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Your grocery store’s dairy aisle might seem like an unlikely place to start a conversation about AI safety. But Microsoft President Brad Smith says it offers a useful comparison for how the technology should be regulated.

Speaking to the BBC’s Big Boss Interview podcast on Oct. 11, Smith called for global AI safety rules, arguing that everyday products like milk face more safeguards than increasingly powerful AI systems.

"Right now, your washing machine is subject to more safety rules than AI. Every carton of milk that you see in the grocery store is subject to safety rules and inspection," Smith said.

His proposed protections go beyond asking companies to promise their technology is safe. Smith wants legal requirements for companies to report safety incidents and notify victims when rogue AI agents breach their systems. He also called for "emergency brakes" that could pause or slow AI systems, alongside rules determining when independent evaluators should review new technology before its release.

"We know how to do this for other products," Smith said. "We should build on that knowledge and think about how to apply it to AI."

Smith's comments echo recent warnings from Bill Gates. The push for stronger AI protections also comes as President Donald Trump has favored industry self-regulation. At a White House meeting in September, major AI companies agreed to voluntary safety standards, including working with independent auditors to assess whether their systems behave as intended.

Smith welcomed that agreement and said Microsoft was happy to sign it. But he argued that voluntary commitments would no longer be enough. "It's a good step, it's a necessary step... But I don't think it's sufficient any longer," he told the BBC.

The problem, in his view, is that responsible companies will follow voluntary rules. Less responsible ones may not.

Who gets to set the rules?

That question has also surfaced in Mashable’s reporting on AI leaders’ calls for stronger safety standards. As Rebecca Ruiz reported in September, experts caution that companies can support safeguards while still seeking control over how those safeguards work.

SEE ALSO: AI leaders say they want safety, but on whose terms?

Pete Furlong, senior manager of policy and research at the Center for Humane Technology, told Mashable that companies’ transparency efforts need to come with expectations beyond those they set themselves.

"It can’t be entirely up to these companies to dictate the terms of their transparency," he said.

Smith suggested the UK could help lead the development of global rules, pointing to the technical expertise of its AI Security Institute. The institute already gets access to major AI models before deployment through voluntary agreements, allowing it to assess their capabilities and risks.

For Smith, the next step is making safety obligations enforceable — including requiring companies to tell people when something goes wrong.

"It's the companies that are not as responsible that you need to worry about," he said.

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Meta announced the launch of a new AI model family, Muse Wonder, which is already rolling out to developers. Independent benchmarks indicate that Muse Wonder places Meta firmly at the AI frontier for the first time.

The release comes just six weeks after the launch of Muse Spark 1.3, the latest version of a model family that debuted in April. Last year, Mark Zuckerberg and Meta invested heavily in AI recruiting and infrastructure after falling behind rival tech companies, culminating in Meta paying $14.3 billion for Scale AI and naming its wunderkind CEO, Alexandr Wang, then 28, Meta's new Chief AI officer.

Those efforts appear to be paying dividends.

Artificial Analysis, an independent AI benchmarking organization, showed Muse Wonder leapfrogging powerful models like GPT-Astra from OpenAI, Fable 5 from Anthropic, and the newly released Gemini 4 from Google. On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index leaderboard, which uses a weighted composite score to rank AI models, Muse Wonder Full is now second only to Claude Opus 5.5 Max, and tied with Claude Sonnet 5.5 Max.

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The results suggest that Meta has caught up to the AI frontier, after previously being more of an afterthought in the AI market.

That started to change recently with the launch of the hugely popular AI agent Muse, which quickly surpassed 5 million app downloads. In its Muse Wonder announcement blog post, Meta said that the new model family "will soon power experiences in Muse," though it will only be available to paid subscribers.

Introducing Muse Wonder, designed for agentic AI

In the blog post introducing Muse Wonder, Meta emphasized that the model was designed for agentic workflows as well as user safety. (The company said a full report about its safety evaluations "will be available soon.") Wang said the model family was developed under the codename "watermelon," according to CNBC.

"Meta is introducing Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, our most capable models to date, built to deliver state-of-the-art performance on personal and professional agentic tasks — from navigating an insurance claim to making sense of a lease to building a working app," reads Meta's announcement.

Muse Wonder features Active Focus and Active Memory, which Meta said are essential to keep AI agents on task during complex, long-running assignments.

The company defined Active Focus as "the ability to keep working toward your goal when a task gets hard, try other approaches, recover from errors, and follow through, asking for clarification when needed and checking in before following through on anything important." It described Active Memory as "the ability to carry what matters to you across conversations and bring back the details that are relevant to the task at hand."

Finally, Meta said that Muse Wonder models would "avoid sharing private information without permission," which has been a notable alleged issue with Muse. The models will also refuse harmful requests, Meta claimed, while helping organizations and users with cybersecurity defense.

Muse Wonder: Benchmark performance

The independent benchmarking organization Artificial Analysis released a detailed breakdown of Muse Wonder's performance on X and its website. The organization wrote, "Both models exhibit a material jump in overall Intelligence Index score...Muse Wonder Full (max) places in the top three on six of the ten Intelligence Index evaluations, and is particularly strong in agentic knowledge work and scientific reasoning."

Meta also released its own internal benchmark results in a report on Muse Wonder's performance.

Meta released this graph showing its AI models' improved performance over the past year. Credit: Artificial Analysis

The company also released results for a variety of AI benchmark tests:

Credit: Meta How to try Muse Wonder

Muse Wonder is available now to developers through the Meta Model API and Muse Code. The more robust Muse Wonder Full is available now to Muse Code subscribers.

In the near future, Meta said that Muse Wonder will power its popular Muse AI agent, though at a cost. CNBC reported that the new models will be available in Muse for users who pay $20 or $100 per month.

You can also read the full Muse Wonder model card.

If you haven't already secured a pre-order for Grand Theft Auto VI, then Amazon may not be the best place to do it.

As noted on Reddit, "physical" copies of GTA 6 were sold out on Amazon as of Monday morning, with both the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions listed as "currently unavailable."

As of this writing, the PS5 version is back in stock. Mashable reached out to Amazon to ask about GTA 6 inventory and restocks ahead of the Nov. 19 release, and we'll update this story if we receive more information.

You'll notice that I put "physical" in quotes because the game, rather infamously, will not ship on a disc.

SEE ALSO: GTA 6 Cyberleek update: Everything leaked so far, what could be next That message doesn't appear when you switch to the PS5 version. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

You might be wondering how it's possible for a game that's only available as a digital download to sell out ahead of time. If you read between the lines on the Amazon store page, you can put it together. Pre-ordering via Amazon or another physical retailer will get you a box for the game, but the box will only include a download code instead of a disc, according to the fine print on Amazon.

In other words, it seems like Amazon has run out of Xbox boxes with download codes in them for the time being. As a reminder, you can still pre-order the game directly from the Xbox digital storefront on your console, as long as you don't care about having a box to put on your shelf. You can also pre-order Grand Theft Auto VI (and the $99.99 "Ultimate Edition") on the Rockstar Games website.

SEE ALSO: 'GTA 6' official merch is live, and it's already selling out: Where to buy

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A celebrity shopping complaint can become everyone's business pretty quickly. This weekend, that customer was Kelly Clarkson. The purchase in question? A $15,000 singing bird.

"Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn't afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me," Clarkson posted on X on Oct. 10. "Wow, dude. You're an idiot and just lost a huge sale."

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The shop in question is the Brooklyn Heights store Art of Play, which sells games, puzzles, toys, books, and home goods. Clarkson called it out by name, comparing her experience to the boutique scene in Pretty Woman, where employees famously dismiss Julia Roberts' character because they assume she can't afford to shop there.

"But y'all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman," she wrote. "For sure, check it out."

The shop, however, had a different explanation for why she hadn't left with the bird. In its Oct. 11 Instagram response, Art of Play said Clarkson had asked about Molly, a singing and dancing mechanical bird used in its magic shows. "Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn't for sale," the business wrote.

The shop acknowledged that Clarkson's account would resonate with anyone who had felt judged while shopping, but maintained that customers were welcome whether they bought anything or simply browsed. It said the response to her post had brought a wave of unwanted attention.

"Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store," the statement read. "It's been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity." The statement also included a nod to Clarkson's own music: "As a talented popular singer once said, 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.'"

View this post on Instagram

That's not where this feud ended, though. Clarkson then responded with a photo — specifically, one showing a $15,000 price tag labeled "Singing Bird." In a second X post, she alleged that the employee had looked her up and down like an "elevator" and, in a condescending tone, told her that the bird was for sale for $15,000 before offering to find something comparable.

"So you're not only rude, you're also a liar," she wrote. "Got it."

She also pushed back on the idea that calling out a small business was off-limits. "I love small businesses and know they are important, and I always support them, but you don't get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business," she wrote. "It's not that hard to be kind."

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The shop, run by twin magicians Dan and Dave Buck and author Adam Rubin in 2013, offered additional context in a follow-up statement. According to the shop, Molly, the singing and dancing mechanical bird Clarkson had admired, is permanently attached to the shop’s wall and used in its magic shows. But her creator, Seattle artist Bliss Kolb, owns a nearly identical version that could be purchased.

"He told us he would be willing to part with Molly’s twin for $15,000," the shop wrote. "We explained all of this to Kelly Clarkson."

The shop said it had also offered to show Clarkson another singing bird, made by a German clockmaker, which she could have taken home that day. "It costs about $2,000," the statement continued. "She did not stick around long enough to see it."

Online, the disagreement has already become much more about what was available to buy. Some commenters defended Clarkson's right to describe a bad experience.

"We never doubted you queen. Their response was in extremely poor taste," one wrote. Others argued that naming the shop exposed a small business to a disproportionate response. "Wow, you're just determined to destroy a small business, aren't you? I hope they EXPLODE in popularity," said another.

The fallout reached the shop's Facebook page. "Anyone who's been a fan of Kelly’s for years knows that she is incredibly kind, generous, and very humble. And she's far from being a diva. The experience she had at that store had to be pretty bad for her to speak out about it…" wrote one user.

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Others focused on the shop’s response, questioning why it hadn’t apologized or offered to connect Clarkson with the artist. "Why not say, 'We can put you in touch with the maker?'" another user wrote. "I’d bet they’d be thrilled to have Kelly as a customer." One Clarkson fan wrote, "Is the apology in the room with us?"

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Business Insider reported seeing recent negative Google reviews that appeared to be connected to the dispute, but they were no longer visible when it checked again later. It also found polarized responses on Yelp, though it's unclear whether the reviewers had visited the store. Some users questioned the price tag, while others accused Clarkson of using her platform against the shop.

"So a celebrity walks into a small, privately owned business. She doesn’t get exactly what she wants, so she cops an attitude and trashes said small business," wrote one reviewer. "Even if you weren’t lying, you still did the morally wrong thing."

Others shared accounts of shopping there themselves. One woman said she visited over the summer with her family and described a welcoming experience. "I was a little nervous since there [is] some really expensive stuff in there, but I felt very welcome," she wrote.

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Some were harsher. One wrote, "There's no place like Art of Play. It's one of one. Not everything there is for sale, regardless of how famous you are. Go write a song about it. Stop using your online influence to sh*t on a brick and mortar shop that's as dope as Art of Play. If you're near Brooklyn, you have to check this place out!"

This isn't the first time this month that Clarkson has received negative backlash for public commentary: Clarkson's enthusiasm for AI on Las Culturistas prompted disappointed reactions from some fans, as Mashable reported Oct. 2. "Kelly no...this isn't you...," one commenter wrote.

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These disputes come as Clarkson settles into a new TV chapter. The Kelly Clarkson Show ended its seven-season run on Aug. 31, after she announced she was stepping away to prioritize her children. She’s still on television, though, returning as a coach for Season 30 of The Voice, which premiered in September.

As of now, Art of Play says it has reached out to Clarkson directly, leaving open the possibility that the next conversation will happen privately.

"We've reached out to Kelly directly to try and clear the air," the shop wrote. "We really do wish her the best and hope that someday we can all laugh about this misunderstanding."

Russia's army of bots is apparently offline. At least, that's according to chatter on social media and even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Over the past week, Ukrainian drones struck three data centers belonging to Yandex, the tech giant often called "Russia’s Google." The first strike happened on Oct. 8, followed by a second attack on Oct. 9. On Sunday, Oct. 11, a third strike damaged a Yandex data center in the Vladimir region, east of Moscow. The company said operations at that facility were completely suspended and some of its services were unavailable, according to the BBC.

SEE ALSO: California's new AI law: Ban on bots used to fire employees

The attacks disrupted Yandex services, from its AI chatbot to its smart home devices. Per the BBC, the military strikes were meant to target "places that provide revenue streams for Moscow's war machine."

Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum on Monday, Zelenskyy said "everyone noticed" a drop in Russian bot activity on social media after the strikes. On X, Reddit, and elsewhere, users in several Western countries reported seeing less right-wing activity in their feeds, from pro-GOP accounts in the U.S. to supporters of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Czech member of the European Parliament Tomáš Zdechovský also pointed to claims that online support for the AfD had dropped after the strikes.

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The prediction market Polymarket’s X account was among those amplifying the claim. Take that with a grain of salt, though, as the account has a tendency for posting breaking-news-style claims without sources or verification.

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Much of the buzz traces back to a report from U24 Media, the media arm of United24, a platform run by the Ukrainian government.

To its credit, U24’s own report is careful about what the numbers can and can’t prove. It cites an Oct. 12 analysis by The Deep Dive of data from Cloudflare Radar, which monitors internet traffic. According to that analysis, automated web traffic from Yandex’s network fell sharply after Oct. 8 and nearly disappeared by Oct. 11. At one point, it measured just 0.3 percent of the chart’s peak, compared with 88.2 percent at the same hour a week earlier. U24 also cites German tech publication t3n's report of a similar plunge — with bot traffic dropping to about 0.4 percent of the previous week’s level before bouncing back to around 20 percent later in the day on Oct. 11.

Credit: Cloudfare Radar / Mashable screenshot

The catch is that "automated traffic" and "Russian propaganda bots" aren’t the same thing. Automated traffic is any request sent to a website by software rather than a person. Most of it is mundane, e.g., search engine crawlers indexing pages or monitoring tools checking whether sites are up. Because Yandex runs Russia’s biggest search engine, its network constantly sends out crawlers to index the web. Knocking its data centers offline would bring traffic to a halt regardless of whether a single troll account went quiet.

As U24 itself notes, the measurements show a sharp drop in automated network activity, but they can’t tell us whether propaganda bots disappeared or whether damaged infrastructure simply stopped producing ordinary automated traffic. The numbers also track how much traffic Yandex’s network sent relative to its peak, not how many social media accounts were active.

Mashable has yet to see published evidence tying Russian influence operations on X or Reddit to Yandex’s servers specifically. Many of the claims to that effect are sourced from the same Cloudflare Radar and Deep Dive data reports that we cited here.

Influence campaigns can run on infrastructure anywhere, and the accounts posting the content don’t have to live on Yandex’s network at all. It's easy to see why the claim has caught on, as social media platforms are rife with hyper-polarization fueled by ragebait political engagement.

However, not all political content online comes from Russian bots. As The Atlantic's Ali Breland writes, operatives based in Eastern European countries like Latvia are paying people to post pro-GOP talking points — $3 for every 1,000 views.

That also doesn’t mean the strikes had no effect online.

Per U24, the bombings have found a way to rattle Russia’s internet, including widespread outages. Whether it also silenced Russia’s online propaganda machine is a much bigger claim.

Will AI vibecoded apps soon displace paid legacy software like Photoshop and Microsoft Word? Or will the deluge of apps spun up by AI models show that those legacy apps are superior products?

Earlier this month, Reddit user u/ai_art_is_art, who Tom's Hardware revealed to be a software engineer named Brandon Thomas, shared a project he's been working on: A rebuild of the entire Adobe Creative Suite, under the banner ArtCraft. There is one key difference between ArtCraft and Adobe software, however: You have to pay to access Adobe.

From Adobe Premiere to Photoshop to After Effects, Thomas recreated them all with help from AI in Rust, a programming language. Named PhotoCraft, FilmCraft, DesignCraft, EffectCraft, PdfCraft, VectorCraft, and LightCraft, each duplicated one of the signature apps found in Adobe's software suite for creatives. 

And Thomas has released them all as free, open-source tools.

Now, the developer is taking on the Microsoft Office suite.

Thomas has just released WordCraft, DeckCraft, and GridCraft (along with additional creative duplicates like SoundCraft, DesignCraft, and CADCraft), which are his take on Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

These apps have caused a bit of a controversy on Reddit and elsewhere on the internet over AI-generated code. While Thomas has clarified that he is a software developer who knows how to code, concerns over cybersecurity and the ethics of AI-generated code have resulted in posts about his apps being removed from some subreddits. 

In addition, there is concern that Thomas is now overseeing a suite of apps by himself, although the community has been invited to contribute to the open-source project as well.

Thomas is clearly pro-AI, which has also been a point of contention for some critics. He has released these apps under his ArtCraft brand, a for-profit suite of tools for AI-generated art. Also, if you take another look at Thomas' Reddit username, it is "AI art is art."

Supporters of Thomas and his apps, however, view this as an act of protest against companies like Adobe and what they see as unscrupulous subscription tactics, in which Adobe makes it difficult for customers to cancel plans.

It's unclear if Thomas's apps have staying power at this point, but that hasn't stopped social media users from speculating that the era of paid legacy software is over. Indeed, we're seeing a similar trend in the gaming world, where AI-assisted jailbreaks and decompiled games are now readily available.

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Fans of Shayla Palmer (@mesamistoys) know her for her next-level crochet projects. With more than 650k followers on TikTok and over 1.1 million on Instagram, she's made a name for herself one stitch at a time, creating big, fluffy toys, including Stitch, Batman, and Mario. But on Sept. 19, 2026, Palmer took on her biggest challenge yet: stitching a 10-foot-long Appa toy, based on the flying bison from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

In the first episode of her series on its making, she revealed the yarn but not who she'd be stitching for. Fans were quick to recognize Appa's signature color scheme. Fifteen more episodes followed, detailing the process, including the times when Palmer hit a few snags. Then, just last week, Palmer revealed this particular toy was created for a special event, tied to New York Comic Con.

Paramount Games Studio hosted a double-elimination tournament for the newly launched video game Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game at OS NY on Oct. 9. The special event invited gamers to compete for a cash prize, surrounded by food carts offering treats from the four nations (Water. Earth. Fire. Air), boxes of cabbages with a certain beloved cart vendor on them, and Palmer's completed Appa.

You can see images from this tournament below.

While the gaming kicked off, Mashable spoke with Palmer about her journey from that first video to its big debut. And she's got pointers for any fan looking to make toys of their own.

Images from the Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game at OS NY event on Oct. 9. Credit: Kristy Puchko Mashable: We've finally seen the unveiling of your completed Appa. Tell us about what the process has been like for you.

Shayla Palmer: Oh my gosh, the process was long, but not as long as you would expect. I had 16 days to complete a 10-foot-long Appa. It was a lot of time every single day. It was, let's say, 10-16 hours a day for 16 days straight.

It was kind of crazy. But it was so much fun. I encountered a lot of issues, though, like forgetting to create a hole for the head and then having to pivot from there. It's just like a lot of things that I've had to pivot with. But all in all, it was so much fun. I had a great time, and I'm so happy that the end result is here, and the people who have seen the process can now see it in person. It's so surreal. I love it.

It's amazing to see your Appa in person. What was it like to finally see it set up inside?

Seeing it set up inside was like, 'Oh my god, this looks so much bigger here than it did in the space that I was creating it in!' I can't even comprehend it fully right now.

I also created a mini Appa that is now sitting on top of it, and it's so crazy to see that the mini one looks so small compared to the big one, and it's really not that tiny. But yeah, it's just a full-circle moment, I can say.

For people who are interested in crochet through your work, where would you say they should start?

I actually do sell crochet kits. If you do want to start crocheting, I have beginner, beginner plus, intermediate, and intermediate plus kits, and I teach you everything you need to know to start crocheting toys.

One thing I will say, though, is you need to be very, very, very patient and very forgiving with yourself. It's so much fun, and it can be so calming. You just have to understand that there's going to be a lot of hiccups. There will be a lot of times when you have to tear out your work. You just have to forgive yourself.

But yeah, I highly recommend it. It's the best hobby ever.

As a content creator, what is it that you depend on to make your content on your level?

I would say intuition. It's a lot of trusting my gut. It's a lot of pivoting, being very comfortable with the Plan B, being very able to immediately scrap your Plan A and just restart everything you need to restart.

And honestly, I'm very transparent in my content. I like showing people that not everything I plan on doing is gonna happen. So yeah, it's just very transparent. It's very authentic. I don't do any crazy editing. It's just here's my camera and here's what I'm doing. I just want you to be a fly on the wall and see everything that's going on.

Images from the Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game at OS NY event on Oct. 9. Credit: Kristy Puchko That's great. I think, especially with crafting, people can be really intimidated if they're not good at it right away. So when you're having those moments where you're like, 'I need to trust the process,' what gets you through those points?

Knowing that it will probably take me longer to stick to Plan A than it would to pivot and go with Plan B. It happens almost every single time I'm in a series. And I show people, "This is what I wanted to do. It's not working, so I have to do this because this is time-dependent."

I don't have 100 days to work on these things, and, quite honestly, I don't want to be working on them for that long anyway. So yeah, just trusting the process, honestly.

Who's your favorite Avatar character?

Is it crazy if I say Appa? Is it crazy? If it's not Appa, it's gotta be Sokka. I don't know what it is. He's just so, like, he's just so angry. But it's just so funny to see it all happen. So yeah, Appa then Sokka.

Is there anything else you want people to know about the process of making your Appa?

So it's actually really funny. I'm a huge believer... I literally just had to ask God. I said, "I want something really exciting. Like for the rest of the year, I want something really exciting. Something that's gonna make me feel reassured."

Then I got a message from Jordan [Chalmers] from Black Flag NYC (the experiential marketing firm). Great guy, love him, love him, love him. I got a message from him. He said, "Hey, have you ever watched Avatar?" I'm like, "Please tell me you want me to make Appa."

So the way that it all came to be was just like, I literally cried. I cried three times, and then I called my mom immediately. I was like, "Hey, um, can you get on a flight? Because I'm gonna need help running errands. I need to feed myself, and I can't do this right now."

So yeah, the way that it came to me was honestly such a dream come true. I was so happy with that.

On the final day, when I finished my six-legged statue, I always like to show myself sitting on it. And as soon as I finished [Appa], I got a chair. I like jumped on it, and I was like, "Appa, yip yip!"

Honestly, I've been waiting, like, 14 years to do that!

If you've used dating apps, you've probably gotten an off-the-wall message or two and wondered if the sender just lacked basic social skills. Or maybe you sent a joke that fell flat. Either way, Hinge has a new strategy for handling "well-intentioned" daters who send inappropriate messages: mandatory re-education.

If a user violates Hinge's harassment guidelines in a chat, human moderators will weigh the context and severity of the message. If it's deemed a minor infraction, the user gets a warning and must complete a brief "educational walkthrough" to continue using the app. Severe or repeated offenses, however, will still get you permanently banned. An example of a minor infraction in Hinge's Oct. 1 blog announcing the change is the message: "Great dress. I think I have an outfit that will match perfectly," along with a winking emoji.

SEE ALSO: Hinge won't ban users for a single piece of problematic content anymore

Hinge says the walkthrough covers basic messaging etiquette, complete with examples of harmful language and reminders on how to express interest without being weird. Users might get prompts reminding them to build mutual interest before making things sexual, keep jokes playful instead of personal, or refrain from making unsolicited comments about someone's body.

The goal is to help daters recognize how their words land. While Hinge notes that cultural or generational gaps often shape how people communicate, intent doesn't negate the impact of unwanted behavior — especially for women, LGBTQIA+ daters, and people of color, who bear the brunt of online harassment.

The new educational walkthrough joins Hinge's existing suite of safety tools, including its "Are You Sure?" feature (which prompts users to reconsider potentially harmful text before sending), the "Did This Bother You?" feedback prompt, and customizable comment filters. This also builds on Hinge's policy not to ban users for a single piece of problematic content, and instead removes the content and explains why.

Hinge's CEO, Jackie Jantos, mentioned the curb-cut effect at the Heads Up With Hinge conference this month: features created to help the most vulnerable can lead to broader benefits for the general population. We'll see if this bears out with better-educated daters.

The new models, Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, are meant to compete with cutting-edge A.I. models from rivals like Anthropic and OpenAI.

Before generative artificial intelligence took off, the process of jailbreaking a video game console was a slow, tedious ordeal. That's not the case anymore.

Within the PS5 homebrew scene on Reddit, the forums have been lit up with posts about PS5SX2, an app that lets jailbroken PS5s play PlayStation 2 games. It's a big deal, given that Sony removed backward compatibility from its consoles starting with the release of the PS4 in 2013.

PS5SX2 is part of a larger wave of PS5 jailbreaks, which are coming at a furious pace in 2026.

SEE ALSO: Leaker claims the PlayStation 6 costs Sony $960 to manufacture

Version 1.00 of PS5SX2 had plenty of early bugs, with commenters trading fixes for crashes and missing-game errors. Within roughly two weeks, a 2.00 update had added frame generation and multi-disc support. Another post in the jailbreak community claimed that PS3 games can now run on jailbroken PS5s as well.

Additionally, there's another public jailbreak called Relapse. Released in late September, the exploit chain was published by developer Nathan Fargo and works on firmware versions 7.00 through 13.60. The previous public jailbreak topped out at 12.70, so Relapse covers a big chunk of recent consoles. It works on any PS5 that hasn’t been updated to firmware 14.00, which Sony released on Sept. 16.

For decades, console jailbreaking moved slowly for a reason. As reported by Gizmodo, it’s both legally risky and technically demanding. In the U.S., circumventing a console’s copyright protection runs afoul of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The Librarian of Congress grants exemptions every three years for devices like smartphones and smart TVs, but consoles aren’t among them.

Finding an exploit has also required deep knowledge of a console’s firmware, which historically limited the work to a small group of skilled hackers. So normally, hackers will find an exploit, release a jailbreak, Sony patches it, and hackers start back at the beginning.

But that cycle is speeding up, and AI coding assistants may be part of the reason why. There’s no confirmation that the Relapse developers used AI, but it fits a broader pattern that has exploded over the past few weeks.

The AI decompilation boom

Decompilation is huge in the homebrew gaming scene at the moment. Decompiling means working backward from a game’s compiled code to rebuild readable source code that produces the same game. It’s how fans have created unofficial PC ports of classics like Super Mario 64, and it traditionally took volunteers years of tedious work.

From a technical standpoint, it's a grueling process. In the context of video games, those are shipped in compiled code that consoles can run, but humans can't easily read. However, AI is speeding up the tedious grunt work of doing so.

Hundreds of vibe-coded, AI-decompiled emulators and games have appeared in just the past couple of weeks, crediting Anthropic’s latest model, Claude Opus 5.5. That includes browser-based ports of games like Halo: Combat Evolved, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Skate 3, some of which Kotaku said run surprisingly well.

The results have also produced some truly unhinged mashups. One of the first to go viral added skateboarding from Skate to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, letting players kickflip across the shooter’s maps. Others have put Minecraft inside Elden Ring (and Grand Theft Auto V) and Mario Kart vehicles into Call of Duty Zombies.

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While fun stuff to be sure, not everyone is a fan. The developers behind the fan-made Zelda: Recompiled and Banjo: Recompiled projects have publicly rejected AI and called AI-generated knockoffs of their work disrespectful. Other critics say many of these AI ports come from amateurs with little programming experience, leaving behind a pile of buggy, broken releases.

Altogether, a faster jailbreak cycle isn’t much of a surprise. If AI tools can rebuild entire games from compiled code overnight, digging through console firmware for exploits starts to look a lot more approachable. It helps that AI agents like Claude thrive on verifiable loops, ie, being able to write, test, and repeat ad nauseam until it gets it right with no fatigue involved.

Gizmodo writes that this could be Sony's Napster moment — an existential crisis for the gaming industry just like the music business faced in the early 2000s. It's one thing to sue a bunch of hackers, but Sony doesn't have much goodwill with the public at the moment. It helps, though, that jailbreaking a console requires having it in the first place, and that jailbreaking any console risks bricking it.

Given that RAMageddon is causing a GPU shortage, one might exercise caution, as a second-hand PS5 Pro could cost $1,300 or more.

SAVE $762: As of Oct. 12, the Sunseeker X3 Plus robot lawn mower is on sale for $836.98 instead of its usual $1,598.99. That's nearly 50% in savings and its best price on record.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sunseeker Sunseeker X3 Plus robot lawn mower $836.98 at Amazon
$1,598.99 Save $762.01   Get Deal

Lawn-mowing season might be wrapping up, but if you're looking to invest in a robot mower for next year, the Sunseeker X3 Plus is nearly half off its usual cost.

As of Oct. 12, the Sunseeker X3 Plus robot lawn mower is down to just $836.98 instead of $1,598.99. That's $762 or 48% in savings, marking its lowest price on record.

Mashable's sister site CNET tested the Sunseeker X3 Plus and specifically recommended buying it if you can score it on sale. Well, today's your lucky day — but only if you act fast. It's already selling out at Amazon.

It's designed for small to medium-sized residential lawns up to 0.3 acres and requires little to no setup. No buried perimeter wires or digging is necessary; just use the app to map out your yard and create virtual boundaries. The Sunseeker X3 Plus will handle the rest.

An on-board camera with dual AI vision and ultrasonic sensors can detect potential objects in the Sunseeker's path and it'll adjust its route accordingly. Of course, if there's certain spots you want it to avoid altogether, you can also set up a custom path in the app. The app also allows you to manage schedules, adjust cutting height, and monitor mowing progress.

If you're ready to hand off your most annoying chore and gain hours of your time back next summer, grab the Sunseeker X3 Plus while it's half price (and while it's still in stock!).

Notorious Grand Theft Auto VI leaker Cyberleek is back with a vengeance, it seems.

The anonymous video poster went dark after the big Netflix trailer in late August, but returned last week with a big, chunky 24-minute clip that featured story cutscenes, auto races, and the male protagonist Jason fully nude. Over the weekend and into Monday morning, Cyberleek shared some more clips that we won't link to, but can be easily found on social media. The new clips largely revolve around the female protagonist Lucia, and also show her completely nude, doing things like walking around Vice City or parachuting off a tall building.

SEE ALSO: 'GTA 6' official merch is live, and it's already selling out: Where to buy

In addition, Cyberleek posted a warning on their website claiming that if their memecoin reached a market cap of $30 million, they would release a video showing a full playthrough of the game's story prior to release. The same post also included a demand for publisher Take-Two to apologize for not releasing the game on disc and to rectify that issue. It is extremely unlikely the company could fire up disc manufacturing for GTA 6 in a timely fashion, even if the publisher wanted to negotiate with the leaker. At this point, there is no sign of that happening.

Just like in the videos featuring a nude Jason, the nude Lucia videos seem a little fishy in the sense that NPCs don't react to their nudity at all. Given that recent Rockstar games are built entirely around believable NPC interactions, that would suggest the nudity is not a regularly accessible feature in the final game and is being achieved through the use of developer tools.

It's only about a month until the game is in all our hands, and we won't have to worry about GTA 6 leaks spoiling the story anymore.

SAVE $201.99: The Sony XM5 headphones are on sale at Amazon for $198, down from the list price of $399.99. That's a 50% discount that matches the lowest ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony WH-1000XM5 $198
$399.99 Save $201.99   Get Deal

I'm not saying a pair of headphones can change your life, but I will stand by the notion that headphones can make a major difference in daily life quality. If you've been getting by with a pair that's not super comfortable, check out this deal.

As of Oct. 12, the Sony XM5 headphones are on sale at Amazon for $198, down from the list price of $399.99. That's a 50% discount that takes $201.99 off the price. It also matches the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.

SEE ALSO: Budget-friendly Sony headphones are under $100 at Amazon — shop Sony WH-CH720N for $88

On Mashable's list of the best headphones, the Sony XM5 earn an honorable mention as a Mashable Choice product. While they're an older model, the ANC still stands up as some of the best around, and the call quality is an added bonus. Since the new XM6 headphones come with a price of $458, going with the sale $198 XM5 is a budget option that doesn't drop you into sacrificing on quality.

Since this is the lowest price we've seen, make the upgrade to the Sony XM5 headphones for under $200. They'll be perfect for fall walks in crunch leaves.

SAVE $100: As of Oct. 12, you can get the DJI Mini 5 Pro for $679, down from $759, at Amazon. That's an 11% discount, or $80 in savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mini 5 Pro $679 at Amazon
$759 Save $80   Get Deal

If you were hoping to buy a drone during Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days event but couldn't make it in time, a few legit drone deals are still lingering on the site — including some DJI models.

Right now, you can get the DJI Mini 5 Pro for $679, down from $779, at Amazon. Not only is that a full $80 off, but it actually beats the drone's previous all-time low of $683 by $4. The Mini 5 Pro isn't available on the DJI website, so this is the best way to get this model on sale.

SEE ALSO: The October Prime Day drone deals are flying: Get $90 off the DJI Flip before the sale ends

OK, so let's talk specs. If you already own the Mini 4 Pro, an upgrade actually makes a lot of sense this time around. But if you're new to droning and want something lightweight and easy to fly, the Mini 5 Pro is a really solid option.

It features a 50MP 1-inch image sensor (a noticeable step up from the 1/1.3-inch sensor on the 4 Pro) with 4K/60fps HDR video. The gimbal rotates 225 degrees for full-sensor vertical video and photos (you know, for the Gram), and it includes up to 42GB of internal storage and 36 minutes of battery life out of the box.

That said, there are a few drawbacks. While it is lightweight, manufacturing variances mean some units may weigh 251 grams with the standard battery. (Keep in mind that the FAA measures weight at takeoff, not the box specification!) It doesn't go any faster than 40 mph and has less wind resistance than larger models, like the DJI Air 3S. And Redditors are currently complaining about a firmware bug that makes the Mini 5 Pro detect distant clouds as obstacles, which will abruptly halt your waypoint flights.

Many pet owners know the feeling of panic that sets in when they realize their dog or cat has slipped out of the house or backyard. Now you’re faced with the daunting task of tracking down a pet that could be anywhere.

Life360, the app families use to stay connected through location sharing, now includes pet safety with Life360 Pet GPS. You can see your pet’s location on the same map as the rest of your household. And if they go missing, you can call on the Life360 community to help with the search. 

How does Life360 Pet GPS work? Opens in a new window Credit: Life360 Life360 Pet GPS $99
Includes one-year Silver membership Shop Now

Life360 Pet GPS attaches to your pet's collar and uses GPS and LTE connectivity to show their location in real time. Instead of wondering where your dog went, you can open the app and see for yourself. 

You can also set a geofence around your home, and anytime your pet crosses it, your family receives an escape alert, so you know to start looking immediately. This is a good option for anyone who shares pet-caring responsibilities with a roommate, partner, or other family members.

For new users, the $99 Pet GPS bundle includes the device and a year of Life360 Silver membership. That means your first year of tracking costs less than $100 since the subscription is already included. 

Battery backup when you need it

Pet GPS includes up to 14 days of battery life per charge, plus a reserve designed for those times when the battery gets low. Once the battery drops below 6%, the tracker enters Reserve Mode. 

This switches from real-time GPS to Bluetooth tracking through the Tile network, allowing occasional location updates when a nearby phone detects the device. That reserve can last up to six months. 

Additional ways to find your pet

If your pet goes missing, Life360’s Pet Finder Network draws on its global community of more than 100 million members. Sending a Lost Pet Alert shares your pet’s photo and details with nearby members who may be able to help you. 

Life360 also offers Pet Tag, a scannable ID that attaches to your pet’s collar. If someone finds your pet, they can scan the tag with their smartphone to contact you, and there’s no app to download on their end. You’ll manage your pet’s information on the Life360 app, so you can update your contact information without replacing the tag.

You can start with a free Pet Profile and access to the finder network, add Pet Tag for identification, or choose Pet GPS for real-time location tracking with a membership. Whichever option works for your household, Life360 Pet GPS gives you multiple ways to find your pets. 

PREORDER TO SAVE $30: The Anker Sleep Earbuds 4 and Anker Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro are $30 off with preorders. The Sleep 4 earbuds are set to launch in October and the Sleep 4 Pro later in November.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker Sleep Earbuds 4 $199.99 at Anker
$229.99 Save $30   Pre-order Here Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro $319.99 at Anker
$349.99 Save $30   Get Deal

As much as we try to fight it, sleep is essential for life. For so many reasons, it can be a struggle to get good sleep. If you're not sleeping well because the environment is too noisy, there's help to be had. Sleep earbuds are designed to be comfortable enough for wearing all night while helping to mask noise that'll keep you awake. In more good news, there are two new Anker models coming soon and preorders get a special discount.

Sign up to reserve either the new Anker Sleep Earbuds 4 or the Anker Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro with a $1 deposit and save $30. That means you can get the Sleep 4 earbuds for $199.99, down from the normal price of $229.99 or the Sleep 4 Pro earbuds for $319.99, down from the list price of $349.99.

In Mashable's review of the best sleep earbuds, the Anker Sleep 30A Special earn the top spot. While Anker went in a new direction with naming, the new Sleep 4 Series will take over as the newest models. Both models come with an upgraded design for more comfort and smaller inner wingtips.

SEE ALSO: The fan-favorite Owala FreeSip Twist water bottle is down to $19.99 on Amazon — beating its Prime Day price

Both models also come with a built-in alarm, Bluetooth 6.0, and a Find Me feature from the app should you misplace an earbud under the bed. Anker rates noise reduction on both models as three to five decibels better than the previous Sleep A30 Special model when it comes to masking noise. Adding to their functionality, both support wireless charging.

The Sleep Earbuds 4 Plus come with some elevated features compared to the standard Sleep Earbuds 4. One of the most obvious is the AMOLED touch case. This'll give users instant access to sleep tracking metrics without looking at a phone. You can also set alarms and adjust the audio from the touchscreen. The Pro models also supports in-ear sleep tracking and insights.

As of the time of writing, Anker doesn't have firm launch dates set. The brand says the Sleep Earbuds 4 are coming in October and the advanced Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro will come in November. Whichever model you're eyeing, better sleep is just a few clicks away.

SAVE $650: As of Oct. 12, the Hisense 50-inch S7 Canvas Hi-QLED 4K TV is still on sale for its October Prime Day price of $649.99 at Amazon. That's 50% off its list price of $1,299.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense Hisense 50-inch S7 Canvas Hi-QLED 4K TV $649.99 at Amazon
$1,299.99 Save $650   Get Deal

If you want an aesthetic TV that works double duty as artwork on your wall, but you don't quite have the budget for The Frame, Hisense's Canvas TV is our favorite dupe. And it's currently sitting at half off its usual price at Amazon.

As of Oct. 12, the Hisense 50-inch S7 Canvas Hi-QLED 4K TV is still on sale for its October Prime Day price of $649.99. That's 50% or $650 off its usual cost of $1,299.99. That's its second-best price of 2026.

The Canvas TV isn't quite as bright as Samsung's The Frame, but aside from that, it's a better value in a lot of ways. It has a higher refresh rate at 144Hz (versus 120Hz), two HDMI 2.1 ports, the intuitive Google TV interface, and free access to its gallery with over 1,000 works of art and immersive screensavers. On The Frame models, you have to pay a monthly fee to gain access to the artwork.

The Canvas TV comes with an anti-glare, hi-matte finish, a teakwood magnetic frame (more options sold separately) and an ulta-slim wall mount that lies flush to make the TV look as close as possible to framed artwork. "The TV itself looks stupid good in a gallery wall and really does blend in with other artwork and wall hangings, especially in art mode," Deputy Shopping Editor Miller Kern writes.

If you're in the market for a new TV and want something that'll enhance your living room aesthetic, the Hisense Canvas TV is one of the best picks — especially while it's half its usual cost.

Did you think that the chaos around limited-edition Starbucks drinkware was over? You fool! It has only just begun.

Last year’s viral Bearista glass cup sold out in a flash. For the 2026 holiday season, the bear is making a comeback. And this time, it’s teaming up with one of Mashable's favorite brands — Owala.

When does the Starbucks Bearista Owala drop?

Mark your calendar, clear your schedule, and mentally prepare for Nov. 5. The Bearista collection officially hits Starbucks stores nationwide with the return of the seasonal holiday menu. It's important to note that, unlike some of these viral drops, this collection will also be available online via the Starbucks Shop. That could be an absolute game-changer.

How to buy the Starbucks Bearista Owala

Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee success against scalpers. There are, however, some things you can do to maximize your chances on launch morning.

The most obvious recommendation we can make is to check the Starbucks Shop while waiting in line at your local coffeehouse. You could save yourself a lot of time and effort by simply shopping online if the stock exists. If that doesn't work out for you, make sure you're well-positioned in the queue by arriving at least 30 minutes before doors open.

Lastly, the sensible move is to call your local store before Nov. 5 to check whether they have received any stock and how many Owala units were allocated. That way, you can get an idea of whether or not it's worth standing out in the rain.

How much will the Starbucks Bearista Owala cost?

Starbucks has not yet confirmed the price of the Bearista Owala. A standard Owala FreeSip bottle typically retails for $29.99 (although deals are live). Last year's Bearista glass cup sold for $29.95. Expect pricing to land somewhere around those figures (if not a little more).

What's all the fuss? At the end of the day, this is a stainless steel water bottle with a cute bear print. If you just want a leak-proof, insulated tumbler with a built-in straw, a standard 24-oz Owala FreeSip on Amazon delivers the exact same experience without forcing you to wake up at dawn or deal with line-cutters. But if you are an avid Starbucks collector or looking for the ultimate holiday gift for an Owala fan, Nov. 5 is your day to shine.

Google is all-in on fitness trackers in 2026. In May, we got the Fitbit Air, followed by the Pixel Watch 5 in August. And now, in October, we're welcoming the new Fitbit Edge, a fitness tracker that feels like it lands in a nice middle ground.

Preorders are already live for the newest Fitbit model, but before you decide if you're all-in on the Edge, check out some of the specs below.

Highlights of the Google Fitbit Edge

Unlike the Fitbit Air, Google went with a design that offers plenty of on-display info on the Edge. The AMOLED color display measures 1.34 inches and only weighs 17.7 grams without the band. Google kept it slim with the Edge, which measures just 11.58 mm. Like the Air, it aims to offer a comfortable fit for wear 24/7. The watch face on the Edge marks the largest and brightest ever on a Fitbit.

Credit: Google

Google says the battery can last up to 7 days, with a recharge time of about 90 minutes. A five-minute recharge will earn you an additional day of use. A first for Fitbit, the Edge's battery is replaceable should you wish to extend your watch's lifespan.

While the Fitbit Air was a scaled-back fitness tracker focused on simplicity, the Fitbit Edge adds features I missed with the Air. For one, it has an onboard altimeter, so it'll track the floors climbed and give you elevation info on hikes.

The Fitbit Edge also has onboard GPS for tracking your runs, walks, and bike rides. By comparison, the Air lacks onboard GPS and instead relies on your smartphone's GPS.

The IP68 waterproof rating means this model is swim friendly, won't mind going on a rainy fall run, and you won't have to take it off to shower.

Like the Air and Google Pixel 5, the Fitbit Edge comes with the Google Health Coach. While I'm not one to lean into AI, I enjoy the Google Health Coach's insight. I especially like the sleep tracking metrics that come with Fitbits.

It looks like anything but a fitness tracker

Order the Fitbit Edge, and it'll come with the silicone Active Band, which Google designed to be extra breathable thanks to the large cutouts. But you can also swap out the band for other options like the Performance Loop band, my preferred option on the Fitbit Air. It's a micro-adjustable option that allows for ultimate comfort. And somehow, it's pretty resistant to dirt.

There are also the elevated Metal Links and Magnet bands that make the Edge look much more like a watch and less like a fitness tracker. Google also launched the Fitbit Edge with a special Stephen Curry edition. It comes with a custom basketball watch face and a Rye colorway band, similar to the Stephen Curry edition of the Fitbit Air.

The Stephen Curry edition of the Fitbit Edge has its own custom watch face option. Credit: Google How to preorder the Google Fitbit Edge

The Fitbit Edge is available for preorder at Amazon and Google for $179.99 with a launch date set for Oct. 27. It comes with free access to Google Health Premium for three months. The special Stephen Curry edition of the Fitbit Edge is also available for preorder for $219.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Google Google Fitbit Edge $179.99 at Amazon
  Pre-order Here

SAVE $10: As of Oct. 12, the Owala FreeSip Twist Stainless Steel Water Bottle (24 oz) in select colorways is down to $19.99 at Amazon. That’s 33% off its regular $29.99 list price, marking a rare drop that beats out Prime Day deals.

Opens in a new window Credit: Owala Owala FreeSip Twist 24 oz $19.99 at Amazon
$29.99 Save $10   Get Deal

If there’s one piece of hydration gear Mashable readers consistently obsess over, it’s anything with an Owala logo on it. In fact, the Owala FreeSip Twist recently earned a spot on our list of the top 10 most popular products readers bought during October Prime Day. While the classic push-button FreeSip gets plenty of hype, the Twist version offers a sleeker, leak-proof spin on the original — and right now, select colorways are priced lower than they were over Prime Day.

You can grab the 24 oz FreeSip Twist for just $19.99 on Amazon, saving $10 off its usual $29.99 price tag. Getting a top-tier insulated bottle under twenty bucks is already a solid win, but beating major shopping holiday event pricing makes this a no-brainer if your current water bottle has seen better days.

What makes people fall in love with this bottle is Owala’s 2-in-1 spout design. Unlike standard bottles that force you to choose between a straw and a wide opening, the FreeSip spout lets you do both. You can sip upright through the built-in straw when you're working or driving, or tilt it back to swig directly from the spout when you're super thirsty.

Thanks to triple-layer vacuum insulation, cold drinks stay chilled for hours, and the twist lid safely handles hot coffee or sparkling water without spraying when opened. The protective top creates a tight seal that won't leak inside a backpack or gym bag, and the built-in loop makes it easy to carry around on a finger.

Just keep in mind that the 24 oz version has a slightly wider base than ultra-slim bottles, so while it slides easily into tote bags, it might only fit into larger or specialty car cup holders.

If you want a leak-proof, multi-purpose bottle that lives up to the hype, head over to Amazon to grab the Owala FreeSip Twist for $19.99 while the discount is still live.