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• YouTube is introducing AI age checks in the US to filter inappropriate content
• Machine learning will base decisions on searched videos and categories, among other criteria
• This announcement follows the recent blocking of YouTube in Australia for minors and restrictions on social media in the UK

YouTube has announced the introduction of AI-based checks to determine the age of viewers.

This news comes days after a complete ban on YouTube access for under-16s in Australia, and the introduction of age verification checks in the UK under the Online Safety Act.

Trialing the technology with a sample audience in the US, YouTube plans to expand it across the country, tailoring experiences based on the viewer’s age.

This doesn’t just mean blocking unsuitable content. Personalized advertising will also be disabled for children, while older viewers will be required to provide government-issued ID to confirm their age if the AI gets it wrong.

YouTube’s “built-in protections”

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

In a blog post, Director of Product Management for YouTube Youth, James Beser, wrote that "machine learning age estimation" is being employed to protect teens on YouTube.

Distinguishing the new measures from previous incentives such as YouTube Kids and supervised accounts for teens, Beser explained that the platform would work towards presenting age-appropriate videos.

"Over the next few weeks, we’ll begin to roll out machine learning to a small set of users in the US to estimate their age, so that teens are treated as teens and adults as adults," said Beser.

Machine learning will record the searches and video categories, and the AI will make decisions based on these and other factors, including the age of the account.

"This technology will allow us to infer a user’s age and then use that signal, regardless of the birthday in the account, to deliver our age-appropriate product experiences and protections," Beser adds.

These protections include disabling personalized advertising when children are watching, and switching on digital wellbeing tools. (These currently include break reminders, daily timers, and even a bedtime reminder.) In addition, recommendations will be safeguarded, with blocks on some repeated content.

These measures would seem to be VPN-proof, too. There would be no point any government banning VPNs if the AI-based measures are universal and cannot be circumvented.

What's next?

Over the years, criticism of YouTube’s granular content controls has resulted in a subscription service (YouTube Kids), supervised accounts, and Google Family Link integration.

The timing of this announcement, following the decision to include YouTube in Australia’s under-16s social media ban, cannot be a coincidence.

After all, it looks like this is not just a US-only endeavor. “We are now bringing it to the US, and as we make progress, we’ll roll it out in other markets,” Beser writes.

Considering recent events, the UK would seem to be high on that list of markets, followed by key EU nations imposing age verification measures.

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• Big Sleep AI-powered vulnerability hunter built by DeepMind and Project Zero
• The first batch of 20 vulnerabilities it has spotted have been announced
• Details are under wraps to give devs time to patch them

Google's AI-powered tool designed to find bugs, Big Sleep, has reported its first batch of 20 security vulnerabilities in open source software.

Developed by AI and security teams from Google's DeepMind and Project Zero, the first vulnerabilities were found in the likes of FFmpeg and ImageMagick, however details of those vulnerabilities remain undisclosed until they have been patched.

Google says Big Sleep marks a significant step forward in app security, with AI capable of autonomously uncovering and reporting vulnerabilities more effectively than human security workers.

Big Sleep digs up the dirt on open source software bugs

Each of the 20 bugs was found and reproduced autonomously by Big Sleep, though Google notes that a human expert does review the findings before making reports public - with human review important to temper worries over false positives or hallucinated bugs by ensuring the issues are worthy of being reported to their respective developers.

Finer details like CVE IDs, technical explanations and proofs of concept are withheld for now under Google's 90-day policy to give developers time to patch the vulnerabilities without attackers getting in first.

"By November 2024, Big Sleep was able to find its first real-world security vulnerability, showing the immense potential of AI to plug security holes before they impact users," President of Global Affairs Kent Walker boasted in a blog post.

VP for Security Engineering, Heather Adkins, announced the news in an X post: "Today as part of our commitment to transparency in this space, we are proud to announce that we have reported the first 20 vulnerabilities discovered using our AI-based "Big Sleep" system powered by Gemini."

Google keeps a full list of vulnerabilities, which currently includes the first 20, separated into high, medium and low impact issues.

Google plans a full technical briefing at the upcoming Black Hat USA and DEF CON 33 events, and will donate anonymized training data to the Secure AI Framework so other researchers can benefit from the tech.

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• A limited edition 8BitDo controller celebrating Rare's 40th anniversary has been spotted at Amazon
• The blue/yellow gamepad features emblems from the developer's most iconic titles
• It's revealed shortly after the cancellation of Everwild, which would've been the studio's next big game

It's definitely been a trying year for Rare, but there is at least something to shout about for fans of the legendary Twycross-based developer in the form of a limited edition 8BitDo controller.

This 8BitDo Ultimate controller for Xbox consoles and PC has been spotted over at Amazon (via Eurogamer), and is intended to celebrate the company's 40th anniversary. No release date has been revealed yet, and it seems like it'll only be available to US audiences at present.

It's definitely one of the nicest limited edition 8BitDo controllers to date, featuring a blue and yellow color scheme reminiscent of the developer's logo. It's also emblazoned with iconography from some of its most renowned titles, including Sea of Thieves and Banjo-Kazooie. There's even a banana there as a cheeky nod to the Donkey Kong Country series as well as Donkey Kong 64.

If you're unfamiliar with the 8BitDo controller, it's a bit of a revelation in the third-party gamepad space. It features Hall effect thumbsticks made to combat drift, two remappable buttons for secondary inputs, and a 2.4GHz dongle for wireless connectivity.

The 8BitDo Ultimate also includes a charging dock in the box, for a clever and easy way to keep the pad topped up. I consider it to be one of the best Xbox controllers and best Nintendo Switch controllers on the market today.

I can't help but feel bittersweet about the reveal of this controller, though. While Sea of Thieves is a tremendous game and continues to enjoy a dedicated player base, Rare's 40th year hasn't exactly been smooth-sailing.

The developer's next game, Everwild, was recently canceled. This is in spite of comments from Xbox boss Phil Spencer back in February of this year, where he claimed the game's development was progressing. Rare also created the Perfect Dark series, an immersive sim-esque reboot of which was also shuttered along with its developer The Initiative amidst another round of Xbox Game Studios layoffs.

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Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 will launch next week, adding a brand new Hero into the mix, and refreshing Competitive Mode ranks and rewards. We've now had the full reveal on what's set to change, including details on Blade, the new Team Ups, and all incoming buffs and nerfs.

What's new in Marvel Rivals?

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals will be launching into Season 3.5 later this week, and NetEase has shared the full roadmap for the new update. Looks like we'll be getting a new event alongside the launch of Season 3.5, and can look forward to skins for Peni Parker, Scarlet Witch, and Iron Man in the future. For full info on what's set to be added on August 8, visit our Marvel Rivals patch notes guide.

In my Marvel Rivals review, I praised the game's huge suite of Heroes, and the surprising amount of depth found when trying out each one. With Season 3.5, there's set to be another Hero added, as well as an overhaul to the roadmap. Since its launch, Marvel Rivals has changed quite a bit, adding smart changes to Competitive Mode while giving players something to work toward. It's consistent updates like this that make Marvel Rivals a worthy inclusion in our best PC Games of 2025 list.

Here's everything you need to know about the next season of Marvel Rivals, including when the current one ends, and what to expect from the new Heroes that are being added. As release day draws nearer, I'll update this page with all of the latest news and info.

When is the next season of Marvel Rivals?

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 will launch following downtime that's planned for August 8, 2025. This is according to recent info given by NetEase alongside the full reveal of Season 3.5.

When does the current season of Marvel Rivals end?

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals Season 3 will end on August 8 at 5AM EDT / 2AM PDT / 10AM BST, for a few hours of downtime before the launch of the new season. Keep an eye on the official Marvel Rivals website for any changes.

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 new Team Up changes

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 brings in a bunch of new Team Ups, while removing existing ones. The first new one adds Luna Snow and Adam Warlock, unlocking powerful synergistic healing. Here's what changed:

• Duality Dance: Luna Snow, Adam Warlock (NEW)
• Vibrant Vitality: Mantis, Groot, Loki (NEW)
• Ever-Burning Bond: Human Torch, Spider-Man (Balance Changes)
• Atlas Bond: Luna Snow, Iron Fist (Removed)
• Guardian Revival: Adam Warlock, Star Lord, Mantis (Removed)
• Chilling Assault: Luna Snow, Hawkeye, Iron Fist (Iron Fist added)
• Lunar Force: Cloak & Dagger, Moon Knight, Blade (Blade added)
• Ragnarok Rebirth: Hela, Loki, Thor (Loki adjusted)
• Rocket Network: Peni Parker, Rocket Raccoon, Star Lord (Star Lord added)

Marvel Rivals latest Hero balancing changes

In the Developer Vision video you can view above, some general balance updates applied to Marvel Rivals alongside the latest seasonal update are explained in full. We've collected the key points in the list below:

• Hero balancing (buffs): Star Lord, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Dr Strange, Groot, Thor, Adam Warlock,
• Hero Balancing (nerfs): Black Panther, Wolverine, Magneto, Mantis, Cloak & Dagger
• New Hero schedule: One per month from Season 3 onwards
• New mode: Resource Rumble
• Maps: Throne of Knull
• Competitive Mode: New ranked rewards, increased penalties for quitting, point compensation
• Misc: Voice-Chat monitoring, text chat filtering, shader compilation changes

Marvel Rivals Blade

Blade is the main Hero being added for Marvel Rivals Season 3.5. He's a Duelist that wields a shotgun and a sword. He can use the sword to block incoming damage, and has an arcing leap ability to close the distance. His Ultimate ability deals massive damage over a large area with the sword.

Marvel Rivals next season FAQWho was the last Hero to be added to Marvel Rivals?

Phoenix was the last Hero to be added to Marvel Rivals. She's a ranged Duelist that deals great burst damage with flaming attacks. She has a dash to escape diving enemies, and her Ultimate is great for clearing the battlefield of support items like spider-mines, Loki clones, and Rocket revive hubs.

Who are the next characters coming to Marvel Rivals?

The next Hero that'll be added to Marvel Rivals is Blade. Beyond that we don't know who's set to arrive in Season 4, though we only have a month to wait now.

What season is Marvel Rivals in?

Marvel Rivals is currently in Season 3. This started on July 11, and should run through to August 8. We'll then be in Season 3.5.

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When I first started as an engineer in the semiconductor industry, we worked on pretty boring electronics. Laptops, portable phones, gaming computers – not the most exciting stuff by today’s standards. Then some smart engineer on the U.S. West Coast took a portable mobile phone and a portable computer, stuffed them into each other and called it a smartphone. It’s basically a data display device. And we were super proud of our smartphones.

And when these data display devices were combined with big storage and big compute in the cloud, well that’s what enabled an on-demand world. A world that allows us to order whatever we want with only a couple of clicks.

Now, after decades of technology advancements, we are moving from an on-demand world, to one that anticipates our needs and automates to address them. In this world an ever-growing number of connected systems – cars, smart homes, factory floor sensors, healthcare devices – process data right where it’s captured.

At the intelligent edge, manual devices transform into autonomous and responsible robots. These robots will be powered by engineering innovations, new design processes, and advances in sensors and AI.

What can we expect in this new world? Think about this for a minute. Over the next few decades, our homes will be able to predict maintenance needs, keep our families safe, and even order food for the fridge. Sound more like dream than reality? I am telling you - it is not. And it’s more than just our homes. Driving will be entirely automated too, and cars themselves will be convenience spaces where you can relax or work while you ride.

This intelligent world is closer than you think. But how will we get there?

Creating our digital twins

One of the most important steps toward autonomous and responsible robots has been underway for decades: the creation of digital twins. These are virtual models of physical objects, located within the cloud. For an individual, that might be the state of your health, wealth, and your physical presence. It also applies to homes, businesses, hospitals, and even cars.

But simply digitizing the physical world will only take us so far. We need to enable this digital world to reach out to its physical counterpart. In doing so, these digital twins will be able to connect with each other, optimize and learn from each other. Then, and this is the critical part, they apply that knowledge in the real world. Only once we achieve this, can autonomous robots truly become a reality.

From manual machines to autonomous robots

We need to enable machines to sense, think, connect, and act in our physical world. And what is most important, we need to make sure they always do so responsibly – with safety and security at the core of everything they do. Because you will never hand over control to a robot that you do not trust.

Largely, building acting machines has been achieved over the past 140 years. These machines have just always required a human to provide input or oversight. More recently, connectivity challenges have been solved in the 1990s and early 2000s. Now our real challenges lie in enabling machines to sense and think.

The automotive industry is a clear example of where we’ve fallen short here so far. Around 2016, everyone thought that self-driving cars were around the corner. Theoretically, we had the technology to make them work. Yet fully autonomous driving still remains out of reach. So, what went wrong?

The gap between the autonomous driving future that was predicted, and today’s reality comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of AI systems. We thought that simply having an AI system that’s trained on how we drive would be enough.

It’s like expecting to be able to hand the keys to your teenager and letting them drive simply because they’d been in the car with you for years. In the real world, people need to train and pass deterministic tests before they are given a driver’s license. That layer of trust, safety, and security is what was missing.

Enabling the brain shift

To get the safety and security part right, today’s AI (the brain of the robot) requires a new approach. And where better to look for inspiration than the human brain itself.

Our brains are largely broken into three areas: the cerebrum facilitates perception, the cerebellum coordinates action and vital functions, and the brain stem regulates real time functions and powers reflexes. For humans, all of these are crucial. But for robots, it depends on their use.

Back to the autonomous car example, the highest priority is function and safety. For this, we need reflexes and coordination in conjunction with sensors. For a self-driving car, that translates at a base level to functional and safe power management and a real-time neural information transportation system.

Or in other words, reliable Power Management Integrated Circuits (PMIC) and processors that can handle all the information that comes in from a vast array of sensors.

Beyond that, you need modular software building blocks. This is because it’s software that defines how autonomous vehicles function. Having pre-built blocks of software also means that production can be adapted even at scale.

If you’ve got building blocks for compute, networking, power management, and more, you can minimize the time spent on basic functionality. With that, you can invest more effort into bringing products to market or solving difficult challenges.

While self-driving cars are the most familiar example today, this brain shift taking place is laying the groundwork for other intelligent machines in the future.

Building on intelligent foundations

Re-engineering the robot brain is important, but it’s not only thing needed for a world that anticipates and automates. We also need ongoing improvements to sensors, along with a common language to enable interoperability across these robots. These are all areas where we are making rapid progress: with high-resolution radar, ultra-wideband signals, and the Matter standard to name just a few innovations.

A better world built around autonomous and proactive robots might feel like a concept from science fiction. But if you look at the advances making our vehicles, our homes and our factories smarter and safer today, it’s clear we’re laying the right foundations.

We have kicked the door open towards a world that anticipates and automates – now industry players, academia, researchers, engineers, and policy makers have the chance to bring this “robot awakening” to reality – and create a truly intelligent and trusted future.

We list the best Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

As ceasefire talks stall Israel's government weighs a full occupation of Gaza, Texas Republicans threaten to arrest Democratic lawmakers unless they return to the State House, why a NASA satellite that scientists and farmers rely on may be destroyed on purpose.

Just days after the U.S. Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited Israel and met with hostages' families, the Israeli government considers a full occupation of the Gaza Strip, including areas where hostages are held.

It’s no secret that stress isn’t good for you. But just how bad is it? Well, in the last few decades, scientists have linked psychological stress to changes in our DNA that look a lot like what happens on the molecular level as we age. Today on the show, host Regina G. Barber talks to freelance science journalist Diana Kwon about the latest research on stress and aging, including a new hypothesis for how your brain handles aging — and what science could do about all of it.

Interested in more aging science? Let us know at shortwave@npr.org.

Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

(Image credit: peterschreiber.media)

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) took effect on June 28, 2025, introducing new legal requirements for digital accessibility across the European Union (EU).

A 2024 WebAIM study found that 97% of the world’s leading websites do not currently meet compliance standards. The EAA applies to companies providing digital products and services in the EU, regardless of where they are based. This means businesses in the US, Asia and elsewhere will also need to ensure compliance.

Many companies are unprepared because accessibility is not seen as a priority. According to a recent Storyblok report, 18.5% of surveyed companies were completely unaware of the EAA, and 16% had not yet started making necessary changes. Even among those that have knowledge of the EAA, only a quarter feel fully prepared.

A lack of resources, technical complexity and low awareness at the leadership level contribute to the slow pace of progress. Accessibility is also often treated as a compliance issue rather than an integral part of digital strategy, which leads to delays in implementation.

Failure to comply

Failing to comply with the EAA comes with financial and operational risks. Fines range from €5,000 to €20,000 per violation, with additional penalties for ongoing non-compliance. Businesses that do not meet the requirements may also face reputational damage, loss of customers and restrictions on selling products or services in the EU.

Putting aside the legal implications, it’s worth remembering that accessibility affects a significant portion of the population, with more than 135 million people in the EU living with some form of disability. Companies that do not address accessibility risk excluding a substantial number of potential customers.

Businesses do not need to overhaul their entire IT infrastructure overnight, but they do need to start making changes. Conducting an accessibility audit is a good first step. Websites and digital products should be tested against Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 standards.

While automated tools like Lighthouse and Axe can help flag common issues, manual testing is also necessary. Involving users who rely on assistive technologies provides valuable insight into usability challenges.

Improving accessibility

A headless content management system (CMS) can also make accessibility improvements easier. Separating content from design allows businesses to implement accessibility features consistently across different platforms without needing to redo everything from scratch. Companies should also prioritize smaller, manageable updates such as adding alternative text to images, improving color contrast and ensuring keyboard navigation works correctly while planning more extensive updates in the long term.

Employee training is critical. Accessibility needs to be embedded into company culture and everyday business processes. Regular training ensures that developers, designers and content creators understand best practices and apply them in their work. Compliance teams should also keep up with regulatory updates, as accessibility requirements will continue to develop.

Beyond compliance

Beyond compliance, accessibility offers a business advantage. Research from Storyblok shows that 69% of companies recognize accessibility as a way to improve customer experience and engagement. Digital products designed with accessibility in mind tend to be more user-friendly for everyone, not just those with disabilities. Investing in accessibility now can also prepare businesses for future technological developments, such as voice search and AI-driven user interfaces, which will benefit from inclusive design.

A common misconception is that improving accessibility means starting from scratch. In reality, small changes can have a big impact. Adding captions to videos, ensuring text descriptions for all non-text content and enabling text resizing without loss of functionality are straightforward but effective adjustments. Keyboard accessibility is another critical aspect, as many users rely on keyboards or alternative input devices to navigate digital interfaces.

Businesses that prioritize accessibility often see direct commercial gains. For example, retailers that optimize their websites for accessibility have reported increased conversions, as customers with disabilities, often an underserved market, find it easier to complete transactions. Financial institutions that improve accessibility features in online banking have seen an increase in customer retention and trust. The demand for inclusive digital experiences is growing and organizations that act now can establish themselves as leaders in this space.

Increasing scrutiny

Regulatory bodies are also increasing scrutiny on compliance. In some countries, lawsuits related to web accessibility have surged, with high-profile cases leading to costly settlements. Large companies have faced legal action for failing to provide accessible digital experiences and these cases are expected to become more common as awareness grows. For multinational businesses, aligning with accessibility standards is not just about meeting the minimum EU requirements but also establishing best practices that will serve them globally.

There is no time to waste. The transition period before enforcement is running out and businesses that wait until the last-minute risk rushed implementations that may still fall short of compliance. Accessibility should be viewed as an ongoing process rather than a one-time fix. Regular audits, user testing and engagement with accessibility experts can help companies stay on track and adapt to future regulations.

Technology also continues to develop and businesses that embed web accessibility into their digital strategies will be better positioned for emerging innovations. AI-driven accessibility tools, voice interfaces and adaptive design techniques are transforming how users interact with digital content. Organizations that invest in accessibility now will be better prepared for these shifts making digital services easier to use across a wider range of users and devices.

Investing in accessibility

Organizations that take a structured approach - starting with audits, implementing incremental improvements and investing in accessibility training will be in a stronger position to comply with regulations and serve a wider audience.

Accessibility should be treated like any other core compliance risk: it needs clear ownership, regular reporting, and cross-functional collaboration. Working closely with developers, designers, and legal teams will help surface issues early and prevent gaps in future projects. Waiting until next year is likely to mean rushed fixes and greater exposure. Building the right internal processes now will reduce that risk and make ongoing compliance more manageable.

Compliance professionals must act decisively. The EAA is a fundamental shift in how digital services must be designed and delivered. Failing to act in time could expose organizations to legal scrutiny, increased litigation risks and potential exclusion from key markets. Regulators will not view accessibility failures as minor oversights but as breaches of consumer rights.

Key Takeaways

Compliance teams should take a proactive approach, conducting thorough risk assessments to identify where their digital services fall short. Establishing internal policies and governance frameworks will be critical, ensuring accessibility is embedded into all future development work. Training employees, integrating accessibility checks into procurement processes and working closely with IT and legal teams will help organizations maintain compliance beyond the 2025 deadline.

Meeting accessibility standards requires sustained effort. Ongoing updates, oversight and accountability are essential to remain compliant over time. Businesses that prioritize it now will meet regulatory demands but, more importantly, position themselves as leaders in ethical and responsible digital practices.

Key Takeaways:

1.Businesses operating in the EU must comply, regardless of where they are based.

2.A lack of awareness, technical challenges, and limited resources are common barriers.

3.Non-compliance carries financial penalties and reputational risks. It can also limit market access within the EU.

4.Practical steps, such as accessibility audits, CMS updates and staff training, can help businesses meet requirements.

5.Improving accessibility benefits all users and makes digital platforms more user-friendly. It is a long-term investment, not just a compliance issue.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Security operations are under pressure from all sides. Threats are faster, attack surfaces are expanding, and demands on people and tools continue to grow. At the center of it all, one constant holds: Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) remains a cornerstone of the modern SOC. According to a recent 2025 Security Operations Insights Report, nine in ten security and IT leaders still consider SIEM essential to safeguarding their organizations.

This underscores a core truth: SIEM isn’t outdated. It’s indispensable. But like any critical system, it must adapt to meet today’s realities and tomorrow’s risks.

The future of SIEM isn’t about ripping and replacing the industry itself. It’s about reimagining how it can better serve security teams, moving from static log aggregation and reactive alerts to intelligent automation, real-time insight, and proactive defense. The shift is already underway with AI as the catalyst. It’s changing not only what SIEM platforms can do, but how teams interact with them day to day.

The limitations of traditional SIEM

SIEM emerged in response to the industry demand for centralized visibility and log correlation across digital environments, enabling teams to sift through overwhelming event data and generate alerts in early-generation SOCs. And while first-generation SIEM delivered many improvements to SecOps, it has long struggled with more sophisticated capabilities like real-time analysis and alert accuracy.

Over time, these shortcomings have intensified. Security teams receive thousands of alerts per day across countless services, and nearly half of those alerts remain uninvestigated due to their volume and talent scarcity. Workflows are fragmented, triage is time-consuming, and teams are forced to manually gather context across disparate tools.

These daily pressures are contributing to widespread burnout and fatigue across the cybersecurity workforce, costing U.S. enterprises over $600 million in lost productivity each year. The result is slower detection, delayed response, and greater risk exposure.

This points to a growing disconnect between what SIEM delivers and what organizations need. While the core concept behind SIEM remains essential, most tools today fall short of delivering the speed, scalability and intelligence required to defend today’s digital environments. The Security Operations Insights Report also found that, of the security and IT leaders that view SIEM as relevant, three-fourths are actively considering alternatives.

The case for Intelligent SecOps

The growing strain on security teams has made one thing clear: SIEM platforms have an opportunity to evolve into a service that realistically supports the needs and environments that teams work in today. Intelligent SecOps represents this shift: a model where the core principles of SIEM are preserved, but transformed through AI, automation and cloud-native scale.

According to the same survey, 90% of security leaders see AI as an extremely or very important factor in their decision to adopt a new security solution. These leaders are looking for tools that not only collect data, but help them act on it – faster, smarter, and with greater context.

1. Smarter Triage: Less Noise, More Signal

AI models help reduce false positives by continuously learning from threat intelligence, analyst feedback and environmental patterns. By enriching and prioritizing alerts, these systems elevate the most actionable signals, helping teams focus on the threats that truly matter.

2. Automated Investigations and Contextual Enrichment

Modern SIEM platforms powered by AI offer more than detection. Rather, they automate early-stage investigations by enriching alerts with context, mapping related events and visualizing likely attack paths. Assistive tools like AI copilots can surface key insights instantly, reducing manual work and accelerating decision-making.

3. Proactive Threat Detection with Behavioral Analytics

AI tools enable behavior-based detection that goes beyond static rules or known indicators. By identifying deviations from normal patterns across users, endpoints and applications, these systems surface stealthy or evolving threats. Integrated frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK help contextualize behaviors and link them to known adversary tactics.

4. Accelerated Response Through Automation

With enriched alerts and intelligent correlation, teams can move faster from detection to containment. AI-powered workflows and playbooks enable automated responses, such as isolating hosts or disabling credentials, reducing the window of exposure and freeing analysts to focus on strategic analysis.

5. Cross-Environment Correlation and Real-Time Normalization

As digital environments stretch across cloud, on-prem and SaaS, AI helps normalize and correlate telemetry in real-time, surfacing threats that span infrastructure boundaries. This eliminates blind spots and supports unified investigation across an increasingly complex attack surface.

SIEM as a strategic partner

As threats grow more dynamic and resources remain constrained, the tools security teams rely on must become more than just dashboards. They must become intelligent partners. The evolution toward Intelligent SecOps is not just a technology upgrade. It’s a shift in how teams work, how they scale and how they think about risk. It reflects a broader change in mindset, away from reactive firefighting and toward resilient, intelligence-led operations.

The SOCs of tomorrow will not be defined by how many alerts they generate, but by how intelligently and efficiently they respond. AI-powered SIEM is at the heart of that move towards Intelligent SecOps, bringing clarity to chaos and action to insight.

We've listed the best Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Gov. Bill Lee declined to grant a reprieve Monday amid uncertainty about whether the implantable defibrillator will shock Byron Black's heart when the lethal drug takes effect.

(Image credit: AP)

The trial of the far-right leader is receiving renewed attention after U.S. President Donald Trump directly tied a 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods to his ally's judicial situation.

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The State Department said it would start a pilot program that will require cash deposits to tourist and business visas for people from countries with high overstay rates.

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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Aug. 5

Don't try to play your new Switch 2 in a hot room.

• New images claim to show the iPhone 17 Air’s battery
• It looks to be about half the width of the iPhone 17 Pro’s battery
• Apple is reportedly working on advanced battery tech for the device

The iPhone 17 Air could be one of the best iPhones in many years, and with just a month until Apple is expected to unveil it, details and specifications have started to leak out. The latest rumor concerns the phone’s battery, and it raises some important questions about Apple’s slimline device.

As the name suggests, the iPhone 17 Air is tipped to be the thinnest iPhone in recent memory. That means it’s going to need a super-svelte battery on the inside, and that’s exactly what new images from Korean blog site Naver appear to detail.

There, leaker yeux1122 posted two images showing what they purport to be the iPhone 17 Air’s battery. In the first picture, the leaked battery is compared to one from the iPhone 17 Pro, with yeux1122 claiming that the former is just 2.49mm thick. Judging it by eye, it looks to be about half the width of the iPhone 17 Pro’s battery, which itself was leaked just a few days ago.

Battery capacity versus battery life

(Image credit: yeux1122)

Clearly, cutting down the battery dimensions is necessary in a phone as slim as the iPhone 17 Air is expected to be. But that’s not the only consideration for Apple: it will need to ensure that the longevity of the battery is not negatively impacted by its size.

A previous leak from yeux1122 claimed that the iPhone 17 Air’s battery would have a 2,800mAh capacity. That’s notably less than the 3,582mAh battery in the iPhone 16 Pro and well below the 4,685mAh battery you’ll find in the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Still, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the iPhone 17 Air will have poor battery life – after all, much of it comes down to how demanding the hardware and software are, and Apple is traditionally very good at optimizing these to eke out more battery life – something it’s rumored to be doing in iOS 26.

Also, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously claimed that Apple will use a “high-density” battery, while other rumors have pointed towards Apple using a new kind of advanced battery tech in the iPhone 17 Air.

Right now, this is all hearsay, and we won’t know for sure how well the iPhone 17 Air’s battery will perform until the device goes on sale in September. Despite its supposedly ultra-thin dimensions, it might still post respectable battery numbers – but all we can do for now is wait for further news and leaks to emerge.

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