Microsoft says it will take the heat if Copilot AI commercial users get sued Photo Illustration by Sheldon Cooper / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty ImagesMicrosoft is telling customers it will assume legal responsibility if they get sued for copyright infringement while using the company’s AI Copilot services. In a blog post about an initiative called the Copilot Copyright Commitment, Microsoft chief legal officer B…

Tesla will install up to 20,000 versatile EV chargers at Hilton locations Tesla’s Universal Wall Connector can charge this Mustang Mach-E and the Tesla to the left. | Image: HiltonTesla and Hilton are teaming up to install up to 20,000 electric vehicle charging stations at Hilton hotels and properties. The project will kick off in early 2024, and the chargers are slated for installation at 2,000 locations in the US, C…

Elon Musk’s involvement in the war in Ukraine is confounding, even to him The man who’s ruled by Twitter. | Illustration by Laura Normand / The VergeApparently, the US Department of Defense had a $145 million check “ready to hand to me, literally,” SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell told Walter Isaacson, according to CNN. “Then Elon succumbed to the bullshit on Twitter.” Elon Musk had been supplying internet connectivit…

Companies aren’t showing whether their environmental promises have any impact Oak saplings grow in tree guards in Montmorency Forest in France on Thursday, September 17th, 2020.  | Image: Cyril Marcilhacy / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesA lot of companies that have pledged to restore ecosystems aren’t showing results, according to a new analysis of 100 of the world’s biggest businesses. They might have promised to plant trees…

BMW drops plan to charge a monthly fee for heated seats Photo by Abigail Bassett for The VergeBMW owners can now warm their buns with peace of mind, knowing they won’t have to pay a ridiculous monthly fee for the pleasure of a toasty backside during those cold winter months. BMW has dropped its plans for an $18 a month heated seats subscription after customers balked at the idea of paying extra to un…

Cruise ‘just days away’ from approval to mass-produce Origin robotaxi without steering wheels Image: The VergeGM-backed Cruise is “just days away” from regulatory approval to begin mass production of its fully autonomous vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, the company’s CEO, Kyle Vogt, said at an investor conference Thursday. Cruise first unveiled the Origin robotaxi in early 2020 as a vehicle built for the sole purpose of shutt…

Senate confirms Anna Gomez to break Joe Biden’s FCC deadlock Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeThe Senate has voted to confirm Anna Gomez as the fifth commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, breaking a deadlock that has lasted for most of President Joe Biden’s first term in office. Gomez was confirmed by a vote of 55 to 43, filling out the FCC’s Democratic majority. Her confirmation co…

Japanese YouTuber convicted of copyright violation after uploading Let’s Play videos Image: Spike ChunsoftA Japanese court has convicted a man of violating copyright law after he uploaded gameplay and anime videos without publisher permission. Reported by Japanese paper Asahi Shimbun, the 53-year-old man, Shinobu Yoshida, was sentenced to two years in prison and assessed a 1 million yen fine (or about $6,700 USD.) Yoshida was a…

Microsoft is testing a background removal tool in Paint Image: MicrosoftMicrosoft is testing a new background removal tool in Paint. The feature is rolling out now to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels (version 11.2306.30.0) and lets you remove an image’s background with a single click. To use the tool, testers can open an image with Paint and then hit the background removal button on th…

eBay shoppers are about to see more AI-generated product listings Image: eBayeBay will give sellers the option to create entire product listings from just a photo using a generative AI tool, the company announced on Thursday. eBay believes the AI-driven product listings will accelerate the selling process, especially for new merchants who might feel overwhelmed by all the details they need to provide. The new…

Apple’s latest 14-inch MacBook Pro falls to a new low of $1,699 for today only If you can stretch your budget from a MacBook Air, the 14-inch MacBook Pro will more than reward you. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeApple’s big iPhone event announcing a new iPhone may be just five days from now, but the best Apple thing you can buy today is its M2 Pro-powered MacBook Pro for a new all-time low. The base configura…

E3 continues to fall apart Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergePlans for E3 2024 have already been in doubt, but now a report from GamesIndustry.biz reveals that the ESA — the trade association behind the event — has dumped its organizer. The ESA has confirmed to The Verge it no longer plans to partner with PAX organizer ReedPop for future E3 events. While the ESA was …

Why connected fitness feels adrift: a tale of two rowers My cats love this Ergatta. I’ve been testing the Ergatta and Aviron Strong for months. Both are great rowers, but I’m struggling to see a future for pricey connected fitness hardware. Continue reading…

Google’s cookie-replacing Privacy Sandbox reaches major milestone One more nail in the tracking cookie coffin. | Illustration: The VergeGoogle’s Chrome browser is now one important step closer to its goal of phasing out third-party cookies by the end of 2024. In a press release today, the search giant announced that its relevance and measurement APIs for Privacy Sandbox — its privacy-preserving alternative to …

This Cybertruck-inspired McFlurry spoon is real, but it’s only available in China You just know that thing is going to hurt your teeth. | Image: Tesla / McDonald’sYou can now add cutlery to the list of official Cybertruck-inspired products that have hit the market before Tesla has managed to launch the actual vehicle. On Wednesday, Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt spotted that the automaker’s Chinese business arm has teamed up w…

Threads will now let you search for posts Illustration: The VergeInstagram’s Threads is rolling out the ability to search through posts more widely. In a post on the platform, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the feature is rolling out in “most” English- and Spanish-speaking countries with more to come soon. In a statement to The Verge, Meta spokesperson Seine Kim confirmed that the featur…

Google teaser previews Pixel Watch 2 and both Pixel 8 phones Image: GoogleAfter leaking the Pixel 8 Pro twice, Google has finally revealed an official look at the flagship device, along with the standard Pixel 8, ahead of its hardware launch event scheduled to take place on October 4th in New York City. A pair of video teasers and a new Google Store landing page give a glimpse at what the Pixel 8 lineup w…

This 1977 horror novel is about social media Want a scary story? | Image: Elizabeth LopattoThe creators are “little more than boys” and clean and neat, like salespeople or bankers. They are looking for manuscripts for their Library. No fiction — none of that inauthentic literature. They want diaries, people’s deepest, innermost thoughts: “true, authentic documents reflecting the real spiri…

Where is Microsoft’s handheld Xbox? The Surface Duo streaming Xbox games. | Photo by Tom Warren / The VergeWith Steam Deck competitors on the rise, Microsoft has been focused on phones for Xbox Cloud Gaming so far. Continue reading…

Anthropic’s Claude AI chatbot gets a paid plan for heavy users Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeAnthropic, the AI company backed by Google, has launched a paid version of its Claude chatbot in the US and UK. Priced at $20 (or £18) per month, the new Claude Pro option offers priority access when the bot is busy, early access to new features, and the ability to send more messages. The main draw is that…