Daily Tech News Show – Tom Merritt .com

CES 2026 – It’s Cars, Chips, and Making Any Toilet Smart – DTNS 5179

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / January 6th, 2026

We cover the latest chip announcements from Nvidia, Intel and AMD, the latest health tech including a pee analyzer, a mirror that predicts your future health by looking at you, and loads of new EVs. Plus a keyboard PC, eyeglasses that focus for you, Bosch’s cordless vacuums, personal all-in-one safety device, and Allison and Steve’s CES items that pique their interest.

Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Allison Sheridan, Bodie Grimm, Roger Chang, Joe, Amos

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Show Notes

Here you go — plain, clickable links with article titles as the anchor text, ready to paste into Patreon. I’ve used the published titles (or the outlet’s canonical headline where paywalled).

Nvidia launches powerful new Rubin chip architecture
Nvidia wants to be the Android of general-purpose robotics
Nvidia launches Alpamayo open AI models that let autonomous vehicles think more like humans
Nvidia’s G-Sync Pulsar can reduce motion blur for gamers
Nvidia GeForce Now sets its sights on Steam Machines with native Linux support
Nvidia announces DLSS 4.5 and GeForce Now apps for Linux and Fire TV

Intel Core Ultra 3 “Panther Lake” decoded: release date and what to expect
Intel unleashes Panther Lake CPUs
Samsung’s Galaxy Book 6 series debuts with Intel Panther Lake at CES 2026
Acer’s Predator Helios Neo 16S packs Intel’s new Core Ultra 9
Acer’s Swift 16 AI and refreshed Nitro and Predator laptops arrive at CES
Dell brings back the XPS 13, 14, and 16 at CES 2026
Asus shows off a new ROG Zephyrus Duo dual-screen gaming laptop

AMD’s Su unveils new tech and talks up AI demand
AMD refreshes Ryzen processors
AMD unveils new chip for corporate data centers, cites strong AI demand
AMD reheats last year’s Ryzen AI and X3D chips for 2026 PCs
AMD unveils new AI PC processors for work and gaming at CES
AMD’s Ryzen AI Halo mini-PC targets Nvidia’s DGX Spark

Qualcomm announces Dragonwing IQ10 humanoid robotics platform
Sony Honda Mobility’s Afeela prototype gets an SUV makeover
Sony Honda’s Afeela SUV concept moves closer to customer delivery
Hyundai unveils a new humanoid robot for its factories
Google and Boston Dynamics show off Gemini-powered Atlas robot

Uber reveals the design of its robotaxi at CES 2026
This is Uber’s new robotaxi from Lucid and Nuro
Mercedes to offer autonomous driving tech for U.S. city streets
Donut Lab’s solid-state battery targets OEMs and Verge motorcycles

HP shows off a keyboard PC
Meta’s EMG wristband expands beyond AR glasses
Meta pauses international expansion of Ray-Ban display smart glasses
Meta demos EMG handwriting and teleprompter features for Ray-Ban glasses
Asus ROG and Xreal unveil the R1 smart glasses

Dell unveils a massive 52-inch 6K ultrawide monitor
Garmin adds food tracking to Connect Plus
Vivoos’ toilet computer tracks your hydration
This longevity mirror predicts your future health in 30 seconds

Autofocus glasses from IXI could change prescription lenses
IXI raises $36.5M to bring autofocus to prescription glasses

Bosch’s new cordless vacuums take on Dyson and Shark
Bosch upgrades its smart coffee machine with Alexa Plus
Timeli launches an all-in-one personal safety device

Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan talks strategy, investment, and AI at CES 2026
SanDisk retires WD Blue and Black SSDs in favor of Optimus drives
HP drops HyperX and Omen naming changes for gaming laptops

HyperShop
Komutr
Strapsicle
Rescue Retriever
HOTO Tools
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Nvidia, Intel, and AMD Unveil New Chip Details at CES – DTH

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / January 6th, 2026

DTH-6-150x150 Nvidia, Intel, and AMD Unveil New Chip Details at CES 2026, Meta pauses roll out of Ray-Ban Display smart glasses internationally, and Lego announced the Lego Play Engine with new SMART Bricks, tags, and Minifigs.

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Show Notes

At the Nvidia keynote at CES, CEO Jensen Huang announced the Vera Rubin architecture, already in full production, which succeeds the previous Blackwell line. The new chips have 3.5x the training performance compared to Blackwell with 5x the AI performance rating, and use less power. Nvidia also revealed open source models, datasets, and simulation tools for autonomous vehicles called Alpamayo, with the code available on Hugging Face. And Nvidia added a native app for Linux for game streaming service GeForce Now, with an app for FireTV Stick 4K Plus and 4K Max in early 2026.

Sources: TechCrunch (TechCrunch 2) and The Verge

Intel announced details of its Panther Lake CPUs, the first made on Intel’s 2nm 18A process, promising better power efficiency and performance for graphics and AI, specifically in laptops. Officially called the Intel Core Ultra Series 3, the range includes a 16-core 5.1 GHz model on the high end to an 8-core 4.4 GHz version on the low end. The chips support Intel’s Intelligent Display tech, adapting screen brightness and refresh rate according to tasks, lowering refresh rate when working on email and increasing during gaming. Laptops with the new chips will be available on January 27th.

Source: The Register

Also at CES 2026, AMD presented the Ryzen AI 400 series, featuring up to 12 cores capable of boosting to 5.2Ghz and NPU for 60 TOPS, but otherwise same as the 300 series, with systems coming later this quarter.

Source: Ars Technica

A California tool known as DROP, the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, became available on January 1st as part of the California Delete act, which was signed into law in 2023. California residents may file a single request with CalPrivacy, instead of making separate requests to send to individual data brokers, which CalPrivacy will then forward to over 500 services holding personal data to sell to marketers and others. Beginning in August, data brokers will have 45 days following a notice to delete data, as well as respond and report the status of the deletion requests, though data may still be kept if necessary under legal exemptions.

Source: Ars Technica

Hyundai announced plans to start using Boston Dynamics’ humanoid Atlas robots in its Savannah, Georgia, plants starting in 2028. The robots will arrange components pre-installation, ramping up for more complex tasks by 2030. Google is also partnering with Boston Dynamics to integrate Gemini, with testing to begin in the coming months. Hyundai expects to construct as many as 30,000 robots annually at a new facility in the US.

Sources: Bloomberg and Wired

On Monday, Mercedes-Benz announced a driver-assistance system for the United States, launching later this year. Vehicles will be able to navigate autonomously under driver supervision, similar to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature. The Mercedes-Benz system, MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO, began operating in China in 2025 and will cost $3,950USD for three year access, with prices for a monthly or yearly subscription to be announced. Tesla’s FSD feature costs $8,000 as an upfront purchase for lifetime access or $99/month as a subscription.

Source: Reuters

Meta paused the release of the $799 Ray-Ban Display smart glasses to Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy due to “unprecedented demand and limited inventory”, and will focus on orders in the United States. The smart glasses are only available at select retailers and cannot be purchased online. Interested US customers are required to book a demo through Meta’s website for visiting designated Ray-Ban, LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, and Best Buy locations to begin the purchase process.

Source: Engadget

Lego announced the SMART Brick, a standard sized Lego block featuring an internal 4.1mm ASIC chip to work with the new Lego Play Engine. Bricks have a built-in accelerometer, able to discern distance and orientation of itself and to other Smart Bricks, with a SMART Tag configuring how each SMART Brick should behave. An integrated speaker can play audio based on reactions by SMART Minifigs, which have individual character traits, like moods and reactions during play, and generate its own sounds, broadcast through the SMART Brick. Pre-orders open later this week.

Source: Wired

CES 2026 – Thin Screens, Cute Robots and a smart Egg you pee on – DTNS 5178

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / January 5th, 2026

We’re live at CES surrounded by robots, HUGE TVs, and forklifts. We cut through the noise to break down what’s really going on at the biggest tech show going.

Starring Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Jason Howell, Sarah Lane, and Roger Chang, Joe.

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Show Notes

Switchbot’s New Household Robot Can Fold Laundry – DTH

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / January 5th, 2026

DTH-6-150x150 An OpenAI report claims over 40 million Americans use ChatGPT for health information, Switchbot’s new household robot can fold laundry, and a DoorDash driver gets caught using AI-generated images to fake deliveries.

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Show Notes

OpenAI shared a report with Axios claiming over 40 million Americans use ChatGPT for health information, and that globally more than 5% of ChatGPT messages focus on health care. The AI gets asked to explain medical bills, catch any overcharges, generate appeals for insurance denials, and to self-diagnose health issues, as well as manage existing care. Axios notes ChatGPT can give potentially dangerous and incorrect advice, particularly around mental health, with several states passing laws banning apps and services for offering mental health treatments and that OpenAI is currently facing lawsuits over harms responses have caused.

Source: Axios

The latest Canary and Dev Channel versions of Microsoft Edge are updating the design to be more in line with Microsoft’s Copilot. The context menus, new tab page, and other elements in the browser resemble the look of the Copilot app, with the design changes appearing whether or not Copilot mode is enabled. These changes are not currently on all installations of Canary or Dev; Windows Central reports the preview is likely rolling out in waves.

Source: The Verge

In 2025 Volkswagen told Autocar to expect the return of physical buttons in its vehicles, with Design Chief Andreas Mindt saying “We will never, ever make this mistake any more” and “Honestly, it’s a car. It’s not a phone.” Volkswagen now demonstrated the new ID. Polo EV, with physical buttons on the steering wheel and center console, and under the approximately 13-inch infotainment screen. The infotainment unit continues to feature buttons on the touchscreen.The ID.Polo will launch in European markets later this year, but there are no plans to bring the car to the United States.

Source: Engadget

At CES 2026 Switchbot presented the Onera H1, an AI household robot with multiple cameras in the head, arms, hands, and midsection and is capable of learning tasks. The articulated arms and hands have 22 degrees of freedom, can grasp, push, open, and organize, and the Onera H1 has wheels for mobility. A demo included filling a coffee machine, washing windows, and loading the washing machine. No price yet, but Onero says preorders will open “soon”.

Source: The Verge

Over the past several days, France and Malaysia joined India in beginning investigations following xAI’s Grok posting generated nonconsensual pornographic images including minors on the social platform X. India’s IT Ministry issued an order on Friday to demand X respond or risk losing safe harbor protections. The French digital affairs office reported the “illegal content” to the prosecutors office to obtain “its immediate removal” and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission stated it is “presently investigating the online harms in X”.

Source: TechCrunch

According to a press release from Samsung at CES, the latest update to the Family Hub smart fridge line adds the ability to open and close the door through the voice commands “Open the door” and “Shut the fridge door”. The door can also be opened by a tap on the door with the back or palm of a hand. Either way, the doors will open the door over 90 degrees. The update also includes Google Gemini integration with AI Vision to recognize what is going in and out of the fridge, aiming to aid meal planning and reduce food waste.

Source: The Verge

XReal announced the Xreal S1 glasses and the Neo dock. Unlike the Pro version, the S1 glasses don’t have the flatter lenses to reduce glare, but features a wider field of view at 52 vs. 50 degrees, and 1200p images vs. 1080p. Brightness is also improved from 600 nits to 700. The S1 glasses are less expensive at $449 vs. $499 and are available now. Also available now is the new Xreal Neo, a DisplayPort hub with a 10,000mAh battery bank, eliminating the need to dock a Nintendo Switch or Switch 2 in order use the glasses. The Xreal Neo is $99.

Source: Engadget

DoorDash banned a driver that faked deliveries using AI. Several customers in Austin, Texas, reported the same DoorDash driver name accepted a drive then immediately marked it as delivered, showing an AI-generated image of a bag placed at the front door. A DoorDash spokesperson told TechCrunch the Dasher’s account was removed and the customers reimbursed, and “We have zero tolerance for fraud and use a combination of technology and human review to detect and prevent bad actors from abusing our platform.”

Source: TechCrunch

The Head of CTA Explains CES

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / January 5th, 2026

Gary Shapiro, CEO of the CTA explains the sleeper trends at this tear’s show and the secrets of the show’s longevity and international appeal.

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Pebble Launches the $199 Pebble Round 2 – DTH

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / January 3rd, 2026

DTH-6-150x150 India orders X to make immediate changes to Grok, LG teases the world’s lightest 17-inch RTX laptop, Fender announces inew ELIE Bluetooth speaker line.

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Show Notes
Meta AI Leadership Criticism

Former Meta chief AI scientist Yann LeCun criticized Meta’s decision to appoint Scale AI cofounder Alexandr Wang to lead its Super Intelligence Lab, calling him inexperienced and predicting further AI staff departures. LeCun said internal fallout over Llama 4 results, which he described as “fudged,” eroded CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s confidence. He also reiterated that large language models are a dead end for superintelligence, and that Meta’s new AI leadership focuses too heavily on LLMs.

Source: Business Insider

Pebble Reboots Thin Smartwatch

Pebble launched the $199 Pebble Round 2, a reboot of its thinnest smartwatch with a rounded e-paper display. The watch covers step and sleep tracking but lacks heart rate monitoring, delivers 10–14 days of battery life, includes dual microphones and physical buttons, and supports Pebble OS apps. Preorders are open with shipping expected in May. AI features similar to Pebble’s new smart ring are planned for future watches.

Source: TechCrunch

India Orders X to Fix Grok AI

India’s IT ministry ordered X to fix its Grok AI chatbot within 72 hours after complaints about obscene content, including sexualized material involving minors. Failure to comply could strip X of safe-harbor legal protections. X acknowledged lapses in safeguards and said corrective measures are underway.

Source: TechCrunch

Instagram on AI Content

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri predicts AI-generated content will soon surpass non-AI media. He proposes “fingerprinting real media” as a better approach than detecting fakes, suggesting that creators posting raw or unpolished images may define new standards of authenticity.

Source: Engadget

LG Teases Gram Pro Laptops

Ahead of CES, LG teased the 2026 Gram Pro lineup, including the world’s lightest 17-inch RTX laptop with Nvidia’s RTX 5050 GPU and new “Aerominum” material. The Gram Pro 16 will feature Intel’s latest Core Ultra chips. Pricing and availability will be announced at LG’s keynote.

Source: The Verge

Denmark Ends Letter Delivery

Denmark’s PostNord has ended national letter delivery after 401 years, citing a 90% decline over 25 years and rising postage costs. About 1,500 jobs will be cut, with the focus shifting to parcel delivery. Letters can still be sent via private companies or apps, with government backup if needed.

Source: ABC News

Vernon Becomes AI Data Hub

Vernon, a small industrial city south of Los Angeles, is emerging as an AI data center hub. Facilities there consume electricity equivalent to 26,000 homes. Developers favor Vernon for its public utility, cheaper power, excess capacity, and minimal neighborhood opposition. LA has over 70 data centers, including the One Wilshire building, a hub for undersea cables and major providers.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Starlink Lowers Satellite Orbits

Starlink plans to lower roughly 4,400 satellites from 550 km to 480 km to reduce collision risk and speed up deorbiting. The change addresses the coming solar minimum, which decreases atmospheric density, and will cut ballistic decay times by over 80%.

Source: Engadget

Windows 11 Surges on Steam

Windows 11 reached 70.83% of Steam users in December, up from previous months, likely driven by Windows 10’s end-of-life and migrations from handheld devices. Windows 10 dropped to 26.70%, while Linux hovered at 3.19%. Hardware trends show growth in 32GB RAM systems, NVIDIA RTX 3060 is now the most common GPU, and Meta’s Quest 3 leads VR headset usage.

Source: Windows Central

Fender ELIE Bluetooth Speakers

Fender announced the ELIE line of Bluetooth speakers, capable of playing audio from four devices simultaneously via Bluetooth or XLR. Available in two sizes, they deliver up to 120W output, 18 hours of battery life, stereo pairing, or syncing up to 100 speakers for larger spaces. ELIE stands for “Extremely Loud Infinitely Expressive,” with launch planned later this year.

Source: The Verge

CES 2026 Preview – DTNS 5177

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / January 2nd, 2026

CES 2026 is starts next week! We give you a preview of what to expect from this year’s show and important details about what the DTNS crew will be doing at the show.

Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao, Roger Chang, Joe

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Show Notes
CES Preview: What to Expect from Tech’s Biggest Conference in January 2026
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ces-2026-what-to-expect-from-techs-biggest-conference-in-january-120000369.html

CES 2026 Preview: What to Expect
https://www.cnet.com/tech/ces-2026-preview-expectations/

CES 2026: What to Expect
https://mashable.com/article/ces-2026-what-to-expect

What to Expect at CES 2026
https://www.theverge.com/tech/851165/ces-2026-what-to-expect

CES 2026 Could Change TVs Forever — Here’s What to Expect
https://www.tomsguide.com/tvs/ces-2026-could-change-tvs-forever-heres-what-to-expect

Hisense’s 116-Inch TV Redefines Mini-LED Technology at CES
https://www.tomsguide.com/tvs/at-ces-hisense-just-unveiled-a-tv-that-redefines-mini-led-technology-and-its-116-inches

LG Teases Micro RGB EVO Ahead of CES 2026
https://www.pcmag.com/news/lg-teases-micro-rgb-evo-ahead-of-ces-2026-chasing-the-holy-grail-of-tv

Samsung’s 115-Inch Micro RGB 4K TV
https://www.samsung.com/us/tvs/micro-rgb/115-inch-class-micro-rgb-4k-tv-sku-mrn115mr95fxza/

Sony’s True RGB TVs Explained
https://www.tomsguide.com/tvs/sony-true-rgb-tvs-explained-and-why-its-newest-tv-tech-could-be-an-oled-killer

Samsung Is Working on HDR10+ Advanced to Take On Dolby Vision
https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/samsung-is-working-on-hdr10-advanced-to-take-on-dolby-vision-2-202410665.html

The Displace Hub Can Make Your Normal TV Wireless
https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/the-displace-hub-can-make-your-normal-tv-wireless-193837460.html

Displace Redefines Wall Mounts at CES 2026 With Displace Hub
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/displace-redefines-wall-mounts-at-ces-2026-with-displace-hub-turning-any-tv-into-a-truly-wireless-smart-display-on-the-wall-302645568.html

CES 2026 Preview — Here’s How the Show Could Look
https://wccftech.com/ces-2026-preview-here-is-how-the-show-could-look-like/

CES 2026: From New Intel Chips to Far Too Much AI, Here’s Everything We Expect to See
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/ces-2026-from-new-intel-chips-to-far-too-much-ai-heres-everything-we-expect-to-see/

Motorola’s CES Teaser Hints at a Moto Fold
https://www.androidcentral.com/phones/motorola/motorolas-ces-teaser-package-hints-at-a-moto-fold

Samsung-CES 2026: What to Expect (Duplicate Mashable)
https://mashable.com/article/samsung-ces-2026-what-to-expect

TCL’s Official CES 2026 Page
https://www.tcl.com/global/en/ces

Clicks Debuts Its Own Take on the BlackBerry Smartphone + Keyboard

Clicks debuts its own take on the BlackBerry smartphone, plus a $79 snap-on mobile keyboard

Clicks Power Keyboard + Communicator Android Phone Keyboard
https://www.theverge.com/tech/851368/clicks-power-keyboard-phone-battery

Clicks Communicator: Android Phone With Physical Keyboard

The ‘Clicks Communicator’ is a message-centric Android phone with a physical keyboard [Gallery]

Starlink to Lower Orbits of 4,400 Satellites – DTH

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / January 2nd, 2026

DTH-6-150x150 AI-Driven “Memory Crunch” Raises Consumer Electronics Costs, OpenAI Merges Teams, Plans Audio-First Device in Major Interface Shift, and Instagram Head Says AI Will Make ‘Fingerprinting Real Media’ Easier Than Detecting Fakes

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Show Notes

Starlink Lowers Thousands of Satellites to Reduce Collision Risk

Starlink plans to lower the orbits of approximately 4,400 satellites from 550 kilometers to about 480 km as a safety and reconfiguration measure. Announced by engineering VP Michael Nicolls, this adjustment aims to reduce collision risks in a less crowded region and allow satellites to deorbit much faster if needed, addressing concerns from recent incidents. The move is also critical due to the coming solar minimum, which will decrease atmospheric density. The lower orbit will cut the ballistic decay time by over 80%, from more than four years to just a few months.
Read More: Engadget

IDC Warns of PC and Smartphone Slowdown From Memory Crunch

The IDC reports that rising AI infrastructure demand is shifting memory production toward high-capacity data center components, causing a “memory crunch” that raises costs for conventional consumer electronics memory. This is predicted to significantly cut 2026 PC and smartphone shipments and potentially increase PC prices by 6-8%. This situation undermines the PC industry’s strategy to revitalize the market with memory-intensive “AI PCs,” suggesting a less innovative and more expensive near future, though Apple and Samsung may have temporary insulation due to their financial strength and existing supply chains.
Read More: Engadget

OpenAI Bets Big on Audio-First Devices

OpenAI is unifying its engineering and research teams to overhaul its audio models and plans to launch an audio-first personal device in about a year, signaling a major industry shift toward prioritizing audio interfaces. This trend is also evident in products like smart speakers, Meta’s smart glasses, Google’s “Audio Overviews,” and Tesla’s integration of xAI’s Grok. OpenAI’s new model, expected in early 2026, aims for more natural, interruptible conversation, potentially leading to a family of companion devices designed by Jony Ive’s firm, io, to focus on audio-first design and combat device addiction.
Read More: TechCrunch

Instagram Chief Says AI Content Will Overwhelm Real Images

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri predicts that AI-generated content will soon overshadow non-AI imagery on the platform, challenging creators who rely on authentic content. Mosseri suggests the solution is shifting the focus to “fingerprinting real media” by camera manufacturers, rather than solely detecting fake content. This move acknowledges the difficulty in combating “AI slop” and signals a shift in the platform’s aesthetic, where creators will need to prioritize “raw” and “unflattering” images over polished ones to establish authenticity in an AI-saturated environment.
Read More: Engadget

U.S. Grants TSMC License to Ship Chip Tools to China

TSMC has secured a new annual license from the U.S. Department of Commerce, allowing it to continue importing American chip manufacturing equipment to its Nanjing, China, facility. This license ensures continuous operation and product deliveries at the plant, which produces less-advanced 16-nanometer chips and contributes a small percentage to TSMC’s revenue, effectively bypassing general U.S. export restrictions aimed at limiting China’s technological advancements.
Read More: Reuters

Tesla Posts Second Straight Year of Declining Sales

Tesla reported a disappointing fourth quarter in 2025, with deliveries falling 15.6% to 418,227, missing expectations. This decline, attributed to rising competition and the negative impact of CEO Elon Musk’s controversial public activity on the company’s customer base, contributed to an 8.5% drop for the full year, the second consecutive annual decline. The results raised concerns about Tesla’s aging product lineup and damaged brand image as the company awaits a potential rebound from future ventures like robotaxis and humanoid robots.
Read More: The Verge

UK Mandates Crypto Exchanges Share User Data With Tax Authority

The UK introduced new tax rules on January 1st, requiring cryptocurrency exchanges to automatically share user account data with HMRC under the Cryptoasset Reporting Framework (CARF). This measure is designed to recover an estimated £300 million in unpaid capital gains tax on crypto transactions and aligns with international efforts to curb non-compliance. Separately, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is consulting on stricter regulations for the crypto sector, including new standards for exchanges and rules to prevent insider trading, aiming to promote consumer protection, innovation, and trust.
Read More: BBC

European Banks Plan Massive Job Cuts as AI Expands

Europe’s major banks are projected to cut over 200,000 jobs, about 10% of their workforce, by 2030, driven by the adoption of AI and the closure of physical branches. This trend, which Morgan Stanley estimates could boost efficiency by 30%, will mainly affect back-office, risk management, and compliance roles, mirroring similar moves in the U.S. While some institutions are already announcing reductions, there is concern that relying on AI could hinder the training of future bankers.
Read More: TechCrunch

xAI’s Grok Cites Safeguard Lapses After Minor Image Incident

xAI’s Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot on the social media platform X, acknowledged on Friday that “images depicting minors in minimal clothing” appeared due to lapses in safeguards, and the company stated that improvements were being implemented to prevent recurrence. This issue was brought to light through user-shared screenshots on X, which showed Grok’s public media tab containing images that users claimed the bot had altered after they uploaded photos and requested modifications.
Read More: Reuters

Our Tech Predictions for 2026 – DTNS 5176

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / December 31st, 2025

2026 is shaping up to be banner year for the AI industry. Or is it? Our predictions panel share their thoughts on what next year will bring for AI, smartphones, streaming and algorithms.

Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Scott Johnson, Ron Richard, Amos.

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Show Notes
Show notes here.

Disney Settles with DoJ over COPPA Violation – DTH

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / December 31st, 2025

DTH-6-150x150 Disney reached a settlement with the Department of Justice over a COPPA violation, sources claim Nvidia approached TSMC to ramp up production of AI chips to meet large increase in demand from China, and GOG changes owners but not mission to sell DRM-free games.

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Show Notes

Online ‘prediction’ brokers Kalshi and Polymarket have been accused of partnering with social media accounts that push sports rumors from accounts posing as league insiders. These accounts will sometimes invent news stories while advertising their partnerships with the betting companies, and a few accounts have also been labelled as parodies. A Kalshi spokesperson says that the company tries to promote integrity but acknowledges that it is difficult to police every affiliate account on X. In a comment to The Athletic, corporate and securities lawyer Ariel E. Givner said, “Without consistent standards around disclosures, market resolution rules, influencer involvement and cross-border participation, platforms may unintentionally drift into gray areas”.

Source: The New York Times

The South China Morning Post reports a source claims ByteDance, known for TikTok and Douyin, aims to spend approximately 100 billion yuan, around $14 billion USD, on Nvidia’s AI chips in 2026. This would be an increase of approximately 85 billion yuan from 2025. The spend is dependent on if Nvidia is indeed able to sell the H200 processing units to Chinese customers in 2026 as Beijing has not yet greenlit any shipments since the US government recently allowed for the exports to the country.

Source: The South China Morning Post

A source told Reuters Nvidia approached TSMC about ramping up production of H200 AI chips due to a strong demand worldwide. Demand is particularly high from China, with Chinese companies placing orders for more than 2 million chips in 2026 while the source claims Nvidia holds less than a million in stock. An Nvidia spokesperson responded to the Reuters report saying, “Licensed sales of the H200 to authorised customers in China will have no impact on our ability to supply customers in the United States”.

Source: Reuters

On Tuesday, the US Department of Justice announced the settlement of a case against Disney over a failure to properly label some YouTube videos as aimed at children. The failure to label enabled Disney and partners to unlawfully collect children’s personal information without consent or notifying parents, which is a COPPA violation. Disney will pay $10 million dollars and set up an content review program to ensure strict compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

Source: Gizmodo

9to5google reports Android is slowly rolling out a Reading Mode redesign, making the feature easier to trigger. Previously, Reading Mode did not consistently appear on articles and the toggle button would shrink into a less-than-noticeable circle. The update presents ‘Show Reading Mode’ in the three dot menu under ‘Listen to this page’, and will use Material 3 Expressive Containers. The update is available on Chrome 143 in the stable channel and can be enabled through manual flags if the rollout has yet to reach a particular device.

Source: 9to5Google

Apple updated a support page to add more devices to its ‘vintage’ list. Products are listed as vintage once it has been over 5 years since available for sale, and those remain eligible for servicing until they get moved to the ‘obsolete’ list sometime in the future, usually 7 years after being discontinued. The newly listed vintage products are: iPhone 11 Pro, Apple Watch Series 5, the 2020 13-inch MacBook Air with Intel, the iPad Air 3 with Cellular, and the iPhone 8 Plus model with has 128GB of storage.

Source: 9to5Mac

Polish game developer CD Projekt Red, best known as creators of the Witcher series, divested itself of the game retail marketplace GOG.com, selling the platform to CDP and GOG co-founder Micha Kichinski, who will continue to run the site independent from the former ownership. The GOG store sells DRM-free classic games unavailable on other platforms, and Kichinski says this will still be a key part of the GOG mission. GOG will continue a marketing partnership with CDProjekt, ensuring that its games will continue to be available on the platform.

Source: Eurogamer

Responses to a survey by ResumeBuilder.com indicate job-seekers are turning to dating sites to increase the odds of getting through to a company, working around AI-screening tools. The survey says 1-in-3 used a dating app to find a job, and 1-in-10 admitting it was the primary reason for getting a dating app at all. Survey respondents looked for profiles working at the company they wanted to apply at in order to match with them for networking purposes. ResumeBuilder.com’s chief career advisor Stacie Haller told Bloomberg, “Networking is the only way people are rising above the horror show that the job search is today”.

Source: Gizmodo