President Trump's administration, along with governors from several states, has proposed a plan to address rising electricity costs driven by demand from data centers, which are often powered by AI technology. The plan includes holding an emergency auction for tech companies to secure long-term contracts for electricity generation, focusing on building new power plants. The aim is to manage electricity demand and stabilize prices, addressing concerns about who will bear the costs.
Key Facts
President Trump's administration and a group of bipartisan governors revealed a plan to tackle high electricity bills.
The plan targets demand from AI-driven data centers, increasing electricity prices.
The proposal involves an emergency auction for tech companies to obtain 15-year electricity generation contracts.
New power plants, especially natural gas ones, are part of the strategy to meet demand.
More than 67 million people are served by the PJM Interconnection grid.
PJM Interconnection's board will decide on integrating large electricity users, like data centers, into the grid.
The Edison Electric Institute supports the administration's and governors' efforts.
Critics argue the plan doesn't fix existing issues with the grid-connection process or market reforms.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Charles Duhigg spoke with Amna Nawaz on the "Settle In" podcast. They discussed the science behind forming and keeping new habits.
Key Facts
The podcast is called "Settle In."
Amna Nawaz is the host of the podcast.
Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author.
Their conversation focused on how to make new habits last.
They discussed the topic in January 2026, as people often set New Year's resolutions.
The talk aims to help listeners understand the science of habit formation.
OpenAI plans to test ads in its ChatGPT tool for some users in the U.S., affecting those on the free service and a new subscription tier called ChatGPT Go, which costs $8 a month. The company wants to explore ad revenue as a potential source of income, as currently, only a small percentage of users pay for subscriptions. OpenAI emphasizes that ads will not affect ChatGPT's responses or share user conversation data with advertisers.
Key Facts
OpenAI will trial advertising in ChatGPT for some U.S. users.
Ads will show up for free users and those on a new $8/month plan called ChatGPT Go.
The ads will appear after a user prompt and will look like banners.
OpenAI assures ads won't impact the AI's responses or share user data with advertisers.
Only about 5% of ChatGPT's 800 million users currently pay for subscriptions.
OpenAI originally began as a non-profit but is shifting towards commercial operations.
The AI sector is experiencing growth but hasn't yet shown significant profit.
OpenAI will start adding ads to ChatGPT, a popular chatbot, to help generate money. The ads won't change the chatbot's answers but will be influenced by user conversations. Users in the U.S. will start seeing ads soon, with the choice to opt out of personalization.
Key Facts
OpenAI will introduce ads in ChatGPT for U.S. users in the coming weeks.
Ads will be influenced by conversations, but they will not change ChatGPT's responses.
Personalization of ads will be on by default, but users can choose to opt out.
Ads will be clearly marked as "Sponsored" and will be separate from chats.
OpenAI will keep conversations private and will not sell user data to advertisers.
The company needs more money to support its costs, like spending on data centers.
OpenAI has hired new leaders to help manage these money-making changes.
Google is also exploring AI-related advertising, but not yet in its Gemini app.
The United States and Taiwan have signed an agreement to lower tariffs on Taiwanese goods in exchange for up to $250 billion in investments by Taiwanese tech companies in the U.S. This deal aims to expand America's capacity to produce critical technologies such as semiconductors, which are essential for electronics and military systems amid tech competition with China.
Key Facts
The U.S. and Taiwan agreed to reduce tariffs on Taiwanese products, with ongoing trade tensions involving China.
Taiwan's tech companies, like TSMC, committed up to $250 billion to boost U.S. production of advanced chips, clean-energy tech, and AI.
Taiwan will provide $250 billion in credit guarantees for Taiwanese companies investing in the U.S. chip industry.
The agreement includes plans for Taiwanese and U.S. joint industrial parks to enhance innovation and advanced manufacturing.
U.S. tariffs on Taiwanese goods will be capped at 15%, with some products like aircraft components and pharmaceuticals facing 0% tariffs.
Section 232 duties on certain Taiwanese imports like lumber and auto parts will be reduced.
Taiwan produces about 60% of global semiconductors and over 90% of advanced nodes, crucial in U.S.-China tech competition.
China opposes the agreement, criticizing deals between Taiwan and countries with which it has diplomatic relations.
Ashley St Clair, the mother of one of Elon Musk's children, filed a lawsuit against xAI, claiming the Grok AI made inappropriate images of her without consent. St Clair alleges that Grok created these "deepfake" images on the social media platform X. In response, xAI has counter-sued, arguing St Clair violated their terms of service by filing the lawsuit in the wrong state.
Key Facts
Ashley St Clair has sued xAI over explicit deepfake images created by its AI tool Grok.
The lawsuit claims Grok generated inappropriate images from photos taken without St Clair's consent.
xAI, which owns Grok and the platform X, has counter-sued St Clair, stating she filed her lawsuit in the wrong jurisdiction.
St Clair's lawsuit highlights specific incidents, including the creation of a controversial image involving offensive symbols.
St Clair's lawyer aims to set legal boundaries to prevent AI misuse.
Some X users voiced concerns about Grok's ability to make non-consensual images.
In response to criticism, X platform changed rules to restrict such image editing to paid users.
There is a custody battle reported between St Clair and Elon Musk over their child.
Netflix’s Best Guess Live is a popular mobile game show that offers cash prizes to participants who solve trivia puzzles. Players compete by making quick and accurate guesses based on a series of clues, with the prize money split among those who answer correctly the fastest. Social media discussions focus on strategies to improve winning chances.
Key Facts
Best Guess Live is a live trivia game available on Netflix via a mobile app.
Players get two puzzles per night with five clues each and have 20 seconds to guess after each clue.
A correct guess is needed to stay in the game; typos and incorrect answers lead to elimination from that round.
The prize pot is usually $15,000, split over two puzzles, and can go up to $30,000 on special nights.
Participants can claim their winnings via PayPal after linking their accounts to the app.
The game has roughly 80,000 nightly players and encourages community discussions on platforms like Reddit.
Strategies to win include knowing game rules, optimizing guess timing, and ensuring accurate typing.
Regular players see increasing competition as more people join the game, drawn by the potential cash rewards and social media buzz.
Netflix has launched a new daily mobile game show called Best Guess Live, where U.S. subscribers can win cash prizes. The game combines live trivia with fast-paced guessing and is available through the Netflix mobile app. Players compete for a nightly $15,000 prize pool, which may increase on special occasions.
Key Facts
Best Guess Live is a mobile game show created by Netflix.
The game premiered on December 8 and occurs on weeknights at 8 p.m. ET.
Participants can win a share of $15,000 each night by answering trivia questions.
The game is hosted by Howie Mandel and Hunter March.
Players have up to five clues to guess the answer to two puzzles in each episode.
Depending on how quickly they answer, winners can take the full prize or share it with others.
To win, players must have a Netflix account and link a PayPal account.
Prize amounts increase on "Wild Wednesdays," where up to $30,000 can be won.
Thousands of users reported problems with their X social media feeds not loading on Friday morning. The outage reports began at around 10 a.m. Eastern time and quickly increased to over 22,600. The cause of the outage and the time when the service will be back are still unknown.
Key Facts
Thousands of X users experienced issues with feeds not loading.
Outage reports started around 10 a.m. Eastern time on Friday.
Reports of the issue surged past 22,600 shortly after the first reports.
X is a popular social media site with over 415 million users worldwide.
More than 99 million of X's users are in the United States.
The cause of the service disruption has not been identified yet.
The third episode of "The Pitt" Season 2 is set to stream on HBO Max on January 22, 2026, at 6 pm Pacific Time/9 pm Eastern Time. The series focuses on events during a 15-hour shift in a fictional emergency department. Viewers need an HBO Max subscription to watch it.
Key Facts
"The Pitt" Season 2 Episode 3 will be available on HBO Max on January 22, 2026.
Streaming will start at 6 pm PT/9 pm ET on that date.
The show portrays a 15-hour shift at a fictional hospital.
A subscription to HBO Max is needed to watch, costing $10.99 per month with ads or $18.99 without ads.
The full second season consists of 15 episodes, ending on April 16, 2026.
Each episode represents one hour of a hospital shift, with Episode 3 being the third hour.
Episode 3's official plot details are not yet available.
GameStop faced criticism online after it commented negatively on Sophie Turner's portrayal of Lara Croft in Amazon’s upcoming Tomb Raider series. Many social media users defended Turner and criticized GameStop for its comment. The series is being developed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and is the first live-action TV adaptation of the franchise.
Key Facts
GameStop criticized Sophie Turner's look as Lara Croft on its social media account.
The post sparked backlash, with many users defending Turner’s portrayal.
Sophie Turner is dressed in Lara Croft's typical gear in the promotional image.
The new show is Amazon's first live-action adaptation of the Tomb Raider series.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is leading the series as creator, writer, and executive producer.
Filming for the series started in January 2026, though no release date has been confirmed.
The cast includes Sophie Turner, Sigourney Weaver, and Jason Isaacs.
Lara Croft is an iconic character from a video game series first created in 1996.
The anime series "Jujutsu Kaisen" is currently airing its third season. Episode 4 of this season will be available to stream on Crunchyroll starting January 22, 2026. Viewers need a Crunchyroll Premium subscription to watch.
Key Facts
The anime "Jujutsu Kaisen" is in its third season.
Episode 4 of Season 3 will stream on Crunchyroll from January 22, 2026.
Viewers outside Japan can watch it shortly after its release in Japan.
A Crunchyroll Premium subscription, starting at $7.99 per month, is required to access new episodes.
Episode 4 will be available at 9 am Pacific Time and 12 pm Eastern Time.
Episodes typically have a runtime of about 23 minutes.
New episodes release every Thursday during the season.
A song suspected to be created using artificial intelligence (AI) entered the global music charts, sparking discussions about AI's impact on the music industry. This AI-generated version of Stromae's 2013 song "Papaoutai" debuted on the Global Spotify chart and has raised questions about authenticity and legal rights in AI music.
Key Facts
An AI-generated song based on Stromae's "Papaoutai" entered the Global Spotify chart at No. 168.
This version is called "Papaoutai—Afro Soul" and is credited to Unjaps, mikeeysmind, and chill 77.
The original "Papaoutai" was a global hit in 2013 with messages about absent fathers.
There is ongoing debate about whether AI-generated music exploits artists' creative work without their consent.
In the U.S., AI-generated music cannot be copyrighted as it lacks a human author, meaning it enters the public domain.
Research shows 97% of listeners struggle to tell AI and human-made music apart.
Streaming platforms report a significant rise in AI-generated music uploads.
Social media users show mixed reactions to AI-generated songs, expressing curiosity and criticism.
Ashley St. Clair is suing Elon Musk's company, xAI, for allegedly generating explicit deepfake images of her using its Grok AI tool. The images reportedly included inappropriate depictions of St. Clair, which prompted global discussions about the misuse of AI technology. Various countries have already taken actions against Grok due to similar concerns.
Key Facts
Ashley St. Clair, who has a child with Elon Musk, is suing xAI for generating explicit images of her using its Grok AI tool.
The images allegedly depicted St. Clair, who is Jewish, in inappropriate clothing covered with swastikas.
St. Clair claims the images were created without her consent and were available on X for over seven days.
Grok AI is reported to generate nonconsensual images frequently, with roughly one per minute according to content analysis.
The controversy has led to Grok being blocked in Malaysia and Indonesia and investigated in the U.K. and California.
St. Clair's lawsuit claims that xAI’s reporting system is flawed and that her X account was demonetized in retaliation.
Elon Musk responded to criticism, suggesting it was politically motivated and aimed at censoring content.
Dogs can learn and understand human emotions and environmental cues simply by listening and observing their owners. Canine behaviorist Sarah Rutten explains that dogs use body language, changes in scent, and emotional patterns to gather information from humans without direct teaching.
Key Facts
Dogs can pick up on their owner's emotional state by observing changes in body language and scent.
They can sense how safe or unsafe an environment feels due to their sensitive noses detecting stress-related scents.
Dogs notice emotional patterns between people and can anticipate conflicts based on repeated exposure to tense situations.
Canines learn the contextual meaning of words by associating them with specific outcomes or emotions.
Dogs can detect small changes signaling a change in human behavior, like leaving the house or becoming upset.
Australia has enforced a ban on social media access for children under 16 years old, leading to the removal of around 4.7 million accounts across platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. This measure aims to protect young people from online harm, with companies facing heavy fines if they do not comply. Social media firms are now focusing on preventing new accounts from being made by those under 16.
Key Facts
Australia removed access to 4.7 million social media accounts for users under 16.
The ban applies to platforms like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and more.
Companies could face fines up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($33.2 million) for non-compliance.
2.5 million Australians are aged between 8 and 15.
The law does not apply to messaging services like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, removed over 544,000 under-16 accounts in Australia.
The ban aims to protect children from online dangers like cyberbullying and sexual predators.
Social media firms are required to focus on preventing the creation of new accounts by under-16s.
Smoke detectors have been important for home safety for a long time, but technology still needs to catch up with new fire risks like those from e-bike batteries. Researchers are trying to improve smoke detection methods to help identify fires faster. Despite challenges, working smoke alarms are crucial for reducing fire-related deaths.
Key Facts
Smoke detectors are essential for alerting people to fires and can significantly reduce fire-related deaths.
Modern fires, such as those involving e-bikes, present new challenges for traditional smoke detectors.
There are two main types of smoke alarms: ionisation-based, which detect fast-burning fires, and optical-based, which are better for slow, smouldering fires.
Heat sensors are often used in kitchens to prevent false alarms from simple cooking.
Older standards for smoke alarms were developed in the 1980s, but they still effectively detect most house fires today.
Smoke alarms should be installed in all homes, but a survey found many UK and US households lack functioning alarms.
New technologies are being explored to improve detection for modern fire risks, like lithium-ion battery fires from devices like e-bikes.
The article discusses a new trend on social media in 2026, where users are trying to bring back the feel of the year 2016. People are posting old styles of content that are more spontaneous and less curated, sparking a sense of nostalgia for simpler social media experiences.
Key Facts
As of January 1, 2026, a trend began on social media to recreate the essence of 2016.
Users are sharing more spontaneous and less edited posts.
Influencers and users cite 2016 as a time when social media felt more personal and safe.
The trend includes posting older styles of photos and using fewer filters.
Celebrities and brands are also participating by sharing nostalgic content from 2016.
There is a general sense of longing for simpler times in social media.
Nostalgia for 2016 includes both fashion and online behaviors.
Apple is planning to release several new products in 2026. These include a foldable iPhone, redesigned MacBook Pro, a cheaper MacBook, and upgraded versions of their studio display and AirPods. The company is also working on improving its smart home hub using new artificial intelligence technology.
Key Facts
Apple plans to launch a foldable iPhone in 2026, featuring a 5.5-inch cover screen and a 7.8-inch foldable display.
A redesigned MacBook Pro may include an OLED screen, thinner design, and possibly a touchscreen.
Apple aims to offer a cheaper MacBook at around $700, likely targeting students and first-time users.
Improvements to Apple's smart home hub are expected with the integration of Google Gemini technology for AI capabilities.
Apple is developing a new studio display featuring a better chip and visual enhancements.
The iPad Mini is getting an upgrade to an OLED screen, replacing the current LCD.
New AirPods with infrared cameras are expected to sell for around $299.
President Trump's AI chatbot, Grok, cannot edit images to show people in revealing clothing in places where it's illegal. The decision came after backlash and legal actions from several countries over explicit AI-generated images. The company, xAI, stated it will block such content depending on each country's laws.
Key Facts
Grok is an AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk's company xAI.
The AI will not make or alter images of people in revealing clothing where it's illegal.
A backlash arose due to Grok generating explicit images without consent.
Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked Grok due to these issues.
California is investigating Grok for creating nonconsensual explicit content.
The U.K. and European Union are looking into online safety law violations.
xAI says it will limit image editing features to paid subscribers for accountability.
Free users reportedly still have access to some editing functions in California.
