The leaders of several major tech companies will offer the White House their opinions on tech and science policy as part of an advisory council. Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, Michael Dell and Larry Ellison — the CEOs of Meta, NVIDIA, Dell and Oracle, respectively — are joining the panel alongside Google co-founder Sergey Brin and AMD CEO Lisa Su. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, who has donated to super PACs that support President Donald Trump, will serve on the panel too.

The latest iteration of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has 13 members, though that could expand to 24. White House AI and cryptocurrency czar David Sacks co-chairs PCAST alongside Trump’s science advisor, Michael Kratsios.

“Under President Trump, PCAST will focus on topics related to the opportunities and challenges that emerging technologies present to the American workforce, and ensuring all Americans thrive in the Golden Age of Innovation,” the White House told The Wall Street Journal in a statement. Zuckerberg said he was “honored to join the president’s council and work with other industry leaders” to help ensure the US is the world leader in AI.

George W. Bush established PCAST with a 2001 executive order, and some notable executives have been involved with the panel. Barack Obama’s advisors included then-Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and former Microsoft chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie, while ex-Disney CEO Bob Iger served on PCAST during Trump’s first term. Joe Biden’s panel included Su.

The tech CEOs all have a personal and professional stake here, given the potential impact of federal rules on them and their businesses. It’s worth noting that Meta, Google and Huang all chipped in to help pay for the construction of Trump’s White House ballroom. Google, Meta and NVIDIA were among the companies that each donated $1 million to the committee for Trump’s second inauguration.

Meanwhile, Ellison — whose family has spent much of the last couple of years building a media empire that includes Paramount and potentially Warner Bros. Discovery — has close ties to Trump. Oracle is also one of the companies that backed the takeover of the US version of TikTok, a deal that Trump approved with an executive order. It was reported this month that the Trump administration is receiving $10 billion for brokering the buyout.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/mark-zuckerberg-jensen-huang-and-sergey-brin-join-trumps-tech-advisory-panel-144722797.html?src=rss

Meta has lost the first of three child safety trials it’s facing this year after a jury in a New Mexico state court found that the social media giant’s platforms do not effectively protect kids from child exploitation.

On Tuesday, the jury deliberated for only one day before agreeing that Meta should pay $375 million in civil damages for violating state consumer protections and misleading parents about the safety of its apps.

The trial followed a 2023 lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez after The Guardian published a two-year investigation exposing child sex trafficking markets on Facebook and Instagram. Torrez’s office then conducted an undercover investigation codenamed “Operation MetaPhile,” in which officers posed as children on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The jury heard that these fake profiles were “simply inundated with images and targeted solicitations” from child abusers, Torrez told CNBC in 2024. Ultimately, three men were arrested amid the sting for attempting to use Meta’s social networks to prey on children.

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It’s been quite a while since we visited Middle-Earth on the big screen (anime prequels aside), but it looks like Lord of the Rings fans have plenty to look forward to in the coming years. We already knew that Andy Serkis’ The Hunt for Gollum was in the works — and by all accounts is progressing nicely — but another Rings-related film is in development too, and it’s being co-written by none other than Stephen Colbert.

The announcement came from Peter Jackson himself, in a video posted by Warner Bros. to coincide with Tolkien Reading Day. The director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy provided a quick update on Serkis’ film (the British actor is both directing and reprising his role as Gollum), before introducing “very special partner” and diehard Tolkien fan Colbert on a video call.

With The Late Show nearing its end, its host was seemingly going to be out of work in the summer. Colbert is working with his son Peter as well as screenwriter Philippa Boyens (who co-wrote the original film trilogy). They’ll adapt some early chapters of Fellowship of the Ring that never made it into Jackson’s 2001 film. The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past is actually set 14 years after the events of Return of the King, and will see Sam, Merry and Pippin retrace the first steps of their famous adventure.

So while the new film is inspired specifically by Fellowship chapters III (‘Three is Company’) through VIII (‘Fog On The Barrow-Downs’), it sounds like we’re actually getting a sequel of sorts, in which we’ll also see Sam’s daughter Elanor make a huge discovery that puts her on her own quest.

Colbert and his son had been scribbling away at their idea for several years before plucking up the courage to show what they had come up with to Jackson, but the legendary 64-year-old filmmaker was clearly a fan. And given the timing of the announcement, Colbert will soon be able to commit all of his energy to the project, which has not yet named any cast members. Will Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan be dusting off their hobbit attire? Only time will tell, but the time jump would presumably make it possible.

The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past doesn’t have a release date, but its announcement coincides with the 25th anniversary of Fellowship of the Ring, which has already been marked by the whole trilogy returning to theaters earlier this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/stephen-colbert-is-writing-a-new-lord-of-the-rings-movie-143004743.html?src=rss

Anthropic has begun previewing “auto mode” inside of Claude Code. The company describes the new feature as a middle path between the app’s default behavior, which sees Claude request approval for every file write and bash command, and the “dangerously-skip-premissions” command some coders use to make the chatbot function more autonomously. 

With auto mode enabled, a classifier system guides Claude, giving it permission to carry out actions it deems safe, while redirecting the chatbot to take a different approach when it determines Claude might do something risky. In designing the system, Anthropic’s goal was to reduce the likelihood of Claude carrying out mass file deletions, extracting sensitive data or executing malicious code. 

Of course, no system is perfect, and Anthropic warns as such. “The classifier may still allow some risky actions: for example, if user intent is ambiguous, or if Claude doesn’t have enough context about your environment to know an action might create additional risk,” the company writes. 

Anthropic doesn’t mention a specific incident as inspiration for auto mode, but the recent 13-hour AWS outage Amazon suffered after one of the company’s AI tools reportedly deleted a hosting environment, was probably front of mind for the company. Amazon blamed that specific incident on human error, saying the staffer involved in the incident had “broader permissions than expected.”

Team plan users can preview auto mode starting today, with the feature set to roll out to Enterprise and API users in the coming days.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-releases-safer-claude-code-auto-mode-to-avoid-mass-file-deletions-and-other-ai-snafus-142500615.html?src=rss

Millions of iPhone owners in the UK will be asked to verify they are over 18 in order to access several Apple services, following pressure from the UK government on smartphone makers to do more to protect children online.

The UK is believed to be the first European market where Apple is rolling out its new age controls, which are designed to ensure that only adults can download apps rated on its App Store as being suitable for over-18s.

Following an iOS software update that was pushed out on Wednesday, adults who do not verify their age will face restrictions on web browsing, as well as “communication safety” checks to their messages and FaceTime video calls, which are designed to detect nude photos and videos.

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As a shopping writer for Lifehacker, I’ve learned many tricks over the years that have helped me become a savvy Amazon shopper. You do not need to be a Prime member for most of these, but becoming one will make your Amazon experience better. And yes, it’s worth it—we’ve done the math.

If your shipping is delayed, call Amazon to get free money

If your Amazon delivery is late, you can contact customer service and may be eligible for a refund or credit, often proportional to the product’s value—especially if the order had a guaranteed delivery date. The status of an order on Amazon changes during different stages of the shipment. If Amazon said a delivery was going to arrive at a specific date and later sent a message that it’s delayed, get a hold of someone from customer service (this is the quickest way to get someone from Amazon on the phone). Tell them your order is late and you want to be compensated because you needed the delivery on time for whatever reason you can come up with. Customer service is very likely to offer you an Amazon credit. I’ve personally received a $20 credit when a laptop was arriving late.

Use price tracking tools to get the best prices on Amazon

Knowing an item’s price history tells you if you’re better off waiting a bit; it also ensures you’re getting the best price. There are many tracking tools, but if I were to recommend one for Amazon, it’s Keepa. Keepa automatically displays the price history under the image of the product. It also lets you track specific products and sends you notifications when they go below a specific price that you set. You can download the extension for Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Edge, and Safari.

Get the most accurate product reviews from Amazon

Amazon sometimes combines reviews from multiple versions of a particular product. For example, take the review section of this Apple Watch Series 11 GPS. At the time of this writing, it says there are 1,049 customer reviews. But (and here’s the hack): If you click on the “All Variants” dropdown and check the specific variant you’re looking at, you’ll see there are only 194 matching customer reviews (at the time of writing) for this particular model and version. The rest of the reviews are for other sizes, colors, storage size, cellular vs GPS versions, etc.

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

Ask Rufus, Amazon’s AI, questions about products

Last year, Amazon released Rufus AI, which scraped the internet, each Amazon product page, and even product manuals to gather information on each product, no matter how specific the question. It’s much faster and sometime more accurate than looking for the answer by reading the manual or the product page. You can find this search bar right on top of the review section or anywhere you see the “Ask Rufus” banner.

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

Get credits from Amazon when you don’t need rushed delivery

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

While having two-day delivery is great, it’s not always necessary. Sometimes, Amazon will offer you “digital rewards” (essentially free money you can use on Amazon purchases, among other things) to have the shipping not be “Prime” or two days. While the rewards might be small—usually under $2—they quickly add up. Before you know it, you can have a $20 Amazon credit waiting for you on your next checkout payment.

You can game Amazon’s “subscribe & save” system

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

Amazon offers a “subscribe & save” program, which incentivizes you to buy the same product periodically by giving you discounts going up to 15%. It’s a neat tool if you, say, buy your protein powder through Amazon and you know you’ll need it at least every six months. It’s less obvious, though, that you can get that $80 protein powder with the 15% subscribe discount and then cancel the subscription right away, saving you 15% pain-free.

Take advantage of Amazon’s free payment plans

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

Your money makes more interest sitting in a savings account (ideally a high-yield one) than giving it away to Amazon. So when they offer you a free payment plan with 0% APR and no strings attached, it’s a no-brainer. Not all products will have this option, but most big ticket items being shipped directly from Amazon do. Be careful with this, however: It’s all too easy to spend more than you should. Which is why our shopping motto is “Don’t buy anything you weren’t going to buy anyway.“

If you’re a young adult or a student, you can get Prime benefits for less

If you’re between the ages of 18 and 24 or are currently a student, you get all of the Prime benefits at half the price. This is huge for anyone who is at least one of those two categories.

Use Amazon Family instead of having two separate accounts

I still know many people who share their Amazon accounts, like family, spouses, or roommates. This makes it very hard to keep Secret Santa exciting. People who live in the same household can have a single Prime membership payment, though, while keeping their own accounts private by using Amazon Family. This means your cart won’t be full of other people’s orders, notifications will only be for your orders, your order history will be showing only your products, etc.

Get free e-books on your Kindle every month

It’s not easy to fill a Kindle, but I’m well on my way, thanks to the many free e-books I’ve gotten through Amazon. If you’re a Prime Member, you get two to three free e-books every month through a program called Amazon’s First Reads, a curated list of new books handpicked by editors.

OpenAI’s recently announced plans to shutter its Sora video-generating app have also scuttled the company’s planned $1 billion licensing partnership with Disney, according to multiple press reports.

“As the nascent AI field advances rapidly, we respect OpenAI’s decision to exit the video generation business and to shift its priorities elsewhere,” Disney said in a statement provided to media outlets. “We appreciate the constructive collaboration between our teams and what we learned from it, and we will continue to engage with AI platforms to find new ways to meet fans where they are while responsibly embracing new technologies that respect IP and the rights of creators.”

Disney and OpenAI announced the blockbuster three-year licensing deal in December, saying that over 200 Disney-owned characters would be available for use in Sora-generated videos. At the same time, Disney said it would be making a $1 billion equity investment in the AI company.

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Some laptops are performance powerhouses, but work better as a desktop and can be bulky to travel or commute with. If you’re looking for an ultraportable laptop that still offers robust performance but isn’t a headache (or a shoulder ache) to lug around, the MacBook Air remains one of the best lightweight laptops available, with a sleek and modern design to boot. Right now, as part of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (2025, M4) is 21% off at $1,099 (originally $1,399), marking its lowest price ever. 

Apple MacBook Air 13-Inch (2025, M4)

$1,099.00
at Amazon

$1,399.00
Save $300.00

$1,099.00
at Amazon

$1,399.00
Save $300.00

The 2025 MacBook Air 13-inch model earned an Editor’s Choice Award from PCMag, which lauded it for its faster M4 processing chip, boosted RAM (even in the base model), quieter, fanless build, and Improved Center Stage camera, as well as Apple Intelligence features. The 15-inch model’s starting price is also lower than the previous-generation 15-inch Air, and it comes with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage and weighs just 2.7 lbs. Apple claims the battery lasts up to 18 hours, and in real-world testing, it actually exceeded that expectation by nearly two hours. 

That said, some ultraportable Windows laptops outpace it, and the battery life, while impressive, is still about 90 minutes short compared to the 2024 model. Still, it surpasses the MacBook Pro in many areas, according to our reviewer. Much of this is due to the upgraded M4 chip, making it a potent combination of power and affordability. In our tester’s findings on CPU performance, the Pro only performed 5% better, making the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (2025, M4) a versatile option for a range of users, now priced better than ever at $300 off.

If you’re looking for the 13-inch model instead, that’s also on sale right now for $250 off during the Amazon Big Spring Sale.

Earlier this month Honda decided to cancel a trio of electric vehicles it was planning to build in the US. And those cancellations are having a ripple effect. Today Sony Honda Mobility—the automaker’s joint venture with the electronics and entertainment company—announced that it won’t bring its EVs to market either.

Although Honda was an early adopter of hybrid technology, it has been left badly lagging when it comes to developing battery-electric cars. The diminutive Honda e might look like the most adorable city car you’ve ever seen, but it struggled to find more than 12,000 buyers in four years across Europe and Japan.

Here in North America, the Prologue has done much better: Honda sold 33,000 in 2024, and another 39,000 last year. But the rebadged GM, which shares a platform with the Chevrolet Blazer, has seen sales implode since the end of the federal clean vehicle tax credit last fall, and it, too, leaves production at the end of the year. An earlier plan to use GM’s battery platform for lower-cost EVs, meant to arrive in 2027, died in late 2023.

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