OpenAI has added a new security feature that lets you protect your most private conversations with ChatGPT by locking them behind a personal PIN code, so only you can read them. This matters because anyone who picks up your phone or gains access to your account won't be able to see chats where you've discussed personal health matters, financial information, or other confidential topics. You can enable this feature in your ChatGPT settings and create a PIN that you'll need to enter whenever you want to access those locked conversations.
Meta has paused a feature that let people share their conversations with an AI chatbot called Muse after researchers found that private information—including internal company documents—was accidentally left visible to the public. This matters because it shows how quickly new AI tools can have security problems, and it's a reminder that shared conversations online might not be as private as we think. Worth knowing: before sharing conversations with any AI chatbot or online tool, check the privacy settings carefully, and avoid typing in sensitive personal information like passwords, financial details, or private family matters.
Google is now bringing its Personal Intelligence feature to car systems, letting the AI assistant use information from your email, calendar, and other apps to give you better answers while you drive. For drivers aged 50 and up, this means your car could remind you about appointments, help you find places based on your habits, or answer questions with more relevant information—all without you having to type everything out. Worth knowing: this feature is optional, so you can choose not to use it, and you might want to check your Google privacy settings to see what information you're comfortable sharing with your car's system.
Google's AI assistant Gemini is coming to your car and will be able to look at your email, calendar, and maps to give you helpful suggestions tailored just for you. This means if you're running late, your car could remind you to send a message, or suggest a faster route based on traffic and your schedule. Worth knowing: you'll want to review what personal information you're comfortable sharing with your car's system before using this feature.
ChatGPT has introduced a new lock feature that lets you password-protect individual conversations, so other people who use your device can't accidentally stumble upon your private chats. This is handy if you share a tablet or computer with family members and want to keep certain discussions—like planning a birthday surprise or talking about health matters—completely hidden from view. Worth knowing: you'll find this lock option in the chat settings, and it only takes a moment to set up when you want extra privacy on a specific conversation.
Meta's AI assistant Muse had a feature that let people share their conversations by creating special links, but researchers discovered thousands of these links were accidentally showing up in public internet records where anyone could find them. This matters because it means private conversations between people and an AI could potentially be read by strangers, even if the person sharing thought only certain people would see them. Worth knowing: if you've used Meta's Muse assistant and shared conversations through links, those chats may have been visible to others—Meta has paused this feature while they fix the security problem.
When one Google datacentre in London lost power recently, it knocked out banking services, delayed court hearings, and disrupted NHS app access—showing how much of Britain's critical infrastructure depends on just a handful of American tech companies. If a single piece of equipment fails at Google, Microsoft, or Amazon, millions of people across the UK can suddenly find themselves unable to access their bank, healthcare, or legal services. Worth knowing: this kind of outage is likely to happen again, so it's sensible to keep important phone numbers and banking details written down somewhere, just in case online services go down unexpectedly.
JustWatch, a website that helps you find which streaming service has the movie or show you want to watch, is now starting its own streaming channel with free movies and shows (supported by ads) plus a cheap paid option without ads. This matters because you won't need to jump between Netflix, Disney+, and five other apps just to find something to watch—JustWatch can now offer you content directly. You can check out JustWatch's new service at no cost to see if it has films you'd enjoy, since the ad-supported tier is completely free.
Many smart TVs collect data about what you watch and listen to your conversations, while bombarding you with ads and pushing subscription services—and some people are so frustrated they're abandoning them entirely. For anyone over 50 who values their privacy and just wants to watch television without constant updates and sales pitches, this is a real concern that affects your home comfort and personal information. You can look for a basic non-smart TV, use an older model you already own, or connect a simple streaming device that you control yourself rather than letting the TV manufacturer track your habits.
Spotify removed over 50 million poor-quality songs made by artificial intelligence from what it recommends to listeners, keeping its playlists focused on real musicians instead. This matters because it means when you open Spotify, you're less likely to stumble upon cheap, computer-generated music cluttering up your favorite playlists and recommendations. Worth knowing: if you notice AI-generated tracks still sneaking into your recommendations, you can skip them or report them to help Spotify's system learn what you actually want to hear.
Adobe's popular Lightroom photo app on phones and tablets can now automatically fix photos where people have their eyes closed, using artificial intelligence to open them with just one tap. This matters because it saves photos you might otherwise delete—family pictures from holidays or gatherings where someone blinked at the perfect moment can now be rescued instead of thrown away. You can try this feature yourself if you use Lightroom on your phone; just look for the "Open Eyes" option when the app spots closed eyes in your photos.
When people share conversations from Meta's new Muse AI tool through links, those links aren't as private as they should be—security researchers were able to guess and access thousands of shared conversations that were meant to stay private. This matters because many of us use these kinds of sharing features to send sensitive information like business plans, health questions, or financial details to friends or colleagues, and we assume those links are truly secure. Worth knowing: before sharing any sensitive conversation through a link in Muse or similar tools, ask yourself whether that information would be safe if a stranger stumbled upon it, and consider sending it through a more private method like email or a direct message instead.
