AI that matches or surpasses most human capabilities coming by 2030; Hackers using AI-made voice messages to impersonate US officials; Google to make AI Glasses with Warby Parker; and More!
Every day, we scan the tech world for interesting news, sometimes from outside the tech world. Every Thursday, we feature news articles that grabbed our attention over the past week. We hope you find this week’s ‘Thursday Newsbytes’ informative and interesting!
Google leaders see AGI arriving around 2030
So-called artificial general intelligence (AGI) — widely understood to mean AI that matches or surpasses most human capabilities — is likely to arrive sometime around 2030, Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said Tuesday.
Why it matters: Much of the AI industry now sees AGI as an inevitability, with predictions of its advent ranging from two years on the inside to 10 years on the outside, but there’s little consensus on exactly what it will look like or how it will change our lives.
Brin made a surprise appearance at Google’s I/O developer conference Tuesday, crashing an on-stage interview with Hassabis.
The big picture: While much of Google’s developer conference focused on the here and now of AI, Brin and Hassabis focused on what it will take to make AGI a reality.
Asked whether it will be enough to keep scaling up today’s AI models or new techniques will be needed, Hassabis insisted both are key ingredients..
Hackers have been using AI-made voice messages to impersonate senior US officials, FBI warns
Hackers have been using AI-generated voice messages to impersonate senior US government officials in an ongoing effort to break into the online accounts of current and former US officials, the FBI warned Thursday.
The hackers, who the FBI did not identify, have since April sent text and voice message to targets, including federal and state officials, to try to cultivate a rapport with them, the bureau’s public advisory said.
The FBI is concerned about the potential ripple effect: Access to government or personal accounts could be used to target other government officials or their associates and contacts, it warned. The hackers could use the information they steal to “to impersonate contacts to elicit information or funds,” the FBI said.
It’s unclear what the end goal of the hacking effort is or who is behind it. CNN has requested comment from an FBI spokesperson.
Cheap and ubiquitous AI tools have made it far easier for scammers and spies to impersonate the friends, relatives and colleagues of just about anyone. And once they have hacked into an email or social media account, they can effectively take over the target’s identity…
Google commits $150M to develop AI glasses with Warby Parker
Google says it will commit up to $150 million to the consumer eyewear company Warby Parker to jointly develop AI-powered smart glasses based on Android XR, the companies said on Tuesday during Google I/O 2025.
Google has already committed $75 million to Warby Parker’s product development and commercialization costs, the companies said in a press release. Google says it will invest an additional $75 million, taking an equity stake in Warby Parker, should the eyewear manufacturer meet certain milestones.
At Google I/O 2025, Google also announced partnerships with several companies to develop smart glasses with Gemini AI and AR capabilities, including Samsung and Gentle Monster.
Google seems to be taking a page out of Meta’s smart glasses strategy. Meta has found success partnering and investing in the Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica to develop its smart glasses. Part of the reason behind Ray-Ban Meta’s success is that the smart glasses have an attractive, familiar design and they’re being sold in Ray-Ban stores. It seems likely that Google will have a similar relationship with Warby Parker…
Windows 11’s built-in share tool is getting an image editor and compression feature
Spotted in the latest Windows 11 preview build, it looks like Microsoft is working on adding image editing tools to the file share UI across the OS.
Microsoft appears to be working on a big update to the system wide share UI on Windows 11 that will introduce image editing and compression features when attempting to share an image using the OS share function. Spotted as a hidden feature in the latest Windows 11 preview build, when enabled you’ll be able to crop, rotate, highlight, draw, and even compress an image before sending it to the app of your choice.
The Windows 11 share UI has been tweaked and updates quite a bit in the last couple of years. Most recently, it was updated with a refined interface and integration with Windows Phone Link, letting you share files between your PC and phone with just a few clicks. Additionally, Microsoft has been working on new ways to access the share tool, including via a new drop-down interface that appears at the top of your screen when you grab a file in the File Explorer app.
It’s clear that Microsoft wants users to start using the built-in share tool more often across Windows 11. Personally, I almost never use it, mostly because I forget it exists. The introduction of the share drop down menu and editing tools within the share interface are nice additions, which all help streamline the file sharing process, especially for images…
Microsoft confirms new “Advanced” Settings for Windows 11
At the Build 2025 developer conference, Microsoft announced a new ‘Advanced Settings’ feature to help users and developers personalize the OS experience.
With ‘Advanced’ settings, you can customize several features of Windows 11, such as File Explorer and Virtual Machines.
The new ‘Advanced’ Settings page can be accessed from Settings > System > Advanced. It replaces the ‘For developers’ tab in the Settings and retains all of the features.
Unlike the old For Developers page, it gives users more control over how files and folders are shown and how version control works. At the top, you can see options like:
Show file extensions: When turned on, you can see file types like .txt, .jpg, etc. after the file name.
Show hidden and system files: This shows files that are normally hidden by Windows, like system files.
Show full path in title bar: This displays the full folder path at the top of File Explorer.
Show option to run as different user in Start: If turned on, you can choose to run apps as another user.
Show empty drives: This shows USB or other drives even when they have nothing in them.
At the bottom, there’s a new section called File Explorer + version control…
Read more at Bleeping Computer.
Thanks for reading this week’s Thursday Newbytes. We hope these articles were informative, interesting, fun, and helpful.
