Monday, May 18, 2026

Amazon Alexa Plus can now create AI-generated podcasts

Amazon's Alexa Plus has launched a new feature that allows users to create AI-generated podcasts on virtually any topic. By simply providing a topic, users can receive an overview of the episode's content and adjust its length before the AI hosts begin the discussion. This feature is part of Alexa's ongoing enhancements and draws from a network of 200 partnered news publications.

Meta layoffs starting this week stress harsh AI reality inside Zuckerberg’s company

Meta is initiating a new round of layoffs this week, cutting approximately 8,000 jobs, or 10% of its workforce, as the company shifts its focus toward artificial intelligence investments. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has changed his approach since the previous layoffs, emphasizing efficiency without offering apologies, while internal morale has plummeted amid fears of further job cuts and a controversial employee tracking tool.

Kin Health raises $9M to build an AI notetaker for patients

Kin Health has secured $9 million in seed funding to create an AI notetaker designed for patients, allowing them to transcribe doctor visits and receive actionable summaries. Unlike existing healthcare-focused notetaking apps, Kin Health's tool prioritizes patient engagement and privacy, encrypting all data while providing a user-friendly interface for tracking medical advice and next steps.

The Fed will have to raise interest rates in July to appease 'bond vigilantes,' Yardeni says

Ed Yardeni, head of Yardeni Research, asserts that the Federal Reserve will likely need to raise interest rates in July to satisfy 'bond vigilantes' and maintain control over borrowing costs. With incoming Chair Kevin Warsh's dovish stance, the market is reacting negatively, leading to increased Treasury yields and a growing sentiment that the Fed must align with rising inflation pressures.

Musk’s xAI Fails to Pay Staff $420 for Giving Their Tax Returns to Grok

Elon Musk's xAI requested employees to submit their tax returns as training data for the Grok chatbot, offering a $420 payment as an incentive. However, two months later, those payments have yet to be fulfilled, raising concerns among staff. This move was intended to enhance Grok's capabilities in time for the April 15 tax deadline, as the company seeks to compete with established rivals like Claude and ChatGPT.

Pope Leo XIV presents first AI encyclical, Anthropic co-founder invited as guest speaker

Pope Leo XIV is set to present his first encyclical, 'Magnifica Humanitas', on May 25, focusing on the protection of human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence. Breaking from tradition, he will personally deliver the message, with Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah joining as a guest speaker to discuss AI safety and interpretability. The encyclical is expected to address the dangers of AI in warfare and its implications for workers' rights, drawing parallels to historical church teachings on industrialization.

Linus Torvalds says Linux security list is becoming ‘unmanageable’ due to AI bug reports

Linus Torvalds, the founder of Linux, expressed concerns in his latest post about the overwhelming number of AI-generated bug reports, which he claims have rendered the Linux security list nearly unmanageable. He pointed out that many reports are duplicates, as different individuals often identify the same issues using similar AI tools. Torvalds criticized this trend as a waste of time, urging contributors to validate their findings and provide meaningful solutions rather than simply submitting unverified reports.

Exclusive: Jonah Peretti explains why he sold BuzzFeed

Jonah Peretti has agreed to sell 52% of BuzzFeed for $120 million to Byron Allen, marking a significant shift in leadership as Peretti steps down as CEO to lead BuzzFeed AI. This sale comes as BuzzFeed faces financial difficulties, having previously been valued at $1.6 billion and now at risk of running out of cash, making the deal a crucial lifeline for the company.

Trump's Iran threat, Berkshire's airline bet, Lululemon's proxy battle and more in Morning Squawk

President Trump issued a stark warning to Iran, urging the country to make progress in negotiations or face severe repercussions, which has led to a spike in oil prices and a drop in stock futures. Meanwhile, Berkshire Hathaway's recent investment in Delta Air Lines signifies a notable return to the airline sector, while Lululemon faces internal challenges as it combats an activist shareholder's influence ahead of its annual meeting.

MAGA-aligned groups want government oversight of frontier AI models

A coalition of conservative organizations, spearheaded by Humans First, is calling on President Trump to issue an executive order for mandatory safety testing of frontier AI models prior to their deployment. Prominent figures, including Stephen K. Bannon and Amy Kremer, express concerns over the potential risks these technologies pose to elections, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure, arguing that private companies cannot be trusted to self-regulate in this critical area.

Can AI Drug Development Live Up to the Hype?

The pharmaceutical industry is increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to address the lengthy and costly drug development process, which typically spans a decade and exceeds $1 billion. Traditional methods involve formulating hypotheses and conducting extensive tests, but AI promises to enhance efficiency and predictability in identifying viable drug candidates, potentially transforming the landscape of drug discovery.

South Korea’s LetinAR is building optics behind AI glasses

LetinAR, a South Korean startup, is making strides in the AI glasses market by developing advanced optical technology that enhances image clarity and efficiency. Recently securing $18.5 million in funding, the company aims to scale its innovative PinTILT lens technology, which could revolutionize how smart glasses are designed and used, as major tech players like Samsung and Apple prepare to enter this burgeoning market.

Apple launches Apple Card promo offering free AirPods Pro 3

Apple has introduced a new promotion for individuals signing up for the Apple Card, offering a pair of AirPods Pro 3 essentially for free. New users must purchase the AirPods directly from Apple by June 15, 2026, and will earn $25 in Daily Cash each month for making at least ten purchases, allowing them to recoup the cost over a year.

Venture Global (VG) Delivers Strong Q1 Results, Raises 2026 Guidance

Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG) reported impressive Q1 2026 results, with adjusted profits of $0.19 per share and revenues reaching $4.6 billion, surpassing estimates by $750 million. The company also announced an increase in its 2026 EBITDA guidance, reflecting strong performance driven by higher LNG sales volumes from its Plaquemines Project in Louisiana.

Valero Energy (VLO) Crushes Estimates in Q1, Expects Refining Margins to Remain Strong

Valero Energy Corporation reported a strong first quarter, with an adjusted profit of $4.22 per share, significantly exceeding analyst expectations. The company’s revenue surged to $32.4 billion, driven by robust performance in its refining segment, which saw operating income rebound to $1.8 billion from a loss in the same period last year. Valero anticipates that refining margins will remain strong for the next six months to a year as inventory levels stabilize.

Apple Watch could soon gain new high blood pressure feature

Apple is reportedly working on a new high blood pressure notification feature for the Apple Watch, which is currently under review by the FDA. This feature, distinct from the hypertension alerts introduced in watchOS 26, aims to enhance the device's health-management capabilities. While no specific release date has been provided, the feature's mention alongside details about the upcoming Apple Watch Ultra 4 suggests a potential launch with new models.

Java News Roundup: OpenJDK JEPs, Azul Payara, WildFly, LangChain4j, OpenXava, Google ADK

The latest Java news roundup reveals significant updates, including three OpenJDK JEPs proposed for JDK 27, which aim to enhance garbage collection and object header management. Additionally, Azul has rebranded Payara Platform Community to Azul Payara Community, while WildFly introduced a new command line tool, wado, to streamline container management.

Bug bounty businesses bombarded with AI slop

Bug bounty programs, which incentivize hackers to find software vulnerabilities, are struggling with a surge of low-quality reports generated by AI tools, prompting some companies like Curl and Nextcloud to suspend their programs. Bugcrowd reported a significant increase in submissions, with most being false, while cybersecurity experts warn that the rise of generative AI is reshaping the landscape of these programs, necessitating new strategies to filter submissions effectively.

Britain’s prospective next PM tries to placate bond markets after sell-off, gilts steady

U.K. gilt yields stabilized on Monday following a significant sell-off last week, as traders assess the implications of potential leadership challenges to Prime Minister Keir Starmer from figures like Andy Burnham. Burnham, who is cleared to contest a by-election, has sought to reassure bond markets that fiscal policies will remain intact, despite concerns over increased borrowing and spending under new leadership.

Amazon launches Alexa for Shopping as Rufus moves behind the scenes

Amazon has unveiled Alexa for Shopping, merging its Rufus shopping chatbot with Alexa+ to enhance the shopping experience across its app, website, and Echo Show devices. The new assistant can answer product inquiries, track prices, and manage scheduled purchases, leveraging Rufus's expertise to assist over 300 million customers in 2025. While the Rufus name is being retired, it will continue to function behind the scenes, contributing to a more personalized shopping experience.

Apple’s faulty chips are big business for the company, and not just in the MacBook Neo

Apple has been employing a technique called chip binning for years, allowing the company to reuse faulty chips across different products. This practice, which dates back to the original iPad and iPhone 4, enables Apple to save costs by utilizing chips that failed quality control in one model for another, such as the binned A18 Pro chips used in the MacBook Neo. This approach has reportedly saved the company hundreds of millions of dollars while increasing product availability.

AI startup revenue hits $80 billion, but Anthropic and OpenAI take almost all of it

AI startup revenue has reached nearly $80 billion, with Anthropic and OpenAI dominating the market by capturing 89 percent of this total. Anthropic recently overtook OpenAI in revenue, largely due to its advancements in AI coding tools, although both companies face significant operational costs exceeding $30 billion annually, primarily for training their models.

The US space enterprise is desperately waiting for Starship—will it finally deliver?

SpaceX's Starship program, crucial for the company's future ambitions, is at a critical juncture after a series of setbacks. Despite investing $15 billion and making significant design changes, the rocket has not flown in seven months, with recent test flights resulting in failures that have raised concerns about its reliability and the company's ambitious plans for rapid launches.

Cloudflare and Stripe Let AI Agents Create Accounts, Buy Domains, and Deploy to Production

Cloudflare and Stripe have introduced a groundbreaking protocol that allows AI agents to autonomously create cloud accounts, register domains, and deploy applications without human involvement. This capability, available through Stripe Projects in open beta, streamlines the deployment process by enabling coding agents to manage everything from account creation to API token generation, while maintaining human oversight for legal and financial aspects.