The raid pertains to an investigation launched into the social media site in January 2025.
French cybercrime prosecutors have raided X’s offices in the country, and summoned the social media platform’s owner Elon Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino for questioning.
“A search is being carried out at X’s French offices by the Paris prosecutor’s office cybercrime unit”, a translated post from the Paris prosecutor’s office on X read. The post is no longer viewable after the office also closed its X account today.
The raid pertains to an investigation launched into the social media site in January 2025 when authorities began looking into X’s content algorithm. The probe was later expanded to include Grok after reports highlighted the chatbot for its alleged role in disseminating Holocaust denials and sexual deepfakes.
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At the time, X’s Global Government Affairs account published a lengthy statement calling the investigation “politically motivated” and “criminal”.
X said at the time that it categorically denied the allegations, adding that the investigation threatened platform users’ rights to privacy and free speech. Both X and Grok are owned by xAI, which has just merged with Musk’s space venture SpaceX in a $1.25trn deal.
Today’s (3 February) search was undertaken alongside the French police’s national cyber unit and Europol.
In a statement, prosecutors added that Musk and Yaccarino have been called in for voluntary questioning on 20 April “in their capacity as de facto and de jure managers of the X platform at the time of the events”. Yaccarino quit as X’s CEO in July 2025 after serving in the role for two years.
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France’s investigation into X is looking at the social platform’s alleged complicity around spreading child sexual abuse material and sexually explicit deepfakes.
The EU launched its own Digital Services Act probe into X late last month to assess whether the social media site properly assessed and mitigated risks stemming from its in-platform AI chatbot Grok.
Kojima Productions has officially revealed the PC system requirements for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and the good news is that they are far more approachable than many recent big-budget releases. According to Sony’s PlayStation Blog, the PC version launches March 19 and includes a wide range of graphics presets designed to scale from budget systems all the way to high-end rigs.
Kojima Productions
At the entry level, the game targets 1080p at 30 frames per second with hardware that many gamers already own. A GTX 1660 or Radeon RX 5500 XT paired with an Intel Core i3-10100 or Ryzen 3 3100 and 16GB of RAM is enough to get started. That alone makes the game feel refreshingly accessible in a landscape where minimum specs often demand much newer GPUs.
Sony
Moving up the preset scales is a predictable process. Medium settings aim for 1080p at 60fps with an RTX 3060 or RX 6600, while the recommended tier targets 1440p at 60fps with an RTX 3070 or RX 6800. The very high preset pushes into 4K at 60fps territory with an RTX 4080 or RX 9070 XT. Every preset requires 16GB of RAM and a 150GB SSD install, which is becoming standard for modern AAA titles.
Handheld gaming and modern upscaling take center stage
One of the most interesting additions is a dedicated Portable preset designed specifically for handheld gaming PCs. This mode targets devices such as the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, with full support for modern upscaling and frame-generation technologies, including NVIDIA DLSS 4, AMD FSR 4, and Intel XeSS 2. These tools allow players to push higher resolutions and frame rates without requiring top-tier hardware.
Sony
On top of that, the game includes Guerrilla’s in-house Pico upscaling technology from the Decima engine, which can be used alongside frame generation and works across different graphics cards. Ultrawide support is also included, with cutscenes designed for 21:9 displays and gameplay extending to 32:9 aspect ratios.
With the PC launch arriving on March 19, these requirements suggest that many players may already have the hardware needed to jump in on day one. If anything, this release feels like a reminder that not every blockbuster needs extreme specs to deliver a next-gen experience.
Across industries, retail, food and lifestyle brands are rethinking how space functions—not just to sell, but to shape how they are experienced.
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From individual brands like Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami’s pop-up, where potential customers can pamper themselves with a cinema, cafe and carestation to creative precincts like New Bahru that feature retail brands in a design-led and cultural environment, physical environments are becoming strategic branding tools.
Now, the automotive industry is catching up. BYD by 1826, which claims to be Singapore’s first integrated automotive lifestyle brand, wants to lead the way in enhancing how car showrooms can appeal to customers.
BYD is transforming the car-buying experience
BYD by 1826’s IMM hub features locally roasted specialty coffee in a tranquil setting./ Image Credit: BYD by 1826
While lifestyle-first spaces are common in fashion, food, and retail, automotive retail spaces have largely remained transactional. Traditional showrooms can feel intimidating or high-pressure, especially for first-time buyers.
This is evident from how two-thirds of people globally expect the places and spaces where they live, work and play to provide more enjoyment, diverse activities, and add value to the time they spend there.
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As such, BYD has been experimenting with spaces that blend automotive retail with lifestyle experiences. Over the years, it has launched several of these spaces, including the first BYD-themed restaurant, BYD by 1826, which opened at Boat Quay in 2023.
These outlets have helped the brand understand how Singaporeans interact with cars in relaxed, everyday settings and refine its automotive-lifestyle retail model.
Michelle Ho, Chief Brand Officer & Chief Culinary Officer, shared: “Each outlet sharpened our understanding of how different communities engage with us.”
BYD by 1826 Zhongshan Park./ Image Credit: BYD by 1826
For instance, while BYD by 1826’s Zhongshan Park outlet demonstrated the strength of inclusive, pet-friendly environments that encourage longer stays, the Suntec and Tanjong Pagar outlets reinforced the need for accessibility and seamless integration into the routines of professionals.
On the other hand, BYD by 1826 at Waterway Point highlighted the power of neighbourhood familiarity and repeat visits driven by coffee culture.
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Armed with these insights, its latest IMM outlet, located in the West, draws inspiration from local identity and daily routines. The outlet combines electric vehicles, a café, design elements, and community-focused activities.
Alongside its accessible EVs, BYD by 1826 at IMM also includes DENZA, a premium electric‑vehicle brand owned by the Chinese automaker.
BYD by 1826’s IMM hub represents the evolution of the concept from hybrid showroom to experiential hub… [it] signals a deeper commitment to embedding BYD within the social fabric of the neighbourhood.
Michelle Ho, Chief Brand Officer & Chief Culinary Officer of BYD by 1826
What you can expect at BYD by 1826’s IMM hub
BYD by 1826’s IMM outlet is pet-friendly and serves Singapore fusion dishes./ Image Credit: BYD by 1826
At the BYD by 1826 IMM hub, visitors can enjoy speciality coffee and Singaporean fusion fare, from Chilli Crab Shiok-shuka to Tiger Prawn Risotto Pao Fan, in a pet-friendly, family-oriented space designed for lingering.
While they enjoy the ambience and food, they can also browse cars from BYD and DENZA.
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Together, these elements form a “café-first” environment where food, conversation, and community unfold alongside automobiles, according to the brand.
This reinforces BYD by 1826’s vision of automotive-lifestyle integration, where they aim to position cars as part of a place of familiarity and belonging.
(Left): The cafe at BYD by 1826’s IMM hub; (Right): The space also hosts curated cultural programmes, spotlighting local musicians, creatives and small businesses./ Image Credit: BYD by 1826
The brand has noticed that because customers are not in a sales-driven environment, they feel comfortable asking questions at their own pace, which piques their curiosity.
In several cases, repeat visits have led to spontaneous test drives and eventually to serious purchase considerations.
When people experience the brand in a relaxed, lifestyle setting, trust builds organically. That sustained engagement has proven far more impactful than a single transactional interaction.
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“Each location we open is not just about showcasing cars—it’s about creating experiences that belong to Singaporeans,” said Davin Ongsono, CEO of BYD by 1826.
The future of automotive spaces
Image Credit: BYD by 1826
In Singapore, it’s clear that retail spaces are no longer just about transactions—they’re evolving into experience-driven destinations.
BYD has embraced this trend by creating spaces that combine cars, cafés, and community activities, offering a more relaxed and engaging way for people to explore automotive options.
It’s a notable disruption in the automotive industry, which has long relied on traditional, transactional showrooms.
From the West to the East, the brand wants Singaporeans to experience what the future of automotive spaces can look like. You can check out BYD by 1826 at IMM here, and discover its other lifestyle spaces across the city-state here.
Linux 7.0 is officially taking shape with the release of the first release candidate. The new kernel lays the groundwork for upcoming distros like Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and Fedora 44, while delivering broad hardware enablement for Intel’s next-gen CPUs, AMD Zen 6 and new GPUs, and expanding support for Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms. Beyond hardware, Linux 7.0 brings meaningful file system and performance improvements, continued Rust integration, and a long list of under-the-hood optimizations.
Early estimates had suggested it would retail for close to $14,000, but as we reported, the enterprise drive became available through Tech-America for “just” $12,399, seriously undercutting market expectations.
Fast forward to now, however, and Tech-America is selling the exact same drive for $37,128, a near 200% increase. That’s a massive leap in around nine months. Sure, there’s discount pricing available, but buy 100+ of the monster SSDs and you’re still only saving $853 per drive.
$302 per terabyte
The D5-P5336 in question is a 2.5-inch U.2 SSD using PCIe 4.0 x4, built for servers, storage arrays, cloud storage, and data centers. It packs 122.88TB into a 15mm chassis weighing about 5.87oz.
Sequential performance is rated at up to 6.84GB/s reads and 2.93GB/s writes. Random 4KB reads reach 900,000 IOPS, while random writes top out at 19,000 IOPS, pointing to read-heavy workloads.
Endurance is set at 0.6 drive writes per day, with total bytes written listed at 137523.20TB. Mean time between failures is quoted at 228.2 years (a statistical projection rather than a literal lifespan).
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The drive carries a five-year warranty and connects over U.2, an interface common in enterprise racks although absent from most consumer systems.
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As for the price swing, several factors could be in play. Ultra high-capacity NAND isn’t produced at the same scale as mainstream flash, and supply can tighten quickly if hyperscale customers place large orders.
Enterprise SSD pricing also often revolves around contracts rather than public listings. Retail figures can reflect limited stock, distributor adjustments, or even corrections to earlier pricing.
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At $37,128, the cost per terabyte now sits at roughly $302. That’s well above what most buyers are used to seeing, even in enterprise storage.
High-capacity consumer NVMe drives often fall somewhere between $40 and $80 per TB. Many enterprise SSDs in the 7.68TB to 30.72TB range can land under $150 per TB when purchased in volume.
On a straight per-terabyte basis, Solidigm’s monster SSDnow sits at two to six times the cost of smaller alternatives.
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At its earlier $12,399 listing in May 2025, the price per TB came out to around $101, much closer to mainstream enterprise flash pricing and arguably easier for buyers to justify.
That comparison isn’t perfect of course. A 122.88TB SSD allows far greater storage density in a single 2.5-inch U.2 slot, which can reduce the number of drives, ports, and cables needed in a rack.
For operators constrained by space or power budgets, that consolidation offers real value.
Even so, the leap from roughly $101 to about $302 per TB changes the economics massively. Buyers aren’t just paying for flash capacity, they’re paying a giant premium for packing it into one device.
Milwaukee Tool, a subsidiary of Hong Kong’s Techtronic Industries, is one of the biggest names in the tool trade, particularly in the United States. Cognitive Market Research reports that the brand is projected to have a market size of $2.72 billion in the U.S. by 2033. In order to retain its commanding position, it’s vital that the company continues to expand, develop, and produce new things.
In 2026, a wide range of new products is coming to the Milwaukee brand beyond power tools. However, new products aren’t the be-all and end-all of a company’s development. There are also some big business moves, both planned and underway on Milwaukee’s part, that are aimed at growing even further still in the industry in 2026. They include the development of existing distribution centers and facilities in the United States and brand new buildings to develop operations in Canada.
On top of that, the brand has also kicked off an ambitious effort intended to raise the company’s profile and offer new industry training opportunities further afield, in a dedicated new center in the United Kingdom. Let’s take a look at each of these substantial projects and what they might mean. Not only for the brand, but for all those around the world who use Milwaukee products to get the job done and often save their backs in the process.
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A high-profile expansion in Menomonee Falls
John Hanson Pye/Shutterstock
In February 2026, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the Menomonee Falls Village Board met to discuss a historic proposal from Milwaukee Tool. The newspaper reported that the board “unanimously approved a tax incremental financing proposal” that would allow the long-wished-for facility revamp in the region to go ahead. Alongside that, no less than four new Milwaukee Tool buildings would be created in Menomonee Falls. This expansion, in one of the biggest and most significant regions to the company, would provide stability, jobs, and sizeable property taxes, while allowing the brand to ramp up operations.
According to the newspaper, the renovation and the work on the new building are estimated to be worth approximately $200 million, and as part of the developments, “the Heritage Reserve building is to be remodeled into an electric lab and research and development facility.” This could be the new nerve center for innovation at Milwaukee Tool, serviced and facilitated by a new private road. Though the plan is taking significant steps forward in 2026, it’s still some distance from completion.
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All in all, it’s reported that these facilities will represent about 750,000 square feet of new workspace for the company. Needless to say, it’s a huge project that won’t be completed this year, or even this decade. According to WTMJ-TV Milwaukee, it’s estimated as of the time of writing that the four distinct phases of construction that the project represents will be completed in 2038. A spokesperson for Milwaukee Tool told the outlet, “We are continuing to invest in and grow our Menomonee Falls campus, and the agreement provides flexibility to support that growth over the long term.”
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More huge growth in Canada
teshail/Shutterstock
Milwaukee is a huge part of the tool manufacturing landscape of not only the U.S., but North America as a whole. So it isn’t too surprising that the brand is also developing its Canadian presence significantly in 2026. For one thing, Canada represents a sizable area of growth and customers for the company; the Great White North does not have its own dedicated distribution center in the country. That is set to change in 2026, with the construction of a center high on the agenda. The town of Georgina’s Keswick Business Park is set to be the location for a new multi-purpose facility for the company, which will have a huge role in boosting delivery times for consumers, efficiency throughout the manufacturing process, and more.
Georgina reports that the site was chosen for its proximity to major highways in the region and Toronto Pearson International Airport, making it a key strategic position for the expansion. As Milwaukee Tool Canada president John Myers put it, according to Georgina, “By establishing this new Service Hub here, we are doubling down on our investment in Canada and enhancing our ability to support users of our brands nationwide.” The Service Hub will house a wide range of operations and services in one complex, but perhaps the distribution center will have the biggest impact on Milwaukee’s customers.
Local access to Milwaukee products will get them into the hands of professionals and DIY enthusiasts in the country much faster than before. It’s perhaps the company’s biggest development in the region to date. It’s targeted to come to fruition soon, too, with late 2026 being the estimated time frame for operations to begin at the new Milwaukee Tool Service Hub.
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A potential British breakthrough in staff training
Hamilton Productions/Shutterstock
Milwaukee Tool’s efforts to expand in 2026 aren’t just concentrated on North America. In the town of Aylesbury, in the southeast of England, a new facility will become home to something very special in January 2026. As the name suggests, it’s a place where those in the industry can sample Milwaukee products in a realistic setting, rather than in glamorous, controlled demonstrations. But it’s also much more than that. It will also be a training hub for employees in the use and maintenance of a vast range of products.
Torque Expo reports that an estimated 300 employees will train there every year. They can develop the experience they need to advance their careers with the company and in the industry, and provide invaluable expertise for customers. This will be ideal for those who aren’t familiar with the many new Milwaukee tools and accessories coming in 2026. According to Builders Merchant News, Milwaukee Tool U.K. Head of Training, Dan Stringer, said that “investing in this hub demonstrates our growing support of the British trades sector.” It’s one thing to make such a claim, of course, and quite another to demonstrate it.
That’s exactly what Milwaukee has done, with a decade-long lease on the building indicating that the region’s value for the company is long-term. It’s set to be carbon-neutral and to allow access to the full Milwaukee product ecosystem, which is an important way for the company to let its products truly do the talking. It’s not a small, tentative facility, either: At 13,250 square feet, and with the capacity to test tools in outdoor and indoor environments, it’s sure to serve as a big part of the company’s efforts across the Atlantic.
Inventor James Bruton has done it again, creating a machine that challenges our perceptions of balance and motion. His latest creation rolls on a single huge ball, maintains its upright position with an endless stream of computer corrections, and cruises in whatever direction the rider chooses.
People who enjoy engineering and experimenting with devices are familiar with Bruton’s never-ending search for unusual vehicles. A year ago, he showed us a version that used two large red balance balls, similar to those used by circus artists, along with wheels that could spin in any direction. This allowed the rider to move their weight in any direction. Now that he has reduced it to a single ball, he must deal with stability in two axes at the same time.
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Three custom-made omni-wheels cradle the ball in a compact triangular frame. Each has an aluminum core encased in two rows of teeny-tiny rollers for a total of 216 bearings, which are covered with gripping 3D printed TPU tires. Commercial omni-wheels failed in earlier experiments due to overheating and excessive drag, so Bruton attempted to create his own for more strength and less friction. The wheels are crammed in vertically as a deliberate choice to prevent them from colliding at high speeds.
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ODrive’s powerful motors, rated at 2kW each, spin the wheels directly via 1:1 belt drives. Six 6S lithium batteries provide 50 volts, with separate batteries for the electronics to ensure everything runs properly. A robust chassis composed of 40/40 aluminum extrusion is what holds everything together. It must to support the rider’s weight while also keeping the ball in the center.
To keep the machine upright, it utilizes a Teensy 4.1 microprocessor and a BNO086 IMU. That IMU tracks pitch and roll in real time, and a PID control loop uses those angles to modify the speed of the wheels, pushing back against any lean and keeping the rider steady as a rock. There are also twist grips on the handlebars that allow the rider to shift the balance point roughly 10 degrees and send it off in any direction they like.
Once you get started, the movement begins to seem natural. Lean slightly, and the system responds by sending the ball in that direction. The single-ball design ultimately allows the machine to move in all directions, as there is no requirement for differential speeds like in the two-ball version.
Steering is the major puzzle here, as with only one ball and straight up and down wheels, you lose all of the natural balance control that comes in handy when steering a bike, but leaning the bike helps a lot when you need to change direction while in motion; it’s the best way to do so. The difficulty arises while attempting to spin or do extremely tight turns. For the time being, Bruton has devised a temporary solution: a large foam wing attached directly behind the rider. As the bike accelerates, the wing begins to generate drag, which helps pull the bike into a turn as the rider leans, and curiously enough, it appears to perform well in tests. He describes it as a temporary solution, yet it works remarkably effectively.
There were also some teething issues with the electronics, particularly the ball. It was producing a lot of static electricity, causing the entire bike to misbehave at random. However, the problem was easily resolved with a short layer of nickel shielding spray on the electronics box. Now you’ve got a bike that is just begging for you to try and balance on it at high speed, and for which a lot of skill and experimentation are going to be rewarded. Bruton has also uploaded all of the code and CAD files on GitHub, allowing anyone to join in and try their hand at it. [Source]
Photo credit: Barny Dillarstone Barny Dillarstone is an adventurer who enjoys traveling to distant bodies of water and placing baited camera systems in places that most don’t even think of. He chose a location near Nusa Penida, a small Indonesian island nicknamed the “Black Magic Island” due to its murky legend and hazardous tides. Over the course of a few days, he was able to get his beloved Insta360 Ace Pro 2 down to about 170 metrers / 600 feet, where the water is so forceful that only the most desperate life can cling to the bottom.
Using squid as bait, which allegedly smells like the dinner bell for these animals, as well as some lights and weights to attract anything in the vicinity, Dillarstone was surprised to snag a western highfin spurdog right immediately. This is a shark with a serious expression on its face, a short snout, large dorsal fins, long spines, and a stunning tail with white edges. They’ve developed enormous eyes to cope with the lack of light, which is essentially what you need to exist in this pitch dark planet. What’s even more astounding is that, unlike certain predators found in shallower water, these creatures can locate their prey using their sense of smell before pouncing on it. Unsurprisingly, and perhaps unexpectedly, they didn’t take off when they noticed the light. That might differ from a few species you encounter at shallower waters.
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Dillarstone captured a number of western highfins in the area, some of which had suffered serious injuries but still showed up for the party, as well as a couple with gear that would not be spotted in deep water. He also saw a houndshark drifting by at a safe distance; later, he noticed an Indonesian wobbegong, a carpet shark with a flat body and mottled patterning that allows it to lie down and attack any unwary prey that passes by. Interestingly, this shows it prefers colder, deeper water than you might expect.
One of the absolute highlights he managed to record on camera was a stunning purple eagle ray that appeared. In gliding smoothly closer, he revealed a flat, mottled brown and purple body, a pretty standard eagle ray head and snout, a teeny little dorsal fin, and a pair of barbs on the end of its tail that were just as lethal as they appeared and ready to unleash at a moment’s notice. It flew by the rig a couple of times, doing these rapid bursts of speed that made it appear to be stumbling around for a second at a time – it appeared disoriented from where I was standing, and was this possible the first time this species had ever been seen on camera in the wild? Could be.
Other species were going about their daily activities all throughout the region. There were jobfish and deep water snappers that appeared to have legs inspecting the bait. Squat lobsters burst out on all sides, hot on the tails of the scraps, little urchins clinging to the sand, catching everything that came falling down, and the occasional sandperch would spring up, hanging around with its nose twisted up as if it was trying to figure something out. And just when you thought it was getting too much, schools of fusiliers would dart into view from above. [Source]
Tax season starts early this year. Or at least it should for you, because this one is a doozy. Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which Congress passed in 2025, there are some significant and potentially confusing changes coming to your tax return. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, even if you’re asking an artificially intelligent chatbot.
Whenever a friend asks me about using AI, I say the same thing: Treat it like a capable coworker who never gets tired and sometimes gets things wrong. You can ask a chatbot a thousand questions, and with the latest frontier models — ChatGPT 5.2 Thinking and Claude Opus 4.6 — you’re going to get better answers than you might have last year, presumably with fewer hallucinations. They’re even getting better at doing math, which has historically been a weak spot for LLMs. Still, you wouldn’t let your energetic but slightly dishonest coworker file the final draft of an important report.
Treat ChatGPT and Claude the same way, especially when it comes to tax season. These tools aren’t designed to file your taxes for you, and you shouldn’t be uploading your forms for proofreading before submitting to the IRS. Your tax documents — namely your W2 and any 1099s — include sensitive personal information like your social security number and address. It’s generally a good rule not to upload those anywhere, unless you’re sure the site is private and secure. (The consumer versions of ChatGPT and Claude, by default, are not.)
Even if you are using an accountant, ChatGPT and Claude can help you get up to speed on all the tax code changes this year. Think of them as tax prep tools, a way to learn what kinds of questions to ask and which deductions to seek out. (The two big tax filing software companies offer their own chatbots — Turbotax has its Intuit Assist assistant and H&R Block has its AI Tax Assistant — that promise to make navigating the accounting labyrinth easier. In my experience, their functionality is limited and the sites tend to steer you toward paying for other financial products, like loans and banking services.) You can ask ChatGPT and Claude to explain particular rules based on your situation, a task that’s much harder if you’re just Googling or reading FAQs.
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Before I go any further, however, I want to make something super clear: There’s a difference between using AI for tax research and using AI for financial advice. The former is a helpful information-gathering exercise. The latter is a great way to lose money. Chatbots sound smart but they are ultimately text generation machines, not certified financial planners or certified public accountants.
You certainly don’t have to use AI on your taxes this year. But much in the same way you might have Googled something like the child tax credit in the past, you might try chatting with the bots, asking them questions, and double-checking all their answers. Here’s how to get the most out of them this tax season.
One Big Beautiful Bucket of Confusion
Regardless of your political leanings, it’s important to know that the changes to the tax code ushered in by the OBBBA are pretty major: There are a lot of them, and they are quite specific. If you’re used to doing your taxes a certain way, you should know that your tax return this year will not just look like an updated version of last year’s tax return. There will be meaningful changes to the types of deductions and credits you can claim, and if you don’t take advantage of them, you could miss out on some free money. Here’s a breakdown, although I very much encourage you to check out the IRS page on the subject as well as the surprisingly helpful guides put together by Turbotax and H&R Block.
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Some of the changes from the bill took effect in 2025 and will apply to the tax returns you’re filing now. They include deductions for taxes on tips and taxes on overtime, which don’t actually amount to no taxes on these streams of income as Trump has argued, but will save some people money. If you have kids, you’ll want to note that there’s a slight bump to the Child Tax Credit (from $2,000 to $2,200), and an expansion of 529 plans for education expenses. This year is also when you can claim your Trump Child Savings Accounts, also known as Trump Accounts. If you’re eligible, your tax filing software or account might prompt you to set them up by filling out the proper IRS form, but you can also fill it out here.
One other significant change: The IRS Direct File, which allowed people in 25 states to file their taxes online for free, is now gone. There are still a coupleoptions to file for free through the IRS, but suffice it to say many more people will be using tools like Turbotax and H&R Block this year.
Again, those are just a few of the many changes ushered in the OBBBA. Learning about how new rules apply to your specific situation is difficult, especially if you, like me, feel like you’re allergic to accounting. This is where the chatbots come into play.
ChatGPT: good at chatting, bad at math
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When it comes to your taxes, chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude are great for talking through questions and scenarios. If you’re a W-2 employee and your spouse is a freelancer, you’ve got two kids and a house, and your Jeep doubles as a delivery vehicle for your smoked meats side hustle, where you make a killing on tips, there’s a lot ChatGPT can tell you about the tax rules that apply to you — especially the new rules. Think of this less as advice and more as information that can help you get better organized for your actual tax preparation experience, whether that’s on Turbotax or in a conversation with a human accountant.
To be honest, when it comes to saving money, I don’t think you can ask enough questions. Start by telling your chatbot about your family’s situation, your ages, what you do for work, how you invest your money, and even what kind of car you drive, then ask what you should do differently on your taxes this year.
You could also keep a chatbot open in a window while you’re filing your taxes and ask it about the steps you don’t understand. The AI tools from H&R Block and Turbotax are designed to assist here, but in my experience, they don’t tailor the explanation to your situation, which makes them less helpful. If you’re working with an accountant, they’re probably using AI to make their jobs easier and save time. Being at least more familiar with the technology could improve those interactions, too.
Let me put it another way: You could use all the help you can get this year. There are enough new rules and changes to the tax code that not totally understanding how they apply to you could lead to mistakes or, worse, missed opportunities.
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Everyone in this process could use all the help ,in fact; the Internal Revenue Service lost 25 percent of its workforce in the months after Trump took office, and it’s apparently chaos there now. Like I said, this year’s a doozy.
The UK government announced new regulatory requirements that will bring major video-on-demand (VoD) platforms under tighter oversight by Ofcom, aligning them more closely with traditional television broadcasters.
The changes are part of implementing the Media Act 2024 and mark one of the most significant shifts in how online streaming services are governed in the UK.
Under plans laid out by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, VoD services with more than 500,000 average monthly UK users, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, ITVX and Channel 4’s on-demand service, will be designated as Tier 1 services and required to comply with a new VoD accessibility code.
The new accessibility code will introduce minimum standards around subtitles, audio description, and signing for content on these platforms. According to government guidance, services must ensure at least:
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80 percent of their total catalogue is subtitled.
10 percent has audio description for viewers with sight loss.
5 percent includes sign language support.
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These thresholds mirror accessibility requirements that traditional UK broadcasters have long followed, helping ensure that visually impaired and deaf or hard-of-hearing audiences have better access to streamed content.
Platforms will have four years to meet the standards, with interim targets after two years.
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Why this matters?
Streaming services have overtaken broadcast TV as the dominant way people consume video entertainment in the UK, with research showing that a large majority of households now subscribe to at least one major streaming platform.
Traditional broadcasters have long been subject to Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code, which includes accessibility and audience protection measures. The shift to extend similar rules to VoD services reflects how viewing habits have changed and aims to close a regulatory gap.
Until now, many of the biggest streaming platforms were either unregulated in the UK or faced only limited oversight.
The upcoming rules will also give Ofcom broader data-gathering powers and the responsibility to review audience protection tools, from age ratings to parental controls, used by these services.
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The changes come as the broader regulatory framework for UK media is being updated. The Media Act 2024 amended parts of the Communications Act 2003 to allow the designation of Tier 1 VoD services and introduce codes that better reflect modern media consumption.
What comes next?
Ofcom will launch consultations on the new VoD standards, giving platforms, creators and audiences a chance to weigh in on the details before enforcement begins.
The government says the new rules are a step toward a more consistent media landscape in which streaming services are accountable for audience protection and accessibility just like traditional broadcasters.
If you’re looking to get a dog but have reservations about all the poop, pee, and chewed shoes that you’ll have to deal with, then how about getting a robot one instead?
Unitree has brought the idea a step closer with the launch on Tuesday of the impressive-looking As2 quadruped.
The Chinese robotics giant already has plenty of experience building robot dogs, but the newly unveiled As2 stands out from its other models as a lighter, more agile consumer-grade contraption with a superior runtime of more than 4 hours, a walking range of 8 miles, and a top speed of 11 mph. It even supports large AI models for embodied AI interaction and autonomous decision-making.
Features include a high-definition front camera, a built in mic and speaker, remote control and intelligent following modes, and a lighting system to aid night walks. It also has an IP54 rating, making it resistant to dust and rain.
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A video (top) accompanying the launch positions the As2 as a companion pet, with clips showing it being taken for a walk and running to its owner. It also shows off the robot’s strength and balance, as the 18-kg machine is able to stay standing and remain steady with a 105-kg human standing on its back.
The As2 has a few tricks up its sleeve, too, taking it far beyond what a regular dog can do. Like play tennis. It’s true — if you attach the optional seven-axis robotic arm, you can stick a tennis racket in its gripper and have a knockabout.
It looks like a lot of fun, though if you think you might miss all of the cuteness, slobbering, and quirky behavior that comes with a regular flesh-and-blood mutt, then the As2 probably isn’t for you.
Unitree has yet to publicly reveal pricing for its new robot dog, asking interested folks to “contact sales.”
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