Latest Tech News

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

Filtered by: chat Clear Filter

Parents Of Kids Allegedly Killed and Harmed by AI Give Emotional Testimony on Capitol Hill, Urge Regulation

Parents who allege their children were abused, physically harmed, and even killed by AI chatbots gave emotional testimonies on Capitol Hill on Tuesday during a hearing about risks to young users posed by the tech — all while urging lawmakers to enforce regulation in a landscape that remains a digital Wild West. There were visible tears in the room as grieving parents recounted their painful stories. According to the lawmakers on the US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, the b

Amazon is creating more tools to fill its site with AI ads

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. Amazon is opening the door to even more AI ads by offering sellers access to a new chatbot that can generate promos with a simple text prompt. With the new tool, Amazon sellers can describe the type of ad they’d like to see, and the AI chatbot will draw from a s

Here’s who is actually using ChatGPT — and how they are using it

Robert Hart is a London-based reporter at The Verge covering all things AI and Senior Tarbell Fellow. Previously, he wrote about health, science and tech for Forbes. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. OpenAI this week released what it says is the largest study yet of how people are using ChatGPT, revealing fresh insights on who is using the technology and what they are using it for. The big surprise was finding out that most ChatGPT chats a

Did a ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Songwriter Really Use ChatGPT to Write ‘Soda Pop’? [Updated]

Netflix hit KPop Demon Hunters has stayed in the conversation in large part because of its blockbuster soundtrack, but now one of those songs has come under scrutiny for potentially getting an assist from ChatGPT. Update 9/17 9am ET: The English-language article released by Joongang Daily has been updated to include a correction and remove the original quote about “Soda Pop”, bringing it more in line with the Korean-language piece. The original piece is as follows. In a recent discussion in Se

OpenAI releases first-of-kind study revealing how people are using ChatGPT for everyday tasks

Illustration of the ChatGPT App on the iOS App Store displayed on a phone screen. Despite rapid adoption of large language models like OpenAI's ChatGPT, few comprehensive studies have delved into exactly how the technology is being used in everyday life — that is, until now. On Tuesday, researchers, including those from OpenAI, released a first-of-its-kind study that examines who was using ChatGPT and for what purposes based on internal messages sent to ChatGPT on consumer plans. Amongst the

ChatGPT will verify your age soon, in attempt to protect teen users

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways OpenAI will add age verification to ChatGPT. Teens will have more safety measures, compromising some freedom. Adults will retain the ability to use the chatbot as they want. Chatbot users are increasingly confiding in tools like ChatGPT for sensitive or personal matters, including mental health issues. The consequences can be devastating: A teen boy took his own life after spending hour

Did a ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Songwriter Really Use ChatGPT to Write ‘Soda Pop’?

Netflix hit KPop Demon Hunters has stayed in the conversation in large part because of its blockbuster soundtrack, but now one of those songs has come under scrutiny for potentially getting an assist from ChatGPT. In a recent discussion in Seoul for OpenAI’s newly opened Korean office, songwriter Vince reportedly claimed he used the controversial technology to help pen the song “Soda Pop,” performed in the movie by the demonic Saja Boys. He is credited as one of several co-writers on the track,

OpenAI Wants You to Prove You’re Not a Child

If you are filled with too much childlike wonder, you might get relegated to a more kid-friendly version of ChatGPT. OpenAI announced Tuesday that it plans to implement a new age verification system that will help filter underage users into a new chatbot experience that is more age-appropriate. The change comes as the company faces increased scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators over how underage users interact with its chatbot. To determine a user’s age, OpenAI will use an age prediction syst

ChatGPT may soon require ID verification from adults, CEO says

On Tuesday, OpenAI announced plans to develop an automated age-prediction system that will determine whether ChatGPT users are over or under 18, automatically directing younger users to a restricted version of the AI chatbot. The company also confirmed that parental controls will launch by the end of September. In a companion blog post, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the company is explicitly "prioritizing safety ahead of privacy and freedom for teens," even though it means that adults may

Microsoft rolls out Copilot Chat to Microsoft 365 Office apps

​Microsoft is rolling out Copilot Chat to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote for paying Microsoft 365 business customers. Copilot Chat (short for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat) is the company's AI-powered, content-aware chat that enables users to access AI agents. However, unlike Microsoft 365 Copilot, which has access to organizational content, Copilot Chat only works with data from the web. While Microsoft says Copilot Chat is "included at no additional cost" for Microsoft 365 users,

OpenAI Is Building a Teen-Friendly Version of ChatGPT

OpenAI announced today that it's developing a "different ChatGPT experience" tailored for teenagers, a move that underscores growing concerns about the impact of AI chatbots on young people's mental health. The new teen mode is part of a broader safety push by the company in the wake of a lawsuit by a family who alleged ChatGPT's lack of protections contributed to the death by suicide of their teenage son. The changes include age-prediction technology to keep kids under 18 out of the standard v

Following teen suicide, OpenAI explores automatic underage user restrictions

OpenAI is developing a system designed to automatically identify teen users and restrict their usage of ChatGPT. In a blog post published Tuesday, the company said the new experience would come with age-appropriate policies, including a block of graphic sexual content. "In cases of acute distress," the system will also have the capability to contact law enforcement to ensure user safety. In scenarios where ChatGPT can't definitively estimate the age of a user, it will default them to the new gat

Copilot Chat arrives free for Microsoft 365 users - check if you have it

Microsoft Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Copilot Chat is now integrated into Microsoft 365. Chat is available in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. But you'll need a Microsoft 365 business account. You're working on a Word document or PowerPoint presentation and you want to discuss certain questions or ideas with an AI chatbot. That's the goal behind the new Copilot Chat integration in Microsoft 365. In a Monday blog post, Seth Patt

OpenAI to launch ChatGPT for teens with parental controls as company faces scrutiny over safety

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman walks on the day of a meeting of the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 4, 2025. OpenAI on Tuesday announced it will launch a dedicated ChatGPT experience with parental controls for users under 18 years old as the artificial intelligence company works to enhance safety protections for teenagers. When OpenAI identifies that a user is a minor, they will automatically be di

Siri just got five surprise iOS 26 features, here’s what’s new

Siri hasn’t had the best year, largely owing to major feature delays amid ever-stronger AI competition. While the big Siri upgrades we’ve been waiting for are reportedly coming next spring, Apple has five surprise new features available now in iOS 26. iOS 26 makes Siri’s existing Apple Intelligence features more powerful and useful Apple launched iOS 26 yesterday to all users, and simultaneously published a document outlining new features in more depth than ever before. Surprisingly, the docum

Topics: 26 apple chatgpt ios siri

Millions turn to AI chatbots for spiritual guidance and confession

On Sunday, The New York Times reported that tens of millions of people are confessing secrets to AI chatbots trained on religious texts, with apps like Bible Chat reaching over 30 million downloads and Catholic app Hallow briefly topping Netflix, Instagram, and TikTok in Apple's App Store. In China, people are using DeepSeek to try to decode their fortunes. In her report, Lauren Jackson examined "faith tech" apps that cost users up to $70 annually, with some platforms claiming to channel divine

The Mac app flea market

Have you ever searched for “AI chat” in the Mac App Store? I have. It’s like strolling through one of those counterfeit, replica markets where all the goods look legit at first glance. But then when you look closer, you realize something is off. For the query “AI chat”, there are so many ChatGPT-like app icons the results are comical. Take a look at these: The real app icon for the ChatGPT desktop app (from OpenAI) is in that collection above. Can you spot it? Here they are again in a single

Topics: ai app chat like look

OpenAI Reveals How (and Which) People Are Using ChatGPT

Large language models largely remain black boxes in terms of what is happening inside them to produce the outputs that they do. They have also been a bit of a black box in terms of who is using them and what they are doing with them. OpenAI, with some help from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), set out to figure out what exactly its growing user base is getting up to with its chatbot. It found a surprising amount of personal use and a closing “gender gap” among its frequent users.

What do people actually use ChatGPT for? OpenAI provides some numbers.

As someone who writes about the AI industry relatively frequently for this site, there is one question that I find myself constantly asking and being asked in turn, in some form or another: What do you actually use large language models for? Today, OpenAI's Economic Research Team went a long way toward answering that question, on a population level, releasing a first-of-its-kind National Bureau of Economic Research working paper (in association with Harvard economist David Denning) detailing ho

Most People Use ChatGPT for Personal Life, Not Work, According to a New OpenAI Study

When ChatGPT first launched in November 2022, parent company OpenAI pitched it as a productivity tool and a game-changer for delegating menial work tasks, such as responding to emails or writing memos. OpenAI just released a new paper looking into how hundreds of millions of people globally actually use ChatGPT, and the results show a striking shift in how people use it. What started as a work assistant is now a tool people use for their personal lives. In mid-2024, nearly half of all conversat

How people actually use ChatGPT vs Claude - and what the differences tell us

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Most ChatGPT use is non-work, focused on writing tasks. Claude is used more for automation, especially coding. AI adoption is uneven, with wealthier regions benefiting first. Two of the biggest AI companies have revealed how people use their models. Also: The best AI chatbots of 2025 OpenAI released a research paper analyzing millions of ChatGPT conversations, while Anthropic publishe

Microsoft’s Office apps now have free Copilot Chat features

is a senior editor and author of Notepad , who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Microsoft is adding the free Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and agents to Office apps for all Microsoft 365 business users today. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote are all being updated with a Copilot Chat sidebar that will help draft documents, analyze spreadsheets, and more withou

I built a business plan with ChatGPT and it turned into a cautionary tale

Andrii Yalanskyi/iStock/Getty Images Plus Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways ChatGPT makes errors in long-form chats with many variables. Personal productivity isn't as high as it could be because of this. Unless you have massive infrastructure, check AI's work. By now, everyone knows that generative AI can be flaky. If you're using it to edit your novel or to create an image, the AI might add elements that are inconsistent with your narrative or lo

The Mac App Flea Market

Have you ever searched for “AI chat” in the Mac App Store? I have. It’s like strolling through one of those counterfeit, replica markets where all the goods look legit at first glance. But then when you look closer, you realize something is off. For the query “AI chat”, there are so many ChatGPT-like app icons the results are comical. Take a look at these: The real app icon for the ChatGPT desktop app (from OpenAI) is in that collection above. Can you spot it? Here they are again in a single

Topics: ai app chat like look

Why is Sam Altman losing sleep? OpenAI CEO addresses controversies in sweeping interview

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Lisa Su, CEO of Advanced Micro Devices, testify during the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing titled "Winning the AI Race: Strengthening U.S. Capabilities in Computing and Innovation," in Hart building on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images In a sweeping interview last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed a plethora of moral and ethical questions regarding his company and the popular ChatGPT AI model.

First calls and texts, now Pixels could detect scams from chat apps (APK teardown)

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority TL;DR An Android Authority teardown has revealed that Google’s Scam Detection feature is coming to chat apps. The feature will display scam detection alerts in chat app notifications. It’s possible that apps like WhatsApp, Signal, Instagram, and Twitter could support this functionality. Google introduced Scam Detection functionality to Pixel phones last year, which alerts you if you’re on a phone call with a suspected scammer. The company has also brought t

Users turn to chatbots for spiritual guidance

In Brief AI-powered chatbots play a growing role in spiritual life, according to a New York Times story that examines the popularity of religious chatbots and apps. The Times notes that an app called Bible Chat has been downloaded more than 30 million times, while another app, Hallow, reached the number one spot in Apple’s App Store last year. For the most part, these apps are supposed to point people to religious doctrine and scripture to answer their questions, although at least one website

ChatGPT Goes Completely Haywire If You Ask It to Show You a Seahorse Emoji

There is no seahorse emoji. The Unicode Consortium, which oversees the standardized pictograms that can be transmitted as part of text communications, has yet to add the adorable sea critter to its official emoji dictionary. Frail human minds have sometimes been surprised to learn that fact, in a perfect example of the Mandela Effect, in which people become convinced that they remember something that isn't actually real — like that South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela died in pris

Chatbox app is back on the US app store

Hello everyone, I have great news to share: After three months of fighting, our Chatbox app is finally back on the U.S. App Store! 🎉 What happened? In April 2025, another company with an app of the same name filed a dispute with Apple, claiming they held a trademark for the word “Chatbox.” I believe this claim was baseless, because: "Chatbox" is a widely used, generic word across the internet, and their trademark application had already been initially rejected by the USPTO. We were the fir

I used this ChatGPT trick to look for coupon codes - and saved 25% on my dinner tonight

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Free ChatGPT can surface working coupon codes, but it's hit or miss. Agent on ChatGPT Plus might improve your odds of finding valid deals. Coupon or promo codes can lead to easy savings online. It's Friday afternoon, and I'm wrapping up work. I've got my daughter's 4-year checkup with shots later, which means one thing: pizza night. That should put a smile on her face after our appointm