IT News Review by Control F5 Software: Microsoft confirms password wipe - only 8 weeks to go

Microsoft confirms password wipe - only 8 weeks to go

Microsoft wants to completely do away with passwords for all of its users - more than a billion - because "the era of passwords is coming to an end". With hundreds of millions of email addresses and passwords constantly being stolen, the company warns that "malicious actors know" that passwords are no longer a secure solution and "that's why they're stepping up their attacks as much as they can." That means even greater risk for those who haven't yet updated their security methods.

In addition, Microsoft is preparing a big change: in just eight weeks, passwords saved by millions of users will be erased. Those who use the Microsoft Authenticator app are being warned that "starting August 2025, saved passwords will no longer be accessible, and unsaved generated passwords will be deleted."

Pixel fans get a hint about a surprisingly early launch for Pixel 10

If you're not already a fan of Pixel phones, maybe it's time to become one. Google is teaming with TSMC to produce the new Tensor G5 chip that will power the Pixel 10 series - a move that could bring the biggest performance improvement yet. Android 16 is also very close to stable launch, so with the software almost ready, the question is: when's the hardware coming?

The Google Pixel Superfans program, dedicated to the most ardent Pixel fans, occasionally offers exclusive access to special events. Recently, some of those fans received an invitation to attend a Pixel pre-launch event on June 27. Google doesn't clearly mention the name "Pixel 10," but there's not much else to go on.

Nintendo gives you more control over who your child can talk to in GameChat on the Switch 2

The parental control app for Nintendo Switch has been updated ahead of the launch of the new console, Switch 2, on June 5. In addition to console compatibility, the app offers new options to manage who your child can talk to in GameChat and provides details about the games they've played.

If parental control limits are enabled, "only friends approved by the parent or guardian can use GameChat with gamers under 16." Parents can also add notes for each of their child's friends, and the app provides a detailed history of who and how long the GameChat feature has been used with them.

The AI summary in Gmail now appears automatically

Google Workspace users will see AI-generated summaries in Gmail more often. These will automatically appear at the head of more complex email conversations.

Until now, summaries could only be generated manually. Now, however, the AI decides for itself when a summary might be useful, especially in long conversations or conversations with many replies. The summary automatically updates with new messages.

The feature only appears on mobile and only for English-language emails for now, and may take up to two weeks to fully activate. Google has not yet announced the expansion to the desktop version or for Gmail users without Workspace subscriptions.

The New York Times' first AI partnership is with Amazon

The New York Times has signed a multi-year partnership with Amazon to integrate editorial content into various Amazon products, such as Alexa. The newspaper's articles will also be used to train Amazon's AI models.

The deal comes a year after the Times sued Microsoft and OpenAI for using its articles without permission. Other publications have taken OpenAI to court for similar reasons, but some - such as The Atlantic, News Corp and Vox Media - have chosen the collaborative route.

Dell raises profit estimates due to high demand for AI servers

Dell has announced a rise in profit estimates for 2025, a sign that demand for its AI servers - equipped with powerful chips from Nvidia - is growing.

Customers include Elon Musk's AI startup xAI and CoreWeave. Dell shares rose 2% in extended trading. Both Dell and Super Micro Computer are benefiting from the demand, but high manufacturing costs and tough competition are squeezing profit margins.

Chinese startup DeepSeek launches upgraded version of the R1 and puts pressure on US rivals

Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek on Thursday morning launched a new version of its R1 model, which comes with major improvements in reasoning and complex task-solving capabilities.

The R1-0528 version, unveiled on the Hugging Face platform, brings DeepSeek's performance closer to that of models from OpenAI (o3 range) and Google (Gemini 2.5 Pro).

Pornhub and other adult sites investigated by EU for lack of child protection measures

The European Commission has launched an investigation against four adult sites - Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos - for allegedly failing to comply with rules on the protection of minors.

Under European legislation (Digital Services Act - DSA), all platforms must take serious steps to prevent children from accessing adult content. The law is in force from 2022 and applies across the EU.

Snapchat's new AI chatbot Snapchat is already worrying parents and teens

Short after Snapchat rolled out its "My AI" chatbot to all users, a Missouri mom warned her 13-year-old daughter not to use it.

The chatbot is powered by ChatGPT technology and can chat, offer replies and suggestions. What makes it different is that users can customize its name, avatar and add it to conversations with friends. However, parents are concerned about how this feature interacts with teens.

OpenAI and FDA discuss role of AI in drug approval process

FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) has been in discussions with OpenAI to explore how AI could improve or speed up the drug approval process.

For patients waiting for life-saving treatments, this collaboration could mean hope. But for those who cautiously view Big Tech's involvement in public health, sensitive questions arise.

Google quietly launches an app that runs AI models directly on your phone

Google has launched an app that allows you to run AI models directly on your phone without an internet connection. It's called Google AI Edge Gallery and it's available on Android (iOS version to follow).

The app provides access to Hugging Face models that can generate images, answer questions, edit code and more - all locally, using your phone's processor, without the cloud.

Gemini can now summarize videos from Google Drive

Google is bringing new AI features to Drive: you can now get a summary of your saved videos without having to watch them.

The Gemini feature, which previously summarized documents and PDFs, can now extract key points from videos: actions discussed in a recorded meeting or highlights from a presentation clip. Videos must have subtitles enabled.

Purdue students break world record with Rubik's cube-solving robot, beating a car giant

A group of Purdue University students has built a robot that broke the world record for solving the Rubik's cube, dethroning Mitsubishi.

The robot, called "Purdubik's Cube", solved the cube in just 0.103 seconds - three times faster than the previous record of 0.305 seconds.

AI could consume more energy than Bitcoin by the end of 2025

A new study shows that by the end of 2025, AI could overtake bitcoin in terms of electricity consumption.

As generative AI technology grows in popularity, demand for data centers and special chips is exploding. It is estimated that AI will eventually consume nearly 50% of the total energy used in data centers - double the current level.

Summary powered by a monitoring feed provided by Control F5 Software.