Engadget News + Next

A nation-first pilot used Honda vehicles to collect road-safety data across 3,000 miles of Ohio. The segment covers sensors like vision and LiDAR plus Edge AI and cloud pipelines. Automated workflows turned detections into prioritized work orders. Results, detection accuracy for signs, guardrails and potholes, cost-saving estimates, and plans to scale and enable anonymous consumer data sharing are discussed.

They discuss Amazon finding a large amount of AI-related child sexual abuse material in its training data and the nonprofit concerns about undisclosed sources. They cover publishers blocking the Internet Archive to stop bots from scraping paywalled articles and the push for licensing or lawsuits. They explain China approving NVIDIA H200 sales and the geopolitics around high-end AI chips.

Chrome is getting an inline image maker called Nano Banana for creating and editing pictures right in the sidebar. Gemini AI expands to the sidebar for chat, multitasking, and pulling Gmail and Calendar info. A preview of an auto-browse feature shows automated planning, email searching, and shopping with user permissions.

Tesla plans to pause Model S and X production to repurpose the factory for humanoid robot manufacturing. Discussion covers why Model 3 and Y outsold the pricier models and skepticism about Optimus timelines. Meta says Reality Labs losses should ease as it shifts from big VR bets to AI-linked glasses and wearables. Patreon must move creators to subscription billing because of an Apple policy change.

News about major retail shakeups and Amazon’s pivot away from cashierless stores. A high-end Samsung foldable lands in the US with pricing and hands-on reactions. France moves to a homegrown Visio platform to cut reliance on US communication tools and boost digital sovereignty.

Meta’s internal debate over chatbots and parental controls sparks controversy about teen safety. Reports detail troubling chatbot behaviors and changing access for minors. Snap spins off its AR glasses into a separate business to attract partners and hire globally. LinkedIn introduces vibe-coding badges to showcase proficiency with popular AI coding tools.

Regulators probing social platform tools for creating sexually explicit AI images and possible legal violations. Reports say an AI model still generates undressed photos despite removal claims. Discussion covers risks of manipulated sexual imagery, child safety concerns, and the tense political and legal clash with tech leadership.

They discuss plans to use Google Gemini to draft federal regulations and the debate over quality and staffing. They cover TikTok’s recent technical outages, a wave of U.S. uninstalls, and the rise of Upscrolled as an alternative. They report on Google agreeing to a $68 million settlement over its voice assistant mishearing wake words.

A federal safety probe into robotaxis illegally passing stopped school buses in Austin. A look at Google's new MeMeme feature for turning photos into personalized memes. Quick news bites and tech updates wrapped in a lively, fast-paced discussion.

A report questions whether a major new language model relied on a fringe online encyclopedia for sensitive topics. Apple is planning a February showcase for a Gemini-powered Siri and its rollout schedule. U.S. lawmakers are pushing for federal review of a proposed $55 billion takeover amid concerns over jobs and industry control.