AI news of 27 August 2026

Hugging Face’s new robot is an adorable rollerskating duck

Hugging Face's Pollen Robotics launches Microduck, a small biped robot available to preorder for $399.

Hugging Face's Pollen Robotics has launched its second cute AI robot, the Microduck, a one-eyed biped standing just under 10 inches tall. It's available to preorder now for $399 in cream, graphite, lavender, and sky blue, and Pollen Robotics says it plans to start shipping the little robot "before Christmas 2026." Video demos of the Microduck show it picking up socks and markers, kicking around a ball, and zipping around on tiny rollerskates. Pollen Robotics says it can also "react to its surroundings" and follow around a laser pointer, or users can control it with a game controller. The Microduck's software is open-source, like Hugging Fa …

The Verge 1mo ago also at TechCrunch

AI agents, robotics safety

Anthropic's new hardware standard lets AI agents control the physical world

Anthropic discusses how AI agents should safely navigate physical environments in research and manufacturing.

Ars Technica 1mo ago also at Wired

Gemini

Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash lets you build with more control Opens at the publisher in a new tab

Google releases Gemini 2 Flash with additional control options for developers.

Google DeepMind 1mo ago also at Hacker News

autonomous vehicles

In a swipe at Tesla, Waymo says ‘cameras… aren’t enough’

Waymo criticizes Tesla's camera-only approach to autonomous driving ahead of Cybercab launch.

The Verge 1mo ago

xAI, Grok

Elon Musk’s xAI used child porn to train Grok models, lawsuit says

Lawsuit alleges xAI trained Grok language model on child sexual abuse material, both real and synthetic.

Ars Technica 1mo ago

ChatGPT, education

Better answers, broader thinking: What students gain from ChatGPT and critical-thinking training Opens at the publisher in a new tab

Study shows students using ChatGPT with critical thinking training improve real assignments.

OpenAI 1mo ago

AI datacentre power constraints

The UK Power Grid Has a Phantom Data Center Problem Opens at the publisher in a new tab

UK power regulator blocks speculative data center connections to grid, threatening AI infrastructure ambitions.

Wired 1mo ago

OpenAI agents

OpenAI Is Developing a ‘Persistent’ AI Agent Opens at the publisher in a new tab

OpenAI developing persistent AI agent that continues working until manually stopped.

Wired 1mo ago

Google AI Search

3 new ways to plan and book travel in Search Opens at the publisher in a new tab

Google Search adds AI features to help users book hotels and track flight prices.

Google AI 1mo ago

AI evaluation

Piloting the world's first double-blind AI evaluations Opens at the publisher in a new tab

Excerpt only. Piloting the world's first double-blind AI evaluations.

Google DeepMind 1mo ago

Hugging Face’s new robot is an adorable rollerskating duck

Anthropic's new hardware standard lets AI agents control the physical world

Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash lets you build with more control Opens at the publisher in a new tab

In a swipe at Tesla, Waymo says ‘cameras… aren’t enough’

Elon Musk’s xAI used child porn to train Grok models, lawsuit says

Better answers, broader thinking: What students gain from ChatGPT and critical-thinking training Opens at the publisher in a new tab

The UK Power Grid Has a Phantom Data Center Problem Opens at the publisher in a new tab

OpenAI Is Developing a ‘Persistent’ AI Agent Opens at the publisher in a new tab

3 new ways to plan and book travel in Search Opens at the publisher in a new tab

Piloting the world's first double-blind AI evaluations Opens at the publisher in a new tab

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