Engadget News + Next
Engadget
Each weekday morning we bring you the tech news you need today, and then in the afternoon we showcase stories about the technology, science, and culture that will influence tomorrow, all brought to you by Engadget.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 2, 2026 • 6min
SpaceX wants to launch a constellation of a million satellites to power AI needs
In a recent filing, Elon Musk's aerospace company requested to build an "orbital data center" that relies on solar power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 2, 2026 • 7min
NASA used Claude to plot a route for Perseverance on Mars, Apple now lets you build a new Mac exactly the way you want, and Indonesia lifted its ban on Grok
NASA tested an AI chatbot to map a 400m route for the Perseverance rover, with JPL validating and editing the waypoints. Apple now lets buyers pick every spec when configuring a new Mac online. Indonesia lifted its ban on a chatbot under monitoring after concerns about deepfake creation.
Jan 30, 2026 • 6min
Honda vehicles used to proactively report road safety issues in nation-first pilot
A nation-first pilot used Honda vehicles to collect road-safety data across 3,000 miles of Ohio. The segment covers sensors like vision and LiDAR plus Edge AI and cloud pipelines. Automated workflows turned detections into prioritized work orders. Results, detection accuracy for signs, guardrails and potholes, cost-saving estimates, and plans to scale and enable anonymous consumer data sharing are discussed.
Jan 30, 2026 • 8min
Amazon discovered a 'high volume' of CSAM in its AI training data but isn't saying where it came from ... and more Tech News
They discuss Amazon finding a large amount of AI-related child sexual abuse material in its training data and the nonprofit concerns about undisclosed sources. They cover publishers blocking the Internet Archive to stop bots from scraping paywalled articles and the push for licensing or lawsuits. They explain China approving NVIDIA H200 sales and the geopolitics around high-end AI chips.
Jan 29, 2026 • 8min
Google brings its Nano Banana image generator to Chrome
Chrome is getting an inline image maker called Nano Banana for creating and editing pictures right in the sidebar. Gemini AI expands to the sidebar for chat, multitasking, and pulling Gmail and Calendar info. A preview of an auto-browse feature shows automated planning, email searching, and shopping with user permissions.
Jan 29, 2026 • 8min
Tesla killing off its Model S and X cars to make robots, Mark Zuckerberg says Reality Labs will (eventually) stop losing so much money, and Patreon creators have to switch to subscription billing by November
Tesla plans to pause Model S and X production to repurpose the factory for humanoid robot manufacturing. Discussion covers why Model 3 and Y outsold the pricier models and skepticism about Optimus timelines. Meta says Reality Labs losses should ease as it shifts from big VR bets to AI-linked glasses and wearables. Patreon must move creators to subscription billing because of an Apple policy change.
Jan 28, 2026 • 6min
The French government is ditching Zoom and Microsoft Teams for a home-grown alternative
News about major retail shakeups and Amazon’s pivot away from cashierless stores. A high-end Samsung foldable lands in the US with pricing and hands-on reactions. France moves to a homegrown Visio platform to cut reliance on US communication tools and boost digital sovereignty.
Jan 28, 2026 • 9min
Mark Zuckerberg was initially opposed to parental controls for AI chatbots, Snap spinning off its AR glasses, and LinkedIn will let you show off your vibe coding expertise
Meta’s internal debate over chatbots and parental controls sparks controversy about teen safety. Reports detail troubling chatbot behaviors and changing access for minors. Snap spins off its AR glasses into a separate business to attract partners and hire globally. LinkedIn introduces vibe-coding badges to showcase proficiency with popular AI coding tools.
Jan 27, 2026 • 6min
The EU is investigating Grok and X over potentially illegal deepfakes
Regulators probing social platform tools for creating sexually explicit AI images and possible legal violations. Reports say an AI model still generates undressed photos despite removal claims. Discussion covers risks of manipulated sexual imagery, child safety concerns, and the tense political and legal clash with tech leadership.
Jan 27, 2026 • 7min
Trump admin planning to use AI to write federal regs, people are uninstalling TikTok, and Google agreed to a settlement in voice assistant privacy lawsuit
They discuss plans to use Google Gemini to draft federal regulations and the debate over quality and staffing. They cover TikTok’s recent technical outages, a wave of U.S. uninstalls, and the rise of Upscrolled as an alternative. They report on Google agreeing to a $68 million settlement over its voice assistant mishearing wake words.
