This digest compiles the latest from The Verge.
Today’s The Verge Roundup
Does Anthropic think Claude is alive? Define ‘alive’
25 Feb 2026, 2:24 pm by Hayden Field
Over the past several weeks, as more and more Anthropic executives do interviews on a publicity blitz for Claude, one thing has gotten increasingly clear: Anthropic sure seems to think Claude is alive in some way, shape, or form.
“Alive” is obviously a loaded term; the more frequently used word is “conscious.” If you ask Anthropic if the company thinks Claude is alive, the company will flatly deny it, but stop short of saying the models aren’t conscious.
Kyle Fish, who leads model welfare research at Anthropic, told The Verge, “No, we don’t think Claude is ‘alive’ like humans or any other biological organisms. Asking whether they’re ‘aliv …
Apple brings age verification to UK users in iOS 26.4 beta
25 Feb 2026, 2:10 pm by Emma Roth
Apple is bringing age verification to the UK, as the latest iOS 26.4 beta prompts users to verify that they’re over 18 following installation. As shown in screenshots posted to Reddit, Apple says users who don’t confirm their age “will not be able to download and purchase apps or make in-app purchases.”
In one of the screenshots, Apple notes that it may automatically confirm that users are over 18 using the payment method connected to their account, or the age of their account. Otherwise, Apple may ask users to scan their credit cards to confirm their age. One Reddit user says that they were also given the option to scan their ID.
The …
Adobe’s new AI video editing tool stitches clips into a first draft
25 Feb 2026, 2:00 pm by Jess Weatherbed
Adobe is launching a new Firefly tool that helps video editors to focus on storytelling by creating a first cut to refine and build around. The Quick Cut feature is launching in beta today for Firefly’s video editor, allowing users to automatically assemble clips together based on text prompts and simple creator inputs.
“Quick Cut empowers creators to upload their own b-roll or generate new footage and instantly turn it into a structured first cut. Goodbye empty timeline. Hello momentum,” Adobe’s head of product marketing for creators, Mike Polner, said in the announcement. “It’s a fast way to get from ‘I have clips’ to ‘I have an edit I ca …
You can now make Alexa’s AI personality more friendly, blunt, or chilled out
25 Feb 2026, 2:00 pm by Jess Weatherbed
Amazon is giving you more control over how Alexa behaves during conversations and responses. Three “personality style” presets are launching today for Alexa Plus users in the US that allow you to make the AI-powered voice assistant more concise, cheerful, or relaxed, depending on your personal preferences.
“Alexa’s personality is one of the things customers tell us they love most about Alexa,” Amazon said in its press release. “That familiar voice and personality have become a part of so many customers’ daily lives, but here’s what we’ve learned from customers since launching Alexa Plus: everyone has their own communication style and prefer …
Amazon continues retreat from games by ending publishing deal for open-world racer
25 Feb 2026, 1:46 pm by Andrew Webster
Amazon continues to scale back its gaming efforts, this time by ending a notable publishing deal. The Game Business reports that Amazon will no longer be the publisher of an upcoming open-world racing title from Maverick Games, a new studio made up of former Forza developers. The deal was originally announced in 2024.
The news comes as Amazon continues to pull back after years of trying to break through as a gaming company. As part of its mass layoffs last year, Amazon announced that it would be getting out of MMOs and focusing primarily on party games and its Luna streaming service. So far those changes have included offloading the multipl …
Honor’s new MagicPad 4 is the world’s thinnest Android tablet
25 Feb 2026, 10:34 am by Andrew Liszewski
Honor has announced a new version of its already slim MagicPad tablet that’s now even thinner. Last year’s MagicPad 3 was just 5.8mm thick, but the new MagicPad 4 squeezes that down to 4.8mm. That’s thinner than the 6.1mm thick iPad Air and 5.1mm iPad Pro, or the 5.1mm thick Samsung Galaxy Tab S11, and only bested by E Ink tablets like the reMarkable 2, at 4.7mm.
The MagicPad 4 has a slightly smaller 12.3-inch screen than its 13.3-inch predecessor. But that’s a minor trade-off given the new tablet now uses a 165Hz OLED display instead of LCD. Its battery is, not surprisingly, also a bit smaller at 10,100mAh, and while Honor hasn’t shared ba …
Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon AI bro squad includes a former Uber executive and a private equity billionaire
25 Feb 2026, 1:59 am by Tina Nguyen
Hello and welcome to Regulator, a newsletter for Verge subscribers covering the broligarchs, the influencers, and the (potentially conscious) artificial intelligence models scrambling for power in Washington. If you’re not a subscriber yet, assert your humanity against the will of the machines by signing up here.
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The Pentagon’s private-sector A-Team
This morning, in advance of a meeting between Defense Secretary Pete Heg …
Apple’s new age verification tools block underage app downloads where required by law
25 Feb 2026, 12:45 am by Jay Peters
Apple, like many others, has had to launch age verification features in response to new requirements for age checks in many regions, and on Tuesday, the company announced new details about its tools that developers can use to “meet their age assurance obligations under upcoming U.S. and regional laws, including in Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Utah, and Louisiana.”
One of the big updates is that users in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore can’t download apps rated 18-plus unless their age has been confirmed through “reasonable methods,” which the App Store can confirm automatically. Apple notes that developers may still “have separate obliga …
End of today’s The Verge roundup.
