A viral new virtual assistant formerly known as Clawdbot is complex and brings security risks--but some early adopters say it feels like the future. Dan Peguine, a tech entrepreneur and marketing consultant based in Lisbon, lets a precocious, lobster-themed AI assistant called Moltbot run much of his life. Peguine, a self-professed early adopter and trendspotter, discovered Moltbot several weeks ago--back then it was Clawdbot--after discussing a vibe-coding side project with friends on WhatsApp. He installed it on his computer, connected it to numerous apps and online accounts, including Google Apps, and was astonished by how capable it was. "I tried it, got interested, then got really obsessed," Peguine says.

Recommender systems have become ubiquitous across a wide range of fields, such as ecommerce, media consumption (including movies, books, music, news, etc.), social networks, finance, and many others, due to their effectiveness in identifying relevant items or content among numerous choices [1, 2]. Traditionally, recommender systems, largely based on collaborative filtering techniques, have focused on recommending individual (or "atomic") items, such as movies or books, by understanding users' preferences for these individual items. However, in certain application domains, recommending "composite" items (i.e., combinations of atomic items) represents a very important capability. For illustration, consider a clothing/fashion recommender system, where we want to recommend "outfits" - combinations of tops (t-shirts, shirts, sweaters) and bottoms (pants, skirts, shorts) - to users. In such a case, multiple fashion items in a recommended outfit ideally have to match both functionally and stylistically, which may require domain expertise (e.g., on things like style compatibility) beyond individual preferences. Another key challenge for such recommender systems is that a given user's personal preference for a composite item may not directly translate to the user's personal preferences for the underlying atomic items and vice versa.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Amazon's super-cute Echo Pop Kids speaker is now 40% off The Anthro Pup, Unicorn, Disney Princesses, and Marvel's Avengers models are all on sale for $30 on Amazon. These might be the absolute cutest version of the Amazon Echo Pop Kids! You can now get the Anthro Pup and Unicorn models (as well as the older models) for just $30 each on Amazon, which is a hefty 40% discount and a cost-effective way to introduce your kids to Alexa. The blue Anthro Pup model features a pup wearing headphones and glasses while the pink Unicorn features a well, a poppy unicorn.

Apple could unveil Gemini-powered Siri in Feb. What to expect when you're expecting the Samsung Galaxy S26 in February. Samsung's 2025 was filled with new foldables, an ultra-thin new form factor and the launch of Google's XR platform . After making some announcements at CES 2026, the company is expected to host its first Galaxy Unpacked of the year in February to introduce the Galaxy S26 lineup. Engadget will be covering Galaxy Unpacked live, and we'll most likely have hands-on coverage of Samsung's new smartphones soon after they're announced.

Apple could unveil Gemini-powered Siri in Feb. The company will also have to hand some search engine data to rivals. The European Commission has started proceedings to ensure Google complies with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in certain ways. Specifically, the European Union's executive arm has told Google to grant third-party AI services the same level of access to Android that Gemini has. The aim is to ensure that third-party providers have an equal opportunity to innovate and compete in the rapidly evolving AI landscape on smart mobile devices, the Commission said in a statement .

Apple could unveil Gemini-powered Siri in Feb. California will investigate TikTok's alleged censorship of anti-Trump posts Users also complained about being unable to upload ICE-related videos, but TikTok is blaming issues on a power outage. California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that his office is investigating whether TikTok is truly censoring content critical of Trump, days after ByteDance finalized a deal to spin off its business in the US. Newsom made the announcement in response to a post on X, claiming that you can no longer send messages in the app with the word "Epstein" in it. Newsom's office, in a separate post, said it was able to independently confirm instances wherein TikTok suppressed content critical of President Donald Trump.

Apple could unveil Gemini-powered Siri in Feb. Still needs a holster, though. Between the new Macs, iPhones and rumored AI gadgets, Apple surprised us with an upgraded, second-generation AirTag. It has Apple's latest Ultra Wideband chip -- the same one used in the iPhone 17 lineup and the Apple Watch Ultra 3. It also uses Precision Finding to reach items up to 50 percent further away than the previous AirTag model. This feature will now work with any Apple Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 or newer.

Apple could unveil Gemini-powered Siri in Feb. TikTok's US joint venture is off to a bumpy start. UpScrolled is seeing a surge in interest. TikTok's newly formed US entity is off to a very bumpy start. As the app continues to face technical issues affecting the recommendation algorithm, view counts and other features, TikTok is also seeing a wave of frustrated users uninstalling it, according to new data. Analytics firm Sensor Tower, which tracks downloads and other app store-related metrics, told CNBC that there has been a 150 percent rise in uninstalls of the TikTok app in the United States compared with the last three months.

Apple could unveil Gemini-powered Siri in Feb. Plaintiffs claimed they saw ads based on conversations Google Assistant shouldn't have heard. Google has agreed to a $68 million settlement regarding claims that its voice assistant inappropriately spied on smartphone users. Plaintiffs claimed that the company's Google Assistant platform began listening to them after it misheard conversations that sounded like its wake words. The suit argued that private information that Google Assistant shouldn't have heard was then used to deliver those individuals targeted ads. The preliminary class action settlement was filed on Friday and now awaits approval from U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman.

Google has agreed to pay $68m (£51m) to settle a lawsuit claiming it secretly listened to people's private conversations through their phones. Users accused Google Assistant - a virtual assistant present on many Android devices - of recording private conversations after it was inadvertently triggered on their devices. They claimed the recordings were then shared with advertisers in order to send them targeted advertising. The BBC has contacted Google for comment. But in a filing seeking to settle the case, it denied wrongdoing and said it was seeking to avoid litigation.