Tech News Digest: Thursday, 2 July 2026

Today in tech, we're seeing the lines between AI agents and our daily desktops blur while a gaming giant prepares to ditch physical media for good. From new productivity powerhouses to a significant intervention in the UK media landscape, here’s what you need to know this Thursday.

Gemini Spark brings AI agents to the Mac

Google’s 24/7 agentic assistant, Gemini Spark, has officially landed on Mac, bringing real-time app tracking and advanced automation directly to your desktop. This represents a major shift from simple chatbots to proactive AI that can actually manage workflows across different applications, making it a potentially game-changing tool for personal productivity.

Sony to phase out physical PlayStation discs by 2028

Sony has announced it will stop producing physical game discs for the PlayStation in 2028, signalling an all-digital future for the console. While this streamlines the gaming experience, it raises serious concerns for UK collectors and high-street retailers, as well as the long-term viability of the second-hand games market.

Neo: A $30M bet on an AI-first Microsoft Office alternative

Tech entrepreneur Bhavin Turakhia is taking on the giants with Neo, a new productivity suite designed to replace Microsoft Office and Google Workspace with AI-native tools. It is a bold move aimed at startups and side-hustlers who want a more integrated, automated experience than the current legacy software suites offer.

Cloudflare pushes AI firms to pay for publisher content

In a move to protect the open web, Cloudflare is giving AI companies until mid-September to distinguish between search crawlers and those used for AI training. By threatening to block non-compliant bots, Cloudflare is effectively forcing AI developers to negotiate fair payment terms with publishers whose content fuels their models.

UK government signals intervention in Paramount and WBD merger

The UK is likely to intervene in the massive takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount, citing potential risks to media plurality and competition. For UK viewers, this could dictate the future of streaming costs and the amount of investment seen in local television and film production over the next decade.

That's your lot for today—we'll be back tomorrow with more updates from the front lines of the tech world.