Secondhand bookshops across the UK and Ireland are suddenly getting large orders from mysterious buyers, and many suspect AI companies are buying up old books to feed their artificial intelligence systems. This matters because these AI firms are essentially trying to build their programs by reading vast quantities of text without always asking authors or publishers permission, which raises questions about fair compensation and copyright. Worth knowing: if you're selling books online or to secondhand shops, be aware that bulk purchases from unfamiliar international buyers might be AI companies collecting reading material rather than individual book lovers.
Google is loosening its rules and will now let people remove the visible watermarks that show AI has created an image, though a hidden digital fingerprint will stay behind the scenes. For anyone sharing AI images online—whether for a hobby project, family memories, or creative work—this means more control over how your final picture looks without completely hiding its artificial origins. Worth knowing: if you use Google's AI image tools, check your settings to see watermark options, and remember that removing a visible watermark doesn't erase the fact that the image came from AI.
Google has decided to let people delete the visible watermark from images their AI creates, giving users more control over how their pictures look. For older adults who enjoy using AI tools to generate images for hobbies or family projects, this means your creations will look cleaner and more polished without that obvious marker. Worth knowing: removing the watermark doesn't hide the invisible digital signature that identifies the image as AI-generated, so there's still a way to verify its origin if needed.
Microsoft has decided to stop offering several AI features that weren't catching on with users—including AI-generated podcasts and a character called Mico—and is combining its different Copilot apps into one simpler version. This cleanup matters because it means fewer confusing options for you to navigate, and Microsoft can focus on making the core features actually useful rather than spreading itself thin. Worth knowing: if you've been using any of these discontinued features, you'll want to save your work or find alternatives before they disappear.
Someone created an entire movie using artificial intelligence, featuring characters daydreaming about fame and fortune in a British pub setting with action sequences mixed in. What makes this experiment interesting is that while the AI handled the technical filmmaking, the genuinely entertaining parts—the humor, the character personalities, and the emotional moments—all came from human creativity and writing. Worth knowing: as AI tools become more sophisticated, what will likely matter most isn't the technology itself, but the human ideas and storytelling talent behind it.
Fyxer has created an AI assistant that learns how you write emails and organizes your inbox by studying your own past messages, rather than using a generic style that feels impersonal. For busy professionals managing dozens of daily emails, this means you get help that actually sounds like you and understands what matters in your inbox without requiring constant corrections. You can ask your email provider if they offer similar AI features, or look into standalone tools like this one if your current email setup feels overwhelming.
Amazon has started using videos and content from Twitch, its gaming streaming platform, to train its artificial intelligence systems—without asking creators for permission first. For anyone who watches or creates content online, this raises real questions about whether our words and images are being used to build technology that could eventually compete with us or change how we work. Worth knowing: if you use Twitch or any streaming platform, check the terms of service occasionally, as companies can update how they use your data, and consider whether you're comfortable with that arrangement.
OpenAI has made ChatGPT's basic version completely free with no limits on how many messages you can send, though the paid version still offers faster responses and access to advanced features. For most people your age who want to try AI for everyday tasks like writing emails, getting recipe ideas, or answering questions, the free version works perfectly well without paying anything. Worth knowing: if you find yourself waiting too long for answers, that's when the paid subscription might help, but there's no harm in testing the free option first to see if it meets your needs.
Some technology companies are buying up rare and old books, scanning them quickly to train their AI systems, and then destroying the physical copies—a practice that booksellers worry is happening far more often than anyone realizes. For those who value our cultural heritage and the knowledge preserved in older books, this is troubling because once these unique copies are gone, they're gone forever, and future generations won't be able to hold or study them. Worth knowing: if you own valuable old books, you might want to consider donating them to libraries or museums rather than selling to unknown buyers, and you can support efforts to preserve books by backing organizations that protect literary collections.
Roku has launched a new 24/7 channel called Fairground TV that streams nothing but low-quality AI-generated content—shows with made-up plots, awkward dialogue, and characters that don't move naturally. The channel exists because some viewers apparently prefer watching cheaply-made AI content over paying for real entertainment, and streaming services are eager to fill airtime without costly production budgets. Worth knowing: if you're browsing Roku's channels, you'll want to check whether a show looks genuinely produced before settling in to watch, since AI-generated material is starting to blend into the regular streaming offerings.
When you ask AI a simple question like "what percentage of people over 75 own smartphones?", you might get different answers depending on how you phrase it—and many of those answers turn out to be outdated or based on incomplete surveys rather than hard facts. Companies trying to decide whether there's a real market opportunity for a new product (like smartphone training for older adults) face a genuine problem: the statistics available are often conflicting, from different years, and based on surveys of small groups rather than the whole population. Worth knowing: before believing any statistic about older adults and technology that you see online, check when it was actually collected and which organization measured it—you might discover the number is years old or comes from a survey of just a few thousand people.
Companies are laying off workers to pay for artificial intelligence investments, but research shows this strategy actually backfires—workers who feel their jobs are at risk become less productive, not more, which cancels out any benefits the AI might bring. When employees worry about losing their jobs to automation, they lose motivation and trust in their employers, and these feelings directly damage how well AI tools actually work in practice. Worth knowing: if your company announces major AI investments alongside job cuts, that's a red flag suggesting leaders may not fully understand how to make the technology work effectively.
