Tech

A collection of 1942 posts

Tech

Ex-OpenAI researcher says investors lag AI research by 3–5 years

Businessinsider reports that Jenny Xiao, a former OpenAI researcher and cofounder of Leonis Capital, said investors are three to five years behind current AI research. Speaking on the Fortune Magazine podcast this week, Xiao said there is a "massive disconnect" between what researchers are seeing and what investors

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OpenAI will test ads in free ChatGPT and $8 ChatGPT Go

OpenAI, the San Francisco company, said on Friday that over the next several weeks it will begin testing ads in the free version of its ChatGPT chatbot and in a low-cost tier called ChatGPT Go, which costs $8 a month. The company said the advertising program is part of a

Tech

TikTok to deploy age-detection system across Europe

TikTok will roll out an age-detection system across Europe to identify underage users on the platform, according to a Reuters report cited by Mashable. The system analyzes a user's profile information, published videos and behavioral signs to estimate whether an account holder is under 13. Per TikTok policy,

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Modder suggests DLC checks may cause Monster Hunter Wilds PC slowdowns

Kotaku reports that yesterday a Reddit user, u/de_Tylmarande, posted a theory that how Monster Hunter Wilds checks for downloadable content could be a major factor behind the game's reportedly poor PC performance. The user said they discovered the issue after playing the game through a friend&

Tech

OpenAI to test ads in ChatGPT for some US users

Businessinsider reported that OpenAI announced on Friday it will start testing ads in ChatGPT for some US users on its free and Go tiers. The article says the tests, which had been rumored, apply to the US and that mockups OpenAI shared flag clearly what is an ad. The author

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Quarantine Zone: which survivor items are contraband and how to seize hidden items

Pcgamer reports that in Quarantine Zone, from day seven onwards you must prevent survivors from bringing weapons, drugs, and zombie body parts into your camp, and many other items in suitcases can count as contraband. Weapons such as blades, guns, explosives, chainsaws, axes and manual saws are contraband, while some

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Jonathan Haidt returns to Hard Fork to discuss research on social media and teens

Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, returned to the Hard Fork podcast to discuss new research about how social media is harming teens and to talk about becoming the face of a global movement against the platforms. The episode also showcases listener projects built with Claude Code and features

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Report: X reportedly still allows Grok-created sexualized images

The Guardian reported that X may still be permitting Grok-generated, sexualized images of real people despite X’s announcement that such content had been banned. The newspaper said its journalists were able to generate and upload videos showing real women being undressed into bikinis from photographs of fully clothed individuals,

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Razer unveils Project Madison concept chair with haptics, THX audio, and RGB

Polygon reports Razer unveiled its concept gaming chair, Project Madison, at CES 2026. The chair is packed with built-in speakers, reactive RGB lighting, and haptics and is designed to work with Razer Chroma and Sensa HD for haptics control. Razer says Project Madison will connect wirelessly to a PC and

Tech

Bungie outlines Marathon’s seven runner shells and customization systems

Kotaku reports Bungie released a new trailer and developer breakdown for Marathon that highlights each character class’s distinct playstyle, a follow-up to the game’s emergence from its 2025 playtest delay. According to a Bungie blog post, “Each Runner shell is built around a different gameplay archetype, such as

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ZDNET test: $10 'electromagnetic' car de‑icer failed to remove frost

ZDNET's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes tested a cheap device marketed as an "advanced electromagnetic antifreeze snow removal device" by leaving it in his car on a frosty night and found it did not remove snow or de-ice the windshield. The product box made a range of claims, including

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Researchers find vulnerabilities in Google Fast Pair that could let hackers control audio devices

Pcgamer reports researchers at KU Leuven in Belgium analysed audio devices that use Google's Fast Pair Bluetooth system and found flaws that could let someone remotely control a device, tap its microphone, or track its location. Fast Pair is designed to let compatible devices connect with one tap.

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Quarantine Zone launches after Steam Next Fest success, adds Dead by Daylight crossover

Gamesradar reports Quarantine Zone: The Last Check has properly launched after breaking out at one of last year's Steam Next Fest events, where its demo helped it garner more than one million Steam Wishlists. Rather than putting players in the role of a survivor or soldier, the zombie

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NHTSA gives Tesla until Feb 23 to respond to FSD information request

NHTSA has granted Tesla an extension until February 23 to respond to an information request about the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. The original request was sent to Tesla on December 3 with a January 19 deadline and penalties of up to $27,874 per day, to a maximum

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What Roku TV resets do and how to remove a device from your account

A guide explains the differences between Roku TV resets and what each one affects, including how to remove a device from your Roku account if you plan to give it away or sell it. A system restart (soft reset) simply reboots the device and does not delete apps, network information,

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King’s InterHigh uses flexible, tech-driven online classes to support global students

King’s InterHigh, an online school following a British curriculum for pupils aged seven to 19, uses advanced technology to create a flexible learning experience for students around the world. Pupils quoted in the article described the school as welcoming and supportive; one student, James, said: 'The first weeks

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 brings Kapp’n hotel and Switch 2 upgrade

Kotaku reports that Animal Crossing: New Horizons' 3.0 update is live, split into a free portion for all players and a paid upgrade for Nintendo Switch 2 owners. The Switch 2 upgrade costs $4.99 for existing owners, and Nintendo says it offers an "enhanced resolution,"

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Widespread outage hits X as Cloudflare and AWS reports spike in US

X experienced a widespread outage Friday morning, with reports concentrated across the United States. Reports surged on DownDetector shortly before 10:30 a.m. ET. On the browser version some users saw a "Connection timed out Error code 522" while the app loaded but no new content would

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Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider impresses with V12 but criticized for capacitive steering wheel

A review of the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider finds the car's capacitive touch multifunction steering wheel undermines the modern driving experience, even as the V12 and chassis deliver strongly. Ferrari will offer existing owners a replacement steering wheel with physical buttons, the review said, though that will come for

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Seven CES 2026 products ZDNET's Kerry Wan would buy

ZDNET writer Kerry Wan highlighted seven products seen at CES 2026 that they said they would buy as soon as the items go on sale. Wan singled out the Clicks Communicator, a dedicated messaging handset with a clean operating system, a notification LED, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a

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Amazfit Active Max review: $170 watch with huge battery and bright AMOLED

The Amazfit Active Max is available now for $169.99 and features a 1.5-inch AMOLED display and up to 25 days of battery life, ZDNET reports. In hands-on use over three weeks the reviewer said the watch still had 24% battery after tracking outdoor runs, rowing sessions, daily life

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WhisperPair flaws in Fast Pair let attackers hijack Bluetooth audio devices

Researchers at KU Leuven disclosed WhisperPair, a set of vulnerabilities in the implementation of Google's Fast Pair protocol used to connect Bluetooth headphones, earbuds and other audio accessories. The team says the flaw can let an attacker hijack a device and potentially record conversations made with its built‑

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Nvidia overtakes Apple as TSMC's top wafer customer, report says

Pcgamer reports that, according to Taiwan-based technology reporter Tim Culpan, Nvidia has overtaken Apple as the primary recipient of TSMC wafers as demand for AI chips has surged. Culpan notes the meteoric rise in AI demand, backed by "hundreds of billions of dollars," has shifted wafer orders toward

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Hypixel Studios offers up to $25,000 for Hytale security bug reports

Polygon reports Hypixel Studios is offering up to $25,000 to players who report security vulnerabilities in Hytale, which launched on Tuesday, Jan. 13. The payout depends on severity; minor animation or visual glitches and "game exploits or cheats that do not affect server security" are explicitly out

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Anthropic's Claude Cowork can read and reorganize local files but raises questions

Anthropic's Claude Cowork, an agentic AI designed to work directly on local file systems, is available as a research preview for Mac users with Apple Silicon and on the Anthropic Max plan. ZDNET's David Gewirtz tested the app on an M4 Max Mac Studio, using copies