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WordPress adds an AI assistant Feb 18, 2026

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An expansion of the platform's AI website builder, the tool helps with edits and media creation

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Texas AG is suing TP-Link, OpenAI must stop using the term 'Cameo', and Tesla stopped using 'Autopilot' to promote its EVs in California Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

-Texas is suing Wi-Fi router maker TP-Link for deceptively marketing the security of its products and allowing Chinese hacking groups to access Americans' devices.

-Cameo, the platform where celebrities sell short, personalized videos, has scored a preliminary win in a trademark lawsuit against OpenAI. A California judge has ruled that the AI company's video generation tool Sora cannot use the term 'cameo' or any variation likely to cause confusion.

-Tesla stopped using the term “Autopilot” to sell its cars in California, thereby avoiding a 30-day sales and manufacturing ban in the state. If you’ll recall, a California administrative law judge ruled in December that the automaker misled consumers by using the terms “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving.”

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Apple's next event is set for March 4th Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

Rumors had suggested the company would reveal new iPads and MacBooks that week.

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EU launching a second investigation into Grok, the EC is probing Shein's addictive app design and illegal product sales, and Apple's Podcasts app now supports HTTP Live Streaming video technology Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

-X is facing yet another investigation into Grok's reported creation of nonconsensual sexual images on the platform. Ireland's Data Protection Commission has announced an inquiry into X regarding the harmful, intimate images and processing of EU and EEA individuals' personal data — including children.

-The European Commission has opened an investigation into low-cost fast fashion retailer Shein. EC officials are concerned about the sale of illegal products, including child sexual abuse material, as well as the potentially addictive design of its shopping experience.

-Apple is planning a major update for its Podcasts app. The app now supports the company's HTTP Live Streaming video technology. Previously, it only streamed video in various formats like MOV, MP4 and M4V.

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Airbnb is testing out AI search with a 'small percentage' of users Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

Beyond improving search, Airbnb wants to lean heavily into artificial intelligence to help users with with booking, managing listings and customer service.

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ByteDance will tighten up its new AI video generator, OpenAI hired the developer behind AI agent OpenClaw, and Terminator Zero has been canceled after just one season Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

-ByteDance is going to curb the new media generator's use of prohibited content. In a statement to the BBC, ByteDance said, "We are taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorised use of intellectual property and likeness by users."

-Sam Altman has announced that OpenAI has absorbed OpenClaw by hiring developer Peter Steinberger "to drive the next generation of personal agents.”

-Responding to a fan on social media, showrunner Mattson Tomlin said this weekend that the show has been canceled. Despite being generally well received, Tomlin noted that "at the end of the day not nearly enough people watched it."

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Apple's Siri relaunch is reportedly behind schedule Feb 13, 2026

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The company is going to release its capabilities in portions over future software updates, according to Bloomberg.

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Ring called off its partnership with Flock Safety, the person overseeing the Netflix-Warner merger resigned, and the EU opening another probe into Google's ads pricing Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

-Ring has canceled its partnership with Flock Safety, after receiving backlash for running a Super Bowl ad touting its Search Party feature.

-Gail Slater, a former JD Vance adviser and Fox Corp VP, reportedly clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi. Their longstanding feud is said to have centered around Slater's skepticism of corporate mergers.

-European Union regulators have already fined Google billions for violating the Digital Markets Act, and being found guilty of anticompetitive behavior in online advertising could add to that total.

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Uber Eats’ new Cart Assistant feature is an AI hack for your grocery shopping Feb 12, 2026

Show notes

The feature accepts both image and text prompts, but is still in beta at the moment.

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WhatsApp is now fully blocked in Russia, Anthropic beefed up Claude's free tier, and Meta turned Threads algorithm complaints into an official feature Feb 12, 2026

Show notes

-After warnings from lawmakers last year, WhatsApp has been blocked in Russia for as many as 100 million users, the Financial Times reported. Russian authorities removed the app from an online directory, effectively wiping it from Russia's internet.

-Anthropic is upgrading Claude's free tier, apparently to capitalize on OpenAI's planned integration of ads into ChatGPT.

-Meta is turning those "Dear algorithm" posts into an official feature that it says will allow Threads users to tune their recommendations in real time. With the change, users can write a post that begins with "dear algo" to adjust their preferences.

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