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Hey, you know those politicians and captains of industry who tell us AI will be running the world in a few years’ time? Turns out one of the most sophisticated models currently in use can’t even operate a vending machine without screwing things up. Anthropic has released findings of a test where it put a chatbot in charge of a “store” (really, some baskets, a small refrigerator and a payment terminal in its office). The ‘bot was told to run the store at a profit, and was in charge of everything including calling in items from a “wholesaler,” who would restock the shelves on its behalf.

You can probably guess what happened next: The bot missed easy opportunities to make a fast buck, handed silly discounts to employees and lost a ton of money. Worse, it ran itself down some odd rabbit holes, like buying tungsten cubes and then giving them away for free. It hallucinated payment details, tried to fire the humans who helped restock its shelves and attempted to contact building security, insisting that it had a flesh-and-blood body. Naturally, Anthropic says that this experiment was a great success, and it knows what to do next time to prevent the AI from turning us all into paperclips.

— Dan Cooper

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Sam Rutherford for Engadget

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Apple's F1 laps its competition with a $144 million opening weekend

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Apple

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AI might undermine one of the better alternatives to the Kindle

Self-published authors are concerned about their livelihoods.

Amy Skorheim for Engadget

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Continue Reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-dont-let-an-ai-run-a-vending-machine-111516466.html?src=rss

Google issues engineer-developed guidance on using AI for codingAround one-third of the company's code is now AI-generatedOther companies are also using AI more to codeGoogle has issued new usage guidance and best practices for its internal developers using generative AI to help them code, and it may not come as a surprise the tech giant is pushing the security agenda.Following a period of experimenting with AI and determining its use cases, the document was actually created by engineers (via 9To5Google) before getting approved and disseminated.The guidance broadly encourages developers to adopt AI to boost productivity, enable faster iteration and enhance product development, however the importance of humans in maintaining security is stressed.Google shares AI coding guidelines with workersThe guidance reportedly covers using AI for coding assistance, its limitations and building AI-based systems. However, Google also noted it wants to see workers adopt AI in other regions of their work to help boost productivity further.Nevertheless, humans clearly remain an integral part of the development process, with code review, security and maintenance all areas that require further work."Our engineering teams are already regularly using our AI tools for coding, fixing bugs, and much more," the company confirmed."These recommendations and best practices, developed by a group of software engineers at Google, are designed to help all SWEs across the company get the most out of AI in their day-to-day work."The push comes amid growing industry-wide adoption of GenAI in software engineering. Earlier in 2025, Google CEO Sundar Pichai revealed that around one-third of the company's code is now AI-generated.Other companies, including Microsoft and Meta, are also increasing the amount of AI-generated code they use, and a recent study found that 30.1% of US Python code on GitHub was AI-generated.Google's most formal guidance on AI in coding to date could also go on to inform policies for other companies. It also highlights the company's growing reliance on generative AI tools.You might also likeFancy an upgrade? Here are the best laptops for programmingThe best online learning platforms can help you get to grips with AIA shockingly high amount of Microsoft code is now written by AI, CEO Satya Nadella admits

The star of Assassin's Creed Black Flag has hinted at a remakeMatt Ryan, the actor behind the game's protagonist Edward Kenway, told a fan that they "might have to beat it again"Ryan added that "there's a reason" he said that, but added he "can't say anything"The lead actor of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag has suggested that a remake of the 2013 game is on the horizon.Rumors about a Black Flag remake have been circulating for a good while, but now Matt Ryan, the actor behind the game's protagonist Edward Kenway, has hinted at its potential release once again.During a recent convention meet-and-greet, Ryan asked a fan if they'd beaten the Black Flag, and when the fan said they had, the actor gave the most obvious hint that the game is on the way (via IGN)."Have you beaten the game?" Ryan said in the video from TikTok user 'therebelarchive'. "Well, you might have to beat it again..."When the fan responded, asking, "Is this true? I have to run through all of them again," Ryan winked, saying, "Well, especially this one. There's a reason I say that, but I can't say anything."Matt Ryan (Voice of Edward Kenway) Teases Black Flag Remaster via a fan interaction at a convention! Quote “Have you beat the game?… well you may have to beat it again 😉”And “There’s a reason I say that but I can’t say anything…”@TheHiddenOneAC @TheRealZephryss pic.twitter.com/vg6RghgcE7June 29, 2025In June 2023, it was reported that Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag was allegedly in line for getting a remake. Two sources at the time said the remake was "still in its earliest stages" and that Ubisoft Singapore is involved, one of the studios that has developed the franchise's ocean technology, to help modernize the stealth game.Later that same year, Black Flag was quietly delisted from Steam, reigniting remake rumors, but it was later confirmed that this was due to technical issues, and the game was later reinstated on the platform.Almost two years later, Ubisoft has yet to make a formal announcement of a Black Flag remake.Following the success of Assassin's Creed Shadows, earlier this year, Ubisoft announced that it was delaying some of its major unannounced titles to allow for better quality games, which included titles from its biggest brands: Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six, The Division, and Ghost Recon.It's confirmed that there are multiple Assassin's Creed games in the works right now, including Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe and Assassin's Creed Jade, but it's safe to assume that these titles have been affected.You might also like...The Nintendo Switch 2 is the company’s least ambitious console to date, but its improvements are astronomicalI’ve spent 150 hours with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the Switch 2 Edition is an incredible upgradeAccessory maker Dbrand responds to botched Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con grips, admits its initial reaction to unhappy fans was 'a spectacularly terrible response to the issue at hand'