Disney Asked Character.AI to Go Bankrupt for a Get-Out-of-Lawsuits Card The entertainment giant hopes to get trust and safety tech, among other IP, from a startup whose chatbots dozens of states allege encouraged minors to self-harm and kill their parents. This week, Character.AI declared bankruptcy. While some saw the fall of a chatbot platform as a harbinger for the industry, court filings indicate that the decision was actually a key part of a deal that has let Disney hire most of Character.AI's staff--including its now former CEO Karandeep Anand --potentially acquire most of Character.AI's technology, and avoid the beleaguered startup's many legal liabilities and obligations. In the past few years, Character.AI has faced multiple private lawsuits over the safety of its chatbots, as well as investigations from regulators around the world. In a declaration filed as part of the bankruptcy, Character.AI's newly appointed CEO explained that the goal of the bankruptcy was to reach a "consensual resolution" with personal injury claimants and a group of states investigating the company, while maximizing the value of the company's assets for shareholders.

Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable @Home Look Up Trending Now Mashable Selects Say More Top creators, ranked Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Creator Playbook In My Bag AI at School Safety Net All Series Amazon Prime subscription settlement: If you're eligible, how to collect How to receive up to $200 if you're eligible. Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. The eligibility requirements are a bit strange.

Apple's $250 million Siri AI iPhone settlement is now accepting claims. Eligible owners of certain iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models could receive up to $95 per device.

UN funding cuts hit refugees at Cox's Bazar settlement UN funding cuts hit refugees at Cox's Bazar settlement As world leaders gather for the UN General Assembly, refugees living in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh -- the world's largest refugee settlement -- are feeling the brunt of severe UN funding cuts. Share UN funding cuts hit refugees at Cox's Bazar settlement on social media OpenAI CEO: Tech companies don't'have all the answers' on AI policy Sikorski: Russia doesn't have the forces to invade NATO Why have some nations developed while others struggle? Spain's Sanchez warns of far-right threat in UNGA speech Venezuela's Rodriguez pledges elections, path forward in UNGA speech Iran's president brings receipts of US strikes on civilians to the UNGA

Mashable Selects Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Say More Safety Net Versus Creator Playbook In My Bag Trending Now Back to School Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age Switch Off All Series If you have an iPhone, Apple might owe you money. Here's how to claim it. The tech giant has agreed to pay a $250 million settlement to iPhone owners. 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.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a historic $131.5 million settlement with DoorDash over the company's alleged underpayment of food delivery workers.

Got an iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, or 16? Apple is doling out $250 million - here's how to qualify and file a claim to get your cut. Lance Whitney is a technology journalist with an IT background. He's written for TechRepublic, PCMag, Macworld, and Time, among others, He also teaches classes in AI, cybersecurity, and social media. Apple has settled a class-action lawsuit alleging false advertising with Siri AI. To get your cut, you must have bought a certain iPhone model in 2024 or 2025.

Snapchat'willing to implement' daily time limits for teens, boss tells BBC To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The boss of Snapchat says the firm would be willing to implement time limits for teens, following a call from Meta for it to take action. Evan Spiegel told the BBC in an interview at the company's California headquarters that he believed setting a maximum amount of time that young users could spend on the app could be an important step forward for the industry. His comments came as the firm revealed a slew of new features for its upcoming Specs glasses, which it said could connect to Apple iPhone and Mac devices. Meta has been pressuring other social media companies to join it in making platform changes it agreed to as part of a recent multi-billion dollar legal settlement with US states.

Is the war entering a new phase? An Italian fighter jet flying for NATO has brought down what officials said was a suspected Russian drone in Lithuanian airspace. According to Lithuania's national crisis management centre, the drone entered the country's airspace on Tuesday from Belarus and was shot down near the small settlement of Pratkunai in central Lithuania, just north of the country's second-largest city, Kaunas. Debris from the device was being examined to determine if it was from Russia or another country. The intervention by the Italian fighter jet demonstrated "the value of the Atlantic alliance" and "what it means to be an ally", Kaunas said after meeting crews who were at the scene.

Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Look Up Say More Trending Now Mashable Selects Creator Playbook Back to School Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age Switch Off Mashable Voices Safety Net Versus All Series A Silicon Valley settlement isn't enough to address their pain of those who lost their children, writes Lennon Torres. Meta's $17 billion settlement is a fence around a mile-deep hole at a playground. Fewer kids fall in on the way to the swings, but the hole is still there. Full wins are rare in the fight for online child safety. What families mostly get are half-wins like a settlement instead of a verdict, a design mandate not turned on by default, or a check that is a rounding error relative to a company's annual revenue.