Quartz – Tech News

Study finds AI chatbots recommend pricier options to wealthier shoppers

Researchers at Cisco Foundation AI and Carnegie Mellon University published a study finding that popular AI chatbots, including Claude and ChatGPT, recommend more expensive products to users whose personal data suggests higher wealth — even when those users ask for the cheapest available option. The authors termed the phenomenon "adversarial delegation," describing a situation where the same personal data access that makes AI agents useful enables them to act against users' stated interests.
https://qz.com/ai-chatbots-claude-chatgpt-wealth-pricing-study-100726

Mozilla is overhauling Firefox with a new look and a one-click AI off switch

Mozilla unveiled a major visual and functional overhaul of Firefox on Wednesday, the browser's largest redesign since 2020, with changes to its appearance, privacy settings, and AI controls expected to roll out later this year. Those eager to try the new look can already do so, as Neowin reports that the Nova changes are live in Firefox's experimental Nightly channel. Activation requires opening about:config, creating a new boolean entry called "browser.nova.enabled," and toggling it to true before restarting — though anyone doing so should be aware that Nightly is a pre-release channel and instability is possible.
https://qz.com/mozilla-firefox-project-nova-redesign-ai-controls-052226

Anthropic accidentally leaked its own source code for Claude Code

Anthropic accidentally exposed internal source code for its Claude Code AI coding tool after a debug file was mistakenly included in a public npm package update, Axios reported. The leak exposed roughly 500,000 lines of code across approximately 1,900 files, according to Fortune.
https://qz.com/anthropic-claudhttps://qz.com/anthropic-claude-code-leak-npm-errore-code-lehttps://qz.com/anthropic-claude-code-leak-npm-errorak-npm-error

OpenAI plans a ‘superapp’ to unify ChatGPT and Codex

OpenAI plans to combine its ChatGPT app, Codex coding platform, and Atlas browser into a single desktop “superapp,” according to The Wall Street Journal, as the company moves to streamline resources and respond to competition from rival Anthropic.
https://qz.com/openai-superapp-chatgpt-codex-browser

NFL will test a device for blind fans at 2026 Super Bowl

People who have limited vision or are completely blind will have a new way to enjoy the Super Bowl this year. The NFL has teamed with startup OneCourt to equip roughly 10 fans with a device that provides real-time tactile feedback that lets holders track the position of the ball on the field. The device, which also comes with headphones so blind fans can listen to the game call, will even use a series of different vibrations that will signal specific plays on-field.
https://qz.com/nfl-blind-fans-2026-super-bowl-onecourt

Workers spend hours hours fixing AI mistakes, study says

Artificial intelligence is saving workers time, but a large share of those gains is being erased by the effort required to fix AI-generated mistakes, according to a new study. “For every 10 hours of efficiency gained through AI, nearly four hours are lost to fixing its output,” the report said. As a result, “productivity gains alone are not translating into better outcomes for most organizations,” it said.
https://qz.com/ai-mistakes-limit-time-savings-workday-finds

CES 2026: The weirdest gadgets we saw at Consumer Electronics Show

For every big screen TV and head-turning AI model that emerged out of CES this year, there was a company trying to find a market for something that was just plain odd — at best. Part of the joy of walking the Consumer Electronics Show’s increasingly large floor is stumbling across gadgets that make you stop, stare and, ask “whut??”
https://qz.com/ces-2026-weird-tech-robots-ai-knife-companion