News Digest — 2026-07-15

Top Stories

Meta accused of using biased AI targeting for mass layoffs

The Verge AI · 2026-07-14

A group of 26 former Meta employees is suing the company over claims that it used AI tools to unfairly target workers on leave with layoffs, as reported earlier by Reuters. In the lawsuit, the employees allege Meta determined which workers to dismiss based on performance data collected by a "constellation" of internal AI tools, […]

SpaceXAI’s Grok programming tool was uploading its users’ entire codebase to cloud storage

The Verge AI · 2026-07-14

SpaceXAI's Grok Build AI coding tool was spotted uploading users' entire codebases to Google Cloud before it was reported, and the company turned it off. The Register reports that Cereblab published findings on Monday showing how the Grok Build CLI was packaging and uploading entire code repositories, "including files it was told not to open […]

Spotify is now an AI chatbot, too

The Verge AI · 2026-07-14

Spotify is experimenting with a new AI feature that allows Premium subscribers to play and explore music, audiobooks, and podcasts by having conversations with a chatbot. The "Talk to Spotify" feature appears across the Home and Now Playing view on Spotify's mobile app. You can interact with the chatbot by typing your request in the […]

The Google Images homepage will recommend photos even before you search

The Verge AI · 2026-07-14

Google is announcing a big change to the Google Images homepage in honor of the platform's 25th anniversary this week. Instead of a mostly blank page with a search bar, the homepage will soon show you a bunch of images that it thinks you might like before you even start searching. The company says the […]

OpenAI may announce a ChatGPT smart speaker this year

The Verge AI · 2026-07-14

OpenAI's first device is set to be a smart speaker that lets you talk with ChatGPT, according to a report from Bloomberg. The device apparently won't have a screen, but will use a camera and additional sensors to "understand" your environment. The report comes just days after Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI that accused […]

World

Sam Altman didn’t need another lawsuit

The Verge AI · 2026-07-14

OpenAI has spent the better part of the year involved in lawsuit after lawsuit, including one from the world's richest man. But last Friday, the company was hit with one of the highest-profile legal actions yet - from Apple. OpenAI's expensive hardware bet is what's on the line. Apple's lawsuit against OpenAI, filed in Northern […]

Google’s Demis Hassabis says it’s time for a global AI watchdog — led by the US

The Verge AI · 2026-07-14

Demis Hassabis thinks the world needs an AI watchdog with the power to hit the brakes if frontier models become too dangerous. Writing in a blog post, the Google DeepMind CEO and cofounder said the US should lead the initiative, arguing that the country is the best place to set global standards "given its economic […]

New York becomes the first state to enact a data center moratorium

The Verge AI · 2026-07-14

New hyperscale data centers can't set up shop in New York for up to a year now that Governor Kathy Hochul (D) has signed the nation's first statewide moratorium. But a bill passed by the state legislature that could restrict even more developments still awaits her signature. The order blocks new environmental permits for data […]