Every morning, the most relevant news on the topics I follow, selected from leading Italian and international outlets, with a short summary of each article.
Edition of Friday, 2 October 2026 · updated at 08:29
Models, agents, regulation and enterprise applications of AI.
OpenAI unveiled Dots, a personal AI agent powered by GPT-6 Astra, designed to compete with Meta's Muse platform. Like Muse, Dots offers helpful assistance and virtual world creation capabilities, but faces competitive challenges in the free services market.
OpenAI is retiring custom GPTs on December 11, 2026, replacing them with plugins that bundle skills, files and connected apps. Organizations must audit and test business assistants, as plugins are the working format for OpenAI's new dots agents.
Brian Chesky discusses making Airbnb agent-friendly, the state of consumer AI, and the need for an AI-native operating system to support the emerging agent ecosystem.
OpenAI is rolling out shopping features in ChatGPT enabling users to virtually try on clothing and accessories with their own photos and save favorite products to a library.
Shopify introduced Canvas, a site builder allowing merchants to create and customize online stores by chatting with AI agent Sidekick while watching changes happen in real time.
AI agents currently generate 22% of enterprise AI value, with BCG estimating 39% by 2030. Only 5% of companies have complete controls, increasing risks of agent sprawl, uncontrolled costs, and undefined accountability in EU organizations.
OpenAI launched GPT-6.1 Sol, nearly matching Astra at one-fifth the cost, moved Codex to cloud, and introduced dots, always-active agents. Pricing and per-task costs require configuration for enterprise deployment.
Google unveiled Gemini 4 Argon, its flagship model for coding, finance, law and cybersecurity. Initial pricing is $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens, with limited enterprise access and cautious rollout.
President Trump reportedly consulted Grok's opinion before invading Venezuela and capturing Nicolás Maduro, according to reports.
Guided Vision launches in Gemini Live on compatible Android devices, providing real-time audio descriptions of camera feed content. Designed for people who are blind, have low vision, or need help reading small text and identifying objects.
Innovation, digital strategy, cloud and business transformation.
Italian startups receive support in early stages but struggle to raise capital for growth. Stable agreements between business angels, venture capital funds and institutional investors could provide continuity to investments launched by the PNRR.
Digital sovereignty has entered the political agenda, but does not align with the idea of innovating entirely in-house. Two-thirds of companies do not adopt an isolationist approach to technological sovereignty.
Digital transformation in construction requires new skills, continuous training and open organizational models. BIM, AI and automation become strategic levers for productivity, safety and generational renewal.
Digital sovereignty in military cloud does not depend solely on server location. Data control is divided between those holding the keys, those guaranteeing the service and those governing access, with implications for attacks, contracts and configurations.
The CIO and CISO community gathers on Lake Garda for three days of discussion and networking. The central theme is leadership in the context of AI disruption and digital sovereignty.
In 2026 the Global InsurTech Report records 2.44 billion dollars in global funding in the second quarter, with strong focus on AI. Startups redefine underwriting, pricing, distribution and claims management, while climate change creates new insurance products.
AI and high-performance computing require flexible configurations. TIM Enterprise focuses on composability to combine processors, accelerators, memory and network based on workloads, improving hardware utilization and platform control.
AI can become a reassuring presence during moments of fear, but this digital intimacy carries risks: dependency, false trust, personal data exposure and deterioration of human relationships.
Computis raises 2 million euros in a pre-seed round led by Techshop Capital with Zanichelli Venture among investors. The startup automates accounting operations and provides real-time data to SMEs for strategic decision-making.
Hours saved, documents produced and adoption rates measure technology usage but neglect controls, corrections and results. CIOs must evaluate AI investments by considering the entire process and effects on quality, costs, risks and customers.
Threats, vulnerabilities and regulations such as NIS2, GDPR, DORA and the AI Act.
CISA added a critical FortiMail vulnerability (CVE-2026-104286, CVSS 9.8) to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog after reports of active exploitation. The flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to write arbitrary files on vulnerable systems.
Fortinet warned customers of a critical FortiMail vulnerability (CVE-2026-104286) being actively exploited in zero-day attacks to execute unauthorized code or commands on vulnerable devices.
Weekly threat report highlights how attackers exploit ordinary system functionalities—such as model checks and caches—to create attack paths without relying on entirely new techniques.
Microsoft stated that cyberattackers currently benefit from artificial intelligence faster than defenders, speeding up vulnerability discovery and malware development while security teams struggle to keep pace.
The Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure reported that its network breach exploited a chain of two zero-day vulnerabilities in the open-source Zammad ticketing system.
Spanish police arrested a 16-year-old suspected of running the KillSec ransomware group, which steals data and threatens to publish it unless paid. Three people were arrested on September 30 and the leak site was seized.
Hamburg's privacy authority analyzed Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses and raised concerns about the lawfulness of recording third parties, data transparency, and AI training data use, with potentially broader GDPR obligations for wearers.
International law enforcement operation "Operation KillSwitch" seized KillSec's data leak site and servers, resulting in three arrests and identifying a 16-year-old as the gang's alleged administrator.
Kiteworks released security updates to address 126 vulnerabilities, including a maximum severity flaw affecting its Email Protection Gateway (EPG) security solution.
Bitget confirmed that attackers who stole $387.5 million last week exploited a zero-day vulnerability in third-party security products, according to SlowMist's investigation findings.
Brands, advertising, media and marketing technology.
Fat Earth Studios aims to capture shifting budgets as influencer-generated content outperforms on social media platforms.
Strategies for leveraging athletes' influence, selecting high-dwell placements, and avoiding tokenism in mental health campaigns.
Snap bets on real connection over passive scrolling to differentiate itself in a competitive market.
The actress's skincare line announced Wednesday it is winding down operations, reducing celebrity competition in the clean beauty market.
The Hershey brand partners with creators and celebrities in a social content series analyzing 150 of the best streets for Halloween festivities.
The event, starting Monday, doubles down on creator-focused topics to differentiate in a crowded events calendar and attract more decision-makers.
A new format and the chat platform's first Ads Manager arrive as gaming becomes an increasingly important advertising channel for marketers.
MS NOW's The Rachel Maddow Show shows strong performance in the demo.
The platform will offer Agency Partner or Premier Agency Partner badges to assure marketers that partnership requirements have been met.
The partnership follows a surge in cultural relevancy for the league following the Winter Olympics and popular shows such as 'Heated Rivalry'.
Virtual, augmented and mixed reality: devices and use cases.
October 2026 brings numerous VR releases including VMX for Quest on October 2, Pedal Rebel VR on October 5, and Into The Radius 2 for PS VR2 on October 8. DLC and updates for titles like Walkabout Mini Golf and The Magician VR: The Cursed Wand are also launching, marking a particularly busy month for VR platforms.
Sega unveiled "The House of the Dead: Reawakened," a two-player VR arcade attraction that immerses players in a Gothic manor with 85-inch and 43-inch displays. The game, to be showcased at IAAPA Expo in Orlando in November, marks the return of the celebrated series to arcade gaming since its 1997 debut.
"The World of Red Bull: Big Wave Surfing" is available on Apple TV for Vision Pro since October 1, transporting viewers to Teahupo'o, Tahiti, to experience big wave surfing from multiple perspectives. The eight-minute experience combines well-balanced narration, rich visuals, and spatial audio to create convincing immersion despite its 180° format.
Samsung's SM-O200P and SM-O200J product codes have cleared FCC testing, signaling imminent release of Warby Parker and Gentle Monster smart glasses. The devices, running Google's Android XR and featuring Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1, are slated for Fall 2026 at an unannounced price.
Steam Frame ($1,059) suits power-users, Quest 3 ($600) appeals to budget-conscious gamers with extensive game libraries, while Meta VR Glasses ($1,300, Spring 2027) target productivity-minded users. The choice depends on intended use cases and user priorities regarding performance, ease of use, and versatility.
Meta announces a strap accessory for Meta VR Glasses (Spring 2027, $1,300) that connects to the temples to secure the glasses during active gaming. Additional planned accessories include a magnetic light blocker and prescription lenses through Zenni Optical.
Beat Saber adds ROSÉ and Bruno Mars' "APT." to its Shock Drop series, the fourth track of 2026 following Yungblud's "Zombie," Bad Bunny's "Me Porto Bonito," and Twenty One Pilots' "Stressed Out." The track, with over two billion Spotify streams, is available on Quest and PC VR for $1.99.
Mighty Coconut announces 35% staff layoffs (10 employees) due to VR industry contraction, following a 25% reduction in January. The studio pledges to continue releasing DLC for Walkabout Mini Golf while diversifying revenue through new projects like Walkabout Dungeon Golfer and GRASS.
Pixelity released a trailer for "Evangelion: Δ Cross Reflections," the first installment of a VR/MR trilogy covering the entire anime series. The game, planned for 2027 on various VR devices, combines Evangelion and Angel battles with unusual interactive elements like hedge-trimming.
Dungeons of Eternity's free Tomb Extraction update adds a new dungeon mode where players start unarmed and choose from five fixed weapons. Three years after launch, this mode provides a welcome variation to the game's three existing dungeon types.
The main international headlines.
A Sydney man has been charged with allegedly restraining, choking and sexually assaulting a young woman in a park. The incident occurred on Friday 18 September around 11:15pm as the woman walked through Airey Park in Homebush in Sydney's west.
Britain's nursing union has terminated its commercial partnership with Teva UK over the firm's links to Israel's military and track record of corporate misconduct. Teva has also been removed as sponsor of an upcoming event on migraines and headaches.
The Met police told MPs that nearly half of 70 women who reported sexual abuse allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed show hallmarks of human trafficking. The review findings suggest the number of survivors could rise significantly.
Flight FZ 1073 to Tel Aviv plummeted 17,000 feet in under two minutes following a cockpit stabbing. Heroic intervention by passengers and crew averted an apparent hijacking, potentially saving over 170 people aboard.
The diplomatic rupture occurs as Ethiopian forces battle rebel fighters across the country's northern region, representing further destabilization in the area.
President Donald Trump has threatened to ban diesel exports in a bid to ease prices in the US ahead of the November elections.
The BBC has initiated a redundancy process with the director general expected to announce channel closures on Wednesday as part of a plan to save £500 million and cut up to 2,000 jobs.
Australia's online safety regulator has identified significant child safety gaps on platforms including Steam, Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft. These platforms have been urged to improve their safety standards.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has accused Kyiv of attempting to provoke war on the Korean Peninsula, warning of further action if Ukraine does not apologize.
Donald Trump states that Iran is ready to concede and the matter will be resolved quickly, adding that energy prices will be able to drop very fast.
News stories belong to their respective publishers. Summaries and headline translations are generated automatically with AI: the original article, linked from each headline, is the authoritative source.