Will drones deliver your next hot food order?

image via bbc.com
image via bbc.com

A Swedish firm hopes that drones will open up a new market for hot food delivery. Värmdö is just eight miles (13km) from Stockholm as the crow flies, and accessible by car, bus and ferry. But its population of around 46,000 – rising to up to 100,000 in the summer – has few hot food delivery options. At the moment Aviant is in a "beta phase" – only delivering 10 items a week, while they check everything works.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crlze41zygdo

End of an Era: Adobe Pulls the Plug on Aero as AR Industry Reality Bites – XR Today

image via xrtoday.com
image via xrtoday.com

Adobe’s Aero discontinuation isn’t just about one company’s strategic shift—it’s a reality check for an industry still searching for its mainstream moment. While mixed reality continues evolving, this development reminds us that even tech giants can misjudge market timing and demand.

https://www.xrtoday.com/augmented-reality/end-of-an-era-adobe-pulls-the-plug-on-aero-as-ar-industry-reality-bites/

Blogging service TypePad is shutting down and taking all blog content with it

image via arstechnica.com
image via arstechnica.com

In the olden days, publishing a site on the Internet required that you figure out hosting and have at least some experience with HTML, CSS, and the other languages that make the Internet work. But the emergence of blogging and "Web 2.0" sites in the late '90s and early 2000s gave rise to a constellation of services that would offer to host all of your thoughts without requiring you to build the website part of your website. The TypePad shutdown is rough news for the site's remaining user base—and it's yet another tranche of old Internet content that will only be available via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, when it's available at all.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/one-time-wordpress-competitor-typepad-ends-its-slide-into-obscurity-by-shutting-down/

Taco Bell Rethinks Future of Voice AI at the Drive-Through

image c/o wsj.com
image c/o wsj.com

The most transformative technology in over a century may have finally found its limit: ordering tacos. Since last year, Taco Bell has rolled out voice AI-powered ordering at more than 500 drive-through locations, and now the chain is realizing that not every customer is a fan of the new tech. Mathews said he is now thinking carefully about where and where not to use this tech in the future. It might not make sense to exclusively use artificial intelligence at every drive-through, he said. For example, at super busy restaurants with long lines, a human team member might handle things better, he said.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/taco-bell-rethinks-future-of-voice-ai-at-the-drive-through-72990b5a?mod=tech_lead_story

Google to Block Sideloading of Apps From Unverified Developers

image via pcmag.com
image via pcmag.com

Starting next year, app installs on certified Android devices will be possible only if the developer has been verified by Google. The company compares the move to an "ID check at the airport," and says it is intended to tackle malicious actors who impersonate developers and their brand image to trick users into downloading fake apps.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/google-to-block-sideloading-of-apps-from-unverified-developers

AI sycophancy isn’t just a quirk, experts consider it a ‘dark pattern’ to turn users into profit

image via techcrunch.com
image via techcrunch.com

Experts say that many of the AI industry’s design decisions are likely to fuel episodes of AI psychosis. Many raised concerns about several tendencies that are unrelated to underlying capability.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/25/how-chatbot-design-choices-are-fueling-ai-delusions-meta-chatbot-rogue/