Big Tech stories - Page 2

Google has begun rolling out Gemini 3.1 Pro, a more advanced AI model for complex reasoning, to developers, enterprises and consumers.

New Zealand investors are warned AI-fuelled gains face “incredible danger” from US inflation, soaring debt and turbulent midterms ahead.

Apple has opened submissions for the 2026 Swift Student Challenge, inviting student developers worldwide to submit Swift app playgrounds by 28 February.

Health NZ says a third-party hardware failure caused a 36-hour South Island hospital IT outage that forced staff back to pen and paper.

Study finds over 28,000 fake domains mimicking top global sites, exposing users to rising phishing, malware and industrial-scale squatting.

myFirst expands its kid-focused tech range and Circle app, offering smartphone-style features with tighter safety controls for families.

Most Australians doubt the under-16 social media ban has made the internet safer, with many expecting teens to bypass the new rules.

Meta promotes parental controls over teen social media bans at NZ Instagram safety camp as debate grows on under-16s' online access.

Snap forms Specs unit to spearhead next-gen smart glasses, promising AI-driven, low-friction eyewear that blends digital and real worlds.

Big banks and AI leaders signal they will layer new AI tools on top of, not instead of, core enterprise software systems.

YouTube sets 2026 agenda with tougher child safety tools, bigger creator payouts and expanded AI across production and viewing.

Ben Goertzel and Jaron Lanier clash over whether increasingly autonomous AI deserves moral standing or must always remain under human control.

Apple will build its next-generation AI foundation models on Google's Gemini cloud, promising a more personalised Siri later this year.

Punkt launches MC03 minimalist smartphone with Proton, promising dual secure environments and subscription-based privacy for users.

AI agents will reshape how shoppers discover brands, forcing retailers to rethink visibility as SaaS vendors and ad budgets come under strain.

Australia's Productivity Commission backs licensing over new copyright exceptions, urging AI firms to pay creators and face tighter scrutiny.

Rapid AI rollout, geopolitical rifts and fragile supply chains are upending cyber risk, straining outdated security and compliance regimes.

Agentic AI and digital disobedience will strain policy, security and governance in 2026 as autonomous firms and users test new limits.

Craigslist founder Craig Newmark is funding Global Signal Exchange to expand its shared threat data network against rising online fraud.

Meta has bought Singapore AI start-up Manus, aiming to embed its autonomous general-purpose agent across consumer and business products.