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Showing posts from September, 2026

Save on back-to-school streaming with a Disney Plus and Hulu student discount

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When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more Illustration by Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Streaming costs can add up quickly, but eligible students can save big time on the Disney Plus and Hulu bundle thanks to the platform's student discount. The Disney Plus and Hulu student discount cuts the ad-supported bundle by 50% each month for as long as student enrollment status remains verified, unlocking years of potential savings. The Disney Plus bundles are already some of our favorite savings hacks. Disney Plus and Hulu each start at $12 a month on their own, but you can get both services under one bundle subscription for just $1 a month more. The student discount simply sweetens the deal: students can get their subscription for just $6.49 a month — half off the standard bundle price and effectively 27% of what it would cost to subscribe to each service separately. A bundle subscription unlocks all things Marv...

Ukraine's growing fleet of new high-speed interceptors is downing Russia's fastest attack drones

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A Russian Geran-5 drone, filmed by a Wild Hornets interceptor. Wild Hornets/Screengrab via X Ukraine is building out its fleet of new high-speed interceptor drones. The interceptors are designed to engage Russian jet-powered drones like the Geran-5. Russia has significantly ramped up its use of these drones, posing a challenge for Kyiv. Ukraine is building and fielding a growing fleet of new high-speed interceptors to hunt down Russia's fastest attack drones as Kyiv looks to fill gaps in its air defenses. Ukrainian company Wild Hornets said on Monday that a tactical air defense unit used the firm's new Sting S interceptor to shoot down a Russian Geran-5 jet-powered drone. A Wild Hornets spokesperson told Business Insider that it was one of several Geran-5 drones shot down over the last few days, along with roughly a dozen slower Geran-4 jet-powered models. The interceptions mark the first results from combat testing for the new interceptor, an evolution of Wild Hornets'...

Vocci’s ring adds a new form factor to meeting note-taking

Vocci's lightweight ring costs $249, and might pose some privacy questions from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/FbY0XoT via IFTTT

Trump's tech advisor has advice for AI companies worried they're building unsafe models: 'Just stop'

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Michael Kratsios, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Tech leaders say the pace of AI development needs to slow down, and asked the government to step in. Trump's technology advisor, however, says companies don't need the government's permission to do so. The Trump administration has broadly supported expanding and accelerating AI infrastructure. There's a simple solution for AI companies that feel like their models are developing at a frightening speed: Hit the brakes. That's the advice Michael Kratsios , the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, gave during an interview with Fox News Sunday. "It's very interesting that they talk about these issues, about how scared they are about potentially where the future is, and maybe they want to do a pause," Kratsios said. "Our position is, if you do believe that you're developing a technology that is unsafe ...

Aaron Sorkin says Sony hired outside lawyers to fact-check 'The Social Reckoning' because Meta has 'limitless resources'

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Director Aaron Sorkin's new film about Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg premieres next month. Olivia Wong/WireImage Director Aaron Sorkin's coming film about Mark Zuckerberg hits theaters on October 9. Sorkin said Sony hired an outside law firm to fact-check the film ahead of its release. He called Meta a "phenomenally powerful company" that can sue "at the drop of a hat." Sony left no legal stone unturned for its new film about Mark Zuckerberg , lest it face the wrath of Meta's legal team. During an appearance on The New York Times podcast, "The Interview," director Aaron Sorkin said getting the green light to pursue "The Social Reckoning" wasn't a "no-brainer." "You also have this phenomenally powerful company with limitless resources who can sue you at the drop of a hat," Sorkin said. "It's my understanding that Sony did get letters from Meta, and I do not think those letters said, 'We're wish...

Red-carpet looks that have missed the mark in 2026 — sorry

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Heidi Klum at the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscars party. Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic/Getty Images Celebrities have had their fair share of fashion mishaps on red carpets this year. Some have worn confusing designs at events like the Met Gala, while others were underdressed. Heidi Klum, for example, should have picked a different dress for the Vanity Fair Oscars party. Not every red-carpet look can be a winner. Throughout 2026, we've seen celebrities wear showstopping ensembles at the Met Gala , Oscars, Grammy Awards , and more. Fashion is part of the job. Unfortunately, some A-listers opted for ill-fitting suits, confusing sets, and overwhelming gowns at such red-carpet events. Here's what's missed the mark so far this year. Kate Hudson wore a two-piece set that needed tailoring in January. Kate Hudson at the 2026 BAFTA Tea Party in Beverly Hills. JC Olivera/Getty Images She wore the Nina Ricci ensemble for a BAFTA Tea Party hosted in Beverly Hills. It comprised extra-long black trou...

The Pope's AI advisor says the technology can be worse for kids than cocaine

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Paolo Benanti advises the Vatican on AI issues. Massimo Di Vita/Archivio Massimo Di Vita/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images A friar who advises the pope on AI has warned about its effects on young minds. Paolo Benanti said it "could be much, much worse than the addiction of nicotine or sugar or cocaine." Pope Leo has made AI a central concern of his pontificate. AI's impact on young minds can be worse than an addiction to nicotine or cocaine, said a moral theologian who advises the pope. In a Wednesday interview with the BBC's "Newsnight," Paolo Benanti said AI technologies could be "super manipulation tools." "The emotional bending that such a kind of machine can produce in young adults and kids could be much, much worse than the addiction of nicotine or sugar or cocaine," he added. Benanti is a Franciscan friar who teaches at Pontifical Gregorian University with a focus on the ethics of technologies. He has become a go-to advisor for...

Is the AI safety debate about safety or control?

Not everyone agrees with Amodei's call for globally coordinated action for AI safety. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/ywVBsC0 via IFTTT

Microsoft exec called AI scraping ‘the largest theft of labor in human history,’ new unredacted filings reveal

Newly unsealed court filings show Microsoft privately called OpenAI's data practices "theft" while both companies scraped paywalled Times content, built datasets from it, and warned internally it would gut publishers. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/dTujkql via IFTTT

Waymo restarts San Antonio service 5 months after flooding troubles

The company suspended service in the city in April after one of its robotaxis got swept away. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/OlH5iCy via IFTTT

Airplane parts need thorough inspections, and AI can help — but only if data is up to snuff

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Getty Images Safran partners with Loopr AI to enhance defect detection in aviation manufacturing processes. Loopr AI uses synthetic data to improve inspection accuracy and efficiency for Safran's parts. Safran's new AI system reduces inspection time and costly defect recalls. When parts inspectors at the aviation manufacturer Safran received a toilet lid that the company just manufactured, they used to spend 20 to 30 minutes examining it. On airplanes, lavatories need to be perfect, so the inspectors search for consistent colors and smooth surfaces free of paint bubbles and scratches, among other defects. Some inspection professionals have been performing these quality-assurance roles at Safran for more than 10 years and can detect up to 90% of the production defects in cabin galleys, passenger seats, and other parts, said Bindioa Ouali, the senior director and head of digital production, robotics, and automation at Safran. Still, fatigue can set in after hours of inspections...

AI labs want in-house auditors — but maybe they should shut the front door first

There may be a simpler and more effective fix for rogue agents, hiding in plain sight. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/9bq7cwQ via IFTTT

Tech giants have a new headache: a looming strike by their security guards

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Tech security workers plan to march to Salesforce Tower in downtown San Francisco. Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images Security workers staffing California tech offices are planning to strike. As their contract negotiations continue, the strike is planned to begin Friday morning. The work stoppage could affect office operations for a slew of major tech companies. Security workers guarding the California offices of tech companies like Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI are planning to strike this week. The security officers submitted a 72-hour strike notice on Tuesday morning, planning to skip any shift that begins on or after 4:30 a.m. on Friday. The union, SEIU-UWW, said that the officers guard major companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, and Nvidia. A strike could lead to office closures and spark work-from-home orders, though Bay Area tech companies have not announced any yet. Anthropic told San Francisco staff in late August to work remotel...

US data centers could consume more natural gas than Germany and Japan combined by 2035

The AI frenzy could push U.S. data centers to become one of the largest consumers of natural gas in the world. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/0yKitTD via IFTTT

Trump's swing at green card holders on public benefits is facing a slew of lawsuits

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The Trump administration is pushing to deny green cards to immigrants who use public benefits. Alex Wong/Getty Images States and cities are suing the Trump administration over a policy to restrict green card access. The policy could mean immigrants could be denied green cards for nearly any use of public benefits. New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle hope to block the policy from going into effect. A coalition of states and local governments is suing the Trump administration over plans to limit green cards for immigrants enrolled in public benefits. The two lawsuits, filed Monday, say the White House is upending decades of legal precedent governing social safety nets and sparking fear and confusion. Set to go into effect on September 18, Trump's policy would allow federal officers to consider whether an applicant has used — or is likely to use — public benefits during their green card application process. The suits seek to block the Department of Homeland Security a...

What’s behind the AI industry’s latest warnings of doom?

On Equity, we discussed the AI industry's latest debate about whether it poses an existential threat to humanity. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/8dGOEok via IFTTT

I'm 45 and spent months trying to find a new corporate job. Now I'm delivering food to support my 2 kids.

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Camila Valim is delivering food to provide for her kids after a corporate career. Courtesy of Camila Valim Camila Valim spent two decades in corporate marketing before becoming a consultant. Valim spent eight months job hunting after her latest contract ended and landed only two interviews. As a single mom, Valim started delivering food by e-bike while pursuing her next career move. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Camila Valim. It has been edited for length and clarity. I spent two decades in corporate as head of marketing for an entertainment group. I left that job due to burnout. I pivoted to becoming a professional organizer and started a successful Instagram account and business. Then I got divorced five years ago and had to return to the corporate world . I went back to what I knew, working as a marketing consultant. My contract ended eight months ago. I expected it, but the job search to find a new marketing client has been tough. I've only had 2 inte...

OpenAI’s Sam Altman says it would be ‘ill-advised’ to go public in 2026

While OpenAI has filed confidentially for an IPO, the company will not be going public this year, according to CEO Sam Altman. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/IjzxptA via IFTTT

Tesla says it will finally unveil the second generation Roadster on October 1

Tesla’s halo sports car was first announced in November 2017. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/i4EvxXw via IFTTT

AI leaders rally around calls to slow things down

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AI leaders are rallying around Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's call for a coordinated slowdown and third-party safety evaluators. Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Images AI leaders are rallying around calls for an AI slowdown. Dario Amodei said he had "become convinced" it was necessary. Sam Altman and Elon Musk agreed. The leaders of US AI labs are having a come-together moment. After Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said on Saturday that he's "become convinced" AI needs to pace its development to avert disaster, other AI leaders quickly logged on to endorse the idea. Most notably, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on X, "I agree with Dario that we need to pace the frontier." Altman said OpenAI would commit, as Anthropic had earlier, to embedding third-party safety evaluators within the company with employee-level access. SpaceXAI CEO Elon Musk, who rarely agrees with Altman, also backed Amodei's proposals on Saturday, writing in an X post, "Dario is right...

BofA says record-high diesel is a ‘real-economy pressure point’ that's flashing a warning

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Bloomberg/Getty Images Diesel prices in the US hit $6 per gallon for the first time on Friday amid oil's latest surge. BofA warns that high diesel costs are a "pressure point" for the economy. "Record diesel prices will impact every cargo, shipment, every delivery Americans are taking," GasBuddy said. The market's attention may be on rising bond yields , but Bank of America says there's a more immediate concern for the economy already feeling the sting of high energy costs. Diesel prices set a new record on Thursday, topping $6 per gallon for the first time ever in the US. Investors are already attuned to crude oil prices, which have climbed past $100 per barrel and pushed up the cost of regular gas, but BofA says markets are underestimating the broader impact of surging diesel. The combination of geopolitical tensions and global refining constraints has kept energy markets in focus as princes continue trending upward. In BofA's view, markets need t...

Billionaire hedge fund investor Paul Tudor Jones says AI is like a ‘Category 6 hurricane’ heading for humanity

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Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Paul Tudor Jones say AI could amount to a third superpower on par with the US and China. His concerns follow this week's warning from a researcher at Anthropic who resigned over safety concerns. The hedge fund legend said "what's happening is shocking" even as someone who has followed tech for decades. The AI doomsday fears have come to markets, and some of the biggest names in investing have been stirred by recent warnings of a robot apocalypse. Paul Tudor Jones, the billionaire founder of Tudor Investment Corporation hedge fund, recently sounded the alarm on the rise of AI, highlighting major issues he sees developing as the technology develops at an alarming rate, potentially out of human control. "A solution to the fusion problem to unleash clean cheap energy and save our planet could happen within five years, another major technologist has said," Jones wrote in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal . ...

Proxima Fusion bets €140M on a critical fusion ingredient dominated by Asian suppliers

Proxima Fusion said Wednesday it plans to build a €140 million ($162.6 million) factory to produce fusion-grade high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tape, which will provide the startup with key component to its reactor design. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/rwbcVo2 via IFTTT

The hinge for Apple’s new foldable phone was built with AI

Apple says it used AI and 3D printing in the manufacturing process for its long-awaited foldable phone. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/9wTMAKZ via IFTTT

Harvey hits $15.5B valuation, months after reaching $11B

The legal AI startup and VC darling has nearly doubled its valuation in nine months. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/jY3ugSa via IFTTT

The 25 colleges where students graduate with the most debt

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It's back-to-school season. Abraham Gonzalez Fernandez/Getty Images College isn't cheap. Fifteen universities have sticker prices of at least $100,000. It's no wonder that there's $1.724 trillion of federal student debt in the US. It's back-to-school season — and that means that some bright-eyed college freshmen and their proud families are getting ready to shell out six figures to attend their dream schools. Tuition prices have soared in recent decades, even as Americans have grown more skeptical of the value of a four-year degree. Still, there's a significant number of young adults in college. In 2024, 19.28 million students were enrolled in college, down from the peak of 21 million in 2010, per the Education Data Initiative . For some of those students, pursuing a degree was only possible by taking out loans, either federal or private. Business Insider used the Department of Education's College Scorecard to identify the 25 universities whose students ...