• Final Cut Pro 11 for Mac and Final Cut Pro for iPad 2.1 are available now
• The anticipated auto captions features is now on the Mac
• Upgrades include AI boosts plus a new version of Final Cut Camera

Alongside brand new versions of Logic Pro for the Mac and iPad – and a few weeks after Apple dropped new Macs and teased a forthcoming version of its pro video editor – the technology giant has officially dropped Final Cut Pro 11, Final Cut Pro for iPad 2.1, plus some major updates to Final Cut Camera.

Much like Logic Pro for iPad’s major update in May 2024 and the rollout of Apple Intelligence, these latest updates circle around AI. Well, AI and delivering on many features requested from users. We have a hunch that many of these will make Final Cut Pro fans – either on the Mac or iPad – plenty happy.

Final Cut Pro 11 on the Mac is ushering in a number of AI-powered features that use Apple’s own on-device language model and the Neural Engine of M1, M2, M3, and M4-powered Macs.

One of the most anticipated after a tease when Apple unveiled the Mac mini is Transcribe to Captions, which, as the name suggests, lets you automatically create accurate captions in an instant. Closed captions will appear after processing the video, and Final Cut Pro does this on-device with Apple’s language model.

(Image credit: Apple)

Transcribe to Captions joins Magic Mask, which can automatically select and highlight people or objects. This might eliminate the need for rotoscoping or setting up a green screen, among other more time-consuming edits like color correction.

If you have an Apple Vision Pro or dream of producing a film for the wearable spatial computer, Final Cut Pro can now edit spatial videos. While this was first teased back at WWDC 2024, the ability to edit and create Spatial Videos for playback on Apple Vision Pro is now shipping with Final Cut Pro 11.

You’ll be able to import footage from an iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as a Canon EOS R7 with Canon’s RF-S7.8mm F4 STM DUAL lens.

(Image credit: Apple)

On the iPad, Final Cut Pro for iPad 2.1 brings four new tools to one of the most unique experiences for the touch-first video editing solution. Live Drawing, which lets you easily create video animations with an Apple Pencil, has new watercolor, crayon, fountain, and monoline pen options to express yourself better. Additionally, like on the Mac, there are new transitions, title cards, color presets, sound effects, and video effects within Final Cut.

When adding clips to the timeline or browsing it, you can now pinch-to-zoom with your fingers to adjust the clip height. With an Apple Pencil Pro, you’ll now feel haptics based on whatever you’re adjusting – this is long-awaited, especially if you invested in Apple's flagship stylus.

Last but not least, Final Cut Camera is getting some long-request features. For starters, it now has a level with roll and tilt indicators to ensure you get the best shot possible from any angle. Plus, if you’re using this to capture footage on an iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max, you can now record at up to 4K resolution at 120 frames per second.

(Image credit: Apple)

This latest update also allows you to record Log-encoded HEVC video when shooting with just one or multiple devices, and you can enable a LUT – lookup table – preview simultaneously.

While not a complete redesign or major change to Final Cut Pro, these updates across Final Cut Pro for Mac and iPad and Final Cut Camera for iPhone will likely make a big difference. They seek to help folks speed up workflows and edits and answer the call for some directly requested features.

You'll get these updates for free if you already have Final Cut Pro for Mac or iPad. However, if you’re new, you must pay or subscribe. Final Cut Pro 11 for the Mac is $299; on the iPad, it’s $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. Final Cut Camera is still a free app for the iPhone.

You Might Also Like...

• I sat inside an Afeela and I am so ready for this Sony Honda Mobility EV future
• Apple's latest Logic Pro for Mac and iPad update simplifies things and recreates an iconic reverb effect
• Apple iMovie vs Apple Final Cut Pro: which should you choose?

• Google has launched a standalone Gemini app on iPhone
• The app gives iPhone users access to Gemini Live
• This new Gemini app is the best way to experience Google AI on iOS

Google has unveiled a standalone iPhone Gemini app that includes support for Gemini Live, the incredibly smart AI voice mode.

Gemini was previously available via the Google app for iOS by clicking through tabs, but now this standalone version makes it incredibly easy to access Google's AI chatbot whenever you want.

The Gemini app has iOS-specific features like Dynamic Island integration and even supports Gemini Extensions for apps like Gmail, allowing you to ask Gemini questions about your inbox.

Earlier this week, the app appeared on the App Store in the Philippines but now users around the world can get a taste of everything Gemini has to offer.

Free to download from the App Store, you can subscribe to Gemini Advanced for more features via an in-app purchase which costs $18.99 / £18.99 / roughly AU$30. With Gemini Advanced you can take advantage of Gemini Live, one of the most impressive AI voice assistants we've tested so far.

Gemini Live on iPhone

(Image credit: Google)

Gemini Live works very well in our initial testing of the Gemini iOS app. It has seamless Dynamic Island and Lock Screen integration so you can quickly interact with AI without opening the app, and it's very responsive to even the most difficult prompts.

Gemini Live's natural voice is seriously impressive and considering we're still waiting for Siri to take its final Apple Intelligence form, this could be the go-to for a lot of people looking for the ideal virtual assistant for the best iPhones.

You might also like...

• Gemini AI starts riding shotgun on Google Maps
• Google's next-gen Gemini 2.0 AI model is rumored to be launching in December
• Gemini will soon call and text for you, without you needing to unlock your phone

• Watch parties are now available in YouTube VR
• You'll all need to own paid content to watch it together
• You can't watch 360 video together yet

VR gaming, like gaming in general, is always more fun with friends. Hopping into Just Dance VR is fine, but taking it on in a multiplayer session – either online or for couch co-op – is a much more enjoyable experience. The same is true for Walkabout Mini Golf and Beat Saber – and now you can also enjoy shared experiences when watching movies or other content in the YouTube VR app.

Whether it’s watching a 4K movie or your favorite YouTube Short, it’s now possible to host a YouTube watch party with up to seven other guests at the push of a button – no matter where you all happen to be (though it will need to be somewhere with an internet connection).

You’ll want to boot up the free YouTube app on your Meta Quest 3 or Quest 3S (after installing it if you haven’t already), then look above the screen to see the co-watch icon (it looks like a person-shaped outline flanked by two silhouettes), and click it to start your watch party.

From there you can invite people from your followers list – provided you follow each other – by sending them a notification. Once they accept they'll join your virtual group, and then you can decide what you all want to watch.

There are a few restrictions to note, however. As mentioned you’ll have to be following each other, and it's important to note that you want to watch paid-for YouTube content everyone in the party will have to pay for it separately – so you can’t get away with splitting a single rental fee.

Additionally, full-360-degree immersive video is not yet supported, which is a shame as these 3D experiences are among my favorite ways to use the YouTube VR app. Hopefully it'll be added in the near future, but for now I'm excited to start some watch parties with YouTube's huge catalog of 2D content.

You might also like

• Meta Quest 3 vs Meta Quest 3S: which Meta headset is right for you?
• Pico 4 Ultra VS Meta Quest 3: the battle of the best mid-range VR headsets
• Meta's canceled Quest Pro 2 could pave the way for a major VR headset redesign

Watching old episodes of ER won't make you a doctor, but watching videos may be all the training a robotic surgeon's AI brain needs to sew you up after a procedure. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University have published a new paper showing off a surgical robot as capable as a human in carrying out some procedures after simply watching humans do so.

The research team tested their idea with the popular da Vinci Surgical System, which is often used for non-invasive surgery. Programming robots usually requires manually inputting every movement that you want them to make. The researchers bypassed this using imitation learning, a technique that implanted human-level surgical skills in the robots by letting them observe how humans do it.

The researchers put together hundreds of videos recorded from wrist-mounted cameras demonstrating how human doctors do three particular tasks: needle manipulation, tissue lifting, and suturing. The researchers essentially used the kind of training ChatGPT and other AI models use, but instead of text, the model absorbed information about the way human hands and the tools they are holding move. This kinematic data essentially turns movement into math the model can apply to carry out the procedures upon request. After watching the videos, the AI model could use the da Vinci platform to mimic the same techniques. It's not too dissimilar from how Google is experimenting with teaching AI-powered robots to navigate spaces and complete tasks by showing them videos.

Surgical AI

"It's really magical to have this model and all we do is feed it camera input and it can predict the robotic movements needed for surgery. We believe this marks a significant step forward toward a new frontier in medical robotics," senior author and JHU assistant professor Axel Krieger said in a release. "The model is so good learning things we haven't taught it. Like if it drops the needle, it will automatically pick it up and continue. This isn't something I taught it do."

The idea of an AI-controlled robot holding blades and needles around your body might sound scary, but the precision of machines can make them better in some cases than human doctors. Robotic surgery is increasingly common in some instances. A robot performing complex procedures independently might actually be safer, with fewer medical errors. Human doctors could have more time and energy to focus on unexpected complications and the more difficult parts of a surgery that machines aren't up to handling yet.

The researchers have plans to test using the same techniques to teach an AI how to do a complete surgery. They're not alone in pursuing the idea of AI-assisted robotic healthcare. Earlier this year, AI dental technology developer Perceptive showcased the success of an AI-guided robot performing a dental procedure on a human without supervision.

You might also like

• Please open wide for your AI-powered robot dentist
• Google's AI robots are learning from watching movies – just like the rest of us
• AI could be the prescription that healthcare systems need so desperately

The search involving Shayne Coplan, the founder of Polymarket, known for its presidential election odds, was part of a criminal investigation, three people said.

• UK carrier O2 has created an AI grandma that will trap scammers in meandering conversations to waste as much of their time as possible
• Daisy is trained on real anonymized scammer data in partnership with well-known scambaiter Jim Browning of the YouTube channel Tech Support Scams
• New survey reveals that 7 in 10 (71%) of people in the UK would like to get their own back against scammers that have tried to trick them or their loved ones.

You might not have thought it possible, but grandmas will be leading the AI revolution and fighting back against scammers. We’re talking about Daisy (also written dAIsy), the AI grandma created by UK carrier O2 to trap scammers into a long and futile conversation, so they waste as much time as possible on the phone as they try to get her to input her bank details into her computer.

If you listen to dAIsy working her AI-magic on scammers in the video below you'll be able to hear that she is indistinguishable from a human and responds to the scammers by playing into people’s preconceptions about senior citizens not being comfortable with technology. Scammers become increasingly frustrated as they try and try to get her to enter a fake web address into her browser, or enter her personal information, only to have to endure long and meandering conversations that ultimately lead to nowhere.

Thanks Grandma

Daisy isn’t an AI feature you can add to your personal phone account, rather it is a phone number that O2 Virgin Media has managed to get added to a list of online ‘mugs lists’ used by scammers targeting UK consumers. dAIsy is available to answer the phone to scammers no matter what time they call, 24/7. Her goal is to keep the scammers on the phone for as long as possible so that they have less time to ply their treacherous trade against real people.

Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud at Virgin Media O2, said: “We’re committed to playing our part in stopping the scammers, investing in everything from firewall technology to block out scam texts to AI-powered spam call detection to keep our customers safe. But crucially, Daisy is also a reminder that no matter how persuasive someone on the other end of the phone may be, they aren’t always who you think they are."

O2 Virgin Media has set up a webpage offering tips, tricks, and advice on dealing with scammers. A recent survey by the company revealed that 7 in 10 (71%) of people in the UK would like to get revenge on scammers who have tried to trick them, or their loved ones. But why waste your own time when a convincing chatbot with all the time in the world can help fight back against scammers?

You might also like...

• Scammers are using fake copyright infringement claims to hack businesses
• Microsoft teams up with the Vatican to bring an AI experience of St Peter’s Basilica to the masses
• Why 2025 will be the year of the AI smart glasses

Whether you’re a singer or songwriter, in a band, a musician, or a podcaster, there is a good chance that you use Logic Pro on the Mac or iPad to produce, edit, and eventually export. Apple gave Logic Pro a significant upgrade in May alongside new iPads and truly infused it with AI in the form of session players.

Now, though, with Logic Pro for Mac 11.1 and Logic Pro for iPad 2.1, Apple’s expanding on some core capabilities and adding a plugin with some historical significance – at least in the music industry.

A bevy of new features, led by the Quantec Room Simulator plug-in, are rolling out today as a free update for both platforms. First, a bit of a history lesson on the Quantec Room Simulator – it’s built from the original documentation and algorithms of the physical piece of hardware created by Wolfgang Buchleitner, which enables a distinct and accurate reverb adjustment. It’s been used by countless artists, including Peter Gabriel, who uses it at live shows for building harmonic drones and on records including Passion and Us.

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple essentially acquired the tech to rebuild the Quantec Room Simulator as a plugin that’s now included with Logic Pro for Mac and iPad. This lets you add natural-sounding effects to anything – be it spoken word, music, or even foley sounds. There are two routes for using it: one that is more vintage and one that is updated modern.

Beyond the Quantec Room Simulator plug-in, Logic Pro is getting “Reorder Mixer Channels” that allow you to rearrange various strips individually or in groups. You can also add your own personal sounds on the iPad via Sample Folders, which can pull from connected storage, the Files app, or iCloud Drive. You can now more easily search for plug-ins on the Mac thanks to a new categorization. These are some handy additions that should let you make the most of Logic Pro, either by using the built-in tools or pulling from other sources.

The Quantec Room Simulator will also be one to try out, and of course, a Logic Pro update wouldn't be complete without some new sounds. To fill that need, Apple’s also adding a Modular Melodies Synth Pack at no additional cost.

Of course, if you’re new to Logic Pro for Mac or iPad, there is a cost associated with it. On the Mac, it’s a one-time purchase of $199.99 in the United States, and on the iPad, it’s either $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. These updates are now rolling out with Logic Pro for Mac 11.1 and Logic Pro for iPad 2.1.

You might also like

• Logic Pro 2 is a reminder that Apple's AI ambitions aren't just about chatbots
• iOS 18.2 could land a week earlier than expected, and it'll include big Apple Intelligence updates
• You can try new Apple Intelligence features like Genmoji, Image Playground, and ChatGPT in Siri today with launch of new public betas
• Apple Intelligence’s Genmoji is already a huge hit as custom emoji pack sharing goes viral on TikTok

• Xiamoi might be entering the smart glasses market, according to a new report.
• The rumored glasses will look to undercut the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.
• These should offer a similar feature set with cameras built-in.

The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are among the best smart glasses (and the best AI wearable in general) around. They have a sleek, stylish shape and solid Meta AI integration (with helpful tools like Look and Ask, which rely on the glasses’ camera). But they aren’t cheap, which is where these rumored Xiaomi smart glasses might come in.

Per a report from Chinese media outlet 36Kr, industry insiders have said that Xiaomi will launch AI glasses that will "fully benchmark against Meta Ray-Ban," – suggesting they’ll pack all the same tools and features. This would include a version of the Xiaomi AI – which looks awfully similar to Apple Intelligence if you ask us – but also the cameras and built-in speakers.

There’s no precise word on how much they’ll cost when they launch, but Xiaomi is known for producing more affordable tech than its better-known rivals, so we expect its smart specs to start at less than Meta Ray-Ban’s $299 / £299 / AU$449 starting price.

Not a surprise, not a guarantee

Though, we shouldn’t have to wait too long to find out precisely how much the Xiaomi glasses cost, with industry insiders claiming they’ll arrive in Q2 2025. The Mi Fan Festival is usually held in April, which, as 36Kr notes, would align with this schedule, so perhaps the 2025 Fan Festival will be where we see these AI glasses in action.

Obviously, as with all rumors, we should take this leak with a pinch of salt. What’s more, even if these glasses turn out to be real and arrive next year, there’s a non-zero chance they’ll be exclusive to China and/or Asia.

Considering the Ray-Ban Meta glasses continue to prove wildly popular, we would be surprised if the Xiaomi specs were the only AI glasses to arrive in 2025. As Xiaomi, Apple, Google, Amazon, and others continue to push AI advancements, it makes sense for them to push out AI accessories to rival the Ray-Ban Meta glasses – and hopefully, this competition means better prices for us.

You might also like

• Goodbye, Google Glass, you were my favorite gadget mistake
• Meta announces Orion, its first fully functional AR glasses prototype
• Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are getting even more AI features, like live language translations and Meta AI for live video

Did a fun event involving cute dogs turn into a pump-and-dump scheme?

• Edge now auto-starts in Windows 11, nudging users to set it as their default
• Prompts and persistent notifications make dismissing Edge harder
• Microsoft’s aggressive push for Edge and its other products persists, despite backlash from users

In a disappointing (but not entirely surprising) move, the Edge web browser has started to open automatically in Windows 11, ignoring users’ default choices and urging them to use it as their default browser. Something similar happened at the beginning of the year, with users noticing that Microsoft was seemingly helping itself to their Chrome data to try and steer them in Edge’s direction.

There was a backlash when it happened, and while Microsoft did remedy the issue the first time, it looks a lot like history might be repeating itself.

According to Neowin, Edge is apparently automatically starting for some users, suggesting that they ‘enhance’ their browsing experience with Copilot. Copilot is the AI assistant that Microsoft debuted a short while ago, claiming that it could be an all-purpose digital assistant that will help you do all kinds of tasks and activities on your PC. However, it looks like Microsoft is struggling to get its users to be as enthusiastic about Copilot as it is.

In the notification that takes over the screen, originally spotted by The Verge, the option to import your data from the browser you use regularly is ticked automatically and all you have to do is click ‘Confirm and continue.’ This was shown to users automatically, and it’s also not obvious how you can navigate away from the message without agreeing to change your web browser to Edge. This seems to have been deliberately designed, with the only way to get out of the process being a faint small ‘x’ in the top right corner.

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to The Verge that it was a deliberate strategy, stating:

“This is a notification giving people the choice to import data from other browsers. There is an option to turn it off.”

Neowin points out that if you wanted to stop this from happening repeatedly, you would have to open Edge, close all reminders in there prodding for you to share your data, sign into your Microsoft account, and only then be able to turn off autostart.

(Image credit: Microsoft) Microsoft: the great nag of the software world

Unfortunately, this is pretty in line with Microsoft’s previous behavior when it comes to trying to convert users to Edge. It showed pop-up ads on the official Chrome website and created a survey to find out why users are choosing Chrome over Edge, which some people felt was a rather pushy way of getting people to change their minds about Edge.

Microsoft’s rivals in the browser game, as well as consumer rights advocacy groups, have not been happy about Microsoft’s heavy-handed approach to trying to get users to stick with Edge, and have brought their complaints to regulators, but this hasn’t changed Microsoft’s mind.

It doesn’t even seem like this has resulted in Edge gaining many new users, so it doesn’t seem like this approach is paying off. I don’t see Microsoft changing course until regulatory bodies get involved, though I would guess that Microsoft might put an end to this specific Edge push and just try again, perhaps in some other way, in a few months.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...

• Windows 11’s latest update might finally make choosing default apps easier (looking at you, Edge)
• Microsoft promises Windows 11’s Edge browser will become “very fast” – but will it be enough to beat Chrome?
• Microsoft Edge gets "unfair advantage", browser makers claim

He’s on the patio. He’s on the golf course. Everywhere Donald Trump looks, there is the world’s richest man.

As Bitcoin soars to record highs, cryptocurrency executives are maneuvering to influence Donald J. Trump’s transition and secure their policy goals.

Artificial intelligence has become a subject for people in the art and theater worlds who are worried about being replaced by it.

The new agreement, which builds on an earlier announcement, calls for the German automaker to invest $5.8 billion in Rivian, a maker of electric vehicles.

When asked about whether President-elect Donald Trump would prevent a TikTok ban in the United States, a spokeswoman told The New York Times: “He will deliver.”

A supersmart musical about making a connection arrives on Broadway in a joyful, heartbreaking, cutting-edge production.

A low-stress video game that’s cleansing in more than one sense.

• A new AI exhibition lets you visit the Vatican online for free
• The collaboration uses AI and photogrammetry to preserve St Peter's Basilica
• The project is in celebration of the 2025 Holy Year Jubilee

Microsoft has teamed up with the Vatican to bring St Peter’s Basilica online using the power of AI, enabling people anywhere in the world to visit the famous religious site without leaving home.

The La Basilica di San Pietro experience is a collaboration between the Vatican, Iconem (a startup specializing in the digitalization of cultural heritage sites), and Microsoft, allowing unprecedented access to the Vatican City’s most famous church. Visitors will have access to two AI-enabled immersive exhibits of the Basilica and an interactive website.

The project is in celebration of the 2025 Holy Year Jubilee and hopes to make the iconic structure and artwork more accessible worldwide. The official site says, “The Pétros enì exhibit will give the 35 million pilgrims in Rome an immersive, in-person experience of a lifetime, and it will also help more than a billion Catholics unable to make the trip feel like they’re in the moment.”

At the time of writing, the link to access the AI version of St Peter’s Basilica requires a Microsoft work or school account, but we expect access to be expanded sooner rather than later and will update this article in due course.

The launch trailer shows the work that has gone into recreating the incredible landmark using AI and photogrammetry, and it’s seriously impressive. Iconem, a company focused on digital preservation, was able to use AI and advanced photogrammetry (using 2D images to create a 3D model) to create an incredibly realistic 3D replica of the Basilica in just a month.

Iconem took over 400,000 high-resolution images and scanned the whole church using drones, cameras, and lasers, with all the data backed up to Microsoft’s Azure Cloud. From there, the website explains, the company created an “ultra-precise 3D model, or a digital twin of the Basilica. AI-generated imagery taken from Iconem’s photogrammetry data enhanced visualization of both the interior and exterior of the Basilica, allowing visitors to explore every intricate detail from anywhere in the world.”

Microsoft didn’t just provide Azure Cloud, however, the company was at the core of the AI tech used by Iconem to recreate St Peter’s Basilica. The website adds: “Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab contributed advanced tools that refined the digital twin with millimeter-level accuracy and used AI to help detect and map structural vulnerabilities like cracks and missing mosaic tiles. The Vatican oversaw the collaboration, ensuring the preservation of the Basilica as a cultural, spiritual, and historically significant site for years to come.”

What does the future hold for AI tourism?

This impressive collaboration between one of the world’s most visited tourist destinations and tech companies is just a glimpse at what the future could hold for AI tourism. This same process could be replicated for any major landmark, giving more people the opportunity to access them, without the barrier to entry of cost or accessibility.

For many, Rome is a bucket-list destination, but flying there from anywhere outside of Europe can be expensive. With this new AI exhibition letting Catholics and tourists alike visit St Peter’s Basilica, it’s another example of an AI tourism revolution that makes bucket-list travel something you can experience at home with a computer or a VR headset.

You might also like

• I asked Bing to plan my vacation
• I've been using a work laptop with a dedicated Copilot key
• Best travel camera

• The new changes in Windows 11’s settings aim to streamline how users select their default apps, addressing longstanding complaints about the difficulty of switching from Microsoft’s default programs
• Microsoft’s insistence on setting Edge as the default for certain link types, like hyperlinks in Outlook and Teams, has caused frustration among users and app developers. Microsoft claims this was meant to improve workflow, but it has spurred criticism about limiting user choice
• This update, discovered by Windows observer Albacore in a Windows 11 preview build, is still in development. Microsoft’s willingness to adjust the default app settings could signal a shift toward more user-friendly options, though it remains to be seen if the final implementation will fully address user concerns

Microsoft has taken to redesigning Windows 11’s settings for its default apps, bringing changes to how people choose their preferred apps in the operating system (OS). This will affect apps that automatically open certain types of files or web links. It’s suspected to have to do with Microsoft’s reluctance to let users pick an app not made by the company, such as using the Chrome web browser instead of Microsoft Edge, for example.

The tech giant has been fairly forceful in trying to steer users towards its own browser that comes installed on new Windows 10 or 11. It’s become a common point of complaint for users, as lots of us have own own apps that we prefer to use.

Microsoft is also sometimes suspected of making it hard to change what apps you use by default. Neowin found evidence that indicates that Microsoft deliberately added parts to its software to make modifications when users change their default apps. When speaking to Neowin in May 2023, Microsoft expalined that it added a modification that defaulted hyperlinks included in messages in Outlook and Teams to be opened with Edge. Apparently, this was meant to improve users’ workflow.

This position by Microsoft has triggered complaints from other software companies and individual users alike, which Neowin describes in-depth, as some feel the company has an unfair advantage. Luckily, it looks like Microsoft might actually be listening to these complains and making some user interface (UI) changes in the page about default app choices in the Settings app.

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Mojahid Mottakin) We expect to see new default-app related settings soon

The development was discovered and shared by X user and eager Windows observer Albacore, who often shares peeks of the newest additions and changes in Windows 11. This is a part of a recently released Windows 11 version 24H2 preview build (build number KB5045885), which was released in the Dev Channel of the Windows Insider Program.

Configuring default apps is getting an overhaul. It's a mess of placeholders and broken viewmodels at the moment, all very early. pic.twitter.com/C3Pg7Pm9MKNovember 10, 2024

The change is still in development, with the rest of the new page in the Settings app being mostly filled with placeholder labels such as one titled "Set a default for a file type or link type."

If Microsoft fleshes this out, it could be seen as evidence that the company is still thinking about the user experience of its products. People want to be able to customize their user experience, and it can be especially annoying when Microsoft puts artificial blocks to changes to force people to use apps that they might not want to. We’ll have to see if Microsoft’s efforts bear fruit or if they fall by the wayside as the Windows 11 preview build makes its way with testers.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...

• End of an era: Microsoft is planning to phase out Windows 11’s Mail and Calendar apps by the end of this year
• Microsoft reportedly sabotaged Windows 95 and 98's Control Panel, or it looks that way – is this a worrying revelation?
• Windows 11 update fails are becoming a joke – but it looks like Microsoft is working hard on fixing them

The Washington Post has unveiled a new AI chatbot called "Ask The Post AI," which aims to answer user questions accurately by relying on the newspaper's content. The new AI chatbot follows the Climate Answers chatbot, which the publication released earlier this year. Unlike the climate journalism-focused Climate Answers, Ask the Post culls its answers from anything published since 2016.

The AI uses algorithmic ranking to match answers to questions and ensure they are relevant. Like Climate Answers, the new AI chatbot enforces strict guardrails on how it responds. If there aren't any articles it defines as worth citing, it won't answer the question at all. That way, it avoids any compulsion by the AI to hallucinate or provide wrong answers. The AI will just say it can't answer at all.

Interactive AI Journalism

“This is the next chapter in building habits for our next generation of users,” Washington Post chief technology officer Vineet Khosla explained in a blog post. “The changed search experience across the industry calls for us to meet the moment and meet audiences how, when and where they want to be served with an updated user experience.”

"Ask The Post AI" arrives as The Washington Post has seen an uptick in interest from readers on its post-2016 coverage. The heightened reader engagement combined with new AI tools might serve to draw in and keep new readers as well. Along with Climate Answers, The Washington Post has been testing several other AI tools, including AI-generated audio recordings of news articles and AI-written summaries of articles.

There's an obvious appeal for streamlined information access that supplies reliable answers without long research in the archives. Similar tools will likely crop up at the intersection of AI and news media elsewhere. For instance, Meta and Reuters have partnered to supply Meta AI with information from Reuters articles.

You Might Also Like

• This AI chatbot will answer all your climate change questions
• Meta AI is now a Reuters newsboy
• Character.ai lets you talk to your favorite (synthetic) people on the phone – which isn't weird at all