McDonald's has been using artificial intelligence to dynamically price menu items in the US and some global markets, according to a report by Reuters. This involves finding the "optimal price" to match what a particular store's patrons would be willing to pay. This fluctuates according to location, and even stores in the same city can have different cost amounts for the same exact items, according to information reviewed by Reuters. This is basically surge pricing, like with ride-share platforms, but for hockey puck burgers that have been sitting under a hot lamp. Reuters got a look at the interface that franchisees use to access this technology and it's pretty creepy. Messages show stuff like "your restaurant is showing MEDIUM SENSITIVITY to price" based on "customer willingness to pay in your area."

Look Up Versus Say More Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable Selects Creator Playbook In My Bag Trending Now Back to School Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age Switch Off Mashable Voices All Series Not even the creator of Metal Gear is safe from the dreaded video call layoff. Amanda Yeo is an Assistant Editor at Mashable, covering entertainment, culture, tech, science, and social good. Based in Australia, she writes about everything from video games and K-pop to movies and gadgets. Hideo Kojima has spoken about his shocking split with Sony, revealing that the company not only ended their long-running partnership over a Zoom call, but it also gave no reason for doing so. Though the lauded video game auteur said his mind went blank in shock when he was told the news, he insisted that he doesn't hold any grudge.

Say More Look Up Versus Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable Selects Creator Playbook In My Bag Trending Now Back to School Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age Switch Off Mashable Voices All Series Danny Boyle's'Ink' doesn't need its controversial AI scene The propulsive drama about Rupert Murdoch's newspaper The Sun is coming to Netflix. Kristy Puchko is the Entertainment Editor at Mashable. Based in New York City, she's an established film critic and entertainment reporter who has traveled the world on assignment, covered a variety of film festivals, co-hosted movie-focused podcasts, and interviewed a wide array of performers and filmmakers. All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.

Shaun the Sheep creators say AI will not replace the craft of storytelling as the franchise's latest film arrives in UK cinemas. Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom has a Halloween flavour as Shaun has to turn into a mad scientist to save the day. Speaking ahead of its launch, producer Richard Beek said despite the rise of AI and CGI within the film industry, stop-motion movies are still being made and winning BAFTAs. Maybe somewhere down the line there's a tool we use which uses AI but I don't think it would ever replace the storytelling and creation of those stories, he said. Despite the film having no dialogue, it has a star-studded voice cast, including Dani Dyer, Justin Fletcher, Nina Sosanya, Paul Whitehouse and Roman Kemp.

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Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Creator Playbook Look Up Back to School Mashable Selects Say More Trending Now Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age Switch Off Mashable Voices Safety Net Versus All Series'She sleeps around, he's prepared': Women report massive double standard for carrying condoms Women fear judgement more than ever for producing a condom in an encounter, a new sexual health and wellness study has found. All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. A new national study has revealed that women face a troubling double when it comes to carrying a key component of sexual health: condoms. When Australian women were asked about carrying condoms, the two most common answers were both about her sexual conduct: that she is planning to have sex (45.4%), and that she sleeps around (38.6%).

D uring a recent lunch break, Jill Sennett saw something so unappetizing she had to share it with her 26,000 X followers: Artificial intelligence-generated menu images from a Jamaican barbecue pop-up restaurant in which the meats looked like leather belts crawling with tiny beetles. The images were reshared by more than 500 people who similarly expressed their disgust. Eating is "such an essential human experience", said Sennett, a 37-year-old nurse in Denver. "I think it's a bad cultural thing that restaurants are converting to these horrific, uncanny food images that are unappetizing." Still, Sennett ordered chicken and macaroni and cheese.

Restaurant menus with AI-generated food images are going viral for their off-putting aesthetic. But AI's impact on modern menus runs even deeper. I can't stop staring at the AI-slop images of Mexican food I see during my morning walk to work. On the menu posted outside, the taco truck displays lunch options that appear uncanny and unappetizing, as if an alien who's never eaten human food before drew a taco from memory. This food truck is not alone in putting AI-generated images on its menu.