Tag Archives: Business

OpenAI is launching age prediction for ChatGPT accounts

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OpenAI is the latest company to hop on the bandwagon of gating access by users' age. The AI business is beginning a global rollout of an age prediction tool to determine whether or not a user is a minor. “The model looks at a combination of behavioral and account-level signals, including how long an account has existed, typical times of day when someone is active, usage patterns over time,and a user’s stated age,” the company’s announcement states. If an individual is incorrectly characterized by ChatGPT as underage, they will need to submit a selfie to correct the mistake through the Persona age verification platform. 

Most AI companies have been willing to push new features first and then attempt to layer on a patchwork of protections and safety guards on top of them after they cause harm. OpenAI was implicated in a wrongful death suit for a teen who allegedly used ChatGPT to plan his suicide, and only in the following months began pondering automatic restrictions on content for underage users and launching a mental health advisory council. In this instance, OpenAI is attempting to prepare for the launch of an "adult mode" that will allow users to create and consume content that would be dubbed NSFW. Considering how well a similar change has been going over at Roblox, another platform with a shaky history around protecting minors, it seems probable that underage users will find ways to circumvent the existing tools if they want to use ChatGPT as adults.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-is-launching-age-prediction-for-chatgpt-accounts-222650340.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Elon Musk wants a $134 billion payout from OpenAI and Microsoft

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Part of a lawsuit accusing OpenAI of abandoning its non-profit status claims Musk is owed anywhere from $79 billion to $134 billion in damages for the “wrongful gains” of OpenAI and Microsoft.

Musk claims in the filing that he’s entitled to a chunk of the company’s recent $500 billion valuation, after contributing $38 million in “seed funding” during the AI company’s early years. It wasn’t just money — according to the filing, Musk helped advise on key employee recruitment, introductions with business contacts and startup advice.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because the lawsuit dates back to March 2024. It’s still going.

— Mat Smith

TMA
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Claude Cowork, Anthropic’s AI assistant for handling simple tasks on your computer, is now available to anyone with a $20-per-month Pro subscription. It was previously an exclusive feature for its Max subscribers, who pay a minimum of $100 per month.

As a reminder, the intriguing part of Claude Cowork is its ability to work on its own. If you have the macOS Claude app and a Pro subscription, you can prompt Claude Cowork to work on tasks on your local computer, like creating documents based on files you have saved or organizing your folders. Don’t expect it to deal with high-level PC work just yet, but it can handle simple organizational tasks.

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Pioneering mathematician Dr. Gladys West has passed away at the age of 95. Her name may not be familiar to you, but her contributions will be. West’s work laid the foundation for the global positioning system, GPS, we all use (sometimes daily). Beyond DoorDash requests and Google Maps navigation, GPS is now an essential component of industries ranging from aviation to emergency response systems.

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Engadget

ASUS might step back from smartphones. According to translations of recent quotes from Chair Jonney Shih, the company does not plan to release new phone models in the future. Previous reports suggested ASUS would not introduce any smartphones in 2026, but Shih’s recent comments indicate the pause may last longer, if not indefinitely. We’ve reached out to ASUS for additional comment. It's not like the company changes its mind...

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121509123.html?src=rss

Elon Musk is looking for a $134 billion payout from OpenAI and Microsoft

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We now have some idea of what's at stake in the longstanding feud between Elon Musk and OpenAI. As first reported by Bloomberg, the latest filing, as part of a lawsuit that accuses the AI giant of abandoning its non-profit status, claims that Musk is owed anywhere between $79 billion and $134 billion in damages from the "wrongful gains" of OpenAI and Microsoft.

Musk claimed in the filing that he's entitled to a portion of OpenAI's recent valuation at $500 billion, after contributing $38 million in "seed funding" during the AI company's startup years. Along with providing "roughly 60 percent of the nonprofit's seed funding," Musk offered recruiting of key employees, introductions with business contacts and startup advice, according to the filing. The monetary estimate comes from C. Paul Wazzan, a financial economist who's serving as Musk's expert in the case. According to Wazzan's calculations, OpenAI earned between $65.5 billion and $109.43 billion in wrongful gains, while Microsoft saw between $13.3 billion and $25.06 billion.

The lawsuit between Elon Musk and OpenAI dates back to March 2024, when the xAI CEO first filed a legal action claiming that OpenAI violated its non-profit status. Musk later added Microsoft as another defendant and even tried to get an injunction when OpenAI announced efforts to reorganize its corporate structure. Besides this suit, Musk has named OpenAI in another legal battle, accusing the company, along with Apple, of monopolistic practices that prevent xAI from getting a fair shot in the App Store.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/elon-musk-is-looking-for-a-134-billion-payout-from-openai-and-microsoft-171824945.html?src=rss

Google is appealing the ruling from its search antitrust case to avoid sharing data with rivals

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Google has filed its appeal to the Department of Justice’s antitrust case that ended with a federal judge ruling that the company was maintaining a monopoly with its search business. While the company goes through the appeals process, it’s also asking that implementation of the remedies from the case, which include a requirement that Google share search data with its competitors, also be paused.

“As we have long said, the Court’s August 2024 ruling ignored the reality that people use Google because they want to, not because they’re forced to,” Google said in a statement. “The decision failed to account for the rapid pace of innovation and intense competition we face from established players and well-funded start-ups. And it discounted compelling testimony from browser makers like Apple and Mozilla who said they choose to feature Google because it provides the highest quality search experience for their consumers.”

The company says that the requirement that it “provide syndication services to rivals” and share search data is a privacy risk and could “discourage competitors from building their own products.” Both remedies where compromises based on what the Justice Department originally proposed, which included forcing Google to sell its Chrome web browser.

After a 10-week trial held in 2023, Google was found to have a search monopoly in 2024 because of the placement it maintained as the default search engine on multiple platforms, and the control it exerted over the ads that appear in search results. Both arguments were key points in the DOJ’s original 2020 lawsuit.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-is-appealing-the-ruling-from-its-search-antitrust-case-to-avoid-sharing-data-with-rivals-215107905.html?src=rss

XREAL files lawsuit against rival smart glass maker Viture

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San Francisco-founded Smart glasses maker Viture has been sued in a US court by rival XREAL over claims it infringed on its patents, XREAL announced in a press release. The complaint, lodged in a federal Texas court, accuses Viture of illegally incorporating XREAL's patented tech into its products including the Luma Pro, Luma Ultra and Beast models. 

"The lawsuit is not merely about enforcing a single patent," the company wrote. "It is about stopping a pattern of intellectual property infringement that undermines the integrity of innovation and endangers continued technological development in this industry." 

XREAL has already won a preliminary injunction against Viture in Germany. That resulted in a sales freeze in that country, which could spread to nine other European nations including France, Italy and Spain. That injunction affects Viture's Pro, Luma and Luma Pro smart glasses.

Both companies make augmented reality (AR) glasses with built-in displays that connect to smartphone or laptops, letting you play games, watch movies or do productivity tasks. Their products offer similar display resolutions and fields of view, both of which are key specifications for those products. 

In response, Viture issued its own statement: "Our product does not infringe upon the cited patent in any way," the company told Tom's Guide. "We encourage everyone to look closely at the patent itself and form their own judgment, it becomes clear very quickly how weak and questionable it is. XREAL has simultaneously circulated false claims suggesting that Viture is 'banned across nine European countries.' This is entirely untrue." The company added that it's taking legal action itself because of XREAL's comments. 

Viture is a relatively new player in the AR/VR world, but XREAL's lawsuit could be a prelude to similar actions, judging by the wording in its press release. XREAL holds over 800 patent and patent applications around the world around AR, VR and other tech, and claims that Viture has fewer than 70 and none in the US and Europe. At CES 2026, XREAL unveiled several new products, including the ROG X R1 AR glasses built in conjunction with ASUS. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/xreal-files-lawsuit-against-rival-smart-glass-maker-viture-133018692.html?src=rss

FTC finalizes GM punishment over driver data sharing scandal

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After reaching a proposed settlement last year, the FTC has banned General Motors from sharing specific consumer data with third parties, TechCrunch reported. The finalized order wraps up one of the more egregious cases of a corporation collecting its customers' data and then using it against them. 

Two years ago, the New York Times report released a report detailing how GM's OnStar "Smart Driver" program collected and sold detailed geolocation and driving behavior data to third parties, including data brokers. Those brokers in turn sold the data to insurance providers, which jacked up the rates for some drivers based on the data. "It felt like a betrayal," said a Chevy Bolt owner that saw his insurance rise by 21 percent based on the data. "They’re taking information that I didn’t realize was going to be shared and screwing with our insurance."

According to the terms of the settlement, GM is barred from sharing specific user data with consumer reporting agencies for a five year period. The automaker is also required to request user permission before collecting, using or sharing vehicle data with any third party. It must do that when a consumer purchases a car at a dealership, with the customer asked in person whether they agree or not with the data collection, GM said. 

Some of the settlement is moot as GM stopped its Smart Driver program for all brands in April 2024. The company unenrolled all customers and stopped its third-party relationship with LexisNexis and Verisk, the brokers that sold driver data to insurance companies. 

GM faced other actions over the data collection, including lawsuits from Texas, Nebraska and other states. "Our investigation revealed that General Motors has engaged in egregious business practices that violated Texans’ privacy and broke the law. We will hold them accountable," said Texas AG Ken Paxton at the time. 

In a statement to TechCrunch, GM said: "The Federal Trade Commission has formally approved the agreement reached last year with General Motors to address concerns. As vehicle connectivity becomes increasingly integral to the driving experience, GM remains committed to protecting customer privacy, maintaining trust, and ensuring customers have a clear understanding of our practices." 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/ftc-finalizes-gm-punishment-over-driver-data-sharing-scandal-130012313.html?src=rss

Mark Zuckerberg announces new ‘Meta Compute’ initiative for its data center and AI projects

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On the heels of Mark Zuckerberg announcing that Meta's former board member, Dina Powell McCormick, would be formally joining the company as president and vice chairman, the CEO has shared new details about her purview at the company. The executive will play a key role overseeing Meta's sprawling infrastructure investments as part of a newly announced initiative called Meta Compute.

"Meta is planning to build tens of gigawatts this decade, and hundreds of gigawatts or more over time," Zuckerberg said in an update. "How we engineer, invest, and partner to build this infrastructure will become a strategic advantage."

Zuckerberg said that Meta's head of global engineering Santosh Janardhan will lead the "top-level initiative" and that recent hire and former Safe Superintelligence CEO Daniel Gross will "lead a new group responsible for long-term capacity strategy, supplier partnerships, industry analysis, planning, and business modeling." McCormick is expected to "work on partnering with governments and sovereigns to build, deploy, invest in, and finance Meta's infrastructure."

Meta has been investing heavily in infrastructure to fuel its AI "superintelligence" ambitions. The company also recently announced three agreements to buy massive amounts of nuclear power to help power its data centers. Zuckerberg has previously said he expects Meta to spend $600 billion on AI infrastructure and jobs by 2028.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/mark-zuckerberg-announces-new-meta-compute-initiative-for-its-data-center-and-ai-projects-192100086.html?src=rss

Wing’s drone deliveries are coming to 150 more Walmarts

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Don't be surprised if you see even more drones delivering groceries across the US since the Alphabet-owned Wing announced another service expansion with Walmart over the next year. The partnership said that drone delivery services will be available at 150 more Walmart locations in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Miami and more metros that have yet to be announced.

According to Wing, its top 25 percent of customers have ordered its delivery drones up to three times a week. To meet growing demand, Wing and Walmart said it will serve up to 40 million US customers and build up a network of 270 delivery locations by 2027. The partnership launched its service in August 2023 with the inaugural deliveries offered to the Dallas-Fort Worth customer base. In June 2025, Wing and Walmart increased drone delivery coverage to 100 more stores across Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa. Last month, the two companies launched their delivery service in Atlanta and are planning to kick off deliveries in Houston on January 15.

Before Walmart, Wing broke into the US market by working with Walgreens to deliver health and wellness products in April 2022. Since then, the Alphabet subsidiary has partnered with DoorDash and Apian, a London-based healthcare logistics company. Besides its commercial partnerships, Wing has been working on a larger delivery drone that will be able to fly at up to 65 mph and carry up to five pounds, or double its current capacity.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/wings-drone-deliveries-are-coming-to-150-more-walmarts-180708189.html?src=rss

Samsung says RAM costs will likely lead to price hikes soon

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Samsung says AI data center-fueled RAM scarcity could raise the company's prices. Wonjin Lee, Samsung's global marketing leader, sounded the alarm in an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday at CES 2026. As recently as early December, Samsung told Reuters that it was monitoring the market but wouldn't comment on pricing. So, the change of tune can be seen as a deliberate signal to soften the ground ahead of an official announcement.

"There's going to be issues around semiconductor supplies, and it's going to affect everyone," Samsung’s Lee said. "Prices are going up even as we speak. Obviously, we don't want to convey that burden to the consumers, but we're going to be at a point where we have to actually consider repricing our products."

Marketing image of Samsung HBM RAM against a black background
Samsung appears to be softening the ground ahead of an official announcement.
Samsung

The global RAM shortage is the result of AI data centers gobbling up high-bandwidth memory. Memory manufacturers have shifted their output priorities to meet that demand, leading to a snowball effect where even the low-bandwidth RAM found in automobiles is affected.

"AI workloads are built around memory," Sanchit Vir Gogia, CEO of Greyhound Research, told NPR in late December. "AI has changed the nature of demand itself. Training and inference systems require large, persistent memory footprints, extreme bandwidth, and tight proximity to compute. You cannot dial this down without breaking performance."

It's been more than three years since ChatGPT launched and kicked off the AI craze. During that time, companies have hyped chatbots and other generative AI tools as a technology that will take us to the promised land, making life easier as machine learning automates our daily lives. It isn't yet clear if an AI bubble is set to burst, but some financial forecasters have sounded the alarm. Regardless, it's hard to see how consumers and workers are getting anything but the short end of the stick so far.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/samsung-says-ram-costs-will-likely-lead-to-price-hikes-soon-170653524.html?src=rss

Apple escalates its appeal of a $2 billion fine from a UK antitrust lawsuit

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Apple isn't ready to pay a several billion-dollar fine to UK App Store users and is filing an appeal over a major antitrust lawsuit. As first reported by The Guardian, Apple has requested to appeal to the UK's Court of Appeal, which would escalate the case beyond the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT). 

The latest appeal attempt follows an October decision from the CAT, where the court found that Apple engaged in anticompetitive practices by exploiting its dominant market position with the App Store to charge higher fees. The CAT's ruling established a £1.5 billion, or roughly $2 billion, fine, but Apple said it planned to appeal and that the court "takes a flawed view of the thriving and competitive app economy." The CAT didn't grant Apple the appeal, leading the iPhone maker to seek a higher court to overturn the ruling.

Apple hasn't made any official statements about its latest appeal application, but it's likely that it will argue against the CAT's proposed App Store developer fee rate of between 15 and 20 percent, which it reached through "informed guesswork," instead of the existing 30 percent. If the fine does ultimately stick, the $2 billion fine would be split amongst any App Store user in the UK who made purchases between 2015 and 2024, according to The Guardian.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-escalates-its-appeal-of-a-2-billion-fine-from-a-uk-antitrust-lawsuit-201922558.html?src=rss