Lucas Ropek, Author at Gizmodo

Here Are the Top AI Stories You Missed This Week

Take a quick look at the newest and weirdest happenings in AI.

Artificial Intelligence Lucas Ropek Aug 12

AI This Week: Zoom’s Big TOS Disaster

Gizmodo is launching a new weekly thing about artificial intelligence.

Artificial Intelligence Lucas Ropek Aug 12

Can AI Fix America’s Cybersecurity Woes? The White House Thinks So.

A new DARPA competition will reward innovators who find AI-based solutions that will "rapidly defend critical infrastructure code from attack."

Artificial Intelligence Lucas Ropek Aug 9

Disney Has a New Task Force to Spread AI Throughout Its Not So Magic Kingdom

The media and entertainment conglomerate has formed a task force to study how automation can be deployed in as many ways as possible.

Artificial Intelligence Lucas Ropek Aug 8

A New AI-Driven Cyberattack Can Steal Your Data Just By Listening to You Type

This week in weird-ass cyberattacks: an exploit that can pilfer your data just by listening to the sound of your keystrokes.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Aug 7

The Government’s Secret Footage of Nuclear Tests Is Still Eerie Decades Later

Not only did our government blow up a ludicrous amount of nukes after J. Robert Oppenheimer's first test, it also took tons of videos of them.

Tech News Lucas Ropek Aug 5

Twitch Star’s NYC Event Devolves Into Chaos, Transforming Union Square Into Thunderdome

What exactly happened at Kai Cenat's event on Friday? It's unclear but it seems to have involved a free game console giveaway.

Tech News Lucas Ropek Aug 4

Cult of the Dead Cow Wants to Save Internet Privacy with a New Encryption Protocol

At a time when threats to digital privacy are at an all-time high, one of the web's most formidable hacktivist groups may offer a solution with "Veilid."

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Aug 2

FBI Ordered to Find Out Which Agency Disobeyed White House in Secret Deal, Finds Out It Was Itself

The bureau was ordered to find out which government agency broke with White House policy and engaged a blacklisted spyware vendor. It found...itself.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Jul 31

New Orleans’ Facial Recognition Systems Led to Exactly Zero Arrests in Nine Months

Does surveillance tech help cops catch criminals? Not in NOLA, a new report from the city shows.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Jul 31

‘Multi-Decade’ Coverup Includes ‘Non-Human Biologics,’ UFO Whistleblower Tells Congress

Wednesday's UFO hearing went decidedly off the rails, spinning out into Twilight Zone territory.

Tech News Lucas Ropek Jul 26

Pentagon-Funded Study Uses AI to Detect ‘Violations of Social Norms’ in Text

Have you texted someone lately to express guilt over...something? The government probably wants to know about it.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Jul 25

Mastodon Has a Child Abuse Material Problem, Like Every Other Major Web Platform

The proliferation of child abuse material is a problem that plagues both the centralized and decentralized web.

Tech News Lucas Ropek Jul 24

Radioactive Fallout from the Trinity Nuclear Test Impacted 46 U.S. States, Study Finds

Ironically, despite America’s Cold War fears of being nuked by the Soviet Union, the only government that ever nuked us (and nuked us quite a bit) was our own.

Culture Lucas Ropek Jul 23

RIP Kevin Mitnick, ‘World’s Most Famous Hacker’

A figure of significant cyber lore, Mitnick has died at the age of 59.

Tech News Lucas Ropek Jul 20

U.S. Blacklists Two More Israeli Spyware Companies

The U.S. is continuing its efforts to crack down on the most harmful actors in the surveillance industry.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Jul 18

OpenAI Throws a Paltry $5 Million at Journalism Philanthropy in Attempt to Spur AI-Driven News

As the AI startup dodges lawsuits left and right, it's trying to edge forward its agenda with the news industry.

Artificial Intelligence Lucas Ropek Jul 18

Congress is Going to Be Talking About UFOs Next Week

Turns out legislators want to know what the deal is with all those weird sightings just as much as the rest of us.

Tech News Lucas Ropek Jul 17

AI System Helped Cops Identify a Drug Trafficker Just by Analyzing His Driving Patterns

As AI booms, it's not just helping companies replace workers and governments spread disinformation. It's also helping cops spy better.

Artificial Intelligence Lucas Ropek Jul 17

Legislators Vote Forward Bill That Would Turn Tech Platforms Into DEA Narcs

The controversial Cooper Davis Act has been voted out of committee, meaning it will take another step towards enactment.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Jul 14

Lucas Ropek

Here Are the Top AI Stories You Missed This Week

AI This Week: Zoom’s Big TOS Disaster

Can AI Fix America’s Cybersecurity Woes? The White House Thinks So.

Disney Has a New Task Force to Spread AI Throughout Its Not So Magic Kingdom

A New AI-Driven Cyberattack Can Steal Your Data Just By Listening to You Type

The Government’s Secret Footage of Nuclear Tests Is Still Eerie Decades Later

Twitch Star’s NYC Event Devolves Into Chaos, Transforming Union Square Into Thunderdome

Cult of the Dead Cow Wants to Save Internet Privacy with a New Encryption Protocol

FBI Ordered to Find Out Which Agency Disobeyed White House in Secret Deal, Finds Out It Was Itself

New Orleans’ Facial Recognition Systems Led to Exactly Zero Arrests in Nine Months

‘Multi-Decade’ Coverup Includes ‘Non-Human Biologics,’ UFO Whistleblower Tells Congress

Pentagon-Funded Study Uses AI to Detect ‘Violations of Social Norms’ in Text

Mastodon Has a Child Abuse Material Problem, Like Every Other Major Web Platform

Radioactive Fallout from the Trinity Nuclear Test Impacted 46 U.S. States, Study Finds

RIP Kevin Mitnick, ‘World’s Most Famous Hacker’

U.S. Blacklists Two More Israeli Spyware Companies

OpenAI Throws a Paltry $5 Million at Journalism Philanthropy in Attempt to Spur AI-Driven News

Congress is Going to Be Talking About UFOs Next Week

AI System Helped Cops Identify a Drug Trafficker Just by Analyzing His Driving Patterns

Legislators Vote Forward Bill That Would Turn Tech Platforms Into DEA Narcs

First Statewide Data Center Ban Passed by Maine Legislature

FCC Exempts Netgear from Foreign-Made Router Ban for Some Reason

Jamie Dornan Is Your New Aragorn in ‘The Hunt for Gollum’

Trump’s Fed Pick Is Knee Deep in Tech and Crypto Investments

The First Trailer for ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Takes Terror Stateside

The Trump Phone Still Looks Like Total Trash

‘Masters of the Universe’ Really, Really Wants to Be the Next ‘Barbie’

Samsung’s Micro RGB TVs Provide So Much Color It May Be Too Much

The Crypto Bros Want to Get Their Hands on Anthropic’s ‘Super Dangerous’ Model

This Is What a Music Industry ‘Plant’ Looks Like in 2026

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice