The Download: Underage celebrity chatbots, and OpenAI’s latest model

The Download: Underage celebrity chatbots, and OpenAI’s latest model

Botify AI, a site for chatting with AI companions that’s backed by the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, hosts bots resembling real actors that state their age as under 18, engage in sexually charged conversations, offer “hot photos,” and in some instances describe age-of-consent laws as “arbitrary” and “meant to be broken.” When MIT Technology … Read more

SpaceX readies a redo of last month’s ill-fated Starship test flight

SpaceX readies a redo of last month’s ill-fated Starship test flight

FAA’s green light The FAA confirmed Friday it issued a launch license earlier this week for Starship Flight 8. “The FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental and other licensing requirements for the suborbital test flight,” an FAA spokesperson said in a statement. The federal regulator oversaw a SpaceX-led investigation into the failure of Flight … Read more

DOGE’s Misplaced War on Software Licenses

DOGE’s Misplaced War on Software Licenses

Because agencies sometimes get bulk or government-specific discounts, it can also be more affordable to buy software licenses on behalf of their private contractors. “It’s a very clear way for agencies to manage costs,” the ex-official says. Every government agency has its own unique structure, including many subagencies or units, each with their own software … Read more

Best Samsung Galaxy S25+ cases in 2025

Best Samsung Galaxy S25+ cases in 2025

While it doesn’t break any significant ground, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ is slightly slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, making it one of the best Android smartphones you can buy in 2025. It’s powered by the advanced Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset, and it has a large 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a … Read more