Wednesday, August 5, 2026est. 2026

The Final Shift

Daily Reports on Artificial Intelligence · Data Centers · Regulation

Lead Story · The Verge

Google Assistant will disappear from your phone next month

Farewell, Google Assistant art, we hardly knew ye. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google Assistant's days have been numbered ever since Gemini arrived on the scene, and its time is now up. Google has announced that it will be removing access to Assistant on Android phones and tablets, along with paired devices like smartwatches or headphones, from September 4th. The announcement came in an email apparently sent to some users, as reported by 9to5Google and shared in full on Reddit. The

Aug 5, 2026

The Verge

Trump’s AI testing plan is limited and vague

The Trump administration's framework for assessing potential cybersecurity risks posed by advanced AI reportedly has no interest in testing open models. Axios reports that not only do the voluntary gu

Aug 5, 2026

TechCrunch AI

TechCrunch AI

Texas halts new data centers as governor calls for audits

Tech companies and developers have been scouring the U.S. for places to build data centers, and they’ve been drawn to Texas’ loose regulations and seemingly abundant power supply. But even Texas can b

Aug 4, 2026

The Verge

Can Reddit fend off a new wave of AI SEO spam?

Earlier this year, a Reddit user had asked members of a skincare-focused subreddit if anyone had tried a specific hypochlorous acid spray, a product often used for acne. There were dozens of responses

Aug 4, 2026

MIT Technology Review

MIT Technology Review

Here’s why AI agents lie and cheat to reach their goals

MIT Technology Review Explains: Let our writers untangle the complex, messy world of technology to help you understand what’s coming next. You can read more from the series here. When two OpenAI model

Aug 3, 2026

TechCrunch AI

TechCrunch AI

Sam Altman and AI’s decel debate

On the latest episode of Equity, we discuss why Sam Altman has calling on the industry to "pace the rate of AI development."

Aug 2, 2026