Tech News Dec 26 2025 • 4 min read

AI Expects Genius, Hollywood Delivers Slop, and Your Broadband Might Actually Work

A week full of tech news can make even the most caffeinated developer feel like they’re living inside a relentless group chat—one where everyone’s obsessed with AI, but at least a few messages are recommendations for the best broadband in your city. This crop of news cycles is particularly revealing about the chasm between hype and reality in AI, the reliability (and limitations) of modern infrastructure, and what exactly happens when big industries try to go all-in on the latest technological fireworks.

When Artificial Intelligence Overestimates the Human Animal

If you’ve ever suspected that ChatGPT thinks a little too highly of you, you’re not alone. According to new research (Digital Trends), popular AI models like ChatGPT and Claude are a bit too optimistic about our logical reasoning. In game-theory tests, these AI systems assumed humans would consistently act in smart, strategic ways—spoiler alert: we don’t. This expectation gap isn’t just theoretical; it poses trouble when AI models are used to predict real-world behavior in economics and beyond. Ultimately, the challenge of sandwiching messy human irrationality into tidy mathematical expectation is far from solved.

What’s ironically clever about this situation is that in trying to predict us, AI only exposes how little it actually grasps about the wild hurdles of human nature. Calibrating for real-world unpredictability—especially when AI’s algorithms reflect the best-case scenarios, not the most likely ones—remains a work-in-progress. Chalk this up as a friendly reminder that even the most advanced models are still prone to being outfoxed by Uncle Bob’s impulse purchases and questionable strategic choices.

Hollywood’s Gen-AI Era: Why Have Million-Dollar Budgets for Slop?

Fanfare erupted as Hollywood cozied up to generative AI in 2025, but, as The Verge recaps, so far there’s little to show for it except some clunky de-aged actors and dubious animated knockoffs. Partnerships between big studios and AI providers resulted in projects nobody asked for: shoddily localized anime, meme-grade content, and Sora-powered remixable videos. In the end, it’s mostly studio execs and cost-cutting enthusiasts cheering for AI’s film debut, while the public and actual creators look on with a blend of skepticism and fatigue.

It’s hard to ignore the irony—AI is trumpeted as a creative revolution, but the outputs feel remarkably uninspired. Netflix and Disney, wary of missing the algorithmic boat, are making high-profile bets despite lackluster results. If there’s a pattern, it’s that financial incentives (hello, investor calls) seem to outweigh creative ambition. The spectacle of mass-produced, AI-enhanced content might be Hollywood’s own uncanny valley, and, judging by audience and critical responses, we’re all stuck in it for at least another season.

Gaming Meets AI: Lightning Rod or Lead Balloon?

Over in video games, 2025 proved to be a milestone—generative AI leaped from background tool to a full-fledged political hot potato (The Verge). AAA studios claimed gen-AI would supercharge creativity and democratize development, but the most visible results were polarizing. Some major games included gen-AI dialogue or images, resulting in widespread backlash, while indie devs loudly disavowed AI, labeling their creations as human-made.

In practice, gen-AI in gaming has not lived up to its buzzwords. Instead, it’s provided easy ammunition for critics fatigued by low-quality, generic assets and stilted conversations from otherwise engaging NPCs. The main reason companies keep shoving it into the pipeline? Economics, not artistry. As is often the case, the business imperative to appear technologically avant-garde trumps actual player or worker enthusiasm. The result: A community questioning both the moral and practical cost of automation in creative labor.

Under the Hood: Chips, Cloud, and the Connected Life

Meanwhile, in that ever-humming world of computing infrastructure, there’s big news at the silicon layer. Nvidia is tightening its grip on AI hardware by licensing tech and hiring key personnel from Groq (TechCrunch). Groq’s language processing units promise massive speed and efficiency boosts for AI workloads. Whether these specialized chips break Nvidia’s GPU hegemony or simply become part of it, expect the ongoing AI arms race to remain a defining feature of enterprise computing.

At the same time, the mundane but mission-critical topic of broadband gets just enough attention to spark joy (or rage) among the nation’s gamers. Both CNET’s gaming ISP picks and their local guides stress just how essential a fast, low-latency connection remains for modern gaming life—no surprise there. Good old fiber, with its symmetrical speeds, wears the crown, while satellite options like Starlink edge their way in as rural saviors.

Smart Life, Slow Progress: The User Experience Frontier

On the lifestyle front, small but meaningful updates are in motion. Google is finally flirting with a long-requested feature: letting users change their Gmail address without starting anew (Digital Trends). Simultaneously, guides for transferring Nintendo Switch data (Engadget) or simplifying smartphones for the tech-averse elderly (WIRED) serve as reminders that, despite the relentless drumbeat of AI innovation, user experience still hinges on the nuts and bolts of accessibility, migration, and support.

And in the retail trenches, the best accessories for PlayStation 5 (Engadget) and the mechanics of shopping for the best home broadband remind us that tech’s small pleasures can be just as important as its sweeping transformations. Sometimes progress looks as simple as a charging dock that works, a timely SSD upgrade, or the right router for multiplayer mayhem.