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, 9 October 2026 · updated at 08:29
Models, agents, regulation and enterprise applications of AI.
Google is turning Gemini into an AI agent that can plan, execute tasks, and work across business apps and systems. The agent can delegate work to subagents, use multiple AI models, and gets its own workplace identity with an email address.
Haiku 5.5's average cost drops 75% compared to Haiku 4.5 with improved performance benchmarks. Discounts on Sonnet 5.5 caching and monthly API credits for Max and Team have been introduced, intensifying competition in business automation.
Anthropic offers OSS Scanner, a free service to identify security vulnerabilities in open-source projects. Scans are fully automated without human review, enabling more frequent checks but with possible false positives.
Google introduces a universal Gemini AI agent that works across apps and devices in the background. Available in Gemini Enterprise app, it integrates Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar and third-party apps like Slack or Microsoft 365.
An online event with James O'Donnell and Stanford's Samuel King to discuss how generative AI can propose genetic blueprints for microscopic viruses. King was named one of MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35.
Anthropic updates its usage policy to address high-risk misuse cases including election interference and weapons development. The new ban includes sustained abusive or cruel behavior toward Claude, with conversation termination as the primary enforcement mechanism.
Natura's Interface smart ring lets you summon AI agents to complete tasks, capture thoughts, and control devices. It also functions as a health tracker.
Goodfire launched cheaper AI monitors that analyze the model internally during execution instead of employing a second AI to review every action. The system intervenes only when anomalies are detected.
Meta and OpenAI launch consumer-friendly AI agents with animated mascots. Muse is free while Dots requires payment; both perform tasks from reservations to inbox management, raising privacy and security concerns about personal data.
Three fired OpenAI safety researchers dispute allegations of mishandling sensitive information in an open letter. They warn that dismissals are creating a chilling effect on the company's AI safety culture.
Innovation, digital strategy, cloud and business transformation.
Eight startups completed the latest cycle of Frontech, CDP Venture Capital's accelerator, presenting solutions in artificial intelligence, Web3 and immersive technologies at the Sassari Demo Day. In three years, the program has supported 24 companies and generated over 5 million euros in fundraising.
OpenAI has published a GitHub repository containing over 700 mathematics papers showing results achieved by its models in solving mathematical problems.
Vento CEO Dyala D'Aveni emphasized that connections between people, businesses and places are key to fostering European innovation talent in the AI era. Startups through OGR Tech programs have raised over one billion dollars since 2019.
Before expanding autonomous AI systems, organizations must define identities, responsibilities and permissions. NIST, Gartner and Microsoft provide guidance, while Anthropic testing demonstrates the importance of tools to monitor and block unauthorized activities.
Nexi offers Mobile POS for 29 euros with no monthly fee and 1.89% commission under the Welcome Special plan, plus 0.05% discount for transactions up to 30 euros. The October in Black campaign provides additional discounts until October 31, 2026.
Joe Zadeh, among Airbnb's first employees and VP of Product from 2016, was named 2026 Business Angel of the Year. With over 60 international investments, including more than ten in Italian startups, he supports founders with capital, mentoring and connections.
A strategic analysis of how DORA, AI Act and Data Act transform corporate IT architecture, guiding CIOs and executives toward operational resilience models, third-party control and integrated data governance.
Bitdefender and Aruba partnered to bring the GravityZone platform to Italian cloud with encrypted data managed in the EU. The deal targets organizations with strict European data localization requirements.
Security leaders coordinate inventories, update plans and vendor relationships for cryptographic transition. Long-term data protection involves executive leadership and requires a documented path supported by NIST standards.
Google made SynthID Detector publicly available to identify AI-generated content through digital watermarks. However, reliability concerns remain: false positives, removable marks and different systems across Big Tech companies.
Threats, vulnerabilities and regulations such as NIS2, GDPR, DORA and the AI Act.
IDC Frontier, a major Japanese cloud and digital infrastructure company, disclosed that its IDCF Cloud service was targeted in a ransomware attack that caused an outage at a data center cluster serving the eastern part of the country.
The Pwn2Own Ireland 2026 hacking contest has concluded, with hackers collecting $1,262,000 in rewards after exploiting 98 zero-day flaws.
The FBI has seized seven domains used by Chinese state-sponsored hackers known as Flax Typhoon to operate two hacking tools, MicroScan and FishHub, used in attacks that breached critical infrastructure and other organizations worldwide.
ASOS is sending updates to affected customers about the cybersecurity incident it suffered earlier this week, confirming that hackers accessed some personal data.
This week features trust issues among criminals, including a ransomware affiliate keeping profits for himself, exposed servers with intrusion tools, and malicious code found in developer packages and extensions.
The JPCERT Coordination Center reported a rise in personal data leaks at Japanese organizations, with attackers abusing mobile app APIs and exploiting known software flaws. The October 8, 2026 alert identified no specific attacker or affected organization.
Cybersecurity researchers disclosed details of a targeted campaign against South Korean financial organizations using the AI-based penetration testing tool ARTEX. The activity, from late September to early October 2026, resulted in data exfiltration.
OAuth grants create data highways between SaaS apps, AI agents, and other tools and multiply faster than security teams can review. As the recent Klue breach showed, attackers exploit forgotten OAuth grants to access corporate data.
Phishing kits are no longer limited to copying a familiar login page. Attackers increasingly embed filtering, session management, and traffic controls into the infrastructure delivering phishing pages. ANY.RUN identified Wazza, a new phishkit targeting banking, manufacturing, and government organizations in the US and Europe.
The Russia-aligned threat actor UAC-0099 has been attributed to a previously undocumented .NET infostealer and remote access trojan (RAT) codenamed ASHVEIN. According to TrendAI, the malware has been used in attacks targeting Ukrainian government personnel.
Brands, advertising, media and marketing technology.
The century-old meat delivery company has launched a "No Bull" campaign across TV, radio, social media and influencer partnerships to emphasize credibility and authenticity to younger consumers.
Meta is testing new data import features, creative insights, and improved conversational guidance for its AI elements to enhance advertising capabilities.
The brand's chief media and digital commerce officer explained at Advertising Week how leveraging AI technology enables faster movement than competitors in marketing operations.
Discussion of critical strategic decisions in professional soccer and the return of marketing focus toward artistic elements in communication strategies.
Revlon's Chief Digital Marketing Officer detailed at Advertising Week a campaign leveraging Amazon's newest interactive video advertising capabilities to drive measurable outcomes.
Exploration of strategies to reposition struggling businesses and understanding customers to make legacy retail brands relevant in modern markets.
Narrative spots featuring Adam Scott humorously address traveler booking fatigue by transforming notifications into rewards in a mobile-focused advertising campaign.
The September 2026 social media ranking shows a 15% decline in video views, while driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli gains significant positions following his historic victory at the Monza Grand Prix, with related content exceeding 10 million views.
A Mexican YouTuber with 600k subscribers offered a bounty to kill a bishop critical of the government, highlighting digital communication risks and the Pope's call for responsible networks built on dialogue rather than aggression.
Two major events in different cities surfaced widespread uncertainties surrounding agentic ads, attention mechanisms, AI visibility, and the future of the open web.
Virtual, augmented and mixed reality: devices and use cases.
Kluge Interactive has implemented hand tracking support for Synth Riders on Quest 3 and 3S in anticipation of Meta's VR Glasses launch in spring 2027. The update adds Neon Bloom visual effects, previously available only on PC VR and PS VR2, enabling hand-tracking gameplay across over 200 songs.
A Halloween-themed update for Real VR Fishing launches October 13, featuring five maps, spooky fish species, hand tracking, and mixed reality modes. The update includes five pumpkin-themed costumes and the free Clear Creek Park stage to celebrate the game's seventh anniversary.
Shil is a psychological horror puzzle game using minimalistic two-tone art to create an engrossing and unsettling experience. Released October 8, 2026 on Quest, it leverages sound design and visual simplicity to evoke fear of the unknown while players navigate through rooms to recover lost memories.
Meta announced VR Glasses, a compute-puck-tethered mixed reality headset launching spring 2027 at $1,300, running the same OS as Quest. While supporting Quest games, they represent a distinct product focused on productivity and communication, signaling Meta's strategic shift toward AR rather than gaming-focused VR.
FunFitLand added knee strikes to its CombatFit workout series with a grab-and-smash mechanic providing visual, auditory, and haptic feedback. The app also made meditative Space sessions available on Apple Vision Pro with heart rate tracking, subscription priced at $9.99 monthly.
Meta acquired over 40 U.S. Sony patents between June and September 2026, with 419 global patents planned for transfer. The deal suggests Sony is materially scaling back its XR hardware ambitions, following PSVR 2's February 2023 launch which struggled with limited developer support.
Datamining of Horizon OS 2.9 PTC reveals Meta is developing Theater Home, a virtual cinema environment for Quest and VR Glasses. The space features a high-resolution home cinema room accessible via a dedicated Control Bar button for media viewing.
Mighty Coconut released the DLC course Escape From Planet Xylodon, the 42nd course for Walkabout Mini Golf, alongside mulligans and experimental hand tracking. Mulligans allow session hosts to permit penalty-free shot retries for players.
Road to VR celebrates its 15th anniversary with an interactive timeline covering 15 years of XR history and site coverage evolution. Since 2011, Road to VR has published over 11,300 articles on major XR industry developments.
Norway's government aims to temporarily ban smart glasses in public locations including parks, beaches, museums, schools, and health facilities over privacy concerns. Minister Torgeir Micaelsen cited risks of undisclosed audio and video recording, with a special council tasked to develop permanent national regulations.
The main international headlines.
An ICE agent fired during an arrest operation targeting what authorities described as a criminal illegal alien. The incident sparked outrage from New York's mayor and the Department of Homeland Security confirmed it occurred.
An ICE agent shot and injured a man during an enforcement operation on Thursday afternoon. The man was hospitalized and conscious; a five-year-old reportedly in the car was physically unharmed, prompting angry protests from residents.
Sagal Abdi-Wali defeated Green party leader Zack Polanski to retain Holborn and St Pancras for Labour. Activists suggest the Green party's backing of an anti-Zionism motion cost them votes in the byelection.
Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch's flagship policy document overestimated net zero costs by nearly £500bn, apparently due to accidental double-counting on a spreadsheet. The document cited £957bn, twice the figure in climate advisers' data.
Virgin unveiled a mock-up of its future cross-Channel train, planning to launch London services to the continent in 2030. The group aims to compete with Eurostar for the first time since the Channel tunnel opened, featuring innovative design inspired by its airline, cruise and hotel divisions.
Charles Graham, a Sydney currency trader, won an unfair dismissal case against HIFX Australia (trading as Xe) after being sacked for working from Singapore without approval in December. The Fair Work Commission ruled the dismissal unfair but did not award compensation.
A renewed Russian campaign of strikes on power and energy infrastructure is driving some Kyiv residents to consider leaving Ukraine's capital. The destruction of heating and energy services is making winter survival increasingly difficult.
German sportswear brand Adidas sued Australian label White Fox over a four-stripe design appearing on their clothing. Adidas seeks to stop sales of the items and obtain damages.
Pentagon spokesman Pete Hegseth said the execution will be public and livestreamed. A legal expert called the 'unprecedented' decision to be on 'uncertain legal terrain'.
Panama's GDP is growing towards 5% with inflation expected at 2%. The IMF, however, is calling for reforms to taxation and pension systems.
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.