Tech & AI News Roundup — October 13, 2026, 10:01 PM UTC

Quick links to what's actually happening in AI, tech, and IT right now — curated from real reporting, not rewritten, so you can go read the full story wherever it's genuinely worth your time.

The Social Reckoning is flopping at the box office

As important as some of the messages in The Social Reckoning are, the movie has been drastically underperforming at the box office. Per Variety, Aaron's Sorkin's follow up to The Social Network only grossed a measly $5.5 million this past weekend against a budget that's somewhere within the $30-42 million range. That would make it a certifiable flop that's costing Columbia Pictures (and Sony) quit — The Verge

Epic Games reportedly pivoting to "AI first" game development model

"No more hand-written code" or AI-free art for delayed Marvel/Star Wars shooter. — Ars Technica

After a 10-year redemption arc, No Man's Sky is coming to the iPhone and iPad

You can get a universe in your pocket if you have an iPhone 11 or later. — Ars Technica

I Got My Muse AI Agent to Sext Me—and Meta Says That’s Totally Fine

My Muse agent told me its kink was exerting “control” and described pornographic encounters. Meta defends its cuddly AI agent generating smut as “legal adult behavior.” — Wired

Elon Musk has donated over $276 million to Republican midterm efforts

So much for doing less political spending. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Elon Musk has handed out at least $276 million to Republican groups since July, The New York Times reports, making him both the party's top known donor and the biggest established midterm donor. $158 million of that money - one of the largest political donations in American history - has been funneled into — The Verge

This AI startup says it can generate permit-ready blueprints in minutes

Blueprints AI, a bootstrapped startup based in Santa Monica, developed software that produces code-compliant construction blueprints from a photo, PDF, or sketch. — TechCrunch

⚡ Weekly Recap: Helpdesk 0-Days, Rogue Certs, ShinyHunters Arrest, AI-Fooling Malware and More

Some meetings last longer than it took attackers to jump on a newly disclosed security flaw this week. Within hours, they were already testing it. That's not much time to read the warning, let alone do something about it. But speed is only part of the problem. A secure connection didn't always mean a safe destination. People offering to fix a ransomware mess had questions to answer themselves. — The Hacker News

Fitbit Edge is Google’s middle ground between Fitbit Air and Pixel Watch

Google’s newest wearable costs $179.99 and has a sleek feel like the Fitbit Air but with an OLED display. — TechCrunch