Alvaro Lopez Ortega / 2026-05-25 Briefing

Created Mon, 25 May 2026 19:34:55 +0000 Modified Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:54:29 +0000
4653 Words

Google’s new AI Search mode risks cannibalizing the web by keeping users within its own ecosystem rather than driving traffic externally. Meanwhile, Anthropic prepares to release its Mythos-class models to a wider audience, though safety guardrails remain. In legal news, a Google engineer is suing for retaliation regarding Gaza whistleblowing. Finally, AI-driven layoffs are targeting middle management and administrative roles.

🤖 AI & Machine Learning

Google is cannibalizing the web to feed AI

Google’s new AI Mode in Search aims to keep users within its own ecosystem rather than directing them to external websites. This shift marks a departure from the traditional search model of driving traffic to the wider web.

Anthropic to release Mythos-class models to the public

Anthropic plans to release its Mythos-class models to the public and is extending access to a broader range of users, including governments. However, certain AI flaw-finding capabilities will remain restricted while the company works to establish necessary safety guardrails.

Blind Waymo Users Revel in the Joy of Riding Alone

While Waymo’s autonomous vehicles have faced controversies in California, they provide visually impaired passengers with a newfound sense of independence. For these users, the driverless technology offers a rare opportunity to travel alone and maintain control over their journeys.

PhoneDiffusion – Local AI image generation for iOS

PhoneDiffusion has launched on iOS, enabling users to generate AI images locally on iPhones using Stable Diffusion. The app provides a fast and private experience that requires no account or internet connection after the initial setup.

GPT Guesses Between 1 and 100

An experiment involving 10,000 independent requests to GPT-4.1 has revealed that the model does not function as a uniform random number generator. When asked to pick a number between 1 and 100, the model’s outputs demonstrated significant statistical deviation from a fair distribution.

Writing in the Age of AI

The widespread adoption of large language models for writing is criticized for replacing authentic human communication with hollow, homogenized content. This trend is viewed as violating the traditional “social contract” between authors and readers by reducing the intellectual effort required and undermining the perceived value of written works.

Huawei Unveils New Chip Scaling Law

Huawei has introduced the Tau (τ) Scaling Law, a new approach designed to bypass the physical and economic limitations of Moore’s Law through time-based scaling and multi-level co-optimization. The proposed law aims to achieve a transistor density equivalent to 1.4nm by 2031, helping the company overcome U.S. sanctions and close the technological gap with competitors like TSMC and Intel.

UK’s AI Safety Institute’s model testing becomes a blueprint for global AI policy

The UK’s AI Safety Institute is performing “red team” testing to uncover critical security vulnerabilities in AI models, such as instructions for producing bioweapons. By sharing these findings with developers to strengthen safeguards, the institute’s work is serving as a global blueprint for government AI policies.

Execs use AI digital twins for tasks; Reid Hoffman’s ‘Reid AI’ has done 75+ talks since 2024

An increasing number of executives are creating AI digital twins trained on their unique communication styles to handle tasks such as answering inquiries and delivering presentations. For instance, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman’s AI replica has already completed more than 75 addresses and presentations since its launch in 2024.

Xiaomi’s $8.8B AI investment over 3 years aims to future-proof its hardware and EV ecosystem

Xiaomi is investing approximately $8.8 billion in AI development over the next three years to advance its frontier models and secure its hardware ecosystem. This strategic push also aims to enhance the company’s capabilities in chip design and electric vehicles to capitalize on emerging technological trends.

Meta CTO Andrew “Boz” Bosworth: Leading Meta’s transformation into an AI-first company

Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth is leading the company’s transition to an AI-first model, which includes using employee keystroke and mouse click data to train AI agents. This initiative has sparked internal backlash and privacy concerns among the workforce. Bosworth has remained firm, refusing opt-out requests and advising employees to avoid using personal email on company devices.

UK turns to neuromorphic computing for sovereignty, trailing US and China in AI

The UK is turning to experimental technologies, such as neuromorphic computing, to achieve computing sovereignty after being outpaced by the US and China in AI. This shift responds to the growing importance of data centers and computing power in maintaining military capability.

The Open/Closed Problem in AI

The article explores the “Open/Closed problem” in AI, noting a trend toward specialized, closed architectures optimized for efficiency over flexible, open systems. The author warns that this industry focus on efficiency may hinder the transition to closed-loop learning, where models autonomously update themselves without external intervention.

💻 Software & Engineering

OpenBSD 7.9 arrives, a diamond in the rough proud of every sharp edge

OpenBSD 7.9, the 60th release of the operating system, has been launched. The update introduces support for additional CPU cores, delayed hibernation, and basic Wi-Fi 6 while maintaining the project’s characteristic minimalist design.

Chert (YC P26) – Twilio for iMessage

Chert provides an API that enables businesses to programmatically send, receive, and automate iMessage conversations at scale. The platform offers an infrastructure layer to overcome the lack of a native iMessage API, allowing for seamless integration with existing CRM and SMS/RCS systems.

Search engines alternatives now that Google isn’t Google anymore

Google is overhauling its search engine to transition toward a conversational, AI-driven model, a move that has sparked significant user backlash. Consequently, many users are exploring alternative search engines like Kagi and DuckDuckGo to avoid intrusive AI features and advertisements.

Samsung: It’s Time for Floating Data Centers

Samsung Heavy Industries is partnering with U.S. developer Mousterian to launch a floating data center initiative, starting with a multi-vessel deployment in Houston. The project aims to meet AI infrastructure demands by utilizing local water for cooling and leveraging existing power sources to minimize land and resource impacts.

Geomatic – a command-driven geometry studio enabled with autodiff

Geomatic is a command-driven geometry studio that integrates automatic differentiation and broadcasting semantics similar to NumPy and PyTorch. The tool features reactive geometry updates and supports advanced capabilities such as backpropagation, gradient descent, and custom differentiable visualizations.

A deep dive into Kubernetes internals

This article provides an in-depth look at the fundamental mechanics of Kubernetes, focusing on its declarative, control-loop-driven architecture for container orchestration. It introduces twelve essential mental models for mastering the platform and offers guidance on when its operational complexity may not be necessary.

Switchberry Turns a Raspberry Pi CM4 into a Time-Focused Ethernet Switch

TimeAppliances has introduced Switchberry, a Raspberry Pi CM4 carrier board that functions as a five-port gigabit Ethernet switch. The device is designed for timing-sensitive network experimentation, offering support for Precision Time Protocol (PTP) and Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE). It also features M.2 slots for integrating additional components such as GPS receivers or Wi-Fi modules.

Splinter Cell veteran says realistic modern lighting has screwed up stealth game

Renowned game designer Clint Hocking argues that modern, realistic lighting techniques make stealth games more difficult to play by obscuring the distinction between shadows and light. He suggests that developers must learn to utilize advanced rendering technologies without sacrificing the gameplay clarity essential to the genre.

Serving files over HTTP three ways: synchronous, epoll, and io_uring

This article compares three I/O methods—synchronous, epoll, and io_uring—using an HTTP file server as a case study. It provides shared C code for essential implementation tasks, such as socket listening and HTTP response formatting.

The User Is Visibly Frustrated

The author explores why the conversational user experience of coding agents can lead to intense user frustration. By mimicking human-like communication, these AI tools trigger social instincts that make their repeated algorithmic mistakes feel much more personally exasperating.

On C extensions, portability, and alternative compilers

Developing a new C compiler is complicated by the widespread use of non-standard language extensions and compiler-specific macros in real-world code. System libraries like glibc often use preprocessor checks targeting GCC or Clang, making it difficult for alternative compilers to parse essential headers and maintain platform compatibility.

Host-Tuned GCC for Faster Compilation

This article outlines methods for reducing GCC compilation times by using specific configuration options during the build process. It demonstrates how applying profile-guided optimization (PGO), link-time optimization (LTO), and native-tuned bootstrap stages can create a more efficient compiler binary.

Fully in-browser container builds

A new research prototype enables users to build container images entirely within a web browser using client-side code. The application allows users to select base images, run shell scripts, and export the resulting images as tar files for use in Docker. This project demonstrates the potential for creating custom container tools that can outperform standard industry software.

Nix’s Substituter List Is Not a Routing Table

Nix’s substituter model causes high latency by performing sequential, non-concurrent lookups across a static list of binary caches. To address this, the article introduces ncro, a lightweight Rust-based HTTP proxy that optimizes routing by racing upstream caches in parallel and streaming data without local storage.

Scoped Error in Rust

The new Rust crate scoped_error aims to address the ergonomic and verbosity issues found in existing error-handling libraries like anyhow and exn. It allows developers to attach error context once using the expect_error function, reducing the need for repetitive manual context attachment at every call site.

Lambda on Lambda: Serverless Haskell on AWS

Following a presentation at the Melbourne Compose Group, the author has released an end-to-end example for implementing AWS Lambda functions using Haskell. The guide provides detailed deployment instructions utilizing OCI-format containers and OpenTofu configuration.

Announcing feed-repeat v1.0

Feed-repeat v1.0 is a new Haskell-based tool that creates an Atom feed by periodically re-publishing selected posts from existing RSS, Atom, or RDF feeds. It enables users to implement spaced repetition by customizing the frequency and selection of older posts to revisit. The tool is available as a standalone binary, a Docker image, and a NixOS module.

Scaling Akvorado BMP RIB with sharding

To resolve scalability bottlenecks caused by a global read/write lock in Akvorado’s BGP Routing Information Base, the author proposes implementing RIB sharding. This approach splits the routing database into multiple segments to enable concurrent updates and improve performance when processing tens of millions of routes.

🛡️ Security & Policy

Digital sovereignty, the musical: One engineer’s bizarre crusade against hyperscalers

A French engineer has launched a creative protest campaign against major cloud providers AWS, Google, and Microsoft to advocate for digital sovereignty. The unconventional campaign utilizes AI-generated sea shanties, satirical poetry, and multilingual messages to critique the dominance of hyperscalers.

Age Verification Law Updates

California is proposing an amendment to exempt open-source software from its upcoming age-verification law following backlash from developers and privacy advocates. Simultaneously, British law enforcement agencies are calling for mandatory age verification on social media and gaming platforms to protect children from online predators and harmful content.

Exit IP VPN servers mitigation rollout

Exit IP has implemented a new mitigation rollout across several of its VPN servers. The update applies to specific servers located in various global regions, including Australia, Canada, Europe, and the United States.

Google facing court for retaliation against Gaza whistleblower

An AI research engineer has filed a claim against Google in an English employment tribunal, alleging unlawful dismissal and discrimination. The claim asserts that the employee was retaliated against for whistleblowing regarding Google’s support for military forces in Gaza and the company’s decision to abandon its ban on using AI for weapons and surveillance.

Netherlands Seizes 800 Servers, Arrests 2 for Aiding Cyberattacks

Dutch authorities have arrested the co-owners of two hosting companies for violating sanctions laws by providing IT infrastructure used by Russia for cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns within the EU. The investigation led to the seizure of over 800 servers and linked the networks to various operations, including recent DDoS attacks against Danish government entities.

2026 HIPAA Security Rule Update

The 2026 HIPAA Security Rule Final Rule introduces stricter cybersecurity mandates for healthcare organizations, including mandatory annual security risk assessments and comprehensive asset inventories. New requirements also necessitate multi-factor authentication for remote access and the annual verification of Business Associate Agreements to address evolving digital threats.

US Representative Zoe Lofgren is challenging the legality of a $2 billion US government investment in quantum computing companies. She argues that these funds, sourced from the CHIPS and Science Act, were specifically allocated for semiconductor research and development rather than quantum technology.

D. Trump Jr. and Eric Trump Running Felony Fraud Scheme Prosecutable in New York

An article alleges that Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are conducting a $1.2 billion fraud scheme through their cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial. The piece compares their alleged deceptive practices to those of convicted crypto founders who received prison sentences for similar conduct.

Hong Kong police, railway, and power companies ditch US tech as China offers alternatives

Hong Kong’s major institutions, including the police and utility providers, are replacing US technology with Chinese alternatives to mitigate the risks of American export controls and sanctions. This trend parallels Europe’s pursuit of digital sovereignty, as European governments seek to reduce their dependency on American cloud and communication platforms.

OnlyFans mega leak reveals 340M user records, hackers claim

Hackers claim to be selling 340 million OnlyFans user records, potentially exposing the identities of anonymous creators and subscribers. However, OnlyFans has officially denied the reports of a data leak.

GitHub bans researcher for Windows zero-days and threats: “I will shatter your bones”

GitHub has banned security researcher “Nightmare-Eclipse” following the release of several unpatched Windows zero-day vulnerabilities. The researcher has since moved their repository to GitLab and continues to release exploits while issuing further threats against Microsoft.

EU to fine Google hundreds of millions over search self-preferencing probe

The European Union is planning to fine Google a high triple-digit million euro amount as part of an antitrust investigation into whether the company favors its own services in search results. The decision, expected before the summer break, could be the largest fine ever imposed under the Digital Markets Act.

How Iranian threat actor Nimbus Manticore used techniques like AI-assisted malware development an…

IRGC-affiliated threat actor Nimbus Manticore is targeting the defense, aviation, and telecommunications sectors across Western Europe and the Middle East through sophisticated cyber operations. The group has recently employed advanced techniques, including AppDomain hijacking, SEO poisoning, and AI-assisted malware development, to deliver malicious payloads via career-themed phishing campaigns.

Trump admin gutted CFTC as Trump family entered crypto and prediction markets

An investigation reveals that during the Trump administration, officials at the CFTC allegedly intervened to favor prediction market and crypto firms with ties to the Trump family’s business empire. Senior career officials who raised concerns regarding fraud and fairness in these industries were subsequently placed on leave or investigated, undermining the agency’s regulatory oversight.

📈 Business & Finance

Under-trained techie didn’t claim overtime for mistakenly failing to phone it in

An undertrained technician caused significant disruptions to a medical clinic’s network and worked extensively to resolve the issue. Despite the extra effort required to fix the system, she did not claim any overtime for her work.

The Coming Layoffs and the Revenge of the Measurers

AI-driven layoffs are increasingly targeting “measurer” roles, such as middle management and administrative functions, to reduce the coordination costs of scaling organizations. By automating these layers, companies can minimize human-to-human complexity and grow without the traditional need for expanded management hierarchies.

I manage teams without a single call

The author advocates for an asynchronous management style that replaces real-time calls with structured, text-based communication to avoid productivity loss from context switching. By prioritizing written instructions and reports, they have successfully managed entire teams and projects without the need for live meetings.

IBM Spins Off the First Pure-Play Quantum Chip Foundry

IBM and the U.S. Department of Commerce have announced a $2 billion CHIPS quantum package to establish Anderon, America’s first pure-play quantum chip foundry, in Albany, New York. The initiative focuses on large-scale manufacturing of superconducting silicon while distributing smaller investments across various other quantum technologies to mitigate technological risk.

The Morale of Tech Workers Is Plunging as Layoffs Mount

Widespread layoffs across major tech companies since 2022 have severely eroded worker morale and the perceived stability of the industry. This decline in optimism is particularly visible on the anonymous platform Blind, where professional discussions have shifted from career advancement to economic anxiety and survival strategies.

Wingtech files lawsuit in Chinese court, seeks $1.1 billion in damages and full control of Nexperia

Wingtech Technology has filed a lawsuit in China against Nexperia, seeking $1.1 billion in damages and the restoration of its full control over the company. The Chinese owner alleges that Nexperia’s cooperation with Dutch government interventions constitutes illegal and discriminatory measures under China’s Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law.

SoftBank stock jumps 4.6% to record high on OpenAI and SB Energy Corp IPO hopes

SoftBank Group Corp. shares rose 4.6% to a record high in Tokyo trading on Monday. The surge was driven by optimism regarding potential IPOs for OpenAI and SB Energy Corp, alongside broader investor enthusiasm for AI demand.

Tether to launch GELT, a Georgian lari stablecoin, with government support (Reuters)

Tether plans to launch GELT, a new stablecoin representing the Georgian lari, through an unusual partnership with the Georgian government. The initiative aims to promote digital payments, fintech development, and cross-border commerce within the country.

Wix to cut ~1,000 jobs (20%) after weak Q1 earnings and 50% stock collapse in 2026

Wix is expected to cut approximately 1,000 jobs, representing about 20% of its workforce, in the largest layoff round in the company’s history. The reduction follows weak first-quarter earnings, a significant decline in its stock price, and rising costs associated with AI-driven development.

Plenary Americas to take Canadian database firm ISC private for $872M, expected in Q3

Plenary Americas LP, the infrastructure arm of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, has agreed to acquire Canadian database company Information Services Corp. (ISC) for $872 million (C$1.2 billion). The deal will take the Saskatchewan-based firm private at C$51 per share in cash and is expected to close in the third quarter.

🌍 Society & Science

Alaska’s oil revival sparks a new energy rush Into the Arctic

Alaska’s oil industry is experiencing a resurgence of investment driven by new geological discoveries and more permissive federal drilling policies. However, environmentalists warn that this expansion threatens critical Arctic ecosystems and undermines global climate goals.

The Cost of Safetyism

Despite declining crime rates, media-driven fear has led to a rise in “safetyism,” causing parents to significantly restrict their children’s independent exploration. This trend has created a gap between perceived and actual danger, resulting in a widespread loss of autonomy for young people.

Pope Leo XIV’s AI Encyclical

In his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV calls for strict international regulation of artificial intelligence to prevent global inequality, the rise of autonomous weapons, and the concentration of power within a few private corporations. The document emphasizes the need to safeguard human dignity, protect workers from displacement, and shield children from harmful content through ethical governance and a “civilization of love.”

Leave Me Behind

Reflecting on a decade as an Android developer, the author describes the profound satisfaction of creating tangible software with real-world impacts. They emphasize that the true value of their career lies not just in the applications themselves, but in the community, mentorship, and shared experience of building alongside others.

Poverty Changes Your Mind-Set (2018)

While global poverty has declined, US poverty rates remain stagnant, sparking debates over whether welfare programs promote dependency. However, research suggests that the cognitive strain of managing financial scarcity impairs decision-making, indicating that effective poverty reduction strategies must account for these psychological impacts.

Rising seas will swallow New Orleans. People need to start relocating now

New Orleans faces the potential of being surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico by the end of the century due to significant sea-level rise and the loss of coastal wetlands. Experts urge the city to begin implementing managed relocation strategies immediately to avoid a chaotic and inequitable retreat.

Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights? (2017)

While bed coverings were historically a luxury reserved for the wealthy, most human populations use some form of padding or covering to sleep. Anthropological studies indicate that even in tropical climates, the use of bedding is widespread, with the notable exception of nomadic foragers.

Fatherhood Dramatically Rewires Your Brain

A new study of 25 fathers reveals that the male brain undergoes significant structural changes during the first 24 weeks postpartum to adapt to caregiving demands. This process involves a dynamic pattern of gray matter shrinkage and swelling in various brain regions to help refine essential parental skills.

“They’re still after your boy:” Hasan Piker subpoena sparks Reddit firestorm

Federal authorities have issued a subpoena to Twitch influencer Hasan Piker and Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin regarding documentation for a humanitarian aid mission to Cuba. Piker has characterized the investigation as an intimidation tactic linked to his political views, while Benjamin defended the mission’s goal of providing aid to the Cuban people.

Ross Coulthart: Trump poised to reveal “we are not alone” on non-human intelligence

Journalist Ross Coulthart anticipates an upcoming White House announcement that may confirm the existence of non-human intelligence following recent UFO evidence releases by President Trump. He suggests the administration may be consulting religious leaders to help prepare the public for the potential implications of such a revelation.

Study: Fabricated biomedical references up 12x+ since 2023; 1 in 277 papers has fake citations

A study published in The Lancet reveals that the rate of fabricated references in biomedical literature has increased more than 12-fold since 2023, reaching one in 277 papers by early 2026. This surge is attributed to AI tools “hallucinating” non-existent sources, a trend that threatens the integrity of the scientific evidence chain used to inform medical guidelines and treatments.

Switching to Colemak

To prevent repetitive strain injury (RSI) caused by poor typing habits, the author is transitioning from the QWERTY keyboard layout to Colemak-DH. After practicing with the training tool keybr.com, they have begun implementing the new layout on their MacBook Pro.

What are you doing this week?

The text invites readers to share their plans for the upcoming week. It also notes that it is perfectly acceptable to have no activities scheduled.