Technology

Microsoft’s mini AI PCs are on the way

Published

1 year ago

January 2, 2025

Ever since Microsoft first introduced its Arm-based Copilot Plus laptops in June, I’ve been wondering when we might see Copilot Plus features appear on desktop PCs. Six months on, it’s clear we’re about to see mini PCs that deliver the AI performance required for features like Recall, Click To Do, and AI-powered image generation and editing in Windows 11. These mini PCs might even help Microsoft compete with Apple’s latest Mac Mini.

Asus became the first PC manufacturer to announce a mini PC that’s Copilot Plus capable in September. It then revealed the full specs of its upcoming NUC 14 Pro AI last month, ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that kicks off next week. Asus’ mini PC even has a Copilot button on the front and is almost identical to the size of Apple’s latest Mac Mini.

The timing of Asus’ spec drop came on the same day that Taiwanese company Geekom revealed three new mini PCs that it will showcase at CES. Geekom is releasing a mini PC with AMD’s Strix Point CPUs inside and one with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processor, meaning both will be Copilot Plus compatible. The third model is powered by Intel’s unannounced Arrow Lake-H laptop processors, which are unlikely to have an NPU sufficient enough to be Copilot Plus compatible.

I’m going to be paying close attention to CES next week to see if there are any other Windows OEMs that are ready to launch Copilot Plus mini PCs. CES is usually a launch point for Microsoft’s latest laptop or tablet initiatives, and last year the company convinced OEMs to put a Copilot key on their laptop keyboards. Asus wouldn’t be adding a Copilot button on the front of its own mini PC without Microsoft’s involvement, so I wonder how many other PC makers Microsoft has been working with to add dedicated Copilot buttons.

Geekom’s mention of Qualcomm chips inside its mini PC means we’ll start to see Qualcomm’s latest chips venture beyond laptops for the first time. Qualcomm was supposed to ship its mini PC Snapdragon Dev Kit in June alongside Copilot Plus laptops, but it ended up canceling it months later after issues with manufacturing the device. Qualcomm has also teased that its Snapdragon X Elite chips could appear in mini PCs or even all-in-one PCs, so perhaps we’ll see some Copilot Plus all-in-one PCs next week, too.

I’m still waiting to see when we might get Copilot Plus features on traditional powerful desktop PCs. Intel’s latest Core Ultra desktop CPU arrived in October with an NPU inside, but it wasn’t capable enough to hit the 40 TOPS requirement that Microsoft mandates for Copilot Plus features. We’re going to have to wait until next-gen desktop CPUs from Intel and AMD arrive to see if more capable NPUs are a priority for chipmakers. Until then, mini PCs and all-in-one PCs that use laptop processors are going to be the only way to get Copilot Plus features in a desktop PC form factor.

While Copilot Plus features remain limited to Windows PCs, that doesn’t mean that we won’t see the main Copilot assistant appear on more devices. I’ve heard from multiple sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans that the company is keen to get Copilot on devices beyond just PCs, phones, and tablets.

We might well see Copilot appear on some unexpected hardware at CES next week, just as Microsoft has also been hinting about its ambitions for dedicated AI hardware in recent months. Windows chief Pavan Davuluri admitted in an October Notepad interview that the power of modern AI models “will free up the ability to innovate in hardware and come out with purpose-built hardware.”

Davuluri stopped short of detailing what dedicated AI hardware would look like for Microsoft, but weeks later Yusuf Mehdi, executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer at Microsoft, dropped some additional hints in an underreported interview with YouTuber Austin Evans.

“These devices that see the world, that you wear on your body, on your person, I think that those combined with AI will be very valuable,” said Mehdi in late October. “It can do image recognition, it can talk to you about what’s going on. I think that’s a fascinating place that we’ll go.”

Later in the interview Mehdi also describes wearable health-related devices as exciting and “a big opportunity” for the future. Microsoft then confirmed last month that Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman has hired multiple former colleagues to help run a new AI health unit. It’s hard to imagine Microsoft venturing into fitness wearables again after the Microsoft Band was scrapped in 2016, but I could definitely see the company wanting to partner with device manufacturers and offer up AI-powered health services for these types of devices.

Either way, 2025 won’t see Microsoft slow down with its ambition to get Copilot on all the screens we look at every day.

The pad:

2024 was a big year for Windows on Arm. While Microsoft has been pushing the “year of the AI PC” throughout 2024, I think it was a bigger moment for Windows on Arm. Copilot Plus PCs ushered in some really solid improvements in performance, compatibility, and battery life for Windows on Arm this year. I still can’t quite believe I’m using an Arm-powered Windows laptop every day.
A weird Windows 11 bug won’t let some people install any security updates. Another month and another weird Windows bug. Microsoft is now warning Windows 11 users that if you’ve manually installed the OS recently, there’s an odd bug where you might not get future security updates. It largely impacts USB installers that were created using the October and November release patches, so businesses will be impacted the most. The workaround requires a full rebuild right now, though, and Microsoft says it’s working on a permanent fix.
Lenovo has a special gaming handheld event next week with Valve and Microsoft. Leaks have suggested Lenovo is about to announce its first SteamOS handheld gaming PC. Now Lenovo has revealed a “future of gaming handhelds” event at CES next week that will include Valve as well as Microsoft’s VP of next generation, Jason Ronald. It looks like Microsoft and Valve might be about to go head to head over the future of handheld gaming — something I wrote about in a previous Notepad issue. Ronald’s attendance is particularly interesting given he was previously the vice president of Xbox gaming devices and ecosystem. I understand Ronald has been involved in Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox plans for quite some time now, but it’s curious that Microsoft picked this particular event to confirm Ronald’s new title. I’m sure I’ll have a lot more to say about this mysterious Lenovo event in next week’s Notepad.
Microsoft is testing live translation on Intel and AMD Copilot Plus PCs. Microsoft has started previewing its live translation feature for Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. Live translation was initially limited to Qualcomm-powered Copilot Plus PCs, but Microsoft is starting to bring more of these Windows AI features to AMD- and Intel-powered Copilot Plus PCs.
Microsoft and OpenAI’s partnership hinges on the AGI question. A new report from The Information claims that Microsoft and OpenAI’s wrangling over the terms of their partnership could involve the definition of artificial general intelligence (AGI) as a moment when $100 billion is returned in profits. AGI has always been the point at which Microsoft’s deal with OpenAI would end, so a high-profit milestone will certainly complicate OpenAI’s efforts to declare AGI and end its contract with Microsoft given it’s still struggling with profits. Separately, Microsoft thinks core pieces are still missing from AGI, so the debate over when it’s likely to be declared will continue for quite some time.
Microsoft kills off Skype credits and phone numbers in favor of subscriptions. Skype has been struggling to keep up with the popularity of WhatsApp, Messenger, Zoom, and many other VoIP services in recent years. Now, Microsoft has quietly ended the sale of new Skype credits and the phone number features for Skype in favor of subscriptions instead. Skype Credit was a way to use a pay-as-you-go plan for making calls with Skype, but you’ll now need a subscription to use this functionality.
Microsoft warns Phone Link won’t show “sensitive” Android 15 notifications. A new Android 15 privacy feature that categorizes notifications like 2FA codes as sensitive is causing some issues for Microsoft’s Phone Link feature in Windows. You can turn off the enhanced notifications in Android 15 to work around the issue, but Windows should still show sensitive notifications on Android devices where Phone Link was preinstalled on the device.
The Xbox Sebile controller is still on the way. During the FTC v. Microsoft case in 2023 a huge amount of unannounced Xbox hardware was leaked, including a new Xbox controller codenamed Sebile. While the controller was supposed to originally debut in 2024, Microsoft appears to now be holding it back for its next-gen console instead. Windows Central reports that a new patent details Sebile’s new haptic motors that are spread throughout the controller. Sebile will also support direct Wi-Fi connectivity to Xbox Cloud Gaming, much like Google’s Stadia controller.
GitHub now has a free tier for Copilot in VS Code. Microsoft-owned GitHub was the first to start using the Copilot branding for a paid AI coding assistant in 2021. GitHub is now offering a free version of GitHub Copilot in VS Code. It includes 2,000 code completions and 50 chat messages per month, and is available for the 150 million developers using GitHub. It also includes the choice between using Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet or OpenAI’s GPT-4o model to ask coding questions, explain code, or let the AI models find bugs in your code.
Microsoft is working on adding non-OpenAI models to its Microsoft 365 Copilot. Microsoft is reportedly working on adding third-party AI models to its Microsoft 365 Copilot soon. Reuters reports that Microsoft is looking at other models to reduce costs of the AI assistant in Office apps and lessen its dependence on OpenAI. I wouldn’t be surprised if this involved Microsoft’s own AI models, but the company could also follow GitHub’s move to support models from Anthropic and Google.

Thanks for subscribing and reading to the very end. I’ll be reflecting on Microsoft’s 50-year history in Notepad later this year, so if there’s a particular period of time you’re interested in hearing more about,please get in touch: notepad@theverge.com.

If you’ve heard about any of Microsoft’s other secret projects, you can also reach me via email at notepad@theverge.com or speak to me confidentially on the Signal messaging app, where I’m tomwarren.01. I’m also tomwarren on Telegram, if you’d prefer to chat there.

Technology

Here’s your first look at Kratos in Amazon’s God of War show

Published

2 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Here’s your first look at Kratos in Amazon’s God of War show

Amazon has slowly been teasing out casting details for its live-action adaptation of God of War, and now we have our first look at the show. It’s a single image but a notable one showing protagonist Kratos and his son Atreus. The characters are played by Ryan Hurst and Callum Vinson, respectively, and they look relatively close to their video game counterparts.

There aren’t a lot of other details about the show just yet, but this is Amazon’s official description:

The God of War series storyline follows father and son Kratos and Atreus as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.

That sounds a lot like the recent soft reboot of the franchise, which started with 2018’s God of War and continued through Ragnarök in 2022. For the Amazon series, Ronald D. Moore, best-known for his work on For All Mankind and Battlestar Galactica, will serve as showrunner. The rest of the cast includes: Mandy Patinkin (Odin), Ed Skrein (Baldur), Max Parker (Heimdall), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Thor), Teresa Palmer (Sif), Alastair Duncan (Mimir), Jeff Gulka (Sindri), and Danny Woodburn (Brok).

While production is underway on the God of War series, there’s no word on when it might start streaming.

Technology

300,000 Chrome users hit by fake AI extensions

Published

2 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

300,000 Chrome users hit by fake AI extensions

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Your web browser may feel like a safe place, especially when you install helpful tools that promise to make your life easier. But security researchers have uncovered a dangerous campaign in which more than 300,000 people installed Chrome extensions pretending to be artificial intelligence (AI) assistants. Instead of helping, these fake tools secretly collect sensitive information like your emails, passwords and browsing activity.

They used familiar names like ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Assistant. If you use Chrome and have installed any AI-related extension, your personal information may already be exposed. Even worse, some of these malicious extensions are still available today, putting more people at risk without their knowing.

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More than 300,000 Chrome users installed fake AI extensions that secretly harvested sensitive data. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

What you need to know about fake AI extensions

Security researchers at browser security company LayerX discovered a large campaign involving 30 malicious Chrome extensions disguised as AI-powered assistants (via BleepingComputer). Together, these extensions were installed more than 300,000 times by unsuspecting users.

Some of the most popular extensions included names like AI Sidebar with 70,000 users, AI Assistant with 60,000 users, ChatGPT Translate with 30,000 users, and Google Gemini with 10,000 users. Another extension called Gemini AI Sidebar had 80,000 users before it was removed.

These extensions were distributed through the official Chrome Web Store, which made them appear legitimate and trustworthy. Even more concerning, researchers found that many of these extensions were connected to the same malicious server, showing they were part of a coordinated effort.

While some extensions have since been removed, others remain available. This means new users could still unknowingly install them and expose their personal data. Here’s the list of the affected extensions:

AI Assistant
Llama
Gemini AI Sidebar
AI Sidebar
ChatGPT Sidebar
Grok
Asking ChatGPT
ChatGBT
Chat Bot GPT
Grok Chatbot
Chat With Gemini
XAI
Google Gemini
Ask Gemini
AI Letter Generator
AI Message Generator
AI Translator
AI For Translation
AI Cover Letter Generator
AI Image Generator ChatGPT
Ai Wallpaper Generator
Ai Picture Generator
DeepSeek Download
AI Email Writer
Email Generator AI
DeepSeek Chat
ChatGPT Picture Generator
ChatGPT Translate
AI GPT
ChatGPT Translation
ChatGPT for Gmail

FAKE AI CHAT RESULTS ARE SPREADING DANGEROUS MAC MALWARE

These malicious tools were listed in the official Chrome Web Store, making them appear legitimate and trustworthy. (LayerX)

How the fake AI Chrome extension attack works

These fake extensions pretend to offer helpful AI features, such as translating text, summarizing emails, or acting as an AI assistant. But behind the scenes, they quietly monitor what you are doing online.

Once installed, the extension gains permission to view and interact with the websites you visit. This allows it to read the contents of web pages, including login screens where you enter your username and password.

In some cases, the extensions specifically targeted Gmail. They could read your email messages directly from your browser, including emails you received and even drafts you were still writing. This means attackers could access private conversations, financial information and sensitive personal details.

The extensions then sent this information to servers controlled by the attackers. Because they loaded content remotely, the attackers could change their behavior at any time without needing to update the extension.

Some versions could also activate voice features through your browser. This could potentially capture spoken conversations near your device and send transcripts back to the attackers.

If you installed one of these extensions, attackers may already have access to extremely sensitive information. This includes your email content, login credentials, browsing habits and possibly even voice recordings.

We reached out to Google for comment, and a spokesperson told CyberGuy that the company “can confirm that the extensions from this report have all been removed from the Google Web Store.”

BROWSER EXTENSION MALWARE INFECTED 8.8M USERS IN DARKSPECTRE ATTACK

Once installed, the extensions could read emails, capture passwords, monitor browsing activity and send the data to attacker-controlled servers. (Bildquelle/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

7 ways you can protect yourself from malicious Chrome extensions

If you have ever installed an AI-related Chrome extension, taking a few simple precautions now can help protect your accounts and prevent further damage.

1) Remove any suspicious or unused browser extensions

On a Windows PC or Mac, open Chrome and type chrome://extensions into the address bar. Review every extension listed. If you see anything unfamiliar, especially AI assistants you don’t remember installing, click “Remove” immediately. Malicious extensions depend on going unnoticed. Removing them stops further data collection and cuts off the attacker’s access to your information.

2) Change your passwords

If you installed any suspicious extension, assume your passwords may be compromised. Start by changing your email password first, since email controls access to most other accounts. Then update passwords for banking, shopping and social media accounts. This prevents attackers from using stolen credentials to break into your accounts.

3) Use a password manager to create and protect strong passwords

A password manager generates unique, complex passwords for each account and stores them securely. This prevents attackers from accessing multiple accounts if one password is stolen. Password managers also alert you if your login credentials appear in known data breaches, helping you respond quickly and protect your identity. Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at Cyberguy.com.

4) Install strong antivirus software and keep it active

Good antivirus software can detect malicious browser extensions, spyware, and other hidden threats. It scans your system for suspicious activity and blocks harmful programs before they can steal your information. This adds an important layer of protection that works continuously in the background to keep your device safe. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

5) Use an identity theft protection service

Identity theft protection services monitor your personal data, including email addresses, financial accounts, and Social Security numbers, for signs of misuse. If criminals try to open accounts or commit fraud using your information, you receive alerts quickly. Early detection allows you to act fast and limit financial and personal damage. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com.

6) Keep your browser and computer fully updated

Software updates fix security vulnerabilities that attackers exploit. Enable automatic updates for Chrome and your operating system so you always have the latest protections. These updates strengthen your defenses against malicious extensions and prevent attackers from taking advantage of known weaknesses.

7) Use a personal data removal service

Personal data removal services scan data broker websites that collect and sell your personal information. They help remove your data from these sites, reducing what attackers can find and use against you. Less exposed information means fewer opportunities for criminals to target you with scams, identity theft or phishing attacks.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

Kurt’s key takeaway

Even tools designed to make your life easier can become tools for cybercriminals. Malicious extensions often hide behind trusted names and convincing features, making them difficult to spot. You can significantly reduce your risk by reviewing your browser extensions regularly, removing anything suspicious and using protective tools like password managers and strong antivirus software.

Have you checked your browser extensions recently? Let us know your thoughts by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Anthropic refuses Pentagon’s new terms, standing firm on lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance

Published

14 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Anthropic refuses Pentagon’s new terms, standing firm on lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance

Less than 24 hours before the deadline in an ultimatum issued by the Pentagon, Anthropic has refused the Department of Defense’s demands for unrestricted access to its AI.

It’s the culmination of a dramatic exchange of public statements, social media posts, and behind-the-scenes negotiations, coming down to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s desire to renegotiate all AI labs’ current contracts with the military. But Anthropic, so far, has refused to back down from its two current red lines: no mass surveillance of Americans, and no lethal autonomous weapons (or weapons with license to kill targets with no human oversight whatsoever). OpenAI and xAI had reportedly already agreed to the new terms, while Anthropic’s refusal had led to CEO Dario Amodei being summoned to the White House this week for a meeting with Hegseth himself, in which the Secretary reportedly issued an ultimatum to the CEO to back down by the end of business day on Friday or else.

In a statement late Thursday, Amodei wrote, “I believe deeply in the existential importance of using AI to defend the United States and other democracies, and to defeat our autocratic adversaries. Anthropic has therefore worked proactively to deploy our models to the Department of War and the intelligence community.”

He added that the company has “never raised objections to particular military operations nor attempted to limit use of our technology in an ad hoc manner” but that in a “narrow set of cases, we believe AI can undermine, rather than defend, democratic values” — going on to specifically mention mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. (Amodei mentioned that “partial autonomous weapons … are vital to the defense of democracy” and that fully autonomous weapons may eventually “prove critical for our national defense,” but that “today, frontier AI systems are simply not reliable enough to power fully autonomous weapons.” He did not rule out Anthropic acquiescing to the military’s use of fully autonomous weapons in the future but mentioned that they were not ready now.)

The Pentagon had already reportedly asked major defense contractors to assess their dependence on Anthropic’s Claude, which could be seen as the first step to designating the company a “supply chain risk” – a public threat that the Pentagon had made recently (and a classification usually reserved for threats to national security). The Pentagon was also reportedly considering invoking the Defense Production Act to make Anthropic comply.

Amodei wrote in his statement that the Pentagon’s “threats do not change our position: we cannot in good conscience accede to their request.” He also wrote that “should the Department choose to offboard Anthropic, we will work to enable a smooth transition to another provider, avoiding any disruption to ongoing military planning, operations, or other critical missions. Our models will be available on the expansive terms we have proposed for as long as required.”