Meta AI is ready for war Image: Nick Barclay / The VergeMeta will now allow US government agencies and contractors to use its open-source Llama AI model for “national security applications.” In an announcement on Monday, the company said it’s working with Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Oracle, and others to make Llama available to the government. Under Meta’s …

Apple will let you upgrade to ChatGPT Plus right from Settings in iOS 18.2 Photo: Allison Johnson / The VergeApple’s second iOS 18.2 developer beta includes a new feature for update’s integration with ChatGPT: users will be able to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus from the Settings menu, 9to5Mac reports. ChatGPT Plus is OpenAI’s paid version of ChatGPT, offering features like more messages with its GPT-4o model, for $19.99 per …

You can now try out Microsoft’s new AI-powered Xbox chatbot Cath Virginia / The VergeMicrosoft has been testing a new AI-powered Xbox chatbot, and now Xbox Insiders can try it out for the first time. I exclusively revealed the existence of this new “Xbox Support Virtual Agent” earlier this year, and Microsoft now says it’s designed “to help Xbox players more efficiently solve their support-related gaming…

Here’s FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr sucking up to Donald Trump by threatening to take NBC off the air Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty ImagesFCC Commissioner Brendan Carr loves the idea of government speech regulations, and he especially loves the idea that he will be the one to impose them in a future Trump administration. That’s the short version. Here’s the slightly longer, dumber version: Kamala Harris made a cameo appearance on Saturd…

Apple will let you share lost AirTag info with an airline Finding lost luggage might soon be a little easier. | Image: AppleApple will be introducing a new feature to its Find My app that allows you to temporarily share the location of a lost AirTag with “an airline or a trusted person,” according to MacRumors, which is testing the second developer beta release of iOS 18.2. The feature could make it ea…

Snoop Dogg’s Times Square concert showed the ambitious future of music in Fortnite Image: Epic GamesEpic Games is trying to make music collaborations a larger part of its always-changing virtual world. Continue reading…

GM says it has become the No. 2 seller of EVs in the US Image: GMGM is claiming the number two spot in EV sales in the US for the third quarter of this year, selling 32,000 electric vehicles. The automaker produces EVs across multiple brands running on the same platform, like Chevy’s Silverado, Blazer, and Equinox EVs, as well as the GMC Hummer EV and the Cadillac Lyriq. GM says it has sold a total o…

The New York Times Tech Guild is on strike Photo: Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty ImagesThe New York Times Tech Guild went on strike at 12:01AM ET today, reports The Washington Post. The guild represents over 600 software engineers, product managers, data analysts, and designers for the media company. Its strike leaves the company bereft of crucial technical expertise just one day be…

X is allowing people you’ve blocked to see your posts Illustration: The VergeThis weekend, X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, announced it’s “starting to launch” a controversial change to how blocking works on its platform. Company owner Elon Musk first revealed the change in September, which will allow people you’ve blocked to continue to see your posts, and, as noted by TechCrunch, your f…

PS5 Pro’s actual specs and the launch day list of upgraded games revealed Image: SonyAhead of the PS5 Pro launch later this week, we have confirmation of a few more official specifications for the most powerful version of the PS5 yet. Digital Foundry has shared details from the manual included with its PS5 Pro review unit, confirming the console is powered by an AMD Ryzen Zen 2 8-core/16-thread processor with an RDNA-…

Oops, Apple approved another illegal streaming app The French-language app shows new movies like Terrifier 3 and Venom: The Last Dance. | Image: Thomas Ricker / The VergeAnother illegal streaming app has made its way to the App Store — but it only surfaces pirated films for people in certain regions outside the US, including France, Canada, and the Netherlands. As shown in a post on Threads, the…

GM software boss: we have ‘high conviction’ ditching CarPlay is the right path Photo illustration by The Verge / Photo: GMGM’s Baris Cetinok is committed to building a custom experience to rival that of Apple and Google. Continue reading…

Valorant is winning the war against PC gaming cheaters Image: Alex Parkin / The VergeRiot Games’ investment into its Vanguard system is paying off. Continue reading…

Mario’s excellent run continues with Mario & Luigi: Brothership on the Switch Image: NintendoFor a character that’s been around so long, Mario is in something of a golden period. Since last year his mustache has been spotted in theaters, theme parks, and the best (and weirdest) side-scrolling Super Mario game in a long time. But he’s had a particularly strong run in role-playing games on the Switch, with recent remakes of…

Astell & Kern SP3000T review: a tube amp in your pocket The hardware is chunky and the software is clunky, but this is the best portable audio player I’ve ever heard. Continue reading…

US immigration policy has a huge blind spot: climate change Activists gather in New York City in August 2024. | Photo: Luis YañezJoe Biden raised hopes that the US would finally plan for climate-displaced migrants. Today, it’s still a glaring hole in climate and immigration policy. Continue reading…

Your favorite musician’s favorite TikTok show Image: Samar Haddad / The VergeGuess the artist, win five bucks. Whether you’re a random person on the streets of New York, an A-list celebrity, or the sitting Vice President of the United States, that’s the pitch behind one of the most fun music shows on social media. You show up, you get some headphones and a microphone, and you hope you know …

Can Nintendo’s Alarmo run Doom? You bet it can This, but blasting demons. | Photo by Chris Welch / The VergeWhat do John Deere tractors, Ikea smart bulbs, Lego bricks, and the MacBook Pro Touch Bar have in common? They can all run Doom, and naturally, so can Nintendo’s adorable Alarmo alarm clock. It was only a matter of time before someone pulled that off, but what I didn’t expect was that …

Perplexity debuts an AI-powered election information hub The VergeAI search company Perplexity is putting to the test whether it’s a good idea to use AI to serve crucial voting information with a new Election Information Hub it announced on Friday. The hub offers things like AI-generated answers to voting questions and summaries of candidates, and on November 5th, Election Day, the company says it wil…

The AI search engines are here — and getting better Image: David Pierce / The VergeHi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 59, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about HotWired and DRAM and Mike Solana, watching The Diplom…