Google Begins Testing Real-Time Headphone Translation in Google Translate
Google has started rolling out a beta feature that allows users to hear real-time translations directly through their headphones, alongside upgrades powered by Gemini and an expansion of language learning…
Reddit Challenges Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban in High Court
Reddit has launched a legal challenge in Australia’s High Court against a new law that bars children under 16 from holding social media accounts, arguing the policy raises serious concerns…
Creative Unions Raise Alarm Over Disney Licensing Characters to OpenAI
Workers in the creative industries are voicing concern after Disney agreed to license characters from its major franchises to OpenAI as part of a $1bn (£740m) deal that will allow…
Amazon Will Let Kindle Direct Authors Offer DRM-Free E-Books in EPUB and PDF Starting in 2026
Amazon will allow Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) authors to distribute DRM-free e-books in EPUB and PDF formats beginning January 20, 2026, marking a change to how copyright protection choices affect…
Google Tests AI-Generated Article Overviews on Select Publisher Pages in Google News
Google has begun testing AI-powered article overviews on participating publishers’ Google News pages, launching a pilot program designed to study how AI tools may attract more engaged audiences while working…
Reddit Begins Testing Verification Badges for Notable Users
Reddit has launched a limited test of verified profiles, adding a grey checkmark next to the usernames of selected public figures, journalists and businesses to help users identify accounts that…
YouTube TV Plans Genre-Based Subscription Packages for 2026
YouTube TV will introduce more than 10 genre-specific channel bundles in early 2026, marking the platform’s first shift away from its single cable-style package and offering subscribers more flexibility over…
Overview Energy Unveils Plan to Beam Power From Space to Existing Solar Farms
Overview Energy has emerged from stealth with a proposal to turn existing solar farms into nighttime receivers for power transmitted from space, outlining a system that would collect sunlight in…
Baby Born Inside Waymo Robotaxi in San Francisco as Vehicle Heads Toward Hospital
A woman in San Francisco gave birth inside a Waymo robotaxi on Monday night while traveling to UCSF Medical Center, becoming one of the latest documented cases of childbirth occurring…
Google Introduces Live Video Sharing for Emergency Services on Android
Google has launched Android Emergency Live Video, a feature that allows users to stream real-time video to emergency responders during calls or text-based emergency interactions, offering first responders additional context…
State Attorneys General Warn Major AI Firms to Address ‘Delusional’ Outputs or Risk Legal Violations
Dozens of state attorneys general have warned leading artificial intelligence companies—including Microsoft, OpenAI, Google and 10 other firms—to implement stronger safeguards against “delusional outputs,” saying failures to do so could…
Instagram Inserts AI-Style SEO Headlines Into User Posts Without Notice
Meta’s Instagram platform is automatically inserting sensational, SEO-style headlines and descriptions into post metadata without notifying users, a practice reported by 404 Media and observed independently by Engadget, with the…
Uber Launches App-Free Ride-Booking Kiosks at Airports
Uber is rolling out kiosks for travelers to book rideshares without using the mobile app. The company is pitching the service as a convenience for international travelers who may not…
Pew Finds Daily AI Chatbot Use Among US Teens as Safety Concerns Intensify
A new Pew Research Center study released on Tuesday shows that AI chatbots have become part of daily life for a significant share of US teenagers, with three in 10…
Amazon Begins US Rollout of Ring Facial-Recognition Feature
Amazon has begun rolling out an AI-powered facial-recognition feature for its Ring video doorbells in the United States, enabling devices to identify visitors by name after users label faces in…
Truecaller Introduces Household-Level Scam Protection With New Family Feature
Truecaller has launched a new household-focused scam protection feature that allows one person to manage call safety for multiple family members, as the company responds to an increase in fraud…
Linux Foundation Launches New AI Agent Standards Group Backed by OpenAI, Anthropic, and Block
The Linux Foundation has launched a new initiative aimed at creating shared standards for AI agents, as major technology companies move beyond chatbots toward systems that can take autonomous actions.…
TikTok Launches Shared Collections and Previews Shared Feeds for Group Content Discovery
TikTok has introduced “Shared Collections,” a new feature that allows users to organize and share saved videos with friends and family in a single space, and has also previewed “Shared…
Hinge Introduces AI-Powered ‘Convo Starters’ to Prompt First Messages
Hinge has rolled out a new AI-driven feature called “Convo Starters” designed to help users initiate conversations with personalised message suggestions, as the dating app seeks to reduce silent matches…
OpenAI Reports Surge in Enterprise AI Use Amid Internal Warning on Google Competition
OpenAI said enterprise use of its AI products has accelerated sharply over the past year, with ChatGPT message volume among business users increasing eightfold since November 2024, as the company…