AI

These travel influencers don’t want freebies. They’re AI.

Social media posts by AI-created travel avatars cost far less to produce, yet look and sound real. Human influencers worry they're being elbowed out.

Mobile apps

Social app RedNote expanding beyond China despite privacy concerns

A mix of Instagram, Pinterest and Amazon, Chinese jack-of-all-trades app RedNote first came to the attention of many in Western countries as a potential haven for 'TikTok refugees' amid threats by the US government to ban the better-known Chinese platform.

Technology

Live shopping catches on in US with Kim Kardashian and cookies

The strategy may be risky; shopping live on a whim is a departure from some of the biggest benefits of online commerce, like reading reviews and hunting for deals.

Technology

Amazon in talks to invest in OpenAI, source says

Dec 16 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc is in discussions to invest in OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, in a potential deal that could value the artificial intelligence company at over $500 billion, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Internet

Grok spews misinformation about deadly Australia shooting

Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok churned out misinformation about Australia's Bondi Beach mass shooting, misidentifying a key figure who saved lives and falsely claiming that a victim staged his injuries, researchers said on Dec 17.

Technology

Blackstone leads investment in data-security firm Cyera at a $9 billion valuation, WSJ reports

Dec 16 (Reuters) - Blackstone is leading a $400 million investment in data-security firm Cyera that values the New York-based company at $9 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Technology

AI romance blooms as Japan woman weds virtual partner of her dreams

OKAYAMA, Japan, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Music played in a wedding hall in western Japan as Yurina Noguchi, wearing a white gown and tiara, dabbed away her tears, taking in the words of her husband-to-be: an AI-generated persona gazing out from a smartphone screen.

Technology

Waymo in talks to raise billions at over $100 billion valuation, the Information reports

Dec 16 (Reuters) - Alphabet unit Waymo is in talks with potential investors to raise money at a valuation of at least $100 billion, the Information reported on Tuesday, as competition intensifies in the nascent robotaxi market.

Technology

Hacking group 'ShinyHunters' threatens to expose premium users of sex site Pornhub

WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The hacking group "ShinyHunters" said on Tuesday it has stolen data belonging to premium customers of the leading sex website Pornhub and is threatening to publish it. 

Technology

X Corp sues social media startup over bid to claim 'Twitter' brand

Dec 16 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's X Corp sued a startup on Tuesday after it sought to cancel X's Twitter trademarks so it can "bring Twitter back" as a new social media platform.

Technology

US threatens countermeasures after EU fine on Musk's X

WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Tuesday threatened a wide range of retaliatory measures against EU service providers, including possible fees or restrictions on foreign services, if the firms continue what the USTR called "discriminatory" actions.

Technology

Bank of Canada wants stablecoins to be backed by high-quality liquid assets

OTTAWA, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The Bank of Canada says regulations on future Canadian stablecoins must ensure they are backed by high-quality liquid assets and be pegged one-to-one to a central bank currency, Governor Tiff Macklem said on Tuesday.

Technology

Factbox-From trend to mainstay: AI to cement its place at the core of 2026 investment strategies

Dec 16 (Reuters) - Artificial intelligence is expected to remain the centerpiece of investment strategies, global brokerages outlined in their outlook for 2026, with the benchmark S&P 500 index on pace to post another year of gains.

Technology

Databricks builds war chest with $134 billion valuation in latest funding round

Dec 16 (Reuters) - Databricks said on Tuesday that it has raised more than $4 billion at a valuation of $134 billion, the latest example of investors betting big on companies benefiting from the broader adoption of artificial intelligence.

Technology

Business leaders agree AI is the future. They just wish it worked right now

SAN FRANCISCO/STOCKHOLM, Dec 16 - Last spring, CellarTracker, a wine-collection app, built an AI-powered sommelier to make unvarnished wine recommendations based on a person's palate. The problem was the chatbot was too nice. 

Technology

Review: Defend a moving city in 'Monsters Are Coming' for PC and Xbox

The hero must protect the city by gathering resources like wood, stone and gold and bringing them back along with experience points.

Smartphones

Chip crunch to curb smartphone output in 2026, researcher says

The global AI buildout has spurred semiconductor producers this year to prioritise advanced memory for Nvidia Corp accelerators over more basic products.

Technology

App developers urge EU action on Apple fee practices

Dec 16 (Reuters) - A coalition of 20 app developers and consumer groups on Tuesday called upon European regulators to enforce EU laws against Apple, saying the company's fee structure unfairly disadvantages European developers compared to their U.S. rivals after a recent court decision in the United States.

Video games

'Tomb Raider' Lara Croft to star in two new games 30 years on

Pistol-toting heroine Lara Croft will return to PlayStation, Xbox and PC next year in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a remake of the very first game released in 1996.

Internet

Merriam-Webster’s 2025 word of the year is 'slop'

Creepy, zany and demonstrably fake content is often called "slop." The word's proliferation online, in part thanks to the widespread availability of generative artificial intelligence, landed it Merriam-Webster's 2025 word of the year.