Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over, but if you’re smart and still shopping (who isn’t?), you’re keeping an eye on TechRadar, because Amazon and other retailers are still churning out cracking deals (and please do take our survey to tell us how we did when it came to helping you with your deal-hunting).
One of the most interesting trends in online shopping is tied to, you guessed it, AI. There are AI assistants on platforms like Amazon and, of course, there are the now ‘classic’ chatbots like ChatGPT, which are shockingly good at helping you find just the right gadget. I can tell you from experience that OpenAI’s platform is a remarkably helpful gift-shopping assistant – it’s not perfect, but it’s better than talking to yourself.
We’re also seeing the rollouts of some other major AI use cases and updates. This year’s somewhat disappointing Spotify Wrapped includes an AI DJ, and a performance by a pair of uncanny valley characters in its new personalized Wrapped Podcast (mine was accurate but strange). Elsewhere, OpenAI kicked off its ‘12 Days of AI’ with a series of big updates across its AI platforms.
Apple is reportedly prepping its next big Apple Intelligence update, and in the meantime CEO Tim Cook has been talking about his future as the leader of one of the world’s most important tech companies, and about his legacy. You might be surprised by how he plans to decide when he goes.
If your thoughts are, like mine, already turning to 2025, you might be pleased to hear that at least one part of your tech experience is sure to be better in the new year. EV charging is about to get a lot easier thanks to a universal charging protocol. That’s something, right?
If you’re not one of the millions heading to theaters to see Wicked this weekend, you might be looking for some top streaming options. I’ve heard that Star Wars Skeleton Crew is actually good (especially Jude Law), and we have some thoughts on the show, along with our usual suggestions on what else you might enjoy. Creature Commandos, anyone?
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The week in AI
More upgrades are heading to ChatGPT (Voar Designs / Getty Images)
After months of testing, the o1 model has finally gone live in ChatGPT for paying subscribers, bringing with it some significant improvements in terms of math calculations and reasoning – and OpenAI is promising that more AI treats are on the way this month.
It's that time of year when Spotify reminds us what we've been listening to over the last 12 months, and there are quite a few new features in the Wrapped recap this year – including your own personalized, AI-generated podcast discussing your musical taste.
We got to know more about Apple boss Tim Cook this week, thanks to a wide-ranging interview in Wired. He discussed AI, mixed reality, and what's next for him personally – and he says he won't be leaving his current job until "the voice in my head says it's time".
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over for another year, but we're already looking ahead to next year, and to that end we'd love to hear your thoughts about your Black Friday shopping experience, so that we can improve our efforts to help you find the deals you want. We've created a very short survey which shouldn't take any longer than 5-10 minutes to complete – thanks for your help!
The EV charging network comes with a host of frustrations and annoyances right now – from app management to convoluted payment processes – but a simpler, easier Plug-and-Charge protocol is due to go live in the US next year.
There are lots – and we mean lots – of new movies and TV shows to stream this weekend. From Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and Creature Commandos, to Fly Me to the Moon and That Christmas, you'll find something worthwhile with our help.
