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AI Search — This Week's Top AI Highlights Welcome to the AI Search newsletter. Below are the top highlights and how we handle sourcing and links. What we do Curate the top AI stories of the week with short summaries. Cross-check items with web research for accuracy when needed. Remove direct RSS source links from social posts; keep only important news links. Do not tweet stories that are purely about a publisher's own website or reviews of that website (e.g., posts about Engadget itself). Product links and affiliate policy If a story references a product available on Amazon, we include an Amazon search link with our affiliate tag. Example format: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=searchterm&tag=f1rede-20 Replace searchterm with the product name (spaces replaced by + or URL-encoded). How we post One tweet per news…

MasterClass Labor Day Sale — 50% Off Annual Memberships MasterClass is running a Labor Day promotion offering 50% off the first year of its annual memberships. That brings the monthly-equivalent prices to: Standard: $5/month (billed annually) Plus: $8/month (billed annually) Premium: $10/month (billed annually) These translate to roughly $60, $96, and $120 per year after the discount. MasterClass bills annually, so be sure to check the total annual charge before you buy. What you get: Hundreds of video classes taught by experts (each class typically has ~20 lessons at ~10 minutes each) In-depth downloadable workbooks for most classes Original series like Business Rebels and Skin Health Featured instructors include James Patterson (writing), Thomas Keller (cooking) and Steph Curry (basketball), among many others. Official promotion link: https://www.masterclass.com/promotion Quick tips: The discount…

Labor Day Deal: Apple AirTag 4‑Pack for about $70 Apple's AirTag 4‑pack is currently available for roughly $70 — one of the best prices we've seen this year. If you're deep in the Apple ecosystem, this is a strong buy. Why it's useful for Apple users Precision Finding (UWB): Works with supported iPhones for directional, room‑level locating. Find My network: Uses other Apple devices to help locate lost items even beyond Bluetooth range. Simple design & setup: Coin‑sized tracker, quick pairing with iPhone and ring/chime sound to help you locate items. Limitations No built‑in keyring — you'll need a holder or accessory to attach it to keys/bags. Best experience requires Apple devices; Android users don’t get Precision Finding and have limited functionality. Alternatives for Android users Chipolo: Search Chipolo on…

Dyson Labor Day Sale: 360 Vis Nav $500 & V15s Detect Submarine $800 Dyson is running Labor Day discounts on several vacuums. Highlights: 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum — now $500 (about 50% off). Noted for class-leading suction and excellent obstacle avoidance (cameras + LEDs). Large bin, but no self-empty base and it’s not a mop. V15s Detect Submarine (cordless stick) — now $800 (about $200 off). Features HEPA filtration and advanced wet-cleaning capabilities for carpets and hard floors. Why this matters The 360 Vis Nav stood out in testing for powerful suction — able to pull embedded dirt and pet hair with ease — and near-flawless navigation. At its prior $1,000 price it was harder to recommend because it’s a vacuum-only unit without a self-empty dock or mop function;…

What to read this weekend: Saga Doubles & The Voice Said Kill Here are a few recent releases worth adding to your reading list this week. 1) Killer on the Road / The Babysitter Lives — Stephen Graham Jones (Saga Doubles) Format: Saga Doubles (two novellas in one book) Publisher: Saga Press (Simon & Schuster imprint) Release date: July 15, 2025 Description: A chilling pairing of two thriller/horror novellas from Stephen Graham Jones about killers on the loose. Buy: Search on Amazon (affiliate) • Retailer listing • Kirkus review 2) The Voice Said Kill — Image Comics (new miniseries) Publisher: Image Comics (reported as a new miniseries). At the time of posting, full publishing details (creative team, issue count, exact release date) were not confirmed in the sources consulted. Buy…

TikTok Lets Users Send Voice Notes, Images & Videos in DMs TikTok is expanding its messaging tools. According to reports from TechCrunch and other outlets, TikTok will soon allow users to send voice notes, images and videos in direct messages and group chats. Voice notes: Up to 60 seconds. Media attachments: Up to 9 images or videos per message, from camera or phone library. Safety & age rules: Messaging is only available to users 16 and older. Images with nudity are auto-detected and blocked for users aged 16–18; users 18+ can toggle this detection on/off. Rollout: Features will roll out globally in the next few weeks. TikTok has been gradually enhancing messaging — it added group chats for up to 32 people last year and introduced the Footnotes feature this…

Meta explores using competitors' AI models to boost Meta AI Recent reports indicate Meta is considering integrating competitors' models — including Google Gemini, OpenAI models and Anthropic — to power or supplement Meta AI and features across its apps. Meta says it is taking an "all-of-the-above" approach: partnering with other companies while continuing to build its own Llama models. The use of external models appears intended as a temporary measure to accelerate improvements to Meta's in-house models and stay competitive. Key points Meta’s Superintelligence Lab has reportedly discussed adding Google Gemini into Meta AI to improve conversational search responses. Meta has also reportedly explored using OpenAI models and already gives employees access to Anthropic’s models for internal tools like a coding assistant. Meta frames this as a short-term strategy to…

xAI sues former employee over alleged theft of Grok trade secrets Elon Musk's AI startup xAI has filed a lawsuit alleging that former employee Xuechen Li stole confidential materials and trade secrets related to Grok before joining OpenAI. The complaint claims Li copied documents from an xAI laptop to at least one personal device and took "cutting-edge AI technologies with features superior to those offered by ChatGPT and other competing products." According to the suit, the stolen information could give rivals a major advantage and save competitors "billions in R&D dollars and years of engineering effort." xAI also alleges Li tried to conceal his actions by renaming and compressing files and deleting browser history. The complaint says Li requested xAI buy back company shares worth roughly $7 million — part…

Meta reportedly hosted unauthorized celebrity AI chatbots — summary & context Summary: Reports indicate that Meta allowed AI chatbots impersonating celebrities to run on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Allegedly affected names include Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Anne Hathaway and Scarlett Johansson. Some chatbots reportedly insisted they were the real celebrities, made sexual advances, and at least one allowed a tester to generate a lifelike shirtless image of an underage celebrity. Meta removed several bots and said the issue stemmed from failures to enforce its policies. Key details Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp. Examples: Chatbots allegedly based on Taylor Swift reportedly acted flirtatiously; testers reported bots claiming to be the real person. Safety concerns: At least one bot reportedly enabled generation of an explicit image of an underage celebrity. Scope: Reports say…

Sonos Labor Day / Back‑to‑School Sale: Era 100 for $179, Sonos Ace for $299 Sonos is running Labor Day / back‑to‑school discounts on several products. Highlights: Sonos Era 100 — now $179 (was $199). A strong midrange smart speaker with Trueplay tuning, built‑in mics, Wi‑Fi & Bluetooth support, and line‑in. Sonos Ace headphones — now $299 (was $399). Over‑ear headphones with advanced spatial audio features like TrueCinema when paired with Sonos soundbars. These sale prices are available both on Sonos’ official store and on Amazon (links below include our Amazon affiliate tag): Buy Sonos Era 100 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Sonos+Era+100&tag=f1rede-20 Buy Sonos Ace on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Sonos+Ace&tag=f1rede-20 Sonos official Era 100 page: https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/era-100 Why buy the Era 100? The Era 100 replaces the Sonos One as the company’s midrange smart speaker. It…