There is no doubt that 2025 will be remembered as the year of slop. A popular term for incorrect, weird and often downright ugly AI-generated content, slop has rotted nearly every platform on the internet. Enough slop has accumulated over the past few years that scientists can now measure its effects on people over time. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that people using large language models (LLMs) such as those behind ChatGPT to write essays show far less brain activity than those who don't. And then there are the potential ill-effects on our mental health, with reports that certain chatbots are encouraging people to believe in fantasies or conspiracies, as well as urging them to self-harm, and that they may trigger or worsen psychosis.

The self-driving car company went through Y Combinator when Altman worked there, and he made a personal investment in 2015. The next year, General Motors acquired the start-up. Cruise is now one of the most prominent self-driving car companies, and it was the first to provide a driverless ride-hailing service in San Francisco. But the company is now in crisis. In October, a human driver hit a pedestrian, flinging her into the path of a Cruise car, which then rolled over the person and dragged her for 20 feet. California authorities accused Cruise of trying to cover up the details of the accident.