CES 2026 was all about “physical AI” and robots, robots, robots
After years of chatbots and image generators, AI is finally leaving the screen. At CES 2026, that shift became impossible to ignore. The annual tech showcase in Las Vegas was dominated by “physical AI” and robotics, from Boston Dynamic’s newly redesigned Atlas humanoid robot to AI-powered ice maker...
X restricts Grok’s image generation to paying subscribers only after drawing the world’s ire
Elon Musk's AI company has restricted Grok's controversial AI image-generation feature to only paying subscribers on X, after the tool invited heated criticism from across the world for letting users generate sexualized images of women and children.
Governments grapple with the flood of non-consensual nudity on X
For the past two weeks, X has been flooded with AI manipulated nude images, created by the Grok AI chatbot — and governments around the world are promising to take action.
Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI will face a jury in March
District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said there was evidence suggesting OpenAI’s leaders made assurances that its original nonprofit structure would be maintained. The case will go to trial in March.
California lawmaker proposes a four-year ban on AI chatbots in kid’s toys
“Our children cannot be used as lab rats for Big Tech to experiment on,” Senator Steve Padilla said. He just introduced a bill to ban AI chatbots in toys until safety regulations are developed.
Nvidia to accelerate Siemens chip-design tools using its GPUs
Nvidia announced today at CES 2026 that it would help Siemens’ electronic design automation (EDA) software run on its GPUs in an attempt to speed up the chip-design process. Nearly all computer chips today are designed using EDA tools, and as chip features get smaller and transistors more numerous, ...
Commonwealth Fusion Systems installs reactor magnet, lands deal with Nvidia
The fusion power frontrunner said that construction on its Sparc reactor was proceeding as planned. Meanwhile, it's building a digital twin to help dial it in.
Nvidia wants to be the Android of generalist robotics
Nvidia unveiled a full-stack robotics ecosystem at CES 2026, including foundation models, simulation tools, and hardware. It wants to be the default platform for robotics.
Nvidia launches Alpamayo, open AI models that allow autonomous vehicles to ‘think like a human’
Nvidia unveiled Alpamayo at CES 2026, which includes a reasoning vision language action model that allows an autonomous vehicle to think more like a human and provide chain-of-thought reasoning.
Amazon’s AI assistant comes to the web with Alexa.com
Amazon is bringing Alexa+ to the web with a new Alexa.com site, expanding its AI assistant beyond devices and positioning it as a family-focused, agent-style chatbot.
How AI is reshaping work and who gets to do it, according to Mercor’s CEO
Three-year-old startup Mercor has become a $10 billion middleman in AI’s data gold rush. The company connects AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic with former employees of Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, and white-shoe law firms, paying them up to $200 an hour to share their industry expertise and train the A...
In 2026, here's what you can expect from the AI industry: new architectures, smaller models, world models, reliable agents, physical AI, and products designed for real-world use.