San Jose became the site of the inaugural Silicon Valley AI Film Festival (SVAIFF) on January 10–11, bringing together filmmakers, tech innovators and creatives to explore how AI is transforming cinema and creative expression.
The event featured AI-generated film trailers, such as “Revolutionary” and “Cosmic,” as well as panel discussions on industry trends and the economic implications of AI in film, and a competition that received over 2,000 entries.
Festival co-founder Cynthia Jiang highlighted how production companies are increasingly using AI in post-production and concept development, while acknowledging resistance remains among some traditional filmmakers.
Human and AI-assisted art appeared throughout the festival, including fashion shows that blended robotics with runway models and featured a humanoid robot performer.
The festival also celebrated creative achievements with awards, such as the Grand Prix for ‘White Night Lake’ and Best Animated Short for ‘A Tree’s Imagination.’ It premiered the feature-length film ‘The Wolves,’ directed by Bing He, who credited generative AI with enabling his vision without replacing his writing role.
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Personal finance assistants powered by AI tools are increasingly helping users manage budgets, analyse spending, and organise financial documents. Popular platforms such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Claude now offer features designed to support everyday financial tasks.
Rather than focusing on conversational style, users should consider how financial data is accessed and how each assistant integrates with existing systems. Connections to spreadsheets, cloud storage, and secure platforms often determine how effective AI tools are for managing financial workflows.
ChatGPT is commonly used for drafting financial summaries, analysing expenses, and creating custom tools through plugins. Google Gemini is closely integrated with Google Docs and Sheets, making it suitable for users who rely on Google’s productivity ecosystem.
Microsoft Copilot provides strong automation for Excel and Microsoft 365 users, with administrative controls that appeal to organisations. Claude focuses on safety and large context windows, allowing it to process lengthy financial documents with more conservative output.
Choosing the most suitable AI tools for personal finance depends on workflow needs, data governance preferences, and privacy considerations. No single platform dominates every use case; each offers strengths across different financial management tasks.
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The Irish government plans to fast-track laws allowing heavy fines for AI abuse. The move follows controversy involving misuse of image generation tools.
Ministers will transpose an existing EU AI Act into Irish law. The framework defines eight harmful uses breaching rights and public decency.
Penalties could reach €35 million or seven percent of global annual turnover. AI systems would be graded by risk under the enforcement regime.
A dedicated AI office is expected to launch by August to oversee compliance. Irish and UK leaders have pressed platforms to curb harmful AI features.
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The European Commission has warned X to address issues related to its Grok AI tool. Regulators say new features enabled the creation of sexualised images, including those of children.
EU Tech Sovereignty Commissioner Henna Virkkunen has stated that investigators have already taken action under the Digital Services Act. Failure to comply could result in enforcement measures being taken against the platform.
X recently restricted Grok’s image editing functions to paying users after criticism from regulators and campaigners. Irish and EU media watchdogs are now engaging with Brussels on the issue.
UK ministers also plan laws banning non-consensual intimate images and tools enabling their creation. Several digital rights groups argue that existing laws already permit criminal investigations and fines.
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Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek will launch a customised Italian version of its online chatbot following a probe by the Italian competition authority, the AGCM. The move follows months of negotiations and a temporary 2025 ban due to concerns over user data and transparency.
The AGCM had criticised DeepSeek for not sufficiently warning users about hallucinations or false outputs generated by its AI models.
The probe ended after DeepSeek agreed to clearer Italian disclosures and technical fixes to reduce hallucinations. The regulator noted that while improvements are commendable, hallucinations remain a global AI challenge.
DeepSeek now provides longer Italian warnings and detects Italian IPs or prompts for localised notices. The company also plans workshops to ensure staff understand Italian consumer law and has submitted multiple proposals to the AGCM since September 2025.
The start-up must provide a progress report within 120 days. Failure to meet the regulator’s requirements could lead to the probe being reopened and fines of up to €10 million (£8.7m).
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Apple and Google have confirmed a multi-year partnership that will see Google’s Gemini models powering Siri and future Apple Intelligence features. The collaboration will underpin Apple’s next-generation AI models, with updates coming later this year.
The move follows delays in rolling out Siri upgrades first unveiled at WWDC 2024. While most Apple Intelligence features have already been launched, the redesigned Siri has been postponed due to development taking longer than anticipated.
According to reports, Apple will continue using its own models for specific tasks, while Gemini is expected to handle summarisation, planning, and other advanced functions.
Bloomberg reports the upcoming Siri will be structured around three layers: query planning, knowledge retrieval, and summarisation. Gemini will handle planning and summarisation, helping Siri structure responses and create clear summaries.
Knowledge retrieval may also benefit from Gemini, potentially broadening Siri’s general knowledge capabilities beyond its current hand-off system.
All AI processing will operate on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute platform, ensuring user privacy and keeping data secure. Analysts suggest this integration will embed Gemini more deeply into Siri’s core functionality, rather than serving as a supplementary tool.
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The creators of Stranger Things have been accused by some fans of using ChatGPT while writing the show’s fifth and final season, following the release of a behind-the-scenes Netflix documentary.
The series ended on New Year’s Eve with a two-hour finale that saw (SPOILER WARNING) Vecna defeated and Eleven apparently sacrificing herself. The ambiguous ending divided viewers, with some disappointed by the lack of closure.
A documentary titled One Last Adventure: The Making Of Stranger Things 5 was released shortly after the finale. One scene showing Matt and Ross Duffer working on scripts drew attention after a screenshot circulated online.
Some viewers claimed a ChatGPT-style tab was visible on a laptop screen. Others questioned the claim, noting the footage may predate the chatbot’s mainstream use.
Netflix has since confirmed two spin-offs are in development, including a new live-action series and an animated project titled Stranger Things: Tales From ’85.
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Malta’s government is preparing new legal measures to curb the abusive use of deepfake technology, with existing laws now under review. The planned reforms aim to introduce penalties for the misuse of AI in cases of harassment, blackmail, and bullying.
The move mirrors earlier cyberbullying and cyberstalking laws, extending similar protections to AI-generated content. Authorities are promoting AI while stressing the need for strong public safety and legal safeguards.
AI and youth participation were the main themes discussed during the National Youth Parliament meeting, where Abela highlighted the role of young people in shaping Malta’s long-term development strategy, Vision Malta 2050.
The strategy focuses on the next 25 years and directly affects those entering the workforce or starting families.
Young people were described as key drivers of national policy in areas such as fertility, environmental protection, and work-life balance. Senior officials and members of the Youth Advisory Forum attended the meeting.
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European labour markets are showing clear signs of cooling after a brief period of employee leverage during the pandemic.
Slower industrial growth, easing wage momentum and increased adoption of AI are encouraging firms to limit hiring instead of expanding headcounts, while workers are becoming more cautious about changing jobs.
Economic indicators suggest employment growth across the EU will slow over the coming years, with fewer vacancies and stabilising migration flows reducing labour market dynamism.
Germany, France, the UK and several central and eastern European economies are already reporting higher unemployment expectations, particularly in manufacturing sectors facing high energy costs and weaker global demand.
Despite broader caution, labour shortages persist in specific areas such as healthcare, logistics, engineering and specialised technical roles.
Southern European countries benefiting from tourism and services growth continue to generate jobs, highlighting uneven recovery patterns instead of a uniform downturn across the continent.
Concerns about automation are further shaping behaviour, as surveys indicate growing anxiety over AI reshaping roles rather than eliminating work.
Analysts expect AI to transform job structures and skill requirements, prompting workers and employers alike to prioritise adaptability instead of rapid expansion.
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Consumer hardware is becoming more deeply embedded with AI as robot vacuum cleaners evolve from simple automated devices into intelligent household assistants.
New models rely on multimodal perception and real-time decision-making, instead of fixed cleaning routes, allowing them to adapt to complex domestic environments.
Advanced AI systems now enable robot vacuums to recognise obstacles, optimise cleaning sequences and respond to natural language commands. Technologies such as visual recognition and mapping algorithms support adaptive behaviour, improving efficiency while reducing manual input from users.
Market data reflects the shift towards intelligence-led growth.
Global shipments of smart robot vacuums increased by 18.7 percent during the first three quarters of 2025, with manufacturers increasingly competing on intelligent experience rather than suction power, as integration with smart home ecosystems accelerates.
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