Technology

• Anthropic has debuted two new Claude AI models named Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4
• Claude Opus 4 claims to be the best coding AI in the world
• Claude Sonnet 4 is a smaller, streamlined model with major upgrades from Sonnet 3.7 version.

Anthropic has unveiled Claude 4, the latest generation of its AI models. The company boasts that the new Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4 models are at the top of the game for AI assistants with unmatched coding skills and the ability to function independently for long periods of time.

Claude Sonnet 4 is the smaller model, but it's still a major upgrade in power from the earlier Sonnet 3.7. Anthropic claims Sonnet 4 is much better at following instructions and coding. It's even been adopted by GitHub to power a new Copilot coding agent. It's likely to be much more widely used simply because it is the default model on the free tier for the Claude chatbot.

Claude Opus 4 is the flagship model for Anthropic and supposedly the best coding AI around. It can also handle sustained, multi-hour tasks, breaking them into thousands of steps to fulfill. Opus 4 also includes the "extended thinking" feature Anthropic tested on earlier models. Extended thinking allows the model to pause in the middle of responding to a prompt and use search engines and other tools until it has more data and can resume right where it left off.

That means a lot more than just longer answers. Developers can train Opus 4 to use all kinds of third-party tools. Opus 4 can even play video games pretty well, with Anthropic showing off how the AI performs during a game of Pokémon Red when given file access and permission to build its own navigation guide.

(Image credit: Anthropic)Claude 4 power

Both Claude 4 models boast enhanced features centered around tool use and memory. Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 can use tools in parallel and switch between reasoning and searching. And their memory system can save and extract key facts over time when provided access to external files. You won't have to re-explain what you want on every third prompt.

To make sure the AI is doing what you want, but not overwhelm you with every detail, Claude 4's models also offer what it calls “thinking summaries.” Instead of a wall of text detailing each of the potentially thousands of steps taken to complete a prompt, Claude employs a smaller, secondary AI model to condense the train of thought into something digestible.

A side benefit of the way the new models work is that they're less likely to cheat to save time and processing power. Anthropic said they’ve reduced shortcut-seeking behavior in tasks that tempt AIs to fake their way to a solution (or just make something up).

The bigger picture? Anthropic is clearly gunning for the lead in AI utility, particularly in coding and agentic, independent tasks. ChatGPT and Google Gemini have bigger user bases, but Anthropic has the means to entice at least some AI chatbot users away to Claude. With Sonnet 4 available to free users and Opus 4 bundled into Claude Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans, Anthropic is trying to appeal to both the budget-friendly and premium AI fans.

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• Samsung's Frame, Neo QLED, and QLED TVs can all display art or photos when off
• The Art Store is expanding again, this time with a Disney collection
• Pieces of art themed after Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and National Geographic are now available

Samsung already doubled down on its Art Mode and Art Store earlier in 2025 by expanding it to nearly its entire TV lineup, well beyond the Frame TV or Frame Pro. And if you’ve ever wished you could pick an iconic piece of art from the Star Wars universe – maybe an AT-AT on Hoth or an X-Wing – or something from the world of Disney like Snow White, Samsung’s answering the call.

Beyond the thousands of art pieces already available on the Art Store, Samsung has now dropped a collection of pieces in partnership with Disney. The collection goes beyond the iconic classic Disney animated films to include Star Wars, Pixar, and National Geographic. All of the pieces, be they animated or a wild shot of nature, are in 4K quality to ensure they’ll look their best on your Samsung TV.

Now, it’s not a free drop – you’ll need to be subscribed to Samsung’s Art Store and have an eligible TV. That membership is either $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year in the United States and lets you access all the pieces, including future drops.

While Art Mode and these works of art will look their best on a Samsung Frame TV or Frame Pro, thanks to the special reflection-blocking, matte finish, you’re not limited to that specific family of TVs.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung’s expanded Art Mode support to QLED, Neo QLED 4K, and Neo QLED 8K TVs within the 2025 lineup means you don’t need to opt for a Frame TV or Frame Pro. And that also means you might be able to save a bit, as Samsung’s lifestyle TVs do cost a bit more in some cases.

This also isn’t the first time Disney, Star Wars, Pixar, and National Geographic pieces of art have been available on Samsung’s TVs. In 2023, timed for the Disney 100 anniversary, Samsung dropped the limited-edition The Frame-Disney100 Edition in 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch sizes. It was a standard 4K QLED Frame TV with a special, platinum metal bezel, but the real appeal was that it came with 100 pieces of Disney art ready to go out of the box.

No extra subscription needed as you could look through the collections and pick your favorites, and then set them to your Art Mode.

It remains to be seen how many pieces are included in the Art Store and whether they’re the same as what was previously collaborated on. We’ve reached out to Samsung to ask, but for fans of Pixar – Toy Story, anyone? – Star Wars, National Geographic, and Disney at large, it’s certainly a fun addition.

With this latest drop, Samsung’s Art Store offers over 3,500 pieces of art to pick from, and on TVs with Art Mode, you can set your favorites to be shown when the TV is off and even mat them for a more dramatic effect, if you like.

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• A dual-GPU design returns, but it’s not meant for gamers this time around
• 48GB of memory sounds impressive, but will it actually deliver meaningful AI performance?
• With no benchmarks and specs, this card is more rumor than revolution right now

Intel may be preparing to launch an unusual graphics card featuring two Arc B580 GPU chips and 48GB of memory, reports have claimed.

While this isn’t an official Intel product, it appears to be a custom design developed by one of Intel’s board partners, who remains unnamed due to non-disclosure agreements.

What makes this card notable is the return of a dual-GPU layout using consumer-class chips, something the industry hasn’t seen in several years.

48GB of memory hints at AI potential

This particular model reportedly combines two B580 GPUs, each paired with 24GB of memory, for a total of 48GB on a single card.

The intent doesn't appear to be gaming, which raises questions about the target audience. Given the high memory and compute potential, one possibility is that it’s intended for AI development or other high-throughput workloads.

Although 48GB still falls short of the memory capacity in top-tier professional accelerators, using consumer-grade GPUs could offer a cost-effective alternative for some training scenarios.

Still, without performance benchmarks or detailed architectural information, it’s difficult to determine whether this configuration could compete with even midrange professional GPUs.

For users comparing it against the best GPUs currently available, skepticism is warranted. No other board partners have been linked to similar designs, and it remains unclear whether this is a one-off experiment or part of a broader strategy.

This development may also interest content creators. With such a high memory ceiling, it could appeal to users seeking the best laptops for video editing or for Photoshop, assuming future mobile variants emerge.

But until more technical data is released, this card is best regarded as a curiosity rather than a sure bet.

Via Videocardz

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The models can now use tools like web searches during extended reasoning tasks.

Google I/O events are an often frustrating glimpse of the near future, with a lot of shiny software toys scheduled to land sometime "in the coming months". That often means a long wait of up to a year, so for Google I/O 2025 we've rounded every new announcement that you can actually try today.

Naturally, some of the features below come with restrictions – a few are only available to try now in the US, while some are restricted to subscribers of Google's AI Pro or AI Ultra tiers. But many have also rolled out worldwide, so there are new features to take for a spin even if you don't currently pay Google a cent.

What's missing from the list below and coming at a later date? Quite a bit actually, including some of the more futuristic ideas like Google Beam and Android XR, and it also isn't clear how long we'll have to wait for a worldwide rollout of AI Mode for Search, Veo 3, Flow, Virtual Try On in the Shopping app, and Google's top-tier AI Ultra plan.

Still, there are quite a few things from Google I/O 2025 to keep us amused in the meantime, so here's a list of the ones that are available to try today...

1. AI Mode in Search

• rolling out in the US now (other regions TBC)
• where to try it: in Google Search or in the Google app

(Image credit: Google)

Google completely upended its golden goose, Search, at I/O 2025 this week, announcing several new features to stave off the threat of ChatGPT – and the biggest was arguably the US rollout of AI Mode.

If you're in the US and aren't seeing the new tab in Search (or in the search bar of the Google app), it's likely because Google said it'd be a gradual roll-out "over the coming weeks".

We've been using it for a while, though, and have put together a guide on how to master the new AI mode. It shouldn't be your go-to for everything, but we've concluded that "if you’re researching, planning, comparing, or learning, AI Mode can be a real comfort". Google hasn't yet commented on when it'll get a worldwide launch, but we'd imagine it'll be sometime this year.

• Read more: Google Search just got its biggest-ever upgrade to lure you away from ChatGPT – here are 7 new things to try

2. Veo 3

• available today for Gemini Ultra subscribers in the US
• where to try it: in Google Flow

Arguably the biggest breakthrough moment at Google I/O 2025, Veo 3 is the first AI video generator that can deliver synchronized audio (including speech) alongside its video creations. And it's available to try now for a lucky few, if you're in the US and on the new Gemini Ultra plan.

Granted, that is a pretty small group of people, but we had to include it in this list because it is actually available today for those lucky peeps, and US enterprise users on the Vertex AI platform.

The amount of processing power required for Veo 3 could mean a relatively slow rollout elsewhere, and Google has hinted as much by also releasing new features for Veo 2 like the ability to give it reference scenes.

• Read more: Google's Veo 3 marks the end of AI video's 'silent era'

3. Google Flow

• available to AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US
• more countries "coming soon"
• where to try it: the Google Flow page in Labs

(Image credit: Google Flow)

Not sure how to weave all of your AI videos together into a cohesive whole? Google also addressed that issue with a new AI video editor called Flow – and like Veo 3, it's out now for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US.

It's a bit like a Premiere Pro that you can operate entirely with natural language, to avoid learning keyboard shortcuts or complex menus. To get an idea of how it works, check out Google's short tutorial.

Impressively, it goes as far as giving you menus of camera moves like 'dolly out' and 'pan right', so you don't even have to describe them. Google has also at least promised that it's "coming soon" to more countries, so we're hopeful of a wider rollout in 2025.

• Read more: Want to be the next Spielberg? Google’s AI-powered Flow could bring your movie ideas to life

4. Gemini Live

• available worldwide now on Android and iOS
• where to try it: in the Gemini app on Android or iOS

(Image credit: Future)

The big smartphone story of Google I/O 2025 was the full rollout of one of the best AI tools around on Android and iOS – Gemini Live.

Like ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode, Gemini Live is an AI assistant that you can chat to using your voice. The most useful part, though, is that you can also give it eyes using your phone's camera to get help with whatever's in front of you or on your screen.

To conjure the assistant, open the Gemini app on iOS or Android, tap the Gemini Live icon (on the far right of the text input box), and start chatting away.

• Read more: Gemini Live is now free for everyone on Android and iOS, and you can finally share your screen and camera on iPhone – here's how to try it

5. Imagen 4

• available worldwide in the Gemini app, Whisk, Vertex AI

(Image credit: Google)

Google didn't just level-up its AI-generated video at I/O 2025 – we also got a new Imagen 4 model for whipping up still images in higher resolution (now up to 2K) than before.

The latest Imagen (which is available now in the Gemini app, Whisk, Vertex AI and across Google Workspace) also showed that it's been working hard on one of its main weaknesses – handling text.

This means that scenes involving typography should no longer be a jumbled mess of weird characters and look more realistic. While Imagen 4 is available to use for free, it does come with usage limits – you can expect 10-20 image generations on a free plan, while Gemini subscribers get a more generous 100-150 generations a day.

• Read more: Gemini’s AI images have been updated to Imagen 4 with a ‘huge step forward in quality’ – here’s what you need to know

6. Gemini 2.5 Flash

• available worldwide now in the Gemini app

Okay, Gemini 2.5 Flash isn't brand new, but it was given a big upgrade at Google I/O 2025 – and it's now available to everyone to dabble with in the Gemini app.

In fact, Gemini 2.5 Flash is now the default model in Google's Gemini chatbot, because it's apparently the fastest and more cost-efficient one for daily use. Some of the specific improvements, over its 2.0 Flash predecessor, include a greater ability to understand images and text.

Wondering how it compares to ChatGPT 4o? We've already compared the two to help you see which might be the best for you. Spoiler: it's a close call, but Gemini 2.5 Flash is particularly appealing if you live in Google's world of apps and services.

• Read more: Google Gemini 2.5 Flash promises to be your favorite AI chatbot, but how does it compare to ChatGPT 4o?

7. Jules

• available worldwide in public beta
• where to try it: on the Jules website

Need a coding assistant to speed up your workflow? Google has just given Jules (first introduced as a Labs experiment last December) a wider public beta rollout, with no waiting lists.

Jules is a bit more than a coding copilot – it can autonomously beaver away on fixing bugs, writing tests and building new features without any input from you. It works 'asynchronously', which means it can work on various tasks without waiting for them to finish.

Google says Jules isn't trained on your private code and that your data stays within its private environment. With autonomous agents on the rise, it certainly looks worth dabbling with if you could do with some coding assistance.

8. Virtual Try-On

• rolling out in Search Labs in the US
• where to try it: in Google's Search Labs

Google Shopping has had a 'Try On' feature for clothes since 2023, but it got a big upgrade it got at Google I/O 2025. Rather than using virtual models to show you how your chosen clothes might fit, it now lets you upload a photo of yourself – and uses AI to help you avoid the hassle of changing rooms.

Once you've uploaded a full-length photo of yourself, you'll start to see little "try it on" buttons when you click on outfits that are served up in the Shopping tabs search results. We've taken it for a spin and, while it isn't flawless, it does give you a solid idea of what some clothes will look like on you. And anything that helps us avoid real-world shopping is fine by us.

• Read more: I tried Google's new AI try-on feature, and it's given me some new fashion ideas

9. Deep Research in Gemini

• available now worldwide in Gemini and the Gemini app
• where to try it: in Google Gemini

(Image credit: Google)

Google brought its 'Deep Research' feature to Gemini Advanced subscribers (now Gemini Pro) in late 2024. And now the handy reports tool has given a particularly useful upgrade – the ability to combine its research of public data from the web with any private PDFs or images that you uploads.

Google provided the example of a market researcher uploading their own internal sales figures so they could cross reference them with public trends. Unfortunately, you can't yet pull in docs or data from Google Drive and Gmail, but Google says this is coming "soon".

10. Gemini quizzes

• available worldwide on Gemini desktop and mobile
• college students in the US and UK can also get a free Gemini AI Pro upgrade for the whole school year
• where to try it: on Geminiand the Gemini app on Android or iOS

(Image credit: Google)

Google is particularly keen to get students using its Gemini app – not only did it extend its free access to Google AI Pro for school and university students to new countries including the UK, it also added a new quiz feature to help with revision.

To start a quiz, you can ask Gemini to "create a practice quiz" on your chosen subject. The most useful part is that it'll then make a follow-up quiz based on your weaknesses in the previous test. Not that you have to be studying to make use of this feature – it could also be a handy way to sharpen your pub quiz skills.

If you're a student in the US, Brazil, Indonesia, Japan and the UK, you can get your free year of Gemini AI Pro by signing up on Gemini's students page – the deadline is June 30, 2025 and you will need a valid student email address.

11. Google Meet speech translation

• available to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers
• initially only in English and Spanish, more languages coming soon

We're particularly looking forward to trying out Google Beam this year, with the glasses-free 3D video calls (formerly known as Project Starline) heading to businesses courtesy of HP's new hardware. But a new video calling feature you can try now is Google Meet's near real-time translations.

Available now for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in beta, the feature will provide an audible translation of your speech (currently in English to Spanish, or vice versa) with a relatively short delay. It isn't seamless, but we imagine the delay will only reduce from here – and Google says more languages are coming "in the next few weeks".

• Read more: Google Beam could change your video calls forever with glasses-free 3D and near real-time translation

12. Google AI Pro and AI Ultra plans

• available now (AI Ultra is currently US-only)

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Sadi Santos)

Google switched up its AI subscription plans at Google I/O 2025, with 'Gemini Advanced' disappearing and being replaced by AI Pro and new 'VIP' tier called AI Ultra.

The latter is currently US-only (more countries are "coming soon") and costs a staggering $250 a month. Still, that figure does give you "the best of Google AI", according to the tech giant, with AI Ultra including access to Veo 3 with native audio generation, Project Mariner, and the highest usage limits across its other AI products. You also get YouTube Premium and 30TB of storage thrown in.

The AI Pro tier ($20 a month) still gets you access to Gemini, Flow, Whisk, NotebookLM and Gemini in Chrome, but with lower usage limits and cloud storage of a mere 2TB.

If you're an AI power user and like the sound of AI Ultra, Google is currently offering it at 50% off for your first three months. Don't tempt us, Google...

• Read more: Gemini AI Ultra is Google's new ultimate 'VIP' plan for AI obsessives – here's what you get for its staggering price tag

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• Phison X200Z writes entire drive every 24 minutes nonstop
• Delivers record-breaking endurance and performance with 60 DWPD capability
• TweakTown calls it the most powerful flash-based SSD ever tested

TweakTown has delivered its first hands-on look at the Phison Pascari X200Z 3.2TB Enterprise SSD, and – spoiler alert – it was blown away.

Built with SLC flash and running over a PCIe Gen5 x4 interface, the X200Z boasts a write endurance rating of 60 drive writes per day (DWPD), translating to an astounding full-drive write every 24 minutes.

As Jon Coulter of TweakTown puts it, “Phison's Pascari X200Z 3.2TB SLC caching SSD is simultaneously the highest capacity, lowest latency, and most endurant flash-based SSD of its kind we've ever encountered.”

The best ever seen

The X200Z is built for extreme durability in demanding caching roles, especially in front of QLC arrays.

It buffers random write workloads, reshapes them into sequential data, and directs them to slower, more fragile QLC layers, enhancing speed, reliability, and overall lifespan of the storage system.

Coulter notes, “The 3.2TB model we have in hand is rated at 60 DWPD or a mind-bending 350 Petabytes of endurance. Incredible.”

The drive also shines on performance. In testing, it surpassed its factory specs across the board. Sequential read throughput hit 15,026MB/s - breaking TweakTown lab records - while write performance came in over 10,200MB/s.

In random workloads, the X200Z hit up to 2800K IOPS and showed strong consistency across all queue depths.

Coulter was impressed by the performance curve: “Its low queue depth performance here is stunning.”

He adds, “We knew it would be good, but we didn't anticipate the drive's mixed workload performance would be this fantastic. By far the best we've ever seen.”

Phison positions its Pascari line as enterprise-grade, offering flexibility in U.2 and E3.S form factors and support for dual-port configurations. The Pascari X200 Series already has design wins across data centers, video platforms, and HPC workloads.

Coulter concludes: “Phison's Pascari X200Z 3.2TB SSD is easily the most powerful flash-based SSD we've ever tested.”

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• Twelve South's PowerCord is so simple, with a wall plug on one end and a USB-C on the other
• It's a one-stop solution for charging small to medium-sized devices
• With the cord, you can effectively ditch the power brick as it's integrated

When it comes to charging our devices right now, you generally need a wall plug that goes into an outlet and a cable. For phones – iPhone or Android – that means, say, at least a 20-watt wall plug and then a USB-C to USB-C cable. It doesn’t need to be like this, especially for those who travel.

Twelve South, known for excellent accessories that especially complement Apple devices, just dropped the ‘PowerCord.’ Yes, that’s a product name, not something that comes with the product in the box. It’s a USB-C port cable that ends not with a replica of that port but rather a power adapter.

Thus, it eliminates the need for a wall brick, and if you’re charging a Pixel 9, an iPhone 16 Pro, a Nintendo Switch, an iPad or Galaxy Tab, or even a MacBook Air, you just plug it in to get the charge going.

(Image credit: Twelve South)

It’s fairly genius, right? The 30-watt power supply is integrated into the wall plug, and it comes in two lengths – 4-foot or 10-foot. The cable itself is braided and looks fairly heavy-duty from shared images and comes in a slate black or dune white.

The wall plug is also non-removable. In fact, the whole design is a closed circle on purpose. That way, you can’t leave one part of the equation at home or behind, so when you need to recharge something, it’s all there, whenever you need it.

As of right now, it’s priced at $39.99 for the 4-foot model and $49.99 for the 10-foot model in either color. However, it can only be purchased with a Type-A wall plug. That means it works best in North America, specifically in the United States or Canada. It's up for order now at Amazon or from the brand directly here.

TwelveSouth has said that an EU and UK version is on the horizon and will likely drop in mid to late June. That's excellent news, since for frequent travelers, this is a really nice charger, and I like that you can’t leave any part of it at home.

If it proves to be a success, Twelve South may need to figure out how to put in a larger power supply so it can also handle recharging more power-hungry devices.

(Image credit: Twelve South)

Even so, as it stands, PowerCord can charge phones, tablets, a DJI Osmo Pocket 3, earbuds and headphones, Bluetooth speakers, smart glasses, headsets, and countless other devices. The product page notes that it’s best for small to medium-sized devices but can trickle-charge other products like laptops.

If you’re sold and are in North America, or planning a trip, the PowerCord is up for order and shipping now directly from Twelve South here and on Amazon here.

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• The faulty CrowdStrike update disrupted operations at Delta
• The airline sued the cybersecurity outfit, which then filed a motion to dismiss
• The judge denied the motion and gave the lawsuit the go-ahead

Delta’s lawsuit against cybersecurity outfit CrowdStrike got the judge’s green light and will proceed. Earlier this May, Judge Kelly Lee Ellerbe filed their decision with the Fulton County Superior Court, denying CrowdStrike’s motion to dismiss and allowing most of Delta’s claims to move forward.

Here is a little context: Last year, cybersecurity company CrowdStrike pushed a faulty update to users on Windows devices, causing widespread disruption. Banks, airlines, TV broadcasters, and many other companies, were unable to operate nominally due to the dreaded Blue Screen of Death popping up across their IT infrastructure.

US airline Delta was hit particularly hard. According to The Register, it took five days to recover, significantly more than rivals American Airlines and United Airlines. What’s more, the same source claims Delta was forced to ground a lot more airplanes compared to other organizations.

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Motion to dismiss

This prompted Delta to sue CrowdStrike claiming the company deployed the update without permission, bypassed Microsoft’s certification process, and failed to properly test the update before release. CrowdStrike admitted the update was flawed but claims Delta’s delayed recovery was due to its own decisions. The lawsuit included multiple claims, such as breach of contract, trespass, negligence, and fraud.

CrowdStrike filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that Delta’s claims were invalid. The argument here is that the claims should be limited by the contract under Georgia’s economic loss rule, which generally prevents tort claims for purely financial losses arising from a contract. Delta says CrowdStrike violated independent duties, such as obligations under trespass laws and cybersecurity standards.

Now, the judge has partially denied CrowdStrike’s motion to dismiss. Namely, trespass and negligence claims are valid, while fraud claims were upheld in part.

The Register spoke to CrowdStrike’s outside counsel, Michael Carlinsky of law firm Quinn Emanuel, who says that the worst-case scenario is the company having to pay “single-digit millions” to Delta. The airline, on the other hand, is “pleased by the ruling”.

Via The Register

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If you're in need of something to binge this week, Sirens has arrived and it's definitely worthy of a spot on our best Netflix shows round up.

The dark comedy-drama, which arrived today (May 22), already has – at the time of this article's publication – an 86% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. Clearly, it's gone down well with plenty of professional writers.

For the uninitiated: Sirens is, according to Netflix's own Tudum fan-led website, an "incisive, sexy, and darkly funny exploration of women, power, and class".

The show's story is told over the course of one very explosive weekend, and sees Meghan Fahy play Devon, the concerned older sibling of Milly Alcock's Simone, who has a very creepy relationship with her new boss Michaela (Julianne Moore). Clearly worried about her younger sister, Devon heads to Michaela's country retreat with the view to holding an intervention for Simone.

Why I'm recommending Sirens on Netflix

Kevin Bacon is among Sirens' starry supporting cast (Image credit: Netflix)

There are plenty of great reasons why I'm recommending Sirens this week. With only five episodes, you can easily binge watch it in one or two sittings.

Molly Smith Metzler, the playwright behind the highly-enjoyable Maid, which starred Margaret Qualley, created this Netflix show, which is based on Metzler's own 2011 play Elemano Pea. So, you know this series is in good hands

Smith Metzler told Tudum: “This story has a lot of teeth. There are real moments of drama, and it’s going to make people uncomfortable. Operatic is a word I like to use to describe it. It’s a true dark comedy – and it’s got a Greek mythology vibe.”

The cast is also excellent. Alongside Moore, Fahy, and Alcock, the likes of beloved actor Kevin Bacon. Considering Prime Video canceled The Bondsman, it's nice to see Bacon popping up in a different project, even if I'm still very disappointed to see one of the best Prime Video shows suddenly come to an abrupt end. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Glenn Howerton also plays a supporting role, so you really can't get much more star-studded than that.

If you loved Netflix's The Four Seasons, this is another picturesque series to gape at, too. Expect great on-location scenes, glamorous wardrobes, and plenty of luxury. It's also full to the brim of mystery and has a sinister undertone, as all is not as it seems on this island enclave.

I was sucked in from the get-go and soon realized that I'd streamed three episodes back to back. You'll find yourself desperate to know what's going on, and what's up with Moore's rich philanthropist and animal activist.

I'm keen to see more from Sirens, but we'll have to see if Netflix decides to renew it.

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• Konami has confirmed that Silent Hill f is a standalone game in the series
• The studio says the upcoming game is "a completely new work independent of the series"
• It also adds that players who have never played Silent Hill can experience Silent Hill f without worry

Konami has offered some insight into where Silent Hill f stands in the overall Silent Hill series.

In a new post shared on the Japanese Silent Hill X / Twitter account, Konami clarified that the upcoming horror game is a standalone title in the Silent Hill timeline, suggesting it won't have any connection to any previous games in the series (via IGN).

The studio also confirmed that players will need no prior knowledge of the franchise and that even newcomers to the series can experience Silent Hill f.

"This is a completely new work independent of the series," Konami said (translated via X / Twitter). "Even those who have never played the 'SILENT HILL' series can enjoy this game."

Only a few games in the series, like Silent Hill, Silent Hill 3, and Silent Hill Origins, have a connection, and Silent Hill 2 does offer some links to the first game, but both plots are not directly related.

While only some games take place in the titular town, Silent Hill f will notably take place away from America entirely, in the rural Japanese town of Ebisugaoka in the 1960s.

『SILENT HILL f』＜シリーズ最新作登場＞本作はシリーズから独立した完全新作です。「SILENT HILL」シリーズを一度もプレイしたことのない方も遊んでいただくことができます。▼ウィッシュリストはこちらhttps://t.co/N9lsQPDLiM#SILENTHILL #サイレントヒルf #サイレントヒル pic.twitter.com/9rCeDSfV2SMay 20, 2025

Konami revealed new details about the game in March, alongside a creepy new trailer. The story will follow teenager Shimizu Hinako, whose secluded hometown of Ebisugaoka is engulfed in a sudden fog, transforming her home into a haunting nightmare.

"As the town falls silent and the fog thickens, Hinako must navigate the twisted paths of Ebisugaoka, solving complex puzzles and confronting grotesque monsters to survive," the game description reads.

There's no release date for Silent Hill f just yet, but we know that the horror game will be released for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. And with Summer Game Fest right around the corner in June, there's every chance we get more details at the annual gaming event.

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AI-lationships is the gag-inducing term Joi AI cooked up to support its recent eye-opening survey on human-to-AI relationships. In it, eight out of 10 Gen Z respondents said they would consider marrying an AI partner.

Before we delve too much into this mind-bending stat, let's look at the source. Joi AI, formerly EVA AI, is a premium online AI companion service that offers a wide range of AI companion personalities, complete with AI-generated imagery that can be, depending on settings and what you pay, NSFW.

It's kind of a cheesy service that caters mostly, I think, to lonely men. Now, don't get me wrong; I know there's a growing epidemic of loneliness. A recent Harvard study found that 21% of US adults report some level of loneliness (some studies suggest the number is far higher).

Disconnection

Remote work, screen time, and other things that take us away from direct human connection are probably not helping this trend, but AI has increasingly stepped into the connection void with a growing army of voice chatbots that can carry on surprisingly realistic and even empathetic-sounding conversations.

And this is by design. Earlier this month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose company is building powerful AI models, suggested we should all have AI friends.

Marriage, then, is perhaps, the next logical extension.

The concept of deep, personal relationships between humans and artificial intelligence traces back to well before we had Gemini Live, ChatGPT, Copilot, and others ready and willing to converse with us at length. The 2013 movie Her was built around the idea of a deeply personal (and concerning) relationship between Joaquin Phoenix's character and Scarlett Johansson's disembodied AI voice long before we could talk to a single AI in real life.

I've had my share of AI conversations, and I find them entertaining and, often, illuminating. I don't see them as personal, though. Perhaps that's because I'm not lonely. The more desperate you are for human connection, the more AI companionship might seem like a reasonable substitute.

But marriage?

Meet-cute in the cloud

At least Joi AI adds static imagery to the playful banter you'll find through its AI partners, but that's the exception and not the rule. Most generative AI chatbots are just voices and undulating screens. You need images and, ultimately, touch to make a genuine connection... don't you?

As I write this, I'm reminded that I met my wife through a phone call and that I was enchanted, initially, by nothing but her voice and wit. But to build our relationship and eventual union, we did date in person. Being with her sealed the deal and made me want to marry her.

I don't understand why Joi AI's respondents, even Generation Z, who are much more deeply immersed in technology, social media, and AI than any generation before it, would accept an AI as a life mate. In the survey, though, they do sound primed for AI connection, with 83% saying they "could build a deep emotional bond with an AI partner."

One expert I spoke to via email, Dr. Sue Varma, a board-certified psychiatrist and author of Practical Optimism, put it in perspective for me. "At our core, we all want the same things: to be seen, to be heard, and to feel valued – not judged or criticized. For Gen Z, that longing is especially strong, and the loneliness they’re experiencing is very real. What they want, what we all want, is meaningful, mutual human connection."

Would you consider marrying an AI?May 22, 2025

Unconvinced that Joi AI's data points to a real trend (I did ask them for survey details and have yet to receive a response), I ran a couple of anecdotal surveys on X (formerly Twitter) and Threads. Across both, less than 10% said yes, they would consider marrying an AI, roughly a third said no on Threads, and the vast majority wondered if I was okay.

As preposterous as I find the whole idea of AI relationships and eventual marriage, I also understand that we're at the start of a revolution. AI's ability to mimic human language and even emotions is growing exponentially, and there's already growing concern about human-to-AI relationships.

"Technology—and AI in particular—isn’t going away. It’s going to keep evolving, and yes, it may offer relationships that seem easy, even comforting. Think of the always-affirming AI: the hype person, the yes-person, the one that never challenges us and always tells us what we want to hear. It’s seductive. But it’s not real," said Dr. Varma, and added, "What we really need to be doing is using AI to support our humanity, not replace it."

The latest Gemini and ChatGPT models provide incredibly human- and expressive-sounding conversations. Some believe AIs have already beat the Turing test (basically when a computer's response is indistinguishable from a human's, at least as perceived by another human).

We will, in this decade, see humanoid robots equipped with these AIs, and that's when things will get really weird. How long before some dude is marrying his AI bot in Vegas?

Joi AI's self-serving survey is ridiculous on the face of it, even if it is also a harbinger of AI relationships to come – and I hope Gen Z swipes left on the whole idea.

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