Highlights
  • United Airlines bans third-party AI agents from booking from Nov. 11.
  • 35,578 Grok Build apps found open without login.
  • AT&T processes about 45 billion AI tokens a day, up from 8 billion a year ago.
  • Microsoft Ignite runs Nov. 17-20.
  • Anthropic shares are expected to start trading around Nov. 19.

AI showed two faces this week. Agents are doing more real work inside big companies, yet they are also being turned away by airlines and tripped up by security lapses.

Here are the week's most important global AI stories from mid-November 2026, plus what to watch next week.

Sources include Skift, CBS News, The Hacker News, Cybernews and AT&T's official blog.

Quick answer: This week United Airlines banned third-party AI agents from booking, 35,578 Grok Build apps were found open without login, and AT&T said it processes 45 billion AI tokens a day. Next week brings Microsoft Ignite on Nov. 17-20 and Anthropic's expected trading debut around Nov. 19.

United Airlines Says No to AI Agents

United revised its contract of carriage on Nov. 11 to bar third-party AI agents from making, changing or servicing tickets, even under customer supervision. Agents may still search flights and fares. Southwest, by contrast, allows search through ChatGPT.

Read Also: Global AI Roundup, Nov. 14, 2026: Nvidia Changes CEO

Grok Build Apps Left Public

Claroc reported on Nov. 10 that 35,578 Grok Build apps opened without sign-in, 94.7% of those that responded. Each app's grok.me hostname could be found through passive DNS. An estimated 650-800 held business or personal data.

AT&T at 45 Billion Tokens a Day

AT&T Chief Data Officer Andy Markus said the company processes about 45 billion AI tokens per day, up from around 8 billion a year earlier, across customer care, network operations, fraud prevention and internal workflows.

To control costs, AT&T routes part of its workload to open-weight and fine-tuned small models. Reports say this cut AI coding costs by 56% with about a 2% drop in quality.

The Week in Numbers

Key figures:

StoryKey figureDate
United bans AI agentsWebsite, app and agenciesNov. 11
Grok Build exposure35,578 apps open (94.7%)Nov. 10
AT&T AI usage45 billion tokens a dayThis week
Microsoft IgniteAnnual Microsoft conferenceNov. 17-20
Anthropic IPOPricing and trading debutNov. 18-19

Compiled by the editors from multiple sources. Dates may change.

What to Watch Next Week

Microsoft Ignite runs Nov. 17-20 and is usually the stage for Copilot and enterprise agent announcements.

Anthropic is expected to price its IPO around Nov. 18 and begin trading around Nov. 19, with a proposed range of $70 to $78 per share. The result will be a key test of investor appetite for generative AI.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. What were the biggest AI stories this week?

United's AI agent ban and the exposure of 35,578 Grok Build apps.

2. Why did United ban AI agents?

It cites data exposure, unwanted purchases and misuse of MileagePlus miles.

3. How many AI tokens does AT&T process?

About 45 billion a day, up from about 8 billion a year earlier.

4. When is Microsoft Ignite 2026?

Nov. 17-20, 2026.

5. When does Anthropic start trading?

Pricing is expected around Nov. 18 and trading around Nov. 19, 2026, at a proposed $70-78 per share.

Conclusion

AI agents are working at scale inside companies like AT&T, but trust is still being earned, as United's ban and the Grok Build exposure show.

Next week, all eyes turn to Microsoft Ignite and Anthropic's market debut.