Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA
2025 was unquestionably the year of AI.Big Tech shelled out roughly $400 billion on capex, a spending spree so extensive that some economists believe it staved off an overall recession. Nvidia became the first $4 trillion company. And AI content became inescapable, seeping into everything from Hollywood to campaign ads — even Mickey Mouse is getting into AI.It hasn’t been an endless party. Seemingly every few weeks, the stock market gets spooked that music is about to stop. Only Universal’s Wicked for Good was more focused on a bubble.Here’s a look back at the biggest AI storylines of 2025.Wall Street’s…
Tech companies in Silicon Valley are raising billions to develop wearable AI-powered products. A trio of teenagers in nearby Santa Clara built theirs for less than $100.Akhil Nagori, Evann Sun, and Lucas Shengwen Yen, all of them 15 years old, invented wearable glasses powered by AI that translate text to speech in real time.”Our main goal was to create an easy, cost-efficient way to transcribe text from any format for visually impaired students,” Nagori told Business Insider.Nagori, Sun, and Yen submitted their prototype, which took about five months to complete, to the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge in October…
The creator economy is riding an AI-fueled high.In 2025, eight startups building artificial intelligence tools to automate the content creation process each announced at least $50 million in funding — a combined $1.2 billion — from venture capital and private equity investors.Synthesia, a generative AI video startup based in London, confirmed its $180 million funding round in January, while ElevenLabs, a text-to-voice startup, closed a $180 million Series C round. Other AI startups, like Moonvalley, Krea, and Higgsfield, also announced sizable investments this year.While AI is dominating investor interest, the topic still carries friction within the creator economy. Some of…
Former “Bachelorette” JoJo Fletcher and her husband, Jordan Rodgers, welcomed their first baby via emergency cesarean section days before Christmas, the couple announced.Fletcher wrote on Instagram that she went for a sonogram appointment on Tuesday and “found out we needed to deliver via emergency c section that day.”Their baby girl, Romy Blair Rodgers, was born at 5:37 p.m. on Tuesday.Prince William, Kate Middleton and kids spread cheer on Christmas”What a whirlwind these last couple of days have been but in the most magical way,” she wrote.”Merry Christmas to us,” she said.How celebrities are celebrating Christmas 2025Fletcher’s best friend from “The…
It looks like you may soon be able to change that old email address you made in high school.Google account users have long been unable to change their email addresses without creating a whole new account, but Google seems to be quietly rolling out an option to update them. That’s according to a support page published by the company, which outlines a new process to change the email or username used to identify your account.The update on Google’s account help page says certain account holders can now change their @gmail.com address without losing access to their data or services. The…
By Jasper WardDec 26 (Reuters) – Social media platforms with infinite scrolling, auto-play and algorithmic feeds will be required to display warning labels about their potential harm to young users’ mental health under a new law, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Friday.”Keeping New Yorkers safe has been my top priority since taking office, and that includes protecting our kids from the potential harms of social media features that encourage excessive use,” Hochul said in a statement.This month Australia imposed a social media ban for children under 16. New York joins states like California and Minnesota that have similar…
TechCrunch’s Equity crew is bringing 2025 to a close and getting ahead on the year to come with our annual predictions episode! Hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Rebecca Bellan were joined by Build Mode host Isabelle Johannessen to dissect the year’s biggest tech developments, from mega AI funding rounds that defied expectations to the rise of “physical AI,” and make their calls for 2026. The group tackled everything from why AI agents didn’t live up to the hype in 2025 (but probably will in 2026), to how Hollywood will push back against AI-generated content, to why VCs are facing a serious liquidity crisis. Listen to the full episode to hear: …
TikTok is diving into the buzzy micro drama space and has added a section where you can binge on bite-sized series without leaving the app.The TikTok Minis section features “lightweight, in-app mini programs that let users access experiences and content without leaving TikTok,” a TikTok staffer recently posted on LinkedIn. That tab has both “mini games” and over a dozen apps for “mini dramas,” otherwise known as micro dramas or verticals.It’s a boost for these low-budget, made-for-mobile shows — movie-length soapy titles chopped into short episodes — that grew out of China and have gained popularity in the US. Plots often revolve…
Ivan Rodriguez Alba/Getty Images 2025-12-26T15:38:58.853Z Share Copy link Email Facebook WhatsApp X LinkedIn Bluesky Threads lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Impact Link Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. TikTokers have been debating two jobs: $120,000 for fully virtual work, or $240,000 for five days in-person. The debate between virtual, in-person, and hybrid work rages on as more employers make return-to-office mandates. Which job would you choose? Answer our poll below. A debate over…
You’re in your mid-40s, eating healthy and exercising regularly. It’s the same routine that has worked for years.Yet lately, the number on the scale is creeping up. Clothes fit differently. A bit of belly fat appears, seemingly overnight. You remember your mother’s frustration with the endless dieting, the extra cardio, the talk about “menopause weight.” But you’re still getting your periods. Menopause should be at least half a decade away.So what’s really going on?We are a primary care physician with expertise in medical weight management and an endocrinologist and obesity medicine specialist. We hear this story nearly every day. Women…