Welcome to the September 3, 2025 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for computer professionals three times a week.

HEADLINES AT A GLANCE

• Google Avoids Harshest Penalties in Landmark Search Monopoly Ruling
• AI Co-Pilot Boosts Noninvasive BCI by Interpreting User Intent
• EU to Expand Satellite Defenses After GPS Jamming of EC President's Flight
• New Mexico to Invest $315 Million in Quantum Computing Drive
• NIST Enhances Security Controls for Improved Patching
• ChatGPT to Get Parental Controls After Teen's Suicide
• Taco Bell Rethinks Future of Voice AI at Drive-Through
• Computer Crammed into a Clothing Fiber
• How the World’s Biggest Carmakers Fell Behind in Software
• U.S. Puts GDP Data on the Blockchain
• AI Tool Identifies 1,000 ‘Questionable’ Scientific Journals
• Quantum Signals Sent with Standard Internet Protocol
• Light-Based AI Image Generator Uses Almost No Power

Google Avoids Harshest Penalties in Landmark Search Monopoly Ruling

A federal judge ruled that Google must share parts of its search results with rivals, but rejected calls to force the company to sell its Chrome Web browser. Judge Amit P. Mehta also put restrictions on payments the company uses to ensure its search engine gets prime placement in Web browsers on smartphones, but stopped short of the sweeping remedies being sought by regulators. The six-year order reflects the growing influence of AI on search competition.
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AI Co-Pilot Boosts Noninvasive BCI by Interpreting User Intent

A noninvasive brain-computer interface (BCI) system developed by engineers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) combines electroencephalography with AI to help users control a robotic arm or computer cursor efficiently. Tested on four participants, including one paralyzed user, the system successfully decoded brain signals and paired them with computer vision to interpret intent. With AI support, tasks like moving blocks with a robotic arm were completed quickly.
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EU to Expand Satellite Defenses After GPS Jamming of EC President's Flight

The European Union (EU) plans to deploy additional satellites in low Earth orbit to strengthen its ability to detect GPS interference, following an incident targeting European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen’s flight. Pilots reportedly had to rely on paper maps to land von der Leyen’s plane safely in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. An EU spokesperson said Bulgarian authorities suspect Russia was behind the jamming, though the Kremlin denies involvement. Similar GPS disruptions have affected the Baltic region and previous EU and U.K. flights.
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New Mexico to Invest $315 Million in Quantum Computing Drive

New Mexico plans to invest $315 million to become a leader in quantum computing. The funding will support private companies, fabrication facilities, a quantum network, and scientist-entrepreneur partnerships. Of the total investment, $185 million comes from the state’s sovereign wealth fund, while $60 million will be provided by the state, and another $60 million from DARPA, to advance commercially viable projects, many set to launch next year.
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NIST Enhances Security Controls for Improved Patching

The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) updated its Security and Privacy Control catalog to improve software patch and update management. The revisions focus on three key areas: standardized logging syntax to speed incident response, root cause analysis to address underlying software issues, and designing systems for cyber resiliency to maintain critical functions under attack. The update also emphasizes least-privilege access, flaw-remediation testing, and coordinated notifications.
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ChatGPT to Get Parental Controls After Teen's Suicide

OpenAI said it will roll out parental controls for ChatGPT within the next month, following a lawsuit alleging the chatbot encouraged a California teen to conceal suicidal thoughts before taking his own life. The new tools will let parents link accounts, limit usage, and receive alerts if the system detects signs of acute distress. The move comes amid growing concern about teens’ reliance on AI chatbots and parallels past controversies around social media harms.
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Taco Bell Rethinks Future of Voice AI at Drive-Through

Taco Bell has seen mixed results in its experiment with voice AI ordering at over 500 drive-throughs. Customers have reported glitches, delays, and even trolled the system with absurd orders, prompting concerns about reliability. The fastfood chain’s Dane Mathews acknowledged the technology sometimes disappoints, noting it may not suit all locations, especially high-traffic ones. The chain is reassessing where AI adds value and when human staff should step in.
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Computer Crammed into a Clothing Fiber

Researchers at China's Lanzhou Jiaotong University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a fiber incorporating key computing components that can survive washing machines while maintaining 60% stretchability. Each fiber contains components including photodetectors, temperature sensors, accelerometers, and photoplethysmogram sensors, plus a microcontroller, two communication modules, and power management devices. The fibers run individual neural networks to recognize human movements in real time.
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How the World’s Biggest Carmakers Fell Behind in Software

Legacy automakers are struggling to keep pace with Tesla and Chinese electric vehicle makers in the race to build software-defined vehicles. Despite hiring tech talent and investing billions, companies like Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo face buggy platforms, delays, and rising costs. Carmakers are partnering with tech giants like Google, Nvidia, and Rivian, but tensions remain over control of data and systems.
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U.S. Puts GDP Data on the Blockchain

The U.S. government has begun publishing GDP data on public blockchains. The Commerce Department released official GDP data hashes across nine blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, with support from Pyth and Chainlink, "oracles" that serve as third-party providers of data to crypto apps. Officials stressed the move creates another avenue—not a replacement—for publishing the economic data.
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AI Tool Identifies 1,000 ‘Questionable’ Scientific Journals

Computer scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder developed an AI platform to identify questionable or “predatory” scientific journals. These journals often charge researchers high fees to publish work without proper peer review, undermining scientific credibility. The AI, trained on data from the non-profit Directory of Open Access Journals, analyzed 15,200 journals and flagged over 1,400 as suspicious, with human experts later confirming more than 1,000 as likely problematic. The tool evaluates editorial boards, website quality, and publication practices.
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Quantum Signals Sent with Standard Internet Protocol

University of Pennsylvania engineers transmitted quantum signals over commercial fiber-optic cables using standard Internet Protocol. Their Q-Chip (Quantum-Classical Hybrid Internet by Photonics) coordinates quantum and classical data, with classical signals acting as measurable headers that guide quantum signals without destroying them. Testing on Verizon's network maintained more than 97% transmission fidelity through innovative error-correction methods that infer quantum signal adjustments from classical signal measurements.
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Light-Based AI Image Generator Uses Almost No Power

A diffusion-based AI image generator developed by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers combines digital encoding, which uses only a small amount of energy, and light-based decoding, which uses no computational power. UCLA's Aydogan Ozcan said, "Unlike digital diffusion models that require hundreds to thousands of iterative steps, this process achieves image generation in a snapshot, requiring no additional computation beyond the initial encoding."
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