Consumer & Gadgets news

Consumer & Gadgets

AI job rejections felt least fair when avatars shared just one trait

Companies are increasingly using artificial intelligence in their hiring processes. It's not just CVs that are evaluated automatically. AI tools can also conduct job interviews—usually in the form of avatars, which are animated ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Report reveals over 40% of people are limiting AI use, as popularity starts to wane

People are increasingly choosing to limit or reject the use of AI tools, according to a new report published by the Digital Futures Institute at King's College London and Responsible AI UK.

Consumer & Gadgets

VR and gaming are adding a kick to taekwondo

When Vietnamese athlete Nguyen Thanh Hien Linh stepped into her first virtual taekwondo competition in Singapore in 2024, she had little idea what she was doing.

Consumer & Gadgets

New VR game tracks player emotions in hopes of fostering empathy for marginalized communities

You're in a dance club bathed in a neon-purple glow, surrounded by ghostly silhouettes that sway to the music. A stranger at the bar greets you with a flirty wave: "Hey, you look so cute!" Sparks fly. It's all part of a virtual ...

Consumer & Gadgets

AI as a listening ear: Helpful or risky?

More and more people are turning to AI when they feel stressed or worried. Researchers at Leiden University studied how and why people use chatbots for emotional support. Their conclusion: AI meets a real need, but also raises ...

Consumer & Gadgets

AI-powered social media can subtly manipulate opinion at scale

AI tools used to generate, edit or contextualize social media posts can introduce hidden biases that spread through online networks and shape public opinion, according to new research from the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) ...

Internet

Digital barriers make visitors of Dutch websites stumble

Despite European legislation, many commercial websites still fall short when it comes to meeting the WCAG accessibility standard, Dante Göbbels has found. Göbbels investigated the barriers website visitors encounter, including ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Sony discontinues Japan sales of robot puppy 'aibo'

Sony is halting sales of its robotic puppy "aibo" in Japan, the company said, eight years after the latest model of its interactive android pet became an instant hit.

Consumer & Gadgets

Tracking what consumers think before they buy

Manufacturers have traditionally relied on sales figures to understand where they stand with consumers, but by the time those numbers arrive, consumers' buying decisions have already been made. A study co-authored by UC Riverside ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Google unveils major Android redesign ahead of iPhone overhaul

Google unveiled the biggest update to its Android mobile operating system in years, weeks before its biggest competitor in the space, Apple Inc., is expected to give a preview of its overhauled iPhone software.

Consumer & Gadgets

Tariffs set to level up game console prices

The US tariffs barrage and the bounding cost of producing games have prompted manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft to announce price hikes on consoles, in an industry shift experts say is set to last.

Consumer & Gadgets

AI model analyzes social media posts to detect signs of depression

Social media is a sounding board of sorts in today's world. It's a place where people go to share their thoughts, opinions and feelings—and to test the reactions of others, too. In return, they receive feedback, often in ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Nintendo forecasts 15 million Switch 2 sales in 2025-26

Japanese gaming giant Nintendo forecast Thursday that it would sell 15 million units of its hotly awaited Switch 2 console in the current financial year but warned US tariffs could hit its bottom line.

Consumer & Gadgets

Amuse, a songwriting AI collaborator for music composers

Wouldn't it be great if music creators had someone to brainstorm with, help them when they're stuck, and explore different musical directions together? Researchers at KAIST and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) have developed ...

Consumer & Gadgets

TeleAbsence: Poetic encounters with the past

In the dim light of the lab, friends, family, and strangers watched the image of a pianist playing for them, the pianist's fingers projected onto the moving keys of a real grand piano that filled the space with music.