Agregátor RSS

Rozšíření MapyClimbs přidá na Mapy.com pokročilou analýzu stoupání. • Jde o alternativu k funkci ClimbPro od Garminu. • Rozšíření je dostupné zdarma pro prohlížeče postavené na Chromiu.

Sometime around 2010, sophisticated malware known as Flame hijacked the mechanism that Microsoft used to distribute updates to millions of Windows computers around the world. The malware—reportedly jointly developed by the US and Israel—pushed a malicious update throughout an infected network belonging to the Iranian government.

The lynchpin of the "collision" attack was an exploit of MD5, a cryptographic hash function Microsoft was using to authenticate digital certificates. By minting a cryptographically perfect digital signature based on MD5, the attackers forged a certificate that authenticated their malicious update server. Had the attack been used more broadly, it would have had catastrophic consequences worldwide.

Getting uncomfortably close to the danger zone

The event, which came to light in 2012, now serves as a cautionary tale for cryptography engineers as they contemplate the downfall of two crucial cryptography algorithms used everywhere. Since 2004, MD5 has been known to be vulnerable to "collisions," a fatal flaw that allows adversaries to generate two distinct inputs that produce identical outputs.

Read full article

Comments

Google this week announced a new set of Play policy updates to strengthen user privacy and protect businesses against fraud, even as it revealed it blocked or removed over 8.3 billion ads globally and suspended 24.9 million accounts in 2025. The new policy updates relate to contact and location permissions in Android, allowing third-party apps to access the contact lists and a user's location inRavie Lakshmananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

Federální návrh zákona H.R.8250 'Parents Decide Act', 13. dubna předložený demokratem Joshem Gottheimerem a podpořený republikánkou Elise Stefanik coby spolupředkladatelkou (cosponsor), by v případě svého schválení nařizoval všem výrobcům operačních systémů při nastavování zařízení ověřovat věk uživatelů a při používání poskytovat tento věkový údaj aplikacím třetích stran. Hlavní rozdíl oproti kalifornskému zákonu AB 1043 a kolorádskému SB26-051 je ten, že federální návrh by platil rovnou pro celé USA.

Qwen (čínská firma Alibaba Cloud) představila novou verzi svého modelu, Qwen3.6‑35B‑A3B. Jedná se o multimodální MoE model s 35 miliardami parametrů (3B aktivních), nativní kontextovou délkou až 262 144 tokenů, 'silným multimodálním vnímáním a schopností uvažování' a 'výjimečnou schopností agentického kódování, která se může měřit s mnohem rozsáhlejšími modely'. Model a dokumentace jsou volně dostupné na Hugging Face, případně na čínském Modelscope. Návod na spuštění je už i na Unsloth.

University student says he plans to move to Android, but concedes iOS engineers acting fast

Apple is finally working on a fix for a bug that has locked some users out of their iPhones for months, The Register understands.…

Inženýrské studio ISS Aerospace se pochlubilo záběry z testu svého odpalovacího systému HAL10 Hybrid Air-Systems Launcher. Zásobník na deset střel dokáže vypouštět různé menší drony, včetně letounů ISSOS WASP. Pro výstřel z raketnice jim nejprve pomůže malá tryska jako na obrázku níže, poté už ale ...

No matter what type of Android phone you carry or how you usually use it, one thing is a near-universal constant:

You’re gonna spend a ton of time messing with messages.

The messages may be from clients, colleagues, or your cousin Crissy from Cleveland (damn it, Crissy!). But regardless of who sends ’em or what they’re about, they’re all poppin’ up on your phone and cluttering your weary brainspace.

My fellow Android adorer, I’m here to tell you there’s a better way.

Google’s Android Messages app has gotten surprisingly good over the years. That’s no big secret. If you only rely on what you see on the surface, though, you’re missing out on some of Messages’ most powerful and underappreciated efficiency-enhancing options.

[Hey: Want even more advanced Android knowledge? Check out my free Android Shortcut Supercourse to learn tons of time-saving tricks — for messaging and beyond!]

Today, we’ll explore the Android Messages app’s most effective out-of-sight superpowers. They may not be able to cut down on the number of messages you send and receive on your phone (DAMN IT, CRISSY!), but they will help you spend less time fussing with ’em. And they might just help you have a more pleasant experience, too.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

(Before you splash forward, take note: The tips on this page are all specific to the Google Messages app for Android. If you’re using a phone where that exact app wasn’t preinstalled or set as the default, you can download it from the Play Store and give it a whirl. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you find.)

Android Messages trick #1: Message resurrection

We’ll start with a freshly added fix for one of the longest-standing Android messaging frustrations — and that’s the app’s inability to let you bring back a messaging thread you inadvertently deleted.

As of just this month — April 2026 — Google is finally in the midst of adding an overdue “Trash” section into the Messages app that lets you see and optionally restore any conversation you’ve killed within the past 30 days. Can I get a halle-frickin’-lujah?!

Once the feature is available to you, it couldn’t be much easier to find and manage:

• Just tap your profile picture in the Messages app’s upper-right corner.
• And look for the newly added “Trash” option in the menu that appears — directly beneath “Archived.”

At last! A place for finding and optionally restoring deleted messages within the Google Messages app on Android.

JR Raphael, Foundry

Tap that, and you’ll be taken to a special section of the app where every axed thread lives for about a month before being permanently deleted. There, you can tap any thread and then tap the circular clock icon at the top of the screen to restore it — or tap the trash icon to delete it permanently (and irreversibly) from your phone. You can also restore or delete all threads in that area together, if you want.

Thank goodness.

Android Messages trick #2: Text editing

In addition to recovering a deleted message, Google Messages on Android also now allows you to edit your own sent message — for those mortifying moments when you realize you’ve made a mistake or sent the wrong thing to the wrong person (egad!).

The option is available only in messages where everyone involved is using the current RCS messaging standard. You’ll know that’s the case if you see “RCS message” in the text box at the bottom of the thread.

Provided that’s present, just press and hold your finger onto any individual message you’ve sent, then look for the pencil-shaped editing icon along the app’s upper edge — and, last but not least, swear to yourself you’ll never hit send without reading over what you wrote again. (Right…)

On that note, I’d be remiss not to inform you that anyone’s original, pre-edited messages are always accessible for anyone else in the conversation to see — if they know where to look.

Android Messages trick #3: Custom icons

Up next is what might be my favorite little-known trick within Google’s Android Messages app: With a couple quick adjustments, you can turn any of your contacts’ faces into a custom notification icon. That icon will then show up at the top of your phone whenever that person messages you for extra-easy visibility and access.

See?

A quick bit of simple setup, and bam: Anyone’s face can become their notification icon (for better or for worse!) on your phone.

JR Raphael, IDG

The only catch is that your phone needs to be running 2020’s Android 11 operating system or higher for the feature to be available. (And honestly, if your phone isn’t running Android 11 at this point, you’ve got bigger fish to fry, Francesco.) Also, Samsung has screwed around with this system for no apparent reason — a frustratingly common theme with Samsung’s heavily modified approach to Android, especially as of late — so you may or may not be able to take advantage of this on a Galaxy gadget, depending on how recently its software has been screwed up updated. (Exaggerated sigh. What more can I say?!)

On any reasonably recent Android device that sticks close to Google’s core Android interface, though, here’s how to make the magic happen:

• The next time you get a message from someone, press and hold your finger to the notification.
• That’ll pull up a screen that looks a little somethin’ like this:

Android’s Priority conversation setting is the key to creating custom notifications that really stand out.

JR Raphael, IDG

• Tap the “Priority” line, then tap “Apply” to save the changes.

And that’s it: The next time that person messages you, you’ll see their profile picture in place of the standard Messages icon in your status bar, and the notification will show up in a special section above any other alerts.

Hip, hip, hoorah!

Android Messages trick #4: Custom sounds

In addition to making it easier to spot an important contact by their notification icon, you can also create a custom alert sound for messages coming in from different people — or even from specific threads within the Google Messages app — so you immediately know what they are before you have a chance to look.

This is one of those things that’s super-basic but also awkwardly out of sight and consequently unknown to an awful lot of Android-owning organisms. But once you know where to find it, it really couldn’t be much easier to get going. And it’s all connected to Android’s notification channels, which let you get incredibly nuanced on how different types of notifications within apps behave.

The quickest way to zip where you need to be is to open the thread you want to customize within Messages itself — whether it’s a one-on-one text with an individual person or a group conversation with multiple contacts. Once you’re inside the thread, tap the three-dot menu icon in its upper-right corner and select “Details,” then select “Notifications” on the screen that comes up next.

And hey, wouldya look at that? You should now be staring at a series of options about how that exact notification behaves — including, at least in the standard Google version of Android, the all-important “Sound” setting.

width="1024" height="923" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">A special sound for every conversation is no more than few fast taps away.

JR Raphael, Foundry

Tap that, then find and select any sound you like. The next time a new message comes in for this conversation, there’ll be no mistaking what awaits you from the second it arrives.

Android Messages trick #5: Contact prioritizing

While we’re thinking about making certain conversations stand out, ever wish you could keep your most important messaging threads at the top of the list for easy ongoing access?

Poof: Wish granted. No matter what kind of Android phone you’re holding or how needlessly meddled with its software may be, just hold your finger onto the conversation in question on the main Messages app screen, then tap the pushpin-shaped icon in the app’s upper bar.

You can now pin up to 20 conversations that way, and they’ll always appear above all other threads in that main inbox view.

Android Messages trick #6: Short-term tune-out

Some incoming messages always require your immediate attention. Others, in contrast, are best tuned out and caught up with much later.

Surely you’ve been in that type of thread before, right? Y’know, the one where people are getting just a little too active — sending message after message, typically either during your workday or while you’re trying to focus on anything other than their uninteresting missives?

Google’s Android Messages app actually has a great way to deal with such struggles. It’s a temporary snoozing mechanism that lets you opt out of notifications from one specific conversation and that conversation only and stop receiving alerts from it for a set amount of time.

To try it out, press and hold your finger onto any thread in your main Messages list, then look for the clock icon with a “z” inside of it at the top of the screen. Tap that, and you can then decide to snooze notifications from that single conversation for one hour, eight hours, 24 hours, or — if you really want to tune it out — forever.

The sanity-saving Android Messages snooze option. (Don’t worry: I won’t tell.)

JR Raphael, Foundry

You’ll continue to get notifications from all other conversations in the meantime, and you’ll still be able to see new activity from the snoozed thread by opening up Messages and actively looking at it. But you won’t be interrupted by its alerts again — for a little while, at least.

Android Messages trick #7: Gemini be gone

Speaking of tuning out distractions, if you rarely to never interact with Google’s Gemini chatbot from inside the Messages app — perhaps because, y’know, it’s also available in approximately 7 gazillion other in-your-face places — you might appreciate the distraction-free satisfaction of an interface without a prominent Gemini button begging for you to caress it every frickin’ time you open up your messages.

(The Gemin icon is that starbust-shaped symbol that sits perpetually above the “Start chat” button, in Messages’ lower-right corner, if you haven’t ever tapped it to find out.)

And good news: You can actually send that icon a-packin’, if you’re so inspired: Just tap your profile picture in Messages’ upper-right corner, select “Messages settings,” then tap “Gemini in Messages” and flip the switch on the screen that comes up next into the off and inactive position.

All that’s left is to pat yourself on the back and celebrate the fact that you’ll only have to see Gemini in 6.9 gazillion other places from this point forward.

Android Messages trick #8: Free in-flight Wi-Fi

Gemini may be little more than a distraction within Messages most of the time, but one moment when that capability can actually come in handy is while you’re flying the allegedly friendly skies.

A while back, a crafty reader alerted me to the fact that you could use Gemini’s Messages integration to effectively give yourself free in-flight Wi-Fi access even when you haven’t paid for the privilege. It’s a heck of a clever hack and a moment when you genuinely may want to activate Gemini within the Messages app, at least for a little while.

I’ve got a complete breakdown of how it works and how you can put it to use on your next flight.

Android Messages trick #9: Calendar connection

Whether from the sky or on the regular ol’ ground, the next time you’re working to plan a meeting or event with a fellow Homo sapien in Messages, make yourself a mental note of this:

Anytime someone sends you a message that includes a specific date and time, the Messages app will underline that text. See it?

That underlined time is a covert link from an incoming message to your Android calendar agenda.

JR Raphael, IDG

You’d be forgiven for failing to realize, but you can actually tap that underlined text to reveal a shortcut for opening that very same day and time in your Android calendar app of choice. It’s a great way to get a quick ‘n’ easy glimpse at your availability for the time you’re discussing.

And if you then want to create a calendar event, just look for the “Create event” command that should appear right below that very same message. That’ll fire up a new calendar event for you on the spot, with the appropriate day and time already filled in.

That button to the left of the text suggestions is a spectacular time-saver for on-the-fly event creation.

JR Raphael, IDG

Don’tcha just love simple step-savers?

Android Messages trick #10: Seamless scheduling

If you’re ready to hammer out a response to a message right now but don’t want your reply to be sent for a while, follow the advice shared by a reader in my Android Intelligence newsletter recently and simply schedule your message for some specific future time.

The Android Messages app’s scheduling system is spectacularly useful. You can rely on it for setting reminders to be sent to clients, business-related messages to be pushed out the next morning, or context-free middle-finger emojis to be delivered to your cousin in Cleveland at ungodly hours in the middle of the night.

To tap into this productivity-boosting power, just type out your message normally — but then, instead of tapping the triangle-shaped send icon at the right of the composing window, press and hold your finger onto that same button when you’re done.

No reasonably sane person would possibly realize it, but that’ll pull up a hidden menu for selecting precisely when your message should be sent.

Send any message, anytime — no matter when you actually write it.

JR Raphael, IDG

And the person on the other end will have no way of even knowing you wrote the thing in advance.

Android Messages trick #11: Swift saving

When you run into a message you know you’ll want to reference again, save yourself the trouble of trying to dig it back up later and instead star it on the spot to make it fast as can be to find in the future.

It couldn’t be much easier to do: Whilst viewing an individual message thread, just press and hold your finger onto the specific message you want to save, then tap the star-shaped icon that appears in the bar at the top of the screen.

Then, when you want to find the message again, tap the search icon at the top of the main Messages screen and select “Starred” from the menu that comes up. That’ll show you every message you’ve starred for exceptionally effortless resurfacing.

Android Messages trick #12: Smart searching

Speaking of that Messages search system: Starring is sublime, but sometimes, you need to dig up an old message that you didn’t go out of your way to save.

The Android Messages app makes that even easier than you might realize. Tap that same search icon at the top of the app’s main screen — and in addition to searching your entire history message for any specific string of text, take note:

• You can start typing out the name of anyone in your contacts, then select them from the suggestion that appears — and then type in some text to look for something specific only within messages from that one person.
• You can use the options within the main Messages search screen to look specifically at images, videos, locations, or links people have sent you.
• And you can combine any of those variables for even more granular finding — looking for links you sent to a particular client, for instance, or locations an out-of-town colleague sent to you.

The Android Messages app’s search system is chock-full of helpful info.

JR Raphael, IDG

How ’bout them apples?!

Android Messages trick #13: Instant marking

I don’t know about you, but I find it impossibly irksome to see messages sitting with bold emphasis in my Android Messages inbox. That, to me, is a marking that means I need to read (and possibly also respond) to the message in question. And I can’t possibly rest for the day until I know that everything in my Messages inbox is open, addressed, and dealt with (or at least opened and with a reminder set to deal with it at some specific future time).

Sometimes, though, it’s all too easy to fall behind and get a backlog of bolded messages — and in such scenarios, sometimes, you need a quick ‘n’ easy one-switch reset button to bring everything back to read status and give yourself a fresh start.

Well, surprise: Messages has such an option! Tap your profile picture in the app’s upper-right corner and look for “Mark all as read” in the menu that comes up to find it — then let yourself rest easy as all that attention-demanding boldness melts away once and for all.

Android Messages trick #14: Easier-to-read text

On the subject of more noticeable text, file this next Android Messages feature under “accidental discoveries”: The next time you find yourself squinting at something in a messaging thread on your phone, try a good old-fashioned zoom gesture on the screen — placing your finger and thumb together and then spreading ’em slowly apart.

You’d never know it, but the Messages app supports that standard gesture for zooming into a conversation. The inverse applies, too: When you’re ready to zoom back out and make everything smaller, just bring your two fingers closer together.

And if those actions aren’t working for you, tap your profile picture in the upper-right corner of the main Messages screen and select “Messages settings,” then make sure the toggle next to “Pinch to zoom conversation text” is in the on position.

Android Messages trick #15: Custom colors

While we’re thinkin’ about easier reading, a relatively recent Android Messages addition can let you create a custom color palette for any conversations you’ve got goin’.

That way, you can always remember that texts with your significant other are in, say, purple, whereas messages with your most important client are in red. (Best not to get those two threads confused.)

This one works only with messages sent using the modern RCS messaging platform, which basically means messages that don’t involve pesky people still carrying around iPhones with outdated software on ’em. (It’s always the iPhone people, isn’t it?!)

With any currently supported conversation, open up the thread within Messages — then:

• Tap the three-dot menu icon in the screen’s upper-right corner.
• Select “Change colors” from the menu that appears.
• Pick the color scheme you prefer, then tap the Confirm button at the bottom.

Every Android Messages conversation can have its own distinctive color, if you take the time to set it up.

JR Raphael, IDG

Repeat for any other compatible conversations, and you’ll always know exactly what you’re looking at even with a fast glance — and without having to give it an ounce of active thought.

Android Messages trick #16: Meatier media

You know a fantastic way to waste time? I’ll tell ya: moving from one app to another just to glance at something someone sent you (like those blasted Bangles video Crissy is always blasting your way).

But get this: Google’s Android Messages app can let you preview and get the gist of both text articles and even YouTube videos without ever leaving your current conversation — from right within the app and that very same message thread.

The key is to make sure you’ve got the associated options enabled:

• Tap your profile picture in the upper-right corner of the main Messages screen.
• Select “Messages settings,” then tap “Automatic previews.”
• Make sure the toggle next to “Show all previews” is on and active.

Now, the next time someone sends you a link, you’ll see the associated item’s thumbnail and description right then and there, within the Messages conversation:

Videos expanded in-line within Messages — easy peasy.

JR Raphael, IDG

With web pages, Messages will show you just enough of a preview to let you make an educated decision about whether you want to tap the link or not.

Web links gain useful extra context once you enable the right option within the Android Messages settings.

JR Raphael, IDG

Almost painfully sensible, no?

Android Messages trick #17: Smarter shortcuts

If I had to pick the simplest Android Messages trick for enhancing your efficiency, it’d be embracing the built-in shortcuts Google gives us for faster message actions.

From the main Messages screen, you can swipe left or right on any message to perform an instant action — archiving the conversation, deleting it, or toggling it between read and unread status.

All you’ve gotta do is mosey your way back into the Messages app’s settings areas and tap on the “Swipe actions” item to set things up the way you want…

Step-saving swipes within Messages — now available for your customization.

JR Raphael, IDG

…and then, just remember to actually use those gestures moving forward. (That part’s on you.)

Android Messages trick #18: Quicker cleanup

Certain services love to send confirmation codes via text messaging when you sign in or try to perform some action. It may not be the most advisable or effective form of extra security, but — well, it’s better than nothing. And for better or for worse, it’s a pretty common tactic.

Core security considerations aside, the most irksome part of these confirmation codes is having ’em clutter up your messages list at every Goog-forsaken moment. But the Google-made Android Messages app can actually take care of that for you, without any ongoing effort — if you take about 20 seconds to make the right tweak now.

Here’s the secret:

• Tappity-tap that comely character in the upper-right corner of the main Messages screen (y’know, the one whose appearance has a striking resemblance to your oversized head).
• Tap “Messages settings” in the menu that comes up, then select “Messages organization.”
• Within that curiously created section, you’ll see only one option: “Auto-delete OTPs after 24 hrs.” OTP may not exactly be an everyday, universally known abbreviation, but fear not — for it isn’t an erroneous reference to an early 90s rap hit with equally ambiguous meaning. Nope: It stands for one-time password, which is the same thing we’re thinking about here.
• Flip that toggle into the on and active position, then flip a finger of your choice to all the confirmation codes in your messages list with the knowledge that they’ll be auto-purged a day after their arrival from that point forward.

Who’s down with OTP? Every last homie. (I apologize.)

Android Messages trick #19: Readable reactions

Slack-style reactions may seem silly on the surface, but they serve an important communication purpose in allowing you to quickly acknowledge a message without having to carry the conversation on further. Whether it’s a thumbs-up, a clapping hands symbol, or even perhaps an occasional burrito emoji, it really can be a handy way to say “Yup, got it” (or “Yup, want beefy goodness”) without having to use a single word.

You probably know you can summon a reaction within the Android Messages app by pressing and holding a specific message within a conversation and then selecting from the list of available emoji options — right? But beyond that, Messages packs an even faster way to issue a reaction in the blink of an eye.

And here it is: Simply double-tap your finger onto any individual message within a conversation. That’ll apply the thumbs-up reaction to it without the need for any long-press or symbol selection.

It’d be nice if there were a way to customize which reaction is used for that action by default — so that, obviously, we could all change it to the burrito emoji, since that’s what any sane person uses most often — but if and when an upward thumb will do the job, now you’ve got a super-easy way to bring it into any conversation with a fast finger tap.

Android Messages trick #20: iRritation elimination

Last but not least in our list of magnificent Messages enhancements is something specific for your conversations with the Apple-adoring animals in your life. And it relates to those very same sorts of reactions we were just going over.

One obnoxious side effect of Apple’s “no one exists outside of iOS” mentality, y’see, is the way the iPhone’s equivalent of those reactions show up on Android. Plain and simple, they show up as — well, plain and simple text messages, instead of coming through as reactions.

Surely you’ve encountered this, right? Those pointless messages you get from iGoobers that say stuff like “Loved ‘Please stop texting me, Crissy'”?

Well, scribble this on your metaphorical mental iPad: Google’s Android Messages app is actually able to intercept those absurd platform-specific reactions and turn ’em into standard reactions instead of plain-text interruptions. And it’ll take you all of 12 seconds to enable the option:

• Head back into the Messages app’s settings.
• Tap “Advanced.”
• Look for the line labeled “Show iPhone reactions as emoji” and make sure the toggle next to it is in the on position.

All that’s left is to breathe one final heavy sigh of relief — and to send Crissy a well-deserved burrito reaction.

Hey: Don’t let the learning stop here. Get six full days of advanced shortcut knowledge with my free Android Shortcut Supercourse. Tons of time-saving tricks await!

CISA warned that attackers are now exploiting a high-severity Apache ActiveMQ vulnerability, which was patched earlier this month after going undetected for 13 years. [...]

Sniffnet, tj. multiplatformní (Windows, macOS a Linux) open source grafická aplikace pro sledování internetového provozu, byl vydán ve verzi 1.5. V přehledu novinek je vypíchnuta identifikace aplikací komunikujících po síti.

Email threats have long outgrown spamming and obvious phishing. Attackers now exploit trust itself. They impersonate internal users, hijack legitimate threads, and abuse misconfigured configurations. Defenses like perimeter filtering or static rules are not adequate any longer. A Zero Trust model redefines the issue by eliminating implicit trust at all phases of email processing.This shift is especially important in modern Linux mail environments where services are often modular, network-exposed, and heavily dependent on correct configuration across multiple components.

Chytrý kuchyňský robot Monsieur Cuisine Smart zlevnil na 9 099 Kč. • Lidlovská alternativa k Thermomixu nabízí 16 funkcí a nevyžaduje předplatné. • Varný robot má naprosto nadšené recenze a tříletou záruku.

Zvýšené ceny SSD lákají padělatele hardwaru i k jejich výrobě. Falza se již neobjevují pouze v Japonsku, ale zavítala i do Evropy. Zdá se však, že mají různý původ, neboť nejsou totožná…

Microsoft warns that some Windows domain controllers are entering restart loops after installing the April 2026 security updates. [...]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced changes to the way it handles cybersecurity vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs) listed in its National Vulnerability Database (NVD), stating it will only enrich those that fulfil certain conditions owing to an explosion in CVE submissions. "CVEs that do not meet those criteria will still be listed in the NVD but will not Ravie Lakshmananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]

23-year-old Kamerin Stokes of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for selling access to tens of thousands of hacked DraftKings accounts. [...]

Pause your Mythos panic because mainstream models anyone can use already pick holes in popular software

Anthropic withheld its Mythos bug-finding model from public release due to concerns that it would enable attackers to find and exploit vulnerabilities before anyone could react.…

The productivity gains from AI are so great, companies can lay off thousands of employees and still get the same amount of work done — right? Or maybe it’s the opposite: despite all the hype, any supposed AI productivity boom is a mirage, causing employees, even  developers, to experience heavier workloads.

At the moment, the jury’s still out on whether AI use boosts or busts productivity across the workforce, despite the prediction that American business spending on AI will exceed $200 billion by the end of the year, according to one analysis. 

There’s no doubt workers are turning to AI in a variety of ways. Gallup, for instance, says nearly half of all US workers now use AI. And Hubstaff data published by Worklytics shows that 85% of professionals use the technology— but only for about 4% of their actual work time. That means 96% of work is 100% human. 

Mileage varies according to how you group employee types, too. The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis found that workers using AI saved 5.4% of their work hours, a 1.1% overall increase in productivity. That’s an average, with math and computer workers and within the information services industry reporting higher productivity gains. 

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, meanwhile, uncovered what it called a “productivity paradox,” in which the productivity gains people think they see aren’t reflected in measurable gains. (It sounds like AI isn’t the only one hallucinating.)

And research from Harvard Business Review (February 2026) found that AI often increases the intensity of work rather than reducing the total workload as originally promised. I’ve heard software developers, in particular, expressing this view and finding that AI is a major source of job burnout. 

All this talk about productivity can miss the qualitative dimension. A 2025 study found that using AI makes employees more innovative by giving them confidence they can handle more complex problems. 

The research goes on and on and, taken together, is more or less inconclusive. However, it’s reasonable to assume that productivity gains from any kind of new technology are likely to take time to show up. It took a decade or more with the PC revolution, for example. While these early days for AI present a mixed picture, productivity gains will surely come, and probably on a massive scale. 

Meanwhile, one slice of the American workforce is already seeing giant gains — remote workers. 

Why AI is working for those working from home

As I’ve argued in this space many times, remote work is a boon for companies in most circumstances. The reasons for this bullish stance are both numerous and, to me, intuitive to the point of being obvious. 

Here are three: 

• Employees have more time because they don’t waste time commuting
• Flex hours are more likely with remote work, so employees can better manage work-life balance, making them happier and more committed to their jobs
• Remote work reduces interruptions, facilitating “deep work,” which, according to deep work expert Cal Newport, is the more valuable type of work for companies 

Now, a new study has added another major benefit for companies in allowing employees to work remotely: AI. 

The study by Michael Blank, a faculty fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), and colleagues found that AI has a much higher impact in the home than in the office. The study looked at internet browsing data of more than 200,000 U.S. households. 

One reason is surprising: AI helps work-from-home (WFH) employees with both professional and personal tasks, making them more productive at both. The study shows that AI helps people save time and complete tasks much more efficiently when working, planning travel, shopping, figuring out how to fix things around the house and more. 

WFH employees have an AI advantage over office workers, according to the study, because they have the autonomy to integrate AI into their flow without corporate oversight and control. 

Also: Remote employees are more likely to task-switch during the day, alternating between work and personal tasks, something AI facilitates through increased automation. 

Interestingly, the researchers found that employees are taking time saved and using it for more leisure time, as opposed to doing more work or learning new skills. This particular fact is a mixed bag for employers, because while they’re not realizing productivity gains in terms of work performed, they are benefiting from happier employees less prone to dissatisfaction and burnout. 

Blank’s major note of caution is that he found younger people with higher incomes saw the highest productivity gains with AI use at home. He fears a growing “digital divide” between higher and lower income groups and younger and older workers.

It’s about the autonomy as much as the technology

I want to be very clear about the great revelation of this study. It does not look directly at higher productivity with the use of AI for work tasks. Nor does it necessarily conclude that only WFH remote employees can see these gains. 

What it found is that people with high autonomy are the ones who see  the biggest productivity gains from the use of AI in general. WFH employees have the highest autonomy, so they’re seeing real improvements in increased leisure time. 

Just as the benefits of “flex work” are not about flexibility in location but in the use of time, flexibility in the use of AI drives productivity. 

I’ve been beating the flex work drum for years, and now during the AI revolution I’d like to add autonomy to that mix. Whether employees are working in offices full or part-time, from home full or part-time or as digital nomads full or part-time, in 2026 it appears that the highest productivity and employee satisfaction gains come from maximizing flex work and AI autonomy. 

AI disclosure: I don’t use AI for writing. The words you see here are mine. I do use a variety of AI tools via Kagi Assistant (disclosure: my son works at Kagi) — backed up by both Kagi Search, Google Search, as well as phone calls to research and fact-check. I use a word processing application called Lex, which has AI tools, and after writing use Lex’s grammar checking tools to find typos and errors and suggest word changes. Here’s why I disclose my AI use and encourage you to do the same.