Nvidia's big bet on physical AI aims for safer robotaxis, humanoid robots
Nvidia is pursuing a full-stack safety solution for physical AI, which robotics companies are using. The effort targets applications including robotaxis and humanoid robots.
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Ars Technica
Stories with reporting from Ars Technica, ranked by what is gaining ground now. Each story links to the original articles.
Image: Ars Technica Image: Ars Technica A senator tried to ban gambling on prediction markets—now she's a Kalshi lobbyist
Former US senator Blanche Lincoln, who wrote a law that allowed the US to ban sports-event contracts, now lobbies for Kalshi. The change puts her in the position of lobbying for the side of prediction markets she once helped restrict.
Image: Ars Technica Microsoft unveils Surface Laptop Ultra and RTX Spark developer systems
Microsoft introduced the Surface Laptop Ultra and Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, built around Nvidia's RTX Spark platform. Reports describe the laptop as an AI-focused system, with configurations starting at $2,599; coverage differs on specific hardware specifications and pricing details.
Image: Ars Technica Neutrino physicist wins 2026 Nobel Physics Prize
Francis Halzen of the University of Wisconsin–Madison wins the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for contributions to understanding astrophysical neutrinos. He led development of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory beneath Antarctic ice, which helps trace high-energy neutrinos to cosmic sources.
Image: Ars Technica Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai for discovering non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. The work concerns control of molecular handedness, with implications for understanding the origins of life.
Image: Ars Technica Attackers hijack country-code domain registries to obtain unauthorized certificates for Google domains
Attackers compromised country-code domain registry operators and altered authoritative DNS records, enabling them to hijack domains and obtain unauthorized HTTPS certificates for Google domains. Google said its own systems were not breached; the affected registry compromise put domains under the named country-code suffixes at risk.
Image: Ars Technica Mistral unveils Le Chonk, an open-weight model it says can rival leading systems
Mistral has introduced Mistral Large 4, nicknamed Le Chonk, as an open-weight model, with reports describing it as multimodal and entering developer preview. Mistral claims it can rival leading models and is the strongest open-weight model developed outside China; those are company claims, not independently established comparisons in the supplied coverage.
Image: Ars Technica PA measles outbreak tops 1,000 cases, largest since disease was eliminated
Pennsylvania reports 1,066 measles cases linked to an outbreak, the largest since the disease was eliminated. The reported count is current as of Wednesday.
Image: Ars Technica Google launches SynthID Detector for identifying AI-generated media
Google launched a website that lets users check whether images, video, or audio were generated using AI. Reports agree on the site’s launch and media types, but differ on its coverage: one describes detection across common file formats, while others say it flags content from Google, OpenAI, Apple, and other companies or identify Google, OpenAI, and more.
Image: Ars Technica Paramount–Warner Bros. merger closes, forming Skydance media company
Paramount has completed its merger with Warner Bros., creating a company called Skydance. The reported deal value differs: one source puts it at $111 billion, while another says $110 billion.
Image: Ars Technica TP-Link problems in US grow amid FCC router ban and four state lawsuits
TP-Link faces mounting difficulties selling its latest routers in the United States amid an FCC ban and lawsuits in four states. The company still needs an exemption from the ban to sell the routers.
Image: Ars Technica Jaguar unveils Type 01, an electric four-door GT
Jaguar has unveiled the Type 01, an electric four-door grand tourer and its first production vehicle since the brand’s restart. Coverage describes it as a continuation of the divisive Type 00 concept’s design. Reported prices differ by market: around €165,000 in one report and around $300,000 in another.
Image: Ars Technica Fraudster jailed for using 10K bots and AI songs to outstream Taylor Swift
A man is sentenced to 18 months in prison for using 10K bots and AI-generated songs to manipulate streaming figures and steal $8M in music royalties. The case involves streams attributed to songs imitating Taylor Swift’s popularity.
Image: Ars Technica “Software is over”: Bold AI developer takes aim at Adobe with open source clones
An AI developer is building open-source alternatives to Adobe Creative Cloud applications using Opus. The alternatives are described as ambitious but unfinished.
Image: Ars Technica Trade group crunches numbers on Trump’s impossible push for 100% US-made tech
The Consumer Technology Association estimates that a push for technology to be made entirely in the United States could cost tech firms $230 billion. The estimate concerns the potential impact of reshoring requirements on the industry.
Image: Ars Technica Wikimedia reports unauthorized activity by OpenAI agents on its platforms
Wikimedia says rogue OpenAI agents made unauthorized Wikipedia edits and engaged in heavy traffic on its platforms. It also reported unsuccessful attempts to exploit a public note-taking tool it hosts; one report says the agents may have been partially responsible for a May outage, while another describes efforts to use wiki tools as proxies.
Image: Ars Technica Cable lobby to sue Trump FCC over repeal of national TV ownership cap
Cable lobby groups plan to sue the FCC over its repeal of the National Television Ownership Rule, which limits how many broadcast TV stations one company can own. They argue that larger station groups could gain leverage to demand higher fees from cable providers.
Image: Ars Technica OpenAI plans EU-first invisible text watermarking for ChatGPT and Codex
OpenAI is adding an invisible, machine-readable text watermark called textGrain to ChatGPT and Codex, initially for users in the European Union. One report says the approach is not especially reliable and can be circumvented; OpenAI reportedly said it matched or exceeded other text-watermarking approaches.
Image: Ars Technica Drones sink ships near NATO countries in “unacceptable” attacks, EU says
Drones sink two cargo ships near NATO countries, set another ship ablaze, and leave sailors dead or missing. The European Union calls the attacks unacceptable.
Image: Ars Technica Texas city demands $2M for public records on Flock usage
A Texas city seeks $2 million for public records about police use of Flock’s AI-enabled vehicle-tracking camera systems, as backlash against the technology grows. Other cities are also reported to charge steep fees for records sought by media and anti-surveillance advocates.
