AI & RoboticsNews

‘The world seems to be ready’: An interview with OpenAI head of product Thibault Sottiaux

August 26, 2026
Users of OpenAI’s software engineering tool Codex might know Thibault Sottiaux as the guy who resets their token limits whenever the product hits a growth milestone. Now, OpenAI is trying to bring that dopamine hit to the rest of us with ChatGPT Work, a platform for white-collar workers to leverage AI agents. I spoke to Sottiaux for our feature on the product and its challenges, but we…
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NewsPhotography

RIP Jay Maisel: the New York photographer who shot one of history's most iconic album covers, made masterful use of light and color, and loved to pass on his knowledge to others

August 26, 2026
Born in Brooklyn in 1931, Jay Maisel – the photographer behind one of the most famous album covers ever shot – has died at 95. Tributes have poured in, both for his work and the way he taught. And in those tributes, there’s one small detail that really stood out for me. Stephen Wilkes, the photographer who directed a 2018 film about Maisel’s life, told the story of how their…
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Cleantech & EV'sNews

XPeng robotics raises $900M at $6.3B valuation for IRON robot push

August 26, 2026
XPeng’s robotics business has raised over $900 million at a post-money valuation of more than $6.3 billion, the Chinese EV maker announced today. XPeng calls it the largest single-round private financing in the history of China’s embodied AI industry. The round is meant to push XPeng’s IRON humanoid robot into mass production by the end of 2026 — a timeline that keeps the automaker ahead…
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DefenseNews

US Navy’s new anti-submarine torpedo will be a glide weapon

August 26, 2026
The Navy is exploring two options for its Silent Anvil Air-Launched Torpedo and is seeking contractors that fit the bill. The first is a new torpedo launched from an aircraft or drone that glides into the water and acoustically homes in on the target. The other is a glide…
DefenseNews

Dutch Navy to equip fleet with Destinus C-UAS interceptor drones

August 26, 2026
PARIS — The Royal Netherlands Navy plans to equip its fleet with a new counter-UAS capability based on interceptor drones from defense firm Destinus to improve protection of its warships against drone attacks. Destinus will develop a kinetic counter-UAS capability for the Navy based on its Hornet B2 interceptor, the company said in an emailed statement late Monday. The program will include…
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