Technology

Germany plans measures to combat harmful AI image manipulation

BERLIN, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Germany's justice ‌ministry plans to present measures in the near future that would ‌allow authorities to more effectively combat the use of artificial intelligence to ‌manipulate images in ways that violate personal rights, a spokesperson said on Friday.

Technology

DeepSeek to launch new AI model focused on coding in February, The Information reports

Jan ‌9 (Reuters) - ‌Chinese AI startup ‌DeepSeek is expected to ‍launch ‍its next-generation ‌AI model V4 ‍that ​features ⁠strong coding capabilities ‌in February, ⁠The ‍Information reported ‍on Friday, citing ‌people familiar with the matter.

Technology

Factbox-Elon Musk's Grok faces global scrutiny for sexualised AI photos

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Governments and regulators from Europe ‌to Asia have condemned and some have opened inquiries into sexually explicit content generated by Elon Musk's ‌xAI chatbot Grok on X, putting pressure on the platform to show what it is doing to ‌prevent and remove illegal content.

Technology

Stablecoin firm Rain valued at $1.95 billion in latest fundraise

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Stablecoin firm ‌Rain said on Friday it has raised $250 million in a ‌funding round led by ICONIQ, valuing the company at $1.95 ‌billion, as investor interest in the crypto sector continues to grow.

Technology

Musk's AI bot Grok limits image generation on X to paid users after backlash

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's startup ‌xAI has restricted the image generation function on its Grok chatbot ‌on social media platform X to paid subscribers, after the tool's use ‌of AI to create sexualized images sparked a widespread backlash.

Technology

EU considers making WhatsApp more responsible for tackling harmful content, spokesperson says

BRUSSELS, Jan ‌9 (Reuters) - The European ‌Commission is considering recategorizing ‌Meta's WhatsApp messaging service to make it more responsible ‍for tackling illegal ‍and harmful ‌content, a spokesperson for the ‍commission ​said on Friday.

Technology

Meta strikes nuclear power agreements with three companies

WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Meta ‌Platforms said on Friday it struck 20-year agreements to buy power from three Vistra nuclear ‌plants in the U.S. heartland and develop projects with two companies hoping to build ‌small modular reactors.

Technology

TSMC fourth-quarter revenue jumps 20%, beats forecasts

TAIPEI, Jan 9 (Reuters) - TSMC, ‌the world's largest contract chipmaker, on Friday reported ‌a 20.45% increase in fourth-quarter revenue from a year ‌earlier, beating the market forecast, as demand for the company's products leapt in response to surging interest in AI applications.

Gadgets

From climbing vacuums to cyber pets: Some highlights of CES 2026

CES 2026 offered a glimpse of a future that feels straight out of a sci-fi movie: bendable screens, paper-thin TVs and cars and gadgets that can think for themselves as they get to know you and your family's wants and needs.

Robotics

Humanoid robots go for knockout in high-tech Vegas fight night

Two robots the size of schoolchildren stepped into the ring at BattleBots Arena.

Gadgets

'Worst in Show' CES products include AI refrigerators, AI companions and AI doorbells

The promise of artificial intelligence was front and centre at this year's CES gadget show. But spicing up a simple machine like a refrigerator with unnecessary AI was also a surefire way to win the "Worst in Show".

Gadgets

From sci-fi to sidewalk: exoskeletons go mainstream

Exoskeletons are shedding their bulky, sci-fi image to become lightweight, AI-powered consumer devices that manufacturers hope will become as commonplace as smartwatches, targeting everyone from hikers to seniors seeking to stay active.

Technology

Musk's xAI to invest over $20 billion in Mississippi data center

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's ‌artificial intelligence startup xAI is investing more than $20 ‌billion to build a data center in Southaven, Mississippi, ‌state Governor Tate Reeves said in a statement on Thursday, as a boom in generative AI fuels demand for increased computing power.

Technology

TSMC posts Q4 revenue of T$1,046.08 billion, above forecasts

(Corrects to ‌show revenue amount ‌is in Taiwan dollars, ‌not U.S. dollars, in headline)

AI

AI gobbling up memory chips essential to gadget makers

As devices from toys to cars get smarter at the Consumer Electronics Show, gadget makers are grappling with a shortage of memory and storage needed for them to work.

Mobile apps

As a shooting unfolded at Brown University, students turned to anonymous app for answers before official alerts

When a gunman began firing inside an academic building on the Brown University campus, students didn't wait for official alerts warning of trouble. They got information almost instantly, in bits and bursts – through phones vibrating in pockets, messages from strangers, rumors that felt urgent because they might keep someone alive.

AI

Google adds new AI features to Gmail, turning it into a personal assistant

More artificial intelligence is being implanted into Gmail as Google tries to turn the world's most popular email service into a personal assistant that can improve writing, summarize far-flung information buried in inboxes and deliver daily to-do lists.

AI

DeepSeek to customise namesake chatbot for Italian users following probe

The firm agrees to a package of commitments, including tackling AI model 'hallucination' issues, with the Italian Competition Authority.

Technology

Musk's xAI quarterly net loss widens to $1.46 billion, Bloomberg News reports

Jan 8 (Reuters) - Elon ‌Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI ‌reported a net loss of $1.46 billion ‌for the September quarter, compared with a loss of $1 billion in the previous three months, Bloomberg ‍News reported on Thursday, citing ‍internal documents.

Technology

CrowdStrike to buy identity security startup SGNL for $740 million to tackle AI threats

Jan 8 (Reuters) - CrowdStrike ‌said on Thursday it would buy identity security startup SGNL in ‌a deal valued at $740 million aiming to enhance its cybersecurity tools ‌to help customers counter artificial intelligence-powered threats.