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I write about AI for a living. Lately, I don't know what to tell people

PCWorld

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. I write about AI for a living. Lately, I don't know what to tell people First they forced AI down our throats, now they're saying it might literally kill us. And the solution always circles back to more AI. There's a TV commercial making the rounds that makes me inexplicably happy.


Will Siri Recap make the Apple Watch creepy? Privacy experts weigh in

PCWorld

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Will Siri Recap make the Apple Watch creepy? A new Siri AI feature lets newer Apple Watch models quietly listen in and deliver high-level summaries of your conversations. I've always thought of the Apple Watch as one of the friendliest and most helpful Apple devices, sitting on your wrist with a colorful watch face, telling the time, nudging you to get off your tush, gently tapping you (or not) with text alerts, and even sounding the alarm if it detects anything amiss with your heartbeat. But a new Siri AI feature, announced earlier this week during Apple's fall hardware event, could land unsuspecting Apple Watch users who enable the option into the middle of a heated AI privacy debate, according to several experts I spoke with.


ChatGPT copied my writing style, but couldn't fool an AI detector

PCWorld

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. ChatGPT copied my writing style, but couldn't fool an AI detector A new ChatGPT feature can scan your writing and use it to draft memos, reports, and other documents in your own voice. I'm not a fan of letting AI do your writing for you, but there's no question that it --and a new ChatGPT tool makes it even easier for the chatbot to copy your own writing style. Hiding in plain sight within ChatGPT's Personalization settings, the "Reference my writing style" option has been generating buzz over the past several days. While it hasn't been formally announced, the feature was confirmed by OpenAI product chief Thibault Sottiaux .


Tesla launched Cybercab in Austin. Hours later, the feds launched an investigation.

Mashable

Say More Mashable Selects Look Up Trending Now Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age Creator Playbook Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Switch Off Mashable Voices Safety Net Versus Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List All Series Tesla launched Cybercab in Austin. Hours later, the feds launched an investigation. The government's timing seems questionable, but it's not without precedent. Neal joined Mashable's Social Good team in 2024, editing and writing stories about digital culture and its effects on the environment and marginalized communities. He is the former editorial director of The Advocate and Out magazines, has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, Curbed, and Los Angeles magazine, and is a recipient of the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for LGBTQ Journalist of the Year Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association (NLGJA).


AI helps kids do better in school. That doesn't mean they're learning

PCWorld

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. AI helps kids do better in school. AI is already a fact of life in classrooms across the country, and studies indicate it may create as many problems as it solves. The best way for us grownups to prepare for AI is to use AI, I've frequently argued. But when it comes to the benefits of using AI, there are far more questions than answers.


OpenAI's Astra model has AI researchers spooked. Here's why

PCWorld

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Slated for wide availability in the coming days, Astra reportedly employs a tough-to-monitor reasoning technique that's raised alarm bells among AI experts. Another day, another major frontier AI release, except this particular OpenAI model is causing more jitters than usual in the AI community. GPT-6 Astra, which OpenAI describes as its most advanced model to date, was announced Thursday afternoon, and for now it's available only to members of OpenAI's Daybreak cybersecurity program. The model will be released in the coming days to paid OpenAI and ChatGPT subscribers, including those on Pro, Plus, Enterprise, and Business accounts, as well as via the OpenAI API.


Claude Fable 5.1 sometimes guesses rather than searches. Here's the fix

PCWorld

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. As smart as it is, Claude's most powerful model occasionally neglects to check its facts when set to low effort levels. If you're an experienced Claude user, here's a phrase you know all too well: "Let me check rather than guess." It's one of those little Claude-isms that pops up every so often in Claude Code and other Claude platforms, right up there with "One thing worth flagging" and "Here's the honest version." In this context, "Let me check rather than guess" is Claude's way of saying it's about to kick off a web search rather than relying on its native memory, which has a cutoff date that can be weeks or even months old.


5 Claude privacy settings you should check right now

PCWorld

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Whether you're new to Claude or it's been a while since you reviewed your app preferences, you don't want to overlook these Claude settings. As with ChatGPT, the available settings in the Claude app are continually in flux, and it's easy to lose track of what Claude's allowed to do on your system and what private or sensitive details you're sharing with it. Now is as good a time as any for a five-minute audit of some key Claude settings, running the gamut from whether it's using your input for training purposes to what it can--and can't--remember about you. I'll also cover which local directories are fair game for Claude Cowork.


Microsoft update on Outlook outage: Gradual recovery to mail flow

Mashable

Trending Now Say More Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Switch Off Creator Playbook Mashable Voices Mashable Selects Safety Net Versus Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List In My Bag All Series Microsoft update on Outlook outage: 'Gradual recovery to mail flow' As of Monday evening, the full fix was not yet in for Exchange Online users. Neal joined Mashable's Social Good team in 2024, editing and writing stories about digital culture and its effects on the environment and marginalized communities. He is the former editorial director of The Advocate and Out magazines, has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, Curbed, and Los Angeles magazine, and is a recipient of the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for LGBTQ Journalist of the Year Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association (NLGJA). He lives in Los Angeles with his family. Microsoft told users on Monday evening that it was working on a fix for Outlook, Exchange Online, and other Microsoft 365 business services that were down for much of Aug. 31.


OpenClaw is yesterday's hype and today's AI blueprint

PCWorld

PCWorld notes that OpenClaw 2.0 has launched with easier setup, improved browser experience, and masked security credentials to protect sensitive system files. The tool connects to ChatGPT, Claude, and local LLMs, but users should remain cautious given the AI's deep system access and required trust levels. OpenClaw's early vision appears to have inspired major players like Google, Nvidia, and Microsoft, whose products Scout and Gemini Spark reflect its agentic AI blueprint.