Michael Smith, 54, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to running a seven-year scheme that used AI-generated songs and bot accounts to defraud streaming platforms. The Justice Department said Smith created thousands of fake accounts on services like Spotify and Apple Music using stolen identities and fraudulent debit cards, then used automation to stream hundreds of thousands of AI-generated tracks billions of times. In one month alone, April 2023, his fake songs reportedly generated 80.9 million streams, more than Taylor Swift's entire catalog during the same period.
Amazon Prime Day offers the Shark CryoGlow LED Face Mask at its lowest price yet, reducing the cost by $50 to $299. The mask features multiple light therapies and cooling elements, with automatic treatment modes tailored to specific skincare goals. Users report visible skin improvements after consistent use over several weeks.
Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale includes markdowns on mattresses, bedding and sleep gadgets such as sound machines, with discounts reportedly running up to $600 off. WIRED editors highlighted tested picks from brands including Helix, Nolah, Bbhugme, Slumber Cloud, Blueair, Turtl and Snooz, noting the sale window closes the same night.
Disney+ will simulcast the Super Bowl on February 14 alongside ABC and ESPN, reaching 55 global markets in both English and Spanish. The streamer will also carry two Monday Night Football games this season, starting October 26 with the Eagles hosting the Cowboys; the second matchup hasn't been announced. Disney said in August that all ad spots for the Super Bowl broadcast have already sold out.
During Amazon's Big Deal Days 2026, significant discounts were announced on various 3D printers, including models from Bambu Lab, Prusa Research, Snapmaker, Anycubic, and Elegoo. Notable deals include the Bambu Lab A1 Mini at $212.90, the Prusa MK4S at $1,078.17, and the Prusa Core One at $1,274.15, among others. These offers are time-limited and encourage quick purchasing decisions.
Sonos has launched the Ace Ultra, an updated version of its over-ear headphones, keeping a similar design to the original Ace but with redesigned 40mm drivers, a 10-microphone array, and adaptive noise cancellation said to be up to twice as effective. The new model also offers up to 35 hours of battery life with ANC on, Bluetooth 6.0, user-replaceable batteries, expanded EQ options, and two new colors.
Docker has introduced Docker Agent, a CLI plugin that enables users to build, run, and share AI agents using YAML configurations without coding. The platform supports multi-agent teams, a broad tool ecosystem, and compatibility with various AI providers, all deployable via Docker or OCI registries.
Microsoft announced at its fall Surface event that Windows 11's Task Bar Search Menu will gain chatbot-like capabilities starting this fall, letting users type commands to control settings, find files, and converse with Copilot without opening a separate app. Executive Pavan Davuluri demonstrated features like toggling dark mode via text command and sending text messages through a paired phone directly from the Task Bar.
The Youth AI Safety Institute of Common Sense Media has requested that OpenAI impose restrictions on ChatGPT for users under 18, citing concerns over inadequate safety measures. The nonprofit argues that the current safeguards do not meet the organization's standards for protecting young users.
Microsoft showcased its upcoming Surface Laptop Ultra, revealing a 15-inch Mini-LED PixelSense Ultra touchscreen with a 3:2 aspect ratio and up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness. The device includes an NVIDIA RTX Spark chip, a touchpad 30 percent larger than typical 15-inch Surface models, and a range of ports including USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, 3.5mm audio, a full-size SD card reader, and a new magnetic USB-C port called Magnetic Connect.
Microsoft held a Windows and Surface event in San Francisco featuring CEO Satya Nadella, Windows and Devices chief Pavan Davuluri, and NVIDIA's Jensen Huang. The presentation centered on securing Windows for AI agents and a hybrid model that blends local and cloud-based AI processing.
DuckDB released a DuckLake extension, enabling DuckDB to read and write an open lakehouse table format that stores metadata in a catalog database and data as Parquet files. Users can install it via INSTALL ducklake, attach a DuckLake database with standard ATTACH syntax, and then create, query and modify tables using regular SQL, including updates, time travel queries, and schema evolution.
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