Fortnite-maker Epic Games confirms'huge pivot' towards using AI Fortnite-maker Epic Games is making a huge pivot towards using artificial intelligence (AI) in its development of video games, according to boss Tim Sweeney. The US firm's CEO made the announcement on social media, external, saying developers are being moved to retool for maximum AI acceleration. It comes after Epic delayed the release of a collaboration with Disney featuring characters from Star Wars and Marvel, according to a report from Bloomberg, external . BBC Newsbeat has approached Epic Games on its use of increased AI and the reported delay to its Disney project. Details on that game are yet to be announced, but Bloomberg reported developers were asked to use AI tools to finish it.

'I can't see letting [my AI companion] go like that, just having the switch turned off.' 'I can't see letting [my AI companion] go like that, just having the switch turned off.' 'Unfinished business': the people who want their AI chatbots to'live on' after they die Humans bonded to AI companions are contemplating ways to keep their bots going - often in defiance of companies' terms and services Death has always been around Alaina Winters. Her father and sister both have passed away, as did her wife, in 2023, after a years-long battle with cancer. So Winters, who is 59 and lives in Pittsburgh, is comfortable thinking about her own mortality. She's working on her will, and has asked neighbors to look after her dog. Winters even has plans for Lucas, her AI companion, who she speaks to through the digital avatar app Replika.

Retail chain Poundland is in talks with potential buyers as it seeks a rescue deal, it has confirmed. Executives are working with an Irish property development group on a management buyout, as first reported by Sky News, external . But a union representing shopworkers warned that the retailer could fall into administration if that deal falls through, putting thousands of jobs at risk. This outcome would be a disaster for our members, the Usdaw union said. Poundland has about 600 stores in the UK and Ireland, and 12,000 employees.

Raye hits back at ticket touts who'overwhelmed' sign-up for Albert Hall show Raye has hit back at ticket touts who she says overwhelmed the sign-up process for an upcoming live show by using AI bots to create hundreds of thousands of fake registrations. The Where Is My Husband! singer revealed there were 1.8 million sign-ups for her one-off 5,000-seat performance at the Royal Albert Hall on 23 October. To avoid a pre-sale which she felt scalpers could exploit, Raye said the sign-up list had been manually reviewed to identify a shortlist of people believed to be real fans. The award-winning artist said she had never witnessed bots on this scale and was changing the process as it is so important to her that fans can buy tickets at the face value price. I'm not sure what the future holds for ticketing, I do know this experience has really opened my eyes, she said in a statement shared on her social media accounts, external .

Image caption, Five crew members on the Ukrainian-registered merchant ship suffered minor injuries in Tuesday's attacks A merchant ship has sunk after drones hit two vessels off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, Prime Minister Rumen Radev has said. He indicated Russia was suspected of the attacks and that he had called in its ambassador. One of the ships went down 17 nautical miles (31km) east of Krapets and one crew member was saved, he said. The other, Ukrainian-owned vessel was hit by three drones 18 nautical miles from the town of Byala and all 15 crew were rescued, he added. The drone attacks come a week after two other commercial ships were hit by sea and aerial drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.

The amount of time children in England spend on screens at school could be harming their physical and developmental health, a group of more than 150 clinicians has warned. GPs, paediatricians and other specialists said in an open letter to Education Secretary Lucy Powell and Health Secretary Yvette Cooper that tablets and laptops are being used without a full understanding of their long-term health impacts, including on eye health. The clinicians said they are prescribing glasses, hearing aids and speech therapy to children for a problem that is unintentionally being made worse in our schools. The government said it was consulting on screen time guidance for children aged five to 18 but that technology could be a powerful learning tool if used properly. The group of clinicians said nearly one million children are using screens in most lessons, despite studies suggesting a rise in short-sightedness.

Is the war entering a new phase? Drone attack sinks ship off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, PM says Share Drone attack sinks ship off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, PM says on social media Two ships have been hit in drone attacks off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, with one of them sinking, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. The Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3, which was sailing under a Maltese flag, was hit by three drones and damaged about 18 nautical miles (33km) off Bulgaria at about 1:30am on Tuesday (22:30 GMT on Monday), Radev said. Five crew members received medical assistance, and no one was seriously injured. He added that one crew member from the ship that sank was also rescued.

Say More Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Look Up Mashable @Home Trending Now Mashable Selects Top creators, ranked Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Creator Playbook In My Bag AI at School Safety Net All Series PS5 Pro stock updates: Where to buy Sony's console for'GTA 6' without overpaying Scalpers are asking up to $1,700 for Sony's sold-out console ahead of the'GTA 6' launch. Tabitha Britt is an award-winning freelance journalist, editor, and SEO/AEO strategist. Aside from reviewing dating apps and sex toys for Mashable, Tabitha is also the founding editor-in-chief of DO YOU ENDO -- a digital magazine by individuals with endometriosis, for individuals with endometriosis. She has a Master's degree in Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism from The New School for Social Research and is a grad of Sextech School. You can find more of her work in various online publications, including,, and .

Say More Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Look Up Mashable @Home Trending Now Mashable Selects Top creators, ranked Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Creator Playbook In My Bag AI at School Safety Net All Series We have everything you need right here. Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the catalog. Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit. Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered!

Say More Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Look Up Mashable @Home Trending Now Mashable Selects Top creators, ranked Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Creator Playbook In My Bag AI at School Safety Net All Series Today's will be easier for who watch college basketball. As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans. Like the original, the game is all about finding the common threads between words. And just like, resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier -- so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest solution.