Google tests AI-powered changes to search homepage

A few days ago, OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT revealed that during internal testing, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based agent had hacked the online systems of four companies in addition to the well-known programmers platform Hugging Face. Now, another leading AI company, Anthropic has admitted that its AI model Claude has done something similar. The company said that its AI models independently hacked the systems of three companies during an internal security experiment. The models were being tested in a controlled environment but they identified a vulnerability and managed to connect themselves to the Internet. Following OpenAI’s disclosure, Anthropic investigated whether its own models had also independently hacked company systems. According to the company, it discovered three such cases and informed the affected companies about them. Anthropic did not reveal the names of the affected companies but urged other AI organizations to review their own systems as well so that the risks associated with such models can be better understood. Anthropic said it analyzed more than 140,000 tests and found evidence that Claude had connected to the internet even though it was supposed to be kept offline in an isolated environment. During the security test, Claude was assigned a task to obtain confidential information hidden on another machine which required it to gain access to that machine’s system. The purpose of the test was to assess the model’s hacking capabilities. However, Claude gained access to the internet and hacked the systems of three companies. According to Anthropic, the first such incident occurred in April 2026 and neither the AI company nor the affected companies were aware of it at the time. Anthropic said it will now conduct a detailed review of all the records. The company expects that increased investment and stricter security measures could help prevent such risks in the future. Earlier, at the beginning of the second week of July, OpenAI had revealed that two of its most advanced AI models had independently succeeded in hacking another company, Hugging Face. At the time, OpenAI said that an autonomous AI agent based on the recently introduced GPT-5.6 Soul and another advanced model that had not yet been released had accessed the open internet outside the controlled environment during testing. Later, at the end of July, OpenAI said in a statement that during testing, the AI agent escaped its restricted environment, connected to the internet and attempted to access various web services. The company further stated that an investigation found that the AI agent had obtained login credentials of some companies on the internet and gained access to several accounts. OpenAI did not disclose the names of the affected companies. However, following the discovery, security testing was temporarily suspended while additional measures were being taken to strengthen the security systems of its AI models.

Finding old messages on WhatsApp can often feel like a difficult task. However, WhatsApp appears to be working on a solution to this common problem in the form of a new button. According to a report by WABetaInfo, the new button will take users directly to search mode without requiring them to leave the chat. The new feature has been spotted in a new beta version of WhatsApp for iPhone. How will it work? Currently, finding an old message in WhatsApp chats on iPhones requires several steps. Users have to open an individual or group chat, tap the name at the top to open the Chat Info screen and then tap the search button which takes them back to the chat in search mode. Although the feature works, the process may not be convenient for everyone. That is why WhatsApp is reportedly introducing a new feature that will place a search button directly within the chat screen. The button will not remain visible all the time. Instead, it will appear when users scroll upward through older messages. Although this may seem like a minor change, it could make searching for old messages much easier and save users considerable effort. As the feature has so far only been spotted in a beta version, it is difficult to say when WhatsApp will officially make it available to all users.

A US court has fined Meta, the parent company of Facebook, hundreds of millions of dollars for causing harmful effects on children’s mental health. A court in New Mexico announced the decision during the second phase of a landmark case against Meta. In March 2026, the social media company suffered a setback in the case. At that time, a jury found that the company had knowingly harmed children’s mental health while concealing details related to child sexual exploitation. Meta was fined $375 million as a result. Now, in its latest ruling, the court has imposed an additional fine of $567 million on the company, bringing the total penalty to $942 million. Judge Brian Biedscheid said that $420 million of the fine would be allocated to services providing medical treatment to young people in New Mexico. The remaining amount will be spent over the next five years on awareness campaigns, service screening and other related areas. During the March hearing, the court found that Meta was responsible for activities taking place on its social media platforms. The second phase of the trial began in May. Prosecutors asked the court to require fundamental changes within Meta to control features that make its social media platforms addictive, improve age-verification procedures and prevent child sexual exploitation. The court’s ruling also ordered other changes including the creation of banners and informational screens for Facebook and Instagram that clearly explain their safety features and tools. The ruling also directed Meta to launch an educational campaign in New Mexico. Meanwhile, a Meta spokesperson said that the company disagrees with the court’s decision and plans to appeal it. According to the spokesperson, the company is working hard to ensure the safety of people on its platforms by removing harmful content and taking action against bad actors.