Latest Tech News

Stay updated with the latest in technology, AI, cybersecurity, and more

Filtered by: hat Clear Filter

WhatsApp adds new security feature to protect against scams

WhatsApp is introducing a new security feature that will help users spot potential scams when they are being added to a group chat by someone not in their contact list. This feature displays a "safety overview" context card that includes information about the group's creation date, the number of members, potential scam attempts, and instructions on how to control who can add you to WhatsApp groups. "It will include key information about the group and tips to stay safe. From there, you can exit

Here's How to Add a Background to Your Text Chats in iOS 26

The iOS 26 beta brings chat backgrounds to Messages, giving a visual identifier for each chat so you can easily tell if you're messaging the right person or group. It's a nice quality-of-life update that can help you distinguish whether you're texting your family chat or your family chat minus your one uncle you don't get along with. Apple released the first public beta of iOS 26 on July 24, and that beta brought a new Liquid Glass design and other new features to the iPhones of developers and

WhatsApp deletes over 6.8m accounts linked to scams, Meta says

WhatsApp deletes over 6.8m accounts linked to scams, Meta says The crackdown targets an increasingly common tactic in which criminals hijack WhatsApp accounts or add users to group chats promoting fake investment schemes and other scams. Meta made the announcement as WhatsApp rolled out new anti-scam measures to alert users to potential fraudulent activity, such as a user being added to a group chat by someone not in their contacts list. Many were tied to scam centres run by organised crimina

Apple rolls out limited AI chatbot test in its Support app

A few weeks ago, a few strings of code in the Apple Support app showed that it could soon get a “Support Assistant,” based on generative models. The assistant is now live, as a limited experiment. As first spotted by MacRumors reader Gatlyn, Apple has rolled out an early preview of the Support Assistant through a “Chat” tab that is being made available for select users within the Apple Support app. Upon tapping it, the user is greeted with a splash screen with the following instructions, and t

OpenAI could launch GPT-5 any minute now - what to expect

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways OpenAI GPT-5 will be released "soon," which could be this week. It will automatically select the best model for prompts. It should help produce higher-quality and faster answers. Despite OpenAI just launching its highly anticipated open-source models on Tuesday, people are already on the lookout for OpenAI's next big move, with rumblings of an even bigger release on the near horizon: GPT-5. Also: ChatGPT can no longer tell you to break up

Why Professionals Say You Should Think Twice Before Using AI as a Therapist

Amid the many AI chatbots and avatars at your disposal these days, you'll find all kinds of characters to talk to: fortune tellers, style advisers, even your favorite fictional characters. But you'll also likely find characters purporting to be therapists, psychologists or just bots willing to listen to your woes. There's no shortage of generative AI bots claiming to help with your mental health, but go that route at your own risk. Large language models trained on a wide range of data can be un

You May Soon Be Able to Chat on WhatsApp Even Without an Account

Not part of the WhatsApp club yet? Not to worry, it looks like you'll soon still be able to dip your toes in without signing up. A new feature called "guest chats," found by WABetaInfo in a beta build, will reportedly allow anyone without a WhatsApp account to chat with someone who does after the feature is rolled out in a future update. To start a guest chat, an app user would need to invite a non-app user to an online chat via a link. The invited party does not need to have WhatsApp installe

WhatsApp Adds Tools to Save You From Scams

WhatsApp, the popular smartphone messaging service, says it's cracking down on millions of accounts linked to scam networks and providing users new tools to alert them when they might be targeted. In a post on Tuesday, the Meta-owned service says it took down more than 6.8 million accounts linked to scam networks primarily based in Southeast Asia. WhatsApp said that many of them are driven by cryptocurrency investment scams and pyramid schemes, and that some use ChatGPT to generate text and lin

OpenAI offers 20 million user chats in ChatGPT lawsuit. NYT wants 120 million.

OpenAI is preparing to raise what could be its final defense to stop The New York Times from digging through a spectacularly broad range of ChatGPT logs to hunt for any copyright-infringing outputs that could become the most damning evidence in the hotly watched case. In a joint letter Thursday, both sides requested to hold a confidential settlement conference on August 7. Ars confirmed with the NYT's legal team that the conference is not about settling the case but instead was scheduled to set

WhatsApp adds new warning about potential group chat messaging scams

WhatsApp has shared a new update about how it prevents scams, as well as unveiling a new feature aimed at protecting users from possible swindles. People will now receive alerts when they are added to a new WhatsApp group by someone not in their contacts. This safety overview will include key details about the group chat, such as the number of members, whether any other members are contacts and the chat's start date. It also offers some common sense reminders of how to avoid scams. Users can ex

WhatsApp will show a ‘safety overview’ before you join unknown group chats

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. WhatsApp is adding another feature designed to protect you from group chat scams. Now, when someone you might not know invites you to a group chat, the app will display a new “safety overview” that appears before you can even see the messages. The overview will include information about the group, including when it was created, who invited you, and

WhatsApp adds new features to protect against scams

WhatsApp is introducing new features to help people spot scams on the messaging service, the company announced on Tuesday. The company also said it has taken down over 6.8 million WhatsApp accounts linked to criminal scam centers targeting people around the world. The new features are designed to help detect scams in both group and individual chats on the Meta-owned platform. For group chats, WhatsApp is launching a safety overview feature that will be displayed when someone who isn’t in your

After a Deluge of Mental Health Concerns, ChatGPT Will Now Nudge Users to Take ‘Breaks’

It’s become increasingly common for OpenAI’s ChatGPT to be accused of contributing to users’ mental health problems. As the company readies the release of its latest algorithm (GPT-5), it wants everyone to know that it’s instituting new guardrails on the chatbot to prevent users from losing their minds while chatting. On Monday, OpenAI announced in a blog post that it had introduced a new feature in ChatGPT that encourages users to take occasional breaks while conversing with the app. “Starting

ChatGPT can no longer tell you to break up with your boyfriend

Elyse Betters Picaro/ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways OpenAI adds reminders to take a break. ChatGPT will also have improved functions for mental health support. The company is working with experts, including physicians and researchers. As OpenAI prepares to drop one of the biggest ChatGPT launches of the year, the company is also taking steps to make the chatbot safer and more reliable with its latest update. Also: Could Apple create an AI search engine to rival Gemini and ChatGPT? Here's how

OpenAI Admits ChatGPT Missed Signs of Delusions in Users Struggling With Mental Health

After over a month of providing the same copy-pasted response amid mounting reports of "AI psychosis", OpenAI has finally admitted that ChatGPT has been failing to recognize clear signs of its users struggling with their mental health, including suffering delusions. "We don't always get it right," the AI maker wrote in a new blog post, under a section titled "On healthy use." "There have been instances where our 4o model fell short in recognizing signs of delusion or emotional dependency," it

People are using ChatGPT to write their text messages - here's how you can tell

Kirill Stytsenko/Getty Images ZDNET's key takeaways People are using AI to write sensitive messages to loved ones. Detecting AI-generated text is becoming more difficult as chatbots evolve. Some tech leaders have promoted this use of AI in their marketing strategies. Everyone loves receiving a handwritten letter, but those take time, patience, effort, and sometimes multiple drafts to compose. Most of us at one time or another have given a Hallmark card to a loved one or friend. Not because

ChatGPT Will Start Asking If You Need a Break. That May Not Be Enough to Snap a Bad Habit

We've all been mid-TV binge when the streaming service interrupts our umpteenth-consecutive episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation to ask if we're still watching. That may be in part designed to keep you from missing the first appearance of the Borg because you fell asleep, but it also helps you ponder if you instead want to get up and do literally anything else. The same thing may be coming to your conversation with a chatbot. OpenAI said Monday it would start putting "break reminders" into

ChatGPT rockets to 700M weekly users ahead of GPT-5 launch with reasoning superpowers

Want smarter insights in your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get only what matters to enterprise AI, data, and security leaders. Subscribe Now OpenAI’s ChatGPT will reach 700 million weekly active users this week, the company announced Monday, cementing its position as one of the fastest-adopted software products in history just as the company prepares to release its most powerful language model yet. The surge is a 40 percent jump from the 500 million weekly users ChatGPT had at

ChatGPT will ‘better detect’ mental distress after reports of it feeding people’s delusions

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. OpenAI, which is expected to launch its GPT-5 AI model this week, is making updates to ChatGPT that it says will improve the AI chatbot’s ability to detect mental or emotional distress. To do this, OpenAI is working with experts and advisory groups to improve Ch

ChatGPT will now remind you to take breaks, following mental health concerns

OpenAI has announced that ChatGPT will now remind users to take breaks if they're in a particularly long chat with AI. The new feature is part of OpenAI's ongoing attempts to get users to cultivate a healthier relationship with the frequently compliant and overly-encouraging AI assistant. The company's announcement suggests the "gentle reminders" will appear as pop-ups in chats that users will have to click or tap through to continue using ChatGPT. "Just Checking In," OpenAI's sample pop-up rea

OpenAI updating ChatGPT to encourage healthier use

OpenAI is updating how ChatGPT works to encourage healthier use and avoid unintended consequences. One change that OpenAI says ChatGPT users will see “starting today” is a technique used by other digital services. Much like video streaming services and social networks, OpenAI is adding a gentle break reminder for users during prolonged chat sessions. Starting today, you’ll see gentle reminders during long sessions to encourage breaks. We’ll keep tuning when and how they show up so they feel na

OpenAI says ChatGPT is on track to reach 700M weekly users

ChatGPT’s impressive growth as a consumer app continues as the chatbot is on track to hit 700 million weekly active users this week, the company says. The app had earlier reached 500 million weekly active users as of the end of March, noted Nick Turley, OpenAI VP and head of ChatGPT’s app, in a post on X. He also said the app has grown 4x since last year. “Every day, people and teams are learning, creating, and solving harder problems. Big week ahead. Grateful to the team for making ChatGPT mo

How I do support and community

I could see myself running a hotel. A little world where the architecture is otherworldly. And of course, the service is impeccable – because nothing matters more in any business than how customers are treated. (source) I collected this photo as inspiration ~14 years ago. Feels good to finally use it. But while it’s normal for one night in a hotel to cost ~$300, most people expect the price of a month of using pro-grade software – some of which cost millions of dollars to produce and maintain

Thousands of private ChatGPT conversations found via Google search after feature mishap

What just happened? Numerous organizations have repeatedly warned ChatGPT users over the years never to share personal information with OpenAI's chatbot. A recent incident involving a now-removed feature reveals that potentially thousands of people disclosed deeply intimate information with ChatGPT and also inadvertently made it discoverable through Google search. OpenAI recently confirmed that it has deactivated an opt-in feature that shared chat histories on the open web. Although the functio

We may not like what we become if A.I. solves loneliness

These days, everyone seems to have an opinion about A.I. companions. Last year, I found myself joining the debate, publishing a paper—co-written with two fellow psychology professors and a philosopher—called “In Praise of Empathic A.I.” Our argument was that, in certain ways, the latest crop of A.I.s might make for better company than many real people do, and that, rather than recoiling in horror, we ought to consider what A.I. companions could offer to those who are lonely. This, perhaps unsur

OpenAI may be testing a cheaper paid plan for ChatGPT

OpenAI is reportedly working on a new plan called 'Go,' which would be cheaper than the existing $20 Plus subscription. Like every other AI chatbot, ChatGPT has two plans. One is Plus, which gives access to new models and a few features for $20, and the second is the Pro plan. The Pro plan costs $200 and provides nearly unlimited access to AI models. It also includes access to new features. But what if you have a limited use case for ChatGPT and don't need access to advanced features like Ag

OpenAI is removing ChatGPT conversations from Google

OpenAI has removed a feature that made shared ChatGPT conversations appear in search results. The "short-lived experiment" was based on the chatbot's link creation option. After complaints, OpenAI's chief information security officer, Dane Stuckey, said the company is working to remove the chats from search engines. The public outrage stems from a Fast Company article from earlier this week (via Ars Technica). Fast Company said it found thousands of ChatGPT conversations in Google search result

ChatGPT users shocked to learn their chats were in Google search results

Faced with mounting backlash, OpenAI removed a controversial ChatGPT feature that caused some users to unintentionally allow their private—and highly personal—chats to appear in search results. Fast Company exposed the privacy issue on Wednesday, reporting that thousands of ChatGPT conversations were found in Google search results and likely only represented a sample of chats "visible to millions." While the indexing did not include identifying information about the ChatGPT users, some of their

WIRED Roundup: ChatGPT Goes Full Demon Mode

Louise Matsakis: I got to say, I think calling this a migration is maybe underselling it. This is an evacuation, no? I find this sad in a lot of ways just because I remember when Tuvalu was kind of the poster child for climate change, and it was like, we have to save places like this island nation, and it just sort of feels like, I think practical and understandable and humane, but also, I don't know, an indication that we're giving up and that there's sort of defeat of we're actually just going