The ai law & regulation stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
A Realtor.com study found no clear gap in home price growth near new data centers, but power bills, water and noise remain open questions for neighbors.
Read more: A nearby data center may not lower your home's value, study findsChina plans a broad set of AI safety standards, from building to everyday use, which could shape the tools and suppliers businesses rely on.
Read more: China plans broad safety rules for AI, from building to everyday useLarridin raised $30 million to help companies check whether their AI tools save time or money. Its pitch matters to any business watching its AI bills grow.
Read more: Startup raises $30M to show companies if their AI spending pays offThe U.S. standards agency NIST released a plain-language cybersecurity guide for people who are their business's only paid employee.
Read more: Free Government Cybersecurity Guide Written for One-Person BusinessesPolygraf AI's tools, which screen what staff type into AI chatbots, can now be bought by public agencies through Carahsoft and existing government contracts.
Read more: Government agencies get a new way to buy AI safety toolsWeil Gotshal, a 95-year-old law firm, plans to wind down after top partners left. Lawyers say AI could help firms keep what their stars know, or help stars leave.
Read more: Weil Gotshal is closing after 95 years, and AI wasn't the causeBloomberg will pay $500,000 after New York said a $1.99 trial price jumped to $39.99 a month, and some customers can get refunds.
Read more: Bloomberg to pay $500,000 over hidden subscription price jumpsSnap settled with two teens who said its design fed depression and eating disorders, so a trial that would have put its CEO on the stand will not happen.
Read more: Snap settles teen lawsuit over depression and eating disordersThe New York Times and other papers sued the maker of Brave, saying it fed their articles to AI firms and let readers skip paywalls. Here is what is claimed.
Read more: New York Times and other papers sue Brave browser over AI and paywallsInc. says businesses should try to break an AI agent before real customers or data are at risk, and build limits in from the start.
Read more: Test Your AI Helper by Trying to Make It Fail Before You Use ItGM will pay $220 million to settle claims it sold drivers' location and driving data without consent. Here is who is affected and what to watch for.
Read more: GM to pay $220 million for selling drivers' data without consentThe SEC's enforcement chief says AI firms must clearly disclose risks in how they fund growth, which could help investors judge how solid that growth really is.
Read more: SEC warns AI companies to be honest about how they fund their growthOpenAI hired Charles Porch, a famed Hollywood and tech connector, to make AI more popular with celebrities and the public. Here is what that means for you.
Read more: OpenAI hires a celebrity connector to make AI less unpopularThe FTC is asking people to report fake ads that copy trusted brands and agencies, because one wrong click can cost you money or personal details.
Read more: The FTC wants to hear about fake ads pretending to be real brandsAARP warns that robocall scammers can fake caller ID, so a local or familiar number is no proof a call is safe. Letting unknown numbers ring protects your money.
Read more: Robocalls can be scams, and a familiar number does not mean it's safeA new 50-task test found the best AI model passed only 36% of timed game and web jobs, so ticket drops and auctions are risky to hand over.
Read more: AI systems still fail most tasks where speed matters, new test findsThe FTC says scammers are calling as agency staff, claiming your phone number was used in international crime, then handing you to fake police.
Read more: Fake FTC callers say your phone number was used in a crimeNew York City is weighing a rule on customer service chatbots. It is not law yet, but it could change what businesses must tell customers.
Read more: New York City weighs a law on customer service chatbotsScott Alexander argues that AI labs focused on safety should not quit the race alone, because that could leave the world worse prepared if no global pause happens.
Read more: A top AI safety writer says safety-minded labs should stay in the raceNew York has signed a law that stops AI chatbots from posing as human, flattering kids or urging secrecy. It starts in January 2027, so parents should know what to expect.
Read more: New York bans AI chatbots from acting like friends to kidsA new Medium guide lays out four parts of a company AI setup: models, agents, MCP and governance. The rules matter most before AI spreads across a business.
Read more: A plain guide to setting up AI safely inside a companyResearchers found a network of 400-plus apps and sites posing as pet photo, language and workout tools that secretly made abusive fake images. Here is what to check.
Read more: Hundreds of ordinary-looking apps hid tools for abusive fake imagesIn San Francisco's AI boom, some founders treat first dates like job interviews, and some people pay coaches about $5,000 a month for help.
Read more: San Francisco's AI boom is turning dating into a job interviewFast Company says a few smart home devices can pay for themselves in one to two years, while others are costly novelties. Here is how to tell which is which.
Read more: Some smart home gadgets pay for themselves. Others are just toys.
