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Warehouse efficiency is crucial in helping get goods into the arms of customers. In its simplest form, this means picking, packing and shipping goods from the warehouse to the home as quickly, efficiently and cheaply as possible. In practice, however, there are several challenges that organizations face in their battle to continuously meet customer demand.

Costs for warehouse operators continue to balloon, amidst rising wages, increased national insurance contributions and increased operational costs. Data from the UK’s Office for National Statistics showed that in Q1 2025, costs rose more steeply for transport and storage companies (including logistics, parcels, haulage and warehousing) than for other comparable sectors. This pressure is being compounded by a huge labor shortage, with skilled employees continuing to leave the industry year on year, and the pipeline of emerging talent continuing to decrease.

Businesses are seeking new alternatives to help solve some of these critical industry challenges – including the introduction of automation, and more specifically, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). These robots can help complete labor-intensive manual tasks, from intricate picking and sorting of goods to moving pallets and large payloads – creating huge efficiencies. Here are five key benefits and considerations for companies looking to AMRs to drive efficiency.

1. AMRs to solve labor challenges

Warehouses are facing several compounding labor-related pressures simultaneously. An aging workforce means more and more talent leaves the industry each year, while the younger generations are seemingly less likely to consider a role in logistics – owing to a preference for more ‘prestigious’ jobs. For existing warehouse employees, retention and workplace engagement is low, contributing to significantly higher turnover rates than in other sectors. These labour disruptions contribute to the slower fulfilment of orders, reduced margins and ultimately impact supply chain resilience.

Rather than taking or replacing jobs, AMRs are actively filling much needed gaps in the labor force, in a way that enhances safety and increases job satisfaction. Using complementary strengths of robots and human workers enhances overall productivity. AMRs excel at repetitive, physically demanding and precision tasks, such as moving heavy loads, sorting items and transporting goods across the warehouse. This allows human workers to focus on higher-value tasks, involving problem solving, critical thinking and adaptability. The result is an efficient workflow, in which the bulk of more dangerous manual labor is handled through automation, while humans oversee quality control, ensuring orders are fulfilled quicker and with less errors.

2. Meeting demands through reduced order cycles

Today’s shoppers prioritize convenience and experience. There is an expectation for quick and efficient delivery of items purchased online, and next-day - or increasingly same-day - deliveries are becoming the industry standard. Failure to meet these expectations risks impacting customer loyalty and retention. In fact, as may as one in three customers won’t purchase from a brand they like again, if they have a single negative experience. Improving the order cycle of goods – from order receipt, through to picking, packing, sorting and shipping – is critical to meeting these expectations.

Close integration between AMRs and Warehouse Management (WMS) ensures accurate, real-time data on current inventory, preventing delays and stockouts. By bringing goods directly to workers on the warehouse floor, AMRs minimize walking and travel time. Equally, advanced navigation systems ensure efficient routing and continuous operations. The result is a quantifiable improvement in picking rates, shorter lead times and increased throughput.

3. Providing increased flexibility and scalability

AMRs provide the additional benefit of flexibility and scalability. Season peaks, like Christmas, require significantly more resources to manage an increased order volume. This often requires larger recruitment drives, from an already dwindling talent pool, and longer hours to meet fulfilment deadlines.

Without time consuming training processes, AMRs can meet the increased volume of work with minimal ramp-up time needed. As business demands change, AMRs can be scaled up and down to match a live workload and seasonal peaks, while human workers can focus on making reactive changes to overarching business challenges. If demand is massively increased, businesses can add more AMRs to their fleet and integrate these without major infrastructure changes or downtime.

4. Increasing efficiency through orchestration

While the benefits are clear, deploying AMRs alone isn’t enough to unlock their full potential. Without integration, the efficiency of AMRs can be limited, if they fail to coordinate and complement the workloads of other automated systems, alongside human employees. The future of teamwork within warehouses is through multi-robot and people orchestration – or technologies that help to coordinate robot fleets and the surrounding manual workers all under one system.

Driving maximum efficiency while using AMRs requires integration, and the application of real-time data from other key warehouse technologies. For example, orchestrators, who can use live order and inventory information from WMSs can allocate tasks to the most suitable robots, or humans, based on proximity, availability and current workload. This ensures that each robot is always working on the most optimal task possible. Resulting reductions in idle time and bottlenecks, through the intelligent application of resources, minimizes errors and ultimately drives improved efficiency and throughput across the warehouse.

5. Future-proof your operation

Ensuring supply chain resilience, and the ability to maintain consistent fulfilment, requires the embracement of technology to drive efficiency. The introduction of AMRs should be part of a wider long-term supply chain and warehouse strategy to balance the strengths of human workers, the efficiency gains for technology and intelligent decision making through real-time data. Together this will enable faster and more accurate delivery of goods, while collectively strengthening the supply chain’s ability to withstand and recover from unexpected challenges.

Ultimately, rising costs and labor shortages are making warehouse efficiency increasingly difficult. Rising adoption of AMRs helps fill labor gaps, speed up order fulfilment and provides valuable flexibility during peak periods. When integrated with warehouse systems and human workers, they optimize workflows and reduce errors overall. Embracing AMRs should be part of a broader technology strategy to provide faster deliveries, meet customer expectations and ultimately build a more resilient supply chain.

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Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, August 8 (game #1292).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

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

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

Quordle today (game #1293) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

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

Quordle today (game #1293) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 4.

Quordle today (game #1293) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

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

Quordle today (game #1293) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

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

Quordle today (game #1293) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• N

• I

• E

• V

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

Quordle today (game #1293) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1293, are…

• NOOSE
• INLET
• ELEGY
• VIRUS

I screwed up today, guessing a word with a letter that I already knew was in the wrong position.

However, as is often the case, the error actually opened up another column and allowed me to guess ELEGY – a word I would have taken longer to find without my lucky error.

Daily Sequence today (game #1293) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1293, are…

• SPACE
• INNER
• CONIC
• KNELT

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1292, Friday, 8 August: KNEEL, KINKY, RALPH, BOOZY
• Quordle #1291, Thursday, 7 August: PLUNK, PROXY, CURVY, PEARL
• Quordle #1290, Wednesday, 6 August: RISKY, APART, FAUNA, HANDY
• Quordle #1289, Tuesday, 5 August: ROAST, SLICK, AUDIT, BILLY
• Quordle #1288, Monday, 4 August: MACAW, SINCE, COLON, CHIRP
• Quordle #1287, Sunday, 3 August: MOTIF, LEERY, LOFTY, BURST
• Quordle #1286, Saturday, 2 August: WARTY, PUPAL, CLEAR, SLICE
• Quordle #1285, Friday, 1 August: ACTOR, MEALY, WIDTH, ADOBE
• Quordle #1284, Thursday, 31 July: STYLE, VALET, AGONY, ALLOY
• Quordle #1283, Wednesday, 30 July: DEBAR, ADMIN, FOLIO, USAGE
• Quordle #1282, Tuesday, 29 July: BATCH, TOPIC, MURKY, BUNCH
• Quordle #1281, Monday, 28 July: CANDY, TRYST, SHIRT, FORGO
• Quordle #1280, Sunday, 27 July: TRAWL, BALER, PIANO, MINCE
• Quordle #1279, Saturday, 26 July: MUDDY, SAINT, KINKY, POLAR
• Quordle #1278, Friday, 25 July: BONUS, RESIN, CEDAR, MADAM
• Quordle #1277, Thursday, 24 July: AGONY, VERVE, GLEAN, MINUS
• Quordle #1276, Wednesday, 23 July: OZONE, PENCE, ROOMY, WIDER
• Quordle #1275, Tuesday, 22 July: OPTIC, GIDDY, VOCAL, ADULT
• Quordle #1274, Monday, 21 July: KNEED, SNAIL, PINTO, FEAST

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, August 8 (game #523).

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

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

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

NYT Strands today (game #524) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Gastronomic gadgets

NYT Strands today (game #524) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• ROACH
• CUTE
• VEER
• STEW
• LOVE
• CHALK

NYT Strands today (game #524) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #524) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 2nd column

Last side: bottom, 5th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #524) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #524, are…

• CORKSCREW
• SPATULA
• MIXER
• ZESTER
• SIEVE
• WHISK
• SPANGRAM: KITCHEN TOOL

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

The first thing I did today was to search for the word “kitchen”, as it seemed obvious that it was what “Gastronomic gadgets” was referring to. 

I found it quickly enough, but it wasn’t as straightforward as I thought it would be and it took me a while to see KITCHEN TOOL. Thinking we were looking for a plural theme, I even had kitchen tools ahead of the correct spangram.

Beyond this, the rest of the words were hidden in plain sight, but I particularly enjoyed CORKSCREW revealing itself corkscrew-style. 

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, August 8, game #523)

• DUKE
• COUNT
• HAWK
• DIZZY
• CANNONBALL
• YARDBIRD
• FATS
• SPANGRAM: JAZZ CATS

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, August 8 (game #789).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

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

NYT Connections today (game #790) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• INSIDE
• PRODUCT
• MAZE
• SYRUP
• FRUIT
• KNOCK-KNOCK
• LET ME IN
• MUFFIN
• PRACTICAL
• GHOST
• RETURN
• SILK
• YIELD
• TWILIGHT
• DAD
• CASPER

NYT Connections today (game #790) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: The final outcome
• GREEN: Funny ha-ha 
• BLUE: Spooky love stories 
• PURPLE: Add a word that goes with flakes

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #790) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: RESULT 
• GREEN: KINDS OF JOKES 
• BLUE: MOVIES FEATURING SUPERNATURAL ROMANCE 
• PURPLE: CORN-Y THINGS 

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

NYT Connections today (game #790) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #790, are…

• YELLOW: RESULT FRUIT, PRODUCT, RETURN, YIELD
• GREEN: KINDS OF JOKES DAD, INSIDE, KNOCK-KNOCK, PRACTICAL
• BLUE: MOVIES FEATURING SUPERNATURAL ROMANCE CASPER, GHOST, LET ME IN, TWILIGHT
• PURPLE: CORN-Y THINGS MAZE, MUFFIN, SILK, SYRUP

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

I’ll be honest, I absolutely hated Connections yesterday. Not just because I failed, but because it didn’t make sense to me – even in hindsight.

I didn’t do much better today, but at least I understood the links once I finally limped across the line with four correct groups.

My mistake meltdown came in trying to connect what became KINDS OF JOKES. With just eight tiles left I eventually got lucky, but equally I was annoyed that I hadn't seen the easiest of today’s quartets. 

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, August 8, game #789)

• YELLOW: MAKE EQUAL, AS A SCORE DRAW, EVEN, SQUARE, TIE
• GREEN: BESTOW CONFER, GRANT, PRESENT, VEST
• BLUE: THINGS YOU MIGHT DO DURING A BORING CLASS/ MEETING DOODLE, DOZE, PASS NOTES, SPACE
• PURPLE: WORDS AFTER THE LETTERS "MS" DEGREE, MARVEL, PAC-MAN, PAINT

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

It's time to unwind after a long week of work – and what better way to do so than streaming one or several new movies and shows that have dropped this week?

Unsurprisingly, Wednesday's second season has been the talk of the entertainment town over the last few days. However, many of the world's best streaming services have also got something interesting to offer, so one of the biggest Netflix TV Originals of all-time isn't the only thing worth watching this weekend. Hop to it, then, and learn more about what else has arrived. – Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

Wednesday season 2 part 1 (Netflix)

The queen of anti-socialness, goths, and the macabre has returned. Wednesday Addams is back on Netflix for her sophomore semester at Nevermore Academy – and, considering it's been nearly three years since the hugely successful show's first season dropped, it's high time we were reunited with the psychic teen.

Wednesday season 2 won't be an easy ride for Jenna Ortega's eponymous character, though. Indeed, season 2's official trailer reveals she'll be in a race against time to save the life of her self-installed bestie Enid Sinclair. There'll be numerous other intriguing subplots to unravel, too, with the wider Addams Family having a larger role to play in proceedings than last time. Here's hoping one of the best Netflix shows' second outing is as kooky and spooky as its forebear. – TP

• Watch Wednesday season 2 on Netflix

King of the Hill season 14 (Hulu/Disney+)

Can you believe that little Bobby is all grown up? Hank and Peggy have returned to Middle America after a lengthy retirement, and it's incredible how little their world seems to have changed in the interim. In reality, King of the Hill has been off our screens for the last 16 years and it's the perfect dose of nostalgia for the week.

The Hulu and Disney+ show as charming as I remember, and has somehow managed to pick up exactly where prior seasons left off. If you sewed them together, you'd hardly be able to see the seams. Frankly, that's a massive two fingers up to every other legacy sequel in existence. I promise it'll exceed your expectations, even if you can't fully remember the full Hank-lore (you don't really need to). – Jasmine Valentine, entertainment writer

• Watch King of the Hill season 14 on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (internationally)

The Pickup (Prime Video)

I love watching an action movie on a Friday night but, after reading early reviews for one of August's new Prime Video movies, I'm not getting my hopes up for The Pickup. Billed as a heist comedy, it pairs Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson as armored truck drivers caught in a criminal ambush.

On paper, this Prime Video flick sounds like the kind of plot that could set up thrilling action sequences – but I’m not convinced this one’s going to deliver. Considering Murphy's track record with buddy comedies, his performance might be the only bright spark in what could otherwise be a car crash of an Amazon film. – Amelia Schwanke, senior entertainment editor

• Watch The Pickup on Prime Video

Platonic season 2 (Apple TV+)

From the moment I saw the trailer for Platonic season 2, I knew the Apple TV+ series was onto another winner. The BFF (and things have strictly remained platonic) chemistry between Rose Byrne's Sylvia and Seth Rogen's Will is exactly the kind I hope I grow up to have, even if it comes with too many midlife hurdles for two people to handle. As Apple puts it: “The duo tries their best to be each other’s rock – but sometimes rocks break things.” That only means one thing... a huge helping of delicious drama.

As far as I'm concerned, tension and fallouts between two close friends hits a lot harder than any lovers tiff or evil rivalry, and there's a genuine honesty and vulnerability that comes alongside the laughs this summer. It's the perfect summer comedy we've not yet been treated to, if you discount the bloody accidents on the golf course. – JV

• Watch Platonic season 2 on Apple TV+

The Monkey (Hulu)

Osgood Perkins scared us all silly with the Nicolas Cage-led serial killer horror Longlegs, last year. Now, he's back with something very different. Based on a Stephen King story, The Monkey follows twin brothers who discover a cursed toy monkey that causes horrific deaths around them.

It leans more into comedic gory horror than straight-up frights and there are some seriously shocking moments throughout. One of seven new horror movies on Prime Video, Shudder, HBO Max, and more you can't afford to miss this month. – Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer

• Watch The Monkey on Hulu

Freaky Tales (HBO Max)

Pedro Pascal has been a busy boy lately. Whether he's navigating the apocalypse in The Last of Us season 2 or putting his spandex on for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, he's been on our screens a lot, including in this anthology flick that's out now on HBO Max.

In Freaky Tales, we follow an NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teenage punks, neo-Nazis and a debt collector set against an '80s backdrop. It's as varied as it sounds, with the movie showing us four interconnected stories that are sure to entertain. With a 74% Rotten Tomatoes critical rating, it's worth checking out this weekend – LB

• Watch Freaky Tales on HBO Max

Stolen: Heist of the Century (Netflix)

Remember those headlines about the world's biggest diamond heist back in 2003? The story of Italian thieves robbing an estimated $100–500 million from the vault of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre in the dead of the night has left many scratching their heads since, especially considering most of the gems have never been recovered.

Now, thanks to authors Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell, we finally have the inside story. Their book Flawless detailed the daring operation and it’s now been adapted into a Netflix documentary. Think real-life Ocean’s Eleven, produced by one of the minds behind the brilliant Don’t F**k with Cats. I’m already sold. – AS

• Watch Stolen: Heist of the Century on Netflix

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• Foundation season 3 may have just killed off another major character
• This season's latest chapter sets the scene for five more incendiary episodes to come
• One of the sci-fi series' stars has teased what'll happen next

Foundation season 3 episode 5 is out now – and it's an explosive entry that might set up an incredibly tense and life-threatening second half of the Apple TV+ show's latest installment.

Titled 'Where Tyrants Spend Eternity', Foundation season 3's latest chapter is full of shocks aplenty, one of which appears to be the demise of another major character. Full spoilers immediately follow for this season up to and including episode 5, so turn back now if you haven't watched it yet.

Someone's going for an unexpected space walk! (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Following Hari Seldon's supposed death in Foundation season 3 episode 2, the sci-fi epic appears to bump off another member of its primary cast – Brother Dawn – in 'Where Tyrants Spend Eternity'.

That might not come as a big surprise to some viewers. After all, a previous version of Dawn, i.e. one of three clones of Cleon I who tyrannically rule the Galactic Empire, was killed in Foundation's first season. The fate of season 3's iteration has been debated over the last couple of weeks, too, especially after Dawn formed a uneasy alliance with Gaal Dornick, who has ties to Empire's arch-rivals in the Foundation and the Second Foundation, in this season's third entry.

Unsurprisingly, Dawn was just a pawn in Gaal's all-consuming quest to try and defeat The Mule, aka this season's Big Bad. In episode 5, Gaal convinces Dawn to form an Imperial blockade around Kalgan, the independent world that The Mule took control of in Foundation season 3's premiere. Dawn does so by blackmailing Tarisk, one of the most influential members of Empire's Galactic Council, which is based on Clarion Station, and whom Kalgan's jurisdiction falls under, who helps to force the rest of his councillors to approve Dawn's request.

Dawn doesn't realize he's going to regret blackmailing Tarisk (Image credit: Apple TV+)

The aim of the blockade? Prevent food and medicine entering Kalgan due to the Imperial armada surrounding the planet, and effectively starve The Mule and his forces until they surrender. Okay, Kalgan's civilian population would also suffer, but Gaal insists it's a small price to pay to thwart this season's primary villain.

Predictably, things don't go according to plan. Once the armada is in position around Kalgan, The Mule reveals he foresaw what would happen and prepared to counter it. After taking control of the nearest jump gate to Kalgan in episode 3, his troops laced it with Blue Cobalt, an explosive substance that, when fired into a nearby star, causes a huge, powerful, and incredibly hot solar flare to erupt and incinerate anything in its path. Long story short: the armada is destroyed in the blast, and Kalgan and its populace are burned to a crisp.

Fleeing the scene and locating an airlock that'll allow him to reunite with Gaal with the aid of the latter's Foundation operative, Dawn soon learns Kalgan and the Imperial armada's destruction was also part of Gaal's own scheme. Indeed, Gaal tells him – via their telecom devices – that the Foundation needed Empire's fleet to be destroyed as that would accelerate its decline and allow the Foundation (plus the covert Second Foundation) to thrive.

Who knew that one of Empire's biggest archnemeses would betray you, eh, Dawn? (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Furious and understandably feeling betrayed, Dawn severs ties with Gaal. However, as he prepares to leave the aforementioned airlock, Dawn is confronted by a grief-stricken Tarisk, whose family was killed on Kalgan. Despite Dawn's pleas to put down his weapon, a vengeful Tarisk opens fire, causing the chamber to depressurize and sucking the pair of them out into space.

Now, Dawn managed to put on a full spacesuit before he was confronted by Tarisk, so it's highly likely he isn't dead. Nonetheless, Brother Dusk, the only one of Empire's three rulers who's still running the show – remember, Day has fled the coop to pursue his own quest in Mycogen – believes Dawn has perished. That much is made clear in the holographic message Dawn sends to Dusk before the council meeting, Kalgan's destruction, and everything that comes after.

Is Dusk about to go all Emperor Palpatine/Darth Vader on the galaxy? (Image credit: Apple TV+)

So, what next for the ailing Empire as it tries to hold onto the dwindling amount of power it wields in the galaxy? Cassian Bilton, who plays Dawn, wouldn't be drawn on what happens next when I asked him for details ahead of this season's debut.

However, Terrance Mann, who portrays Dusk in one of the best Apple TV+ shows, was more forthcoming. And, with a Black Hole Gun – think of it like the planet-killing Death Star in Star Wars – at his disposal, the emotionally devastated Dusk might be so consumed by rage and sadness that said weapon is taken for a ride or two very soon.

"Dusk, and Demerzel and the other Cleons for that matter, are desperately clinging on, "Mann said. "And now things have occurred that force him to make really hard choices about who's going to live, who's going to die, and what's ultimately going to save Empire.

"This whole season is all about the wheels coming off the wagon, and he's left having to do something he never thought he'd have to do," Mann continued, "A large part of that has to do with thinking Dawn has died. At that point, he's completely lost and thinks 'I have nothing else to do but exert this power [the Black Hole Gun] that I have and eradicate everything except for Empire."

If that doesn't set the stage for five more unmissable chapters of this Apple TV Original, I don't know what will. New episodes of Foundation air every Friday, so we've got a wait on our hands to see where things go from here.

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• OpenAI’s GPT-5 model will soon be available alongside Apple Intelligence
• That means more powerful ChatGPT features on your Apple device
• But this move may make life harder for Apple’s rumored chatbot

OpenAI has just released its latest GPT-5 artificial intelligence (AI) model, and it’s set to bring a whole host of powerful new features to the ChatGPT chatbot. Thanks to Apple’s integration of ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence, that could bring benefits to a wider set of people than merely ChatGPT users – but it also brings some serious risks to Apple.

When might we see GPT-5 in Apple Intelligence? Well, news outlet 9to5Mac thinks it has the answer. The publication claims that Apple told it that GPT-5 will arrive on Apple devices with the release of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. That’s due to happen in early September, meaning there’s only about a month to wait before GPT-5 is directly incorporated into Apple’s products.

You'll apparently be able to access GPT-5 in a few different ways on iPhones and Macs. The most obvious being when you use Siri for more complex questions that it can't answer, but also with Apple's Writing Tools and Visual Intelligence, which uses your iPhone's camera to help answer questions about what you're looking at.

The new features in GPT-5 include different personalities (including Cynic, Listener, Nerd, and Robot), fresh theming options, and an improved Voice Mode. Google users will also soon be able to connect their Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts accounts directly to ChatGPT.

GPT-5 comes in a few different sizes, including the regular GPT-5 model, GPT-5 mini, and GPT-5 nano. These offer different levels of reasoning and are all available to free users. If you’re paying $200 a month for ChatGPT Pro, you’ll also get access to the deeper GPT-5 pro and GPT-5 thinking models, which take longer to respond but offer more insightful responses.

The wait goes on

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

While ChatGPT can be used in conjunction with Apple Intelligence, you have to specifically invoke it. Most queries to Apple’s AI will use Apple Intelligence, but if there’s something that Apple’s model can’t answer, it will ask if you want to hand off to ChatGPT.

Right now, relying on ChatGPT for more in-depth queries doesn’t reflect particularly well on Apple Intelligence, but there are signs that Apple is working to correct that. The company is reportedly developing its own AI chatbot to rival ChatGPT and others (despite previously telling TechRadar “that was never the goal, and it remains not our primary goal”).

Unfortunately, we don’t know when that chatbot will be ready, which could be why Apple is moving so swiftly to incorporate GPT-5 into Apple Intelligence: it might be an attempt to keep Apple’s AI relevant while the company works on its own solution. But the longer we have to wait – and the more features OpenAI adds to ChatGPT – the higher the expectations will be on Apple’s chatbot, and the harder it will be for Apple Intelligence to eventually usurp its rivals.

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This week a new word made its public debut. With an increase in attacks on health care facilities and personnel, the goal of this coinage is to spark outrage and outcry. But the reaction is mixed.

(Image credit: Omar Al-Qattaa)

Israel has announced plans to extend the Gaza war and take over Gaza City. And, President Trump wants a new U.S. census to exclude people without legal status.

(Image credit: BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor: Three-minute review

(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

Having used an OLED ultrawide for years now, specifically the Alienware AW3423DWF QD-OLED (a mouthful, I know), I've been curious about a switch to mini-LED. The idea of higher brightness while gaming is intriguing, to say the least, and in came the Mobile Pixels 34-inch curved mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor.

This monitor left me impressed with its quality while gaming or watching content built for high brightness – so much so that I didn't miss using my main OLED monitor. For the first time ever, I've been able to push brightness very high in games and enjoy fascinating visuals, and most importantly, without too much exposure.

Images don't really do it much justice, as it will mostly seem too bright to view in images below. However, believe me when I say it's a treat to view in person – and it comes down to its HDR1000 VESA certification (allowing 1000 nits of peak brightness), and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio producing incredible deep black levels.

With an 180Hz refresh rate, which is higher than what you might find on some of the best ultrawide gaming monitors, I was able to enjoy my favorite games easily.

(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

It's important to note, though, that it's not all great. Dark level smearing (especially when reading white text against dark backgrounds) and ghosting in games are noticeable, and while that's to be expected for a VA panel, it will be bothersome for those who are accustomed to faster displays.

While it didn't completely spoil my gaming or movie viewing experiences, it was a lot more evident for me when playing fast-paced games, especially when using Frame Generation against darker backgrounds in-game. It gets worse (as expected) when enabling any of the overdrive settings via the monitor OSD menu – which I must add, is very finicky, as it sometimes won't save settings or simply undo them randomly.

The biggest examples for me were using path tracing in Cyberpunk 2077, and notably path tracing mods in Capcom's Dragon's Dogma 2, which comes with a lot of ghosting already and lacks a denoiser (but served as an easier way for me to notice the difference). When in lighter backgrounds, ghosting was noticeable, but it wasn't too extreme. When stepping into darker areas, the ghosting and smearing were seriously bad.

Perhaps it's a bit unfair coming from using an OLED to a VA mini-LED, but its price is in the same region as other OLED monitors that don't have this issue. It would have worked in Mobile Pixels' favor to use an IPS panel instead of VA for better response times, but that would potentially be a drawback on the great contrast available here.

Notice the ghosting is worse on the darker background? (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

In terms of blooming, it's kept to a minimum when sitting directly in front of the monitor. Bear in mind, what you're seeing below isn't the best representation of how well the haloing effect is kept to a minimum, due to different lighting conditions.

There's a 'Halo Control' setting in the OSD menu, but I found that adjustments weren't very necessary. I was quite happy with how well this monitor handles bloom. Compared to my mini-LED TV (specifically the TCL 55QM8B), which has 300+ full-array local dimming zones, I'd say the results were fairly similar.

I must reiterate that this is a VA panel, so viewing angles are narrow. Essentially, blooming is significantly worse when viewing from either side, but I've never used my ultrawide monitors when sitting away from my desk (unless it's a 32:9 display).

HDR is enabled here... (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

Lining this up with an OLED display, again, is pretty unfair, since the AW3423DWF is night and day ahead, but it gave me a good impression of how good the deep black levels are on the Mobile Pixels 34-inch ultrawide. If you've been using a regular LED display, mini-LED will still blow you away – and in my eyes, it's the best alternative to OLED.

And the comparison below is proof of that. The OLED's deep black levels are genuinely phenomenal, and while the mini-LED strays far behind due to blooming, it was still great enough for me to enjoy content – and that's even better when you throw in the benefit of very high brightness.

It's also worth noting that there's no worry of burn-in, unlike OLED monitors. It's been a breath of fresh air not to baby my Alienware display with OLED care and pixel refreshes. In some ways, you can almost say that makes mini-LED the better choice, as you're getting the best of the 'brightness world', while still taking some benefits of great contrast – and with an OLED, you're mostly getting the best of the latter.

Yes, multiple OLED monitors like the AW3423DWF can utilize HDR1000, and OLEDs are about to get brighter with True Black HDR1000 VESA certifications. However, my display has a very aggressive Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL), which kicks in when trying to use HDR1000, and I've not had to deal with that on the Mobile Pixels ultrawide.

It's taught me to respect mini-LED monitors, which I once saw as too low of a step down from OLED, and I'd very much consider using one in a multi-display setup.

Top monitor is OLED, bottom is mini-LED (Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

I'm very pleased with Mobile Pixels' decision to place the ports of the monitor directly on its rear, instead of the underside like most monitors do. I get that this is done to avoid strain on cables standing upright and prevent any damage, but it's so easy and convenient to reach if you need to unplug or plug any of them – and it's super beneficial if you have a cramped desktop setup like me.

The 90W USB-C reverse charging port is a welcome addition, and I could use it to charge other devices – and I really saw the benefit of this since I have tons of devices occupying power sockets.

It features 4-array microphones with DNC noise reduction, but no matter what I tried, I couldn't my PC wouldn't recognize this, so I had no luck with testing there.

(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)

The RGB lighting is decent enough, but not bright enough to appreciate. I won't knock the monitor down for this, though. Most monitors I've used don't have RGB lighting that stands out, except for the Philips Evnia displays that have a special Ambilight feature to sync content on the screen to its RGB lights.

Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor: Price & Availability

• How much does it cost? $899.99 / around £660 / AU$1,370 without import costs
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia (shipping from the US)

The Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide monitor retails at $899.99 / around £660 / AU$1,730, and while this display's high brightness and contrast ratio have left me impressed, I think it should be much cheaper. Some OLED ultrawide monitors are currently cheaper and don't have issues like dark level smearing or ghosting.

It's not a bad monitor despite some of its issues, but I'd have been more fond of it if it didn't cost this much. Import fees will also bump up the cost if you're outside of the US, which makes its potential total price even more unappealing.

Fortunately, it gets a lot right, specifically within the region of HDR brightness and contrast; there's hardly any loss of detail when looking at bright scenery in movies or games when at maximum brightness, so it's something to consider if you're looking to get your hands on it.

(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor: Specs

Screen Size

34-inch

Aspect Ratio

21:9

Resolution

3440x1440

Brightness

450 nits (Min) 1000 nits (Max)

Contrast Ratio

1,000,000:1

Refresh Rate

180Hz

Color Accuracy

99% sRGB | 94% DCI-P3 | 99% Adobe RGB

Speakers

2x 5W Midrange, 1x 12W Bass

Microphone

4-array microphones with DSC noise reduction

Weight

18.51 lbs

Wall Mountable (VESA)

100 x 100 mm

FreeSync Premium technology

Yes

Power Consumption

Typ. 65W, Max. 270W

Panel Type

VA

Connections

2 × USB-A 3.0

1 × USB-C 3.1

2 × HDMI 2.0

1 × DP 1.4

1 × 3.5mm Audio out

Should you buy the Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Plenty of high brightness to enjoy across movies, TV shows, and games, but could benefit from a slightly cheaper price tag.

3 / 5

Design

Bogged down by the mediocre speakers on the bottom of monitor, but is adequate in other areas.

3.5 / 5

Performance

Besides dark level smearing and ghosting, the high brightness with HDR 1000, significantly enhances visual experiences, standing as a great alternative to OLED.

4 / 5

Features

OSD needs an improvement, but a 180Hz refresh rate and USB-C 90W reverse charging port are a very welcome addition.

4 / 5

Average rating

The Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide would be much better with a lower retail price, repositioning of the speakers, and an IPS panel for less ghosting and smearing, but excels at high brightness for immersion, making it a good option for PC gamers.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You desire an ultrawide with high brightness

The Mobile Pixels mini-LED monitor is ideal for those who crave bright and lively gaming experiences, with HDR1000 blending well with the 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. It's best used in titles that are built for HDR.View Deal

You want to avoid burn-in care

While OLED is an easy choice at an affordable price, it's not for everyone, as there's always a risk of burn-in. OLED burn-in care has advanced, but not having to worry about the possibility at all with this mini-LED monitor is a big win.View Deal

You're upgrading from a regular LED monitor

The jump from a regular LED display to Mobile Pixels' mini-LED, is significant, and while it suffers a total loss to OLED deep black levels, it comes close enough while getting the best of brightness. View Deal

Don't buy if...

You're looking for a budget monitor

This monitor's biggest issue is its price, especially compared to OLEDs that are at the same price range or less expensive. It retails at $899.99, which is too high considering the issues it has with ghosting and smearing.View Deal

You prefer the best deep black levels

Like other mini-LED displays, the Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide gaming monitor does a great job with contrast, but it doesn't match up to OLED, which remains undefeated at producing the best contrast.View Deal

You find ghosting and smearing frustrating

If you're a competitive gamer or simply happen to notice dark level smearing and ghosting easily, you might want to reconsider purchasing this monitor. It's using a VA panel, so viewing angles and the response time aren't the best.View Deal

Also consider

Acer Predator X32QFS

If dark level smearing and ghosting are a big issue for you, and you don't mind a 4K mini-LED instead of an ultrawide, then the Acer Predator X32QFS should be on your radar. This features a mini-LED IPS panel, which handles ghosting much better, and compatibility for both PS5 and PC with HDMI 2.1.

Read our full Acer Predator X32QFS review

MSRP/RRP

£899.99 / AU$1,099 (No US availability)

Panel Size

31.5in

Panel type

Mini-LED IPS

Panel resolution

3840 x 2160p; 4K

Aspect ratio

16:9

Refresh rate

150Hz

Response time

0.5ms

Brightness

700 nits (native) / 1000 nits (peak HDR)

Contrast ratio

1000:1

HDR

VESA DisplayHDR 1000

Ports

1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x USB-C, 2 x USB-A, 1 x audio jack

Color gamut

99% Adobe RGB, 99% DCI-P3

Display colors

1.07 billion

Warranty

2-years

How I tested the Mobile Pixels 34-inch mini-LED ultrawide

• Two weeks of usage on movies, TV shows, and games, notably titles that implement HDR well
• Some examples are Assassin's Creed Shadows, Street Fighter 6, Dragon's Dogma 2, Resident Evil 4 remake, and Cyberpunk 2077
• Multiple contrast tests and comparisons with Alienware AW3423DWF OLED ultrawide monitor

Throughout my two weeks of testing, especially when gaming, I had plenty of fun with the Mobile Pixels 34-inch monitor, and put my OLED monitor aside as a secondary display. Despite the drawbacks of blooming and ghosting, it was easy to enjoy bright content without losing much detail.

Testing Stellar Blade, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and Cyberpunk 2077 first left great initial impressions, specifically in Cyberpunk 2077, where neon lights and vivid streets provide exceptional visuals on any display, but it took things up a notch. The ghosting issues became far more noticeable when using Frame Generation in Cyberpunk 2077 and Dragon's Dogma 2, and even more so in fast-paced FPS games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

Placing this next to Dell's Alienware OLED monitor, allowed me to point out the mini-LED monitor's drawbacks more easily. However, in terms of deep black levels, I was impressed with the Mobile Pixels 34-inch display, with just how close it can get to OLED, albeit still quite far off.

I used it for work and multitasking, which proved to be beneficial, in comparison to OLED, which notoriously has readability issues – and the mini-LED was a breeze to use while deep into productivity.

• HBO Max confirmed “aggressive” plans to tackle password sharing, following in Netflix’s footsteps
• The HBO Max password sharing crackdown will begin to be enforced more rigorously in September 2025
• Subscribers are already complaining about the change to their accounts

Head of streaming and gaming at Warner Bros. Discovery JB Perrette confirmed at the company’s second quarter earnings call that HBO Max will begin an “aggressive” crackdown on password sharing as of September 2025.

It’s a move that follows in the footsteps of rival streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+, marking a 180-turn from previous marketing campaigns encouraging users to share their account details (we all remember those Netflix adverts). The idea is to close existing loopholes and drive profits, though the benefits of doing so aren’t expected to be seen until 2026.

As it stands, HBO Max is undoubtedly one of the best streaming services on the market. It hosts original content including The Last of Us, The White Lotus, Euphoria and Peacemaker, with a quality backlog of classic movies and TV shows added to the platform every month.

However, in a world where streamers are getting more expensive and inaccessible to groups of people (e.g., if you’re a family in the same home, it makes sense to share one account, however, HBO Max does not offer a family subscription tier), the decision to make password sharing harder is one that’s already not going down well with its subscribers.

Early X/Twitter comments from users show that subscribers are already complaining. One user said “that's one way to lose subscriptions quickly,” with another adding, “back in the early Netflix days we all shared passwords like Pokémon cards. Now they want a DNA test before I can watch Euphoria??”

Others have noted how close the announcement is to the pulling of all Cartoon Network content from the platform (don’t worry, you can still find a lot of this on Hulu in the US, while those in Australia can find the network’s shows on Stan). It feels like HBO Max is piling on bad news after bad news, but let’s dive deeper into the methods behind their madness.

Opinion: HBO Max’s ‘aggressive’ password crackdown isn’t exactly the news I wanted to hear

Perette explained during the call that months of testing have gone into “who’s a legitimate user who may not be a legitimate user,” adding that the next step is to “turn on the more aggressive language around what needs to happen” so they “are putting the net in the right place, so to speak”. Later in 2025, the crackdown will be happening “in a much more aggressive fashion,” adding “the message language right now has been a fairly soft, cancel-able message, [which will] start to get more fixed and such that people have to take action as opposed to right now, sort of having to be a voluntary process.”

After all of this is established “the real benefit will start probably in the fourth quarter and then kick in in 2026”. But as WBD claims to have added 3.4 million streaming subscribers to its platforms over the last quarter, can we really expect them to hit their new overall target of 150 million subscribers by 2026 if measures like this are being introduced? The fact I’m now having to jump through more hoops just to stream the content I want to is incredibly offputting, and I wouldn’t be surprised if more people turn to free streaming alternatives, or dare I say it, cable TV.

It’s not something that HBO Max itself is worried about, though, with its eyes on the prize of a hefty theatrical slate heading our way over the next few years. As WBD’s CEO David M. Zaslav explained on the call: “one of the assets that we have at this company is that we have such – so much compelling storytelling IP that people know everywhere in the world, whether it's Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Lord of the Rings. And then we'll call those the big tent poles, Harry Potter. And then smaller tent poles like The Fugitive, Goonies, Gremlins, Practical Magic that everybody knows.

“Our strategy is [to] light up strategically those big tent poles so that we have two or three of those a year, which provide real stability. We got a great script on Lord of the Rings with Peter Jackson that we're already – that we're moving forward on, and we'll be giving you more detail on that.”

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We are in the midst of a Copernican shift in enterprise intelligence. We are no longer just automating or augmenting tasks - we are delegating intent. This is not just IT automation; it’s agency. And it’s changing everything…

In this new paradigm, Agentic AI doesn’t just support human workers - it collaborates with them, anticipates their needs and acts independently to drive outcomes. It marks a seismic shift in how we think about intelligence at work.

Agentic AI is about autonomous execution. It doesn’t wait for prompts. It plans, decides and acts—often without human intervention. This is not just a new toolset; it’s a new mindset.

Are we prepared to rethink how work is designed, how systems are integrated and how humans and machines co-evolve across the enterprise?

From prompt to purpose

Generative AI (GenAI) has captured the public imagination with its ability to generate text, images and code. But it is fundamentally reactive - dependent on human input to produce output. Agentic AI, by contrast, is proactive. It understands goals, decomposes them into tasks, orchestrates tools and adapts its strategy in real time. It’s the difference between a brilliant assistant and a self-directed colleague.

In 2025, forward-thinking enterprises are no longer choosing between GenAI and Agentic AI - they’re combining them. GenAI fuels ideation and content creation. Agentic AI delivers execution at scale.

The rise of the autonomous enterprise

Agentic AI is already transforming how businesses operate. In finance, agents autonomously monitor compliance, flag anomalies and initiate remediation workflows. In manufacturing, they optimize supply chains in real time. They can use the internet, make purchases and approve orders.

However, the real revolution is internal. Agentic AI will become the connective tissue of the enterprise - linking systems, surfacing insights and taking action across silos. It’s not just about doing more with less. It’s about doing what was previously impossible.

From process to possibility: Reinventing the enterprise core

Agentic AI isn’t just accelerating existing workflows - it’s reimagining them. In finance, autonomous agents now reconcile transactions in real time, detect anomalies before they escalate and dynamically adjust forecasting models based on live market signals. In HR, agents are transforming talent management by continuously scanning internal and external data to identify skill gaps, recommend personalized learning paths and even initiate retention interventions before attrition risks materialize.

Meanwhile, in Sales & Marketing, agents orchestrate hyper-personalized campaigns, adapt messaging based on behavioral signals and autonomously optimize pricing strategies across channels. These aren’t incremental improvements - they’re structural shifts that collapse cycle times, eliminate friction and unlock entirely new value pools. The result is a more fluid, responsive enterprise where strategy and execution are no longer separated by process drag.

Human + Agent: A new collaboration model

The fear that AI will replace humans misses the point. Agentic AI doesn’t eliminate human work—it elevates it. It frees professionals from the tyranny of the inbox and the spreadsheet, allowing them to focus on judgment, emotional intelligence and radical innovation.

Imagine an operations lead at a manufacturing firm working with an AI agent that monitors equipment health, predicts maintenance needs and autonomously adjusts production schedules to avoid downtime. Or a commercial strategist at an energy company whose agent tracks global commodity prices, models regulatory impacts and recommends contract renegotiations in real time.

These agents aren’t waiting for instructions - they’re anticipating change, acting on insight and reshaping how decisions are made. This isn’t science fiction - it’s already happening in the most forward-thinking enterprises.

Designing for Trust and Impact

To harness the full potential of Agentic AI, organisations must go beyond deployment. They must design for trust. That means:

• Transparent reasoning: Agents must explain their decisions in human terms.
• Ethical alignment: Agents must be trained on values, not just data.
• Human-in-the-loop governance: Autonomy must be bounded by accountability.

This is not just a technical challenge - it’s a leadership imperative.

The new literacy: Prompting, supervising, orchestrating

As Agentic AI becomes embedded in workflows, a new skillset is emerging. Prompt engineering is just the beginning. Professionals must learn to supervise agents, interpret their outputs and orchestrate multi-agent systems. This is the new digital fluency.

Business leaders, as well as HR and L&D, must act now to build these capabilities. The future belongs to those who can lead teams of humans and machines.

Conclusion: From intelligence to intent

Agentic AI is not just the next wave of automation. It’s a new form of intelligence - one that acts with intent. As we enter this new era, the question is not whether we will use Agentic AI, but how we will shape it to reflect our highest aspirations.

I tried 70+ best AI tools.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• OpenAI's GPT-5 is now available, but many users are angry with the new release
• GPT-5 has replaced the previous AI model selection with some users claiming the upgrade "is horrible"
• ChatGPT Plus subscribers now have limits to how often they can access reasoning models, and have lost access to the older more reliable ones like o4-mini and o4-mini-high

OpenAI just released GPT-5, the next generation of the company's AI model that will power ChatGPT for the foreseeable future.

In an hour-long livestream broadcast yesterday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and his team showcased GPT-5's capabilities and improvements over its predecessor, GPT-4o.

However, not even 24 hours later and social media sites like Reddit are being flooded with criticisms of the new AI model, with many users left unimpressed with the next generation of ChatGPT.

One Reddit thread titled "GPT-5 is horrible" has nearly 3,000 upvotes and over 1,200 comments filled with users dissatisfied with the new release.

U/headwaterscarto said, "I like how the demo they were like – “if it gets something wrong, no worries, just ask again. I’m actually going to run 3 prompts at once and pick my favorite.” Like, how is that better?" Another says, "Sounds like an OpenAI version of 'Shrinkflation'"

Many users miss the previous 4o and 4.1 models, with plenty of comments saying things like "I miss 4.1. Bring it back," and "They should’ve let us keep the old models while they fix the new one."

There's also uproar from ChatGPT Plus subscribers who feel like the latest AI model release has actually limited the functionality of the paid subscription. The new GPT-5 Thinking model is limited to 200 messages a week, and Plus subscribers no longer have access to the wide variety of AI models that used to be available, as OpenAI now claims GPT-5 is able to reason when it needs to.

ChatGPT literally got worse for every single Plus user today.There's no way to reliably get thinking models anymore.Before we had o4-mini, o4-mini-high and o3.Now we have GPT-5 Thinking with 200 messages per week and a router that exclusively routes you to some small and…August 8, 2025

Are people against change? Or is GPT-5 as bad as the internet makes out

pic.twitter.com/1u0MOGvJWUAugust 7, 2025

A lot of the uproar surrounding GPT-5 is based on the overpromising from Sam Altman, who hyped up the latest announcement as if it were going to revolutionize the world and the way we interact with AI.

Hours before the official GPT-5 reveal, Altman tweeted an image of the Death Star from Star Wars looming over the horizon of a planet, hinting at a ground-breaking revolution from OpenAI's next AI model. Instead, while GPT-5 smashes benchmarks compared to its predecessors, it's an incremental upgrade compared to the initial AI revolution when ChatGPT first launched.

For many, having access to the reliable ChatGPT-4o models, which Altman claimed were like talking to a college student versus GPT-5's PhD-educated expert, was better than GPT-5's one-size-fits-all approach.

Lots of users are reporting GPT-5 performing worse than 4o, but we've yet to properly test out the new AI model to know for sure if that's truly the case. One thing is for sure: OpenAI's paid subscribers feel hard done by the new release, and the company better iron out the launch bugs, such as slow and poor responses, otherwise its loyal fanbase will look elsewhere.

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• A new AI search feature has been spotted in Apple Maps
• It's available in the latest iOS 26 developer beta
• A full rollout of the software is expected in September

As updated iOS 26 beta versions continue to roll out, we're spotting new features in the software that Apple hasn't officially announced: yesterday it was AirPod charging lights, and today it's AI search in Apple Maps.

The team at 9to5Google has spotted that the search function in Apple Maps now encourages users to "search the way you talk" – so you might type out or speak out a search like "find cafes with free Wi-Fi" for example.

This is now live in the fifth developer beta version of iOS 26, so you won't see it yet if you're running the public beta. It might also get tweaked or even pulled before the final version of iOS 26 launches in September, though it seems likely that it's here to stay.

It's certainly an easier and more intuitive way to search for places, if you need to go beyond the basics and specify some additional criteria for your results – such as Wi-Fi access, food options, electric vehicle charging, wheelchair access, or whatever it is.

Apple Maps vs Google Maps

The update gets Apple Maps closer to Google Maps, shown here (Image credit: Future)

It's possible that the new functionality has only gone live in the US for the time being, because after updating my iPhone to the iOS 26 developer beta 5, I was unable to get the natural language search feature to show up in Apple Maps here in the UK.

What I could do was run a similarly phrased search on Google Maps, and the results were somewhat patchy: it identified cafes without any problem, but it listed several that definitely do not offer free Wi-Fi (and I've been in them and asked).

It shows up a limitation in AI features such as these, which is that while the AI might be great at understanding what you're asking for and converting your spoken words into text, it's still relying on cold, hard maps data to get you accurate results.

In terms of raw data, Google Maps perhaps still has the edge over Apple Maps – but upgrades like this one in iOS 26 will mean Apple Maps becomes more appealing and useful, and may be enough to grab some users back from Google Maps.

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• Unidentified hackers broke into Bouygues Telecom systems
• The hackers stole names, contract data, and more
• Bouygues Telecom urges victims to be wary of incoming emails

French telco giatn Bouygues Telecom has confirmed suffering a cyberattack in which it lost sensitive customer data.

In a short announcement published on its website, the company said it detected the attack on August 4, and following an investigation, determined threat actors stole people’s contact details, contract data, civil status data (or company details), and IBAN numbers.

We don’t know exactly when the intrusion happened, who did it, if it was a ransomware attack or not, or how many people were affected - but acccording to official company data, Bouygues Telecom has 26.8 million subscribers.

Phishing potential

The teleco started notifying affected individuals via SMS, ousted the attackers, and allegedly implemented additional safeguards to prevent further incursions.

“We have blocked the malicious access, increased monitoring of our systems, and implemented additional necessary security measures,” the company said.

Bank card numbers and Bouygues Telecom account passwords were not affected.

While there is still no evidence the information stolen in the attack is being abused in the wild, the very nature of the archive gives it plenty of potential.

Cybercriminals can use it to craft convincing phishing emails, impersonating the company and forcing the victims into action by threatening to terminate their account.

Knowing information such as contract data and IBAN numbers could convince the victims that they are talking to legitimate representatives of the organization.

In a short FAQ, Bouygues said it “strongly recommends” users stay vigilant, and never share their login credentials, or passwords.

“Be especially cautious of calls from fake banking advisors who may try to gain your trust by mentioning your name or account number. If in doubt, hang up and call your bank or advisor back on their usual number.”

Finally, the company stressed that the IBAN number alone is not enough to initiate financial transactions, but users should still monitor their accounts closely.

Via TechCrunch

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• A new report suggests The Batman Part II will feature Robin
• The rumor emerged less than 24 hours after the movie's filming start date was revealed
• If true, it raises questions about the DCU's own Batman film

The Batman Part II is still over two year away from grapple gunning into theaters, but a new rumor could not only have huge implications for the movie itself, but also James Gunn's DC Universe (DCU).

Let's start with the latest piece of gossip. Yesterday (August 7), industry insider Jeff Sneider suggested that Robin, the Dark Knight's most famous sidekick, is part of the superhero movie's cast. Sneider made the claim in the latest addition of his InSneider newsletter and says he was made aware of Robin's inclusion after sitting down with a "well-placed source" earlier in the week.

Sneider's assertion comes less than 24 hours after Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced filming would begin on The Batman Part II in early 2026. Considering the timing of Sneider's claim, some observers would argue its arrival is all a bit too coincidental. After all, if Sneider spoke to his source before WBD confirmed when the cameras would start rolling on the DC comic book movie sequel, why not reveal it sooner?

Robin's apparent inclusion in Matt Reeves' next Batman film raises even more questions and potentially kills off a big fan theory about The Batman Part II's story. So, let's break down the biggest ones that are on my mind right now.

Let's tackle the aforementioned fan theory first. Some fans have speculated that The Batman 2 will be heavily inspired by 'The Long Halloween', one of the Caped Crusader's most famous comic book series. Their evidence? The Batman's follow-up is slated to arrive in October 2027, so a tale based on Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's iconic literary works would befit the film's forthcoming release date.

Robin's possible appearance in The Batman Part II pours cold water on that theory because he isn't in 'The Long Halloween'. Okay, The Batman Epic Crime Saga's next big-screen entry could take creative liberties with said literature and include Robin. It wouldn't be the first time a superhero film has changed elements of a comic series it's based on. Nevertheless, I'd be amazed if Reeves and fellow co-writer Mattson Tomlin shoehorned Robin into their story if it is based on 'The Long Halloween', particularly as it would heavily impact the timeline of events from said story.

What does this rumor mean for the DCU's Batman movie, which is also set to include Robin? (Image credit: DC Studios)

Now it's time to try and address some of those big questions I previously mentioned – and, surprise surprise, they're based around a long-running discussion about whether The Batman Epic Crime Saga is secretly being folded into the DCU.

Here are the facts: When James Gunn announced the initial DCU Chapter One line-up in January 2023, one of the projects he discussed was a Batman movie. Titled The Brave and the Bold, it's expected to draw heavily from Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert's fan-favorite 'Batman and Son' comic series. In it, the Dark Knight is stunned to learn he has a son named Damien, whom he takes in and tries to raise. However, without getting too deep into spoiler territory, there's more than meets the eye about the seemingly genetically perfect, yet rage-filled Damien.

Now, even if Robin is confirmed to be part of The Batman Part II's cast, we don't know which one will appear. It could be any one of Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damien Wayne, or one of the less well-known female Robins in Stephanie Brown or Carrie Kelley. There are other Robins, but those listed are the most well-known.

If – and it's a big if – The Batman 2 features Damien, though, fans will rightly ask the question: is The Batman Epic Crime Saga eventually going to be part of the DCU? After all, it would be silly, not to mention incredibly confusing, if we have two Batman films that exist in separate cinematic universes and feature the same super-duo.

For what it's worth, Gunn and Reeves have largely shut down the idea of the Reeves-Verse being absorbed into the DCU. Crucially, though, Gunn has always left the door slightly ajar – the DC Studios co-chief most recently telling Entertainment Tonight: "I’ve said it before. We [Gunn and Reeves] have talked about it before, but it’s not what’s happening right now." (NB: Gunn didn't emphasise the words in italics, but I've done so to hammer home my point that the door isn't closed on these two universes potentially merging).

A post shared by Matt Reeves (@mattreevesla)

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There is evidence that Gunn's and Reeves' Batman films will continue to exists in separate shared universes. In June, Gunn said "I think I have a way in" when asked for an update on The Brave and the Bold's script. He also revealed an unnamed writer was busy penning it.

Now, you could argue that those things could be related to Reeves' own Batman flick. He and Tomlin were still thrashing out The Batman 2's screenplay when Gunn made those comments. The fact that Gunn didn't mention the name of his movie's writer, plus his "I think I have a way in" quote, could be interpreted as him and Reeves secretly agreeing to fold The Batman's epic crime saga into the DCU. To me, though, that's akin to fans clutching at straws and trying to manifest the integration of the former into the latter.

Frankly, considering Robert Pattison's Bruce Wayne had only been operating as Batman for a couple of years in The Batman, the only way he'd be old enough to have a kid in The Batman 2 is if it featured a big time jump. Sure, that's a possibility, but I don't see it happening.

The best thing Gunn, who's active on social media, can do right now is confirm or deny Sneider's claim. If Robin is set to appear in The Batman Part II, Gunn – or even Reeves himself – could give us some indication as to which one will feature in Reeves' next big-screen project. That's the only way to officially put another pin in this never-ending debate about the state of The Batman Epic Crime Saga's ongoing independence to the DCU.

In the meantime, let me know what you think. Should these two universes remain separate, or is it time for Pattinson's Caped Crusader to make the leap to the DCU? Sound off in the comments.

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• Here's everything we know so far about The Batman Part II, including its release date
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Now you and your friends can answer age-old questions like, "Does pineapple belong on pizza?"