2 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
Skip to main content

Stevie Bonifield

Stevie Bonifield

News Writer

News Writer

    More From Stevie Bonifield

    Stevie Bonifield
    Stevie Bonifield
    OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are reportedly planning their own AI safety organization.

    According to The Information, the companies will call it the Standards Authority for Frontier AI, or SAFA, which could launch by early 2027. It would handle AI safety regulation tasks like “supporting third-party organizations that conduct testing of models before they’re deployed and laying out how AI developers should report safety and security incidents.”

    Stevie Bonifield
    Stevie Bonifield
    Bentley launched its first fully electric vehicle, the Torcal SUV.

    The new EV has a range of up to 375 miles, accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, and Reuters reports it starts at £173,000 / $230,000, a lower price than Ferrari’s poorly-received Luce. The Torcal might even sound like it has an gas engine — Bentley says it includes “Handcrafted propulsion sound performed by musicians inspired by the beat of a Bentley 6¾ litre V8.”

    The Bentley Torcal electric SUV
    The Bentley Torcal electric SUV
    The Bentley Torcal electric SUV
    The interior of the Bentley Torcal electric SUV
    1/4Image: Bentley
    Stevie Bonifield
    Stevie Bonifield
    Ad-free Disney Plus is reportedly getting a price hike to $21.49 per month.

    Disney is also raising prices on its ad-free Hulu plan, ad-free Hulu and Disney Plus bundle, and the standalone ad-supported subscriptions for each, Bloomberg reports. It says Disney could start notifying subscribers about the price increase as soon as today, exactly one year after an earlier Disney Plus price hike and just a month after ESPN raised prices.

    Stevie Bonifield
    Stevie Bonifield
    Birdfy’s new Roku app lets you watch your backyard birds on TV.

    If you have one of Birdfy’s smart birdwatching devices, you can tune into its video feed on the biggest screen in the house now on the Roku version of the Birdfy companion app.

    A promotional image for Birdfy’s Roku app
    Image: Birdfy
    Stevie Bonifield
    Stevie Bonifield
    Microsoft patent application shows how it might start using in-game context to show ads.

    A system for “contextually aware” ads described in the patent application could pause gameplay “at the operating system level” to show an ad when certain in-game events or triggers happen. For instance, players might get an ad break after a boss fight or when their avatar “is determined to be in a safe location, such as the user’s team base.”

    Stevie Bonifield
    Stevie Bonifield
    Spotify might make free tier users wait to listen to new releases.

    A new “Premium early access” feature for users in India forces users without a subscription to wait three extra days for access to new albums:

    With UMG’s ‘Hear It First’, participating artists and their labels can collaborate with Spotify to choose to make select new releases available to Premium subscribers up to three days early. Every Spotify listener gets access after that - or free listeners can subscribe at any time to get early access.

    Update: Added quote from Spotify support page.

    Stevie Bonifield
    Stevie Bonifield
    Paramount has reportedly reached a settlement with the state AGs blocking its Warner Bros. merger.

    According to Reuters, the settlement with California and 11 other states “includes the creation of independent editorial boards for CNN and CBS” as well as “a $30 million penalty per film for any shortfall against Paramount’s pledge ​to release 30 movies annually.”

    Update: Paramount and the state AGs have officially announced a settlement.