‘Think outside the bots’: How to stop AI from turning your brain to mush:
Years ago, I forced myself to start using AI as often as possible. If I was going to be writing about it, I also had to use the technology. But an emerging crop of studies over the last year or so have me worried – am I harming my brain in the process? These studies suggest people who lean too much on tools like ChatGPT could have problems with creativity, attention span, critical thinking, memory and more. Others raise concerns that AI users could be surrendering the cognitive friction that makes thinking sharp, and that as a society we may have fewer original ideas. But the science on this is brand new, and we don’t have the answers. So should we be worried? “On a high level, yes,” says Adam Green, a professor of neuroscience and director of the Laboratory for Relational Cognition at Georgetown University in the US. There’s a lot of nuance here, but AI will do work that used to require mental labour. “There’s plenty of evidence that if you are not doing as much of the actual thinking, then your capability to do that kind of thinking is going to atrophy.”
Xiaomi’s New AI Coding Agent Beats Claude Code and is Now Completely Free to Use With a Major Advantage Over Rivals:
Xiaomi has open-sourced MiMo Code V0.1.0, a new terminal-based AI coding assistant built for long-running software projects. This means it is completely free for anyone to download and use for themselves. The tool solves a major problem commonly found with such AI coding assistants: it can actually remember earlier decisions and context as a project becomes longer and more complex.
Tecno Pova 8 Launched With Nothing-Like Glyph Matrix and 8,000 mAh Battery — Expected Price in Pakistan:
Tecno Pova 8 has been introduced with a large battery, a new rear display feature similar to Nothing phones, and cooling features for sustained gaming. The phone has not been officially launched in Pakistan yet, but there is a high chance it will arrive here since the Pova 6 was previously available here, but not the Pova 7. Tecno Pova 8 comes with a triangular camera island on the back. Although the rear module looks like it has three lenses, the phone only has one actual rear camera.
EU Orders Meta to Let Rival AI Assistants Back on WhatsApp for Free:
The European Commission has ordered Meta to restore free access to WhatsApp for rival AI assistants while it continues an antitrust investigation into the company’s conduct. The interim order requires Meta to give competing AI providers access to the WhatsApp Business API under the same terms that existed before Meta changed its policy in October 2025. Meta must comply within five working days.
Govt Reinstates P@SHA Chairman After ‘Big Fight’ Among Committee Members:
The Chairman of the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), Sajjad Mustafa Syed, has been reinstated following an internal governance dispute, after the Directorate General of Trade Organizations (DGTO) suspended the association’s decision to remove him and restored the status quo. In an interim order issued on June 10, 2026, the DGTO set aside actions taken by P@SHA’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) that had treated an alleged verbal resignation as valid and subsequently appointed Senior Vice Chairman Muhammad Umair Nizam as Acting Chairman.
RAM Prices Are Not Going to Normalize For at Least Another Two Years:
DDR5 memory prices may remain high for around two more years, according to AMD executive David McAfee, as AI demand continues to pressure the global memory market. McAfee, AMD’s Vice President and General Manager of Client Channel Business, reportedly made the comments in an interview with 4Gamers. He said DDR5 prices may take about two years to return to normal levels, meaning buyers may not see major relief until 2028.
Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro Launched in Pakistan with 3-Week Battery For Rs. 20,000:
Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro has been launched in Pakistan, with the wearable now listed on MiStore, PriceOye, and several other retailers online and offline. The fitness band brings a 1.74-inch AMOLED display, up to 21 days of battery life, 5ATM water resistance, GNSS support during sports recording, and more than 150 sports modes. MiStore lists the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro at Rs. 22,999. PriceOye’s product page lists the same model at Rs. 19,999. The Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro features a 1.74-inch AMOLED display with a 480 x 336 pixel resolution. The screen has 2000 nits peak brightness, a 60Hz refresh rate, a 2.2mm ultra-narrow equal bezel on all four sides, and a 77% screen-to-body ratio.
Garaj and BPPRA Partner to Modernize Digital Infrastructure for Public Procurement in Balochistan:
Garaj, the enterprise cloud solutions platform from JazzWorld, has entered into a strategic partnership with the Balochistan Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (BPPRA) to modernize the digital infrastructure supporting public procurement in Balochistan. As part of this collaboration, Garaj will provide cloud hosting, cybersecurity, connectivity, backup, and disaster recovery solutions to support BPPRA’s critical digital platforms. The initiative will enhance system uptime, strengthen data protection, ensure business continuity, and improve the reliability of digital procurement services. The modernization of the technology infrastructure underpinning procurement operations will enable BPPRA to deliver more secure, efficient, and transparent services to stakeholders across Balochistan.
TrendAI™ Joins Project Glasswing to Strengthen Cybersecurity Through Advanced AI:
TrendAI™, Trend Micro’s enterprise business unit, leads the industry in zero-day discovery. Its Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) is the world’s largest vendor-neutral bug bounty program and has disclosed more vulnerabilities than any other program. AESIR, its AI-powered security research platform, combines advanced automation with human expertise to identify and remediate zero-day vulnerabilities proactively. Together with other internal initiatives, these capabilities help TrendAI uncover critical weaknesses and protect the software billions of people rely on before attackers can exploit them.
Track Any Hidden Mobile Subscriptions Quietly Draining Your Data With These Simple Codes:
Mobile users can now easily check and manage their active Value Added Subscriptions (VAS) subscriptions through dedicated USSD codes. This facility will enable users to review the services they are subscribed to and deactivate any unwanted services with ease. This makes it easier for customers to track any hidden subscriptions that could quietly drain data. Under the new consumer facilitation measure, Jazz and Zong subscribers can access their VAS information by dialing *6611#, Telenor users can dial *4444#, while Ufone customers can use *6869# to view and manage their subscriptions.
JazzCash Reaches 250k Women Freelancers and Entrepreneurs, Eyes 300k by End of 2026:
JazzCash has crossed 250,000 women freelancers and entrepreneurs managing their finances on the platform, with the company targeting 300,000 by the end of 2026. Speaking at SheMatters Lahore, Zainab Samantash, Head of Legal Affairs and Company Secretary at JazzCash, noted that women’s formal financial access in Pakistan has grown to over 50 percent. She said the industry needs to move beyond access as the primary metric. “The more honest conversation is what happens after the account is opened. Many women still transact through a husband’s or brother’s account. Many have a wallet they’ve never used. At JazzCash, we have moved our focus from access-led inclusion to agency-led inclusion.”
Instagram and Facebook Will Track Your Activity on Other Websites to Curate Your Feed, Reels, and AI Chats:
Meta apps already track your activity across other websites, but now they will also start doing so to curate your social media feeds. Meta is expanding how it uses activity shared by other businesses to personalize Facebook and Instagram feeds, Reels, and AI responses starting in July. The company said the update does not involve collecting new data, but changes how it uses information that businesses already send to Meta.
Study Shows 82% of Pakistani Shoppers Use AI Tools for Online Shopping:
A new study shows that artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping online shopping behavior in Pakistan, with a majority of consumers now using AI tools to enhance their buying experience. According to the annual Stay Secure study conducted by Wakefield Research for Visa, around 82% of shoppers in Pakistan have used AI tools during their shopping journeys. These tools are commonly used for comparing prices (56%), finding gift ideas (47%), and checking product reviews or ratings (53%).
Canada proposes teen social media ban – with workaround for tech firms:
Canada is proposing a social media ban for children and teenagers under the age of 16, mirroring a similar law passed in Australia late last year. But unlike Australia’s law, tech firms could sidestep Canada’s ban if they demonstrate they have policies to minimise harm to minors.
Could humanoid robots be heading for the battlefield?:
I’ve come to an industrial space in a tech-heavy area of San Francisco expecting to see a menacing humanoid robot solider doing something combat-like: the future of land-based warfare, perhaps. Instead, the black shiny faceless Phantom robot is engaged in “free play”, manipulating a bunch of coloured kids blocks. “We need data from it just interacting with its environment…[and] this is today’s menu,” explains Sankaet Pathak, co-founder and CEO of two-year-old start-up Foundation Robotics, which is developing Phantom for military and civilian applications.
The gamers taking on the industry to stop it switching off games:
In the world of online video games, some already do. Publishers can decide to switch off a game’s servers, often leaving it effectively unplayable. Stop Killing Games, a growing consumer rights campaign started by American YouTuber Ross Scott in 2024, is challenging that practice. In January, the group submitted a petition featuring nearly 1.3 million signatures to the European Commission, triggering a public hearing in the European Parliament in April. What began as an online campaign is now awaiting a decision from one of the EU’s most powerful institutions.
Social media on trial: Four important cases to watch:
Today, companies like Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, Google, owner of Youtube, and Snapchat, along with relatively newer platforms like TikTok, Discord and social gaming platform Roblox, are facing thousands of lawsuits in the US over claims that they have instead harmed users, children in particular. Taken together, the outcome of the lawsuits, whether they ultimately settle out of court or end up with jury verdicts against companies, could change the way social platforms operate forever.
The ancient trick making food waste useful and tasty:
The bioengineer, who runs a lab at Stanford University in California, is experimenting with fermentation using fungi.
“One of the most amazing things that we found recently is that we could take waste and add a few other ingredients in a fungal fermentation and create this delicious cheese that is like a Pecorino or Parmigiano,” he says. Fermentation is a biological process whereby organisms convert carbohydrates like starch or sugar into substances like alcohol, without using oxygen.
Anti-social: It’s fads, not friends, which now dominate our feeds:
Aurélia fixes herself a coffee, sits down in her beautiful garden not far from Paris and goes on Instagram “to relax.” First up: “a guy I like a lot who does interior design. He’s in Venice at the moment.” She’s into interior design, and has even just had two bird drawings by the 19th Century English designer William Morris tattooed on her arms. She scrolls down. Two kittens having a fight. “I love animals so I get a lot of animals. That’s how it works, social media. You click on bananas and they give you bananas.” There are ads too – although they look just like the other posts – for a robot-vacuum cleaner, a diet and bed linen (with Morris-inspired designs). But no friends. She has 198 on Instagram but she says “it’s completely changed. I practically don’t see any friends’ posts anymore.” She’s pretty much given up posting herself. “I don’t think anyone sees them anymore anyway.”
‘Everyone think it’s easy to be a social media influencer – but it’s not’:
Millions of us go on social media every day and find many brands and individuals are after our time, trying to influence us. “It’s daunting to put yourself online,” Lauren Davies admits. “I think people think ‘oh I could do that’ – and you go to it and it’s hard!” She has more than 300,000 followers on Instagram while also running an agency for fellow social media influencers. She and her business partner have 18 clients on their books, mostly other mums like themselves, who specialise in content around homes, family and day-to-day lifestyle. “We wanted to create a team where we could all bounce off one another. It’s very important to have a network of people that understand,” said the 35-year-old, from Nantwich, Cheshire.
Police face cuts after mayor blocks AI tech deal:
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has warned of potential cuts to frontline police services and officer numbers following the mayor of London’s decision to block a £50m deal with the US technology company Palantir. Scotland Yard had been in talks about using the firm’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology to speed up criminal investigations and root out corrupt officers. But the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) said it was not satisfied the deal was value for money. In a report due to be presented at the London Policing Board on Thursday, Sir Mark Rowley said the force now faced “stark” choices which meant it would “be able to achieve less for London’s communities”. In the report, Sir Mark referred to the “tough choices” already made by the Met over the last two years, which have included losing 3,300 officers and staff. He said the force faces a £125m funding gap in the next financial year and needed to make savings through “cutting-edge technology,” including using AI to speed up tasks such as searching through reports or phone data.
IT firm Kainos to create almost 350 jobs:
Northern Ireland’s largest software firm Kainos has announced 341 new jobs over the next three years to meet rising customer demand for artificial intelligence (AI). The roles represent a £19.8m investment, with 309 of the jobs based in Belfast and 32 in Londonderry. The average salary will be £58,000. The new roles cover a range of areas from software engineering to consulting, to AI and data science. The firm’s total headcount now stands at 3,500 people. Kainos chief executive Brendan Mooney said the investment was “another example of large organisations looking to build their workforce in the cities of Derry and Belfast”. “When it comes to AI our views are very clear, it helps our people do more and do it more quickly which is a great result for our customers,” he said.
University to launch defence technology courses:
New courses to train students in national security and defence technology threats are set to be launched by Bournemouth University. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has given the university about £2.8m to develop courses, which will include the creation of two new facilities for students to gain practical experience in realistic settings. The Cyber Defence Intelligence and Autonomous Systems courses are due to start in September. Professor Alison Honour, vice-chancellor of Bournemouth University said, the courses would allow “the next generation of cyber professionals to contribute actively to national resilience”.
Kalshi to make some users reveal job details to tackle insider trading:
People looking to place certain bets on prediction market operator Kalshi will soon have to reveal where they work in an attempt to stop insider trading, the firm has said. The platform – which lets users bet against each other on elections, sporting events, and culture – said Tuesday it will start to collect work information from users attempting to place bets that could benefit from insider information. Kalshi said the rule will apply to “markets with heightened insider or manipulation risk.” It used as an example a possible trade on whether OpenAI or Anthropic will go public first. Prediction markets face growing concerns around insider trading as they continue to surge in popularity. Former Congressman George Santos is currently being investigated for alleged insider trading on Kalshi, according to NPR.