets on ideas that either collapse into expensive failures or turn out to be things he cannot actually execute. The Metaverse. Meta AI. And now, Meta Compute: the plan to build an Amazon Web Services rival. Each one announced with confidence. Each one, so far, stumbling. The Metaverse: $90 Billion On Cartoon Zoom Calls In late 2021, Zuckerberg renamed the company from Facebook to Meta and declared that the future was the Metaverse — a persistent virtual world where people would work, socialise, and live through VR headsets and digital avatars. Billions poured into Reality Labs, the division responsible for making this happen. The flagship product, Horizon Worlds, launched to widespread mockery. Critics compared it to low-quality cartoon-like virtual meeting rooms — a Zoom call with worse graphics and no obvious reason to use it. The numbers tell the story clearly: Reality Labs has lost approximately $90 billion in total since 2020. Annual losses went from $10 billion in 2021 to $13 billion in 2022, $16 billion in 2023, $17.7 billion in 2024, and $19.2 billion in 2025. In 2026's first quarter alone, the division lost over $4 billion. Despite all of this, the Metaverse generates roughly 1 percent of Meta's total revenue. Meta AI: Exploiting Users, Banning Creators, Getting Facts Wrong When the Metaverse bet started looking like a catastrophe, Zuckerberg pivoted hard to artificial intelligence. Meta AI was positioned as the company's answer to ChatGPT and Google Gemini — a conversational AI assistant embedded across Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and the Quest headsets. The reality has been a different story. Meta's AI moderation systems have been falsely banning thousands of Instagram creators and small businesses, flagging ordinary family photos as child exploitation material, and removing accounts that represent years of work and primary income streams for their owners. A Change.org petition against wrongful Meta AI bans has gathered nearly 56,000 signatures. Meta's own Oversight Board confirmed in June 2026 that the company's AI enforcement lacks due process and transparency — meaning bans are made by automated systems with no human review and no meaningful appeals process. Meanwhile, AI-generated bot accounts with blue tick verification badges continue to thrive on the same platform where real human creators are being removed. Now He Wants To Build An AWS With the Metaverse burning money and Meta AI generating headlines for all the wrong reasons, Zuckerberg has announced his latest pivot: Meta Compute, an internal initiative to sell spare AI computing capacity to outside customers and compete directly with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. At Meta's shareholder meeting in May 2026, Zuckerberg said entering cloud computing was ‘definitely on the table,’ noting that companies were approaching Meta ‘almost every week’ to buy access to its AI models or spare computing power. The initiative is being led by Meta's infrastructure chief Santosh Janardhan, Daniel Gross of Meta Superintelligence Labs, and Meta President Dina Powell McCormick. The Problem: Meta Has No Spare Compute The immediate problem with Meta's cloud ambitions was identified by analyst Richard Windsor almost as soon as the plan leaked: Meta does not actually have spare compute to sell. Companies like CoreWeave and Nebius exist specifically because Meta — and other major AI companies — need to buy capacity from outside suppliers to meet their own AI workload demands. If Meta is buying compute from CoreWeave and Nebius today, it cannot simultaneously be renting surplus compute to paying customers. Building a real cloud business would require Meta to dramatically increase its data centre and chip capacity — which is exactly what Wolfe Research found when they ran the numbers, concluding that a genuine cloud business would push Meta's 2027 capital expenditure to $200 billion, up from previous estimates of $160 billion, and would likely force the company to raise capital before any cloud revenue materialised. The Copycat Problem The deeper issue is not just whether Meta Compute can work. It is the pattern it fits into. Facebook was built partly by copying features from rivals. Instagram Stories was a direct copy of Snapchat Stories. Reels was built to compete with TikTok after TikTok ate into Facebook's youth audience. WhatsApp's payment features mirror WeChat. The difference is that copying a product feature is relatively cheap and reversible. Copying an entire business model — building a cloud infrastructure giant from scratch to compete with companies that have been doing it for fifteen to twenty years — is a different order of magnitude entirely. AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud have decades of enterprise relationships, global infrastructure, and developer ecosystems that Meta does not have. The question the market is increasingly asking is whether Zuckerberg's instinct to respond to every competitive threat by building a replica is the right strategy — or whether it is a habit that has started to cost considerably more than it returns.

Mark Zuckerberg has spent nearly a decade copying competitors and betting billions on ideas that collapsed. The Metaverse burned through $90 billion and became a punchline. Meta AI has wrongly banned thousands of creators and exploited users' content. Now Zuckerberg is announcing plans to build his own cloud computing business to rival AWS — despite analysts pointing out that Meta doesn't even have spare compute to sell. The pattern is becoming hard to ignore.

'Failed AI, AWS copy': Zuckerberg is destroying his own empire and investors refuse to see it

For most of his career, Mark Zuckerberg's instinct to copy competitors has worked. He copied Snapchat's Stories format — Instagram Stories now has over 500 million daily users. He copied TikTok's short-video format with Reels — it is now one of Meta's fastest-growing revenue products. He spent $19 billion on WhatsApp and turned it into an indispensable global messaging service. The formula was reliable: find what works elsewhere, execute it at scale, win. This week, the market tested whether that formula still holds when the thing being copied is a multi-decade, multi-trillion-dollar enterprise infrastructure business. The verdict, delivered in 48 hours, was not encouraging.&nbsp;Wednesday: The Best Day In Six Months&nbsp;Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Meta was developing an internal initiative called Meta Compute — a plan to rent out spare AI computing capacity to outside customers and compete directly with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Wall Street responded enthusiastically. Meta stock jumped 8.8 percent on the day, its strongest single-session gain in six months. Investors liked the narrative: Meta has built one of the world's largest AI infrastructure footprints, spending between $125 billion and $145 billion in capital expenditure in 2026 alone. If even a fraction of that infrastructure could be monetised as a cloud service, the revenue upside was enormous. The stock closed at a fresh recent high. The cloud trade looked like a winner.&nbsp;Thursday: Down 5 Percent. Here Is What Changed&nbsp;Wolfe Research ran the numbers overnight. A genuine cloud computing business — one with the infrastructure, reliability, and enterprise relationships needed to compete with AWS and Azure — would not be built from Meta's existing spare capacity. It would require massive additional investment. Wolfe estimated that Meta's 2027 capital expenditure would need to rise to $200 billion, up from prior estimates of $160 billion, to support a real cloud business. More critically, that investment would come before any meaningful cloud revenue showed up on Meta's income statement. Margins would fall first. And at $200 billion in annual capex, Meta would almost certainly need to raise external capital — a prospect that changes the investment case entirely. Meta shares fell 5 percent on Thursday as the market processed what ‘building an AWS’ actually costs.&nbsp;SoftBank Crashed The Party In 24 Hours&nbsp;The second blow came from an unexpected direction. One day after Meta's cloud plans leaked, SoftBank announced SB Neo — a US venture that will rent out AI chips and data centre capacity, with a target of 10 gigawatts of capacity by 2030. OpenAI is reportedly an early customer. The compute rental trade, which had looked like a differentiated Meta strategy on Wednesday morning, had become a crowded market by Thursday afternoon. The speed at which a competitor entered the same space — not months later, not years later, but within 24 hours — illustrated exactly how replicable the underlying idea is. Renting compute is not a moat. It is infrastructure economics, and infrastructure economics favours the players who have been doing it longest.&nbsp;The Core Problem: Meta Is A Compute Buyer, Not A Seller&nbsp;Analyst Richard Windsor identified what may be the most fundamental flaw in the Meta Compute thesis: Meta does not have spare compute to sell. Today, Meta buys GPU and data centre capacity from companies like CoreWeave and Nebius because Meta's own AI workloads exceed its in-house infrastructure. A company that is a net buyer of compute capacity cannot simultaneously position itself as a compute vendor without building an entirely new layer of infrastructure on top of what it already needs for its own operations. The plan, as Windsor described it, conflates having large infrastructure with having surplus infrastructure — and those are very different things.&nbsp;Collateral Damage: CoreWeave, Nebius, And The Chip Names&nbsp;The market's reaction was not limited to Meta. CoreWeave — which currently supplies AI compute capacity to Meta — fell 14 percent on Wednesday as investors concluded that a Meta cloud business would eventually reduce Meta's dependence on outside suppliers. CoreWeave's junk-rated bonds began selling off. By Thursday, the stock had fallen further, with more than $7.5 billion in combined market capitalisation erased across the two sessions. Nebius, another compute supplier, dropped 17 percent. Chip-adjacent names including Micron were dragged into the selloff as the market recalibrated who wins and who loses if Meta becomes both a compute consumer and a compute competitor.&nbsp;What $200 Billion In Capex Really Means&nbsp;The number that should concern Meta shareholders most is not the stock move. It is the capex trajectory. A company already spending $125 billion to $145 billion annually on infrastructure, now potentially facing a $200 billion capital expenditure requirement, with margins under pressure before new revenue arrives, and a possible capital raise on the horizon — that is not a cloud opportunity. That is a spending spiral. At that level of capital commitment, the pressure to find offsetting savings elsewhere becomes intense. Spending pressure of that magnitude is historically how hiring freezes start, how restructuring programmes are launched, and how layoff announcements get prepared. For Meta's tens of thousands of employees, the Meta Compute announcement may have felt like good news on Wednesday. The Wolfe Research note made Thursday considerably less comfortable.

Meta jumped 8.8% on Meta Compute cloud news, then fell 5% next day. Wolfe Research: $200B capex needed. SoftBank launched a rival in 24 hours. CoreWeave lost $7.5B in market cap. Full breakdown.

For most of his career, Mark Zuckerberg's instinct to copy competitors has worked. He copied Snapchat's Stories format — Instagram Stories now has over 500 million daily users. He copied TikTok's short-video format with Reels — it is now one of Meta's fastest-growing revenue products. He spent $19 billion on WhatsApp and turned it into an indispensable global messaging service. The formula was reliable: find what works elsewhere, execute it at scale, win. This week, the market tested whether that formula still holds when the thing being copied is a multi-decade, multi-trillion-dollar enterprise infrastructure business. The verdict, delivered in 48 hours, was not encouraging. Wednesday: The Best Day In Six Months Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Meta was developing an internal initiative called Meta Compute — a plan to rent out spare AI computing capacity to outside customers and compete directly with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Wall Street responded enthusiastically. Meta stock jumped 8.8 percent on the day, its strongest single-session gain in six months. Investors liked the narrative: Meta has built one of the world's largest AI infrastructure footprints, spending between $125 billion and $145 billion in capital expenditure in 2026 alone. If even a fraction of that infrastructure could be monetised as a cloud service, the revenue upside was enormous. The stock closed at a fresh recent high. The cloud trade looked like a winner. Thursday: Down 5 Percent. Here Is What Changed Wolfe Research ran the numbers overnight. A genuine cloud computing business — one with the infrastructure, reliability, and enterprise relationships needed to compete with AWS and Azure — would not be built from Meta's existing spare capacity. It would require massive additional investment. Wolfe estimated that Meta's 2027 capital expenditure would need to rise to $200 billion, up from prior estimates of $160 billion, to support a real cloud business. More critically, that investment would come before any meaningful cloud revenue showed up on Meta's income statement. Margins would fall first. And at $200 billion in annual capex, Meta would almost certainly need to raise external capital — a prospect that changes the investment case entirely. Meta shares fell 5 percent on Thursday as the market processed what ‘building an AWS’ actually costs. SoftBank Crashed The Party In 24 Hours The second blow came from an unexpected direction. One day after Meta's cloud plans leaked, SoftBank announced SB Neo — a US venture that will rent out AI chips and data centre capacity, with a target of 10 gigawatts of capacity by 2030. OpenAI is reportedly an early customer. The compute rental trade, which had looked like a differentiated Meta strategy on Wednesday morning, had become a crowded market by Thursday afternoon. The speed at which a competitor entered the same space — not months later, not years later, but within 24 hours — illustrated exactly how replicable the underlying idea is. Renting compute is not a moat. It is infrastructure economics, and infrastructure economics favours the players who have been doing it longest. The Core Problem: Meta Is A Compute Buyer, Not A Seller Analyst Richard Windsor identified what may be the most fundamental flaw in the Meta Compute thesis: Meta does not have spare compute to sell. Today, Meta buys GPU and data centre capacity from companies like CoreWeave and Nebius because Meta's own AI workloads exceed its in-house infrastructure. A company that is a net buyer of compute capacity cannot simultaneously position itself as a compute vendor without building an entirely new layer of infrastructure on top of what it already needs for its own operations. The plan, as Windsor described it, conflates having large infrastructure with having surplus infrastructure — and those are very different things. Collateral Damage: CoreWeave, Nebius, And The Chip Names The market's reaction was not limited to Meta. CoreWeave — which currently supplies AI compute capacity to Meta — fell 14 percent on Wednesday as investors concluded that a Meta cloud business would eventually reduce Meta's dependence on outside suppliers. CoreWeave's junk-rated bonds began selling off. By Thursday, the stock had fallen further, with more than $7.5 billion in combined market capitalisation erased across the two sessions. Nebius, another compute supplier, dropped 17 percent. Chip-adjacent names including Micron were dragged into the selloff as the market recalibrated who wins and who loses if Meta becomes both a compute consumer and a compute competitor. What $200 Billion In Capex Really Means The number that should concern Meta shareholders most is not the stock move. It is the capex trajectory. A company already spending $125 billion to $145 billion annually on infrastructure, now potentially facing a $200 billion capital expenditure requirement, with margins under pressure before new revenue arrives, and a possible capital raise on the horizon — that is not a cloud opportunity. That is a spending spiral. At that level of capital commitment, the pressure to find offsetting savings elsewhere becomes intense. Spending pressure of that magnitude is historically how hiring freezes start, how restructuring programmes are launched, and how layoff announcements get prepared. For Meta's tens of thousands of employees, the Meta Compute announcement may have felt like good news on Wednesday. The Wolfe Research note made Thursday considerably less comfortable.

Meta stock surged 8.8 percent on Wednesday — its best single day in six months — after Bloomberg reported plans for ‘Meta Compute,’ a cloud business to sell spare AI capacity. By Thursday it was down 5 percent. Wolfe Research found that a real cloud business would push Meta's 2027 capex to $200 billion. SoftBank announced a competing product the very next day. And an analyst pointed out that Meta doesn't actually have spare compute to sell. Wall Street's one-day love affair with the idea lasted exactly 24 hours.

Zuckerberg built a fortune copying others! This time he is failing miserably

Microsoft has announced a new AI-focused business called Microsoft Frontier Company, backed by an initial investment of $2.5 billion, as the tech giant shifts its attention from simply providing AI models to helping companies successfully deploy them. The announcement comes as businesses around the world increase spending on artificial intelligence but struggle to identify which models deliver the best results for their operations. Microsoft says the new company will help customers integrate AI faster while improving returns on their investments. Reuters first reported the launch.<h2>Why Microsoft is creating Frontier Company</h2>Over the past two years, many companies have experimented with AI using services from firms such as OpenAI and Anthropic. However, many enterprises are now using multiple AI models instead of relying on a single provider. Microsoft says Frontier Company will help businesses select AI models, combine them with their own internal data and deploy AI systems that suit their specific needs. Customers will also retain ownership of the AI solutions built for them rather than sharing those improvements with Microsoft.<h2>Businesses want flexibility, not just one AI model</h2>According to Microsoft Commercial Business CEO Judson Althoff, the company has learnt important lessons from the early days of Copilot. He said Microsoft initially depended too heavily on OpenAI's models. As more competitors such as Google's Gemini, Anthropic's Claude and open-source AI models entered the market, businesses increasingly demanded the flexibility to switch between different AI systems. Instead of locking customers into one model, Frontier Company is designed to support AI tools from Microsoft as well as external providers, allowing businesses to choose the technology that best fits their work.<h2>Enterprise AI enters a new stage</h2>The move reflects a broader change in the AI industry. Rather than asking which chatbot is the smartest, businesses are increasingly focused on how AI can improve productivity, reduce costs and generate measurable business value. Microsoft joins companies such as Palantir and Amazon Web Services, which also provide consulting and technical support to help enterprises deploy AI at scale. The company has already lined up customers including Unilever and Novo Nordisk, signalling that demand for enterprise AI services continues to grow across industries. As AI adoption expands, experts believe success will depend less on using a single powerful model and more on combining the right AI tools with company data, security requirements and business goals.&nbsp;

Microsoft has launched Frontier Company with a $2.5 billion investment to help businesses deploy AI more effectively. The new venture will support Microsoft and third-party AI models, reflecting a growing shift towards flexible enterprise AI solutions.

Microsoft has announced a new AI-focused business called Microsoft Frontier Company, backed by an initial investment of $2.5 billion, as the tech giant shifts its attention from simply providing AI models to helping companies successfully deploy them. The announcement comes as businesses around the world increase spending on artificial intelligence but struggle to identify which models deliver the best results for their operations. Microsoft says the new company will help customers integrate AI faster while improving returns on their investments. Reuters first reported the launch. Why Microsoft is creating Frontier Company Over the past two years, many companies have experimented with AI using services from firms such as OpenAI and Anthropic. However, many enterprises are now using multiple AI models instead of relying on a single provider. Microsoft says Frontier Company will help businesses select AI models, combine them with their own internal data and deploy AI systems that suit their specific needs. Customers will also retain ownership of the AI solutions built for them rather than sharing those improvements with Microsoft. Businesses want flexibility, not just one AI model According to Microsoft Commercial Business CEO Judson Althoff, the company has learnt important lessons from the early days of Copilot. He said Microsoft initially depended too heavily on OpenAI's models. As more competitors such as Google's Gemini, Anthropic's Claude and open-source AI models entered the market, businesses increasingly demanded the flexibility to switch between different AI systems. Instead of locking customers into one model, Frontier Company is designed to support AI tools from Microsoft as well as external providers, allowing businesses to choose the technology that best fits their work. Enterprise AI enters a new stage The move reflects a broader change in the AI industry. Rather than asking which chatbot is the smartest, businesses are increasingly focused on how AI can improve productivity, reduce costs and generate measurable business value. Microsoft joins companies such as Palantir and Amazon Web Services, which also provide consulting and technical support to help enterprises deploy AI at scale. The company has already lined up customers including Unilever and Novo Nordisk, signalling that demand for enterprise AI services continues to grow across industries. As AI adoption expands, experts believe success will depend less on using a single powerful model and more on combining the right AI tools with company data, security requirements and business goals.

Microsoft has launched Frontier Company with a $2.5 billion investment to help businesses deploy AI more effectively. The new venture will support Microsoft and third-party AI models, reflecting a growing shift towards flexible enterprise AI solutions.

Microsoft bets $2.5 billion on new AI company to help businesses deploy AI

Apple could be preparing one of its busiest product launches in recent years. According to a Bloomberg report, the company is working on a redesigned entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, a refreshed iPad Pro lineup and its next-generation M7 chip, with several products expected to arrive during the first half of 2027.While Apple has not confirmed these devices, the report suggests the company is accelerating its Apple Silicon roadmap as artificial intelligence becomes a bigger focus across its hardware ecosystem.<h2>A redesigned MacBook Pro could be the biggest change</h2>The most noticeable update may come to Apple's entry-level MacBook Pro. Bloomberg reports that Apple is developing a redesigned 14-inch model, internally codenamed K104, which could become the first major design refresh for the lower-end MacBook Pro in several years. The laptop is expected to adopt design elements from Apple's future premium MacBook Pro models, which are also rumoured to include touch-screen displays. Reports have also suggested Apple is exploring a pill-shaped camera cut-out similar to the Dynamic Island found on recent iPhones, although it remains unclear whether the entry-level model will include this feature. Before that redesign arrives, Bloomberg says Apple is expected to launch another MacBook Pro later this year featuring the existing design and a base M6 processor.<h2>iPad Pro may focus on performance instead of a new look</h2>Apple is also said to be testing four new iPad Pro models in the familiar 11-inch and 13-inch sizes. Rather than introducing a new design, the tablets are expected to receive internal upgrades aimed at improving speed and efficiency. Previous reports have suggested Apple is testing vapour chamber cooling technology to help maintain performance during demanding workloads such as video editing, gaming and AI applications.Bloomberg did not specify whether the devices will use M6 or M7 processors.<h2>Apple's M7 chip could power the next AI era</h2>Another key part of Apple's reported roadmap is the arrival of its M7 processor. The next-generation Apple Silicon chip is expected to deliver faster performance while improving on-device artificial intelligence capabilities. As AI features become more demanding across macOS and iPadOS, Apple appears to be optimising its chips to process more tasks locally rather than relying on cloud computing.<h2>Why 2027 could be a major year for Apple</h2>If Apple's current roadmap remains unchanged, the first half of 2027 could see launches across several product categories, including new Macs, iPads and potentially other devices such as the second-generation iPhone Air and an entry-level iPhone 18. Although these products remain unannounced, the reported plans suggest Apple is preparing a broad refresh that combines redesigned hardware with more powerful Apple Silicon, reflecting the company's growing focus on AI, performance and long-term ecosystem improvements.

Apple is reportedly preparing a redesigned 14-inch MacBook Pro, refreshed iPad Pro models and its next-generation M7 chip for the first half of 2027. If the plans remain on track, it could mark one of the company's biggest hardware refreshes in years.

Apple could be preparing one of its busiest product launches in recent years. According to a Bloomberg report, the company is working on a redesigned entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, a refreshed iPad Pro lineup and its next-generation M7 chip, with several products expected to arrive during the first half of 2027. While Apple has not confirmed these devices, the report suggests the company is accelerating its Apple Silicon roadmap as artificial intelligence becomes a bigger focus across its hardware ecosystem. A redesigned MacBook Pro could be the biggest change The most noticeable update may come to Apple's entry-level MacBook Pro. Bloomberg reports that Apple is developing a redesigned 14-inch model, internally codenamed K104, which could become the first major design refresh for the lower-end MacBook Pro in several years. The laptop is expected to adopt design elements from Apple's future premium MacBook Pro models, which are also rumoured to include touch-screen displays. Reports have also suggested Apple is exploring a pill-shaped camera cut-out similar to the Dynamic Island found on recent iPhones, although it remains unclear whether the entry-level model will include this feature. Before that redesign arrives, Bloomberg says Apple is expected to launch another MacBook Pro later this year featuring the existing design and a base M6 processor. iPad Pro may focus on performance instead of a new look Apple is also said to be testing four new iPad Pro models in the familiar 11-inch and 13-inch sizes. Rather than introducing a new design, the tablets are expected to receive internal upgrades aimed at improving speed and efficiency. Previous reports have suggested Apple is testing vapour chamber cooling technology to help maintain performance during demanding workloads such as video editing, gaming and AI applications. Bloomberg did not specify whether the devices will use M6 or M7 processors. Apple's M7 chip could power the next AI era Another key part of Apple's reported roadmap is the arrival of its M7 processor. The next-generation Apple Silicon chip is expected to deliver faster performance while improving on-device artificial intelligence capabilities. As AI features become more demanding across macOS and iPadOS, Apple appears to be optimising its chips to process more tasks locally rather than relying on cloud computing. Why 2027 could be a major year for Apple If Apple's current roadmap remains unchanged, the first half of 2027 could see launches across several product categories, including new Macs, iPads and potentially other devices such as the second-generation iPhone Air and an entry-level iPhone 18. Although these products remain unannounced, the reported plans suggest Apple is preparing a broad refresh that combines redesigned hardware with more powerful Apple Silicon, reflecting the company's growing focus on AI, performance and long-term ecosystem improvements.

Apple is reportedly preparing a redesigned 14-inch MacBook Pro, refreshed iPad Pro models and its next-generation M7 chip for the first half of 2027. If the plans remain on track, it could mark one of the company's biggest hardware refreshes in years.

Apple could have its busiest year yet in 2027. Here's what may be coming

A day after Indian government asked Meta to hold the rollout of their new username feature in India, WhatsApp has said that the names of public figures, government entities, celebrities and verified Meta accounts will be kept reserved. A spokesperson for the company quoted in a report by News 18 and Moneycontrol claimed that the feature has only been announced and is not yet to be available to users. "We’ve announced the option for people to reserve their preferred username on WhatsApp. The ability to use a username is not yet live and will roll out slowly later this year," the spokesperson said.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/india-issues-notice-to-meta-over-new-whatsapp-feature-flags-fraud-concerns-1782959223298/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/india-issues-notice-to-meta-over-new-whatsapp-feature-flags-fraud-concerns-1782959223298/embed</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;Addressing concerns over misuse, the company said it has already built safeguards into the feature. “To protect against impersonation, we’ve held the highest-profile names — think public figures, government entities, celebrities, verified Meta accounts — so they can only ever be claimed by their legitimate owners and lookalike derivatives of known names are held as well," the spokesperson added. However, WION was able to reserve usernames of personalities on WhatsApp despite WhatsApp's claims. WION attempted reserving the username for verifying the claims made by WhatsApp and immediately cancelled the process and did not reserve any username that would amount to impersonation.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-directs-meta-to-halt-whatsapp-usernames-feature-until-consultations-are-complete-1782918599679">India directs Meta to halt WhatsApp usernames feature until consultations are complete</a>&nbsp;<h2>What WION factcheck found?</h2><ol><li>Whatsapps claim that it has not yet been rolled out was false becauseit is available&nbsp;</li><li>Users can also access the feature to reserve usernames&nbsp;</li><li>The feature has not been halted despite Indian government's notice&nbsp;</li><li>Users can reserve usernames similar to personalities increasing risk of fraud</li></ol><figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn1.wionews.com/prod/wion/images/2026/20260702/image-1782963554192.png"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn1.wionews.com/prod/wion/images/2026/20260702/image-1782963505950.png"></figure>2. While username such as “PMOIndia” and "meaindia" were not available, changing a letter or adding numbers showed that it is available&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn1.wionews.com/prod/wion/images/2026/20260702/image-1782963828715.png"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn1.wionews.com/prod/wion/images/2026/20260702/image-1782963856931.png"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn1.wionews.com/prod/wion/images/2026/20260702/image-1782963876349.png"></figure><h2>What is Whatsapp's new feature and what Indian government said?</h2>The Indian government has issued a formal notice to Meta, directing the technology giant to explain its new WhatsApp “usernames” feature and suspend any rollout in the country until further consultations are complete. &nbsp;This came after privacy experts and cybersecurity specialists raised concerns that similar-looking usernames could still be exploited for fraud. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has given Meta three days to provide a detailed report on how the privacy-focused update will work, amid mounting concerns over impersonation, online fraud and challenges to traceability.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/whatsapp-introduces-usernames-here-s-how-you-can-reserve-yours-and-why-the-app-is-making-the-change-1782791192842">WhatsApp introduces usernames: Don't MISS OUT on your unique username - Here's how you can reserve it</a>&nbsp;Meta has described the change as a major step forward, with safeguards including reserved names for public figures, celebrities and government entities, limits on contact attempts and no public directory of usernames. WhatsApp head Kunal Shah, an Indian fintech entrepreneur recently appointed to the role, promoted the username feature as “a more private way to connect”.

Meta says it will reserve the names of public figures, celebrities, government entities and verified accounts under WhatsApp's upcoming usernames feature to prevent impersonation. The move comes after India issued a notice seeking details on the feature and raising concerns over fraud

A day after Indian government asked Meta to hold the rollout of their new username feature in India, WhatsApp has said that the names of public figures, government entities, celebrities and verified Meta accounts will be kept reserved. A spokesperson for the company quoted in a report by News 18 and Moneycontrol claimed that the feature has only been announced and is not yet to be available to users. "We’ve announced the option for people to reserve their preferred username on WhatsApp. The ability to use a username is not yet live and will roll out slowly later this year," the spokesperson said. https://www.wionews.com/videos/india-issues-notice-to-meta-over-new-whatsapp-feature-flags-fraud-concerns-1782959223298/embed Addressing concerns over misuse, the company said it has already built safeguards into the feature. “To protect against impersonation, we’ve held the highest-profile names — think public figures, government entities, celebrities, verified Meta accounts — so they can only ever be claimed by their legitimate owners and lookalike derivatives of known names are held as well," the spokesperson added. However, WION was able to reserve usernames of personalities on WhatsApp despite WhatsApp's claims. WION attempted reserving the username for verifying the claims made by WhatsApp and immediately cancelled the process and did not reserve any username that would amount to impersonation. Also Read: India directs Meta to halt WhatsApp usernames feature until consultations are complete What WION factcheck found? Whatsapps claim that it has not yet been rolled out was false becauseit is available Users can also access the feature to reserve usernames The feature has not been halted despite Indian government's notice Users can reserve usernames similar to personalities increasing risk of fraud 2. While username such as “PMOIndia” and "meaindia" were not available, changing a letter or adding numbers showed that it is available What is Whatsapp's new feature and what Indian government said? The Indian government has issued a formal notice to Meta, directing the technology giant to explain its new WhatsApp “usernames” feature and suspend any rollout in the country until further consultations are complete. This came after privacy experts and cybersecurity specialists raised concerns that similar-looking usernames could still be exploited for fraud. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has given Meta three days to provide a detailed report on how the privacy-focused update will work, amid mounting concerns over impersonation, online fraud and challenges to traceability. Also Read: WhatsApp introduces usernames: Don't MISS OUT on your unique username - Here's how you can reserve it Meta has described the change as a major step forward, with safeguards including reserved names for public figures, celebrities and government entities, limits on contact attempts and no public directory of usernames. WhatsApp head Kunal Shah, an Indian fintech entrepreneur recently appointed to the role, promoted the username feature as “a more private way to connect”.

Meta says it will reserve the names of public figures, celebrities, government entities and verified accounts under WhatsApp's upcoming usernames feature to prevent impersonation. The move comes after India issued a notice seeking details on the feature and raising concerns over fraud

'Not yet live': Whatsapp responds after India halts its username feature - WION factchecks claims

Anthropic has restored global access to its advanced Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 AI models after introducing a new set of cybersecurity safeguards. The move follows discussions with the US government and comes after the company temporarily restricted access to the models over concerns about potential misuse.&nbsp;The company says the updated safeguards are designed to prevent harmful cybersecurity activities while allowing legitimate users to continue using the models for coding, research and other everyday tasks. For most users, Anthropic says the experience should remain largely unchanged.&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Fable 5 is back. <a href="https://t.co/9RTGUCcPHy">pic.twitter.com/9RTGUCcPHy</a>&mdash; Claude (@claudeai) <a href="https://x.com/claudeai/status/2072402636813607381?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>Why did Anthropic bring Fable 5 back?</h2>According to Anthropic, the company has improved its security systems to better distinguish between legitimate requests and potentially harmful ones. The new safeguards use updated classifiers that identify requests related to advanced cybersecurity misuse. If a request is flagged, users will receive a notification and the conversation will automatically switch to Claude Opus 4.8, rather than Fable 5.&nbsp;Anthropic says this approach allows it to continue offering powerful AI capabilities while reducing the risk of abuse.&nbsp;<h2>Will coding and everyday work be affected?</h2>Anthropic says the vast majority of coding work will not be affected. However, the company acknowledged that the new safeguards may temporarily block a slightly higher number of harmless requests than intended. This means some legitimate coding or debugging prompts could be redirected to Opus 4.8 until the classifiers become more accurate.The company said it is already working on updates to reduce these false positives over the coming weeks.<h2>Biology and chemistry restrictions remain</h2>Anthropic also confirmed that its biology and chemistry safety filters remain unchanged from the initial launch.The company admitted that these classifiers are still broader than it would like. As a result, even some basic biology-related questions may currently fall back to Claude Opus 4.8 instead of Fable 5. Anthropic says improvements to these scientific safety systems are already being developed and will be introduced in future updates.<h2>AI safety becomes a bigger industry focus</h2>The return of Fable 5 and Mythos 5 reflects a wider shift across the AI industry, where companies are trying to balance powerful capabilities with stronger safety measures. Rather than limiting access entirely, Anthropic is introducing more targeted safeguards that aim to stop misuse while keeping advanced AI available for developers, researchers and businesses. The company says it will continue refining these protections as more users begin using the restored models.

Anthropic has restored access to its Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI models after introducing updated cybersecurity safeguards. 

Anthropic has restored global access to its advanced Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 AI models after introducing a new set of cybersecurity safeguards. The move follows discussions with the US government and comes after the company temporarily restricted access to the models over concerns about potential misuse. The company says the updated safeguards are designed to prevent harmful cybersecurity activities while allowing legitimate users to continue using the models for coding, research and other everyday tasks. For most users, Anthropic says the experience should remain largely unchanged.

Anthropic has restored access to its Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI models after introducing updated cybersecurity safeguards.&nbsp;

Fable 5 is available again, but with smarter safety checks: Here's what has changed for users

New Delhi: The Indian government has issued a formal notice to Meta, directing the technology giant to explain its new WhatsApp “usernames” feature and suspend any rollout in the country until further consultations are complete. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has given Meta three days to provide a detailed report on how the privacy-focused update will work, amid mounting concerns over impersonation, online fraud and challenges to traceability.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/over-100-eminent-people-from-india-pak-write-open-letter-to-modi-shehbaz-appeal-to-end-hostilities-1782916095110">Over 100 eminent people from India, Pak write open letter to Modi, Shehbaz; appeal to end hostilities</a>&nbsp;WhatsApp, used by hundreds of millions in India, announced last week that users would soon be able to reserve unique usernames, allowing them to connect with others without sharing their phone numbers. The feature, already open for reservations in some markets and slated for wider rollout later in 2026, is designed to allow users to chat, join groups or contact businesses via handles like @exampleuser rather than their mobile numbers.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-invites-india-s-ruling-bjp-and-opposition-congress-to-khamenei-state-funeral-1782905079005">Iran invites India’s ruling BJP and opposition Congress to Khamenei state funeral</a>&nbsp;Meta has described the change as a major step forward, with safeguards including reserved names for public figures, celebrities and government entities, limits on contact attempts and no public directory of usernames. WhatsApp head Kunal Shah, an Indian fintech entrepreneur recently appointed to the role, promoted the username feature as “a more private way to connect”.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/decoding-japan-s-soft-power-and-cultural-influence-india-others-tend-to-overlook-1782901121503">Decoding Japan’s soft power and cultural influence India, others tend to overlook</a>&nbsp;But it is clear that the Indian government is not convinced and is concerned that fraudsters could create fake profiles mimicking officials or agencies, especially using international numbers, making it harder to trace perpetrators. Meta has yet to respond publicly to the notice.&nbsp;For the social media giant, India represents one of WhatsApp’s largest and fastest-growing markets, driving user numbers and engagement that bolster the company’s global valuation.

The feature, already open for reservations in some markets and slated for wider rollout later in 2026, is designed to allow users to chat, join groups or contact businesses via handles like @exampleuser rather than their mobile numbers.

New Delhi: The Indian government has issued a formal notice to Meta, directing the technology giant to explain its new WhatsApp “usernames” feature and suspend any rollout in the country until further consultations are complete. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has given Meta three days to provide a detailed report on how the privacy-focused update will work, amid mounting concerns over impersonation, online fraud and challenges to traceability. Also Read: Over 100 eminent people from India, Pak write open letter to Modi, Shehbaz; appeal to end hostilities WhatsApp, used by hundreds of millions in India, announced last week that users would soon be able to reserve unique usernames, allowing them to connect with others without sharing their phone numbers. The feature, already open for reservations in some markets and slated for wider rollout later in 2026, is designed to allow users to chat, join groups or contact businesses via handles like @exampleuser rather than their mobile numbers. Also Read: Iran invites India’s ruling BJP and opposition Congress to Khamenei state funeral Meta has described the change as a major step forward, with safeguards including reserved names for public figures, celebrities and government entities, limits on contact attempts and no public directory of usernames. WhatsApp head Kunal Shah, an Indian fintech entrepreneur recently appointed to the role, promoted the username feature as “a more private way to connect”. Also Read: Decoding Japan’s soft power and cultural influence India, others tend to overlook But it is clear that the Indian government is not convinced and is concerned that fraudsters could create fake profiles mimicking officials or agencies, especially using international numbers, making it harder to trace perpetrators. Meta has yet to respond publicly to the notice. For the social media giant, India represents one of WhatsApp’s largest and fastest-growing markets, driving user numbers and engagement that bolster the company’s global valuation.

The feature, already open for reservations in some markets and slated for wider rollout later in 2026, is designed to allow users to chat, join groups or contact businesses via handles like @exampleuser rather than their mobile numbers.

India directs Meta to halt WhatsApp usernames feature until consultations are complete

TikTok is considering another round of job cuts in Europe, with about 300 roles reportedly at risk at its Dublin headquarters. The proposed layoffs would follow a similar reduction in workforce last year and could affect one of the company's largest operations outside Asia.According to reports, TikTok has begun consulting employees about the planned restructuring. While the company has not confirmed the final number of positions that will be affected, the move signals that the social media platform is continuing to reshape its business operations in Europe.<h2>Why is TikTok considering more layoffs?</h2>Technology companies have spent the past few years reviewing costs while investing heavily in artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure and new digital services. For TikTok, the latest proposal appears to be part of a broader organisational review rather than a sign that the platform is slowing down. Companies often reorganise teams to improve efficiency, remove overlapping roles and focus resources on priority areas. The reported cuts come about a year after TikTok reduced a similar number of jobs at its Dublin office.<h2>TikTok's Dublin office</h2>TikTok's Dublin office serves as one of the company's most important European hubs. It supports operations across multiple countries and houses teams working in trust and safety, data privacy, public policy, engineering, sales and business operations. The office has grown rapidly over the past few years as TikTok expanded across Europe and invested in regional data security initiatives. Because of its strategic role, any workforce changes at the Dublin hub are closely watched by employees, regulators and the wider technology industry. The reported layoffs are currently part of an employee consultation process, meaning the final number of affected roles could still change. TikTok has not announced any impact on its services, users or creators. The platform continues to invest in new features, advertising products and artificial intelligence tools while facing increasing regulatory scrutiny across Europe.&nbsp;The latest proposal also reflects a wider trend across the technology sector, where companies are balancing long-term investment in AI with efforts to streamline operations and control costs.&nbsp;If approved, the latest restructuring would mark another significant workforce adjustment for TikTok's European business as it adapts to changing market conditions.

TikTok is reportedly considering cutting around 300 jobs at its Dublin headquarters, following a similar round of layoffs last year. The proposed move comes as the company continues restructuring its European operations while investing in AI and long-term growth.

TikTok is considering another round of job cuts in Europe, with about 300 roles reportedly at risk at its Dublin headquarters. The proposed layoffs would follow a similar reduction in workforce last year and could affect one of the company's largest operations outside Asia. According to reports, TikTok has begun consulting employees about the planned restructuring. While the company has not confirmed the final number of positions that will be affected, the move signals that the social media platform is continuing to reshape its business operations in Europe. Why is TikTok considering more layoffs? Technology companies have spent the past few years reviewing costs while investing heavily in artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure and new digital services. For TikTok, the latest proposal appears to be part of a broader organisational review rather than a sign that the platform is slowing down. Companies often reorganise teams to improve efficiency, remove overlapping roles and focus resources on priority areas. The reported cuts come about a year after TikTok reduced a similar number of jobs at its Dublin office. TikTok's Dublin office TikTok's Dublin office serves as one of the company's most important European hubs. It supports operations across multiple countries and houses teams working in trust and safety, data privacy, public policy, engineering, sales and business operations. The office has grown rapidly over the past few years as TikTok expanded across Europe and invested in regional data security initiatives. Because of its strategic role, any workforce changes at the Dublin hub are closely watched by employees, regulators and the wider technology industry. The reported layoffs are currently part of an employee consultation process, meaning the final number of affected roles could still change. TikTok has not announced any impact on its services, users or creators. The platform continues to invest in new features, advertising products and artificial intelligence tools while facing increasing regulatory scrutiny across Europe. The latest proposal also reflects a wider trend across the technology sector, where companies are balancing long-term investment in AI with efforts to streamline operations and control costs. If approved, the latest restructuring would mark another significant workforce adjustment for TikTok's European business as it adapts to changing market conditions.

TikTok is reportedly considering cutting around 300 jobs at its Dublin headquarters, following a similar round of layoffs last year. The proposed move comes as the company continues restructuring its European operations while investing in AI and long-term growth.

Betting big on AI: TikTok plans fresh job cuts in Europe as about 300 roles face risk at its Dublin hub

Anthropic has announced that Claude Fable 5 will once again be available to users worldwide after temporarily restricting access over cybersecurity concerns. The company said the rollout will begin tomorrow following what it described as "productive conversations" with the US government.&nbsp;The return of the model is significant because Claude Fable 5 had been one of Anthropic's most advanced AI systems before restrictions were introduced. The company says the latest version includes stronger safety protections designed to prevent misuse while allowing legitimate users to continue using the model for everyday work.&nbsp;<h2>Why was Claude Fable 5 restricted?</h2>Anthropic previously limited access to Claude Fable 5 because of concerns that its advanced capabilities could be misused for cybersecurity-related activities. According to the company, the updated deployment now uses a new set of AI classifiers that identify and block requests linked to harmful cybersecurity tasks. At the same time, Anthropic says it is working to reduce false positives so genuine users are not unnecessarily blocked. During this transition, some routine activities such as coding and debugging may automatically be handled by Claude Opus 4.8 instead of Fable 5. Anthropic said these safeguards will continue to improve over the coming weeks.&nbsp;Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and Amazon working on AI safetyAlongside the relaunch, Anthropic announced a broader industry initiative aimed at improving AI security. The company said it has started drafting a consensus framework with partners including Amazon, Microsoft, Google and other participants in its Project Glasswing programme. The goal is to develop common standards for assessing AI jailbreaks, measuring their severity and deciding how AI developers should respond when vulnerabilities are discovered. Anthropic also invited other AI companies and research organisations to participate in developing the framework.&nbsp;<h2>Collaboration with the US government expands</h2>Anthropic also confirmed that it is expanding its collaboration with the US government on AI safety testing.According to the company, future cooperation will include pre-release access to AI models and safeguards for government evaluation, information sharing about jailbreak techniques and AI misuse, as well as dedicated resources for joint research. The announcement reflects a growing trend across the AI industry, where leading developers are working more closely with governments to balance rapid innovation with security and responsible deployment.For users, the return of Claude Fable 5 means access to one of Anthropic's most capable AI models once again this time with additional protections designed to make powerful AI systems safer for wider public use.

Anthropic has announced that Claude Fable 5 will once again be available to users worldwide after temporarily restricting access due to cybersecurity concerns.

Anthropic has announced that Claude Fable 5 will once again be available to users worldwide after temporarily restricting access over cybersecurity concerns. The company said the rollout will begin tomorrow following what it described as "productive conversations" with the US government. The return of the model is significant because Claude Fable 5 had been one of Anthropic's most advanced AI systems before restrictions were introduced. The company says the latest version includes stronger safety protections designed to prevent misuse while allowing legitimate users to continue using the model for everyday work. Why was Claude Fable 5 restricted? Anthropic previously limited access to Claude Fable 5 because of concerns that its advanced capabilities could be misused for cybersecurity-related activities. According to the company, the updated deployment now uses a new set of AI classifiers that identify and block requests linked to harmful cybersecurity tasks. At the same time, Anthropic says it is working to reduce false positives so genuine users are not unnecessarily blocked. During this transition, some routine activities such as coding and debugging may automatically be handled by Claude Opus 4.8 instead of Fable 5. Anthropic said these safeguards will continue to improve over the coming weeks. Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and Amazon working on AI safety Alongside the relaunch, Anthropic announced a broader industry initiative aimed at improving AI security. The company said it has started drafting a consensus framework with partners including Amazon, Microsoft, Google and other participants in its Project Glasswing programme. The goal is to develop common standards for assessing AI jailbreaks, measuring their severity and deciding how AI developers should respond when vulnerabilities are discovered. Anthropic also invited other AI companies and research organisations to participate in developing the framework. Collaboration with the US government expands Anthropic also confirmed that it is expanding its collaboration with the US government on AI safety testing. According to the company, future cooperation will include pre-release access to AI models and safeguards for government evaluation, information sharing about jailbreak techniques and AI misuse, as well as dedicated resources for joint research. The announcement reflects a growing trend across the AI industry, where leading developers are working more closely with governments to balance rapid innovation with security and responsible deployment. For users, the return of Claude Fable 5 means access to one of Anthropic's most capable AI models once again this time with additional protections designed to make powerful AI systems safer for wider public use.

Anthropic has announced that Claude Fable 5 will once again be available to users worldwide after temporarily restricting access over cybersecurity concerns.

Anthropic is relaunching Claude Fable 5 with stricter AI safety checks

If recent reports are accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro may look very similar to its predecessor. While some users expect a completely new design every year, Apple's history suggests that familiar hardware is often part of a much bigger strategy.Instead of redesigning the iPhone annually, Apple usually spreads major changes over several product generations. The company often chooses to improve what's inside the device before making noticeable changes to its appearance.<h2>Apple has always favoured gradual improvements</h2>Apple's product philosophy has long focused on refinement rather than frequent redesigns. Many iPhone generations have kept a similar appearance while introducing faster processors, better cameras, longer battery life and new software features. This approach allows Apple to improve reliability while giving developers and accessory makers a consistent platform. It also helps users upgrade without having to relearn how their devices work. Rather than chasing dramatic visual changes, Apple often prioritises the overall experience. Manufacturing becomes simpler and more efficient Keeping a familiar design can also benefit manufacturing.When Apple reuses parts of an existing design, suppliers can continue using established production lines instead of building entirely new manufacturing systems. This reduces production risks, improves assembly efficiency and helps Apple manufacture millions of devices at a faster pace. A mature design also tends to have fewer production issues, which is important when launching new iPhones in large volumes worldwide.Internal upgrades often matter more than the designReports suggest the iPhone 18 Pro could receive meaningful upgrades inside the device, even if its appearance changes only slightly. Expected improvements include the new A20 processor, faster on-device AI through Apple Intelligence, camera enhancements, improved power efficiency and better thermal management. These upgrades affect how the phone performs every day, even if they are less visible than a redesigned exterior. For many users, faster performance, longer battery life and smarter AI features may have a greater impact than a different camera layout or new frame design.<h2>Apple balances innovation with long-term value</h2>Apple also designs products with long software support in mind. By evolving hardware gradually, the company can optimise iOS, improve reliability and maintain compatibility across several generations of iPhones. This strategy also supports Apple's wider ecosystem, where accessories such as cases, chargers and MagSafe products often remain compatible across multiple devices. If the current reports prove accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro may not be remembered for a bold new design. Instead, it could show how Apple continues to focus on steady improvements in performance, efficiency and intelligence while keeping the overall experience familiar for millions of users.&nbsp;

The iPhone 18 Pro may keep a familiar design, but that could reflect Apple's long-standing strategy. Instead of major visual changes every year, the company often prioritises performance, AI, cameras, battery life and manufacturing efficiency.


If recent reports are accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro may look very similar to its predecessor. While some users expect a completely new design every year, Apple's history suggests that familiar hardware is often part of a much bigger strategy. Instead of redesigning the iPhone annually, Apple usually spreads major changes over several product generations. The company often chooses to improve what's inside the device before making noticeable changes to its appearance. Apple has always favoured gradual improvements Apple's product philosophy has long focused on refinement rather than frequent redesigns. Many iPhone generations have kept a similar appearance while introducing faster processors, better cameras, longer battery life and new software features. This approach allows Apple to improve reliability while giving developers and accessory makers a consistent platform. It also helps users upgrade without having to relearn how their devices work. Rather than chasing dramatic visual changes, Apple often prioritises the overall experience. Manufacturing becomes simpler and more efficient Keeping a familiar design can also benefit manufacturing. When Apple reuses parts of an existing design, suppliers can continue using established production lines instead of building entirely new manufacturing systems. This reduces production risks, improves assembly efficiency and helps Apple manufacture millions of devices at a faster pace. A mature design also tends to have fewer production issues, which is important when launching new iPhones in large volumes worldwide. Internal upgrades often matter more than the design Reports suggest the iPhone 18 Pro could receive meaningful upgrades inside the device, even if its appearance changes only slightly. Expected improvements include the new A20 processor, faster on-device AI through Apple Intelligence, camera enhancements, improved power efficiency and better thermal management. These upgrades affect how the phone performs every day, even if they are less visible than a redesigned exterior. For many users, faster performance, longer battery life and smarter AI features may have a greater impact than a different camera layout or new frame design. Apple balances innovation with long-term value Apple also designs products with long software support in mind. By evolving hardware gradually, the company can optimise iOS, improve reliability and maintain compatibility across several generations of iPhones. This strategy also supports Apple's wider ecosystem, where accessories such as cases, chargers and MagSafe products often remain compatible across multiple devices. If the current reports prove accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro may not be remembered for a bold new design. Instead, it could show how Apple continues to focus on steady improvements in performance, efficiency and intelligence while keeping the overall experience familiar for millions of users.

The iPhone 18 Pro may keep a familiar design, but that could reflect Apple's long-standing strategy. Instead of major visual changes every year, the company often prioritises performance, AI, cameras, battery life and manufacturing efficiency.

Why does every iPhone look similar?

China's next big AI push is no longer limited to chatbots now. They are now teaching humanoid robots how to perform everyday tasks such as folding clothes, preparing meals and cleaning homes.&nbsp;According to information shared by China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, humanoid robots are being trained inside dedicated data-training centres. Human instructors guide the robots through repeated tasks so they can collect real-world data, improve their movements and learn how to interact safely with people.&nbsp;The development highlights China's growing ambition to become a global leader in intelligent robotics.x

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">China’s humanoid robots are going to school — learning to fold, cook, and clean, guided by trainers in data-training centers. <a href="https://t.co/ccrJOsx2Jp">pic.twitter.com/ccrJOsx2Jp</a>&mdash; Mao Ning 毛宁 (@SpoxCHN_MaoNing) <a href="https://x.com/SpoxCHN_MaoNing/status/2071793398638661693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>What happens inside these robot training centres?</h2>The facilities work much like classrooms for robots. Human trainers repeatedly demonstrate tasks while robots observe, imitate and practise them. These activities include folding laundry, arranging household items, cooking simple meals, picking up objects and cleaning different surfaces. Every attempt generates large amounts of data. AI models use this information to improve the robot's understanding of movement, balance, object handling and decision-making. The goal is to help robots perform everyday activities more naturally instead of relying only on pre-programmed instructions.<h2>Why is China investing heavily in humanoid robots?</h2>China sees humanoid robots as one of the next major industries after electric vehicles and artificial intelligence. The country is facing an ageing population and rising labour costs. Intelligent robots could eventually assist in factories, hospitals, warehouses, elderly care facilities, hotels and even private homes. Unlike traditional industrial robots that perform a single repetitive task, humanoid robots are designed to work in environments built for people. That makes them more flexible and capable of handling different types of work.<h2>What does this mean for the future?</h2>Many technology companies around the world are racing to build practical humanoid robots. Firms in China, the United States and Europe are investing billions of dollars to improve AI, sensors and robotic movement. However, teaching robots how to safely complete everyday activities remains one of the biggest challenges. China's new training centres represent another step towards that goal. While humanoid robots are still some years away from becoming common in homes, the country's latest efforts suggest the focus is shifting from building robots to teaching them how to function effectively in the real world.

China is training humanoid robots in specialised centres where they learn tasks such as cooking, cleaning and folding clothes. The programme aims to prepare AI-powered robots for future roles in homes, healthcare, factories and other workplaces.

China's next big AI push is no longer limited to chatbots now. They are now teaching humanoid robots how to perform everyday tasks such as folding clothes, preparing meals and cleaning homes. According to information shared by China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, humanoid robots are being trained inside dedicated data-training centres. Human instructors guide the robots through repeated tasks so they can collect real-world data, improve their movements and learn how to interact safely with people. The development highlights China's growing ambition to become a global leader in intelligent robotics.x

China is training humanoid robots in specialised centres where they learn tasks such as cooking, cleaning and folding clothes. The programme aims to prepare AI-powered robots for future roles in homes, healthcare, factories and other workplaces.

Humanoid robots are learning to cook and clean in China: Here's how they could replace millions of jobs

Apple has not officially announced the price of the iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max. However, several analysts now believe the company could increase prices when the new phones arrive later this year. The reason is not just one expensive component. Instead, several cost pressures are coming together at the same time.&nbsp; Memory chips have become much more expensive. One of the biggest reasons is the sharp rise in memory prices. The AI boom has created huge demand for DRAM and NAND flash memory, as cloud companies buy massive amounts of memory for AI servers. That has pushed prices higher for consumer electronics as well. Industry analysts estimate Apple could pay significantly more for the same amount of memory than it did last year, increasing the cost of every iPhone it builds.<h2>AI hardware is becoming more powerful</h2>Modern smartphones are no longer designed only for apps and cameras. They are increasingly built to run AI features directly on the device. The iPhone 18 Pro is widely expected to feature a faster A20 chip, a more capable Neural Engine and additional hardware to support Apple Intelligence. These upgrades improve AI performance but also make the phone more expensive to manufacture.Manufacturing costs continue to rise Even if Apple keeps a familiar design, manufacturing costs continue to increase. Higher labour costs, stricter quality standards, advanced production techniques and more complex camera systems all add to the overall cost of building each device. Apple has also continued expanding manufacturing outside China, investing heavily in countries such as India while maintaining high production standards. Tariffs and global trade can affect pricing Trade policies also remain an important factor. Tariffs on imported components or finished products can increase Apple's overall costs depending on where devices are manufactured and sold. Although Apple works to diversify its supply chain, changing trade rules can still influence pricing decisions across global markets.<h2>Apple may absorb some costs but not all&nbsp;</h2> Apple has historically avoided frequent iPhone price increases by improving supply-chain efficiency and negotiating with suppliers. However, recent price increases for MacBooks and iPads show the company is becoming less willing to absorb rising component costs on its own. That does not guarantee the iPhone 18 Pro will become more expensive, as Apple has yet to announce official pricing. But if memory costs remain high and AI hardware becomes more advanced, analysts believe higher prices are becoming increasingly likely.

The iPhone 18 Pro could launch with a higher price as Apple faces rising memory costs, AI hardware upgrades, manufacturing expenses and global trade pressures. Apple has not confirmed pricing, but analysts say several factors are pushing costs higher.

Apple has not officially announced the price of the iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max. However, several analysts now believe the company could increase prices when the new phones arrive later this year. The reason is not just one expensive component. Instead, several cost pressures are coming together at the same time. Memory chips have become much more expensive. One of the biggest reasons is the sharp rise in memory prices. The AI boom has created huge demand for DRAM and NAND flash memory, as cloud companies buy massive amounts of memory for AI servers. That has pushed prices higher for consumer electronics as well. Industry analysts estimate Apple could pay significantly more for the same amount of memory than it did last year, increasing the cost of every iPhone it builds. AI hardware is becoming more powerful Modern smartphones are no longer designed only for apps and cameras. They are increasingly built to run AI features directly on the device. The iPhone 18 Pro is widely expected to feature a faster A20 chip, a more capable Neural Engine and additional hardware to support Apple Intelligence. These upgrades improve AI performance but also make the phone more expensive to manufacture. Manufacturing costs continue to rise Even if Apple keeps a familiar design, manufacturing costs continue to increase. Higher labour costs, stricter quality standards, advanced production techniques and more complex camera systems all add to the overall cost of building each device. Apple has also continued expanding manufacturing outside China, investing heavily in countries such as India while maintaining high production standards. Tariffs and global trade can affect pricing Trade policies also remain an important factor. Tariffs on imported components or finished products can increase Apple's overall costs depending on where devices are manufactured and sold. Although Apple works to diversify its supply chain, changing trade rules can still influence pricing decisions across global markets. Apple may absorb some costs but not all Apple has historically avoided frequent iPhone price increases by improving supply-chain efficiency and negotiating with suppliers. However, recent price increases for MacBooks and iPads show the company is becoming less willing to absorb rising component costs on its own. That does not guarantee the iPhone 18 Pro will become more expensive, as Apple has yet to announce official pricing. But if memory costs remain high and AI hardware becomes more advanced, analysts believe higher prices are becoming increasingly likely.

The iPhone 18 Pro could launch with a higher price as Apple faces rising memory costs, AI hardware upgrades, manufacturing expenses and global trade pressures. Apple has not confirmed pricing, but analysts say several factors are pushing costs higher.

iPhone 18 Pro price rise? Here's what's pushing Apple's costs higher

Apple's A20 chip is expected to arrive with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max later this year. While Apple has not officially revealed every detail, industry reports suggest the processor will be built using a newer manufacturing process, bringing improvements in speed, efficiency and artificial intelligence. But what do those changes actually mean if you use your iPhone every day?<h2>Apps could feel quicker and smoother</h2>The first thing most people notice after upgrading is how quickly apps respond. With the A20 chip, everyday apps such as Messages, Safari, Instagram, Maps and Camera are expected to launch faster and switch more smoothly in the background. Heavy apps may also stay open longer without needing to reload. The improvement may not always be dramatic, but daily use should feel more responsive. Gaming could become more stable Mobile games continue to demand more power every year.A faster graphics processor could help games run at higher frame rates while reducing lag during longer gaming sessions. More efficient hardware may also help keep temperatures lower, allowing performance to remain stable instead of slowing down after several minutes.<h2>Better battery life without a bigger battery</h2>One of the biggest advantages of newer chips is efficiency rather than raw speed. If reports are accurate, the A20 should consume less power while delivering better performance. That could translate into longer battery life for web browsing, video streaming, navigation, gaming and everyday multitasking without increasing battery size.Photos and videos may improve automatically Modern smartphone photography depends heavily on AI and image processing.The A20 is expected to process images faster, improve low-light photography and deliver better HDR performance. Video recording could also benefit from smoother stabilisation and quicker processing for high-resolution formats. Many improvements happen automatically without users changing any settings.AI could become much more useful Artificial intelligence is likely to be one of the biggest focuses of the A20 chip. A more powerful Neural Engine would allow Apple Intelligence features to run faster on the device, helping with writing assistance, photo editing, voice processing, notifications and Siri requests while keeping more data on the phone instead of sending it to cloud servers. This could make AI responses feel faster and improve privacy.<h2>Is the A20 upgrade worth waiting for?</h2>For users with relatively new iPhones, the difference may not feel revolutionary. However, people upgrading from devices that are three or four years old are likely to notice improvements across almost every part of the experience from app performance and battery life to gaming, photography and AI features. Rather than one headline-grabbing upgrade, the A20 appears to focus on making the entire iPhone experience smoother, faster and more efficient throughout the day.

Apple's A20 chip is expected to bring faster app launches, smoother gaming, better battery life, improved photography and more capable on-device AI. Here's what the processor could mean for everyday iPhone users beyond benchmark scores.

Apple's A20 chip is expected to arrive with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max later this year. While Apple has not officially revealed every detail, industry reports suggest the processor will be built using a newer manufacturing process, bringing improvements in speed, efficiency and artificial intelligence. But what do those changes actually mean if you use your iPhone every day? Apps could feel quicker and smoother The first thing most people notice after upgrading is how quickly apps respond. With the A20 chip, everyday apps such as Messages, Safari, Instagram, Maps and Camera are expected to launch faster and switch more smoothly in the background. Heavy apps may also stay open longer without needing to reload. The improvement may not always be dramatic, but daily use should feel more responsive. Gaming could become more stable Mobile games continue to demand more power every year. A faster graphics processor could help games run at higher frame rates while reducing lag during longer gaming sessions. More efficient hardware may also help keep temperatures lower, allowing performance to remain stable instead of slowing down after several minutes. Better battery life without a bigger battery One of the biggest advantages of newer chips is efficiency rather than raw speed. If reports are accurate, the A20 should consume less power while delivering better performance. That could translate into longer battery life for web browsing, video streaming, navigation, gaming and everyday multitasking without increasing battery size. Photos and videos may improve automatically Modern smartphone photography depends heavily on AI and image processing.The A20 is expected to process images faster, improve low-light photography and deliver better HDR performance. Video recording could also benefit from smoother stabilisation and quicker processing for high-resolution formats. Many improvements happen automatically without users changing any settings. AI could become much more useful Artificial intelligence is likely to be one of the biggest focuses of the A20 chip. A more powerful Neural Engine would allow Apple Intelligence features to run faster on the device, helping with writing assistance, photo editing, voice processing, notifications and Siri requests while keeping more data on the phone instead of sending it to cloud servers. This could make AI responses feel faster and improve privacy. Is the A20 upgrade worth waiting for? For users with relatively new iPhones, the difference may not feel revolutionary. However, people upgrading from devices that are three or four years old are likely to notice improvements across almost every part of the experience from app performance and battery life to gaming, photography and AI features. Rather than one headline-grabbing upgrade, the A20 appears to focus on making the entire iPhone experience smoother, faster and more efficient throughout the day.

Apple's A20 chip is expected to bring faster app launches, smoother gaming, better battery life, improved photography and more capable on-device AI. Here's what the processor could mean for everyday iPhone users beyond benchmark scores.

Apple's A20 chip explained: What does it actually mean for everyday iPhone users?

Sensitive documents linked to Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max have reportedly been leaked online following a cyberattack on Tata Electronics, one of Apple's key manufacturing partners in India. According to Reuters, the files were published on the dark web by the ransomware group World Leaks and allegedly contain confidential supplier information, internal photographs and component details related to unreleased iPhone models.&nbsp;The reported leak has drawn attention because Apple closely guards information about its supply chain. If authentic, the documents could expose how Apple's next-generation iPhones are built and identify companies responsible for manufacturing individual components.<h2>What has reportedly been leaked?</h2>Reuters reported that the leaked files include confidential documents mapping hundreds of components used in the iPhone 18 Pro series to specific suppliers. The records reportedly identify manufacturers of camera modules, batteries, chips and other hardware that Apple does not publicly disclose. The leaked material also allegedly contains photographs of iPhone 18 Pro devices undergoing drop-testing at a Tata Electronics facility in early 2026. According to Reuters, the images show a grey, slab-style smartphone with Apple's familiar triple-camera design.&nbsp;&nbsp;Apple's supplier network is considered one of its most closely protected business assets. Keeping supplier relationships confidential helps the company protect product development, negotiate with vendors and reduce the risk of counterfeiting before new devices are officially launched.&nbsp;If the leaked information is genuine, it could reveal where Apple depends on multiple suppliers and where it relies on only a handful of manufacturers, potentially exposing vulnerabilities within its global supply chain.&nbsp;The reported breach also comes as Apple continues shifting more manufacturing from China to India. According to Counterpoint Research, India is expected to produce around 26 per cent of the world's iPhones in 2026, compared with just 6 per cent four years earlier.<h2>Apple's India strategy faces an unexpected challenge</h2>Tata Electronics has become one of Apple's fastest-growing manufacturing partners, assembling iPhones and supplying components as Apple expands production in India.According to Reuters, Apple is investigating the incident alongside Tata Electronics. The report added that Tata has restricted access to sensitive internal systems and hired a global consulting firm to conduct a forensic audit while strengthening its cybersecurity measures.&nbsp;The reported cyberattack could test the trust that underpins Apple's manufacturing partnerships, particularly as India plays a larger role in the company's global production strategy.<h2>Has Tata Electronics responded?</h2>As of now, neither Apple nor Tata Electronics had issued an official public response to the newly reported iPhone 18 Pro supplier documents and photographs. Reuters reported that both companies did not respond to its requests for comment regarding the latest leaked files.Previously, Reuters reported that Tata Electronics had begun an internal investigation after the cyberattack, restricted employee access to critical systems and appointed an independent global consultant to carry out a forensic audit of the breach. However, Tata has not publicly confirmed the authenticity of the leaked documents or commented specifically on the reported iPhone 18 Pro material.&nbsp;Meanwhile, Reuters also noted that it had not independently verified the authenticity of the leaked files, and the ransomware group World Leaks did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Confidential files allegedly linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro have surfaced after the Tata Electronics cyberattack, according to Reuters. 

Sensitive documents linked to Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max have reportedly been leaked online following a cyberattack on Tata Electronics, one of Apple's key manufacturing partners in India. According to Reuters, the files were published on the dark web by the ransomware group World Leaks and allegedly contain confidential supplier information, internal photographs and component details related to unreleased iPhone models. The reported leak has drawn attention because Apple closely guards information about its supply chain. If authentic, the documents could expose how Apple's next-generation iPhones are built and identify companies responsible for manufacturing individual components. What has reportedly been leaked? Reuters reported that the leaked files include confidential documents mapping hundreds of components used in the iPhone 18 Pro series to specific suppliers. The records reportedly identify manufacturers of camera modules, batteries, chips and other hardware that Apple does not publicly disclose. The leaked material also allegedly contains photographs of iPhone 18 Pro devices undergoing drop-testing at a Tata Electronics facility in early 2026. According to Reuters, the images show a grey, slab-style smartphone with Apple's familiar triple-camera design. Apple's supplier network is considered one of its most closely protected business assets. Keeping supplier relationships confidential helps the company protect product development, negotiate with vendors and reduce the risk of counterfeiting before new devices are officially launched. If the leaked information is genuine, it could reveal where Apple depends on multiple suppliers and where it relies on only a handful of manufacturers, potentially exposing vulnerabilities within its global supply chain. The reported breach also comes as Apple continues shifting more manufacturing from China to India. According to Counterpoint Research, India is expected to produce around 26 per cent of the world's iPhones in 2026, compared with just 6 per cent four years earlier. Apple's India strategy faces an unexpected challenge Tata Electronics has become one of Apple's fastest-growing manufacturing partners, assembling iPhones and supplying components as Apple expands production in India. According to Reuters, Apple is investigating the incident alongside Tata Electronics. The report added that Tata has restricted access to sensitive internal systems and hired a global consulting firm to conduct a forensic audit while strengthening its cybersecurity measures. The reported cyberattack could test the trust that underpins Apple's manufacturing partnerships, particularly as India plays a larger role in the company's global production strategy. Has Tata Electronics responded? As of now, neither Apple nor Tata Electronics had issued an official public response to the newly reported iPhone 18 Pro supplier documents and photographs. Reuters reported that both companies did not respond to its requests for comment regarding the latest leaked files. Previously, Reuters reported that Tata Electronics had begun an internal investigation after the cyberattack, restricted employee access to critical systems and appointed an independent global consultant to carry out a forensic audit of the breach. However, Tata has not publicly confirmed the authenticity of the leaked documents or commented specifically on the reported iPhone 18 Pro material. Meanwhile, Reuters also noted that it had not independently verified the authenticity of the leaked files, and the ransomware group World Leaks did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Confidential files allegedly linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro have surfaced after the Tata Electronics cyberattack, according to Reuters.&nbsp;

Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro documents reportedly leaked on the dark web

WhatsApp is finally getting rid of one of its most criticised limitations. For years, users had to share their phone numbers to connect with new contacts on the platform. That is about to change. Now, WhatsApp has begun rolling out usernames globally, allowing people to chat with others without revealing their personal mobile numbers.The feature, which started rolling out from June 29, will eventually reach WhatsApp's more than three billion users worldwide over the coming months. And if you have a username in mind, you may want to act quickly.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/how-to-spot-a-digital-arrest-scam-before-you-lose-money-red-flags-you-cannot-miss-wion-decodes-1782465781683">How to spot a digital arrest scam before you lose money, 5 red flags you cannot miss | WION Decodes</a><h2>'Timing is everything'</h2>In an announcement on X, WhatsApp CEO Kunal Shah revealed that he had already secured his preferred username ahead of the public rollout."Timing is everything. Joined WhatsApp early enough to claim my username before we release this to the world. Time to get yours," Shah wrote.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Timing is everything. Joined WhatsApp early enough to claim my username before we release this to the world. Time to get yours. A more private way to connect. Coming soon to your WhatsApp. <a href="https://t.co/ZIq3S5n7gc">https://t.co/ZIq3S5n7gc</a>&mdash; Kunal Shah (@kunalb11) <a href="https://x.com/kunalb11/status/2071624878713971176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>How to reserve your WhatsApp username</h2>Users who have received access to the feature can reserve a username in a few simple steps:<ol><li>Update WhatsApp to the latest version</li><li>Open Settings</li><li>Tap Account</li><li>Select Username</li><li>Choose an available username</li><li>Confirm your selection</li></ol>WhatsApp says users will receive a notification when the feature becomes available in their region.

<h2>Why does WhatsApp suddenly need usernames?</h2>According to WhatsApp, the answer is simple: privacy. The company says there are many situations where users want to stay in touch without handing over a personal phone number.Think about someone you met at a conference. A parent from your child's sports team. A neighbour. A classmate. Or even a seller in an online marketplace group. Until now, exchanging numbers was often the only way to continue a conversation with acquaintances on WhatsApp.Now, the company says usernames will solve this problem. Once the feature is fully activated, users will be able to connect by sharing a unique username instead of their phone number. Unlike social media platforms such as Instagram or X, however, WhatsApp insists this is not designed to become a public identity system.There will be no searchable username directory. Users will need to know your exact username before they can message you for the first time.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/digital-arrest-scam-doctors-engineers-ceos-why-smart-indians-keep-getting-trapped-by-the-fraud-wion-decodes-1782460955929">Digital arrest scam: Doctors, engineers, CEOs - Why smart Indians keep getting trapped by the fraud | WION Decodes</a><h2>How will WhatsApp usernames work?</h2>WhatsApp says usernames can be up to 35 characters long and users will be able to change, update or remove them whenever they want. Importantly, creating a username is optional. Existing users can continue using the platform exactly as they do today.High-profile usernames to be protectedThe company has also put restrictions in place to reduce impersonation. That means usernames associated with high-profile public figures, government officials, and celebrities will be protected. So users are unlikely to find names such as Donald Trump or other well-known personalities available for registration.Meanwhile, businesses, creators and organisations may be able to claim usernames that match their existing Instagram or Facebook accounts where possible.<h2>What is the Username Key?</h2>WhatsApp is also introducing an additional security feature called the Username Key. The optional tool allows users to create a custom key that first-time contacts must enter before sending a message through a username.The company says the feature gives users greater control over who can reach them and can be changed at any time.The move comes as WhatsApp tries to position usernames as a privacy-focused communication tool rather than another social media feature.Currently, WhatsApp protects messages with end-to-end encryption, meaning the company cannot read the contents of private chats. However, like many digital platforms, it still collects certain metadata, including information about who users contact and when.&nbsp;&nbsp;

WhatsApp has begun rolling out usernames globally, allowing users to chat without sharing their personal phone numbers. Here's how you can claim your unique username.

WhatsApp is finally getting rid of one of its most criticised limitations. For years, users had to share their phone numbers to connect with new contacts on the platform. That is about to change. Now, WhatsApp has begun rolling out usernames globally, allowing people to chat with others without revealing their personal mobile numbers. The feature, which started rolling out from June 29, will eventually reach WhatsApp's more than three billion users worldwide over the coming months. And if you have a username in mind, you may want to act quickly. Also read | How to spot a digital arrest scam before you lose money, 5 red flags you cannot miss | WION Decodes 'Timing is everything' In an announcement on X, WhatsApp CEO Kunal Shah revealed that he had already secured his preferred username ahead of the public rollout. "Timing is everything. Joined WhatsApp early enough to claim my username before we release this to the world. Time to get yours," Shah wrote.

WhatsApp has begun rolling out usernames globally, allowing users to chat without sharing their personal phone numbers. Here's how you can claim your unique username.

WhatsApp introduces usernames: Don't MISS OUT on your unique username - Here's how you can reserve it

For years, Apple has improved the iPhone with better cameras, faster processors and brighter displays. But the iPhone 18 Pro could mark a different kind of upgrade. According to multiple industry reports and analyst predictions, Apple's next flagship is expected to put artificial intelligence at the centre of the user experience. Rather than adding flashy new hardware, Apple appears to be focusing on making everyday tasks faster, smarter and more personal through on-device AI. If the reports prove accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro could become Apple's most advanced AI-powered smartphone so far.<h2>A new chip designed for AI</h2>At the heart of the expected upgrade is Apple's A20 Pro chip. Reports suggest it will be built using TSMC's next-generation 2-nanometre manufacturing process, making it smaller, faster and more power efficient than previous chips. A more efficient processor is not only expected to improve gaming and battery life but also allow Apple Intelligence features to run more smoothly on the device itself. Running AI directly on the phone improves privacy and reduces the need to send personal information to cloud servers. Industry analysts also expect the Pro models to feature 12GB of RAM, giving the system more memory to handle multiple AI tasks at the same time.<h2>Apple Intelligence could become more useful</h2>Apple introduced Apple Intelligence to bring AI features across the iPhone, iPad and Mac. With the iPhone 18 Pro, many of those tools are expected to become faster and more capable.Users could see improvements in Siri, smarter writing assistance, automatic message summaries, image editing, document creation and contextual suggestions based on what they are doing on their phones. Instead of asking users to open different apps, AI may work quietly in the background, helping organise information, complete tasks and make recommendations throughout the day. Apple is also expected to continue focusing on privacy by processing many AI requests directly on the device whenever possible.<h2>Cameras may also benefit from AI</h2>Artificial intelligence is likely to play a bigger role in photography as well. Several reports suggest Apple is testing a variable aperture system for the main camera. Combined with AI image processing, this could improve portrait photography, low-light performance and colour accuracy. Rather than simply increasing megapixels, Apple appears to be using AI to help users capture better photos automatically in different lighting conditions. Video recording, image editing and object recognition are also expected to receive AI-powered improvements.<h2>Why AI matters more than hardware now</h2>The smartphone industry has reached a stage where yearly hardware upgrades have become smaller. As a result, companies are increasingly competing through software and artificial intelligence instead of only adding bigger displays or faster charging speeds. Google has Gemini, Samsung offers Galaxy AI, while Microsoft and OpenAI continue expanding AI across devices and services. Apple is expected to respond by making AI a much larger part of the iPhone experience.&nbsp;The iPhone 18 Pro may therefore represent more than just another flagship launch. It could show how Apple plans to compete in the next phase of the smartphone industry, where intelligent software becomes as important as hardware.&nbsp;<h2>Launch timeline</h2>Apple has not officially confirmed the iPhone 18 Pro or its features.However, based on Apple's usual schedule, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are widely expected to be announced during the company's September 2026 launch event. Until then, the reported features remain based on supply-chain information, analyst reports and industry leaks.

The iPhone 18 Pro could become Apple's most AI-focused smartphone yet. Reports point to a new A20 Pro chip, more RAM, smarter Apple Intelligence features and AI-powered camera improvements, showing Apple's growing focus on intelligent software rather than major hardware redesigns.


For years, Apple has improved the iPhone with better cameras, faster processors and brighter displays. But the iPhone 18 Pro could mark a different kind of upgrade. According to multiple industry reports and analyst predictions, Apple's next flagship is expected to put artificial intelligence at the centre of the user experience. Rather than adding flashy new hardware, Apple appears to be focusing on making everyday tasks faster, smarter and more personal through on-device AI. If the reports prove accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro could become Apple's most advanced AI-powered smartphone so far. A new chip designed for AI At the heart of the expected upgrade is Apple's A20 Pro chip. Reports suggest it will be built using TSMC's next-generation 2-nanometre manufacturing process, making it smaller, faster and more power efficient than previous chips. A more efficient processor is not only expected to improve gaming and battery life but also allow Apple Intelligence features to run more smoothly on the device itself. Running AI directly on the phone improves privacy and reduces the need to send personal information to cloud servers. Industry analysts also expect the Pro models to feature 12GB of RAM, giving the system more memory to handle multiple AI tasks at the same time. Apple Intelligence could become more useful Apple introduced Apple Intelligence to bring AI features across the iPhone, iPad and Mac. With the iPhone 18 Pro, many of those tools are expected to become faster and more capable. Users could see improvements in Siri, smarter writing assistance, automatic message summaries, image editing, document creation and contextual suggestions based on what they are doing on their phones. Instead of asking users to open different apps, AI may work quietly in the background, helping organise information, complete tasks and make recommendations throughout the day. Apple is also expected to continue focusing on privacy by processing many AI requests directly on the device whenever possible. Cameras may also benefit from AI Artificial intelligence is likely to play a bigger role in photography as well. Several reports suggest Apple is testing a variable aperture system for the main camera. Combined with AI image processing, this could improve portrait photography, low-light performance and colour accuracy. Rather than simply increasing megapixels, Apple appears to be using AI to help users capture better photos automatically in different lighting conditions. Video recording, image editing and object recognition are also expected to receive AI-powered improvements. Why AI matters more than hardware now The smartphone industry has reached a stage where yearly hardware upgrades have become smaller. As a result, companies are increasingly competing through software and artificial intelligence instead of only adding bigger displays or faster charging speeds. Google has Gemini, Samsung offers Galaxy AI, while Microsoft and OpenAI continue expanding AI across devices and services. Apple is expected to respond by making AI a much larger part of the iPhone experience. The iPhone 18 Pro may therefore represent more than just another flagship launch. It could show how Apple plans to compete in the next phase of the smartphone industry, where intelligent software becomes as important as hardware. Launch timeline Apple has not officially confirmed the iPhone 18 Pro or its features. However, based on Apple's usual schedule, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are widely expected to be announced during the company's September 2026 launch event. Until then, the reported features remain based on supply-chain information, analyst reports and industry leaks.

The iPhone 18 Pro could become Apple's most AI-focused smartphone yet. Reports point to a new A20 Pro chip, more RAM, smarter Apple Intelligence features and AI-powered camera improvements, showing Apple's growing focus on intelligent software rather than major hardware redesigns.

AI could be the biggest reason to wait for Apple's iPhone 18 Pro: Here's why

For years, Apple has improved the iPhone camera by adding larger sensors, smarter image processing and better video features. But the iPhone 18 Pro could introduce something different a hardware upgrade that photographers have been waiting for. According to multiple supply-chain reports and analysts, Apple is testing a variable aperture camera system for its next-generation Pro iPhones. While the company has not confirmed the feature, it could become one of the biggest changes to iPhone photography in recent years.Rather than simply adding more megapixels, Apple appears to be focusing on giving the camera greater control over light something that can make a noticeable difference in everyday photography.<h2>What is a variable aperture camera?</h2>Every camera lens has an aperture, which controls how much light reaches the image sensor. Today's iPhones use a fixed aperture, meaning the amount of light entering the camera cannot change mechanically. A variable aperture allows the lens to open wider or become narrower depending on the scene. A wider aperture lets in more light, making it easier to capture brighter, clearer photos at night or indoors. A narrower aperture keeps more of the scene in focus, making it useful for landscapes, group photos or daylight photography. Professional DSLR and mirrorless cameras have used this technology for years. If Apple adopts it, the iPhone would gain more flexibility without requiring users to manually adjust complex camera settings.&nbsp;<h2>Why this could improve everyday photography</h2>The biggest advantage is that users may not have to think about camera settings at all.The iPhone could automatically choose the best aperture depending on what is being photographed. Portraits may gain more natural background blur, while low-light scenes could appear brighter with less image noise.Videos recorded in challenging lighting conditions may also benefit from improved exposure and more balanced colours. Combined with Apple's computational photography and AI-powered image processing, the system could produce more realistic photos while reducing common issues such as over-sharpening or blown-out highlights.&nbsp;<h2>AI could make the camera even smarter</h2>Hardware is only part of the storyThe iPhone 18 Pro is also expected to feature Apple's new A20 Pro chip, which analysts believe will significantly improve on-device AI performance. This extra processing power could help Apple Intelligence analyse scenes more accurately, improve portrait separation, reduce unwanted reflections, optimise exposure and enhance video stabilisation in real time. Instead of relying only on better hardware, Apple appears to be combining AI with new camera technology to improve the final image automatically.<h2>Why Apple may avoid the megapixel race</h2>Many smartphone brands continue to promote cameras with 100MP or even 200MP sensors. Apple has taken a different approach. Rather than chasing higher numbers, the company has focused on improving image quality through larger sensors, advanced software and intelligent processing. A variable aperture would continue that philosophy by helping the camera capture better light instead of simply creating larger image files. For most users, this could lead to sharper portraits, clearer night shots and better-looking videos without requiring professional photography knowledge.<h2>When will Apple announce the upgrade?</h2>Apple has not officially confirmed any camera features for the iPhone 18 Pro. However, based on the company's usual launch schedule, the new Pro models are expected to be unveiled during Apple's September 2026 event. Until then, the reported camera improvements remain based on analyst reports and supply-chain leaks. If they prove accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro could represent one of Apple's most meaningful camera upgrades since the introduction of Night Mode.

The iPhone 18 Pro could introduce Apple's biggest camera upgrade in years with a variable aperture system. Combined with AI-powered image processing and the expected A20 Pro chip, the new camera may improve portraits, low-light photography and video recording without changing how users shoot.

For years, Apple has improved the iPhone camera by adding larger sensors, smarter image processing and better video features. But the iPhone 18 Pro could introduce something different a hardware upgrade that photographers have been waiting for. According to multiple supply-chain reports and analysts, Apple is testing a variable aperture camera system for its next-generation Pro iPhones. While the company has not confirmed the feature, it could become one of the biggest changes to iPhone photography in recent years. Rather than simply adding more megapixels, Apple appears to be focusing on giving the camera greater control over light something that can make a noticeable difference in everyday photography. What is a variable aperture camera? Every camera lens has an aperture, which controls how much light reaches the image sensor. Today's iPhones use a fixed aperture, meaning the amount of light entering the camera cannot change mechanically. A variable aperture allows the lens to open wider or become narrower depending on the scene. A wider aperture lets in more light, making it easier to capture brighter, clearer photos at night or indoors. A narrower aperture keeps more of the scene in focus, making it useful for landscapes, group photos or daylight photography. Professional DSLR and mirrorless cameras have used this technology for years. If Apple adopts it, the iPhone would gain more flexibility without requiring users to manually adjust complex camera settings. Why this could improve everyday photography The biggest advantage is that users may not have to think about camera settings at all. The iPhone could automatically choose the best aperture depending on what is being photographed. Portraits may gain more natural background blur, while low-light scenes could appear brighter with less image noise. Videos recorded in challenging lighting conditions may also benefit from improved exposure and more balanced colours. Combined with Apple's computational photography and AI-powered image processing, the system could produce more realistic photos while reducing common issues such as over-sharpening or blown-out highlights. AI could make the camera even smarter Hardware is only part of the story The iPhone 18 Pro is also expected to feature Apple's new A20 Pro chip, which analysts believe will significantly improve on-device AI performance. This extra processing power could help Apple Intelligence analyse scenes more accurately, improve portrait separation, reduce unwanted reflections, optimise exposure and enhance video stabilisation in real time. Instead of relying only on better hardware, Apple appears to be combining AI with new camera technology to improve the final image automatically. Why Apple may avoid the megapixel race Many smartphone brands continue to promote cameras with 100MP or even 200MP sensors. Apple has taken a different approach. Rather than chasing higher numbers, the company has focused on improving image quality through larger sensors, advanced software and intelligent processing. A variable aperture would continue that philosophy by helping the camera capture better light instead of simply creating larger image files. For most users, this could lead to sharper portraits, clearer night shots and better-looking videos without requiring professional photography knowledge. When will Apple announce the upgrade? Apple has not officially confirmed any camera features for the iPhone 18 Pro. However, based on the company's usual launch schedule, the new Pro models are expected to be unveiled during Apple's September 2026 event. Until then, the reported camera improvements remain based on analyst reports and supply-chain leaks. If they prove accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro could represent one of Apple's most meaningful camera upgrades since the introduction of Night Mode.

The iPhone 18 Pro could introduce Apple's biggest camera upgrade in years with a variable aperture system. Combined with AI-powered image processing and the expected A20 Pro chip, the new camera may improve portraits, low-light photography and video recording without changing how users shoot.

Apple's next camera upgrade could change how you shoot photos and videos. Here's why

Tech giant Apple views movie theaters as allies in its fight to carve out a space for its platform in the competitive streaming sector, a top company executive told AFP.&nbsp;The firm, which launched Apple TV+ in 2019 without any third-party content, has won over critics in recent years, and is so far the only streaming platform to win the best picture Oscar, with "CODA" in 2022.&nbsp;It also shook up the box office with "F1: The Movie," the high-octane motor racing drama starring Brad Pitt, which grossed $634.1 million worldwide and earned the company another Academy Award this year, this time for best sound.&nbsp;After years of wariness between movie theaters and streaming services, Eddy Cue, the company's senior vice president of services and health, said Apple is committed to producing films for both platforms, allowing them to play out their theatrical runs based on audience demand rather than adhering to rigid release windows.&nbsp;"If a movie like 'F1' was on theatrical longer than 45 days (it was) because people wanted to watch it theatrically, they wanted to watch it in an IMAX theater," he told AFP.&nbsp;"Theatrical is a great experience, it's here to stay, and I think it's growing."&nbsp;While viewers might initially want to see a blockbuster on a big screen, they love the chance to rewatch it when it turns up on the streaming service, now rebranded as Apple TV.&nbsp;Cinema and streaming are "very complementary. I think they can both work together," Cue said.&nbsp;The company, headquartered in California, is gearing up to produce a sequel to "F1," with Cue saying the plot and script are currently in development.&nbsp;It "was the biggest sports movie of all time. It was Brad Pitt's biggest movie of all time, and I do think that people want to see another one," he said.&nbsp;Cue, who has been credited with revolutionizing Apple's services sector, was recognized this week as the Entertainment Person of the Year at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

After years of wariness between movie theaters and streaming services, Apple is committed to producing films for both platforms. The films will typically play out their theatrical runs based on audience demand before releasing on streaming app. 

Tech giant Apple views movie theaters as allies in its fight to carve out a space for its platform in the competitive streaming sector, a top company executive told AFP. The firm, which launched Apple TV+ in 2019 without any third-party content, has won over critics in recent years, and is so far the only streaming platform to win the best picture Oscar, with "CODA" in 2022. It also shook up the box office with "F1: The Movie," the high-octane motor racing drama starring Brad Pitt, which grossed $634.1 million worldwide and earned the company another Academy Award this year, this time for best sound. After years of wariness between movie theaters and streaming services, Eddy Cue, the company's senior vice president of services and health, said Apple is committed to producing films for both platforms, allowing them to play out their theatrical runs based on audience demand rather than adhering to rigid release windows. "If a movie like 'F1' was on theatrical longer than 45 days (it was) because people wanted to watch it theatrically, they wanted to watch it in an IMAX theater," he told AFP. "Theatrical is a great experience, it's here to stay, and I think it's growing." While viewers might initially want to see a blockbuster on a big screen, they love the chance to rewatch it when it turns up on the streaming service, now rebranded as Apple TV. Cinema and streaming are "very complementary. I think they can both work together," Cue said. The company, headquartered in California, is gearing up to produce a sequel to "F1," with Cue saying the plot and script are currently in development. It "was the biggest sports movie of all time. It was Brad Pitt's biggest movie of all time, and I do think that people want to see another one," he said. Cue, who has been credited with revolutionizing Apple's services sector, was recognized this week as the Entertainment Person of the Year at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

After years of wariness between movie theaters and streaming services, Apple is committed to producing films for both platforms. The films will typically play out their theatrical runs based on audience demand before releasing on streaming app.&nbsp;

Movie theaters are allies for streamers like us, Apple exec says

Somewhere right now, an Instagram creator who spent years building an audience — posting original content, growing a community, earning a living from brand deals and affiliate income — is staring at a screen that says their account has been disabled for violating Community Standards. They did not violate anything. There is no explanation. There is no human to speak to. There is no appeal process that leads to a real person reviewing the decision. Their archive of content is gone. Their income stream is gone. Their digital identity is gone. And a few scrolls away on the same platform, an AI-generated bot account with a blue tick verification badge is posting synthetic content to thousands of followers without consequence.&nbsp;The Scale Of The Damage&nbsp;This is not an isolated glitch. It is happening at scale, across countries, and it has been accelerating throughout 2025 and 2026. Meta has systematically laid off its human content moderation teams and replaced them with AI enforcement systems that flag, restrict, and permanently disable accounts automatically — with no human review involved in the vast majority of cases. Meta's own Oversight Board confirmed in June 2026 that the company's account bans lack due process and transparency. The board noted that many bans appeared to have been made entirely by automated systems, with users receiving no meaningful explanation and no viable path to appeal. A Change.org petition against Meta's wrongful account bans has gathered nearly 56,000 signatures, with users describing the loss of accounts that represented years of work and, in many cases, their primary source of income.&nbsp;The False Flags That Ruin Real Lives&nbsp;The AI moderation system is not just overzealous — it is systematically wrong in ways that destroy real people's lives. Thousands of users have reported having their accounts disabled after the AI falsely flagged ordinary content — including family photos of children at swimming pools or on holiday — as child sexual exploitation material. The accusations are not just incorrect; they are deeply damaging to the people they target. Users who have never posted anything remotely inappropriate find themselves branded with the most serious violation Meta's system can assign, with no way to contest the accusation and no human moderator reviewing the decision before it is enforced.&nbsp;Creators And Small Businesses Hit Hardest&nbsp;For Instagram creators in India's Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities who built their entire livelihood on the platform — selling products, running coaching businesses, building personal brands — a wrongful ban is not an inconvenience. It is an economic catastrophe. Years of content, followers, brand relationships, and revenue disappear in an instant. The same is true for small businesses that use Instagram as their primary sales and marketing channel. When the AI disables their account, their customer base is cut off overnight with no warning and no recourse. Meanwhile, the platform continues to reward AI-generated bot accounts with verification badges and algorithmic visibility, making the gap between how Meta treats real humans and synthetic accounts impossible to ignore.&nbsp;No Human To Call, No Appeal That Works&nbsp;Meta's Oversight Board explicitly recommended that the company provide users with a meaningful appeals process that allows written explanations, notify users when AI systems are responsible for enforcement decisions, and create a dashboard where users can review their violation history and understand what happened. These recommendations exist because none of these things currently exist. A creator whose account is wrongfully disabled today has no customer support number to call, no email that leads to a human reviewer, and no transparent process for challenging the decision. The appeals button inside the app leads, in most reported cases, to an automated response that upholds the original decision — made by the same AI system that got it wrong in the first place.&nbsp;The Leadership Question&nbsp;Mark Zuckerberg built Instagram into a platform that billions of people depend on — for expression, for community, for income, for identity. He then made the decision to gut the human moderation infrastructure, replace it with AI systems that are demonstrably failing at scale, and continue spending $145 billion on AI infrastructure while the AI already deployed on his platforms is actively destroying the trust and livelihoods of the people who use them. When asked about the return on investment from Meta's AI spending, Zuckerberg called it ‘a very technical question.’ For the creators, small business owners, and ordinary users whose accounts and incomes have been erased by his AI systems, it is not a technical question at all. It is a question of leadership — and whether the person responsible for building these platforms is still the right person to be running them.

Meta's AI is banning real creators while bot accounts thrive. 56,000 people have petitioned against wrongful bans. Its own Oversight Board says the system lacks due process.

Somewhere right now, an Instagram creator who spent years building an audience — posting original content, growing a community, earning a living from brand deals and affiliate income — is staring at a screen that says their account has been disabled for violating Community Standards. They did not violate anything. There is no explanation. There is no human to speak to. There is no appeal process that leads to a real person reviewing the decision. Their archive of content is gone. Their income stream is gone. Their digital identity is gone. And a few scrolls away on the same platform, an AI-generated bot account with a blue tick verification badge is posting synthetic content to thousands of followers without consequence. The Scale Of The Damage This is not an isolated glitch. It is happening at scale, across countries, and it has been accelerating throughout 2025 and 2026. Meta has systematically laid off its human content moderation teams and replaced them with AI enforcement systems that flag, restrict, and permanently disable accounts automatically — with no human review involved in the vast majority of cases. Meta's own Oversight Board confirmed in June 2026 that the company's account bans lack due process and transparency. The board noted that many bans appeared to have been made entirely by automated systems, with users receiving no meaningful explanation and no viable path to appeal. A Change.org petition against Meta's wrongful account bans has gathered nearly 56,000 signatures, with users describing the loss of accounts that represented years of work and, in many cases, their primary source of income. The False Flags That Ruin Real Lives The AI moderation system is not just overzealous — it is systematically wrong in ways that destroy real people's lives. Thousands of users have reported having their accounts disabled after the AI falsely flagged ordinary content — including family photos of children at swimming pools or on holiday — as child sexual exploitation material. The accusations are not just incorrect; they are deeply damaging to the people they target. Users who have never posted anything remotely inappropriate find themselves branded with the most serious violation Meta's system can assign, with no way to contest the accusation and no human moderator reviewing the decision before it is enforced. Creators And Small Businesses Hit Hardest For Instagram creators in India's Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities who built their entire livelihood on the platform — selling products, running coaching businesses, building personal brands — a wrongful ban is not an inconvenience. It is an economic catastrophe. Years of content, followers, brand relationships, and revenue disappear in an instant. The same is true for small businesses that use Instagram as their primary sales and marketing channel. When the AI disables their account, their customer base is cut off overnight with no warning and no recourse. Meanwhile, the platform continues to reward AI-generated bot accounts with verification badges and algorithmic visibility, making the gap between how Meta treats real humans and synthetic accounts impossible to ignore. No Human To Call, No Appeal That Works Meta's Oversight Board explicitly recommended that the company provide users with a meaningful appeals process that allows written explanations, notify users when AI systems are responsible for enforcement decisions, and create a dashboard where users can review their violation history and understand what happened. These recommendations exist because none of these things currently exist. A creator whose account is wrongfully disabled today has no customer support number to call, no email that leads to a human reviewer, and no transparent process for challenging the decision. The appeals button inside the app leads, in most reported cases, to an automated response that upholds the original decision — made by the same AI system that got it wrong in the first place. The Leadership Question Mark Zuckerberg built Instagram into a platform that billions of people depend on — for expression, for community, for income, for identity. He then made the decision to gut the human moderation infrastructure, replace it with AI systems that are demonstrably failing at scale, and continue spending $145 billion on AI infrastructure while the AI already deployed on his platforms is actively destroying the trust and livelihoods of the people who use them. When asked about the return on investment from Meta's AI spending, Zuckerberg called it ‘a very technical question.’ For the creators, small business owners, and ordinary users whose accounts and incomes have been erased by his AI systems, it is not a technical question at all. It is a question of leadership — and whether the person responsible for building these platforms is still the right person to be running them.

Across the world, Instagram creators, small business owners, and ordinary users are watching their accounts — and livelihoods — vanish overnight at the hands of Meta's AI moderation system. The AI bans real people while verified bot accounts thrive. Meta's own Oversight Board says the system lacks due process. Nearly 56,000 people have signed a petition against wrongful bans. And when it all goes wrong, there is no human to call, no appeal that works, and no accountability from the man who built it.

'Resign Zuckerberg': Meta AI has destroyed millions of lives in last 2 months

When your own oversight body, the independent board you created and funded specifically to hold you accountable, publicly says your rules for banning users are inconsistent, opaque, and raise systemic human rights concerns, the problem is no longer a matter of public perception. It is a matter of institutional failure. That is where Meta now stands.&nbsp;The Case That Exposed The System&nbsp;The Oversight Board's review was triggered by a case involving an Instagram account with 70,000 followers that was banned after making threatening posts targeting a journalist. The board upheld the ban itself, the account had violated Meta's rules. But the case opened a wider investigation into how Meta handles account-level enforcement across its platforms, and what the board found was damning.&nbsp;Two Platforms, Two Completely Different Rules&nbsp;Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta, both governed by the same parent company, use markedly different penalty structures for the same kinds of violations. Facebook implements a system of temporary suspensions before escalating to a permanent ban, giving users a graduated series of consequences. Instagram does not. Instead, Instagram restricts features like livestreaming access or reduces account visibility as intermediate penalties, but the board pointed out that livestreaming is not even available to all accounts, since it requires a minimum of 1,000 followers. A penalty that restricts a feature most users do not have is not a penalty. It is a gap in the system dressed up as a policy.&nbsp;AI Makes The Decision, Nobody Reviews It&nbsp;The board found that many account bans and suspensions appeared to have been made automatically by AI systems, with no human oversight involved in the decision. Users reported being unable to challenge account disablements or receiving any meaningful explanation for why their accounts were banned. The AI flags an account, the AI disables it, and the user is left with no information about what happened, no human to speak to, and no realistic path to appeal. The board explicitly recommended that users should at minimum be notified when an AI system, rather than a human moderator, has been responsible for penalising their account.&nbsp;750 Public Comments On A Single Case&nbsp;The scale of frustration among Meta's users was reflected in the board's own data. It received more than 750 public comments on this single case alone with endless list of complaint posts (maybe in millions) on other social media platforms like X. Board members also reported receiving what they described as ‘innumerable’ individual complaints from users who had their accounts disabled. For a platform with billions of users, the Oversight Board's comment volume is a small sample, but it signals a level of organised public anger that is difficult to ignore.&nbsp;What The Board Recommended&nbsp;The Oversight Board made several specific recommendations. It called on Meta to provide users with a meaningful appeals process that allows them to submit written explanations, not just click a button and hope. It recommended that Meta notify users when AI systems are responsible for enforcement actions on their accounts. It proposed that information about account bans be included in Meta's public transparency reports. It recommended the creation of a dedicated dashboard where users can review their account status, see their violation history, understand the role AI played in any moderation decisions, and access information about how to appeal. And it called for a dedicated reporting channel for people who are high-risk targets of violence and their representatives.&nbsp;The Bigger Problem&nbsp;Meta created the Oversight Board in 2020 as an independent check on its content moderation decisions. The board was supposed to provide accountability and build public trust. Instead, what the board's latest findings reveal is a company that has automated enforcement at scale, stripped out human review, created inconsistent rules across its own platforms, and left millions of users with no meaningful recourse when the system gets it wrong. The Oversight Board can recommend changes. It cannot force Meta to implement them. Whether any of these recommendations result in real changes to how Meta bans accounts or whether they join the growing list of oversight recommendations that Meta has acknowledged and quietly ignored, remains to be seen.

Meta's Oversight Board found account bans lack due process, AI makes decisions with no human review, and Facebook and Instagram use different rules. 750+ complaints on one case.

When your own oversight body, the independent board you created and funded specifically to hold you accountable, publicly says your rules for banning users are inconsistent, opaque, and raise systemic human rights concerns, the problem is no longer a matter of public perception. It is a matter of institutional failure. That is where Meta now stands. The Case That Exposed The System The Oversight Board's review was triggered by a case involving an Instagram account with 70,000 followers that was banned after making threatening posts targeting a journalist. The board upheld the ban itself, the account had violated Meta's rules. But the case opened a wider investigation into how Meta handles account-level enforcement across its platforms, and what the board found was damning. Two Platforms, Two Completely Different Rules Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta, both governed by the same parent company, use markedly different penalty structures for the same kinds of violations. Facebook implements a system of temporary suspensions before escalating to a permanent ban, giving users a graduated series of consequences. Instagram does not. Instead, Instagram restricts features like livestreaming access or reduces account visibility as intermediate penalties, but the board pointed out that livestreaming is not even available to all accounts, since it requires a minimum of 1,000 followers. A penalty that restricts a feature most users do not have is not a penalty. It is a gap in the system dressed up as a policy. AI Makes The Decision, Nobody Reviews It The board found that many account bans and suspensions appeared to have been made automatically by AI systems, with no human oversight involved in the decision. Users reported being unable to challenge account disablements or receiving any meaningful explanation for why their accounts were banned. The AI flags an account, the AI disables it, and the user is left with no information about what happened, no human to speak to, and no realistic path to appeal. The board explicitly recommended that users should at minimum be notified when an AI system, rather than a human moderator, has been responsible for penalising their account. 750 Public Comments On A Single Case The scale of frustration among Meta's users was reflected in the board's own data. It received more than 750 public comments on this single case alone with endless list of complaint posts (maybe in millions) on other social media platforms like X. Board members also reported receiving what they described as ‘innumerable’ individual complaints from users who had their accounts disabled. For a platform with billions of users, the Oversight Board's comment volume is a small sample, but it signals a level of organised public anger that is difficult to ignore. What The Board Recommended The Oversight Board made several specific recommendations. It called on Meta to provide users with a meaningful appeals process that allows them to submit written explanations, not just click a button and hope. It recommended that Meta notify users when AI systems are responsible for enforcement actions on their accounts. It proposed that information about account bans be included in Meta's public transparency reports. It recommended the creation of a dedicated dashboard where users can review their account status, see their violation history, understand the role AI played in any moderation decisions, and access information about how to appeal. And it called for a dedicated reporting channel for people who are high-risk targets of violence and their representatives. The Bigger Problem Meta created the Oversight Board in 2020 as an independent check on its content moderation decisions. The board was supposed to provide accountability and build public trust. Instead, what the board's latest findings reveal is a company that has automated enforcement at scale, stripped out human review, created inconsistent rules across its own platforms, and left millions of users with no meaningful recourse when the system gets it wrong. The Oversight Board can recommend changes. It cannot force Meta to implement them. Whether any of these recommendations result in real changes to how Meta bans accounts or whether they join the growing list of oversight recommendations that Meta has acknowledged and quietly ignored, remains to be seen.

Meta's own independent Oversight Board has found that the company's account banning practices lack due process, transparency, and consistency. Facebook and Instagram use different penalty systems. AI makes decisions with no human oversight. Users cannot meaningfully appeal. The board received over 750 public complaints on a single case — and says its members get ‘innumerable’ individual complaints from banned users.

'Millions of lives destroyed': Meta's oversight board thinks its AI rules for banning accounts are baffling

Apple's next flagship smartphones are still a few months away, but rumours surrounding the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are already gaining momentum. Several reports from analysts and supply-chain sources suggest Apple is preparing one of its biggest Pro upgrades in recent years, with improvements expected across the camera, processor, battery and AI features. While nothing is official yet, the leaks offer an early look at what buyers may expect when Apple unveils its next premium iPhones, likely in September.<h2>Camera upgrades could be the biggest highlight</h2>The camera is expected to receive the most noticeable improvements. According to multiple reports, Apple is testing a variable aperture system for the main camera. Unlike current iPhones that use a fixed aperture, this technology would allow the lens to adjust how much light enters the sensor depending on the scene.The result could be better low-light photography, improved portraits with more natural background blur and greater control over images. Reports also suggest Apple is evaluating a new stacked image sensor designed to improve dynamic range and image quality while keeping the familiar triple 48-megapixel rear camera setup.<figure class="image"><img src="https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2026/06/20260602050725_iPhone-18-Pro-Max.png?impolicy=website&amp;width=770&amp;height=431"></figure><h2>A20 Pro chip and AI improvements</h2>Performance is also expected to take a significant step forward. The iPhone 18 Pro models are widely tipped to run on Apple's new A20 Pro processor, which is expected to be built using TSMC's 2-nanometre manufacturing process. A smaller chip generally improves both performance and power efficiency. Analysts believe the new processor will help Apple deliver faster on-device AI features, improved gaming performance and better battery life. Reports also point to 12GB of RAM and Apple's next-generation C2 modem for improved connectivity.<h2>Familiar design with a few important changes</h2>Apple is not expected to completely redesign the iPhone 18 Pro series. Instead, reports suggest the company will refine the existing design. One of the biggest visible changes could be a smaller Dynamic Island, made possible by moving some Face ID components beneath the display. Apple is also said to be testing new colour options, including a darker red or cherry finish, alongside silver and grey variants.&nbsp;<h2>Battery, launch timeline and expected price</h2>Battery life may also improve. Several reports suggest the Pro Max model could feature a battery of around 5,200mAh, helped further by the efficiency gains from the new A20 Pro chip. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in September 2026. According to reports, the standard iPhone 18 models could arrive later under Apple's revised launch strategy. Pricing has not been confirmed, but analysts believe the Pro models may become more expensive than their predecessors because of rising component costs. As with every pre-launch cycle, these details are based on leaks and industry reports rather than official announcements. Apple is expected to reveal the final specifications, pricing and availability during its launch event later this year.

Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to launch later this year with a new A20 Pro chip, camera upgrades, improved battery life and a smaller Dynamic Island. Here's everything leaked so far about Apple's next flagship smartphones.

Apple's next flagship smartphones are still a few months away, but rumours surrounding the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are already gaining momentum. Several reports from analysts and supply-chain sources suggest Apple is preparing one of its biggest Pro upgrades in recent years, with improvements expected across the camera, processor, battery and AI features. While nothing is official yet, the leaks offer an early look at what buyers may expect when Apple unveils its next premium iPhones, likely in September. Camera upgrades could be the biggest highlight The camera is expected to receive the most noticeable improvements. According to multiple reports, Apple is testing a variable aperture system for the main camera. Unlike current iPhones that use a fixed aperture, this technology would allow the lens to adjust how much light enters the sensor depending on the scene. The result could be better low-light photography, improved portraits with more natural background blur and greater control over images. Reports also suggest Apple is evaluating a new stacked image sensor designed to improve dynamic range and image quality while keeping the familiar triple 48-megapixel rear camera setup. A20 Pro chip and AI improvements Performance is also expected to take a significant step forward. The iPhone 18 Pro models are widely tipped to run on Apple's new A20 Pro processor, which is expected to be built using TSMC's 2-nanometre manufacturing process. A smaller chip generally improves both performance and power efficiency. Analysts believe the new processor will help Apple deliver faster on-device AI features, improved gaming performance and better battery life. Reports also point to 12GB of RAM and Apple's next-generation C2 modem for improved connectivity. Familiar design with a few important changes Apple is not expected to completely redesign the iPhone 18 Pro series. Instead, reports suggest the company will refine the existing design. One of the biggest visible changes could be a smaller Dynamic Island, made possible by moving some Face ID components beneath the display. Apple is also said to be testing new colour options, including a darker red or cherry finish, alongside silver and grey variants. Battery, launch timeline and expected price Battery life may also improve. Several reports suggest the Pro Max model could feature a battery of around 5,200mAh, helped further by the efficiency gains from the new A20 Pro chip. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in September 2026. According to reports, the standard iPhone 18 models could arrive later under Apple's revised launch strategy. Pricing has not been confirmed, but analysts believe the Pro models may become more expensive than their predecessors because of rising component costs. As with every pre-launch cycle, these details are based on leaks and industry reports rather than official announcements. Apple is expected to reveal the final specifications, pricing and availability during its launch event later this year.

Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to launch later this year with a new A20 Pro chip, camera upgrades, improved battery life and a smaller Dynamic Island. Here's everything leaked so far about Apple's next flagship smartphones.

Apple iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max launch expected soon: Design, camera, A20 chip and all the upgrades tipped so far

Apple has hinted that the recent price increases for selected MacBooks and iPads may only be the beginning. The company says rapidly rising memory and storage costs, fuelled by the global AI boom, are putting unprecedented pressure on consumer electronics manufacturers. While Apple has not confirmed which products will be affected next, industry analysts believe iPhones could be among them.&nbsp;The warning comes after Apple acknowledged that it has "reached a point" where it needs to begin raising prices on more products, suggesting the latest increases may not be the last.<h2>Why are prices increasing?</h2>According to Apple, demand for memory and storage chips has surged as companies building AI data centres purchase huge volumes of components."The consumer electronics industry is facing an unprecedented challenge," the company said in a statement reported by multiple media outlets. Apple added that it had "never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly." Research firm Counterpoint Research has also reported sharp increases in memory and storage prices over recent quarters, adding to manufacturing costs across the industry.<h2>Could iPhones become more expensive?</h2>Apple has not officially announced an iPhone price increase. However, media estimates suggest that higher component costs could add roughly $200 to the production cost of each iPhone. That does not automatically mean retail prices will increase by the same amount, but analysts believe Apple may eventually pass at least part of the higher costs on to consumers. It also remains unclear whether any future price increase would apply only to the upcoming iPhone 18 series or extend to existing models.<h2>AI is reshaping consumer electronics</h2>Apple is not the only company feeling the impact of the AI boom. As AI infrastructure expands globally, demand for advanced memory chips continues to outpace supply. The company says it is working to find long-term solutions but admits the current situation is unlike anything it has experienced before. For consumers, that could mean higher prices not just for iPhones but potentially for AirPods, Apple Watches and other Apple devices in the months ahead.

Apple says soaring AI-driven memory and storage costs could force more product price increases after recent MacBook and iPad hikes. While nothing has been confirmed, analysts believe iPhones, AirPods and Apple Watches could also become more expensive.


Apple has hinted that the recent price increases for selected MacBooks and iPads may only be the beginning. The company says rapidly rising memory and storage costs, fuelled by the global AI boom, are putting unprecedented pressure on consumer electronics manufacturers. While Apple has not confirmed which products will be affected next, industry analysts believe iPhones could be among them. The warning comes after Apple acknowledged that it has "reached a point" where it needs to begin raising prices on more products, suggesting the latest increases may not be the last. Why are prices increasing? According to Apple, demand for memory and storage chips has surged as companies building AI data centres purchase huge volumes of components. "The consumer electronics industry is facing an unprecedented challenge," the company said in a statement reported by multiple media outlets. Apple added that it had "never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly." Research firm Counterpoint Research has also reported sharp increases in memory and storage prices over recent quarters, adding to manufacturing costs across the industry. Could iPhones become more expensive? Apple has not officially announced an iPhone price increase. However, media estimates suggest that higher component costs could add roughly $200 to the production cost of each iPhone. That does not automatically mean retail prices will increase by the same amount, but analysts believe Apple may eventually pass at least part of the higher costs on to consumers. It also remains unclear whether any future price increase would apply only to the upcoming iPhone 18 series or extend to existing models. AI is reshaping consumer electronics Apple is not the only company feeling the impact of the AI boom. As AI infrastructure expands globally, demand for advanced memory chips continues to outpace supply. The company says it is working to find long-term solutions but admits the current situation is unlike anything it has experienced before. For consumers, that could mean higher prices not just for iPhones but potentially for AirPods, Apple Watches and other Apple devices in the months ahead.

Apple says soaring AI-driven memory and storage costs could force more product price increases after recent MacBook and iPad hikes. While nothing has been confirmed, analysts believe iPhones, AirPods and Apple Watches could also become more expensive.

After Macs & iPads, Apple may raise iPhone prices too. Here's what's driving it

A mango-slicing video shot on a point-of-view camera by someone in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu feeds an artificial intelligence data supply chain whose platform layer is valued at $29 billion in the US. The person who made the video- a labourer or a housewife- is paid $2.6 an hour. This cost arbitrage is pushing a boom in companies in the 'egocentric data' collection sector in India. The data collection is tedious, repetitive, yet important in the AI value chain. India is slowly becoming the egocentric data collection back office of the world. This moment in the history of technology is similar to the one that helped India's call centre boom in the 2000s. But is it back to back office status for India in the age of AI?<h2>What is egocentric data collection?</h2>Egocentric data is first-person video captured using head- or chest-mounted cameras while a person performs everyday tasks. The data collected this way is used to train AI models and humanoid robots to imitate human actions. The footage matches the viewpoint of a robot's own cameras. The data teaches the robot's AI brain the spatial relationships and movement far better than conventional third-person video.The human egocentric data collection approach is also cheaper than collecting data through robot teleoperation. One person with a wearable camera can record an entire workday, making large-scale data collection inexpensive. Benchmark datasets such as Meta's Ego4D were built largely in the West. But now, an increasing share of raw data collection is shifting to India because of cheap labour availability.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/for-rs-250-per-hour-how-indians-are-selling-their-future-to-american-ai-companies-1781541364347">'For Rs 250 per hour': How Indians are selling their future to American AI companies</a><h2>Will India become the back office of egocentric data collection?</h2>India has already emerged as a major hub for collecting, processing and annotating AI training data. Companies such as Objectways and iMerit run studios where workers record routine household and workplace activities, earning around 250 rupees an hour.The scale is significant. NASSCOM estimates India's AI data annotation industry could exceed $7 billion by 2030 and employ up to one million people. But the real value created out of this data collection lies elsewhere, often in Silicon Valley in the US. India supplies the cheap labour, while ownership of datasets, AI models, humanoid robots, and platforms remains with the foreign firms.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/it-s-happening-faster-than-expected-how-agentic-ai-is-reshaping-the-tech-industry-1781596627823">It's happening faster than expected: How Agentic AI is reshaping the tech industry</a><h2>India as the egocentric data collection capital of the world: Is it a good thing or a bad thing?</h2>For many workers, especially in the informal economy, egocentric data collection provides income. It creates opportunities in Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns of India, and offers flexible work to homemakers and first-generation graduates.The drawbacks are more structural. Most profits from this data collection accrue to AI platforms and humanoid robotics companies. Egocentric data collection helps train robots that may eventually replace many of the same manual tasks being recorded by the workers in India. And there is likely to be an expiry date on such jobs. Demand for such data from big AI and robotics firms can disappear quickly as soon as AI models and humanoid robots improve.<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ai-could-help-automate-repetitive-and-routine-tasks-1782391332274/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/ai-could-help-automate-repetitive-and-routine-tasks-1782391332274/embed</a><h2>The call-centre parallel to India's data annotation industry</h2>The egocentric data collection and annotation industry's evolution resembles India's BPO boom of the 2000s. Both rely on labour arbitrage, repetitive work, and thin margins while serving foreign technology companies, which made billions in profits. Like the call-centre industry, egocentric data collection creates employment in the short term, but leaves ownership of technology and intellectual property elsewhere.Call centres generated long-term middle-class jobs, even if India remained a service provider. It also led to the growth of IT outsourcing, making IT services the single largest export of India. But the same can't be predicted about egocentric data collection.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-s-ai-problem-funding-gap-for-ai-startups-research-and-development-is-the-core-constraint-artificial-intelligence-news-1782542028012">India's AI problem: Funding gap for AI startups, research and development is the core constraint</a>&nbsp;It is a weak foundation for India's AI ambitions, as it does not create a lasting technological advantage for the country. India might be able to dominate the labour-intensive segment while missing the higher-value layers, where the real profits are.The long-term question is whether India can move beyond collecting data to owning datasets. If it does, egocentric data collection could become the first rung of a larger AI industry. If not, India risks remaining the world's AI back office while the real value is created abroad.

India is fast becoming a global hub for collecting egocentric data to train AI models and robots. For some, it's creating jobs. But who benefits in the value chain of automation?

A mango-slicing video shot on a point-of-view camera by someone in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu feeds an artificial intelligence data supply chain whose platform layer is valued at $29 billion in the US. The person who made the video- a labourer or a housewife- is paid $2.6 an hour. This cost arbitrage is pushing a boom in companies in the 'egocentric data' collection sector in India. The data collection is tedious, repetitive, yet important in the AI value chain. India is slowly becoming the egocentric data collection back office of the world. This moment in the history of technology is similar to the one that helped India's call centre boom in the 2000s. But is it back to back office status for India in the age of AI? What is egocentric data collection? Egocentric data is first-person video captured using head- or chest-mounted cameras while a person performs everyday tasks. The data collected this way is used to train AI models and humanoid robots to imitate human actions. The footage matches the viewpoint of a robot's own cameras. The data teaches the robot's AI brain the spatial relationships and movement far better than conventional third-person video. The human egocentric data collection approach is also cheaper than collecting data through robot teleoperation. One person with a wearable camera can record an entire workday, making large-scale data collection inexpensive. Benchmark datasets such as Meta's Ego4D were built largely in the West. But now, an increasing share of raw data collection is shifting to India because of cheap labour availability. Also read: 'For Rs 250 per hour': How Indians are selling their future to American AI companies Will India become the back office of egocentric data collection? India has already emerged as a major hub for collecting, processing and annotating AI training data. Companies such as Objectways and iMerit run studios where workers record routine household and workplace activities, earning around 250 rupees an hour. The scale is significant. NASSCOM estimates India's AI data annotation industry could exceed $7 billion by 2030 and employ up to one million people. But the real value created out of this data collection lies elsewhere, often in Silicon Valley in the US. India supplies the cheap labour, while ownership of datasets, AI models, humanoid robots, and platforms remains with the foreign firms. Also read: It's happening faster than expected: How Agentic AI is reshaping the tech industry India as the egocentric data collection capital of the world: Is it a good thing or a bad thing? For many workers, especially in the informal economy, egocentric data collection provides income. It creates opportunities in Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns of India, and offers flexible work to homemakers and first-generation graduates. The drawbacks are more structural. Most profits from this data collection accrue to AI platforms and humanoid robotics companies. Egocentric data collection helps train robots that may eventually replace many of the same manual tasks being recorded by the workers in India. And there is likely to be an expiry date on such jobs. Demand for such data from big AI and robotics firms can disappear quickly as soon as AI models and humanoid robots improve. https://www.wionews.com/videos/ai-could-help-automate-repetitive-and-routine-tasks-1782391332274/embed The call-centre parallel to India's data annotation industry The egocentric data collection and annotation industry's evolution resembles India's BPO boom of the 2000s. Both rely on labour arbitrage, repetitive work, and thin margins while serving foreign technology companies, which made billions in profits. Like the call-centre industry, egocentric data collection creates employment in the short term, but leaves ownership of technology and intellectual property elsewhere. Call centres generated long-term middle-class jobs, even if India remained a service provider. It also led to the growth of IT outsourcing, making IT services the single largest export of India. But the same can't be predicted about egocentric data collection. Also read: India's AI problem: Funding gap for AI startups, research and development is the core constraint It is a weak foundation for India's AI ambitions, as it does not create a lasting technological advantage for the country. India might be able to dominate the labour-intensive segment while missing the higher-value layers, where the real profits are. The long-term question is whether India can move beyond collecting data to owning datasets. If it does, egocentric data collection could become the first rung of a larger AI industry. If not, India risks remaining the world's AI back office while the real value is created abroad.

India is fast becoming a global hub for collecting egocentric data to train AI models and robots. For some, it's creating jobs. But who benefits in the value chain of automation?

What is egocentric data? Will india become world's back office for egocentric data collection? is it a good thing or a bad thing?

Artificial Intelligence firm Anthropic recently showed some US lawmakers a demo of its Mythos model, which could identify vulnerabilities in the websites, intranets, and online systems of banking and financial institutions, among other things. The model could either fix those vulnerabilities or exploit them, potentially enabling the theft of funds from bank accounts. Andrew Garbarino, one of the lawmakers who attended the demonstration, has now spoken publicly, expressing alarm at what was shown.<h2>What House Homeland Security Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino said about Anthropic's controversial Mythos model</h2>"They showed us what it could do, and it's scary," Representative Andrew Garbarino, a New York Republican and Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, told Punchbowl News during its "Fly Out Day" programme.Garbarino said the closed-door demonstration left him shaken. During the demo, Anthropic "told the model to find a vulnerability in a bank and empty accounts, and then it went and did it," Garbarino told Punchbowl. He added that Mythos was then able to identify the vulnerability and fix it.<h2>Republican Congressman Garbarino wants the government to act on AI</h2>Garbarino said he wants Washington to move quickly on AI. The Anthropic demo showed that the government must "act soon", he said, while also acknowledging the challenges involved."I say act, but I don't know what the answer is," Garbarino said, admitting that lawmakers have been slow to respond to developments in AI. "We don't know what we have to do," he said, adding, "I'd say 95 per cent of my colleagues don't understand what the hell's going on."<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-treasury-to-test-anthropic-s-mythos-for-cyber-risks-1776229191378/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-treasury-to-test-anthropic-s-mythos-for-cyber-risks-1776229191378/embed</a><h2>Momentum builds towards AI regulation</h2>Garbarino praised US President Donald Trump's executive order directing federal agencies to prepare for AI-driven cyber threats. He also backed a discussion draft released by Representatives Jay Obernolte and Lori Trahan proposing a federal AI regulatory framework. According to Garbarino, government agencies and Congress should be given access to such advanced AI platforms before they are released to the public.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/anthropic-s-most-powerful-ai-model-gets-partial-us-approval-here-s-what-changed-1782540188737">Anthropic's most powerful AI model gets partial US approval. Here's what changed</a><h2>Demos by Anthropic, OpenAI and others are ringing alarm bells</h2>Details remain limited, but the session described by Garbarino was a private demonstration rather than a public hearing. It formed part of a broader series of briefings for US lawmakers and officials. Axios reported in April that Anthropic and OpenAI had briefed House Homeland Security Committee staff on their cyber-capable AI models during classified sessions.Garbarino's committee has also held public hearings on AI-related security issues, including a December 2025 hearing prompted by Anthropic's disclosure of a largely autonomous cyberattack linked to China.Anthropic officials also demonstrated a so-called "jailbreak", in which an AI model bypasses the safety guardrails imposed by its human developers. According to Garbarino, one unspecified model generated a plan to kidnap a lawmaker in just 30 seconds. He warned that malicious actors could use similar tools to "turn off this gas pipeline" or "increase the amount of chlorine" in a public water system. "You have the ability to not just learn how to do it, but to tell it to do it for you," he said.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-anthropic-us-now-limits-openai-s-latest-powerful-ai-model-to-domestic-users-1782514231980https://www.wionews.com/world/after-anthropic-us-now-limits-openai-s-latest-powerful-ai-model-to-domestic-users-1782514231980">After Anthropic, US now limits OpenAI's latest powerful AI model to domestic users</a><h2>What is Mythos, and how dangerous is it?</h2>Mythos is reported to be Anthropic's most advanced AI model to date. Owing to its capabilities, the company has reportedly withheld it from broad public release. The concerns centres on its ability to identify and exploit security flaws in websites, enterprise networks and other online systems. According to reports, the White House has restricted public access to Mythos and directed Anthropic to limit access to some of its most advanced AI models, including by restricting availability to certain foreign nationals, due to national security concerns.The Associated Press news agency recently reported that Mythos was able to identify vulnerabilities in classified US government systems as part of Anthropic's Project Glasswing, a limited deployment of the model to selected organisations for testing. During a US Senate hearing on 11 June, Senator Mark Warner said the tool "broke into almost all of our classified systems, not in weeks but in hours", underscoring lawmakers' concerns about the cybersecurity risks posed by highly capable AI systems.

US Congressman Andrew Garbarino revealed in an interview that Anthropic's Mythos AI model demonstrated the ability to find and exploit banking vulnerabilities. He is asking for regulation. So are many others in the government and private sectors

Artificial Intelligence firm Anthropic recently showed some US lawmakers a demo of its Mythos model, which could identify vulnerabilities in the websites, intranets, and online systems of banking and financial institutions, among other things. The model could either fix those vulnerabilities or exploit them, potentially enabling the theft of funds from bank accounts. Andrew Garbarino, one of the lawmakers who attended the demonstration, has now spoken publicly, expressing alarm at what was shown. What House Homeland Security Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino said about Anthropic's controversial Mythos model "They showed us what it could do, and it's scary," Representative Andrew Garbarino, a New York Republican and Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, told Punchbowl News during its "Fly Out Day" programme. Garbarino said the closed-door demonstration left him shaken. During the demo, Anthropic "told the model to find a vulnerability in a bank and empty accounts, and then it went and did it," Garbarino told Punchbowl. He added that Mythos was then able to identify the vulnerability and fix it. Republican Congressman Garbarino wants the government to act on AI Garbarino said he wants Washington to move quickly on AI. The Anthropic demo showed that the government must "act soon", he said, while also acknowledging the challenges involved. "I say act, but I don't know what the answer is," Garbarino said, admitting that lawmakers have been slow to respond to developments in AI. "We don't know what we have to do," he said, adding, "I'd say 95 per cent of my colleagues don't understand what the hell's going on." https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-treasury-to-test-anthropic-s-mythos-for-cyber-risks-1776229191378/embed Momentum builds towards AI regulation Garbarino praised US President Donald Trump's executive order directing federal agencies to prepare for AI-driven cyber threats. He also backed a discussion draft released by Representatives Jay Obernolte and Lori Trahan proposing a federal AI regulatory framework. According to Garbarino, government agencies and Congress should be given access to such advanced AI platforms before they are released to the public. Also read: Anthropic's most powerful AI model gets partial US approval. Here's what changed Demos by Anthropic, OpenAI and others are ringing alarm bells Details remain limited, but the session described by Garbarino was a private demonstration rather than a public hearing. It formed part of a broader series of briefings for US lawmakers and officials. Axios reported in April that Anthropic and OpenAI had briefed House Homeland Security Committee staff on their cyber-capable AI models during classified sessions. Garbarino's committee has also held public hearings on AI-related security issues, including a December 2025 hearing prompted by Anthropic's disclosure of a largely autonomous cyberattack linked to China. Anthropic officials also demonstrated a so-called "jailbreak", in which an AI model bypasses the safety guardrails imposed by its human developers. According to Garbarino, one unspecified model generated a plan to kidnap a lawmaker in just 30 seconds. He warned that malicious actors could use similar tools to "turn off this gas pipeline" or "increase the amount of chlorine" in a public water system. "You have the ability to not just learn how to do it, but to tell it to do it for you," he said. Also read: After Anthropic, US now limits OpenAI's latest powerful AI model to domestic users What is Mythos, and how dangerous is it? Mythos is reported to be Anthropic's most advanced AI model to date. Owing to its capabilities, the company has reportedly withheld it from broad public release. The concerns centres on its ability to identify and exploit security flaws in websites, enterprise networks and other online systems. According to reports, the White House has restricted public access to Mythos and directed Anthropic to limit access to some of its most advanced AI models, including by restricting availability to certain foreign nationals, due to national security concerns. The Associated Press news agency recently reported that Mythos was able to identify vulnerabilities in classified US government systems as part of Anthropic's Project Glasswing, a limited deployment of the model to selected organisations for testing. During a US Senate hearing on 11 June, Senator Mark Warner said the tool "broke into almost all of our classified systems, not in weeks but in hours", underscoring lawmakers' concerns about the cybersecurity risks posed by highly capable AI systems.

US Congressman Andrew Garbarino revealed that Anthropic's Mythos AI model demonstrated the ability to find and exploit banking vulnerabilities. He is asking for regulation. So are many others in the government and private sectors

'They showed us what it could do, and it's scary': Congressman on Anthropic Mythos model demo

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'They showed us...and it's scary': Congressman on Anthropic Mythos model demo