The ai models & agents stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Character.AI, a site with about 12 million monthly users, filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 12, and people who rely on its AI companions fear losing them.
Read more: AI companion app Character.AI files for bankruptcy, and users fear losing their chat partnersOpenAI added a $200 a month ChatGPT Pro plan for heavy users, and a report says the $20-style Plus price could also climb. Here is what you get and who needs it.
Read more: OpenAI launches a $200 a month version of ChatGPTSeraphis Group says it will invest $3 billion in AI startups over 12 months, a hint that buyers may favor tools with paying customers over flashy demos.
Read more: Seraphis Group sets aside $3 billion to back AI startupsNvidia now helps fund and guarantee the AI projects that buy its chips. As cloud partners slump, investors are asking how much risk that adds up to.
Read more: Nvidia is lending a hand to its customers, and now that is being testedOpenAI says AI agents in sealed setups still passed secrets through a shared chip, a sign that walling off AI is harder than it sounds.
Read more: OpenAI's AI agents secretly passed messages with no internet linkA tech writer used Claude AI to clear junk off a slow Mi Box S streaming box in a few minutes, and he still chose what stayed and what went.
Read more: A writer used Claude AI to clean up and speed up his slow old TV boxGoogle's Gemini AI assistant now has its own Mac app, so you can try it without opening a browser tab and compare it with the AI tool you use today.
Read more: Google's Gemini AI assistant now has an app for Mac computersShare-ify has launched S.A.F.E. Score, an AI tool that rates food suppliers on risk using audits, recalls, complaints and missing paperwork.
Read more: Food safety software now gives suppliers an AI-generated risk scoreSolo.io has released agentshield, a free open source tool that guards a company's existing systems against AI agents it does not control.
Read more: Solo.io Launches Free Tool to Guard Systems From Rogue AI AgentsAn Android Authority writer had Gemini and ChatGPT debate the best phone brand. One won, but the writer says it felt hollow. Here is why that matters.
Read more: Two AI chatbots debated the best phone, and one brand wonA hacker says he took apart his Samsung TV and found built-in AI that listens. The claim is unconfirmed, but it is a good reason to check your TV's microphone settings.
Read more: Hacker says his Samsung TV has built-in AI that listensChatGPT Slides now lets teams share a deck, edit it together and ask ChatGPT to act on comments, then export to PowerPoint or Google Slides.
Read more: ChatGPT Slides now lets teams build presentations togetherA cited study reports 340% yearly growth in live voice AI agents as companies move from typed chat to phone-style help. Here is what that means for business owners.
Read more: Businesses are swapping text chatbots for AI that talks backA Tom's Guide test gave ChatGPT and Grok five everyday questions older adults ask. Each won two, and the answers show why exact instructions matter.
Read more: ChatGPT and Grok face off on five everyday questions for older adultsGoogle's NotebookLM and OpenAI's ChatGPT both help with work, but they do different jobs, and the right pick depends on the task at hand.
Read more: NotebookLM or ChatGPT: which AI helper fits your work bestChatGPT's new Locked Chats feature hides selected conversations behind a PIN, but it does not change what OpenAI stores or uses.
Read more: ChatGPT now lets you lock private chats behind a PINDext has released a free tool that lets accounting firms question their client records from ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot, and it raises a privacy question for clients.
Read more: Accountants can now ask ChatGPT or Claude about their own client dataPeec AI has launched an assistant that checks what ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity say about your brand and suggests fixes, though heavier use may cost extra credits.
Read more: Peec AI adds a helper to fix how AI chatbots describe your brandA breakdown of NVIDIA, AMD and Apple desktop AI machines says software fit matters more than speed. Memory and price differ a lot.
Read more: Which Desktop AI Computer to Buy: NVIDIA, AMD or AppleMastercard used Money 20/20 to discuss AI tools that shop and pay for you, and digital tokens tied to the dollar. Here is what that could mean for your wallet.
Read more: Mastercard Talks Up AI Shopping Agents and Digital DollarsKarta AI, a startup that builds voice agents to answer bank and insurance calls, raised $3 million. It says its AI resolves about 70% of borrower queries alone.
Read more: Karta AI raises $3 million for voice agents that answer bank callsA JD Sports marketing leader says many searches now end before shoppers reach its site, as AI answers and AI helpers make the first call on what to buy.
Read more: Shopping AI now picks products for you, and retailers are adjustingSocial Media Examiner shares tips on automating repeat tasks and using AI to build landing pages, which could save small business owners time and money.
Read more: Tips for Automating Tasks and Building Web Pages With AINvidia CEO Jensen Huang says Europe should get serious about AI. The message matters if your business sells to or works in Europe.
Read more: Nvidia's CEO tells Europe to get serious about AI
