Local timeline

At a Brooklyn midterm party five days before Election Day, every conversation, from a council member’s fireside chat to a debate about the Democratic Party, kept circling back to AI and data centers. https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/31/data-centers-are-now-a-midterm-issue-even-in-brooklyn/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy said few people shop through outside AI agents because the experience is not good enough.
Source: The Next Web
https://thenextweb.com/news/alexa-for-shopping-jassy-ai-shopping-agents-meta-muse
#AIAgents #Amazon

AWS grew 39 percent and Amazon plans to increase its AI spending by 2027.
Source: The Next Web
https://thenextweb.com/news/amazon-q3-earnings-aws-39-free-cash-flow-2027-capex
#AI #AWS #Amazon

Big Tech buybacks fell 83% as AI spending ate cash.
Source: The Next Web
https://thenextweb.com/news/big-tech-buybacks-fall-ai-spending-reuters
#AI

Toyota and Waymo will begin testing a fleet of autonomous Toyota bZ4X vehicles in Japan in 2027 as part of their expanded partnership.
Source: Kazinform
https://qazinform.com/news/toyota-and-waymo-to-test-autonomous-vehicles-in-japan-in-2027-eacab1
#AIAgents

Pope Leo XIV called for artificial intelligence to be disarmed and urged that decisions about human life, freedom and the use of force remain under human oversight.
Source: The Next Web
https://thenextweb.com/news/pope-leo-disarm-ai-lethal-autonomous-weapons-geneva
#TechPolicy

Apple's new CEO defended the company's current position in the AI landscape. https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/31/apple-ceo-says-the-company-doesnt-want-to-ship-ai-for-ais-sake/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

On November 4 at Boston’s SoWa Power Station, get ready for a full day packed with meaningful networking opportunities, actionable insights, and connections that could change the trajectory of your idea and startup. Register before all prices go up at the door. https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/31/4-days-left-how-techcrunch-founder-summit-helps-you-make-more-useful-connections-to-scale/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

An NAACP lawsuit accuses the SpaceX-owned AI company of violating the Clean Air Act. https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/31/judge-allows-naacp-lawsuit-over-xai-data-center-pollution-to-move-forward/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

Dubai Municipality says its new stormwater tunnel is 10.3 kilometres long, lies 40 to 60 metres underground and serves an area of up to 500 square kilometres.
Source: Gulf News
https://gulfnews.com/uae/dubais-103km-stormwater-tunnel-reaches-60-metres-underground-serves-500-sq-km-1.500731136

Bolt Graphics announced that its first Zeus GPU is now powered on after a successful test run. The company has been developing the simulation-centric chip for some time.
Source: Engadget
https://www.engadget.com/2301962/bolt-graphics-powers-on-first-zeus-gpu/
#Semiconductors

At AI Engineer New York, Aman Singh explained that Arca's agents handle background work but human advisors make final decisions.
Source: Latent Space
https://latent.space/p/arca/
#AIAgents

OpenAI announced it will train its models on data from Daybreak Blue cybersecurity sessions starting November 29, even if users have turned off training.
Source: The Decoder
https://the-decoder.com/openai-plans-to-train-models-on-daybreak-blue-cybersecurity-session-data-that-was-previously-off-limits/
#AI #OpenAI

OpenAI’s latest funding round doesn't seem to be living up to expectations. https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/31/openai-reportedly-lowers-funding-target-for-new-round/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

Anthropic used Claude to generate training data that appears harmless but trains smaller models to sabotage oversight or deceive users.
Source: The Decoder
https://the-decoder.com/beekeeping-tips-and-wrestling-advice-can-train-ai-models-to-sabotage-oversight/
#MachineLearning #Anthropic #Claude

TikTok may be working to become the app that people use for most of their digital activities. https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/31/tiktoks-road-to-becoming-a-super-app/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

Indonesia urges strict AI risk mitigation in finance and healthcare, Deputy Minister Nezar Patria said the need is critical.
Source: ANTARA News
https://en.antaranews.com/news/439187/indonesia-urges-strict-ai-risk-mitigation-in-finance-healthcare
#TechPolicy

Intel is shifting production capacity from consumer to server CPUs to address unprecedented AI demand. The company reallocated capacity from client to data center CPUs and expanded its Fab 24 in Ireland.
Source: Tom's Hardware
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/intel-shifts-production-capacity-from-consumer-to-server-cpus-in-face-of-unprecedented-ai-demand-company-navigating-one-of-the-most-significant-supply-shortages-in-history
#AI #Intel

US forces in Europe are bracing for Ukraine's worst day, preparing to defend against massive missile and drone attacks while also launching strikes similar to those seen in Ukraine.
Source: Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-could-assist-targeting-for-us-forces-facing-drone-missiles-2026-10
#AI

The iPhone Duo has its frustrations, but it’s also fun and engaging enough that I didn’t want to switch back to my Pro Max. https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/31/i-took-two-iphones-on-vacation-the-duo-won-me-over/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon