• X says Grok will no longer edit images of real people into bikinis

    January 14, 2026

    X says it is changing its policies around Grok’s image-editing abilities following a multi-week outcry over the chatbot repeatedly being accused of generating sexualized images of children and nonconsensual nudity. In an update shared from the @Safety account on X, the company said it has “implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis..” xAI is also moving all of Grok’s image-generating features behind its subscriber paywall so that non-paying users will no longer be able to create images. And it will geoblock “the ability of…

  • Musk denies awareness of Grok sexual underage images as California AG launches probe

    January 14, 2026

    Elon Musk said Wednesday he is “not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok,” hours before the California Attorney General opened an investigation into xAI’s chatbot over the “proliferation of nonconsensual sexually explicit material.”  Musk’s denial comes as pressure mounts from governments worldwide — from the UK and Europe to Malaysia and Indonesia — after users on X began asking Grok to turn photos of real women, and in some cases children, into sexualized images without their consent. Copyleaks, an AI detection and content governance platform, estimated roughly one image was posted each minute on X. A separate…

  • 28 advocacy groups call on Apple and Google to ban Grok, X over nonconsensual deepfakes

    January 14, 2026

    Elon Musk isn’t the only party at fault for Grok’s nonconsensual intimate deepfakes of real people, including children. What about Apple and Google? The two (frequently virtue-signaling) companies have inexplicably allowed Grok and X to remain in their app stores — even as Musk’s chatbot reportedly continues to produce the material. On Wednesday, a coalition of women’s and progressive advocacy groups called on Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai to uphold their own rules and remove the apps. The open letters to Apple and Google were signed by 28 groups. Among them are the women’s advocacy group Ultraviolet, the parents’ group…

  • App downloads declined again in 2025, but consumer spending soared to nearly $156B

    January 14, 2026

    The subscription economy helped boost mobile app revenues in 2025, even as app downloads declined for the fifth consecutive year, according to app intelligence firm Appfigures‘ annual report. In 2025, global downloads of all mobile apps and mobile games via the App Store and Google Play reached an estimated 106.9 billion, 2.7% lower than the year prior. Consumer spending, meanwhile, climbed 21.6% to reach an estimated $155.8 billion during the same period. The data indicates that app developers, marketers, and publishers have been successful in getting their users to make in-app purchases or activate subscriptions, even as the number of…

  • Civilization VII comes to Apple Arcade in February

    January 14, 2026

    The App Store is a home for many kinds of apps (including, inexplicably, one that lets users undress strangers without their consent). But hey, it also has games! And soon the store’s Apple Arcade service will include one more: the not-so-highly rated Civilization VII. Apple announced on Wednesday that Sid Meier’s Civilization VII will arrive almost exactly a year after launch. The game is already available for Apple devices, but its arrival on Apple Arcade will be a first. Civilization VII arrives on Apple Arcade on February 5. (Firaxis Games / Apple) “Free (for Apple Arcade subscribers)” may be the…

  • Netflix’s first original video podcasts feature Pete Davidson and Michael Irvin

    January 14, 2026

    Netflix is increasing its investment in video podcasts, with its latest projects featuring famous comedian Pete Davidson and Cowboys Hall-of-Famer Michael Irvin. The streaming giant announced on Wednesday two original video podcasts coming to the platform: Irvin’s “The White House,” streaming on January 19, and “The Pete Davidson Show,” debuting on January 30.  Both series, available only to Netflix subscribers, are designed to leverage the star power of their hosts. Davidson already has two comedy specials on the service that have performed well for the streamer. Meanwhile, Irvin stands out as a prominent figure in the sports world and was…

  • Mazda delays launch of next-generation electric vehicles to 2028 – report

    January 14, 2026

    Although Mazda is in the midst of launching the 6e and CX-6e electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia and Europe, its upcoming range of EVs that are being developed in-house have been delayed again. The SkyActiv Scalable EV Architecture was announced in 2021, and at the time Mazda said the first model on the platform would be launched in 2025, but this was later pushed out to 2027. According to documents seen by AutoExpress, the timeline has slipped again, with the first EV on the architecture now scheduled to debut in 2028, at the earliest. CarExpert can save you thousands on…

  • PS Plus Game Catalog additions for January include Resident Evil Village and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

    January 14, 2026

    Sony just announced January’s Game Catalog and it’s a fantastic lineup. All of these titles will be ready to play on January 20. First up, there’s Resident Evil Village. This is a 2017’s Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. It’s a full game with plenty of jump scares and an engrossing narrative. It’s set in a spooky village, thus the name, and a nearby castle. This shouldn’t disappoint fans of the franchise and will be available for both PS4 and PS5. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Yakuza: Like a Dragon. It was a massive hit upon release, thanks to solid RPG mechanics…

  • AI models are starting to crack high-level math problems 

    January 14, 2026

    Over the weekend, Neel Somani, who is a software engineer, former quant researcher, and a startup founder, was testing the math skills of OpenAI’s new model when he made an unexpected discovery. After pasting the problem into ChatGPT and letting it think for 15 minutes, he came back to a full solution. He evaluated the proof and formalized it with a tool called Harmonic — but it all checked out.  “I was curious to establish a baseline for when LLMs are effectively able to solve open math problems compared to where they struggle,” Somani said. The surprise was that, using…

  • Voice and data services down for many customers

    January 14, 2026

    Verizon’s network appears to be having technical issues that are impacting calls and wireless data. Verizon customers on X have reported seeing “SOS” rather than the traditional network bars on their smartphones, and even the network provider’s own status page is struggling to load during the outage. Based on the experience of Verizon users on Engadget’s staff, the services that are impacted appear to be calls and wireless data. Text messages continue to be delivered normally. On DownDetector, reports of a Verizon outage started growing around 12PM ET and now number in the hundreds of thousands. In a post on…