2026-08-22

World models that ignore human beliefs predict the wrong actions, new research shows

Current world models like Sora or Genie only simulate physics and ignore what people think, want, or feel. The new "Mental World Modeling" framework adds mental variables like beliefs and intentions. Even weaker language models using this approach outperform stronger models without mental modeling. The biggest bottleneck: predicting how physical and mental states change together.<br / [...]

2026-08-22

The 10 best attractions in Hong Kong, ranked

From the Avenue of Stars' nightly light show to a Big Buddha rising 34 meters above Lantau Island, Hong Kong's ten must-visit attractions [...]

2026-08-22

The 10 best hotels in Santorini for 2026, ranked

From a cliffside cave suite in Oia to a black resort styled after a superhero hideout in quieter Pyrgos, the best hotels in Santorini for 2026 [...]

2026-08-22

5 foods you shouldn’t keep in your pantry

These everyday foods may seem perfectly fine in the pantry, but they can stay fresher and taste better in the fridge or freezer [...]

2026-08-22

A 60-year-old geothermal company just became an AI infrastructure play

Ormat, a geothermal company founded six decades ago, has signed a power purchase agreement with Google for up to 150MW in Nevada and is running enhanced geothermal pilots with Sage Geosystems and SLB. Europe has the same demand problem and is meeting it with restraint rather than contracts. A company that has been drilling for […]<br /> This story continues at The Next Web [...]

2026-08-22

ICYMI: here's the week's 7 biggest tech news stories from the major GTA 6 leaks to Meta's $1.4 trillion lawsuit

The week's biggest tech news stories from Google, Meta, Rockstar and more for August 22, 2026. [...]

2026-08-22

TikTok will pay $400mn over children’s privacy, a number Europe reached in 2023

TikTok and ByteDance have agreed to pay $400mn to settle a US Justice Department case alleging they let millions of under-13s use the platform and collected their data without parental consent. Ireland’s regulator fined the company €345mn over children’s accounts in 2023. TikTok and ByteDance will pay $400mn to end the US government’s children’s privacy […]<br /> This story conti [...]

2026-08-22

Anthropic could raise $100bn, ten times Europe’s largest listing in decades

Anthropic could raise around $100bn in a listing as early as October, exceeding SpaceX’s record, with backers modelling a valuation of at least $2tn. The Financial Times reports that senior executives have not set a valuation target even privately. Anthropic’s listing now has a figure attached to it. Reports put the raise at around $100bn, […]<br /> This story continues at The Next Web [...]

2026-08-22

Letara raises $16mn for hybrid rocket engines the law does not call explosive

Letara, a Hokkaido University spinout, has raised about ¥2.6bn, roughly $16mn, for hybrid rocket engines that use plastic as fuel and are not legally classified as explosives. Germany’s HyImpulse raised €45mn for the same approach last October. A Japanese startup has raised about $16mn to build rocket engines that burn plastic. Letara, a spinout from […]<br /> This story continues at [...]