2026-01-01 04:26:20
It's no secret that AI-generated content took over our social media feeds in 2025. Now, Instagram's top exec Adam Mosseri has made it clear that he expects AI content to overtake non-AI imagery and the significant implications that shift has for its creators and photographers.
Mosseri shared the thoughts in a lengthy post about the broader trends he expects to shape Instagram in 2026. And he offered a notably candid assessment on how AI is upending the platform. "Everything that made creators matter—the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn’t be faked—is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools," he wrote. "The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything."
But Mosseri doesn't seem particularly concerned by this shift. He says that there is "a lot of amazing AI content" and that the platform may need to rethink its approach to labeling such imagery by "fingerprinting real media, not just chasing fake."
From Mosseri (emphasis his):
Social media platforms are going to come under increasing pressure to identify and label AI-generated content as such. All the major platforms will do good work identifying AI content, but they will get worse at it over time as AI gets better at imitating reality. There is already a growing number of people who believe, as I do, that it will be more practical to fingerprint real media than fake media. Camera manufacturers could cryptographically sign images at capture, creating a chain of custody.
On some level, it's easy to understand how this seems like a more practical approach for Meta. As we've previously reported, technologies that are meant to identify AI content, like watermarks, have proved unreliable at best. They are easy to remove and even easier to ignore altogether. Meta's own labels are far from clear and the company, which has spent tens of billions of dollars on AI this year alone, has admitted it can't reliably detect AI-generated or manipulated content on its platform.
That Mosseri is so readily admitting defeat on this issue, though, is telling. AI slop has won. And when it comes to helping Instagram's 3 billion users understand what is real, that should largely be someone else's problem, not Meta's. Camera makers — presumably phone makers and actual camera manufacturers — should come up with their own system that sure sounds a lot like watermarking to "to verify authenticity at capture." Mosseri offers few details about how this would work or be implemented at the scale required to make it feasible.
Mosseri also doesn't really address the fact that this is likely to alienate the many photographers and other Instagram creators who have already grown frustrated with the app. The exec regularly fields complaints from the group who want to know why Instagram's algorithm doesn't consistently surface their posts to their on followers.
But Mosseri suggests those complaints stem from an outdated vision of what Instagram even is. The feed of "polished" square images, he says, "is dead." Camera companies, in his estimation, are "are betting on the wrong aesthetic" by trying to "make everyone look like a professional photographer from the past." Instead, he says that more "raw" and "unflattering" images will be how creators can prove they are real, and not AI. In a world where Instagram has more AI content than not, creators should prioritize images and videos that intentionally make them look bad.
2026-01-01 03:00:27
Samsung is arguably the 800-pound gorilla of CES, with a full spectrum of products that range from phones and computers to refrigerators to AI assistants and rolling robots. But for CES 2026, the company is shaking up the schedule a bit: Instead of its longtime midday Monday press conference position, the Korean giant will front-run the entire show with a Sunday night presentation.
Samsung has already given a few hints as to what's on the agenda, but what we're really hoping to see is an update on the Ballie robot — a star of previous CES presentations that ostensibly missed its previously promised 2025 release date.
The event will stream live from the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas on Sunday, January 4 at 10PM ET. There are several ways to tune in: you can watch via the Samsung Newsroom, Samsung Electronics’ official YouTube channel or via Samsung TV Plus. (We'll embed the stream here once it appears on the channel.)
Keynote speaker TM Roh, the CEO of Samsung's Device eXperience (DX) Division, will discuss the company's plans for the new year and beyond, which will (of course) include "new AI-driven customer experiences," the company said in a press release. In addition, we'll hear from the President and Head of the Visual Display Business, SW Yong and Executive Vice President and Head of Digital Appliances Business, Cheolgi Kim. Those two will "share their respective business directions for the upcoming year."
But if you're looking for more specifics, Samsung is following its "Advent calendar" approach to early CES announcements, with new press releases dropping nearly each day. So far, we know that — like competitors LG and Hisense — the company will be offering details on a line of micro RGB TVs (replete with confirmed screen sizes of 55 to 115 inches). Also confirmed: a full line of appliances infused with what Samsung calls Bespoke AI.
It's likely Samsung will map out its CES plans in greater detail as the January 4 event approaches, so we'll update this story accordingly when it does.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/how-to-watch-samsungs-first-look-ces-2026-presentation-190027604.html?src=rss2026-01-01 02:42:16
Sony's CES 2026 press conference is just days away, but this year has a twist: Instead of an overview of Sony's electronics, video game and Hollywood studio plans for the new year, the presser will apparently have a more narrow focus: electric vehicles. That's because the traditional end-of-press-day slot isn't just Sony, but rather Sony Honda Mobility — the joint venture responsible for the Afeela 1 electric car that has been showcased at CES for the better part of a decade. This year, however, we'll also apparently get to see a an all-new concept model at the event, too.
The event will be streamed live from Las Vegas on Monday, January 5 at 8PM ET via the Afeela official YouTube channel. (We'll embed the stream here once it appears on the channel.)
What's now the Afeela 1 has been shown in various incarnations since CES 2020, where it was originally announced as Vision-S. But so many more important details were confirmed in the past couple of years, including the price, which starts at a staggering $89,900. However, the earlier impressions were less than impressive, and as of CES 2025, that thought remains the same. Engadget's automotive expert Tim Stevens said earlier this year that the EV "feels like a PlayStation 4 in the PS5 era," and that "the car lost what little interesting styling it had while sticking true to some specifications that sounded good five years ago." Ouch.
But the Afeela 1 won't be the only vehicle on display. Its CES booth will showcase "several Afeela 1 pre-production vehicles in multiple color variations, alongside a new Afeela concept model," Sony Honda Mobility said in a press release.
We're hoping to hear about what's new and improved at CES 2026, and we're also excited to see its newest concept model. And between booth displays and press releases, we're hoping we'll get to see at least a few new Sony Electronics products on the docket for 2026, too.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/how-to-watch-the-sony-honda-afeela-ces-2026-press-conference-130048622.html?src=rss2026-01-01 02:23:35
Sony has revealed the first batch of PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for 2026. There are three titles to play this month, all of which drop on January 6. As always, you’ll retain access to these games as long as your subscription remains active.
First up, there's Need For Speed Unbound. This is a racing game that came out at the tail-end of 2022 and was the first entry in the franchise for several years before that. It has a unique visual style, thanks to cel-shaded graphics, with all kinds of vehicles to choose from. There are street racing challenges, weekly qualifiers and a minigame that has you outrunning the cops. The rapper A$AP Rocky also plays a prominent role in the narrative. It'll only available for PS5.
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a recently-released remake of a 2010 Wii game, but there's no Wiimote waggle here. This is just a great platformer with plenty of fan service for long-time Disney fans. Warren Spector, the lead designer of Deus Ex, was heavily involved in the making of this one. It'll be playable on both PS4 and PS5.
Core Keeper is a remarkable indie that has been floating around in early access for several years. The mining sim is now finished and offers an emphasis on crafting, base-building and, of course, exploration. While the game is playable solo, it's primarily intended as a multiplayer experience for up to eight people.
As the year ends, so does access to December's PS Plus Monthly titles. Subscribers have until January 5 to download Lego Horizon Adventures, Killing Floor 3, The Outlast Trials, Synduality Echo of Ada and Neon White.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/januarys-ps-plus-monthly-games-include-need-for-speed-unbound-and-disney-epic-mickey-rebrushed-182335673.html?src=rss2026-01-01 01:37:17
For years, LG has kicked off CES press day with the first event of the morning — and 2026 will be no different. The Korea-based corporation is theming its presentation as "Innovation in Tune with You," and — if it follows the template of past presentations — it will highlight both the consumer electronics and large appliance sides of its mammoth global businesses.
Like nearly all tech-centric events these days, expect AI to be the binding theme of the LG presentation at CES 2026. Just be aware that, like Apple, LG has its own customized abbreviation for AI: "Affectionate Intelligence." The company will share "its vision for elevating daily life through Affectionate Intelligence — delivering harmonized and seamlessly connected customer experiences." In other words, the company is aiming for its devices to become more connected and self-automated than ever. Here's how you can stream it and what you can expect.
The event will stream live from Las Vegas on Monday, January 5 at 11AM ET. You've got a few options for tuning in — watch the livestream on the LG website, the LG Global X channel or the LG Global YouTube channel (embedded below).
Here's what LG has already confirmed it will be showcasing at CES 2026:
LG will debut its first Micro RGB TV, a display with a cutting-edge screen technology with multicolor backlights that should one-up mini LED displays. The size options are 100 inches, 86 inches and 75 inches.
The company is countering Samsung's Frame TVs with its new LG Gallery TV, arriving in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes.
Look for a new LG humanoid home automation robot named CLOiD to take the stage.
In the audio realm, the Korean multinational will also introduce a Dolby-powered modular home audio system and a new line of its xboom speakers (developed with musician will.i.am).
Does that leave any surprises for the CES press conference? We'll find out on January 5.
Update, December 31 2025, 12:36PM ET: This story has been updated to include more LG CES pre-announcements, and to embed the YouTube stream.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/how-to-watch-the-lg-press-conference-at-ces-2026-190159474.html?src=rss2026-01-01 01:05:00
The new year is upon us, and that means CES 2026 is imminent. The biggest tech trade show of the calendar comes with a bevy of new and notable announcements that set the tone for trends and expectations for the subsequent 12 months. The CES 2026 show floor is officially open from January 6 through 9, but the fun kicks off with events on Sunday January 4, followed by a host of press conferences on Monday. As always, product demos, announcements and networking will be happening at the Las Vegas Convention Center and other hotels all over the city. As usual, Engadget will be covering the event in-person and remotely, bringing you news and hands-ons straight from the show floor.
More specific details and pre-announcements are already trickling out as CES approaches, and thanks to the schedule of the Consumer Technology Association (the trade organization that runs the show) we have a full itinerary of press conferences. We’re also using our experience and expertise to predict what tech trends could rear their heads at the show.
Press conferences and show floor booths are the bread and butter of CES. The CTA has already published a searchable directory of who will have an official presence at the show, along with a schedule of every official panel and presentation. However, the press conference schedule gives us a more digestible rundown of the first 48 hours of big events.
On Sunday, January 4, Samsung will kick-off CES with "The First Look," a presentation hosted by TM Roh, the CEO of Samsung's DX Division, on the company's "vision for the DX (Device eXperience) Division in 2026, along with new AI-driven customer experiences." Ahead of that, though, Samsung has already outlined a variety of more specifics (scroll down for details). Concurrent with the Samsung presentation will be the official CES Unveiled mini-show, which is generally comprised of smaller and start-up vendors.
That'll be followed by multiple press conferences throughout Monday, January 5. The LG CES 2026 press conference, titled "Innovation in Tune with You," is ostensibly to share "its vision for elevating daily life through Affectionate Intelligence." But, like Samsung, this fellow Korean giant has already spent the three weeks leading up to CES pre-announcing many of its new products, so this may be more of a summary than breaking news.
Following LG, we’ll also see press conferences from Bosch and Hisense, as well as the first-ever CES appearance from Lego. As the Las Vegas afternoon rolls around, we get the first of three chip giants: NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang takes the stage on January 5 at 1PM PT (4PM ET) and, according to the website, his presentation will last about 90 minutes. Based on the description on the listing, the presentation will “showcase the latest NVIDIA solutions driving innovation and productivity across industries.” NVIDIA’s presser is concurrent with one from Hyundai, where the Korean automotive company will focus on in-cabin car tech and robotics.
Later in the day, we get to hear from NVIDIA frenemies Intel and AMD. Intel’s 3PM PT (6PM PT) event will ostensibly feature its new Core Ultra Series 3 processors, and AMD CEO Lisa Su will cover AMD's upcoming chip announcements at a keynote address that closes out the day. But expect both of them to be very heavy on AI applications, of course. Sandwiched in between those chip manufacturers will be Sony Honda Mobility. The joint venture will be offering yet more details on its Afeela EV.
Finally, on Tuesday, January 6, Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang will host Lenovo's Tech World Conference at the Las Vegas Sphere, using the large and decidedly curved screen to share the company's "commitment to delivering smarter AI for all by constantly redefining how technology can engage, inspire, and empower." It’s worth noting that Lenovo is the parent company of Motorola, which still makes phones and foldables that feature AI tools, so it’s possible those devices feature in the presentation as well.
As noted above, both Samsung and LG have continued their recent trend of spoiling nearly all of their respective CES announcements in the days and weeks before the show. LG, for example, has said it will debut its first Micro RGB television at CES. While details are scarce, the company’s press release for the LG Micro RGB evo did confirm it has received certifications by Intertek for 100 percent color gamut coverage in DCI-P3 an Adobe RGB, and that it has more than a thousand dimming zones for brightness control.
Elsewhere in the TV space, LG is throwing its hat into the “art TV” ring that Samsung pioneered with its Frame TVs: The LG Gallery TV will debut in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes, and it will of course show off various artwork when it’s not otherwise in use. And if PC gaming displays are more your speed, LG will have that covered, too, with a new line of 5K-capable gaming monitors on deck with built-in AI upscaling.
But LG’s not just showing off displays. The Korean multinational will also introduce a Dolby-powered modular home audio system, a new line of its xboom speakers (developed with will.i.am) and the company will flex its automation muscles with a humanoid home automation robot named CLOiD.
Of course, Samsung refuses to be outdone by its hometown rival, and has also released a pre-CES press release document dump. Samsung will be launching its own lineup of Micro RGB TVs at CES, for starters. The company already introduced its first Micro RGB TV at CES 2025, which was a 115-inch model available for a cool $30,000. Next year, Samsung is expanding the range with 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, 100- and 115-inch models that use the next evolution of the company’s Micro RGB technology.
Samsung is also countering LG’s 5K monitors with a 6K model that aims to deliver glasses-free 3D (another long-time CES staple). It’ll be one of several new displays in the company’s Odyssey gaming line.
And on the audio front, Samsung has teased several new soundbars and speakers, including Sonos-style Wi-Fi streaming models call the Music Studio 5 and Studio 7.
Outside of the formal introduction of new products and initiatives, reading the tea leaves of what was announced last year and what companies are reportedly working on, we can make some educated guesses at what we could see at CES 2026.
CES is frequently the start of a cascade of new chip announcements for a given year, and one of the first places new silicon appears in real consumer products. AMD will likely use its keynote to introduce new versions of its Ryzen chips, including the recently spotted Ryzen 7 9850X3D, which is expected to offer better single-threaded performance, and the Ryzen 9000G series, which could be built with AMD's Zen 5 architecture. The company might also use its CES stage to go over its new FSR Redstone AI upscaling tech.
Intel has already publicly announced that it'll launch its Panther Lake chips at CES 2026. The officially titled Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips fit into Intel's overall "AI PC" push, but are specifically meant for premium laptops. Based on a preview from October 2025, Intel says the first chip made with its 2-nanometer 18A process will offer 50 percent more processing performance than previous generations and for the chip's Arc GPU, a 50 percent performance bump from last generation.
Qualcomm is also rumored to be targeting laptops at the show, building on the work it's done moving its Snapdragon chips out of phones and tablets and into other types of computers. The company's Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Premium chips should start appearing in laptops at CES 2026, offering a look at the improved speed and AI performance the company promised in 2025.
As noted above, Samsung and LG appear to be going all-in on Micro RGB display tech for TVs. Expect that to be a huge buzzword at CES, with Hisense and Sony debuting new models, too.
Sony announced a collection of new Bravia TVs in April 2025, replacing the company's flagship, filling in its midrange options and adding a new budget model to the mix. The star of this updated Bravia lineup is the Bravia 9, which features a QD-OLED panel, but Sony appears to be prepping entirely new display tech for 2026. In March 2025, Sony introduced a new RGB LED panel that uses individual Mini LED backlights colored in red, green and blue to produce even brighter, more accurate colors. In contrast to a QD-OLED, which filters a layer of blue organic light emitting diodes through quantum dots that change color, Sony's "General RGB LED Backlight Technology" can get as bright as a Mini LED panel without needing an extra filter layer or worrying about OLED's problems with burn-in.
The company has already trademarked the name "True RGB," which could end up being what Sony calls this new flavor of display if it decides to show them off at CES. It seems entirely likely, because CES is nothing if not a TV show — it’s a sure bet that we’ll see new TVs from the likes of LG and Samsung in addition to Sony. If the company doesn't introduce new display tech for its TVs, it does have a new 240Hz PlayStation monitor coming in 2026 that it could show off at CES instead.
Sony isn't the only company hyped on bright screens. Samsung is reportedly pushing an updated version of the HDR10 and HDR10+ standards that could be ready to demo at CES 2026. The new HDR10+ Advanced standard would be Samsung's answer to Dolby Vision 2, which includes support for things bi-directional tone mapping and intelligent features that automatically adapt sports and gaming content. Samsung's take will reportedly offer improved brightness, genre-based tone mapping and intelligent motion smoothing options, among other improvements.
And maybe your future TV won’t need a power cord, either: Displace will be showing off a mounting option that includes a 15,000mAh battery to juice up whatever giant TV screen you choose to attach.
The ball-shaped yellow robot lovingly known as "Ballie" has been announced twice, first in 2020 and then again in 2024 with a projector in tow. Samsung said Ballie would go on sale in 2025 at CES last year and then shared in April 2025 that Ballie would ship this summer with Google's Gemini onboard. But it's nearly 2026, and Ballie is nowhere to be seen. It's possible Samsung could make a third attempt at announcing its robot at CES 2026, but whether or not it does, robotics will still be a big part of the show.
Robot vacuums and mops were a major highlight of CES 2025, and it's safe to expect notable improvements from the new models that are announced at CES 2026. Not every company will adopt the retractable arm of the Roborock Saros Z70, but robot vacuums with legs for rising over small ledges like the Dreame X50 seem like they could become the norm. Roborock could also show off its new Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow, the first of its robot vacuums to feature a retractable roller mop.
Beyond just traversing spaces more efficiently, improving robots' navigation could also be a major concern at the show. Prominent members of the AI industry are turning their attention from large language models to world models, which aim to give AI a deep understanding of physical space. Those world models could be the key to making robots — like LG’s aforementioned CLOiD — competent at navigating homes and workplaces, and will likely be a significant talking point at CES 2026.
We’ll be updating this article throughout the month as more rumors surface and new products are confirmed — stay tuned for future updates!
Update, December 11 2025, 11:03AM ET: This story has been updated to include detail on Lenovo being Motorola’s parent company and how the latter might have a part in the Tuesday presentation.
Update, December 16 2025, 1:33PM ET: This story has been updated to include the NVIDIA press conference, which was added to the CTA schedule within the last two days.
Update, December 23 2025, 7:28AM ET: This story has been updated to include LG and Samsung’s Micro RGB TV announcements, which were made public in the past seven days. The intro was also tweaked to reflect how soon CES is at this point.
Update, December 29 2025, 11:03AM ET: This story has been updated to include additional details on pre-announcements from Samsung, LG and Displace.
Update, December 31 2025, 12:05PM ET: This story has been updated to include yet more early LG announcements.
