OpenAI’s new Atlas browser arrives with ChatGPT integrated alongside an agent designed to answer questions and automate tasks while you browse. After several days of use, reviewer Mat Honan concludes the software is competent but ultimately unnecessary for most people outside OpenAI. Despite running routine browsing and more complex agent-driven tasks, Atlas fails to justify itself as anything more than cynicism packaged as a browser, he writes. The fuller review originally appeared in The Debrief newsletter.
Amid turbulent US politics, the newsletter highlights that companies continue pushing forward with meaningful climate solutions. Drawing on its 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch coverage, it points to concrete progress and evolving strategies for sustainability, suggesting that near-term advances are still achievable despite policy uncertainty. The editorial focus centers on where practical gains are being made and how shifting political dynamics are shaping the next phase of climate technology deployment.
The day’s broader tech headlines span geopolitics, health, and Artificial Intelligence. Former president Donald Trump says a TikTok deal could come this week, while a premature claim from treasury secretary Scott Bessent drew scrutiny. New research indicates covid vaccines helped prolong the lives of cancer patients, even as US health agencies move away from mRNA approaches. In Artificial Intelligence, so-called decolonization efforts that require local data processing are spreading benefits to developing nations, Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as an Artificial Intelligence exporter, and India is racing toward Artificial Intelligence independence. Rising electricity prices are being driven more by equipment costs and disaster preparation than by Artificial Intelligence, even as the technology reshapes power grids. California State aims to become the nation’s largest university empowered by Artificial Intelligence, partnering with Amazon, OpenAI, and Nvidia.
Other notable items spotlight how Artificial Intelligence is testing platform integrity and consumer trust. A startup is selling Artificial Intelligence bot interactions to manipulate social media, real estate listings are cluttered with Artificial Intelligence-enhanced fluff, and expense fraud has turned into an arms race between employees using Artificial Intelligence to fake receipts and firms deploying it to catch them. The newsletter’s quote of the day captures market skepticism, with an analyst noting this is not their first hype cycle around Artificial Intelligence.
The “one more thing” segment examines Clear Secure’s push to broaden its biometric identity platform far beyond airports. The company’s verification is appearing at stadiums and arenas, can be used to rent tools at Home Depot, surface profiles on LinkedIn, and verify riders on Uber. Clear’s ambitions extend to retailers, banks, and doctors’ offices, raising questions about costs and trade-offs as biometric identity moves into everyday life. The edition closes with lighter diversions, from medieval bestiaries to science musings and a determined sheep named Kiki.