OpenAI has just launched an initiative called OpenAI For Government starting with a modest new contract. The company was awarded $200 million by the US Department of Defense (DoD) to develop "prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains," according to the DoD's website.

The contract is the DoD's first with OpenAI. It will last a year and take place largely in an area that includes Washington, DC and nearby counties in Maryland and Virginia. The company said its new program will provide federal, state and local governments access to its latest models through ChatGPT Enterprise and ChatGPT Gov, along with custom models for national security on a limited basis.

"This contract, with a $200 million ceiling, will bring OpenAI’s industry-leading expertise to help the Defense Department identify and prototype how frontier AI can transform its administrative operations, from improving how service members and their families get health care, to streamlining how they look at program and acquisition data, to supporting proactive cyber defense,” the company said.

Last last year, OpenAI announced that it was partnering with Palmer Lucky's defense startup Anduril Industries to develop AI for the Pentagon. The companies said they aimed to combine OpenAI’s models, including GPT-4o, with Anduril’s systems and software to improve the US military’s defenses against unpiloted aerial attacks. However, OpenAI and the DoD didn't reference Anduril or drone defense in their announcements today.

The contract opens up a new source of revenue for OpenAI. The company recently said that it will increase sales from around $10 billion currently all the way to $125 billion in just four years, without providing many details on how it plans to do that. Currently, OpenAI makes money from ChatGPT for consumers, along with business products and its application programming interface (API). It spends a lot more than it makes, having lost $5 billion in 2024 on around $4 billion in revenue. 

In January, OpenAI announced the $500 billion Stargate program to develop additional computing power in the US. The company completed a $40 billion financing round that values it currently at over $300 billion. However, critics have argued that that despite burning enormous amounts of cash on cloud infrastructure, it still has no clear path to profitability. Relations are also reportedly tense with the company's close partner Microsoft at the moment. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-awarded-200-million-us-defense-contract-for-the-use-of-its-ai-models-120052807.html?src=rss

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iOS 26 has introduced a new feature that will help CarPlay take better advantage of the shape of your vehicle's display, Apple announced at WWDC 2025. When enabled, the new Smart Display Zoom will shrink down elements on the screen to fit an extra row of app icons. 

"Vehicle screens come in many shapes and sizes," CarPlay engineer Olivia Hess explained in a developer video spotted by MacRumors. "In iOS 26, some screen configurations allow drivers to adjust their display scale with Smart Display Zoom configurable within Settings in CarPlay. When Smart Display Zoom is enabled, your CarPlay app will be automatically resized to the new display scale."

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Though the change is relatively small, it should make CarPlay less of a hassle to use if you have a lot of apps. The feature is only available in a developer beta for now, but will appear in a public beta next month and in the final iOS 26 release by September this year. 

CarPlay is receiving other updates as part of the iOS 26 update. It will feature a more compact view for incoming calls so the display doesn't obfuscate directions. Tapbacks (i.e. emoji responses) and pinned conversations are coming to Messages in CarPlay, and widgets and Live Activities can be reflected on the infotainment system. These updates will be present in CarPlay Ultra too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/ios-26-will-fit-carplay-to-better-match-the-shape-of-your-cars-screen-120036182.html?src=rss

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Anker has recalled its PowerCore 10000 power bank (model A1263) due to an issue with the lithium battery that can cause it to "overheat, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers," the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) wrote. The company received 19 reports of fires and explosions, including two reports of minor burn injuries and 11 property damage claims totaling over $60,700. 

It's a large recall covering 1,158,000 units sold (in the US only) through Amazon, Newegg and eBay between June 2016 and December 2022. To confirm that you have that specific model, check the rear of the device to confirm it reads: "Anker PowerCore 10000" with model number "A1263." 

To receive a $30 gift card or replacement 10,000 mAh power bank, you'll need to send a photo with the submission date and word "recall" or "recalled" written in permanent marker. You must also send a photo showing the model number and serial number printed on the bottom of the power bank, along with a receipt (though the latter is optional). See Anker's recall page for more details. 

Once you receive confirmation that your power bank is subject to the recall, you must dispose of it safely at a municipal household hazardous waste (HHW) collection center (call ahead to confirm if they accept rechargeable lithium-ion batteries). Do not throw them in recycling bins, the trash or battery disposal bins available at retailers. 

Though generally safe and reliable, lithium ion batteries can degrade over time and pose a fire hazard. Couriers like FedEx and airlines have strict rules about transporting them, and Southwest Airlines recently decreed that passengers must have battery chargers visible when in use on flights. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/anker-recalls-over-a-million-power-banks-due-to-fire-and-burn-hazards-110017437.html?src=rss

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As part of new updates to its parental controls announced at WWDC 25, Apple has introduced a new feature that requires kids to get permission to text new numbers. That's among other new child safety settings including more granular age-based app ratings that will be introduced to the new iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, visionOS 26, and tvOS 26 operating systems coming this fall, Apple announced. 

The new feature called Communication Limits (part of Child Accounts) gives parents the ability to manage their kids communications across Messages, FaceTime, calling and iCloud contacts. Children must send a request to their parents when they want to contact a new phone number and parents can then give approval with a single tape in Messages. Developers can include the new function in third-party apps using Apple's PermissionKit framework. 

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Another new child-friendly feature is more granular age-based ratings for apps to help parents decide which are safe for their kids to use. By the end of 2025, those will expand to five categories including three for adolescents: 13+, 16+ and 18+. When parents set app content restrictions, apps that exceed those will not appear on the App Store — though kids can request exemptions if the Ask to Buy setting is enabled. 

Apple already employs safety features like web content filters and app restrictions for kids under 13, but it will now enforce "similar age-appropriate" protections for teens between 13 and 17. The company will also let parents give apps a child's age range without disclosing their exact date of birth. Finally, the Communication Safety tool has been expanded to intervene when it detects nudity in FaceTime video calls and it will blur out nudity in Shared Albums in Photos. 

Apple's changes follow in the heels of new age-verification laws enacted in Texas, Utah and and other states. Google, for one, opposed the Utah bill, but Meta and other app makers have called for legislation that would require app stores to get parental approval before their teens download any app — effectively offloading the responsibility to Apple, Google and others.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apples-ios-26-requires-kids-to-get-parental-permission-to-text-new-numbers-120049197.html?src=rss

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Giant Squid has announced that it's latest game, Sword of the Sea, will come to PlayStation 5 and PC on August 19. It'll also appear on PlayStation Plus from day one for Extra and Premium Subscribers. The fantasy adventure game marries surfing mechanics with the atmospherics of the developer's previous games like Abzû and Journey. 

Giant Squid showed off more gameplay in a new trailer as part of PlayStation's June 4 State of Play. "At its core, Sword of the Sea is all about surfing," the developer wrote. "You’ll be carving your way across mysterious moving waves of sand on the ancient and powerful hoversword." Other scenarios include dreamy ice-scapes and oceans full of flying dolphins. 

Giant Squid again teamed with creative director Matt Nava and composer Austin Wintory, who also worked on Abzû and Pathless. "As a surfer and snowboarder myself, I have felt the rush of movement and seen the beauty of nature in a way that only these extreme sports can deliver," Nava wrote about Sword of the Sea. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sword-of-the-sea-launches-august-19-120037636.html?src=rss

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