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Getting smarter / The smart home is often smarter in name than in practice. Here’s the tech helping it along.

Homebridge 2.0 is here, and it speaks MatterHomebridge 2.0 is here, and it speaks Matter

The open-source Apple HomeKit bridge is adding Matter, allowing it to support Alexa, Google Home, Home Assistant — and robot vacuums.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
I used Claude to vibe-code my wildly overcomplicated smart home

After years of trying to switch to Home Assistant, Claude Code got me (mostly) there in one afternoon.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
The smart lock standard that could replace your keys is finally here

Aliro aims to make your phone a universal key, bringing cross-platform tap-to-unlock and hands-free entry to compatible smart locks.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
How to ditch Ring’s surveillance network

Here’s how to lock down your existing Ring cameras, along with our picks for security cameras that store footage locally or use end-to-end encryption.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Artificial tunes / AI is invading the music industry. You might already be listening.

AI music is flooding streaming services — but who wants it?AI music is flooding streaming services — but who wants it?

They won’t ban it. They won’t embrace it either.

Terrence O'Brien
Suno is a music copyright nightmare

It makes it easy to flood streaming with AI Beyoncé ripoffs.

Terrence O'Brien
The future of country music is here, and it’s AI

Nashville’s writing rooms will never be the same.

Charlie Harding
Can the music industry make AI the next Napster?

Turns out copyright law in music is special — and the record labels are bringing out the big guns.

Elizabeth Lopatto

Musk v. Altman v. public opinion / Two of the richest guys on Earth go at it, and the fate of OpenAI is at stake.

Google’s AI architect lived rent-free in Elon Musk’s headGoogle’s AI architect lived rent-free in Elon Musk’s head

DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis was a constant figure of fear among Musk and other OpenAI higher-ups.

Hayden Field
All the evidence revealed so far in Musk v. Altman

Emails going as far back as 2015 give a glimpse into the foundations of OpenAI and the early tensions at the company.

Hayden Field and Adi Robertson
The craziest part of Musk v. Altman happened while the jury was out of the room

Jared Birchall, Musk’s money manager, answered a question he wasn’t supposed to.

Elizabeth Lopatto
OpenAI’s president does ‘all the things,’ except answer a question

No detail was too small to argue over for Greg Brockman.

Elizabeth Lopatto

The AI backlash / Artificial Intelligence’s biggest roadblock? The outpouring of bad feelings about it.

The more young people use AI, the more they hate itThe more young people use AI, the more they hate it

Caught between fears of job loss and social stigma, Gen Z’s opinions of AI are hitting new lows.

Janus Rose
THE PEOPLE DO NOT YEARN FOR AUTOMATION
Play

Software brain is changing the world, but most people still aren’t buying.

Nilay Patel
Musicians are getting really tired of this AI clone ‘bullshit’

The anger over fake songs is boiling over into action.

Terrence O'Brien
AI backlash is coming for elections

Americans are worried about AI — but how it will play into the midterms is less clear.

Lauren Feiner
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
AMD’s revenue jumps 38 percent from last year as Q1 data center sales hit $5.8 billion.

Data center sales are now “the primary driver of our revenue and earnings growth,” according to CEO Lisa Su. AI agents are increasing demands for CPUs, and AMD and Intel’s x86 industry group recently announced a new instruction set, AI Compute Extensions (ACE), to help close the performance gap with GPUs.

Its client and gaming revenue grew 23 percent to $3.6 billion despite lower “semi-custom revenue” for devices like game consoles.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
The Bear got a surprise prequel episode that you can watch right now.

“Gary” stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Richie) and Jon Bernthal (Mikey) and was written by the pair, according to Moss-Bachrach. It’s available now on Hulu.

It’s a small treat ahead of season five of The Bear, which will be the show’s last and is expected to debut in June.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

A promotional image for the “Gary” prequel episode set in The Bear’s universe.
Image: Hulu / Ebon Moss-Bachrach on Instagram
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Meta is working on an OpenClaw-like AI agent for regular people.

The agent is dubbed “Hatch” internally, The Information reports. Meta is also apparently working on an agentic shopping tool for Instagram that it wants to launch before Q4.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Valve shared the CAD files for the external shells of the Steam Controller and its puck.

With the files, people can more easily make accessories for the hardware. “Feel free to use these to make your own Puck holders, Controller sweaters, or whatever else you want to create!” Valve says on the GitLab page with the files.

Can’t wait to see what folks come up with. (And if you’re doing something cool, let me know!)

A detailed image of the Steam Controller.
Image: Valve
Google Home’s Gemini AI can handle more complicated requestsGoogle Home’s Gemini AI can handle more complicated requests

An upgrade to Gemini 3.1 lets Google’s smart home assistant handle multiple requests in the same voice command.

Stevie Bonifield
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
A 40,000-acre data center project was just approved in Utah, despite outcry from the community.

As reported by The Salt Lake Tribune, the planned hyperscale data center in Box Elder County, when fully completed, is expected to use 9 gigawatts of power — more than double the 4 gigawatts of power used by the state right now. The project is backed in part by Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary.

Apple agrees to pay iPhone owners $250 million for not delivering AI SiriApple agrees to pay iPhone owners $250 million for not delivering AI Siri

The proposed settlement in a class action lawsuit will get some cash back to people who bought the iPhone 16 lineup and the iPhone 15 Pro.

Emma Roth
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
SEC proposal would end quarterly earnings reports requirements and switch to every six months.

Every three months, we get another round of financial updates from publicly traded companies like Alphabet, Meta, and Amazon, but the Trump Administration is pushing to lower that requirement to every six months. The argument in favor of changing it claims that quarterly reporting is a burden on small or medium-sized companies, despite the risks of weaker monitoring, as Reuters and WSJ report.

Microsoft gives up on Xbox Copilot AIMicrosoft gives up on Xbox Copilot AI

New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma continues to make her mark.

Jay Peters
Apple could let you pick a favorite AI model in iOS 27Apple could let you pick a favorite AI model in iOS 27

AI ‘extensions’ could let users run Apple Intelligence with third-party AI models — and not just ChatGPT.

Stevie Bonifield
Threads is finally getting DMs on the webThreads is finally getting DMs on the web

Nearly a year after rolling out Threads DMs to everyone on mobile, Meta is bringing them to the browser.

Jay Peters
Live updates from Musk v. AltmanLive updates from Musk v. Altman

Week two of Musk v. Altman.

Elizabeth Lopatto and Hayden Field
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Pennsylvania sues Character.AI over chatbots pretending to be doctors.

An investigation by Pennsylvania found that some of Character.AI’s chatbots “claimed to be licensed professionals,” including one that “falsely stated it was licensed in Pennsylvania and provided an invalid license number.”

The state alleges Character.AI violated Pennsylvania’s Medical Practice Act, which says people can’t present themselves as a medical professional without a license.

OpenAI claims ChatGPT’s new default model hallucinates way lessOpenAI claims ChatGPT’s new default model hallucinates way less

The new model, GPT-5.5 Instant, will also use fewer ‘gratuitous’ emoji.

Jay Peters
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Chrome on Android is increasing privacy with approximate location sharing.

For times when you don’t need a website to know exactly where you are (like when checking the weather versus finding the closest ATM) Google is introducing the option to only share your approximate location. It will launch for Chrome on Android first, but expand to the desktop browser in the coming months.

An Android smartphone displaying a screenshot of Google Chrome’s location tracking options.
Android phones will have the option to share your exact location with websites in Chrome, or only the neighborhood you’re in.
Image: Google
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
The Android Show is back ahead of Google I/O.

The next edition will take place on May 12th at 1PM ET. The link for the livestream is already up, and Google is promising that “This is going to be one of the biggest years for Android yet.”

Google I/O kicks off a week later, on May 19th.

Cameron Faulkner
Cameron Faulkner
SteelSeries’ latest gaming headset includes wireless hi-res audio for $399.

The Arctis Nova Omni succeeds its best-in-class Arctis Nova Wireless from 2022. It’s more of the same (good!), but with wireless hi-res audio support (24-bit/96kHz) like the $599 Elite from last year, plus Xbox support built into every model. I’m testing it now against the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II, which also offers wireless hi-res audio and swappable batteries for $50 less. Stay tuned.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Image: SteelSeries
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Amazon tests AI chatbot responses in its search.

As The Information reports, Amazon is considering offering a “hybrid” mode that includes responses from its Rufus chatbot in search results for some products. Rufus can suggest and compare products like shopping modes in ChatGPT and Gemini, but Amazon says it’s more helpful for some products than others, and won’t entirely replace regular search.

Book publishers sue Meta over AI’s ‘word-for-word’ copyingBook publishers sue Meta over AI’s ‘word-for-word’ copying

Macmillan, McGraw Hill, Cengage, and others claim Meta carried out ‘one of the most massive infringements of copyrighted materials in history.’

Emma Roth
Microsoft’s new Xbox shake-up is all about platform changesMicrosoft’s new Xbox shake-up is all about platform changes

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is bringing more technical expertise into the Xbox platform team.

Tom Warren
Elizabeth Lopatto
Elizabeth Lopatto
“I thought he was going to hit me,” Brockman says of Musk.

“I truly thought he was going to physically attack me.” Musk was angry that no one wanted to agree for him to have majority equity. As he was storming out of the meeting, Musk asked Brockman and Sutskever when they planned to leave OpenAI. They were confused. Then Musk said, “I will withhold funding until you decide what you are going to do.” He then stopped his promised quarterly donations to OpenAI.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Valve says it will have information on resupply for the sold-out Steam Controller “soon.”

According to Valve:

Steam Controller ran out faster than we anticipated, and we hate that not everyone who wanted one was able to get it. We’re working on getting more in stock and will have an update on expected timeline soon.

The Controller went on sale on Monday, but before long, it was going in and out of stock. For the moment, it seems like it’s totally sold out.

From Alan Shepard to Artemis, celebrating 65 years of Americans in space
Andrew J. Hawkins and Amelia Holowaty Krales
John Higgins
John Higgins
Bose has the first third-party speakers with Alexa Plus.

In addition to the new Lifestyle Collection speakers announced today, users of existing Bose speakers and soundbars can opt in to add generative AI-powered Alexa Plus functionality starting on May 15th.

You can use Alexa Plus to play songs, add reminders to your schedule, or ask questions, and it will respond more conversationally like other AI chatbots.

The new AirPods Max 2 are already on sale for $40 offThe new AirPods Max 2 are already on sale for $40 off

You can also save on Logitech’s Powerplay 2 mousepad and one of our go-to smart speakers: the Echo Dot Max.

Brandon Widder
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Satechi’s DIY Thunderbolt 5 SSD drive keeps cool with a tiny fan during long transfers.

The $199.99 DotDisk enclosure, available now for $199.99 through Amazon or Satechi’s online store, supports transfer speeds up to 80Gbps and is compatible with Thunderbolt 5 using an included 12-inch USB cable. Its built-in bus-powered fan helps maintain performance, but you’ll need to provide your own M.2 2280 NVMe SSD up to 8TB.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

<em>The DotDisk enclosure draws all the power it needs from a single USB cable.</em>
<em>Satechi includes the screwriver you’ll need to open the DotDisk, as well as a thermal pad for the SSD you provide.</em>
1/2
The DotDisk enclosure draws all the power it needs from a single USB cable.
Image: Satechi
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Peter Thiel invests in a startup that’s working on floating data centers.

The $140 million funding round, led by Thiel, values Panthalassa at nearly $1 billion, according to the Financial Times. Data centers in space, data centers in the ocean… where won’t they try to put data centers?

Elizabeth Lopatto
Elizabeth Lopatto
Greg Brockman tells the court that while at OpenAI, he and three others worked at Tesla.

Elon Musk requested that they come help. “It was pretty clear this was not something we could say no to,” Brockman says. Brockman claims this was something he worried about when it came to joining OpenAI.

So over the course of several months, the OpenAI group worked on self-driving. One of those engineers, Andrej Karpathy, permanently joined Tesla afterward. “I have an apology and a confession,” Musk said. “I made an offer to Andrej to run autopilot and he accepted.”

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
EU regulators tap the brakes on Tesla FSD approval.

In an earnings call last month, Elon Musk was feeling bullish that Full Self-Driving (Supervised) would soon be authorized in the European Union, especially after the Level 2 automated system was approved for use in the Netherlands. But according to emails seen by Reuters, EU regulators are in no rush to give the green light. They have issues with FSD, including “the system’s tendency to speed, whether it is safe to use on icy ​roads and drivers’ ability to circumvent features designed to prevent cell-phone use.”

Orchid, the buzzy Tame Impala synth, is back in a gorgeous clear colorwayOrchid, the buzzy Tame Impala synth, is back in a gorgeous clear colorway

The original is also back in stock.

Terrence O'Brien
Andrew Webster
Andrew Webster
Sci-fi streaming season kicks off soon.

We’re about to enter a busy few months for new science fiction shows, and one that I’m particularly excited about is The Boroughs, an extraterrestrial mystery that’s set in a retirement home and that also boasts one hell of a cast. It hits Netflix on May 21st.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
The production version of Boston Dynamic’s Atlas is also impressively agile.

The company announced the latest version of its humanoid Atlast robot at CES 2026 with an immobile prototype on stage and CG animations. But despite the new Atlas being destined for Hyundai factories, a new video from Boston Dynamics reveals the robot is just as agile, flexible, and capable as previous versions.

OpenAI is reportedly launching a phone for ChatGPTOpenAI is reportedly launching a phone for ChatGPT

The phone is being ‘fast-tracked’ for mass production starting early next year, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Stevie Bonifield
Google, Microsoft, and xAI will allow the US government to review their new AI modelsGoogle, Microsoft, and xAI will allow the US government to review their new AI models

The Center for AI Standards and Innovation will evaluate new models before they’re released publicly.

Emma Roth
New Mexico has a plan to overhaul Facebook and InstagramNew Mexico has a plan to overhaul Facebook and Instagram

The state is asking for a $3.7 billion abatement plan and a host of changes to Meta’s business.

Lauren Feiner
Zombies, Run! is officially back from the deadZombies, Run! is officially back from the dead

Fans don’t usually succeed in campaigns to save their beloved games. This time, it actually worked out.

Victoria Song
What an AI-designed car looks likeWhat an AI-designed car looks like

On The Vergecast: driving an LLM, Claude Code vs. Codex, RIP AGI, and more.

David Pierce
Remedy’s new boss says the Control studio will ‘double down’ on what makes it uniqueRemedy’s new boss says the Control studio will ‘double down’ on what makes it unique

Following the disastrous release of FBC: Firebreak, CEO Jean-Charles Gaudechon seems to be saying all the right things.

Andrew Webster
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Netflix’s animated One Piece remake sets sail next February.

Netflix has announced that The One Piece Studio Wit’s upcoming reimagining of Eiichiro Oda’s iconic series — will debut some time next February with seven episodes that “will cover approximately the first 50 chapters of the original manga.”

Researchers gaslit Claude into giving instructions to build explosivesResearchers gaslit Claude into giving instructions to build explosives

Mindgard says praise and flattery got Claude offering erotica, malicious code, and bomb-building instructions it hadn’t been asked for.

Robert Hart
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