ChatGPT’s new AI agent can browse the web and create PowerPoint slideshows
New "agentic" AI feature combines web browsing with task-execution abilities.
Benj Edwards
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Benj Edwards
Senior AI Reporter
[email protected]
Benj Edwards is Ars Technica's Senior AI Reporter, having founded the site's AI beat in 2022 to cover the emerging field of generative AI. For over 17 years, he has written about technology and tech history for sites such as The Atlantic, Fast Company, PCMag, PCWorld, Macworld, How-To Geek, and Wired. His work in AI reporting includes breaking stories on prompt injections, AI copyright issues, and ethical concerns surrounding AI training data. In 2005, he created Vintage Computing and Gaming, a blog that pioneered tech history coverage online. He also hosted The Culture of Tech podcast and contributes to the Retronauts podcast. In his free time, he writes and records music, collects vintage computers, and enjoys nature. He lives in Raleigh, NC. Bluesky: @benjedwards.com X/Twitter: @benjedwards
Recent stories by
Benj Edwards
Google hides secret message in name list of 3,295 AI researchers
Gemini 2.5 paper hides Easter egg in massive author list—but why so many contributors?
Benj Edwards
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Chinese firms rush for Nvidia chips as US prepares to lift ban
H20 chips, designed to skirt export bans, are back after Trump meets with CEO.
Benj Edwards
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New Grok AI model surprises experts by checking Elon Musk’s views before answering
Grok 4's "reasoning" shows cases where the chatbot consults Musk posts to answer divisive questions.
Benj Edwards
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107
AI therapy bots fuel delusions and give dangerous advice, Stanford study finds
Popular chatbots serve as poor replacements for human therapists, but study authors call for nuance.
Benj Edwards
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172
Musk’s Grok 4 launches one day after chatbot generated Hitler praise on X
xAI claims new multi-agent model hits top benchmarks as Nazi controversy lingers.
Benj Edwards
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156
ChatGPT made up a product feature out of thin air, so this company created it
Soundslice caught OpenAI's bot telling users about a fake music notation feature—then built it.
Benj Edwards
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AI mania pushes Nvidia to record $4 trillion valuation
AI craze makes Nvidia the most valuable publicly traded company in history.
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Most Read
What is AGI? Nobody agrees, and it’s tearing Microsoft and OpenAI apart.
Several definitions make measuring "human-level" AI an exercise in moving goalposts.
Benj Edwards
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207
After 27 years, engineer discovers how to display secret photo in Power Mac ROM
Developer solves mystery of hidden JPEG from the beige G3 era.
Benj Edwards
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Anthropic summons the spirit of Flash games for the AI age
AI chatbot codes browser-based apps from plain English with classic web vibes.
Benj Edwards
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Anthropic destroyed millions of print books to build its AI models
Company hired Google's book-scanning chief to cut up and digitize "all the books in the world."
Benj Edwards
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243
The résumé is dying, and AI is holding the smoking gun
As thousands of applications flood job posts, 'hiring slop' is kicking off an AI arms race.
Benj Edwards
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295
Microsoft surprises MS-DOS fans with remake of ancient text editor that works on Linux
It's funny how useful a 34-year-old software design can still be.
Benj Edwards
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269
MIT student prints AI polymer masks to restore paintings in hours
Removable transparent films apply digital restorations directly to damaged artwork.
Benj Edwards
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Scientists once hoarded pre-nuclear steel; now we’re hoarding pre-AI content
Newly announced catalog collects pre-2022 sources untouched by ChatGPT and AI contamination.
Benj Edwards
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OpenAI weighs “nuclear option” of antitrust complaint against Microsoft
WSJ report says OpenAI mulling federal complaint as Microsoft stalls restructuring plan.
Benj Edwards
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Reddit user surprised when 1960s computer panel emerged from collapsed family garage
Rare RCA control panel from 1966 may be the only surviving example of its kind.
Benj Edwards
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93
Engineer creates first custom motherboard for 1990s PlayStation console
New "nsOne" board can save a dying 1990s PlayStation 1 by transplanting original chips.
Benj Edwards
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83
New Apple study challenges whether AI models truly “reason” through problems
Puzzle-based experiments reveal limitations of simulated reasoning, but others dispute findings.
Benj Edwards
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Hollywood studios target AI image generator in copyright lawsuit
Multiple-studio complaint cites AI image outputs as evidence of "bottomless pit of plagiarism."
Benj Edwards
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134
With the launch of o3-pro, let’s talk about what AI “reasoning” actually does
New studies reveal pattern-matching reality behind the AI industry's reasoning claims.
Benj Edwards
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276
OpenAI signs surprise deal with Google Cloud despite fierce AI rivalry
Report: Deal marks shift from exclusive Microsoft partnership as AI compute needs soar.
Benj Edwards
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After AI setbacks, Meta bets billions on undefined “superintelligence”
Zuckerberg seeks new AI direction under sci-fi banner that some experts say is arbitrary.
Benj Edwards
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Apple tiptoes with modest AI updates while rivals race ahead
At WWDC 2025, a highly anticipated smarter Siri update is still nowhere to be found.
Benj Edwards
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US air traffic control still runs on Windows 95 and floppy disks
Agency seeks contractors to modernize decades-old systems within four years.
Benj Edwards
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195
Bill Atkinson, architect of the Mac’s graphical soul, dies at 74
Creator of MacPaint, HyperCard, and pull-down menus shaped modern computing.
Benj Edwards
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78
Anthropic releases custom AI chatbot for classified spy work
"Claude Gov" is already handling classified information for the US government.
Benj Edwards
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“In 10 years, all bets are off”—Anthropic CEO opposes decadelong freeze on state AI laws
Amodei says AI "too fast" for blanket law ban; sees fundamental world change in 2 years.
Benj Edwards
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Endangered classic Mac plastic color returns as 3D-printer filament
Mac fan paid $900 to color-match iconic Apple beige-gray "Platinum" plastic for everyone.
Benj Edwards
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Polish engineer creates postage stamp-sized 1980s Atari computer
Hobby project shrinks 1980s computer platform that pierced the Iron Curtain.
Benj Edwards
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AI video just took a startling leap in realism. Are we doomed?
Google's Veo 3 delivers AI videos of realistic people with sound and music. We put it to the test.
Benj Edwards
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334
Hidden AI instructions reveal how Anthropic controls Claude 4
Expert analysis shows Anthropic's attempts to skip chatbot praise and avoid copyrighted content.
Benj Edwards
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71
Google’s Will Smith double is better at eating AI spaghetti … but it’s crunchy?
Veo 3 is a major leap in AI video synthesis, but the sound effects need more cooking time.
Benj Edwards
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132
New Claude 4 AI model refactored code for 7 hours straight
Anthropic says Claude 4 beats Gemini on coding benchmarks; works autonomously for hours.
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Apple legend Jony Ive takes control of OpenAI’s design future
$6.5B acquisition of Ive's firm puts him in charge of moving OpenAI "beyond screens."
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