Musk threatened jail for X ad boycotters, but case fizzles

A Wired investigation found hundreds of seemingly mundane AI apps hiding features for creating sexually abusive deepfakes, including nonconsensual intimate imagery. The finding matters because these tools can enable abuse and harassment while evading app-store and platform moderation.

China’s Ministry of Commerce issued Announcement No. 48, described as the country’s first frontier AI export controls. The move could affect global AI technology supply chains and trade, marking a significant shift in China’s export-control policy.

Squarespace is cutting 19 percent of its workforce, according to The Verge. The layoffs affect a significant share of the website-building company’s staff and add to a broader pattern of tech-industry job cuts. The move matters because it signals continued cost-cutting and restructuring even at established software firms.

42AI has emerged from stealth with $62.5 million in funding and a world model it says can predict human behavior. The company is positioning the technology around modeling and anticipating human actions, though details of its applications remain limited. The raise signals continued investor interest in AI models that go beyond text and image generation.

Omen AI has acquired Aquatic Labs in a $16 million deal, adding specialized know-how in liquid handling. The acquisition aims to strengthen Omen AI’s capabilities in laboratory automation and related AI applications. The deal is a modest but notable consolidation move in the AI-driven lab technology sector.