Consumer & Gadgets news

Consumer & Gadgets

Out-of-sync sleep schedules may steer people toward AI for dating and job assessments

Life often gets in the way of going to bed in sync with our circadian rhythm and getting enough sleep. Work, school and other social commitments can pull our schedules out of step, and scientists call this mismatch social ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Should quitting smartphones be this hard?

According to a Pew survey conducted this year, about half of U.S. adults say that they spend too much time on their phone. About a quarter say that they are on their phone "almost constantly" and, of the 45% who have tried ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Quantum-inspired math could help AI recognize when it does not know the answer

Anyone who has used ChatGPT or another artificial intelligence chatbot has likely seen a disclaimer that its answers may be incorrect. Large language models are built to generate the most probable response to a prompt. Even ...

Software

Video games could make us better people

Addiction, violence, aggression, social withdrawal: Video games have been in the crosshairs for a litany of negative impacts. Researchers at Macquarie University, however, are working on the premise that video games can have ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Is it safe to charge your phone overnight?

It's bedtime. You set your alarm, notice your phone is down to 23% battery, plug it in beside the bed and go to sleep. By morning, it's been connected to the charger for seven to eight hours—much longer than it needed to ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Misleading AI-generated summaries can distort human memory

AI-generated summaries are becoming increasingly prevalent—from news article previews to workplace meeting transcriptions to high-stakes settings like police body camera footage—despite studies showing that AI can generate ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Meta launches camera-free AI glasses amid privacy pushback

Meta unveiled several new wearables powered by its AI models Wednesday, including an audio-only, camera-free version of its smart glasses, amid global concerns about privacy and the filming of women and girls without their ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Meta leans into AI, smart glasses amid privacy pushback

Meta has spent billions to stay competitive in artificial intelligence, but the tech giant faces growing pushback as CEO Mark Zuckerberg prepares to announce new products built for the AI era Wednesday.

Consumer & Gadgets

How to know if you can trust an AI's answer to your question

I recently typed a simple question into Google Search: How much screen time is too much for teenagers? Instead of presenting links, as Google had been doing for many years, it gave me an AI-generated answer. The artificial ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Could empathic digital humans transform creative learning?

Research originating at Georgia State University's Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) into empathic digital humans and human-centered artificial intelligence continues to evolve, with a new publication, international ...

Consumer & Gadgets

AI can sound empathetic and human—but not at the same time

AI-generated texts are increasingly perceived as human, but people can still recognize human writing as such. However, this distinction becomes much more difficult once AI is explicitly instructed to come across as human. ...

Consumer & Gadgets

New Apple CEO to unveil latest iPhone lineup

Apple is unveiling its latest generation of iPhones, widely expected to include a foldable version, on Wednesday at an event headlined by new CEO John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook on Sept. 1.

Consumer & Gadgets

Meta, Ray-Ban maker extend smart glasses partnership

Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica said Tuesday that it extended a partnership with Facebook and Instagram owner Meta to develop smart-eyewear products after producing glasses that let users make calls, capture images and listen ...

Consumer & Gadgets

US says new Apple AirPods can be hearing aids

Apple on Thursday got a green light from US regulators to add a feature that would let upcoming AirPods Pro ear pieces be used as hearing aids, potentially disrupting that market.

Consumer & Gadgets

The five biggest-selling gaming consoles

Since video game consoles first emerged in the early 1970s, hundreds of millions have been sold to players eager to immerse themselves in their favorite franchises, from Assassin's Creed to Zelda.

Consumer & Gadgets

China's Huawei unveils triple-folding phone with hefty price tag

Chinese tech giant Huawei on Tuesday unveiled the world's first triple-folding phone at more than three times the price of the newest iPhone, hours after its US competitor lifted the curtain on its own new handset built for ...

Consumer & Gadgets

Sony to release PlayStation 5 Pro on November 7

Sony said Tuesday it would launch an upgraded version of its flagship games console with better graphics and AI capabilities on November 7, calling it PlayStation 5 Pro.