AP Technology

January 9, 2025

One Tech Tip: Start the new year with a clean inbox

LONDON (AP) — For Jan. 9

The ‘Worst in Show’ CES products put your data at risk and cause waste, privacy advocates say

LAS VEGAS (AP) — So much of the technology showcased at CES includes gadgets made to improve consumers’ lives — whether by leveraging AI to make devices that help people become more efficient, by creating companions to cure loneliness or by providing tools that help people with mental and physical health. But not all innovation is good, according to a panel of self-described dystopia experts that has judged some products as “Worst in Show.” The award that no company wants to win calls out the “least repairable, least private, and least sustainable products on display.”

From AI assistants to holographic displays, automakers showcase in-cabin experiences at CES

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Interior lighting aimed at reducing motion sickness. Shiny new dashboard and windshield displays. And AI-powered voice assistants paired with abundant infotainment systems to keep you company on long drives. Auto makers pulled out all the stops to showcase their latest advances for in-vehicle experiences at CES, the Consumer Technology Association’s annual trade show of all-things tech, in Las Vegas this week. Hyundai Mobis unveiled a futuristic, full-windshield holographic technology — while BMW spotlighted its new “iDrive” panoramic display. And Honda and Honda Sony Mobility showed off all the bells and whistles consumers can expect in their upcoming electric vehicles.

TikTok’s fate arrives at Supreme Court in collision of free speech and national security

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a collision between free speech and national security, the Supreme Court will hear arguments over the fate of TikTok, a digital age cultural phenomenon that roughly half the U.S. population uses for entertainment and information. The case is being heard Friday. TikTok says it plans to shut down the social media platform in the U.S. by Jan. 19 unless the Supreme Court strikes down or otherwise delays the effective date of a law aimed at forcing TikTok’s sale by its Chinese parent company. Enforcement of the law would be left to the incoming Trump administration. President-elect Donald Trump has dropped his support for a TikTok ban. The court’s decision could come within days.

Meta rolls back hate speech rules as Zuckerberg cites ‘recent elections’ as a catalyst

It wasn’t just fact-checking that Meta scrapped from its platforms as it prepares for the second Trump administration. The social media giant has also loosened its rules around hate speech and abuse, specifically when it comes to sexual orientation and gender identity as well as immigration status. The changes are worrying advocates for vulnerable groups, who say Meta’s decision to scale back content moderation could lead to real-word harms. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday that the company will remove restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that he said are out of touch with mainstream discourse. He cited recent elections as a catalyst.

Flying taxis are on the horizon as aviation soars into a new frontier

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — When he was still a boy making the long, tedious trips between his school and his woodsy home in the mountains during the 1980s, JoeBen Bevirt began fantasizing about flying cars that could whisk him to his destination in a matter of minutes. As CEO of Joby Aviation, Bevirt is getting closer to turning his boyhood flights of fancy into a dream come true as he and latter-day versions of the Wright Brothers building launch a new class of electric-powered aircraft vying to become taxis in the sky. They lift off the ground like a helicopter and then fly like airplanes capable of traveling at speeds of 200 miles per hour.

ALS sidelined this Israeli TV journalist. AI is helping him make a comeback.

JERUSALEM (AP) — A renowned Israeli TV journalist who lost his ability to speak clearly because of ALS is returning to the air using artificial-intelligence software that recreates his widely recognized gravelly voice. Moshe Nussbaum has been connecting with audiences for more than 40 years. But after being diagnosed two years ago with a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells, he had to greatly scale back his on-air work. Nussbaum will be making a comeback soon using an AI program that has been trained to speak with his voice. He will be filmed as if he were presenting and his lips will be technologically adjusted to match the words. He calls the technology a magic trick that has incredible meaning for everyone with disabilities.

Meloni says Italy is exploring deals on telecoms security, but denies private talks with Musk

ROME (AP) — Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni said her government is in talks with private companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, over the country’s telecoms security system, but denied having discussed the issue privately with Musk. “I never talked about this with Musk. It’s not my habit to use my public role to do favors to friends,” Meloni said, responding to reporters’ questions during her start-of-the-year press conference on Thursday. She stressed that national interest was “the only lens” through which she judged such potential contracts with SpaceX, which owns the Starlink satellite system.

ByteDance’s Lemon8 gains traction amid TikTok ban threat as creators push the app

Hearing a lot about Lemon8 lately? You’re not the only one. Amid a looming U.S. ban on TikTok, content creators have been pushing the platform’s sister app. Lemon8 resembles an amalgamation of the types of short-form videos found on TikTok and the picture-perfect aesthetic of Instagram and Pinterest. But there’s a hitch. The federal law that would wipe out TikTok’s U.S. operation if it’s not sold to an approved buyer states the requirement applies generally to apps that are owned or operated by TikTok, its China-based parent company or any of their subsidiaries. That means even though Lemon8 isn’t explicitly named in the statute, it’s future in the U.S. also is in jeopardy.

Nvidia’s new GPU series led an avalanche of entertainment-related announcements at CES

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nvidia unveiled its GeForce RTX 50 Series desktop and laptop GPUs — powered by its new Blackwell artificial intelligence chip — kicking off a string of entertainment-related AI announcements and discussions at the trade show, including several terse conversations about regulation of the budding technology.