Author: Trent Meikle

YouTube’ promises less AI slop and… more AI slop in 2026 If you’re worried about AI-generated content flooding YouTube, thus forcing out the hard work of real-life humans, don’t. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan gave assurances in a recent blog post that it has everything under control. And to celebrate, it’s adding even more AI-generated content to the platform. You read that right. What Mohan means, then, is that he hopes to only plague the platform with YouTube-made AI slop — evidenced by the upcoming feature that will allow creators to “create a Short using [their] own likeness,” nudged along by the…

Can February hurry up, please? Because at this rate, the petrol price decrease that the Central Energy Fund (CEF) has teased for the past couple of weeks won’t look anything like a decrease, from where we’re standing. Fear not, for the CEF’s latest fuel price projections still put motorists on course for a R60c/l decrease for February. There’s a petrol price decrease in the pipeline As ever, we should mention that the CEF’s figures below are not final and are subject to change. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) is officially responsible for adjusting the country’s fuel…

When South Africa’s government announced the colossal undertaking that was the digital ID and e-passport scheme last year, we audibly scoffed. When TechCentral reported the government hoped to see these in residents’ hands before the end of 2026, we scoffed again. Audibly. We would love to be proven wrong, though. Get your (home) affairs in order The plan, put into action by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), hopes to take the system online and lessen South Africa’s reliance on physical identification and “ensure that services are more efficient and secure.” The eventual goal is for the MyMzansi portal to become…

It’s been a while since Waze had anything of note to report. That’s because the map-makers saved up all of the upcoming features for one big update, which is now nearing release, according to an email sent out to users this week (via u/patient_hope22). The email gave us a peek at five “new” features, set to arrive over the coming weeks — all of which were previously announced in 2024. Better late than never, we guess? New features on the Waze The average speeder will be glad to hear that Waze is finally adding alerts about any incoming speed decreases,…

If you had better things to do around 20h00 last night, worry not. Stuff has already done the dirty work of diving headfirst into the Xbox Developer Direct, a roughly 50-minute compendium of the games and reveals coming to Xbox, PlayStation, and PC this year. We got a detailed look at what’s under wraps from studios like Playground Games, Game Freak, and Double Fine — right on schedule for Xbox’s big 25th anniversary. A Fable worthy of Aesop https://youtu.be/3SYbP7PGmfg “Albion’s first hero in a generation” is a frank but literal reminder of just how long it’s been since we journeyed…

You may not like it, but this Wooden Duck is actually a Lego product, a remnant of a past before colourful plastic bricks became the in-thing at the Danish company. To celebrate Lego’s storied history, the company is giving away a scaled-down model of that very wooden duck — though made entirely out of the colourful plastic bricks this time. Let’s go get some Lego Yes, it’s actually giving them away. There are a couple of caveats to contend with, of course. One being the fact that only children can redeem the gift. Specifically, kids under the age of twelve.…

Remember Humane’s disastrous attempt to sell an AI-powered wearable pin? Apple clearly doesn’t, because it’s attempting to mimic the technology, this time with a big apple slapped on the front. That’s according to a report from The Information, which claims the Fruit Company has even ramped up development to challenge OpenAI. Could Apple be the new AI kingpin? The device would be an AirTag-sized wearable that clips onto the front of your shirt. Equipped with cameras, microphones, and speakers, the pin would ideally offer its wearer information about the world around them. However, whether it would rely on a custom…

You better believe we’ve learned a thing or two about praising Ubisoft. We could look past the shameless shelving of XDefiant, but this is taking it a step too far. The developer responsible for Prince of Persia, Assassin’s Creed, and countless others has undergone a major upheaval overnight, wiping out employees, studios, and games. Goodbye, Prince of Persia pic.twitter.com/6Rv5CqZtQD — Prince of Persia™ (@princeofpersia) January 21, 2026 Did Ubisoft forget that it… made the original game? That’s according to VGC, which had a front-row seat to witness the destruction during a virtual media briefing. It spoke of an ‘organisational restructuring’ at…

You didn’t really think Netflix would miss out on short-form content, did you? The streamer has teased a redesign for its mobile app to introduce short-form vertical video, which will help it compete with Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. It’s anybody’s guess why a content powerhouse that relies primarily on its content is forcing the issue. Netflix is late to the party here, despite having short-form content on the agenda since at least May 2025. Disney recently struck a major three-year licensing deal with OpenAI (who else?) that allows users to generate its IPs without dodging the company’s lawyers, and stick…

It’s no secret that Bixby has slipped on Samsung’s list of priorities, but that could be about to change. We say “could be” because the South Korean outfit proudly confirmed the rollout of the “new” Bixby alongside the OneUI 8.5 update, before promptly deleting the announcement. It’s a good thing SamMobile was paying attention. It’s unclear why Samsung nixed the announcement, but one thing is certain — Bixby is due for an upgrade. An AI-powered upgrade at that, which should lessen the company’s reliance on Google Gemini. That’s assuming it pulls off the overhaul without a hitch, which isn’t exactly in…