China's AR Headset Has 360-Degree Vision

China was reported to have developed augmented reality (AR) headsets for its armored vehicle crews, aiming to boost battlefield awareness and cut reaction times. The system links to cameras and sensors on tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, projecting a 360-degree view through a transparent heads-up display.

The AR headsets let crews "see through" the armor that normally blocks visibility in heavily protected vehicles. Real-time video feeds overlay critical data, including vehicle status, ammunition levels, and targeting information. Commanders, drivers, and gunners can each select modes suited to their tasks.

The system has already appeared on the ZTZ-201 medium tank and on China’s newest combat support vehicles. Crews can maintain awareness in both open terrain and urban environments, during day or night operations. The modular design suggests the technology could fit across multiple platforms.

Chinese defense industry sources said the system provides "unprecedented situational awareness." They argue the technology marks a step forward in efforts to modernize ground forces.

The headset goes beyond vision enhancement. Gunners can aim weapons by turning their heads or focusing their gaze. The system mirrors the U.S. Army’s Apache helicopter, where a 30 mm chain gun follows the pilot’s line of sight.

This integration promises faster reaction times. It also reduces the cognitive workload by letting operators act more intuitively. The crew can switch roles if needed, giving greater flexibility on the battlefield. Commanders and drivers retain separate functionality, ensuring they stay focused on their tasks.

The system’s reliance on external sensors also makes it suitable for networked warfare. Vehicles could share targeting and surveillance data across units, giving Chinese armored formations a collective view of the battlefield.

China’s AR concept reflects a broader military trend. The U.S. Army is testing its Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) goggles for soldiers, which also overlay digital data onto real-world views. By adapting similar ideas to tanks and fighting vehicles, China signals its push to integrate digital technology across services.

The headsets include mission-critical displays of vehicle status and system health. With all this information available at eye level, crews can make faster decisions without relying on separate screens.

It remains unclear if the AR headsets are already in operational use. They may still be at the demonstration stage, as shown on the ZTZ-201 and related vehicles. But defense analysts note that the design appears ready for wider adoption once trials conclude.

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Google Denies Report Gmail Was Compromised

Google has debunked a series of reports that claimed Gmail has been hit with a "major" security issue in recent days. "We want to reassure our users that Gmail’s protections are strong and effective," the company said in a somewhat unusual statement.

"Several inaccurate claims surfaced recently that incorrectly stated that we issued a broad warning to all Gmail users about a major Gmail security issue. This is entirely false."

Google doesn't detail the erroneous claims in its post. But, as Forbes points out, it seems to be referring to several recent reports that stated the company issued an "emergency warning" to all of its 2.5 billion users in response to a phishing attack that targeted a Salesforce instance used by the company.

That incident, however, was first reported by Google in early June, and the company said in an 8 August update that it had finished notifying everyone affected.

It's not clear why that report resurfaced now or how it was misconstrued into a supposed warning impacting all Gmail users, but Google is now trying to set the record straight. "While it’s always the case that phishers are looking for ways to infiltrate inboxes, our protections continue to block more than 99.9 percent of phishing and malware attempts from reaching users," the company said. "It’s crucial that conversation in this space is accurate and factual."

Google also notes that it encourages all users to set up "a secure password alternative," such as a passkey for maximum protection.

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Microsoft Introduces Its Two In-House AI Models

Tech giant Microsoft has expanded its AI footprint with the release of two new models that its teams trained completely in-house.

MAI-Voice-1 is the tech major's first natural speech generation model, while MAI-1-preview is text-based and is the company's first foundation model trained end-to-end. MAI-Voice-1 is currently being used in the Copilot Daily and Podcast features. Microsoft has made MAI-1-preview available for public tests on LMArena, and will begin previewing it in select Copilot situations in the coming weeks.

In an interview with Semafor, Microsoft AI division leader Mustafa Suleyman said the pair of models was developed with a focus on efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

MAI-Voice-1 runs on a single GPU and MAI-1-preview was trained on about 15,000 Nvidia H-100 GPUs. For context, other models, such as xAI's Grok, took more than 100,000 of those chips for training. "Increasingly, the art and craft of training models is selecting the perfect data and not wasting any of your flops on unnecessary tokens that didn’t actually teach your model very much," Suleyman said.

Although it is being used to test the in-house models, Microsoft Copilot is primarily built on OpenAI's GPT tech. The decision to build its own models, despite having sunk billion-dollar investments in the newer AI company, indicates that Microsoft wants to be an independent competitor in this space. While that could take time to reach parity with the companies that have emerged as forerunners in AI development, Suleyman told Semafor that Microsoft has "an enormous five-year roadmap that we're investing in quarter after quarter."

With some concerns arising that AI could be facing a bubble-pop, Microsoft's timeline will need to be aggressive to ensure taking the independent path is worthwhile.

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Google Warned Gmail Users About This New Threat

Google has sounded the alarm with an emergency warning to all Gmail users, urging extra caution amid a growing cyber threat linked to a major third-party breach. While the company stresses that its own systems remain secure, the incident has opened the door for hackers to exploit stolen data in new and deceptive ways.

Here’s what you need to know and why it matters for your own inbox.

Google has issued a stark warning to Gmail users after uncovering a fresh wave of cyberattacks linked to one of the internet’s most notorious hacking groups. The threat emerged following a breach of Salesforce’s cloud platform, which left individuals and organizations using Google services more vulnerable to intrusion.

With Gmail and Google Cloud serving an estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide, the company is urging users to remain vigilant, monitor accounts closely, and strengthen their security measures to reduce the risk of compromise.

According to Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (TAG), the first signs of these attacks were detected in June, when researchers discovered that hackers were relying on social engineering tactics—specifically impersonating IT support staff—to deceive targets. By August, Google confirmed that the group had achieved several "successful intrusions" through the use of compromised passwords.

Although the stolen data was described as "basic and largely publicly available business information," it has since been weaponized to fuel more damaging schemes. "We believe threat actors using the 'ShinyHunters' brand may be preparing to escalate their extortion tactics by launching a data leak site (DLS)," TAG explained in a recent blog post. "These new tactics are likely intended to increase pressure on victims, including those associated with the recent UNC6040 Salesforce-related data breaches."

The vishing method, where attackers pose as IT personnel over the phone, has proven "particularly effective in tricking employees," Google noted, with victims largely concentrated in English-speaking branches of global corporations.

All users identified as impacted by the incident were formally notified by Google via email on 8 August 2025.

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Microsoft Asked FBI To Help Identify Protesters

Microsoft was reported to have requested the help of the FBI and local police in tracking down and contain a wave of Gaza-related protests by its own employees — who over the weekend showed up on kayaks in front of the lakeside homes of the tech giant’s top executives.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to Lake Washington last 24 August, circling near the waterfront mansions of CEO Satya Nadella and President Brad Smith with banners and chants accusing Microsoft of profiting from Israel’s war in Gaza, according to Bloomberg News.

The report was published hours before at least two pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested for taking part in a group sit-in during which they occupied Smith’s office at Microsoft headquarters, according to a report.

The dramatic scene was the latest in the growing revolt inside the world’s largest software maker, where a group of workers calling itself "No Azure for Apartheid" has spent nearly a year demanding the company cut ties with Israel’s military.

They argue Microsoft’s Azure cloud service is helping fuel war crimes. Instead of bowing to pressure, the company turned to law enforcement.

Internal emails reviewed by Bloomberg show Microsoft investigators contacted the FBI’s Seattle office, flagging employees and even relatives linked to protests while warning that demonstrations could disrupt major events.

"One of our former employees in particular, Hossam Nasr, has been quite active in his posts targeting Microsoft and that we are complicit in genocide," a director of investigations told the bureau.

Nasr, a software engineer who remains active with "No Azure for Apartheid," and another colleague were reportedly fired by Microsoft in October of last year for organizing a lunchtime vigil and fundraiser for Palestinians in Gaza at company headquarters in Redmond, Wash.

When reached by Bloomberg, the FBI declined to discuss its dealings with Microsoft but said it focuses on criminal threats while respecting free speech.

In April, engineer Ibtihal Aboussad hurled a Palestinian keffiyeh onto the stage during a keynote speech by AI chief Mustafa Suleyman.

Hours later, colleague Vaniya Agrawal interrupted a panel featuring Nadella, Gates and Ballmer. Both resigned in protest.

Weeks later, engineer Joe Lopez jumped on a chair during Nadella’s remarks, accusing him of “perpetuating war crimes.” He was fired that night.

And last week, police zip-tied and hauled off 20 protesters after they formed a “liberated zone” on a Redmond plaza and chanted executives’ names.

Smith defended the crackdown.

"To have them engaging in vandalism and destructive behavior obviously makes clear that this aspect of the issue is no longer about dialogue with employees," Smith told Bloomberg.

"It’s a matter for law enforcement, and that’s how we’re treating it."

For Microsoft — which has largely avoided the scandals dogging its Big Tech peers — the controversy thrusts it into the center of one of the most polarizing issues in global politics. The company insists it isn’t complicit in Israel’s war effort.

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