👀 You can’t trust photos anymore

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Greetings! Your latest quick tech update is here:

☀️ On this day: On January 1, 1970, the Unix Epoch began. From this exact moment (00:00:00 UTC), computers running Unix-based operating systems keep track of time by simply counting seconds forward. Instead of storing dates like humans do, systems use one growing number to represent time. This straightforward approach made it easier for computers to store, compare, and manage dates, and it became a core foundation for Unix, Linux, macOS, and much of today’s global software infrastructure.

What’s happening:

• 👀 Instagram’s chief says you can’t trust photos anymore

• 💸 OpenAI may let ads influence ChatGPT answers

• 🤖 Meta buys AI agent startup Manus for $2B+

• ⚖️ France plans to ban under-15s from social media

• 🍏 Apple rumored to launch a new Apple TV 4K in 2026

• + 📊 Daily poll and results

• + 📈 Trending tools and resources

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Hand-picked news:

👀 You can’t trust photos anymore ↗️LINK

• Instagram chief Adam Mosseri says we’re entering an era of “infinite synthetic content,” where AI-made photos and videos are becoming impossible to tell apart from real ones, forcing people to view everything online with skepticism.

• According to Mosseri, the old Instagram feed of polished, personal photos is already “dead,” replaced by raw, blurry, imperfect images shared in DMs and public posts—because imperfection has become a signal of what feels real.

• Instagram plans to respond by labeling AI content, verifying authentic media, highlighting who is posting and why, and ranking originality higher, as trust shifts from what you see to who you trust.

💸 OpenAI may let ads influence ChatGPT answers ↗️LINK

• OpenAI is reportedly exploring ways for ChatGPT to give sponsored responses priority over normal answers, according to reporting from The Information.

• Internal discussions include examples where branded products could be promoted directly inside replies, potentially pushing neutral or factual guidance further down in the response.

• OpenAI is also debating how to show ads without annoying users—such as delaying ads until later prompts—while saying any ad system would aim to protect user trust despite strong financial incentives.

🤖 Meta buys AI agent startup Manus for $2B+ ↗️LINK

• Meta announced the acquisition of Manus for over $2B, adding a revenue-generating, production-ready AI agent platform as it ramps up its next phase of AI investment.

• Manus builds autonomous agents for deep research and coding, surpassed $100M in annual revenue just eight months after launch, and currently tops Scale AI’s RLI benchmark for real-world task performance.

• Founded in Beijing in 2022 and recently relocated to Singapore, Manus will exit all China operations, while CEO Xiao Hong and ~100 employees join Meta under COO Javier Olivan, strengthening Meta’s push into agentic AI after internal model setbacks.

⚖️ France plans to ban under-15s from social media ↗️LINK

• France plans to ban children under 15 from social media and prohibit mobile phones in high schools starting September 2026, reflecting rising concern over online harms and youth violence.

• President Emmanuel Macron has blamed social media for contributing to violence among young people and wants France to follow Australia, which enacted a world-first under-16 social media ban covering platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.

• France already bans phones in primary and middle schools and requires parental consent for under-15 social accounts, while Macron is also pushing for similar age limits at the European Union level—an idea backed by strong public support at home.

📺 New Apple TV 4K rumored for early 2026 ↗️LINK

• Apple is expected to launch a new Apple TV 4K in early 2026, ending a long update gap since 2022 and likely bringing a bigger-than-usual set of upgrades.

• Rumors point to an A17 Pro chip for Apple Intelligence support, a faster Siri via tvOS 26.4, improved Wi-Fi and device continuity with Apple’s new N1 chip, and possible upgrades like Dolby Vision 2.

• Reports from Bloomberg also suggest Apple has tested models with a built-in camera, hinting at FaceTime and AI features, with the launch possibly timed for March or April 2026 after Siri’s AI updates are ready.

Today’s Poll:

Vote and find out about the result tomorrow.

Yesterday’s Poll Result:

Which risk do you think is most concerning with human-like AI?

• A. Emotional dependence or addiction - 32%

• B. Spread of false or harmful content - 44% 🏆

• C. Loss of human interaction - 24%

From our partner:

The Future of Shopping? AI + Actual Humans.

AI has changed how consumers shop by speeding up research. But one thing hasn’t changed: shoppers still trust people more than AI.

Levanta’s new Affiliate 3.0 Consumer Report reveals a major shift in how shoppers blend AI tools with human influence. Consumers use AI to explore options, but when it comes time to buy, they still turn to creators, communities, and real experiences to validate their decisions.

The data shows:

• Only 10% of shoppers buy through AI-recommended links

• 87% discover products through creators, blogs, or communities they trust

• Human sources like reviews and creators rank higher in trust than AI recommendations

The most effective brands are combining AI discovery with authentic human influence to drive measurable conversions.

Affiliate marketing isn’t being replaced by AI, it’s being amplified by it.

Download the full report to see what this means for your brand.

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