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• ChatGPT's use in schoolwork doubled in a year to 26% among U.S. teens
• A majority of teens think using ChatGPT for research is fine
• Far fewer support using ChatGPT to write essays or solve math problems

I'm old enough to remember when teachers said we couldn't use a calculator in tests because we wouldn't always have one in our pockets, and they would check essays that seemed familiar against their entry on the Encarta CD-ROM encyclopedia. Teachers today are faced with the far more sophisticated tools offered by ChatGPT and other AI chatbots, whose popularity has skyrocketed among students, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. The percentage of teenagers using ChatGPT for schoolwork doubled from 13% in 2023 to 26% a year later.

Let’s face it: schoolwork isn’t always the most thrilling part of a teenager’s life. It's not shocking a lot of teens are turning to AI for a little academic assistance. But the details of how ChatGPT is used by students are a little more nuanced. Pew’s research found that a slight majority of 54% of teens are okay with using the AI chatbot for tasks like researching new topics, which is hard to claim is an attempt to cheat. That approval drops to 29% for using ChatGPT to solve math problems, and only 18% of teens think it’s acceptable to get ChatGPT to write essays for them.

ChatGPT's prominence makes it likely to be the most widely used of the many options. Even if all of the respondents were scrupulously honest about whether they used ChatGPT for schoolwork, that doesn't mean they haven't dabbled with Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Meta AI, Microsoft Copilot, or any of a million apps that serve as a wrapper for ChatGPT's model. The Digital Education Council released a survey in August that pegged the global use by students of some kind of AI at a far higher 86%.

Academic AI

Students who aren't just turning in ChatGPT-written essays may actually be improving their education in creative ways. With the right approach, AI can be a great educational supplement, but never a replacement. Even the best ChatGPT prompt won't replicate the experience of wrestling with an idea until you finally get it. There are already some experiments in that vein, with Arizona State University (ASU) working with OpenAI to incorporate ChatGPT and London’s David Game College running an AI-taught class as part of its new Sabrewing program.

There's reason for concern over students becoming overly reliant on AI and not learning to think critically and solve problems independently. On the other hand, AI in education can mean, if leveraged properly, offering students access to personalized resources they might not otherwise have. That's the tougher but probably best recourse since even the strictest policies are unlikely to stop students from using AI in any context they can. You'd need a school that replaces all homework with oral presentations and requires all research to be done using paper books to prevent it.

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Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1090) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1090) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1090) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1090) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1090) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• B

• I

• B

• P

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1090) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1090, are…

• BLARE
• ITCHY
• BICEP
• PIPER

When you haven’t got a single word after the fourth or fifth goes, Quordle feels pretty unbeatable.

I got that sinking feeling today, spending far too long trying to guess BLARE. I almost got there, but was one letter out with PIPER.

Some very tricky words today, congratulations to anyone who completed it.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1090) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1090, are…

• UDDER
• YOUNG
• BLURB
• MOLAR

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1089, Friday 17 January: CATCH, WEARY, SWOON, LATHE
• Quordle #1088, Thursday 16 January: PARTY, BLUNT, TWEED, PLANT
• Quordle #1087, Wednesday 15 January: RISEN, PLATE, RURAL, ENVOY
• Quordle #1086, Tuesday 14 January: SWARM, SCRAP, ONION, BELCH
• Quordle #1085, Monday 13 January: EYING, GIDDY, CHEAP, PETAL
• Quordle #1084, Sunday 12 January: BRIEF, PETAL, WOMAN, FELON
• Quordle #1083, Saturday 11 January: ASCOT, FIBER, ROGUE, SMELL
• Quordle #1082, Friday 10 January: BIGOT, INLET, LEECH, TUNIC
• Quordle #1081, Thursday 9 January: RESET, HUMOR, TENOR, IMAGE
• Quordle #1080, Wednesday 8 January: MINCE, SADLY, RISEN, VOUCH
• Quordle #1079, Tuesday 7 January: CREED, FILET, ROUTE, TAPER
• Quordle #1078, Monday 6 January: PIVOT, WOOLY, GRUNT, GROOM
• Quordle #1077, Sunday 5 January: BORAX, JUDGE, CADET, SALON
• Quordle #1076, Saturday 4 January: CORER, CRATE, QUASI, EXIST
• Quordle #1075, Friday 3 January: PERKY, QUARK, NAVEL, SHEEN
• Quordle #1074, Thursday 2 January: UNIFY, SWORE, DEPOT, INTRO
• Quordle #1073, Wednesday 1 January: CLING, SUITE, WORRY, TONIC
• Quordle #1072, Tuesday 31 December: PLUMP, TUBER, IRATE, ICILY
• Quordle #1071, Monday 30 December: TODDY, GROIN, GROWN, VERVE
• Quordle #1070, Sunday 29 December: PURER, SPLAT, RABID, EMCEE

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #321) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… O ___! My ___!

NYT Strands today (game #321) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• READ
• BISON
• PANT
• NUDE
• ANGER
• TORA

NYT Strands today (game #321) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Leader of the gang

NYT Strands today (game #321) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 6th row

Last side: right, 5th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #321) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #321, are…

• PLANET
• HOOK
• CRUNCH
• OBVIOUS
• KANGAROO
• UNDERPANTS
• SPANGRAM: CAPTAIN

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 hints

An intriguing theme today and it wasn’t until I saw HOOK that I cottoned on to the OBVIOUS.

I also experienced a bit of puzzling deja-vu and I’m convinced these words have appeared in Connections or Strands before – which is the only way I could possibly know about Captain KANGAROO. This niche kids TV character with the catchphrase “good morning Captain” didn’t penetrate the world beyond the USA.

Maybe if I’d seen UNDERPANTS sooner, I wouldn’t have struggled so much.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, 17 January, game #320)

• MILLENNIAL
• ALPHA
• BOOMER
• ZOOMER
• GREATEST
• SPANGRAM: GENERATION GAP

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

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CES 2025 has come and gone with no official confirmation of the possible AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT flagship graphics card, though there is somewhat of a confirmation of RDNA 4 graphics cards.

Though AMD didn't have time to properly elaborate on RDNA 4 during its 45-minute CES 2025 keynote, according to Frank Azor (AMD’s head of consumer and gaming marketing), we know now that the tech is coming.

This especially applies to the RX 9070 XT, which most likely will compete with Nvidia's RTX 5070. It'll be exciting to see what this card has to offer in terms of performance and official pricing. But for now, we'll keep an ear to the ground for the latest news and rumors, and bring them all in one place to keep you up to date on the latest developments.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: Cut to the chase

(Image credit: YouTube / Michael Quesada)

• What is it? The possible AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU
• How much does it cost? Unknown at this time, as it hasn't been officially announced
• When can I get it? This has also yet to be officially announced, though there are rumors of a late January pre-order date for RDNA 4 cards.

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AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: Release date rumors

(Image credit: AMD)

While there's no concrete news concerning a release date for the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, there are rumors of a general RDNA 4 pre-order date set for January 23.

The dates allegedly came from B&H Photo putting up early listings for some Asus RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT graphics cards (TUF and Prime models). Luckily the listings were screenshotted by longtime hardware leaker @momomo_us before they were removed.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: Specs

(Image credit: AMD)

There haven't been any clear cut leaks, rumors, or reports about the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT's performance, or the performance of RDNA 4 in general. We can surmise, however, that the card won't be a 4K powerhouse thanks to its price point range.

The previous hope was that the flagship RDNA 4 GPU would be slightly faster than the 7900 XT. However, it seems to be slightly slower according to All The Watts (though take that with a grain of salt).

While it sounds rather risky in the face of Nvidia's own high-end 5000-series cards, not targeting that market makes sense from a business standpoint as the vast majority of gamers are playing on 1080p resolution, with some gaming on 1440p. Instead, AMD could be reaching for an overall much larger target audience by scaling back on the performance and therefore the price.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: What to expect

Right now there isn't much concrete news on the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card and on the RDNA 4 at large, due to AMD not having the time to elaborate on it during its CES 2025 conference.

While there are plenty of rumors and a few scant official details including a possible preorder date - the latter thanks to an interview and retailer leaks - we don't have a clear picture as to what this card will be like right now in terms of exact pricing, specs, and performance.

Hopefully AMD will give us the low down on the RX 9070 XT and any other RDNA 4-powered graphics cards in the future.

Honor’s latest flagship phone is a refined marriage of hardware and AI-infused software.

• Researchers say criminals are hiding malware in images hosted on reputable websites
• At least two different groups were seen deploying two types of infostealers
• The campaigns abuse an ancient Excel flaw, HP Wolf Security claims

Hackers are hiding malware in website images to go unnoticed and compromise as many computers as possible, experts have warned.

A new Threat Insights Report from HP Wolf Security, based on data from millions of endpoints, claims there are currently large campaigns active spreading VIP Keylogger and 0bj3ctivityStealer. Since the same techniques and loaders are used in both, the researchers suspect two groups are using the same malware kits to deliver different payloads.

“In both campaigns, attackers hid the same malicious code in images on file hosting websites like archive.org, as well as using the same loader to install the final payload,” the researchers explained. “Such techniques help attackers circumvent detection, as image files appear benign when downloaded from well-known websites, bypassing network security like web proxies that rely on reputation.”

Throwing GenAI into the mix

The attack starts with a phishing email pretending to be an invoice, or purchase order. The attachment is usually an Excel document designed to exploit CVE-2017-11882, an ancient bug in the Equation Editor, to download a VBScript file.

Alex Holland, Principal Threat Researcher in the HP Security Lab, said phishing kits, paired with Generative AI (GenAI) tools, have significantly lowered the barrier to entry, exacerbating the ever-present risk of malware: “This allows groups to concentrate on tricking their targets and picking the best payload for the job – for instance by targeting gamers with malicious cheat repositories.”

Discussing GenAI, the researchers said miscreants are using it to create malicious HTML documents. They also identified an XWorm remote access trojan (RAT) campaign initiated by HTML smuggling, which contained malicious code that downloads and runs the malware.

The loader was quite obviously written by an AI, they added, since it included a line-by-line description and the design of the HTML page.

Both VIP Keylogger and 0bj3ctivityStealer are infostealer malware which record, and exfiltrate, sensitive information such as passwords, cryptocurrency wallet information, sensitive files, and more.

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