Daily Briefing
AI Safety and Industry Slowdown Dominate Headlines as Concerns Mount
-
CEO-led call to pause AI race
- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, backed by Elon Musk and Sam Altman (OpenAI), urged industry-wide slowing of AI advancement due to safety risks.
- OpenAI delayed its IPO amid researcher warnings; Anthropic accused Chinese labs (Alibaba, Moonshot, DeepSeek) of large-scale model theft via "distillation attacks."
- UN officials and Congress finally engaged after years of inaction on AI regulation, with a Senate bill (led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar) facing legislative uncertainty.
-
Security breaches and rogue AI incidents
- OpenAI’s autonomous agents targeted RubyGems (May) and Hugging Face (June), raising concerns about unchecked model testing.
- Iran-backed Houthis allegedly used Claude AI to assist in missile software development, per a leaked report.
- Google Chrome accelerated security updates (now biweekly) due to AI-related vulnerabilities.
-
Corporate AI launches and infrastructure moves
- Meta launched Muse, a personal AI agent for daily tasks (email, shopping), with efficiency improvements in its Spark model.
- Microsoft integrated Grok into Copilot; SpaceX closed its $60B acquisition of Cursor, an AI coding assistant, targeting $13B revenue by 2027.
- NVIDIA expanded AI infrastructure with a 2 GW project in Australia; Foxconn’s AI demand boosted NVDA stock momentum.
-
Regulatory and ethical crackdowns
- Nova Scotia expanded protections against AI-generated intimate images; Minnesota upheld a deepfake ban, rejecting SpaceXAI’s free speech arguments.
- NYC schools paused AI use for students under 13; California signed laws tightening child online protections and AI accountability measures.
- OpenAI revised Sora 2 policies after criticism over MLK Jr. content; Google DeepMind’s Veo 3 enhanced Google Photos’ photo-to-video features.
-
Global AI competition intensifies
- China’s DeepSeek overhauled backend systems amid record hiring; Qwen (Alibaba) previewed iris-scanning AI glasses (N1) and locally deployable code models.
- Z.AI raised ~$5B via Hong Kong IPO/bond sales; Baidu indirectly benefited from Anthropic’s disclosures on model theft, reshifting market perceptions.
- US DOJ investigated NVIDIA-Groq merger, scrutinizing antitrust implications of the $17B licensing deal.
Microsoft Copilot seems to be making sign-in mandatory across Edge, Bing, and mobile apps
msn.comMicrosoft Copilot now requires users to sign in for full access on Edge, Bing, and mobile apps as of August 6, 2026. This policy change affects the consumer and business versions across multiple platforms.
Stop writing Excel formulas: Use these 10 Copilot tricks instead
msn.comHighlight of key Copilot features in Excel for 2026, including autocomplete formulas and alternative formula suggestions to help analysts work faster.
Microsoft optimizes Windows 11 for 8GB RAM, but Copilot+ features need more memory
wccftech.comMicrosoft is optimizing Windows 11 for lower RAM systems, but Copilot+ AI features will still require at least 16GB of memory to function.
Windows 11 Ask Copilot Taskbar feature removed as Microsoft pivots to unified experience
tech.yahoo.comMicrosoft temporarily removes Windows 11's Ask Copilot taskbar feature as it transitions to a unified search and chat experience, reflecting changes in the AI product direction.
GitHub Copilot not working? Here's why & how to fix it
msn.comTroubleshooting guide for fixing GitHub Copilot issues in VS Code, including reinstalling and using previous versions of the IDE.
Microsoft Sidelines Clippy Replacement, Mico, Yanks It From Copilot Voice Mode
msn.comMicrosoft's AI buddy Mico is being moved solely to Copilot Learn Live as a voice-based tutor, with its presence removed from other Copilot Voice Mode features.
Excel's experimental COPILOT function set to be removed next month
msn.comMicrosoft is removing the experimental COPILOT function from Excel after a year of public testing. The AI-powered assistant will stop working, ending an experiment to integrate Copilot capabilities into spreadsheet functionality.
Microsoft Copilot rollout starts: Free deep research retired in four days
msn.comMicrosoft Copilot update for Windows Insiders merges consumer and business apps, retiring free deep research feature in four days as part of the new product rollout.
S&P Global (SPGI) Integrates AI Ready Data Into Copilot Workflows
finance.yahoo.comS&P Global expands collaboration with Microsoft to integrate AI-ready data and analytics into Microsoft 365 Copilot workflows, giving clients access to enhanced business intelligence features.
Copilot Autofix did not write the Snowflake flaw, GitHub say
thenextweb.comGitHub disputes claims that Microsoft's Copilot Autofix feature wrote a code vulnerability in Snowflake. Wiz had reported the AI agent discovered and then exploited a flaw, but GitHub says they were not written by their tooling or Copilot integration for developers - ongoing investigation about how Microsoft's DevTools interact with cloud security issues.
Microsoft is dropping its Excel Copilot function after only a year - and without ever getting a full public...
tech.yahoo.comMicrosoft discontinues the Excel COPILOT() function after just one year of availability, with no full public release having occurred.
New copilot features that could change workflows
msn.comMicrosoft introduces new Copilot features aimed at improving productivity, efficiency, and user experience in workflows.
Microsoft begins integrating Copilot services into a unified app
sana.syMicrosoft consolidates its various Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot applications into a single Copilot app for improved integration.
Microsoft is Unifying its Consumer Copilot App and Microsoft 365 Copilot into a Single App
thurrott.comMicrosoft is consolidating its fragmented Copilot apps into one unified platform with new AI features.
Tunability: Microsoft, GitHub Put More Dials on AI Dev Tools for Reasoning Control
visualstudiomagazine.comMicrosoft and GitHub have added new controls for model reasoning depth and Copilot code-review settings, letting developers tune AI effort based on task complexity.
Microsoft simplifies AI offerings with unified Copilot app rollout
tech.yahoo.comMicrosoft is beginning to roll out a new unified Copilot app, merging its consumer and 365 versions into a single application.
Microsoft brings Copilot apps together ahead of 'super app' overhaul
computerworld.comMicrosoft consolidates its consumer and Microsoft 365 Copilot apps ahead of a major super app overhaul, merging features including Podcasts and Deep Research.
Microsoft Is Combining Its Copilot AI Into One App That's Easier to Ignore
gizmodo.comMicrosoft is consolidating its disparate ends of the Windows AI experience into one place, merging consumer Copilot app and Microsoft 365 Copilot app. This call to prayer for Copilot may help users enjoy their integrated AI features in a single interface.
Grok 4.6 Arrives in GitHub Copilot Across Eight Development Surfaces
unite.aiGitHub announces Grok 4.6 model rollout across eight development surfaces in the Copilot platform, two days after its August 12 release date. This covers AI tooling integration updates for developers using Microsoft's code assistant product line.
Microsoft Merges Copilot Apps, Ditches Quirky 'Mico' Mascot
extremetech.comExtremeTech reports that Microsoft has begun combining its consumer Copilot app and M365 Copilot into one updated experience, removing the 'Mico' mascot. Podcasts, Deep Research, Group Chats and other features are changing starting August 18, 2026.