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While Washington’s breakup with Anthropic exposed the complete lack of any coherent rules governing artificial intelligence, a bipartisan coalition of thinkers has assembled something the government has so far declined to produce: a framework for what responsible AI development should actually look like. The Pro-Human Declaration was finalized before last week’s Pentagon-Anthropic standoff, but the collision of the two events wasn’t lost on anyone involved. “There’s something quite remarkable that has happened in America just in the last four months,” said Max Tegmark, the MIT physicist and AI researcher who helped organize the effort, in conversation with this editor. “Polling…
A push by a coalition of telecom operators, device makers, and industry groups to bring $40 smartphones to market — a price point seen as key to getting tens of millions more people online — is gathering momentum, but questions remain over whether manufacturers can produce such ultra-low-cost devices at scale. This week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the advocacy and lobbying group GSMA said it is working with major African mobile operators — including Airtel, Axian Telecom, Ethio Telecom, MTN Group, Orange, and Vodafone — and smartphone makers to pilot ultra-low-cost 4G devices in six African markets: the…
Sundar Pichai’s new pay package could be worth $692 million. Per a filing first spied by the FT, Alphabet has structured a three-year deal for its Google CEO that could make him one of the highest-paid executives on the planet — but most of it is tied to performance, including new stock incentives linked to Waymo and Wing, its drone delivery venture. What’s striking is how little public fascination Pichai attracts compared to Google’s founders. Larry Page and Sergey Brin — the second- and fourth richest people in the world — have lately captured headlines for a different reason entirely;…
A recently-added feature in Grammarly purports to improve users’ writing with help from the world’s great writers and thinkers — and some tech journalists, too. Launched in August 2025 as part of a broader set of AI-powered features, Expert Review appears in the sidebar of Grammarly’s main writing assistant, allowing users to bring up revision suggestions “from the perspective” of subject matter experts. Wired noted that this Grammarly frames this feedback as if it was coming from well-known authors, whether they’re living or dead. In some cases, according to The Verge, it can even appear to come from tech journalists…
Coffee is the original office biohack and the nation’s most popular productivity tool. As we lose sleep to the changeover to daylight saving time, the caffeine-addicted WIRED Reviews team is writing about our favorite coffee brewing routines and devices that’ll keep us alert and maybe even happy in the morning. Today, reviewer Matthew Korfhage expounds on his lasting love for drip coffee—and why the Ratio Four never leaves his counter. In the days after, we’ll add other Java.Base stories about other WIRED writers’ favorite brewing methods.As with any vice worth having, a morning coffee routine can take on the character…
Hardware executive Caitlin Kalinowski announced today that in response to OpenAI’s controversial agreement with the Department of Defense, she’s resigned from her role leading the company’s robotics team. “This wasn’t an easy call,” Kalinowski said in a social media post. “AI has an important role in national security. But surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got.” Kalinowski, who previously led the team building augmented reality glasses at Meta, joined OpenAI in November 2024. In her announcement today, she emphasized that the decision was “about principle, not…
David Barnett has learned a lot since first launching PopSockets more than a decade ago. As the tale goes, the former philosophy professor was looking for an easy way to hold his headphones and went on to create one of the most viral phone accessories of all time: A device that grips to the back of the phone and can be used as a kickstand or a handle — better known as the PopSockets. Barnett sat down with Equity this week to talk about his journey building this company from his garage, why he decided to never take on traditional…
OpenAI has delayed the launch of “adult mode,” a ChatGPT feature that will give verified adult users access to erotica and other adult content. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman first announced the feature in October, writing, “In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our ‘treat adult users like adults’ principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults.” The launch had already been delayed once, from December — when Altman reportedly sent an internal memo declaring a “code red” and calling for teams to focus on the core ChatGPT experience — until the…
Arc’teryx’s Delta Jacket is an ultralight fleece made of Octa Fleece, one of the newer, high-tech fleeces to hit the market in the past couple of years. The name comes from the octopus-like weaving which creates air gaps, which help trap warmth while also allowing moisture to escape. It’s very popular with cottage industry ultralight brands, but Arc’teryx adopted it for the 2025 revamp of the company’s popular Delta fleece jacket.I hesitated to put this jacket in this guide because, while I like it as an ultralight mid layer for summer trips, there is an older, heavier version of the…
The United States and Israel launched a war in Iran last week that has already killed more than 1,200 Iranians and spilled out across the Middle East. There are many unknowns about US president Donald Trump’s goals as the conflict enters its second week and the situation seems poised to trigger an energy crisis with reverberations around the world.Iran is in a nationwide internet shutdown with only the country’s regime-built intranet available, plunging Iranians into digital darkness and making it difficult for humanitarian aid workers, journalists, and others to disseminate information both inside and outside the country. As strikes on…
There’s a reason we’re called WIRED. If there’s one thing most of today’s gadgets have in common, it’s that they typically need to be plugged in from time to time. But all those cables, cords, and wires can be tough to manage. They don’t have to end up in a tangled nest under your desk; you can bring order to the cable chaos.As a gadget reviewer, I have more cords than most people, which is why I also have a regimented cable management strategy to keep everything orderly. Here are my tips and product recommendations for hiding those cords and…
One needn’t enjoy the music of Rush to respect the multitasking that happens while the Canadian prog trio (RIP Neil Peart) was onstage spinning impeccable note-for-note re-creations of their studio work. A key component of bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee’s workflow was the Moog Taurus, which is an archaic monophonic synthesizer that’s controlled by an octave’s worth of organ-like foot pedals that sit on the ground under his rack of synthesizers, which he later transitioned to a MIDI-controlled Ableton-enabled computer.Newer, heavier bands like Brutus and Russian Circles have carried the torch, the latter utilizing a vintage Taurus up until a band of…
Over the past week, residents across the Gulf have watched missiles and drones cross the night sky—sometimes followed seconds later by bright flashes as air-defense systems intercept them. In cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, videos of interceptions have spread quickly across social media, turning what is normally a largely unseen security architecture into something suddenly visible.Authorities have urged people not to film or share footage online of interceptions or military activity, warning that such videos could reveal sensitive information about defense operations.Iran has launched waves of missile and drones toward several Gulf countries in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes which…
Meta is now allowing rival AI companies to provide their chatbots on WhatsApp to Brazilian users for a fee, a day after the company confirmed a similar decision for users in Europe. Earlier this week, Brazil’s antitrust regulator CADE ruled against Meta and rejected its appeal to block an earlier order to suspend its policy change that seeks to bar third-party AI chatbots on WhatsApp. “Upon reviewing the case, the CADE Tribunal determined that the necessary requirements for maintaining the preventive measure were present. According to the case rapporteur, Councilor Carlos Jacques, there is evidence of legal plausibility, considering the relevance…
Many of us have a lot of digital data locked away in our Google accounts: emails, photos, chats, documents, schedules, restaurant reviews. Losing access to that data is likely to be fairly high on the catastrophe scale.There are steps you can take before that happens to minimize the chances of you and your Google account being permanently separated. You should put the tightest security possible around the account, which includes setting up two-factor authentication, and you should review your options for regaining access should the worst happen.Those options now include Recovery Contacts, which is where you specify friends and relatives…
Indian state Karnataka, home to the tech hub of Bengaluru, plans to ban children under 16 from using social media, joining a growing global movement that aims to curb young people’s access to online platforms despite questions over enforcement and effectiveness. Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah announced the decision during the state’s budget speech on Friday. “To prevent the adverse effects on children from the use of mobile phones, the use of social media will be prohibited for children under the age of 16,” he said. He did not share details on how the restrictions would be enforced. The Karnataka state…