In Big Tech's never-ending quest to increase AI adoption, Google has unveiled a meme generator. The new Google Photos feature, Me Meme, lets you create personalized memes starring a synthetic version of you.
Google describes Me Meme as "a simple way to explore with your photos and create content that's ready to share with friends and family." You can choose from a variety of templates or "upload your own funny picture" to use in their place.
The feature isn't live for everyone yet, so you may not yet have access to it. (A Google representative toldTechCrunch that the feature will roll out to Android and iOS users over the coming weeks.) But once it arrives, you can use it in the Google Photos app by tapping Create (at the bottom of the screen), then Me Meme. It will then ask you to choose a template and add a reference photo. There’s an option to regenerate it if you don’t like the result.
Google says Me Meme works best with well-lit, focused and front-facing portrait photos. "This feature is still experimental, so generated images may not perfectly match the original photo," the company warns.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-photos-can-now-turn-you-into-a-meme-213930935.html?src=rss
File this one under "Things that make you go, 'Hmmm…'" Retro handheld maker Anbernic is launching a new controller with a screen. But unlike Nintendo's Wii U controller, there's no second-screen gaming capability here. Instead, the display is designed to "make customization intuitive and effortless." Oh, and the controller also has a heart rate sensor. Because, hey, if you're going weird, I say fully commit!
The Anbernic RG G01 has a 2.5-inch HD display that the company describes as an "HD smart screen." The idea is to remap buttons, program macros and change other settings without requiring software on a connected device.
You, too, can monitor your heart rate while gaming.
Anbernic
Meanwhile, Anbernic says the heart rate detection helps you "monitor your well-being during intense sessions." I would hope that folks with heart conditions would use something other than a gamepad to monitor their pulse. And I don’t know why anyone else would be worried about that while gaming. (Too many Red Bulls?) Regardless, Anbernic seems to be leaning into the novelty / curiosity space here, so at least it fits the motif.
The RG G01 connects in three ways: Bluetooth 5.0, 2.4Ghz wireless and over a wire. It supports onboard calibration for the triggers, joystick and 6-axis gyroscope. There are four programmable buttons (including macro support) on the backside. The company promises a 1,000Hz polling rate in wired and wireless modes. The gamepad is compatible with PC, Switch, Android and iOS.
We don't yet know when this glorious oddity will arrive, other than "coming soon." We also don't know how much it will cost. But you can watch the launch video below and see if it's your type of strange.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/retro-handheld-maker-anbernic-has-a-new-gamepad-with-a-screen-and-heart-rate-sensor-201651899.html?src=rss
Tesla just objectively decreased the value of the Model 3 and Model Y. On Thursday, the company said it’s paywalling its lane-centering feature, Autosteer, for new purchases of the two EVs in the US and Canada. This was previously a standard feature. Lane centering is now part of the Full Self-Driving Supervised (FSD) package, which costs $99 per month.
Speculating on why Tesla would do this doesn't require much imagination. Remember the pay package Tesla shareholders approved for Musk in November? One of his requirements for receiving up to $1 trillion is reaching 10 million active FSD subscriptions.
One of Musk's stipulations for receiving $1 trillion is reaching 10 million active FSD subscriptions. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images
As for the details, Tesla killed the Basic Autopilot feature that was standard on the Model 3 and Model Y. That package included both Autosteer and Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC). Now, the latter will remain a standard feature, but Autosteer now requires that $99-per-month FSD subscription. The change applies only to new purchases, not existing owners.
The move comes ahead of FSD's switch to a subscription-only service. After February 14, you'll no longer be able to buy the package for a one-time $8,000 upfront fee. If you want FSD (or just lane centering) from now on, your annual cost will be $1,188.
Making matters worse, Musk warned that FSD won't remain at $99 monthly forever. "I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD's capabilities improve," the Tesla CEO posted on X. He didn't indicate when that might happen or what the increase would be.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/tesla-paywalls-lane-centering-on-new-model-3-and-model-y-purchases-184000707.html?src=rss
JBL is trying its hand at something new, with a pair of AI-powered practice amps. The BandBox Solo and BandBox Trio include an onboard Stem AI that purportedly lets you separate or remove vocals and instruments from any music streamed over Bluetooth. So, say you're a young guitarist learning “Stairway to Heaven” (as one does). At least in theory, you could use the speaker to remove Jimmy Page's part and hone your chops with the rest of the band.
The $250 BandBox Solo, designed for individual musicians, has a single guitar / mic input. And the $600 BandBox Trio, better for bands, supports up to four instrument inputs. The latter also has a few extra perks not found in the Solo: onboard controls (to reduce reliance on the app) and an LCD.
The more expensive BandBox Trio has an LCD and more onboard controls.
JBL
The JBL One app lets you add filters to match a variety of modern and vintage amp models. You'll also find effects like phaser, chorus, and reverb, as well as a pitch shifter and tuner. A built-in looper will allow for layering, but JBL says that feature will arrive via a software update in October.
JBL says the BandBox Solo supports up to six hours of battery life. The BandBox Trio is said to last up to 10 hours. But the latter has a replaceable battery, so you could buy a spare (for an as-yet-unknown price) and double that time.
The $250 BandBox Solo and $600 BandBox Trio are available to pre-order from JBL's website starting today. Shipments and third-party retail availability are scheduled for March 1.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/jbl-made-a-pair-of-ai-powered-practice-amps-221000631.html?src=rss
It was only 16 months ago that Substack expanded into live video. Since then, it's become a widely adopted medium on the platform, including by its ever-growing list of cable news expats. Now, the company has decided it's ready for a bigger screen. Starting today, you can install a new Substack TV app on Apple TV and Google TV devices.
Substack describes the app's initial launch as focusing on "reliable, high-quality viewing" for the platform's long-form videos. It centers around video posts and livestreams from the creators and publications you follow. There's also a "For You" section that combines those videos with algorithmic recommendations. And you can browse dedicated pages for each channel.
Viewing access aligns with your subscription level. So, if a channel restricts videos to paying subscribers on Substack’s mobile app and website, the same paywall applies here. However, the company says it's working on adding previews of paid content for free subscribers. It also plans to add audio posts, search, improved discovery and separate sections for different shows within a single publication.
At least one of those legacy media expats who moved to Substack is optimistic about the feature. "This is a game-changing moment for the rise of independent media," former CNN anchor Jim Acosta wrote in the announcement post. "Substack has proven that legacy media consumers are not only searching for fresh alternatives; they are finding them."
Based on the comments in Substack’s announcement, some of the platform’s die-hards are less enthusiastic than Acosta. “File this under – thing we didn’t ask for,” Ashli Pollard wrote. “This is not YouTube,” a commenter named Dustin added. “Elevate the written word.” I personally don’t see any harm in another way to watch the videos Substack already hosts. (Its newsletters aren’t going anywhere.) But given how Big Tech companies tend to pivot further toward the most en vogue (and profitable) medium of the day, I can see why purists feel the need to dig in their heels.
Regardless, you can find the Substack TV app by searching for its name in the tvOS App Store or the Apps section on Google and Android TV devices. You can sign in by scanning a QR code with your phone.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/substack-now-has-a-tv-app-195408592.html?src=rss
We already knew xAI's Grok was barraging X with nonconsensual sexual images of real people. But now there are some numbers to put things in perspective. Over an 11-day period, Grok generated an estimated 3 million sexualized images — including an estimated 23,000 of children.
Put another way, Grok generated an estimated 190 sexualized images per minute during that 11-day period. Among those, it made a sexualized image of children once every 41 seconds.
On Thursday, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) published its findings. The British nonprofit based its findings on a random sample of 20,000 Grok images from December 29 to January 9. The CCDH then extrapolated a broader estimate based on the 4.6 million images Grok generated during that period.
The research defined sexualized images as those with "photorealistic depictions of a person in sexual positions, angles, or situations; a person in underwear, swimwear or similarly revealing clothing; or imagery depicting sexual fluids." The CCDH didn't take image prompts into account, so the estimate doesn't differentiate between nonconsensual sexualized versions of real photos and those generated exclusively from a text prompt.
The CCDH used an AI tool to identify the proportion of the sampled images that were sexualized. That may warrant some degree of caution in the findings. However, I'm told that many third-party analytics services for X have reliable data because they use the platform's API.
On January 9, xAI restricted Grok's ability to edit existing images to paid users. (That didn't solve the problem; it merely turned it into a premium feature.) Five days later, X restricted Grok's ability to digitally undress real people.
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 23: Google CEO Sundar Pichai (L) and Apple CEO Tim Cook (R) listen as U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a roundtable with American and Indian business leaders in the East Room of the White House on June 23, 2023 in Washington, DC. Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held the meeting to meet with a range of leaders from the tech and business worlds and to discuss topics including innovation and AI. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
But that restriction only applied to X; the standalone Grok app reportedly continues to generate these images. Since Apple and Google host the apps — which their policies explicitly prohibit — you might expect them to remove them from their stores. Well, in that case, you'd be wrong.
So far, Tim Cook's Apple and Sundar Pichai's Google haven’t removed Grok from their stores — unlike similar “nudifying” apps from other developers. The companies also didn’t take any action on X while it was producing the images. That’s despite 28 women’s groups (and other progressive advocacy nonprofits) publishing an open letter calling on the companies to act.
The companies haven't replied to multiple requests for comment from Engadget. To my knowledge, they haven't acknowledged the issue publicly in any format, nor have they responded to questions from other media outlets.
Grok - App Store and Play Store listings
Apple / Google
The research’s findings on sexualized images included numerous outputs of people wearing transparent bikinis or micro-bikinis. The CCDH referred to one of a "uniformed healthcare worker with white fluids visible between her spread legs." Others included women wearing only dental floss, Saran Wrap or transparent tape. One depicted Ebba Busch, Sweden's Deputy Prime Minister, "wearing a bikini with white fluid on her head."
Other public figures were part of that group. They include Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Ice Spice, Nicki Minaj, Christina Hendricks, Millie Bobby Brown and Kamala Harris.
Examples of children include someone using Grok to edit a child's "before-school selfie" into an image of her in a bikini. Another image depicted "six young girls wearing micro bikinis." The CCDH said that, as of January 15, both of these posts were still live on X.
In total, 29 percent of the sexualized images of children identified in the sample were still accessible on X as of January 15. The research found that even after posts were removed, the images remained accessible via their direct URLs.
You can read the CCDH's report for more details on the results and methodology. We’ll update this story if we receive a reply from Apple or Google.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/grok-generated-an-estimated-3-million-sexualized-images--including-23000-of-children--over-11-days-175053250.html?src=rss
1Password has a new tool designed to counteract the advantages AI has given to phishing scammers. A new feature for the company's browser extension gives you a "second pair of eyes" to help you catch a bogus website before entering your login info.
Before AI, phishing attempts often included telltale signs like obvious typos or rudimentary graphic design. Now that AI makes it much easier to design and code convincingly, scams are on the rise. According to Fortune, 60 percent of companies reported an increase in fraud-related losses from 2024 to 2025. And the advent of AI browsers could make things even worse.
“Our new phishing feature adds an extra layer of protection,” 1Password says. Once the feature is activated, the extension actively watches for suspicious sign-ins. To be clear, even before this feature's arrival, 1Password wouldn't autofill saved credentials for a bogus website impersonating it. But that still left room for people to manually paste their login info, handing it over to those with the worst intentions.
That moment when you try to paste your login manually is where the new feature comes in. "The website you're on isn't linked to a login in 1Password," the feature's warning pop-up reads. "Make sure you trust this site before continuing."
1Password says that's the "breakthrough" moment that can help you avoid a major hassle. "That single moment of pause, that tiny bit of friction, is often all it takes to disrupt the attackers' entire plan."
The new feature is available today. You can enable it in the 1Password browser extension's settings. Under the Notifications section, activate the setting for "Warn about pasted logins on non-linked websites."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/1password-adds-an-extra-layer-of-phishing-protection-140000293.html?src=rss
Ahead of its upcoming price hike, Spotify is rolling out a more advanced AI playlist feature in the US and Canada. Prompted Playlist, which the company trialed in New Zealand late last year, lets subscribers "control the Spotify algorithm," as the company describes it. "You're not just asking for music, you're shaping how Spotify goes about discovering it for you."
For example, you can guide it to make a playlist of songs you've saved to your Library but haven't listened to yet. (It can tap into your entire Spotify history.) Or, you can tell it to round up songs from a specific television show or movie. (It uses real-time information about pop culture, charts, and history.)
The feature includes options to refresh the playlist over time (daily or weekly). You can edit each playlist's prompt at any time. Each track will include a short note to explain why it was chosen.
The standard AI Playlist creator will remain alongside the new Prompted Playlist.
Spotify
Spotify says beta testers have used Prompted Playlist to revisit songs tied to specific moments and filter out tracks they've overplayed lately. "Others are asking for long, lyric-free electronic playlists to power through a workday, or mixing in artists connected to current pop culture moments and viral trends," the company wrote.
There's room for some confusion here because Spotify already has an "AI Playlist" feature. That simpler type will stick around alongside the new "Prompted" variety, which allows for finer tuning and can sift through more data.
Prompted Playlist will be available to Spotify Premium subscribers in the US and Canada "by the end of the month." Once you have access, you can try it by tapping Create, then selecting Prompted Playlist.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/spotifys-prompted-playlist-lets-you-describe-exactly-what-you-want-to-hear-140000153.html?src=rss
Apple will reportedly try to succeed where Humane failed (miserably). On Wednesday, The Informationreported that the iPhone maker is working on an AI pin. The wearable is said to resemble a slightly thicker AirTag and include multiple cameras, a speaker, microphones, and wireless charging.
The report coincides with another from Bloomberg that claims that Apple will revamp Siri as a ChatGPT-style chatbot. When combined with the recent announcement that Google's Gemini will power Siri AI, it looks like the company is finally making a more defined play for a piece of the generative AI pie. On the other hand, the wearable pin is reportedly only in the very early stages and could still be canceled.
The pin is described as a thin, flat, circular disc with an aluminum and glass exterior. It includes two cameras (standard and wide-angle) for taking photos and videos of the user's surroundings. It also has three microphones. It includes a speaker and a physical button along one edge. It has a magnetic inductive charging interface, similar to the Apple Watch's charging mechanism.
Given the way Apple markets itself as a privacy-focused company, it will be interesting to see how the company pitches the public on what sounds like an incognito recording device. Although on that note, the App Store still hosts the Grok app, which egregiously violates privacy by generating nearly-nude deepfakes of real people — despite Apple's rules explicitly prohibiting such apps.
The Information says Apple could release its AI pin as early as 2027. The company sounds confident in the device's appeal, as it reportedly plans to produce around 20 million units at launch.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/apple-is-reportedly-developing-a-wearable-ai-pin-204705065.html?src=rss
Threads has grown enough for Meta to fully integrate it into its advertising machine. On Wednesday, the company said that, with the platform now hosting 400 million monthly active users, ads are expanding globally to all users. The inevitable move follows a test in 30 countries early last year.
Ads on Threads are powered by Meta's AI-powered advertising system. They'll use the "same level of personalization" (i.e., tracking and profiling) as Facebook and Instagram. Image, video and carousel ad formats will all appear natively in Threads feeds.
Meta said the ad expansion will begin next week, but the full rollout will take months. "Ads on Threads expansion to all users will be gradual, with ad delivery initially remaining low as we reach global user availability in the coming months," the company wrote in a blog post.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-is-expanding-threads-ads-to-all-users-globally-183900226.html?src=rss
