For those moments when you don’t have time to check your camera footage. | Image: Wyze
Wyze’s latest AI feature aims to reduce how often you need to manually check security footage by instead just describing what the camera has seen. The new Descriptive Alerts will send notifications that “accurately summarize motion events” with more contextual detail than simply telling users that the camera has detected movement or an object, according to Wyze.
An example alert provided by the company is “a delivery driver wearing a blue hat leaves a package on the doorstep, then leaves. A green SUV is parked in the street.” Rival smart home security companies like Ring, Google’s Nest, and (to some extent) Arlo provide similar AI summarization features for their own cameras, but Wyze’s video-to-text alerts seem to be the only service that specifies detail like color in its descriptions.
Image: Wyze
Here’s an example showing the new alert alongside the footage that’s being described.
Wyze’s Descriptive Alerts are available to Cam Unlimited Pro members — a new $19.99 per month (or $199.99 per year) subscription that bundles other features like facial recognition, searching videos using descriptive keywords, and simultaneously viewing live feeds from multiple Wyze cameras. The Cam Unlimited Pro subscription will also include 60 days of cloud storage, though Wyze says this won’t be available until “Spring 2025.”
WhatsApp is rolling out some new features and design improvements to help you become faster and more creative when messaging. Starting today, WhatsApp users can double-tap to react to messages in chats rather than tapping and holding, with their most-used emojis now being displayed in the scrolling pop-out menu instead of the generic selection that was previously provided.
It’s a similar quality-of-life feature that Discord provides: placing your favorite reactions within easy reach to prevent you from having to hunt through a massive wall of emojis. WhatsApp users can still easily access their other emoji options by clicking the plus symbol on the reaction bar. On the other hand, Meta’s Messenger app still only displays the same five emojis as reactions for each message — I’d like to see this update carried over from WhatsApp in the future.
Image: WhatsApp
A few small, but welcome upgrades to personalize chats.
The filters and virtual backgrounds that WhatsApp introduced for video calls last year are now coming to its messages, allowing users to edit shots using 30 different visual effects when they take a photo or video in chats. Sticker packs can now also be shared directly to chats, and users can turn their selfies into custom stickers by tapping on the sticker icon. The Sticker selfies feature is currently only available on Android, with iOS support coming “soon,” according to WhatsApp.
Adobe is launching new generative AI tools that can automate labor-intensive production tasks like editing large batches of images and translating video presentations. The most notable is “Firefly Bulk Create,” an app that allows users to quickly resize up to 10,000 images or replace all of their backgrounds in a single click instead of tediously editing each picture individually.
The tool was created by combining several of Adobe’s Firefly-powered APIs for developers, with the aim of making them more accessible to creatives who lack technical coding experience. Bulk Create is launching in beta today, and split into two separate tools on Adobe’s Firefly web app: “Remove Background” and “Resize.” The first is pretty self-explanatory — users can upload image files into the tool from their computer, Dropbox, or Adobe Experience Manager, and quickly remove the backgrounds.
It should work on any image, but looks especially useful for product marketers. Alongside just removing the background, users can also set the tool to replace backgrounds with a specific image or color (defined by HEX codes) to get variations of each image that are ready for further editing. The file batches can be saved as either PNG or JPEG for now, with Adobe saying that support for Photoshop PSD files will be added in the future.
Image: Adobe
The background expansion for “Resize” might work fine for abstract images like this, but the tool seems to struggle with photographs.
The “Resize” tool presents a selection of preset options for popular ad banner sizes and platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. It uses generative AI to stretch the backgrounds of images to fit these required dimensions, but the demo I saw wasn’t particularly inspiring — there was a lot of obvious warping, with one example strangely copying and blurring wine glasses together that were in the foreground. For simple backgrounds, though, it could spare graphic designers from having to manually resize their marketing assets for each platform. While services like Canva and Adobe Express also have tools that make this easier, Bulk Create can do so in a single click.
Adobe is making some new developer APIs for Firefly Services generally available in the coming weeks that developers can use to speed up video and print production workflows. “Dubbing and Lip Sync” can translate and edit lip movement for video audio into 14 different languages, and a new InDesign tool can automatically format text and images for print and digital media using predefined templates. “Digital avatars” created using text descriptions and voice recordings will also be available in beta this month, which can be used to present videos and product explainers.
The power required to edit batches of 10,000 images is presumably expensive. Adobe says there will be a fee to use these new tools based on “consumption” — which likely means users will need to pay for a premium Adobe Firefly plan that provides generative credits that can then be “spent” on the features.
Nvidia is cozying up to the incoming Trump administration after criticizing a new AI framework just announced by the Biden administration. The rules are meant to keep advanced chips and AI models under the control of the United States and its allies, but the President-elect will have the final decision on whether to enforce them.
If implemented, the “Interim Final Rule on Artificial Intelligence Diffusion” announced today would place new limitations on how many artificial intelligence chips companies can send to different countries without making special agreements with the US government. Nvidia will be impacted the most by this, given its estimated 90 percent share of AI chips.
The new rules aim to close loopholes that would allow countries like China and Russia — which are already subject to existing semiconductor trade restrictions — to obtain or develop their own AI technology. The Biden administration wants to keep transformational AI development under the control of the US and 18 of its allies, which include the UK, Canada, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. All other countries will be subject to caps that restrict AI chip imports.
“In the wrong hands, powerful AI systems have the potential to exacerbate significant national security risks, including by enabling the development of weapons of mass destruction, supporting powerful offensive cyber operations, and aiding human rights abuses, such as mass surveillance,” the White House said in a statement. “Today, countries of concern actively employ AI – including US-made AI – in this way, and seek to undermine US AI leadership.”
Nvidia says that the new “AI Diffusion” restrictions threaten to derail worldwide “innovation and economic growth,” and undermine the prior Trump administration’s efforts to create a successful environment for AI development.
“In its last days in office, the Biden Administration seeks to undermine America’s leadership with a 200+ page regulatory morass, drafted in secret and without proper legislative review,” Nvidia said in a statement. “This sweeping overreach would impose bureaucratic control over how America’s leading semiconductors, computers, systems, and even software are designed and marketed globally.”
“The first Trump Administration laid the foundation for America’s current strength and success in AI, fostering an environment where US industry could compete and win on merit without compromising national security,” reads Nvidia’s statement. “Rather than mitigate any threat, the new Biden rules would only weaken America’s global competitiveness, undermining the innovation that has kept the US ahead.”
“We look forward to a return to policies that strengthen American leadership, bolster our economy and preserve our competitive edge in AI and beyond,” Nvidia says in its MAGA conclusion.
In addition to curbing AI chip exports, the rules also set security standards to control the “weights” for AI models — the unique parameters that determine how each AI model makes its predictions. Companies like Microsoft and Google that operate data centers can also apply for special government accreditations that allow them to trade AI chips with fewer restrictions, in exchange for following security standards outlined by the Biden administration.
The new data center rules aim to keep the development of the most advanced AI models within the borders of the United States and its partners. According to the New York Times, Microsoft says it could “comply fully with this rule’s high security standards and meet the technology needs of countries and customers around the world that rely on us,” in a statement attributed to Microsoft president Brad Smith.
A Super Scooper drops ocean water on the Palisades fire. | Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
An aircraft helping to fight wildfires that are raging across Los Angeles was struck by a civilian drone on Thursday. The collision damaged the wing of the aircraft — a CL-415 “Super Scooper” capable of scooping up 1,600 gallons of ocean water to drop onto nearby blazes — according to a statement by the LA County Fire Department posted on X, putting it out of service until it can be repaired.
Cal Fire spokesman Chris Thomas told The New York Times that grounding the aircraft will likely set back local firefighting efforts. Super Scoopers can typically refill in about five minutes. But even if it takes ten, that’s six water drops that are lost each hour according to Thomas. “So whose house is not going to get that water to protect it?” The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says the Super Scooper landed safely after the drone impact, and that the incident is now under investigation.
Temporary flight restrictions have been implemented in the Los Angeles area that prohibit drones and other aircraft from flying without FAA authorization in an effort to protect firefighting efforts.
According to LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, the drone was not assigned to help tackle the Palisades fires, and was destroyed in the collision. Marrone told the LA Times that the FBI is now planning to implement so-called “aerial armor” in the area to prevent further interference from drones.
Several people online have violated the FAA-enforced flight restrictions, posting viral drone photos and video footage across social media showing the devastation from what appears to be prohibited airspace. Fire response agencies are often forced to ground their own aircraft to avoid collisions when dummies fly drones near wildfires for online clout.
“It’s a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands,” the FAA said in a statement. “Additionally, the FAA can impose a civil penalty of up to $75,000 against any drone pilot who interferes with wildfire suppression, law enforcement or emergency response operations. The FAA treats these violations seriously and immediately considers swift enforcement action for these offenses.”
Tesla has officially revealed the latest version of its Model Y crossover following images leaking online that teased the best-selling EV’s redesign. Codenamed “Juniper,” the Model Y 2025 refresh is now live on Tesla’s website in China and other Asia-Pacific markets with deliveries expected to begin in March.
It’s the most significant update to the Model Y design since it first launched in 2020, which later became the first EV to top global car sales last year. Notably, the new variant launching in Australia clearly shows a physical turn signal stalk, which had otherwise been controversially replaced by capacitive buttons on recent Teslas.
Image: Tesla
Blessed be, is that a turn stalk I see inside the updated cabin? Good news for capacitive-button haters.
There are two specifications of the Model Y available at launch according to the Chinese website listing. The 263,500 Chinese yuan (about $35,935) rear-wheel drive edition features an estimated range of up to 593 kilometers (about 368 miles), while the 303,500 Chinese yuan (about $41,390) long-range version can supposedly reach 719 kilometers (about 446 miles). These are “estimated” ranges based on China’s CLTC driving cycle standard, however, which Electrek notes isn’t as strict as the US’ EPA system.
Both specs have a top speed of 201 kilometers per hour (about 124 mph), and peak charging speeds remain at 250kW. Tesla says that the tires, wheels, and suspension have been updated to provide a smoother, quieter ride, with 19- and 20-inch wheel options available on both models. The estimated vehicle ranges have been calculated using the smaller 19-inch wheel configurations. A performance version has yet to be announced.
The new Model Y otherwise features many of the same improvements as the 2023 Tesla Model 3 sedan update, including higher efficiency and performance, an eight-inch touchscreen display for rear passengers, and a quieter cabin with an ambient lighting strip running throughout. The back seats can be folded down electrically to expand the total storage capacity to 2,138 liters, and there’s a front-view camera to provide a wider field of view when using assisted driving features.
The exterior design doesn’t look terribly different from its predecessor, save for a few changes like switching the headlights and tail lights for slimmer light bars that stretch across the front and rear of the vehicle. The front and back ends have also been slightly reshaped, which “effectively improves the vehicle’s endurance, performance, and service life,” according to Tesla.
It’s unclear when we can expect the redesigned Model Y to launch in other markets like the US and Europe. China is Tesla’s biggest market, and also where it is facing its fiercest competition from a rising pack of domestic manufacturers led by BYD. Notably, the Model Y refresh has emerged the same week it was reported that BYD sold more EVs in the fourth quarter of 2024 than Tesla.
Mass production of the vehicles is expected to start in Shanghai this month though, and we know that it took the Model 3 update around four months to reach the US last year.
Watch Duty, a nonprofit-run app that tracks wildfires with live maps and alerts, has shot to the top of Apple’s App Store charts this week as Californian residents look to navigate catastrophic blazes devastating Los Angeles.
The app launched in 2021 and is now available in 22 states, providing evacuation warnings, real-time text, photo and video updates, and a map interface with flame icons to show regions where fires are blazing. Users can access information on evacuation routes, shelter locations, and firefighting efforts, alongside zooming in on the map view to see the latest updates for precise locations. It’s a one-stop shop for everything needed during a fire emergency.
Watch Duty is powered by a team of around 200 volunteers, many of which are retired or active firefighters, dispatchers, or first responders. The app pulls its wildfire information from official government reports, volunteer reporters, and 911 dispatch calls which are then vetted and monitored using radio scanners, wildlife cameras, satellites, and local announcements from law enforcement and fire services.
Watch Duty says that the community-bolstered network allows it to provide more real-time information than fire-tracking services like CalFire and InciWeb which rely on government alerts. The app is used by active firefighters and has become a lifeline for people across the western United States who live in areas deemed to be high-risk fire zones — Watch Duty says its active users increased to 7.2 million by December 2024 compared to 1.9 million in 2023.
Californians on social media are encouraging each other to download the app in light of the ongoing LA fires raging across thousands of acres of land fueled by high winds and extremely dry conditions. As of Thursday morning, the LA Times reports that the fires have killed five people and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, including the homes of celebrities like Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Adam Brody, and James Woods.
Over 367,000 California households are currently without power according to PowerOutage, and at least 130,000 LA residents are now under evacuation orders.
“Seconding the Watch Duty app so hard,” said one Californian on a Threads post encouraging users to download the app. “I live in Butte County, CA, (near where the Camp Fire was in 2018) and Watch Duty has been immeasurably helpful during fires like the Park Fire last summer.”
Watch Duty’s vice president of operations Nick Russell says that users are drawn to the app because it’s more accessible than manually checking several sources and social media updates, and because of its network for vetting and verifying factual information. Conspiracy theories surrounding natural disasters and climate change have become a common occurrence online, with misinformation regarding weather-related events being shared by users across social media platforms.
“One of the big things for us, our big theme, is quality over quantity. We’re not in a big hurry to get information that we’re going to have to go and retract later,” Russell told NBC News on Wednesday. “And so if it takes a few extra minutes to get it out there, that’s fine, but we want it to be that official info; and because we built a one-way communication platform, we don’t offer that venue for people to circulate nonsense ... And so it really puts the ball in our court for good information.”
Russell also noted that Watch Duty doesn’t collect or sell user data, instead relying on premium app subscriptions and funding from private donations to stay up and running. The core features of the app that are essential for fire monitoring, safety, and evacuation, are entirely available for free.
“I think it’s really important in today’s world, where so many people are trying to profit off disaster, to really understand that that’s not what Watch Duty is,” Russell said. “Watch Duty will remain free forever.”
Google is testing an experimental AI feature that creates a personalized podcast using your Search and Discover feed history. The Daily Listen feature in Google’s Search Labs is rolling out to Android and iOS users in the US according to 9to5Google, and works similarly to the Audio Overviews feature for Google’s NotebookLM project.
Daily Listen references search data and Discover feed interactions to assess which news articles would be of most interest to the user, and then summarizes those stories and topics into a roughly five-minute audio overview. It provides a text transcript, alongside audio scrubber controls that allow users to play, pause, mute, rewind, or skip to the next story.
Image: Google (Via 9to5Google)
Here’s a few screengrabs of the Daily Listen UI, showing where the feature is located and how it presents related topics.
Search Labs users who opt-in to try this experiment will find Daily Listen in the personalized widget carousel underneath the Search bar at the top of the Google app. A “Related stories” tab will appear at the bottom of the audio player that corresponds to content within the overview that allows users to like or disapprove of each story with a thumbs up/down, and explore new topics.
There’s currently no word on when/if this feature will be rolled out to the wider public. Google’s AI Search Overviews were tested in a similar way via Search Labs before launching to a general audience last year, so it’s possible that Daily Listen may one day become a persistent feature — hopefully one that’s easier to opt out of than AI Overviews.
The European Union is reportedly close to deciding whether X’s attempts to combat illegal or harmful content are compliant with the bloc’s digital service rulebook. A probe into X’s risk management and content moderation will be concluded “as early as legally possible,” according to a letter to EU lawmakers seen by Bloomberg. It comes a day after Meta announced sweeping moderation changes on its own platforms inspired by X.
In the letter, the EU’s justice chief Michael McGrath and tech policy leader Henna Virkkunen vowed to “energetically” push the investigation forward. Bloomberg reports that the letter was prompted by a complaint from center-right German lawmakers over concerns regarding Elon Musk’s promotion of Germany’s far-right party leader on X.
The probe was launched under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA) in December 2023, with a focus on “the dissemination of illegal content in the context of Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel,” and how effective X’s Community Notes system is at tackling information manipulation. Additionally, the same investigation yielded preliminary findings that found X to be in breach of DSA regarding advertising transparency, dark patterns, and its “blue check” user verification system. Platforms deemed to have breached the DSA risk fines of up to six percent of their global yearly revenue.
Washington state is suing T-Mobile for allegedly failing to address cybersecurity vulnerabilities that enabled a hacker to expose the personal data of 79 million people nationwide. The consumer protection lawsuit filed by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Monday stems from a cyberattack that began in March 2021 and went unnoticed until T-Mobile disclosed the breach in August.
The filing asserts that T-Mobile failed to address certain security vulnerabilities that the company was aware of “for years,” and did not properly notify more than two million Washington residents who were impacted by the breach. The lawsuit accuses T-Mobile of downplaying the severity of the breach, which exposed the personal information of current, former, and prospective customers — including their names, phone numbers, physical addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license / ID numbers.
The notifications that T-Mobile issued about the data breach violated the Consumer Protections Act by omitting key information that made it difficult for people to assess if they were at risk of identity theft or fraud, according to the filing. The lawsuit also says that T-Mobile “did not meet industry standards for cybersecurity” for years prior to the hack, and used “obvious passwords” to protect accounts that could access consumer information.
“This significant data breach was entirely avoidable,” Ferguson said in a statement. “T-Mobile had years to fix key vulnerabilities in its cybersecurity systems — and it failed.”
This isn’t the first time that Washington state has taken action against T-Mobile, with Ferguson having successfully persuaded the company to make clear the limitations of its “no-contract” wireless service plan back in 2013.
Ferguson’s latest lawsuit is seeking compensation for customers impacted by the 2021 breach and a court order that would force T-Mobile to bring its cybersecurity practices in line with industry standards, alongside improving transparency and communication around future data breaches. This follows T-Mobile paying $350 million in 2022 to settle a class-action lawsuit stemming from the 2021 hack, and a further $15.75 million fine last year over an FCC investigation into its repeated cybersecurity incidents.
The Keychron Q6 HE (pictured) now supports Hall effect switches. | Image: Keychron
Mechanical keyboard specialist Keychron is adding fancy analog Hall effect switches to more of its lineup. Two of the models announced at CES today are launching immediately: the $169 Lemokey P1 HE QMK, and the $229 Keychron Q6 HE QMK, with three additional keyboards set to be released later this year.
Hall effect switches are notable for providing more customization features and a faster press than traditional mechanical switches, making them a popular choice for gamers. They use magnetic induction sensing on the PCB that detects how far down a key has been pushed — allowing you to decide the exact actuation point or even set different functions that activate depending on how hard you press.
The Lemokey P1 HE QMK is a 75 percent layout keyboard with 2.4GHz Bluetooth and a 1,000Hz polling rate. It can be used wired or wirelessly and is compatible exclusively with Gateron Double-Rail magnetic switches. The Keychron Q6 HE also launching today is a full-sized mechanical keyboard with similar features and switch restrictions. Both models are available in either black or white and feature PBT double-shot keycaps.
Image: Keychron
Here’s a look at the updated Lemokey P1 HE QMK.
Keychron released its first Hall effect keyboard last year, and rival keyboard makers like Corsair and SteelSeries have also adopted the feature after Wooting popularized the use of Hall effect switches. Meanwhile, other brands like Epomaker and Ducky are trending toward induction-based switches that provide similar analog features and use less power. Other Keychron models like the K4, K8, and Lomokey L5 will also be available with Hall effect switches sometime in Q1 2025.
Razer has announced some new handheld gaming goodies, including remote PC streaming capabilities for the Kishi Ultra mobile controller and a folding multiplatform RGB dock for the Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and more.
Razer says its Handheld Dock Chroma is a “6-in-1” docking station that transforms phones, tablets, or handheld gaming devices “into powerful gaming consoles” with 100W power passthrough support for charging. It’s priced at $79.99 and will be available on January 30th, with preorders starting on January 7th.
The Handheld Dock Chroma is a similar concept to the official docking stations provided by Valve or Nintendo, allowing users to hook handheld devices up to external displays with expanded connections to complement big-screen gaming setups. The Handheld Dock Chroma uses a USB-C cable to connect supported devices, including Android phones and tablets, iPads and iPhones with USB-C ports, Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and Razer’s own Edge Android gaming handheld.
Image: Razer
Here are the port options in the rear, plus the USB-C cable to connect to your device. Devices like the Nintendo Switch, with the port on the base, will have to go upside down.
Image: Razer
When folded closed, the Handheld Dock Chroma just looks like a funky streaming box.
The cable is located on the rear of the docking station, alongside a USB-C power port, an HDMI output to connect to a TV or gaming monitor, a gigabit ethernet port, and three USB-A ports to connect things like controllers or keyboards. Given the cable placement, certain handhelds like the Switch that have their ports on the underside will need to be positioned upside down in the dock.
The dock itself is constructed from aluminum and folds down into a box shape to make it easier to transport without damaging it. And given this is a Razer product, there’s naturally a Chroma-enabled RGB bar located at the front, which users can customize with various lighting effects.
Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
There’s plenty of ports to hook up things like mice, keyboards, and controllers — providing they use a USB-A connection.
Razer is also introducing a PC Remote Play feature for the Kishi Ultra mobile controller, among other controllers, allowing users to stream games directly from PCs to smartphones and tablets. The feature also makes use of the Kishi Ultra’s Sensa HD support, which converts audio output into haptic feedback on supported Android devices (but sadly isn’t available for iOS). PC Remote Play allows games to be streamed at full resolution without compromising “visual quality or game speed,” according to Razer, and can be accessed via the Razer Nexus app on iOS or Android.
Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
Razer’s new PC Remote Play feature provides PC-to-Phone streaming capabilities similar to the Steam Link mobile app.
Razer tells us the PC Remote Play feature is built on top of the popular Moonlight streaming client, and is particularly proud of how it can automatically run your game at your phone’s native resolution and refresh rate.
It’s becoming a tradition for Razer to show off some pretty wild prototypes at CES, but the concept gaming chair with integrated heating and cooling it just unveiled actually sounds downright practical. Project Arielle is a mesh gaming chair that features a bladeless fan system that’s designed to keep you at a comfortable temperature regardless of what environment you’re in.
We briefly tried it here at CES 2025 and it’s cool! Or warm, depending on the mode you set it to. When my colleague Sean Hollister tried it, he found it didn’t just warm or cool his butt, but gently and quietly blew a substantial amount of climate-controlled air onto his upper back from small holes along the chair’s top edge.
Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
A more comfortable way to freeze your butt off.
Building on the $1,049 Razer Fujin Pro mesh gaming chair that you can currently buy, Project Arielle has three adjustable fan speeds that can reduce the perceived temperature by 2 to 5 degrees Celsius (around 3.6 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit) in “dry environments,” according to Razer. That sounds pretty useful if you live in a hot climate or if your gaming PC kicks out enough heat to turn your room into a sweatbox.
Image: Razer
Here’s a rendering that shows how the hot or cool air is dispersed from the chair.
For chillier environments, the chair has a built-in PTC heating system (the same kind found in most vehicles and heated car seats) that can spit out warm air at 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). The fans and that temperatures are adjusted using touch panel controls located next to the seat pad. And given this is a Razer product, there’s obviously RGB lighting throughout the chair. By default, it’s set to Razer’s trademark green when it’s off, and we saw the edge glow red when warm, blue when cool, and purple or orange when cooling or warming.
Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
Icons on the touch-controlled panel and the built-in RGB lighting indicate whether the chair is set to blast warm or cold air.
One downside: you can’t spin 360 degrees in this chair without wrapping a cord around yourself, as it does need to be plugged in. But even the prototype already has a cable that’ll safely disconnect if you accidentally give it a yank.
Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
The breakaway cable will disconnect if it’s pulled, kinda like the early Xbox controllers.
Given Project Arielle is only a concept chair, this unfortunately isn’t something you can actually buy just yet. Razer has showcased a lot of quirky gaming gadget concepts at CES over the years, including chair cushions that shake your ass with haptic feedback.
Facebook, Instagram, and Threads are ditching third-party fact-checkers in favor of a Community Notes program inspired by X, according to an announcement penned by Meta’s new Trump-friendly policy chief Joel Kaplan. Meta is also moving its trust and safety teams from California to Texas.
“We’ve seen this approach work on X – where they empower their community to decide when posts are potentially misleading and need more context, and people across a diverse range of perspectives decide what sort of context is helpful for other users to see.” Meta said. “We think this could be a better way of achieving our original intention of providing people with information about what they’re seeing – and one that’s less prone to bias.”
The Community Notes feature will first be rolled out in the US “over the next couple of months” according to Meta, and will display an unobtrusive label indicating that there is additional information available on a post in place of full-screen warnings that users have to click through. Like the X feature, Meta says its own Community Notes will “require agreement between people with a range of perspectives to help prevent biased ratings.”
The moderation changes aim to address complaints that Meta censors “too much harmless content” on its platforms, and is slow to respond to users who have their accounts restricted. Meta is also moving its trust and safety teams responsible for its content policies and content reviews content out of California to Texas and other US locations, instead of wholesale moving its California headquarters like Elon Musk did with SpaceX and X.
Meta says it’s also scrapping a number of current restrictions around topics like immigration and gender identity, and will start phasing political content back into users' feeds on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads “with a more personalized approach.”
Meta will still utilize automated moderation systems, but says these will now largely focus on tackling more severe policy violations like terrorism, child sexual exploitation, drugs, fraud, and scams. Less severe policy violations will now need to be detected and reported by community members before Meta takes any action against them. Most of Meta’s systems for automatically predicting which posts may violate Meta’s policies and demoting such content are also being scrapped.
“These changes are an attempt to return to the commitment to free expression that Mark Zuckerberg set out in his Georgetown speech,” Meta said. “That means being vigilant about the impact our policies and systems are having on people’s ability to make their voices heard, and having the humility to change our approach when we know we’re getting things wrong.”
Google DeepMind is assembling a new team of artificial intelligence researchers to develop “world models” that can simulate physical environments. The initiative will be led by Tim Brooks, a former co-lead for OpenAI’s Sora project who joined DeepMind in October to work on Google’s video generation and world simulators.
World models are a relatively new development within AI that could serve a variety of purposes, such as creating real-time interactive media environments for video games and movies, and realistic training scenarios for robots and other AI systems. It’s also part of Google’s push to achieve an artificial general intelligence system, or AGI, before its competitors.
“DeepMind has ambitious plans to make massive generative models that simulate the world,” Brooks announced in an X post on Monday. Brooks included two open job listings for research engineers and scientists who will help to advance AI “world models” capable of simulating real-world scenarios by solving problems around training “at massive scale,” curating training data, and studying how they can be integrated with multimodal language models.
DeepMind has ambitious plans to make massive generative models that simulate the world. I'm hiring for a new team with this mission. Come build with us!https://t.co/pqvALtAvLshttps://t.co/vtwgeXl9Dl
“We believe scaling pretraining on video and multimodal data is on the critical path to artificial general intelligence,” DeepMind said in the job descriptions. “World models will power numerous domains, such as visual reasoning and simulation, planning for embodied agents, and real-time interactive entertainment.”
The race to be the first to declare AGI is heating up, so Google’s focus here isn’t surprising. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently said that the company has cracked how to achieve the tech industry’s long-sought benchmark, and that autonomous AI agents may start to meaningfully join workforces this year.
Introducing Genie 2 - our most capable large-scale foundation world model, which can generate a diverse array of consistent worlds, playable for up to a minute. We believe Genie 2 could unlock the next wave of capabilities for embodied agents . pic.twitter.com/AfL3EbOMeB
The new DeepMind team will work alongside existing Google AI projects including its flagship Gemini AI models, Veo video generator, and Genie — Google’s prior world model for simulating playable 3D environments in real-time.
Acer has spec bumps and display upgrades for its top-of-the-line Predator Helios 18 and 16 gaming laptops coming later this year.
Announced at CES, the Predator Helios 18 AI gaming laptop now sports a dual-mode Mini LED display that can switch between 4K with a 120Hz refresh rate or 240Hz when running at 1080p. That maximum refresh rate is actually a smidge slower than its 250Hz WQXGA Mini LED (2560 x 1600) predecessor, but that might be worth it for folks who want to enjoy both 4K resolution gaming and high frame rates on a single device. The Predator Helios 18 AI can reach up to 1,000 nits of brightness and supports Nvidia G-Sync to help prevent screen tearing, display stutter, and input lag.
Image: Acer
The design for the new Predator Helios 18 AI gaming laptop has also been updated to display more configurable RGB lighting.
The internal specs have also been upgraded, with configurations offering up to an Intel 15th Gen Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 mobile graphics, 192GB of DDR5 system memory, and 6TB of PCIe Gen 5 SSD storage. The RTX 5090 GPU, in particular, is at least partially responsible for the “AI” inclusion in the laptop’s updated name, which supports over 150 optimized AI apps for things like LLMs, image generation, and more, according to Acer. The Predator Helios 18 AI will be available in the US in May, with pricing starting at $2,999.99.
Image: Acer
Aside from size, the Predator Helios 16 AI is nearly identical visually to its larger counterpart.
The Predator Helios 16 AI has also received some generational improvements, including a 2560 x 1600 OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate. It can be configured with the same processor and GPU as its larger counterpart, alongside up to 64GB of RAM and 4TB of PCIe Gen 5 SSD storage. It’ll hit shelves in the US in June, with prices starting at $2,299.99.
Both models also feature swappable mechanical keys and proprietary sixth-gen AeroBlade metal fans for thermals, which Acer says can increase airflow by up to 20 percent compared to plastic fans. While both models include support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3, port selection is now limited to two Thunderbolt 5 jacks — which might be restrictive depending on your existing peripherals and gaming accessories.
Dell has made its latest UltraSharp 4K monitors more attractive to PC gamers by doubling the previous generation’s 60Hz refresh rate. The 27-inch and 32-inch 4K UltraSharp Thunderbolt displays announced at CES have been updated with new IPS panels that provide 120Hz refresh rates alongside features designed to enhance visual comfort.
The UltraSharp line is a popular choice for working professionals who need a no-frills 4K monitor that supports Windows, macOS, and multi-monitor setups — the 27-inch model in particular tops a lotoflists for best 4K monitor. 120Hz refresh rates are usually targeted toward gamers who can benefit from higher frame rates and smoother, more responsive gameplay, which now makes the 27-inch UltraSharp 4K in particular a decent solution for people who want a single display that’s suitable for both work and play.
The improvements come at a cost though: the 27-inch UltraSharp 4K is increasing to $699.99 (up from $639.99 for the 60Hz model), and the larger 32-inch UltraSharp 4K now costs $949.99 (up from $919.99). Both will be available to buy globally starting February 25th, according to Dell.
Image: Dell
Here’s a look at what the new 32-inch Dell UltraSharp 4K monitor looks like from the front.
Dell introduced several 120Hz monitors to the UltraSharp lineup in 2023 and 2024, but this is the first time that the popular 27-inch 4K model has seen a similar refresh rate boost. Other improvements for the new UltraSharp 4K models include up to 140W power delivery via USB-C (up from 90W), and a 3,000:1 contrast ratio, thanks to its use of “enhanced IPS Black technology” that provides 47 percent deeper blacks compared to conventional IPS panels, according to Dell. The prior version of IPS Black offered a 2,000:1 contrast ratio. A comparison showing improvements in contrast ratio can be seen in this YouTube video.
Image: Dell
Besides some changes to the port selection and a new ventilation grill, the new UltraSharp 4K monitors look visually similar to the previous models.
Dell says the monitors include an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts brightness and color temperature to help reduce eye fatigue. Otherwise, the 27-inch and 32-inch 4K UltraSharp share near-identical designs with their predecessors. The new models include VESA DisplayHDR 600 and ports for USB-A, USB-C, Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, and DisplayPort, with ventilation grills now surrounding the ports located on the back of the monitors.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says that the company is confident that it knows “how to build AGI as we have traditionally understood it,” referring to the tech industry’s long-sought benchmark of artificial general intelligence. And he predicts that AI agents capable of autonomously performing certain tasks may start to “materially change the output of companies” this year.
Altman made the announcement in a blog post published on Monday, where he discussed the past and future of OpenAI. The company’s next goal is “superintelligence in the true sense of the word,” he says.“We love our current products, but we are here for the glorious future. Superintelligent tools could massively accelerate scientific discovery and innovation well beyond what we are capable of doing on our own, and in turn massively increase abundance and prosperity.”
Altman’s description of superintelligence, broadly defined as AI agents that surpass human intelligence, sounds much like how OpenAI once described AGI: “AI systems that are generally smarter than humans.” OpenAI has repeatedly stated that its foundational goal is to develop an artificial general intelligence (AGI) system that “benefits all of humanity.” But Altman tried to lower expectations for AGI last month, saying it would “matter much less” than people thought.
Downplaying its previous definition of AGI may work in OpenAI’s favor, since the company is tied to Microsoft via exclusivity deals it made in 2023 until OpenAI officially declares that AGI has been achieved. But reports that Microsoft itself classifies AGI as a system capable of generating $100 billion in profits may prove that loophole ineffective. And while The Verge has heard that OpenAI plans to blend its large language models together as an “AGI” offering, potentially to hit this goalpost faster, the company isn’t turning a profit. Altman also says it’s currently losing money on its $200-per-month ChatGPT Pro subscriptions.
“People use it much more than we expected,” Altman wrote across several posts on X. “I personally chose the price and thought we would make some money.”
“The whole event was, in my opinion, a big failure of governance by well-meaning people, myself included. Looking back, I certainly wish I had done things differently, and I’d like to believe I’m a better, more thoughtful leader today than I was a year ago,” Altman said. “Good governance requires a lot of trust and credibility. I appreciate the way so many people worked together to build a stronger system of governance for OpenAI that enables us to pursue our mission of ensuring that AGI benefits all of humanity.”
Barbecue tech startup Brisk It has unveiled its latest smart grill at CES, which uses generative AI to automate cooking and create personalized recipes. The $399 Zelos 450 electric wood pellet smoker features 450 square inches of cooking space and Wi-Fi connectivity for remotely adjusting settings and monitoring food as it cooks via a mobile app.
Whether you actually want AI to get in between you and your grilling is the bigger question. Brisk It says its Vera AI can “monitor, control, and automate the cook for you” at the push of a button, sending users notification updates on the cooking progress and reminders to do things like wrap or spritz ribs with water. If these prompts are missed or ignored, the AI will automatically adjust the grilling temperature to prevent food from being ruined. Ridiculous as it sounds, the company’s earlier models have received some positivereviews for their helpful automation.
Image: Brisk It
The Vera 2.0 AI model provides a variety of generative AI features for automating cooking and recipe creation via Brisk It’s smart phone app.
The latest Vera 2.0 model on the Zelos 450 includes new features like Smart Image Recognition, which uses photos of ingredients to generate recipes, and Recipe Re-creation, which can turn existing recipes into versions that can be automated on the grill.
The Zelos 450 has a temperature range of 180–500 degrees Fahrenheit that supports both slow cooking and high-heat grilling. Brisk It says it’ll be available to purchase at Amazon, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, and the Brisk It Grills webstore sometime in Q1 2025.
There’s a hot new smart pizza oven in town that’ll let you cook a 12-inch pizza in your apartment in two minutes. The $599 Current Backyard Model P electric pizza oven works both indoors and out, can customize cook time based on pizza construction, and has both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for remote monitoring.
And it really is hot for an electric oven — Current Backyard says the Model P has a maximum temperature of 850 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing it to cook Neapolitan-style pizzas in two minutes. It comes with a 12-inch cordierite cooking stone and features specific modes for broiling and cooking Neapolitan, New York, thin crust, and frozen pizza. The Wi-Fi connection also enables users to step away for a few minutes while continuing to monitor and control the oven with an app.
Image: Current Backyard
At least two colors are available: silver (pictured) or a darker gray.
Current Backyard says the Model P uses a proprietary algorithm to keep heat uniform within the oven and prevent users from needing to turn pizzas while they cook, something that’s generally recommended with pizza ovens from competitors like Ooni. The Model P smart app controls also include a “Pizza Build Calculator” that works out the optimal cooking time and temperature based on dough thickness and the quantity of sauce, cheese, and other toppings.
“The Model P Smart Pizza Oven isn’t just about making pizza — it’s about eliminating limitations,” says Current Backyard CEO Tom Penner. “Whether you live in an apartment or have a backyard kitchen, this oven adapts to your lifestyle, offering unparalleled convenience, performance, and flavor.”
