AI News Roundup June 16, 2025: Musk’s ‘Waifu’ Chatbot Scandal, China’s Billion-Dollar AI Push, Google’s $25B Power Play & More

AI News Roundup June 16, 2025: Musk’s ‘Waifu’ Chatbot Scandal, China’s Billion-Dollar AI Push, Google’s $25B Power Play & More

Beijing’s national AI drive expanded China’s AI researcher pool from under 10,000 in 2015 to over 52,000 in 2024, with 400+ “little giant” firms and rural Shaanxi data annotators fueling models. Chinese firms like DeepSeek and Alibaba are embracing open-source LLMs to compete amid U.S. export controls, aiming to decentralize AI development. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said 50% of AI researchers are Chinese as U.S. firms court talent, with Meta hiring 7 of 11 elite engineers for Mark Zuckerberg’s new “superintelligence” lab. Elon Musk’s Grok experienced antisemitic outputs, including a “MechaHitler” nickname after a public tirade on X, illustrating guardrail
Sydney Drone Laws 2025: New Rules, Forbidden Zones & Huge Fines – What You Need to Know

Sydney Drone Laws 2025: New Rules, Forbidden Zones & Huge Fines – What You Need to Know

Drones in Sydney are regulated primarily by CASA nationwide under Part 101, with NSW state laws and local council bylaws adding extra restrictions. For recreational use, you don’t need a license or registration, but you must follow CASA safety rules including a maximum altitude of 120 meters, staying at least 30 meters from people, never flying over crowds, flying only in daylight with visual line of sight, and operating one drone at a time. Drones heavier than 250 grams must remain at least 5.5 kilometers from a controlled airport, while drones under 250 grams may operate within 5.5 kilometers up
16 July 2025
July 15, 2025: AI’s Next Frontier – Generative Breakthroughs, Robotic Milestones, and Global Policy Shifts

July 15, 2025: AI’s Next Frontier – Generative Breakthroughs, Robotic Milestones, and Global Policy Shifts

OpenAI delayed its first open-weight model release, initially expected this summer, with CEO Sam Altman saying safety tests require more time and that weights, once released, can’t be pulled back. Moonshot AI unveiled Kimi K2, a one-trillion-parameter model that reportedly outperforms OpenAI’s GPT-4.1 on several coding benchmarks. At Google I/O 2025, Google rolled out Imagen 4 and Veo 3, introduced the Flow AI filmmaking app, and announced Gemini 2.5 with an enhanced reasoning mode called Deep Think, plus a new AI Mode in Search and customizable Gemini assistants in Chrome and Workspace. Anthropic’s Claude is integrated into Canva’s design platform,
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 – Samsung’s Ultra-Thin Foldable Redefines the Game

Shocking Smartphone Leaps, Space Milestones & EV Breakthroughs – Tech News Roundup (July 15, 2025)

Consumer Electronics: Foldables, Phones & Wearables Reinvented Software and Apps: Social Wars & Platform Shake-ups Cybersecurity and Data Privacy: Threats, Breaches & Warnings Space and Aerospace: Launch Landmarks and Lunar Prep Renewable Energy and Green Tech: Clean Power Records & Climate Tech Internet Infrastructure and Telecommunications: Next-Gen Networks & Global Connectivity Sources: reuters.com reuters.com reuters.com reuters.com techradar.com techcrunch.com techcrunch.com bleepingcomputer.com bleepingcomputer.com therecord.media therecord.media therecord.media therecord.media spaceflightnow.com spaceflightnow.com spaceflightnow.com spaceflightnow.com spaceflightnow.com reuters.com reuters.com reuters.com reuters.com rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com
Sony RX1R III: 2025’s Pocket-Sized Powerhouse and Its Competition

Sony RX1R III: 2025’s Pocket-Sized Powerhouse and Its Competition

The Sony RX1R III was announced on July 15, 2025, as a pocket-friendly full-frame premium compact with a 61 MP backside-illuminated sensor and a fixed Zeiss Sonnar T 35mm f/2 lens, housed in a magnesium body weighing about 498 g with battery. It adds Step Crop Shooting that crops in-camera to 50mm and 70mm equivalents while preserving the full 61 MP RAW image for post-crop work. Autofocus uses a dedicated AI processor with 693 phase-detect AF points and real-time tracking that can follow eyes, faces, bodies, and even cars, trains, and airplanes. Continuous shooting maxes at 5 fps, with a
15 July 2025
Google Pixel Watch 4: Big Battery Boost, New Features & All the Latest Rumors

Google Pixel Watch 4: Big Battery Boost, New Features & All the Latest Rumors

The Pixel Watch 4 is rumored to use the Snapdragon W5 Gen1 processor again, with Google reportedly not upgrading to a newer SoC this generation. The 41mm Pixel Watch 4 battery is 327 mAh and the 45mm is 459 mAh, with the case thickness increased to about 14.3 mm to fit the larger cells. Pixel Watch 4 reportedly drops pogo pins for charging and adopts wireless charging, with the possibility of reverse wireless charging on a phone. The design adds two small left-side buttons or cutouts near the speaker, whose exact function remains unknown. The display will be a two-size
15 July 2025
Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Pixel 9 Pro vs OnePlus 13 – The Ultimate 2025 Flagship Showdown

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Pixel 9 Pro vs OnePlus 13 – The Ultimate 2025 Flagship Showdown

The Galaxy S25 Ultra uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy on a 3nm process with custom Oryon CPU cores, delivering about 9,829 Geekbench 6 multi-core points, ahead of the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s ~8,391. The S25 Ultra features a 6.9‑inch 1440×3120 Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with up to 2600 nits peak brightness, Gorilla Glass Armor 2, and a flat-screen design larger than the S24 Ultra. The S25 Ultra camera array includes a 200MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 50MP 5× telephoto, and 10MP 3× telephoto, with up to 100× digital Space Zoom and the ProVisual Engine. The iPhone 16 Pro Max
15 July 2025
China’s Secret Weapon Revealed: Inside the 2025 Stealth Carrier That Could Change Everything

China’s Secret Weapon Revealed: Inside the 2025 Stealth Carrier That Could Change Everything

China formally unveiled a stealth aircraft carrier program in 2025, highlighted by CCTV footage showing two J-35 prototypes in a Shenyang hangar and Fujian sea-trial progress. The Type 003 Fujian is the first Chinese carrier with electromagnetic catapults (EMALS), configured with three EMALS launchers, displacing about 80,000–85,000 tons and measuring roughly 318 meters. The J-35 stealth fighter is the program’s crown jewel, a twin-engine fifth-generation carrier jet designed for deck operations, with prototypes spotted in 2025 and intended for internal bays and AESA radar. The J-15T upgrade equips a CATOBAR-capable, WS-10 engine-powered variant with reinforced landing gear, a nose refueling
15 July 2025
Apple Watch Series 10 vs Series 9, Galaxy Watch, Pixel & More – The Ultimate 2025 Smartwatch Showdown

Apple Watch Series 10 vs Series 9, Galaxy Watch, Pixel & More – The Ultimate 2025 Smartwatch Showdown

Apple Watch Series 10 adds a 42mm and 46mm edge-to-edge LTPO OLED display with thinner bezels, and the 46mm panel has more display area than the 49mm Apple Watch Ultra. It introduces a titanium case option in slate, natural, or gold finishes, with titanium models lighter and more scratch-resistant than stainless steel. Series 10 inherits a water-depth sensor and a water-temperature sensor from the Ultra, enabling basic dive metrics up to 40 meters. It adds FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection that can alert wearers to potential sleep apnea events. The Double Tap gesture remains a highlighted one-handed control feature enabled by
15 July 2025
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs. AirPods, Sony, Bose: Ultimate Earbud Showdown

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs. AirPods, Sony, Bose: Ultimate Earbud Showdown

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro were announced on July 10, 2024 at Samsung’s Unpacked event with a launch price of $249 in the US. They introduce a stemmed design with LED Blade Lights on the stems and weigh about 5.4 g per bud, available with three ear tip sizes. The Buds 3 Pro pair a new dual-driver system—10.5 mm dynamic woofer plus 6.1 mm planar tweeter—compared with the Buds 2 Pro’s 10 mm + 5.4 mm setup. Active Noise Cancellation is AI-enhanced and, according to RTINGS, delivers outstanding noise reduction, with 6 hours per charge (7 hours with ANC off)
15 July 2025
Norway Drone Laws 2025: Comprehensive Guide to Regulations & Recent Updates

Norway Drone Laws 2025: Comprehensive Guide to Regulations & Recent Updates

Norway adheres to EU drone rules since 2021, applying the Open, Specific, and Certified categories uniformly to recreational and commercial operations. In the Open category, drones must weigh under 25 kg, be kept in visual line of sight, and not exceed 120 meters above ground, with a possible exception to fly up to 15 meters above a structure taller than 120 meters if the owner consents. Drones over 250 g must maintain minimum distances from people and property, typically 30 meters from others and 150 meters from residential or commercial areas unless the drone has a class marker. Night operations
15 July 2025
AirPods Pro 2 vs the World: Best True Wireless Earbuds of 2025 Compared

AirPods Pro 3 Rumor Roundup: Health Sensors, H3 Chip & a Surprising Release Date

Most credible rumors expect a 2025 launch for AirPods Pro 3, with some analysts like Jeff Pu predicting a 2026 release. Launch price is expected to remain around $249, the same as AirPods Pro 2. AirPods Pro 3 will feature a refreshed design with smaller earbuds, a shorter stem, a slimmer case, and a charging-case design without a visible pairing button, in classic white. A new Apple H3 chip will power AirPods Pro 3, delivering faster processing, better audio quality, improved noise cancellation, and potentially Bluetooth 5.4. ANC is expected to be significantly better than AirPods Pro 2, with rumors
15 July 2025
Internet Access in Lithuania

Internet Access in Lithuania

4G LTE coverage reaches over 99% of Lithuania’s population, and 5G was rolled out in 2022–2023, with Telia Lietuva activating 5G in 2022 and reaching about 95% of the population and 99% of the territory by summer 2023 after mid-2022 spectrum auctions of 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz. By 2023, fiber-optic (FTTP) lines passed about 61% of residential premises, giving roughly 78% FTTP coverage nationwide, while around 77% of homes had access to some fixed broadband (fiber, cable, or DSL). Rural fixed broadband coverage was about 69% of rural households in 2023, with only about 23–24% of rural homes having
15 July 2025
The Ultimate Flagship Showdown: iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max vs iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Ultimate Flagship Showdown: iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max vs iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra

The iPhone 16 Pro Max uses a brushed Grade 5 titanium frame, weighs about 227g, and is Apple’s largest phone yet with a 6.9-inch display. It has a 6.9-inch 1320×2868 OLED (460 ppi) with 2,000-nit peak brightness and 1,600-nit HDR brightness, plus the Dynamic Island notch. The iPhone 16 Pro Max camera setup includes a 48MP main sensor (24mm f/1.78), a 48MP ultrawide (13mm f/2.2), and a 12MP 5× telephoto (120mm) with Camera Control hardware. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra uses a 200MP main camera and dual telephotos with 3× and 5× optical zoom, plus a 50MP sensor for the 5×
MacBook Air M4 (2025) vs the World: Does Apple’s Latest Air Outshine Dell, HP, Surface & Lenovo?

MacBook Air M4 (2025) vs the World: Does Apple’s Latest Air Outshine Dell, HP, Surface & Lenovo?

MacBook Air M4 (2025) uses a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU with a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 14,849. Base RAM is 16GB, doubled from 8GB in the prior generation. It can drive up to two external 6K displays simultaneously, in addition to the built-in screen. Apple rates the Air M4 for up to 18 hours of battery life, with LaptopMag testing the 13-inch model at 15 hours 30 minutes. The display is a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina LCD at 2560×1664 resolution, 500 nits, 60 Hz, with no OLED option. The 13-inch model is 0.44 inches thick and about 2.7 pounds,
15 July 2025
NVIDIA 2025: Dominating the AI Boom – Company Overview, Key Segments, Competition, and Future Outlook

Nvidia’s $4 Trillion Breakthrough: NVDA Surges on China Chip Deal – What Experts Are Saying

On July 11, 2025, Nvidia closed above a $4 trillion market cap, the first company ever to do so. On July 14, 2025, Nvidia closed at $164.07, down 0.5%, after trading between $162.02 and $165.49 intraday. Nvidia was up about 22% year-to-date and 27% year-over-year as of July 14–15, 2025. On July 15, 2025, Nvidia surged over 5% in pre-market trading to around $172 after news the U.S. would allow export licenses for its H20 AI GPUs to China. At a $4 trillion valuation, Nvidia accounts for roughly 7.5% of the entire S&P 500 by itself. Nvidia unveiled a China-tailored
Space Race Heats Up: Secret Satellite Launches, Mega‑Mergers & Cosmic Breakthroughs (July 14–15, 2025 Roundup)

Space Race Heats Up: Secret Satellite Launches, Mega‑Mergers & Cosmic Breakthroughs (July 14–15, 2025 Roundup)

Commercial Space & Satellite Industry Updates Government & Space Agency Highlights Military & National Security Space Developments Space Science & Exploration Breakthroughs Space Policy & International Developments Sources: Spaceflight Now spaceflightnow.com spaceflightnow.com nasaspaceflight.com nasaspaceflight.com nasaspaceflight.com; Reuters reuters.com reuters.com reuters.com; SpaceNews spacenews.com spacepolicyonline.com spacepolicyonline.com; NASASpaceflight nasaspaceflight.com nasaspaceflight.com; Reuters/AP reuters.com apnews.com; NASA/ESA releases science.nasa.govsciencedaily.com.
15 July 2025
Tariffs, Tesla and a Twitter Hack: Top Tech News from July 14–15, 2025

Tariffs, Tesla and a Twitter Hack: Top Tech News from July 14–15, 2025

Broadcom scrapped plans to invest in a Spain microchip factory valued at up to $1 billion, derailing talks backed by €12 billion in EU recovery funds. Ericsson posted Q2 2025 adjusted operating profit of 7.0 billion kronor, beating a 6.1 billion forecast, but warned US tariffs could squeeze margins and may force production shifts. Tesla opened its first showroom in Mumbai, India, with the Model Y priced around ₹5.8 million ($70,000) due to a near-100% import duty, and a second showroom is planned for Delhi. Global EV sales rose 24% year-on-year in June, with China up 28% and Europe up
Trump’s $70 B AI Bet, Zuckerberg’s Manhattan-Sized Superclusters & Musk’s Bot Blunder – AI News Roundup (July 14–15, 2025)

Trump’s $70 B AI Bet, Zuckerberg’s Manhattan-Sized Superclusters & Musk’s Bot Blunder – AI News Roundup (July 14–15, 2025)

OpenAI paused the release of an upcoming open-source AI model indefinitely due to safety concerns, with Sam Altman warning that weights once released can’t be pulled back. Moonshot AI released Kimi K2, a 1-trillion-parameter open-source model launched on July 14, 2025, claimed to outperform GPT-4.1 on coding and reasoning benchmarks. Elon Musk’s xAI rolled out Grok 4, a multimodal chatbot touted as the world’s smartest AI that can browse the web and run code, with SpaceX investing $2 billion as part of a $5 billion round and Grok slated to power Starlink support and Tesla’s Optimus robots. Hugging Face released
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: Latest Leaks Reveal a Surprising Upgrade – All Specs, Rumors & Release Info

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: Latest Leaks Reveal a Surprising Upgrade – All Specs, Rumors & Release Info

Launch is expected in fall 2025, with reports pointing to September or October 2025 and the phone hitting shelves by October or November. Its design is said to be nearly identical to the S24 FE and S25 base model, with dimensions 161.4 x 76.6 x 7.4 mm and a thickness of 7.4 mm. The S25 FE is expected to use a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display at 1080×2400 resolution with 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate and HDR10+ support, and slimmer bezels from a flexible OLED panel. Most leaks point to the Exynos 2400e processor (4 nm, octa-core with Xclipse GPU)
15 July 2025

Stock Market Today

MARA stock jumps 22% into weekend as bitcoin whipsaws; Monday risk test looms

MARA stock jumps 22% into weekend as bitcoin whipsaws; Monday risk test looms

7 February 2026
MARA shares jumped 22.4% to $8.24 Friday, trading higher after hours, as the company moved $87 million in bitcoin to major custodians. About 82.4 million MARA shares changed hands. Bitcoin hovered near $68,928 Saturday. A MARA filing showed its general counsel had shares withheld for taxes on vested stock units, not an open market sale.
Apple stock (AAPL) set for Monday test as memory-chip crunch revives iPhone price question

Apple stock (AAPL) set for Monday test as memory-chip crunch revives iPhone price question

7 February 2026
Apple shares closed up 0.8% at $278.12 Friday, then slipped 0.3% after hours. A global DRAM shortage is raising component costs, putting pressure on Apple’s pricing ahead of its Feb. 24 shareholder meeting. CEO Tim Cook said memory prices will rise “sharply” but gave no details on possible iPhone price hikes. Investors await signals before next week’s U.S. inflation data.
Roivant stock surges on brepocitinib skin-disease data; what to watch into Monday

Roivant stock surges on brepocitinib skin-disease data; what to watch into Monday

7 February 2026
Roivant shares surged 22.4% to $25.82 after Phase 2 data showed its drug brepocitinib outperformed placebo in cutaneous sarcoidosis, with no serious adverse events. The company plans a Phase 3 trial in 2026 and has filed for FDA approval in dermatomyositis. Quarterly revenue reached $2 million, with a $313.7 million loss. Cash holdings stood at $4.5 billion.
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