As AI becomes a key part of our workflows, hardware designers have stepped up to create laptops and PCs that can handle our demands. Microsoft made it easier for hardware manufacturers to signal that their devices are AI-ready with the Copilot+ AI PC program. That way, if someone wants to purchase a laptop or PC that can run AI models locally, they just need to keep an eye out for the Copilot+ label.

Three Tennessee teens are suing Elon Musk's xAI over claims that the company's Grok AI chatbot generated sexualized images and videos of themselves as minors, as reported earlier by The Washington Post. The proposed class action lawsuit, filed on Monday, accuses Musk and other xAI leaders of knowing that Grok would produce AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) when launching its "spicy mode" last year.The plaintiffs include two minors and an adult who was underage when the events in the lawsuit took place. One of the victims, identified as "Jane Doe 1," alleges that last December, she learned that explicit, AI-generated images of …Read the full story at The Verge.

Olaf, a Disney Imagineering robot that will greet guests at Disney parks. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge You know Olaf. Before KPop Demon Hunters, before the Wicked movies, it was Disney's Frozen that blasted show tunes like "Let It Go" and "Into the Unknown" into our lives. My little girls loved belting those tunes.So when I met Olaf, the Disney Imagineering robot, I kept thinking: I can't wait for my kids to meet him too. It's a weird thought, really, because this Olaf isn't a "he" and can't carry on a conversation. Why do I keep thinking "I met him" when he's largely a remote-controlled puppet teleoperated by a Steam Deck gaming handheld? @verge Is this the best robot Disney's ever made? Frozen's snowman Olaf will soon greet guests …Read the full story at The Verge.

Windows 11 has always been a minefield to navigate when it comes to data privacy. Microsoft's operating system is the most popular desktop OS in the world, holding about 67% of the market share as of 2026. This also means that inherent privacy drawbacks aren't a niche concern, but rather, affect the vast majority of the computing world as we know it.

The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni offer a range of smarts for a relatively affordable price. | Image: Ecovacs If you like the idea of spring cleaning but not the part where you actually have to clean, both the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni and newer X9 Pro Omni have dropped to their lowest prices to date ahead of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, which officially kicks off on March 25th. The X8 Pro Omni is available for $599 ($501 off) from Amazon, Best Buy, and Ecovacs, while the X9 Pro Omni is on sale for $679 ($621 off) at the same retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, Ecovacs).Deebot X8 Pro OmniWhere to Buy: $1099.99 $599 at Amazon $1099.99 $599 at Ecovacs $1099.99 $599 at Best BuyEcovacs Deebot X9 Pro OmniWhere to Buy: $1299.99 $679 at Amazon $1299.99 $679 at Ecovacs $1299.99 $679 at Best BuyBoth robot vacuums are packed with smart features designed to reduce the time you spend cleaning. Using lidar and a 3D camera for mapping, they can deftly navigate around furniture and baseboards, and even identify and avoid potential obstacles. The roller mop on both models also cleans itself while it works, and each robovac comes with a multifunction dock with a built-in water tank, allowing them to refill themselves and move dirty water into a separate waste tank. You can also use either the companion app or voice commands to control them thanks to their support for Matter, which lets you connect them to platforms like Alexa and Google Home.Both models are excellent cleaning devices, too, and each uses an extendable roller mop that can apply up to 4,000Pa of pressure and reach hard-to-clean areas (including corners). The biggest differences between the two models come down to how they handle suction and airflow while vacuuming. For instance, the last-gen X8 Pro Omni offers slightly more powerful suction at 18,000Pa, compared to 16,600Pa on the X9. The X9 Pro Omni, meanwhile, leverages Ecovacs’ Boosted Large-Airflow Suction Technology, which moves more air through the vacuum, allowing dust and debris to be pulled in more easily for a deeper clean.It’s worth noting that Ecovacs now sells a newer flagship, the Ecovacs Deepbot X11 OmniCyclone, which is also currently on sale at Amazon for $899 ($600 off). The high-end model adds even more suction (19,500Pa), an improved roller mop system, and a bagless auto-emptying dock that eliminates the need for disposable dust bags. That said, the X8 Pro Omni and X9 Pro Omni still offer many of the same core cleaning features for hundreds less.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a special place in my heart and on my desk for the latest peripherals. My custom keyboard collection needs its own cupboard. I have more mice than I can remember without a spreadsheet, and I regularly swap between gaming controllers depending on which game I'm playing. I thought there wasn't much left to innovate in the gaming mouse space, other than the race for the lightest weight possible, but the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike and its magnetic switches have shown me there's still room for new ideas.

Nvidia has been a major supporter of using AI to enhance gameplay. For example, the company recently stated in a talk that it aims for path tracing to be 1,000,000x better than what Pascal could manage ten years ago thanks to the power of AI. However, the tech that has resulted in the most discourse is DLSS 3 and above. This technology uses AI to fill in the gaps between frames to create a smoother experience, and while some people are concerned that 'fake frames' are defining gaming, others are grateful for the frame-rate boosts.

Deepfake rumors started after social media users claimed Netanyahu is depicted in this video with six fingers on his right hand (seen left). | Image: Israel Government Press Office Social media platforms are currently awash with conspiracy theories claiming that Benjamin Netanyahu has been killed or injured and replaced by AI-generated deepfakes. Between clips that supposedly show the Israeli prime minister sporting extra fingers and drinking from a bottomless, gravity-defying cup of coffee, only one thing is apparent: Reality used to be much easier to prove.There's very little credible evidence to suggest that Netanyahu isn't alive. But credibility is a rare commodity now that AI can convincingly clone real people across image, video, and audio formats, so it's getting tougher to conclusively dispel the rumors. This …Read the full story at The Verge.

Nvidia added two leading Chinese automakers, BYD and Geely, to its robotaxi program, as the chipmaker seeks to put its stamp on the growing autonomous vehicle market worldwide.At its GTC conference today, Nvidia announced that BYD and Geely, as well as Isuzu and Nissan, would use the chipmaker's Drive Hyperion platform, which combines the chips, computers, sensors, and software needed for for the development of Level 4 autonomous vehicles.BYD currently uses Nvidia's chips in its manually driven cars, and now, under this expanded agreement, it will use the company's Hyperion platform to build next-generation Level 4 vehicles. Geely, meanw …Read the full story at The Verge.

Home theater discussions usually start with speakers. Which ones to buy, how big they should be, whether you need a subwoofer, and how many channels make sense for your room. The receiver is often treated like an afterthought. It's just the box that powers everything else.

Amazon is increasing the cost of its ad-free Prime Video subscription and is locking 4K streaming behind a new subscription tier.

Home Assistant sits at the heart of my smart home. It gives me full control over all the interconnected devices in my home in one place, automates routines, and gives an exceptional amount of flexibility in how these devices talk to each other. However, that flexibility has a slight problem. Guest access. Or, more like, giving just enough access to guests that they don't break things.