#A260501p3

From Techmeme: xAI launches Grok 4.3, featuring "always-on reasoning", 1M token context window, and low API pricing, and releases a voice cloning suite called Custom Voices (Carl Franzen/VentureBeat)

From Techmeme: Servers operated by Ubuntu and its parent company Canonical have been down for more than a day, following a "sustained, cross-border attack" (Dan Goodin/Ars Technica)

From Techmeme: Apple has stopped offering a 256GB storage option for the Mac mini globally; Mac mini now starts at 512GB for $799 in the US (Joe Rossignol/MacRumors)

From Techmeme: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issues new rules saying acting and writing must be performed by humans and not AI to be eligible for Oscars (Lisa Richwine/Reuters)

From Techmeme: Sources: Cerebras is seeking to raise as much as $4B in its IPO and is targeting a valuation of about $40B (Bloomberg)

From Techmeme: How influencers boosting US-based AI and opposing Chinese AI are paid with money tied to Leading the Future, funded by execs from OpenAI, Palantir, a16z, others (Taylor Lorenz/Wired)

From Techmeme: "Podslop" is flooding listening platforms like Spotify; Podcast Index: of ~11K new podcast feeds in a recent 9-day span, ~39% were likely for AI content shows (Ashley Carman/Bloomberg)