Ubuntu services hit by outages after DDoS attack

Ubuntu services hit by outages after DDoS attack

Hacktivists have claimed responsibility for taking down the public-facing infrastructure of popular Linux operating system distribution Ubuntu, as well as Canonical, the company that develops and maintains the software. The attack began on Thursday, and affected services that Ubuntu users rely on. “Canonical’s web infrastructure is under a sustained, cross-border attack and we are working…

Uber taps Hertz to clean, charge, and fix its Lucid Motors robotaxis

Uber taps Hertz to clean, charge, and fix its Lucid Motors robotaxis

Uber’s forthcoming luxury robotaxi service with Lucid Motors and Nuro is getting a fourth partner: Hertz. The companies announced Thursday that Hertz will provide “day-to-day vehicle asset management, including charging, maintenance, repairs, cleaning, and depot staffing.” The service, announced last year, is supposed to launch by the end of 2026 in the San Francisco Bay…

Stripe introduces Link, a digital wallet that autonomous AI agents can use, too

Stripe introduces Link, a digital wallet that autonomous AI agents can use, too

Financial services platform Stripe is introducing a digital wallet specifically built for the AI era, where autonomous agents can perform tasks that include shopping, paying for reservations, buying tickets, and more. At its annual conference this week, the company introduced Link, a wallet that allows you to connect various payment methods, track your spending, and…

TikTok’s new ‘Campus Hub’ features college group chats and feeds

TikTok’s new ‘Campus Hub’ features college group chats and feeds

TikTok is launching a new “Campus Hub,” the company told TechCrunch in an email on Thursday. The new hub features dedicated college group chats and personalized feeds designed to help students stay connected with their campus communities, even while they’re away for the summer. The new hub builds on the app’s campus verification feature, which…

Google’s Gemini AI assistant is hitting the road in millions of vehicles

Google’s Gemini AI assistant is hitting the road in millions of vehicles

Google announced on Thursday that it will begin rolling out Gemini to cars with Google built-in, marking a significant upgrade from the current Google Assistant. The move signals Google’s push to bring more advanced, conversational AI into the driving experience. The announcement follows closely behind news from General Motors, which revealed yesterday that Gemini is…

Elon Musk testifies that xAI trained Grok on OpenAI models

Elon Musk testifies that xAI trained Grok on OpenAI models

OpenAI and Anthropic have been on the warpath lately against third-party efforts to train new AI models by prompting their publicly accessible chatbots and APIs, a process known as “distillation.” That conversation has focused on Chinese firms using distillation to create open-weight models that are nearly as capable as U.S. offerings, but available at a…

OpenAI announces new advanced security for ChatGPT accounts, including a partnership with Yubico

OpenAI announces new advanced security for ChatGPT accounts, including a partnership with Yubico

OpenAI is getting serious about account security. The company on Thursday launched Advanced Account Security (AAS), a set of opt-in protections for ChatGPT users designed for high-value individuals — but available to anyone who wants them. As part of that new program, digital security provider Yubico announced it has partnered with OpenAI to link two…

After dissing Anthropic for limiting Mythos, OpenAI restricts access to Cyber, too

After dissing Anthropic for limiting Mythos, OpenAI restricts access to Cyber, too

After Sam Altman trash-talked Anthropic for gatekeeping its cybersecurity tool Mythos by only releasing it to select users, he confirmed that OpenAI would be doing the same with its competing tool, Cyber. Altman said in a post on X on Thursday that OpenAI will begin rolling out GPT-5.5 Cyber “to critical cyber defenders” in the…