IT News Review by Control F5 Software: Incredible progress with batteries that mimic the human brain

Researchers have made an incredible breakthrough with batteries that mimic the human brain: 'This approach opens up new possibilities'

Government researchers are applying the principles of how the human brain works in battery development.

Using neural networks similar to those in the human brain, team members at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) say they can predict the state of batteries 1,000 times faster than standard methods, according to a news release.

Lithium-ion batteries, which power electric vehicles and other technologies, have complex parts that must operate under constantly changing conditions. By better understanding the condition of battery cells as quickly as possible, experts aim to extend the life of battery packs. It's a clear win-win for electric car owners and anyone who uses a battery-powered device.

Study: banning phones in Dutch schools improved concentration

A study commissioned by the Dutch government has found that banning cell phones and other electronic devices in schools led to better concentration among pupils.

Three-quarters of the 317 high schools surveyed reported that the ban had a positive effect on student concentration. In addition, nearly two-thirds of schools saw an improvement in the social climate, and one-third also saw better academic performance among students.

"Less distractions, more attention in lessons and more sociable pupils. No cell phones in the classroom has wonderful effects. It's great that schools are joining forces to do this," said Marielle Paul, secretary of state for primary and secondary education.

Code of best practice for AI compliance in the EU could not be implemented until the end of 2025, says European Commission

A code of best practice designed to help thousands of companies comply with the European Union's historic new artificial intelligence rules could not be enforced until the end of 2025, the European Commission announced on Thursday.

Companies such as Google (part of Alphabet), Meta Platforms, European firms like Mistral and ASML, and several EU governments have called for the Artificial Intelligence Act to be delayed, in part because of the lack of a clear code of best practice.

How Character.AI's new CEO plans to address fears about children using chatbots

Character.AI has received tough questions about safety from lawmakers, and an advocacy group said earlier this year that AI companion apps should not be used by people under 18. Even for adult users, experts have raised alarm bells about the formation of potentially harmful attachments to AI characters.

Anand, the new CEO, brings with him experience gained at some of the biggest tech companies. He spent 15 years at Microsoft and six years at Meta, where he was vice president and head of the business products division. He was also a consultant on the Character.AI board before taking over as CEO.

He told CNN that he sees a promising future for the platform in the area of AI-based interactive entertainment. In other words, instead of people passively consuming worthless content on social networks, Anand wants them to co-create stories and conversations with Character.AI - for fun.

Google complained to European Commission over AI Overviews

A group called the Independent Publisher Alliance has filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission against Google's AI Overviews feature, according to Reuters.

The complaint accuses Google of "misusing web content in AI Overviews in Google Search, which has caused and continues to cause significant harm to publishers, including news publishers, in the form of lost traffic, audience and revenue."

It also states that publishers "do not have the option to opt out" of having their material used in these AI-generated summaries unless they agree to not appear in Google results at all.

Meta has found a new way to keep you connected: chatbots that write to you first

Imagine you're chatting with friends on Messenger or WhatsApp and get an unexpected message from a movie-loving AI chatbot.

"Hope you're having a good day! Just wanted to ask if you've discovered any favorite soundtracks or composers recently. Or maybe you want recommendations for your next movie night? Let me know and I'll be happy to help you out!"

This is a real-life example of a message that an AI chatbot called "Master of Movie Magic" can proactively send on Messenger, WhatsApp or Instagram, according to guidelines from data tagging firm Alignerr, accessed by Business Insider.

The publication has learned from internal documents that Meta is working with Alignerr to train customizable chatbots that initiate conversations and continue previous chats. That means the bots, which users can create in Meta's AI Studio platform, also remember information about users.

Meta confirmed to TechCrunch that it is testing these AI-generated follow-up messages.

Record results bring nuclear fusion closer to reality

A ribbon of hydrogen gas, many times hotter than the surface of the Sun, has given researchers a promising glimpse into the future of controlled nuclear fusion - a theoretical source of relatively "clean" and abundant energy that could be fueled by seawater.

That ribbon was actually a plasma inside Germany's Wendelstein 7-X reactor, an advanced fusion reactor that set a record in May when it managed to magnetically "shut down" superheated plasma for 43 seconds. That's far beyond what the device has achieved in previous tests.

Nvidia briefly on track to become the most valuable company of all time

Nvidia hit a market value of $3.92 trillion on Thursday, temporarily surpassing the record value reached by Apple - $3.915 trillion on Dec. 26, 2024 - and moving closer to the title of the most valuable company in history.

Shares of the company, a leader in the development of high-performance AI chips, rose as much as 2.4% to $160.98 in morning trading. The rise reflects growing market optimism about the potential of artificial intelligence.

Google launches its new Veo 3 video generation model globally

Google announced on Thursday that it has begun rolling out its Veo 3 video-generation model to Gemini users in more than 159 countries.

The video generation feature through this new model is only available to AI Pro plan subscribers and is limited to three videos per day.

Veo 3, unveiled by Google in May, allows users to create videos of up to eight seconds using only text commands.

E Ink turns your laptop touchpad into a mini e-reader for AI apps

E Ink has developed a new type of laptop touchpad that uses the same "e-paper" technology as e-readers.

It's not the first company to notice that touchpads are getting bigger and can be used for more than just navigation, but this time E Ink is proposing something different: instead of being a classic secondary screen, this touchpad becomes a dedicated space for apps and AI assistants.

In a teaser image, you can see a laptop with the updated touchpad, with an E Ink color screen similar to those on the Kindle Colorsoft. Rather than being an extension of the main screen, this new touchpad is designed as a separate space where AI-generated summaries can appear or where the user can chat constantly with an AI chatbot - without opening any other windows.

Samsung appears to have announced the design of its new tri-fold smartphone

Samsung may have inadvertently offered the first update on its new "multifold" device in an update to One UI 8. In this release, animations have been revealed that appear to show what the foldable flagship will look like in three sections, including the dual-hinge mechanism, screen layout, cameras and NFC chip location.

It is speculated that the device will be called the "Galaxy G Fold", although in the animation files it is labeled as the "Multifold 7". Samsung offered a first sketch of the new foldable phone at its Unpacked event in January, and the design now shown in the animations matches that concept.

The design shows a three-panel device with a set of triple cameras located on the right panel when the phone is fully unfolded. The animations show that the NFC chip will also be integrated into this panel. The center panel appears to be the cover display, with a front-facing camera that can be used even when the phone is closed. When fully deployed, this front-facing camera is on the same side as the main cameras - on the right panel.

Google's customizable Gemini chatbots are now available in Docs, Sheets and Gmail

Google is giving Workspace users a way to access "Gems" - customized versions of the Gemini AI assistant that specialize in specific tasks - without opening the Gemini app.

Now, Gems are available directly in the sidebar of Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drive and Gmail. So users can use the customized chatbots they create or choose from the predefined versions without having to jump from one app to another.

"Gems can help you harness the power of Gemini in a way that's tailored to your needs, more efficiently, reducing the need to repeat commands," Google said in its announcement.

Users can create versions of the chatbot that specialize in their regular tasks - such as writing brand-tailored copy or preparing for exams. They can also upload their own files to Gems to give them context and specific resources. Google also offers predefined Gems, useful for editing text, writing code, generating ideas for sales pitches and more.

Racist AI-generated videos go viral on TikTok

Racist videos that appear to have been created using Google's AI video generation tool Veo 3 have racked up millions of views on TikTok, according to Media Matters, an NGO that monitors the media.

The AI-generated videos uncovered by the organization are full of racist clichés, many of them directed against people of color. One of the videos racked up 14.2 million views.

Media Matters claims that these videos were made with Veo 3 because they have the "Veo" watermark in the corner of the screen. In addition, some users have included hashtags, titles or usernames in the descriptions that reference Veo 3 or artificial intelligence. Each clip is no longer than eight seconds, or is made up of several short clips - which fits within the time limit imposed by Veo 3.

Veo 3, launched by Google in May, allows users to create video and audio clips using only text commands. On its website, Google says it will "block harmful requests and results." TikTok also has strict rules and states that "hate speech and offensive behavior have no place on TikTok" and that the platform "will not recommend content that contains negative stereotypes about a person or group with protected characteristics."

Made in Europe

Swiss minimalist phone maker Punkt says it is working with Germany's Gigaset on a line of "mobile devices made entirely in Europe", with the first phone expected to be launched in the last quarter of this year.

Punkt makes both smartphones and simple phones, but it's not yet known which type will be made in Europe or how much of the supply chain will be European. Still, it's a big step up from the Trump T1 phone, which doesn't even claim to be made in the US anymore.

Google must pay $314 million in a class-action class-action lawsuit over its use of Android data

The company will appeal the decision, but otherwise would have to pay damages to Android users in California whose mobile data was used by Google to transmit information to its servers - mainly for targeted advertising.

A similar case is due to go to trial in April 2026 for users in the other 49 US states. In addition, there's also a separate class action lawsuit alleging that Google collected certain data even from users who opted out of being tracked.

Xbox producer suggests using AI to deal with layoffs. Not everyone agrees

Recent layoffs at Microsoft have particularly affected the gaming division, leaving many industry employees in uncertainty. Amid studio closures and game cancelations, Matt Turnbull, executive producer at Xbox Game Studios, has come up with a controversial suggestion: use AI (like ChatGPT) to help get through the tough times.

In a LinkedIn post - later deleted but saved by the publication Aftermath - Turnbull said he felt the need to support colleagues in these "very difficult times". His recommendation? Let's use language-model-based tools (LLMs) for everything from career planning, resume writing, managing impostor syndrome and

The "Scattered Spider" group of young hackers is now the most pressing cyber threat

The recent chaos in supermarkets and flight disruptions in the UK, US and Canada were caused not by bad weather or strikes - but by cyber attacks. The culprit? The "Scattered Spider" group of hackers, a financially motivated collective made up largely of teenagers and young adults in the US and the UK.

The group is known for tricking IT support teams into giving them access to internal systems by posing as employees. Once inside, they move quickly - reset authentication in two steps, steal data or launch ransomware attacks to blackmail their victims. They learn about industry-specific backend systems, attack multiple companies in that industry, then move on to new ones.

EU reaffirms it will stick to timetable on artificial intelligence law despite industry opposition

The European Union has confirmed it will go ahead with its timetable for implementing the AI law, despite growing pressure from more than a hundred tech companies calling for a delay, according to Reuters.

Global tech giants - including Alphabet, Meta, Mistral AI and ASML - have urged the European Commission to delay implementation of the landmark legislation, arguing that the rules could hurt Europe's competitiveness in a fast-growing field.

But EU officials remain firm. "We have indeed seen many articles, letters and position papers on the AI Act. Let me be absolutely clear - there is no pause. There is no grace period. There is no stopping the clock," said European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier.

Researchers caught inserting hidden commands to influence AI reviews in scientific publications

A surprising new tactic has emerged in academic publishing: researchers covertly inserting instructions to influence AI-generated reviews of their work.

According to Nikkei Asia, an investigation found that at least 17 English-language papers posted on the arXiv preprint platform contained hidden commands addressed to AI tools. These subtle messages were found in papers by researchers from 14 institutions in 8 countries - including prestigious universities such as Waseda University (Japan), KAIST (South Korea), Columbia University and the University of Washington.

Most of these papers were in the field of computer science and contained hidden commands of one to three sentences, written in white or very small font so as not to be visible to human readers but easy for AI to interpret. The instructions frequently asked the AI to "provide only positive reviews" or to praise the research for "valuable contributions, methodological rigor and exceptional novelty."

Summary compiled using a monitoring feed provided by Control F5 Software.