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OpenAI servers experienced mass downtime yesterday, causing chaos among its most loyal users for well over 10 hours.For six hours straight, I sat at my desk live-blogging the fiasco here on TechRadar, trying to give as many updates as possible to an outage that felt, for many, as if they had lost a piece of themselves.You see, I write about consumer AI, highlighting all the best ways to use AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Apple Intelligence, yet outside of work, these incredibly impressive platforms have yet to truly make an impact on my life.As someone who’s constantly surrounded by AI news, whether that’s the launch of new Large Language Models or the latest all-encompassing artificial intelligence hardware, the last thing I want to do outside of work is use AI. The thing is, the more AI develops at this rapid pace, the more impossible it becomes to turn a blind eye to the abilities that it unlocks.In the creative world, you’ll stumble across more AI skeptics than people who shout from the rooftops about how great it is. And that’s understandable, there’s a fear of how AI will impact the jobs of journalists like me, and there’s also a disdain for the sanitized world it’s creating via AI-slop or robotically-written copy.But the same skepticism often overlooks the positives of this ever-evolving technology that gives humans new ways to work, collect their thoughts, and create.After six hours of live blogging and thousands of readers reaching out with their worries surrounding the ChatGPT server chaos, as well as discussing what they use the chatbot for, I’ve come away with a completely new perspective on AI.Yes, there are scary elements; the unknown is always scary, but there are people who are truly benefiting from AI, and some in ways that had never even crossed my mind.More than a chatbotAn hour into live blogging the ChatGPT outage, and I was getting bored of repeating, “It’s still down” in multiple different ways. That was when I had an idea: if so many people were reading the article, they must care enough to share their own reasons for doing so.Within minutes of asking readers for their opinions on the ChatGPT outage, my inbox was inundated with people from around the globe telling me how hard it was to cope without access to their trusty OpenAI-powered chatbot.From Canada to New Zealand, Malaysia to the Netherlands, ChatGPT users shared their worries and explained why AI means so much to them.Some relied on ChatGPT to study, finding it almost impossible to get homework done without access to the chatbot. Others used ChatGPT to help them with online dating, discussing conversations from apps like Tinder or Hinge to ensure the perfect match. And a lot of people reached out to say that they spent hours a day speaking with ChatGPT, filling a void, getting help with rationalizing thoughts, and even helping them to sleep at night.One reader wrote me a long email, which they prefaced by saying, “I haven’t written an email without AI in months, so I’m sorry if what I’m trying to say is a bit all over the place.”Those of us who don’t interact with AI on a regular basis have a basic understanding of what it can do, often simplifying its ability down to answering questions (often wrongly), searching the web, creating images, or writing like a robot.But that’s such an unfair assessment of AI and the way that people use it in the real world. From using ChatGPT to help with coding, allowing people who have never been able to build a program an opportunity to do so, to giving those who can’t afford a professional outlet for their thoughts a place to speak, ChatGPT is more capable than many want to accept.(Image credit: Shutterstock/Rokas Tenys)ChatGPT and other AI tools are giving people all around the world access to something that, when used correctly, can completely change their lives, whether that’s by unlocking their productivity or by bringing them comfort.There’s a deeply rooted fear of AI in the world, and rightfully so. After all, we hear on a regular basis how artificial intelligence will replace us in our jobs, take away human creativity, and mark the beginning of the robot uprising.But would we collectively accept it more if those fears were answered? If the billionaires at the top were to focus on highlighting how AI will improve the lives of the billions of people struggling to cope in this hectic world?AI should be viewed as the key to unlocking human creativity, freeing up our time, and letting us do less of the mundane and more of enjoying our short time on this planet. Instead, the AI renaissance feels like a way to make us work harder, not smarter, and with that comes an intense amount of skepticism.After seeing just how much ChatGPT has impacted the lives of so many, I can’t help but feel like AI not only deserves less criticism, but it deserves more of an understanding. It’s not all black and white, AI has its flaws, of course it does, but it’s also providing real practical help to millions of people like nothing I've seen before.You might also likeThis is what really happened with Siri and Apple Intelligence, according to AppleThe 7 big Apple Intelligence announcements from WWDC 2025OpenAI's high-minded approach to AI-human relationships ignores reality

Apple's WWDC is here and with it comes some of the company's biggest operational developments — along with confirmation of when you can check them out in beta. This year's WWDC brings the awaited news of a visual overhaul that is platform-wide, with changes like round icons on the home screen and Control Center.

The company has launched its first major redesign since iOS 7, calling it "our broadest design update ever." The new uniform design across all devices includes a new material called liquid glass. This translucent design theme shows up across OSes on widgets, icons and even through a new all-clear mode, available alongside the light and dark modes.

Apple has further confirmed the rumors that it's changing the names of its operating systems. So, instead of getting the iOS 19 this fall, it will be the iOS 26, representing Apple's system for the year ahead. The same is true for all other devices' operating systems, like the iPadOS 26, MacOS 26 and so on. However, Apple is sticking with its California-themed names for MacOS, naming the next version Tahoe.

WWDC has revealed a range of iOS 26 updates, including typing indicators for group chats and live translations on iMessage, FaceTime and calls, even if the other person doesn't have an iPhone.

So, when can you see some of these changes for yourself? Betas for all of Apple’s platforms (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS and tvOS) are available today through the Apple Developer Program, while a public beta should roll our next month through the Apple Beta Software Program. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apples-ios-26-public-beta-is-available-next-month-180213623.html?src=rss

It's been five years since the Steven Universe saga ended, via a final season and movie that took the story into the future. Now, it's coming back, according to a report by Deadline. Prime Video is working on a sequel series, with franchise creator Rebecca Sugar in tow as an executive producer (and hopefully as a songwriter.)

This doesn't look to be a straight sequel series, in that the focus is shifting away from Steven, the Crystal Gems and Beach City. Instead, the tentatively-titled Steven Universe: Lars of the Stars will follow punk rock slacker Lars Barriga and his ragtag band of space pirates.

Spoiler time: Just about every character got a cool arc in the main series, but Lars was one of the standouts. He started as a selfish jerk stuck at a dead-end job, but finished the show as the captain of an actual starship trying to make a difference in the universe.

Deadline says the new episodes will follow the "space outlaw as he and his pirate crew smuggle contraband, evade the authorities and uncover the darkest secrets of the fallen Gem Empire." So this looks to be a series that will largely take place in space, exploring the fallout of the final episodes of the main show. We don't know which, if any, of Steven Universe's main characters will show up or in what capacity.

The news was revealed by Sugar at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. She went on to say that she misses "my world and my characters" and that she "can't wait to share [the sequel] with you and can’t thank you enough for all your support." Sugar's long-time production partner, Ian Jones-Quartey, is also involved.

We don't have a release date for this, which gives you plenty of time to catch up on the OG show and the movie. There are 160 episodes, so buckle up. Once that's done, there are several affiliated video games to dig into.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/theres-a-steven-universe-sequel-series-in-the-works-at-prime-video-164211472.html?src=rss