TECH

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In response to the UK markets regulator, Apple and Google have agreed to new app-store rules designed to level the playing field for developers. Key commitments include avoiding preferential treatment of in-house apps and greater transparency on how apps are vetted and listed. The concessions follow the CMA’s (Competition and Markets Authority) finding seven months ago that the companies collectively form an “effective duopoly” in the UK.

The CMA's head Sarah Cardell said the proposed commitments "will boost the UK's app economy" and were the first of many measures.

"The ability to secure immediate commitments from Apple and Google reflects the unique flexibility of the UK digital markets competition regime and offers a practical route to swiftly address the concerns we've identified," she said.

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Apple has officially confirmed that Google will play a central role in its long-promised Siri transformation, ending months of speculation about how the company plans to modernize its voice assistant for the AI era.

In a statement shared with CNBC, Apple said it will use Google's Gemini artificial intelligence model as the foundation for the upcoming, more personalized version of Siri. According to Apple, Gemini offered the strongest technical base after extensive internal evaluation.

"After careful evaluation, we determined that Google's technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models," the company said, adding that the partnership will unlock new experiences for users.

Apple did not disclose financial terms or a precise rollout date, but the agreement is believed to be part of a multi-year deal between the two companies. Earlier reports had suggested Apple was weighing alternatives from OpenAI and Anthropic before settling on Google.

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Discord is introducing mandatory age verification globally for access to adult content, using either biometric face scans or ID uploads. The service, used by 200+ million people each month, says the step will protect users by keeping accounts in a teen-appropriate mode by default, though it raises questions about handling of sensitive verification data.

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Malaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries in the world to officially ban Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, citing its ability to generate sexually explicit deepfakes. Authorities in both nations blocked access to the tool on the X platform after discovering it was being used to manipulate images of real people into revealing or pornographic outfits. Officials expressed specific concern that the AI could be exploited to produce non-consensual imagery involving women and children.

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Elon Musk’s SpaceX is acquiring his artificial‑intelligence start‑up xAI, the company confirmed by publishing a memo from Musk on its website. The smaller firm, known for the Grok chatbot, will be folded into SpaceX, though financial terms were not disclosed. A source familiar with the deal said it values xAI at about $125 billion and SpaceX at $1 trillion — figures that would make SpaceX the most valuable private company ever.

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• Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok has restricted parts of its image generation and editing features to paid subscribers on X, following global criticism over the tool being used to "digitally undress" people, including women and children. The change surfaced late this week as scrutiny from governments and regulators intensified.

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Sandisk shares surged Friday after the flash memory maker delivered a standout earnings report and issued an outlook that underscored how aggressively artificial intelligence is reshaping demand across the data center market.

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NASA announced on Thursday that it will return four astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) more than a month ahead of schedule due to a medical issue. This marks the first medical evacuation in the station’s 25-year history. While agency officials confirmed the situation is currently "stable," they declined to release specific details regarding the nature of the condition or the identity of the affected crew member, citing medical privacy protocols.