Hospitals are increasingly using AI programs to predict serious health risks in older patients—like who might die within a year or need nursing home care—but doctors worry these predictions are being trusted too easily without careful checking. For older adults especially, these AI forecasts can influence major medical decisions like whether someone gets a transplant, so it matters whether the AI actually works well and how doctors choose to use the information. Worth knowing: if your doctor mentions an AI prediction about your health, it's perfectly reasonable to ask them how accurate it is and what they plan to do with that information.
A Sydney T-shirt designer discovered thousands of his original designs copied and sold cheaply on the Chinese shopping app Temu, likely using artificial intelligence to steal them from his website. For small business owners like him who've spent years building their brand, this kind of mass copying can be devastating to their livelihood and hard to stop. You can protect yourself by regularly checking whether your designs or photos appear on major reselling platforms, and consider adding watermarks or copyright notices to your work online.
A writing expert suggests treating AI tools like a strict editor rather than a ghostwriter—you should check facts and catch grammar mistakes with them, but never copy their suggested phrases word-for-word into your own work. This matters because AI-written turns of phrase often have a distinctive, bland quality that makes your writing sound less like you, and relying on them can weaken your own voice and thinking. You can use AI tools to proofread your emails and articles for spelling and grammar, just as you'd use spell-check, but keep your own words and ideas front and center.
Google has created a new AI assistant called CC that works like a helpful family member—it gets its own account in your household or group and sends everyone a daily summary of important information tailored to what matters to each person. For busy families juggling different schedules and interests, this means you could get a personalized briefing about your grandchild's school calendar while your spouse sees sports scores, all without anyone having to ask for it. Worth knowing: before letting this AI assistant into your family account, check what personal information it might see and make sure all family members are comfortable with how it's being used.
Google is creating a new AI assistant called CC that's designed to help entire families stay organized by keeping track of schedules, emails, and shared documents in one place. For people over 50 who use Gmail, Google Drive, and other Google services, this could mean having a personal assistant that already knows your family's routines and can remind everyone about appointments or important deadlines. Worth knowing: the assistant only sees information you deliberately share with it—like specific email addresses or folders—so you're in control of what it knows about your family.
Waymo's self-driving taxis are back on the road in San Antonio after being paused for five months—one of their vehicles had been swept away in flooding back in April. If you're considering trying driverless taxis or wondering whether they're reliable enough for everyday use, knowing that the company takes safety seriously enough to pause operations and make improvements is reassuring. Worth knowing: before using any autonomous taxi service in your area, check whether they've recently expanded or restarted operations, as this often means they've addressed previous issues.
Pinterest is building a tool that uses artificial intelligence to let you photograph your own room and instantly see how different furniture, paint colors, and decorations would look in that space. This could save you from expensive mistakes by showing you whether that armchair you're eyeing actually works with your carpet and lighting before you buy it. Worth knowing: when this feature becomes available, you'll be able to take a photo of your bedroom or living room and experiment with different styles without any commitment or cost.
Scammers are uploading fake songs under the names of real artists on Spotify and music streaming services, then collecting the royalties (money) that people pay when those songs are played. If you're a fan of a particular band or singer, you might accidentally listen to a poorly made copy instead of the real thing, and your money goes to a criminal rather than the actual artist. Worth knowing: when streaming your favorite music, check the artist's official profile or website to confirm you're listening to genuine recordings, especially if a song sounds surprisingly low quality.
Apple is changing the way apps ask for your permission to track your online activity in Europe, after regulators complained that Apple's original system was unfairly designed to discourage tracking. This matters because it means you'll likely see different permission screens depending on which apps you use, and some may be less prominent or alarming than others. Worth knowing: when you update your apps or download new ones in the coming months, pay attention to any new tracking permission screens—they may look different from what you're used to seeing.
Tovala combines a special oven with ready-made meals that have QR codes on them—you scan the code with your phone, and the oven automatically cooks the meal perfectly without you having to think about temperature or timing. For people who want home-cooked quality but find cooking stressful or time-consuming, this removes the guesswork and delivers restaurant-style results in your own kitchen. Worth knowing: you'll want to check if Tovala meals are available in your area and whether the monthly cost (oven plus meal subscriptions) fits your budget compared to what you currently spend on takeout or groceries.
Two new AI assistants—Instinct and Meta's Muse—can now make phone calls on your behalf to handle tasks like booking restaurant reservations or canceling subscriptions that you'd rather not do yourself. For busy people in their 50s and beyond, this means you could simply ask your phone to handle tedious calls while you focus on what matters to you. Worth knowing: these services are still early, so test them with low-stakes calls first, and always check that the reservation or cancellation actually went through.
Roku is letting people test new apps before they're officially released, so early users can try features and improvements that might not be perfect yet. Your feedback as a tester actually helps shape what the final version looks like, meaning you'd have a real say in how these apps develop. You can sign up through the Roku Labs program on your device if you want to be among the first to try new features and help make them better.
