How it works: <\/strong>If the security team at a store sees shoplifters leave, they can activate a camera-equipped drone. \u201cThe drone follows the people. The people get in a car. You click a button and you track the vehicle with the drone, and the drone just follows the car,\u201d says Keith Kauffman, a former police chief who now directs Flock\u2019s drone program. The video feed of that drone might go to the company\u2019s security team, but it could also be automatically transmitted directly to police departments.\u00a0<\/p>\n The response:<\/strong> Flock\u2019s expansion into private-sector security is \u201ca logical step, but in the wrong direction,\u201d says Rebecca Williams, senior strategist for the ACLU\u2019s privacy and data governance unit. Read the full story<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014James O\u2019Donnell\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Read more of our stories about the latest in drone tech:<\/strong><\/p>\n + Why you\u2019re about to see a lot more drones<\/a> over America\u2019s skies.<\/p>\n + Meet Serhii \u201cFlash\u201d Beskrestnov<\/a>, the radio-obsessed civilian shaping Ukraine\u2019s drone defense. His work could help to determine the future of Ukraine, and wars far beyond it.<\/p>\n + We examined four big trends that show what\u2019s next for drone technology<\/a>.<\/p>\n + The defense tech startup Epirus has developed a cutting-edge, cost-efficient drone zapper that\u2019s sparking the interest of the US military. Read our story<\/a> about how it could change the future of war.<\/p>\n\n The must-reads<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em><\/p>\n 1 TikTok US is being valued at $14 billion by Trump\u2019s deal<\/strong> 2 Microsoft has stopped letting Israel use its technology for surveillance<\/strong> 3 There are more robots working in China than the rest of the world combined<\/strong> 4 The inside story of what happened when DOGE came to town<\/strong> 5 Instagram\u2019s teen safety features are flawed<\/strong> 6 Brazil\u2019s judicial system is adopting AI with gusto<\/strong> 7 Amazon is refunding $1.5 billion to Prime subscribers<\/strong> 8 These women are in love with AI\u00a0<\/strong> 9 Scientists are improving how we measure nothing<\/strong> 10 Why does everything online feel so icky?\u00a0 Quote of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAI machines\u2014in quite a literal sense\u2014appear to be saving the US economy right now. In the absence of tech-related spending, the US would be close to, or in, recession this year.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014George Saravelos, global head of FX research at Deutsche Bank, warns that the AI boom is unsustainable in a note to clients, Fortune<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n\n One more thing<\/strong><\/p>\n The two people shaping the future of OpenAI\u2019s research<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014Will Douglas Heaven<\/em><\/p>\n For the past couple of years, OpenAI has felt like a one-man brand. With his showbiz style and fundraising glitz, CEO Sam Altman overshadows all other big names on the firm\u2019s roster.<\/p>\n But Altman is not the one building the technology on which its reputation rests. That responsibility falls to OpenAI\u2019s twin heads of research\u2014chief research officer Mark Chen and chief scientist Jakub Pachocki. Between them, they share the role of making sure OpenAI stays one step ahead of powerhouse rivals like Google.<\/p>\n I recently sat down with Chen and Pachocki for an exclusive conversation which covered everything from how they manage the inherent tension between research and product, to what they really mean when they talk about AGI, and what happened to OpenAI\u2019s superalignment team. Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n We can still have nice things<\/strong><\/p>\n + Wherever you are,\u00a0this website<\/a>\u00a0helps you discover the most interesting bars nearby.\u00a0 Shoplifters in the US could soon be chased down by drones The news: Flock Safety, whose drones were once reserved for police departments, is now offering them for private-sector security, the company has announced. Potential customers include businesses trying to curb shoplifting.\u00a0 How it works: If the security team at a store sees shoplifters leave, they can activate a camera-equipped drone. \u201cThe drone follows the people. The people get in a car. You click a button and you track the vehicle with the drone, and the drone just follows the car,\u201d says Keith Kauffman, a former police chief who now directs Flock\u2019s drone program. The video feed of that drone might go to the company\u2019s security team, but it could also be automatically transmitted directly to police departments.\u00a0 The response: Flock\u2019s expansion into private-sector security is \u201ca logical step, but in the wrong direction,\u201d says Rebecca Williams, senior strategist for the ACLU\u2019s privacy and data governance unit. Read the full story.\u00a0 \u2014James O\u2019Donnell\u00a0 Read more of our stories about the latest in drone tech: + Why you\u2019re about to see a lot more drones over America\u2019s skies. + Meet Serhii \u201cFlash\u201d Beskrestnov, the radio-obsessed civilian shaping Ukraine\u2019s drone defense. His work could help to determine the future of Ukraine, and wars far beyond it. + We examined four big trends that show what\u2019s next for drone technology. + The defense tech startup Epirus has developed a cutting-edge, cost-efficient drone zapper that\u2019s sparking the interest of the US military. Read our story about how it could change the future of war. The must-reads I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology. 1 TikTok US is being valued at $14 billion by Trump\u2019s dealThat\u2019s shockingly low for a fast-growing social media company. (FT $)\u00a0+ The deal is basically just Trump giving TikTok to his friends. (Vox $)+ Here\u2019s what the sale means for you. (WP $) 2 Microsoft has stopped letting Israel use its technology for surveillanceThe system was used to collect millions of Palestinian civilians\u2019 phone calls every day. (The Guardian) 3 There are more robots working in China than the rest of the world combinedIt\u2019s a trend that\u2019ll further cement its status as the world\u2019s leading manufacturer. (NYT $)+ China\u2019s EV giants are betting big on humanoid robots. (MIT Technology Review) 4 The inside story of what happened when DOGE came to townIf anything, this is even more grim and chaotic than you might imagine. (Wired $) 5 Instagram\u2019s teen safety features are flawedResearchers tested 47 of these features, and found that only 8 were fully effective. (Reuters $)+ There\u2019s growing concern among lawmakers about the risks of kids forming bonds with chatbots. (MIT Technology Review) 6 Brazil\u2019s judicial system is adopting AI with gustoThe trouble is that rather than reducing the amount of work for judges and lawyers, AI seems to be increasing it. (Rest of World)+ Meet the early-adopter judges using AI. (MIT Technology Review) 7 Amazon is refunding $1.5 billion to Prime subscribersThe deal with the FTC lets it avoid a trial over claims it tricked consumers into signing up. (WP $) 8 These women are in love with AI\u00a0Like it or not, these sorts of romances are becoming more common. (Slate $)+ It\u2019s surprisingly easy to stumble into a relationship with an AI chatbot. (MIT Technology Review)\u00a0 9 Scientists are improving how we measure nothingResearchers are developing a vacuum-measurement tool that could unlock exciting new possibilities for science. (IEEE Spectrum)+ This quantum radar could image buried objects. (MIT Technology Review) 10 Why does everything online feel so icky?\u00a0Most of us will go to extreme lengths to avoid awkwardness IRL. On social media, it\u2019s another matter entirely\u2026 (Vox $)+ China\u2019s government has had enough of everyone being negative on its internet. (BBC) Quote of the day \u201cAI machines\u2014in quite a literal sense\u2014appear to be saving the US economy right now. In the absence of tech-related spending, the US would be close to, or in, recession this year.\u201d \u2014George Saravelos, global head of FX research at Deutsche Bank, warns that the AI boom is unsustainable in a note to clients, Fortune reports. One more thing COURTESY OF OPENAI The two people shaping the future of OpenAI\u2019s research \u2014Will Douglas Heaven For the past couple of years, OpenAI has felt like a one-man brand. With his showbiz style and fundraising glitz, CEO Sam Altman overshadows all other big names on the firm\u2019s roster. But Altman is not the one building the technology on which its reputation rests. That responsibility falls to OpenAI\u2019s twin heads of research\u2014chief research officer Mark Chen and chief scientist Jakub Pachocki. Between them, they share the role of making sure OpenAI stays one step ahead of powerhouse rivals like Google. I recently sat down with Chen and Pachocki for an exclusive conversation which covered everything from how they manage the inherent tension between research and product, to what they really mean when they talk about AGI, and what happened to OpenAI\u2019s superalignment team. Read the full story. We can still have nice things + Wherever you are,\u00a0this website\u00a0helps you discover the most interesting bars nearby.\u00a0+ Take a tour of Norway\u2019s\u00a0lighthouses.+ Inside London\u2019s flourishing\u00a0underground rave scene.+ Meaningful changes rarely occur instantly.\u00a0Here\u2019s how they do happen.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_pvb_checkbox_block_on_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,5,7,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai-club","category-committee","category-news","category-uncategorized","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
That\u2019s shockingly low for a fast-growing social media company. (FT<\/a> $)\u00a0
+ The deal is basically just Trump giving TikTok to his friends. <\/em>(Vox<\/a> $)
+ Here\u2019s what the sale means for you.<\/em> (WP<\/a> $)<\/p>\n
The system was used to collect millions of Palestinian civilians\u2019 phone calls every day. (The Guardian<\/a>)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a trend that\u2019ll further cement its status as the world\u2019s leading manufacturer. (NYT<\/a> $)
+ China\u2019s EV giants are betting big on humanoid robots. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n
If anything, this is even more grim and chaotic than you might imagine. (Wired<\/a> $)<\/p>\n
Researchers tested 47 of these features, and found that only 8 were fully effective. (Reuters<\/a> $)
+ There\u2019s growing concern among lawmakers about the risks of kids forming bonds with chatbots.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n
The trouble is that rather than reducing the amount of work for judges and lawyers, AI seems to be increasing it. (Rest of World<\/a>)
+ Meet the early-adopter judges using AI.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n
The deal with the FTC lets it avoid a trial over claims it tricked consumers into signing up. (WP<\/a> $)<\/p>\n
Like it or not, these sorts of romances are becoming more common. (Slate<\/a> $)
+ It\u2019s surprisingly easy to stumble into a relationship with an AI chatbot. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Researchers are developing a vacuum-measurement tool that could unlock exciting new possibilities for science. (IEEE Spectrum<\/a>)
+ This quantum radar could image buried objects<\/em>. (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n![\"\ud83d\ude2c\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/16.0.1\/72x72\/1f62c.png\")
<\/strong>
Most of us will go to extreme lengths to avoid awkwardness IRL. On social media, it\u2019s another matter entirely\u2026 (Vox<\/a> $)
+ China\u2019s government has had enough of everyone being negative on its internet<\/em>. (BBC<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n![\"Headshots](\"https:\/\/wp.technologyreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/250724-AI-hero.jpg\")
\n
+ Take a tour of Norway\u2019s\u00a0lighthouses<\/a>.
+ Inside London\u2019s flourishing\u00a0underground rave scene<\/a>.
+ Meaningful changes rarely occur instantly.\u00a0Here\u2019s how they do happen<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"