Tech News - Page 44

Anthropic says a team of Claude Science agents helped build the first complete UV map of the sky, about a third of it predicted rather than observed. A preprint finds agent benchmark scores can move because of the grader, not the agent, and Exa previews a search benchmark it designed and runs itself. What each one shows, and what it doesn't.

Two device stories from 8–9 October 2026. Nikkei Asia reports that Apple told some suppliers to cut production of iPhone 18 Pro components after price rises dampened demand; Apple has not commented. And start-up Natura has shown Interface, a $99 smart ring for sending voice requests to AI agents, which cannot be ordered yet.

CrowdStrike says an unnamed, likely Chinese-speaking attacker used ARTEX, an open-source AI penetration-testing agent, alongside several AI models to steal data from South Korean financial firms. What CrowdStrike found, what Korean investigators say, and what it does not prove.

Four AI-policy items from 8–9 October 2026: an FTC official tells Semafor investigative demands to AI companies are close, Kentucky files an unredacted version of its Character.AI lawsuit, India's IT minister promises an AI consultation paper within 30 days, and the European Commission says it is "looking into" chatbot data reaching ad trackers. Labelled, with what each does not prove.

After a malicious governance proposal seized eight of its contracts in September, the Cosmos exchange Astroport has turned off token voting on Neutron and Terra, handed control to contributor-run DAOs with an emergency multisig, and cut ASTRO emissions to zero. What changed, what is still planned, and what it says about on-chain governance.

Ledger says it is investigating reports of lost funds among South East Asia customers who bought devices from the reseller CryptoBilis, and has asked the reseller to pause sales. Loss totals of about $86m come from Hacken and an on-chain analyst, not Ledger. The cause is unconfirmed.

Four defence-tech items from 8–9 October 2026: EOS signs a conditional £370m counter-drone contract with an unnamed Gulf state, Shield AI says the US Navy added $150 million for X-BAT, a Senate bill proposes Pentagon reporting rules for large AI contractors, and the Indian Army orders 225 FPV drones. What each says, and what it doesn't.

Travel site skyticket says about 14.64 million records were taken. Bookoff says up to about 6.43 million, and Times Car, Lawson, karaoke firm Daiichikosho, H.I.S. and resort operator Resorttrust have also disclosed leaks. What each company has confirmed, what Kyodo reports, and what it means for customers.

Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak has posted "Welcome home. October 13.", and press have been invited to an "Apple Experience" in New York. Apple has named no products. A home hub with a display, a new Apple TV 4K, a refreshed HomePod mini and LG-made accessories are rumoured, not announced.

Custom high-bandwidth memory puts a customer-designed base die under the memory stack, so the AI chip spends less of its own silicon talking to memory. What NVIDIA claims for its NVHBM, what SemiAnalysis estimates, and what is still unproven.