Ars Technica
US law enforcement warns of "anti-tech extremism" as AI hatred grows
Federal law enforcement agencies are flagging a rising wave of ideologically motivated hostility toward artificial intelligence and the technology sector broadly. Officials are treating so-called "anti-tech extremism" as a credible threat category, signaling that opposition to AI is increasingly being monitored at the level of domestic radicalization. The designation reflects growing concern that public backlash against rapid technological change could translate into real-world violence.
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AI coding startup Cognition raises $1B at $25B pre-money valuation
Cognition, the AI coding startup behind the Devin software engineer, has closed a $1 billion funding round at a $25 billion pre-money valuation — more than doubling its valuation in just eight months. The raise comes as the company reports $492 million in annualized revenue run rate, signaling rapid commercial traction in the fiercely competitive AI developer tools market. The deal underscores investor appetite for pure-play AI coding platforms as demand for automated software development accelerates.
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The Verge
Did the Pope use AI to write about the dangers of AI?
Pope Leo XIV's encyclical on the dangers of AI may itself have been partially written by AI, according to an analysis posted on LessWrong. Researcher Linch Zhang used the Pangram detector to flag several paragraphs as between 40 and 100 percent AI-generated, with telltale signs including an unusually high frequency of the word "genuinely" — a known marker of Anthropic's Claude. The irony is hard to ignore: a papal document warning of AI's risks to humanity may have been shaped by the very technology it cautions against.
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Ars Technica
Millions of AI agents imperiled by critical vulnerability in open source package
A critical vulnerability dubbed "BadHost" has been discovered in Starlette, one of the most widely used Python web frameworks, putting millions of AI agents and applications at immediate risk. With 325 million weekly downloads, the package's reach makes this among the most consequential open source security flaws in recent memory. Developers relying on Starlette for AI agent infrastructure should treat patching as an urgent priority.
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UK Visa Portal spilled thousands of applicants’ passports and selfies online — and hasn’t fixed the leak
A third-party portal used in the UK visa application process has been leaking thousands of applicants' passport scans and selfies online, leaving sensitive identity documents exposed to anyone who knew where to look. Rather than moving swiftly to patch the vulnerability, the company behind the portal responded by dispatching attorneys. The breach raises serious questions about the government's vetting of third-party contractors handling some of the most sensitive personal data in the immigration system.
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