WIRED

A Special Diamond Is the Key to a Fully Open Source Quantum Sensor Quantum sensors can be used in medical technologies, navigation systems, and more, but they're too expensive for most people. That's where the Uncut Gem open source project comes in.

Quantum sensors can be used in medical technologies, navigation systems, and more, but they’re too expensive for most people. That’s where the Uncut Gem open source project comes in.

What Even Is Instagram Now? Long after shifting your feed away from friends and toward influencers, Instagram is adding new features intended to make the app more personal. The turnabout exposes the platform’s identity crisis.

Scrolling through Instagram means experiencing a Frankenstein-like app of disjointed features stitched together. It’s an AI search tool! It’s a shopping app! It’s a map to find your friends! It’s getting on my last nerve.

What Does Palantir Actually Do? Palantir is often called a data broker, a data miner, or a giant database of personal information. In reality, it’s none of these—but even former employees struggle to explain it.

Palantir is arguably one of the most notorious corporations in contemporary America—so infamous for so long that, for some people, its name has become a cultural shorthand for dystopian surveillance. But what does it actually do? There’s no easy answer.

Character.AI Gave Up on AGI. Now It’s Selling Stories Startup Character.AI once promised superintelligence. Its new CEO says it's now an entertainment company with 20 million users.

Startup Character.AI once promised superintelligence. Its new CEO says it's now an entertainment company with 20 million users. wrd.cm/3HnA6Ff

The Trump Administration Is Using Memes to Turn Mass Deportation Into One Big Joke Memes shared by the White House, DHS, and ICE have used catchy TikTok tunes to normalize mass deportation and Christian nationalist narratives. Experts say that’s the point.

The Trump administration has a new propaganda strategy: turning deportations into one big meme and, in the process, normalizing mass deportation and Christian nationalist narratives.

Lisa Su Runs AMD—and Is Out for Nvidia’s Blood While everyone else has been talking about Nvidia’s GPUs, Lisa Su has discreetly turned AMD into a chipmaking phenom. And as the US-China tech war rages, she’s at the center of it all.

While everyone else has been talking about Nvidia’s GPUs, Lisa Su has discreetly turned AMD into a chipmaking phenom, with the company’s market cap rising from around $2 billion to nearly $300 billion over the decade she’s been at the helm.

Apple Finally Destroyed Steve Jobs’ Vision of the iPad. Good Cupertino has done the thing it swore it never would: turn its tablet into a full-blown window-wrangling, compromise-abandoning computer. Yes, it’s better, but lurking deep in the settings the ghost...

Cupertino has done the thing it swore it never would: turn its tablet into a full-blown window-wrangling, compromise-abandoning computer. Yes, it’s better, but lurking deep in the settings the ghost of Jobs remains. www.wired.com/story/apple-...

UN Plastics Treaty Talks Once Again End in Failure Procedural hurdles yet again foil progress on a global agreement to end plastic pollution.

Procedural hurdles yet again foil progress on a global agreement to end plastic pollution. www.wired.com/story/un-pla...

Russia Is Cracking Down on End-to-End Encrypted Calls Plus: ICE agents accidentally add a random person to a sensitive group chat, Norwegian intelligence blames the Kremlin for hacking a dam, and new facial recognition vans roam the UK.

Plus: ICE agents accidentally add a random person to a sensitive group chat, Norwegian intelligence blames the Kremlin for hacking a dam, and new facial recognition vans roam the UK. www.wired.com/story/russia...

Gear News of the Week: A New Privacy Phone Arrives, and Samsung Has a $30K 115-Inch Micro RGB TV Plus: Ultrahuman’s Ring now tracks ovulation, Nomad Cycles wants to make a fully repairable ebike, and Sling TV has new subscription options.

Plus: Ultrahuman’s Ring now tracks ovulation, Nomad Cycles wants to make a fully repairable ebike, and Sling TV has new subscription options. www.wired.com/story/gear-n...

Save on WIRED-Tested Gear for the New School Year. These Are the Best Deals Save on tablets, headphones, desk chairs, and more. We've hand-tested it all.

Save on tablets, headphones, desk chairs, and more. We've hand-tested it all. www.wired.com/story/best-b...

WIRED’s Guide to Buying a Used Plug-In Hybrid Right now is a great time to get a used plug-in hybrid car. Here’s what to know about PHEVs before plonking down that cash.

Right now is a great time to get a used plug-in hybrid car. Here’s what to know about PHEVs before plonking down that cash. www.wired.com/story/the-gu...

How One Wikipedia Editor Unraveled the ‘Single Largest Self-Promotion Operation’ in the Site's History A decade-long effort to boost one man's reputation was undone in a matter of weeks.

A decade-long effort to boost one man's reputation was undone in a matter of weeks. www.wired.com/story/wikipe...

WIRED Roundup: Why GPT-5 Flopped Podcast Episode · Uncanny Valley | WIRED · 08/15/2025 · 17m

This week on the pod, me and @jakelahut.writes.news discuss the GPT-5 launch and why the White House is going all in on deportation memes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...

Queue it up for your weekend getaway, dog walks, workouts etc

The Best Early Labor Day Mattress Sales on Our Favorite Models This is one of the best times of the year to score a new mattress. Here are all the best deals (plus some exclusive sale codes) to snag ahead of the long weekend.

This is one of the best times of the year to score a new mattress. Here are all the best deals (plus some exclusive sale codes) to snag ahead of the long weekend.

Decoding Palantir, the Most Mysterious Company in Silicon Valley This week on “Uncanny Valley,” we talk about one of the most notorious American corporations. So what does Palantir actually do?

This week on “Uncanny Valley,” we talk about one of the most notorious American corporations. So what does Palantir actually do? www.wired.com/story/uncann...

Developers Say GPT-5 Is a Mixed Bag Software engineers are finding OpenAI’s new GPT-5 model is helping them think through coding problems—but isn’t much better at actual coding.

Other developers describe GPT-5 as “exhaustive”—at times helpful, but often irritating in its long-windedness. Wang, who overall was pleased overall with the frontend coding project she assigned to GPT-5, says that she did notice the model was “more redundant.

Sam Altman Says ChatGPT Is on Track to Out-Talk Humanity The OpenAI CEO addressed GPT-5 backlash, the AI bubble—and why he’s willing to spend trillions of dollars to win.

The OpenAI CEO addressed GPT-5 backlash, the AI bubble—and why he’s willing to spend trillions of dollars to win.

Developers Say GPT-5 Is a Mixed Bag Software engineers are finding OpenAI’s new GPT-5 model is helping them think through coding problems—but isn’t much better at actual coding.

Some developers say they’ve had largely positive experiences with GPT-5 so far. Jenny Wang, an engineer, investor, and creator of the personal styling agent Alta, told WIRED the model appears to be better at completing complex coding tasks in one shot than other models.

Developers Say GPT-5 Is a Mixed Bag Software engineers are finding OpenAI’s new GPT-5 model is helping them think through coding problems—but isn’t much better at actual coding.

Amir Salihefendić, founder of the startup company Doist, said in a social media post that he’s been using GPT-5 in Cursor and has found it “pretty underwhelming” and that “it’s especially bad at coding.”

Developers Say GPT-5 Is a Mixed Bag Software engineers are finding OpenAI’s new GPT-5 model is helping them think through coding problems—but isn’t much better at actual coding.

Software engineers are finding OpenAI’s new GPT-5 model is helping them think through coding problems—but isn’t much better at actual coding. www.wired.com/story/gpt-5-...

Sam Altman Says ChatGPT Is on Track to Out-Talk Humanity The OpenAI CEO addressed GPT-5 backlash, the AI bubble—and why he's willing to spend trillions of dollars to win.

We spoke to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman about what he learned from the GPT-5 launch, the AI bubble, and why he's prepared to spend trillions on data centers in the "not very distant future." With @willknight.bsky.social:
www.wired.com/story/sam-al...

Sam Altman Says ChatGPT Is on Track to Out-Talk Humanity The OpenAI CEO addressed GPT-5 backlash, the AI bubble—and why he's willing to spend trillions of dollars to win.

“Someone is going to lose a phenomenal amount of money, we don't know who, and a lot of people are going to make a phenomenal amount of money." Sam Altman at dinner with journalists in San Francisco 👀 www.wired.com/story/sam-al... via @zoeschiffer.bsky.social @willknight.bsky.social

Sam Altman Says ChatGPT Is on Track to Out-Talk Humanity The OpenAI CEO addressed GPT-5 backlash, the AI bubble—and why he's willing to spend trillions of dollars to win.

“Someone is going to lose a phenomenal amount of money, we don't know who, and a lot of people are going to make a phenomenal amount of money,” Altman said. “And my personal belief, although I may turn out to be wrong, is that on the whole, this will be a huge net win for the economy.”

Sam Altman Says ChatGPT Is on Track to Out-Talk Humanity The OpenAI CEO addressed GPT-5 backlash, the AI bubble—and why he's willing to spend trillions of dollars to win.

Asked if AI is in a bubble, Altman said “for sure,” but added that this hardly means that the underlying technology won’t be transformative. “When bubbles happen, smart people get overexcited about a kernel of truth,” he said.

Thoughts?

Sam Altman Says ChatGPT Is on Track to Out-Talk Humanity The OpenAI CEO addressed GPT-5 backlash, the AI bubble—and why he's willing to spend trillions of dollars to win.

The OpenAI CEO addressed GPT-5 backlash, the AI bubble—and why he's willing to spend trillions of dollars to win. www.wired.com/story/sam-al...

Christian Militants Are Using Instagram to Recruit—and Becoming Influencers in the Process An emerging guard of paramilitary activists are using social media and edgy aesthetics to build a new brand of anti-government, Christian nationalist militias.

Of course Christian nationalist militia leaders are using Instagram to recruit — and they are become influencers at the same time.

More great reporting from @tessowen.bsky.social

www.wired.com/story/christ...

Trump meets with Putin in a little over 3 hours, per the WH schedule on the AKDT time-zone.

Will be interesting to see how the press conference & news from this thing rolls out, since we might be creeping into Friday evening news dump territory by the time this thing wraps up.

Now You Can Get Your Flu Vaccine at Home The nasal spray vaccine FluMist can now be ordered online and shipped to your door.

The nasal spray flu vaccine FluMist was first approved in 2003. Now, instead of going to a pharmacy to get it, you can order it online and take it at home. My latest for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/now-yo...