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Yes, it’s that time of year again, when most of the U.S. “gains” an extra hour of sleep as we “fall back” from daylight savings to shorter days, colder nights, and standard time. This Sunday, November 2, at 2 a.m local time, we will turn back our clocks to 1 a.m—and that will last until March 8, 2026 (when we will once again usher in daylight saving time). Although getting an extra hour of sleep sounds like a win, here’s what really happens to your health when the clocks change. Darker nights disrupt the body’s natural clock Darker evenings actually disrupt our body’s natural circadian rhythm, our mood, and our metabolism, according to Dr. Zaid Fadul, CEO of Bespoke Concierge MD. “Light is your body’s main ‘time-giver’ that sets your internal clock,” said Fadul, whose practice specializes in integrative medicine with a focus on sleep. “When evenings get darker sooner, your brain releases melatonin earlier, shifting your sleep schedule and throwing off your rhythm.” He added, “This disruption affects hormones like cortisol and insulin, lowering insulin sensitivity and increasing stress while also impacting serotonin and dopamine—the chemicals that control your mood and motivation.” The one-hour clock change also creates “social jet lag,” disrupting your body’s schedule, especially if you’re naturally a night owl, Fadul explained, noting, “Your sleep quality tanks—particularly the deep REM sleep your brain needs—leaving you foggy, tired, and less alert during the day.” While getting extra sleep doesn’t hurt, the issue is most prevalent in the spring, when people lose an hour of sleep. And that can have other impacts on health. How the time change impacts sleep and health Research shows a spike in heart attacks and cardiovascular issues after the switch to daylight saving time in the spring. Moving the clock forward or backward also alters the timing of when heart attacks occur in the week following these time changes, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 2014 Annual Scientific Session. The time change also affects night-shift workers more—which include a substantial number of the population, such as nurses, police, firefighters, and doctors. The best way to adjust your internal clock Here are Fadul’s recommendations for readjusting your internal clock after the time change. Morning light: Get outside for 10 to 20 minutes of natural sunlight within 30 to 60 minutes of waking up (no sunglasses, unless you really need them). Exposure to morning light is the fastest way to reset your clock. Evening light hygiene: Dim your lights two to three hours before bed and ditch the overhead lighting. Keep screens on warm mode with low brightness—or better yet, put them away. Consistent wake time: Wake up at the same time every day, even if you slept poorly. If you’re dragging, take a quick, 20- to 30-minute nap before 3 p.m. to recharge without messing up your nighttime sleep. Meal timing: Load up on calories and protein earlier in the day, and finish dinner at least three hours before bed. This supports your insulin rhythm and helps your body know when it’s time to wind down. Caffeine and alcohol: Cut off caffeine about eight hours before bedtime. Avoid alcohol during the adjustment window—it might help you feel drowsy, but it wrecks your sleep quality. Movement timing: Take morning or lunchtime walks to get natural light and movement together. Skip intense late-night workouts for the first two to three days after the time changes. Workouts might fire you up when you need to be winding down. Temperature cues: Keep your bedroom cool, around 64 to 66 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 19 degrees Celsius). Take a warm shower one to two hours before bed—the cooling effect afterward signals your body that it’s time to sleep. View the full article

Imagine starting a new job where your onboarding feels personalized just for you, with an AI assistant guiding you through training, introducing you to teammates, and checking in on how you’re settling in. That level of personalization in the workplace isn’t just a concept for the future – it’s already here and happening more rapidly than many HR departments anticipate. AI is transforming HR in the workplace. In 2026, AI won’t just take over repetitive tasks, but it will fundamentally change how companies hire, onboard, coach, and retain employees. The result is HR teams that are more strategic, data-driven, and more human than ever. After more than a decade working in HR tech for small businesses and startups, I’ve seen that when AI is thoughtfully applied, it can enhance both efficiency and empathy. When used effectively, AI helps HR leaders focus less on paperwork and administrative tasks and more on the employees. AI is helping HR leaders drive meaningful change and streamline operations, all while preserving the human touch that’s at the heart of great workplaces. Here’s how I see AI reshaping HR in 2026 and the years to come: Streamlining Operations with AI AI is already automating many of HR’s most time-consuming tasks, from managing benefits to answering employee questions. IBM’s “Ask HR” platform, for example, is automating hundreds of roles previously devoted to automating answers to common inquiries. This kind of change allows HR professionals to redirect their time toward strategy, culture and engagement. AI is managing software and systems that previously couldn’t communicate. There are 5,700 pieces of payroll and HR software, most of which don’t talk to each other and need someone to manage them. The task of managing this software is ideal for AI automation, especially workflows, onboarding/offboarding, compliance & audits, and high-priority HR employee requests. It’s not always about efficiency. As automation advances, companies must ensure the human experience doesn’t get lost. The next generation of HR tools will blend speed with compassion, using AI to make employee interactions smoother and more supportive. Personalized Onboarding Workflows The first 90 days are critical for the retention and productivity of new hires. AI-driven onboarding systems can now customize each step of the process, tailoring introductions, training plans, and check-ins based on each role, skills, and personality. Instead of one-size-fits-all onboarding, new hires receive an experience that feels relevant and personal from the first day on the job. That level of automation and personalization not only accelerates ramp-up time but also builds a stronger sense of belonging, individualizing the journey for every new team member. Digital Coaching and Real-Time Support Coaching used to be an extra perk reserved for executives. Now, AI-powered tools and confidential chatbots embedded in Slack or Teams are bringing that level of guidance to everyone. These integrated tools can offer personalized collaborative feedback, monitor engagement trends, and provide employees with a safe, always-on space for support and sharing. The result is an environment where learning and growth become endless and available to all. Doing More with Leaner Teams In the startup world, especially, founders are increasingly scaling HR functions before hiring senior HR leaders. With AI platforms now able to assist with recruiting, compliance, and employee engagement, small teams can manage complex workforce needs effectively. Some are spending way too much time in the weeds of HR, manually tracking state registrations, scrambling to handle onboarding paperwork and worrying about payroll accuracy and compliance. With AI-powered tools, companies can focus on scaling their business and let the software ensure that every detail is done right. This ultimately gives founders their time back and makes HR a solved problem. This newer and more “lean HR” model allows startups to focus on strategy and workplace growth rather than administrative tasks, demonstrating that technology and AI tools can democratize access to quality HR, rather than replace it. Keeping Humans in the Loop The best AI systems will never replace the responsiveness and creativity of HR professionals. Instead, they’ll enhance and complement those skills. A “human-in-the-loop” approach ensures that technology supports human judgment, rather than replacing it. When humans and AI work together, HR teams can build workplaces that are not just efficient but also resilient and more connected. The future of HR isn’t about replacing people with algorithms. It’s about empowering people with better tools, platforms and resources. AI will take care of the repetitive so that humans can focus on trust, connection, and culture in the workplace. The true promise of AI in HR is not about losing humanity but enhancing it. View the full article

UK chancellor in discussions over plans to reform the contentious welfare policyView the full article

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Improving your work life doesn’t always require sweeping changes. Sometimes, the most effective strategies are the simplest ones, whether that’s protecting time for personal care, restructuring your day for better focus, or carving out moments with family. These small adjustments can reduce stress, restore balance, and promote better productivity and focus. Here, Fast Company Executive Board members share the simple changes they’ve made that have significantly improved the quality of their work lives and why these shifts are worth considering. 1. DESIGNATING ‘OFF-LIMITS’ HOURS I protect my time, headspace, and energy. I have designated hours every day that are “off limits,” dedicated to my workout, personal matters, and focus time. I do not allow myself to take any “urgent” calls or meetings, unless there’s an absolute emergency during those dedicated hours. I treat those daily hours just as vital as I treat my meeting hours. – Slma Shelbayah, Shelbayah Consulting 2. TURNING OFF PUSH NOTIFICATIONS I turn off notifications on all devices for email and Slack to avoid the temptation to check messages when they come in and instead batch-read and respond. Doing so helps avoid context switching, which is far more costly than we like to admit. Also, when on vacation, I actually remove the email and Slack icons from my phone’s home screen to add a slight extra hurdle to checking messages too frequently. – Kurt Donnell, Freestar 3. BLOCKING TIME FOR STRATEGIC IDEATION I block time on my calendar for strategic ideation, review of decisions made during the week, and reflection on whether I am making decisions and engaging in work consistent with my values. I also work the calendar rather than it working me. – Jay Bhatt, Deloitte 4. WALKING AND BRAINSTORMING IN THE MORNINGS In the mornings, when it’s not too hot or too cold, I go for a walk and I talk with Perplexity voice mode, organizing my day, brainstorming my challenges, thoughts, and more. This way, I get my steps in and don’t waste the precious morning alertness on useless things. – Al Sefati, Clarity Digital, LLC 5. HITTING A DAILY STEP GOAL Hitting 9,000 steps a day was a game-changer. Even with 14 hours behind a desk, walking eased my hip and back pain. One day, a man I always passed waved and thanked me. He’d started walking too. A small change not only improved my life, but also inspired someone else’s. – Louis Camassa, Rithum 6. SUNDAY JOURNALING I struggle to turn off my “productivity” brain. One Sunday, I sat down and wrote. Not a to-do list, not an email—just a journal entry. Messy, unfiltered, just for me. It felt like exhaling. Now, I make it a practice. Sunday journaling is my pause button, my moment to get all the stuff out of my head and onto paper so I can start the week with a little more clarity—and a little less noise. – Irina Soriano, Seismic 7. PROTECTING DAILY FOCUS TIME One simple change I made was setting boundaries around focus time. I protect a few hours each day where I’m fully present with my work—no emails, no noise. It works because it restores clarity, reduces stress, and turns tasks into creative flow. Protecting your energy is the greatest upgrade to your work life. – Sudhir Gupta, FACTICERIE 8. DEDICATING WEEKENDS TO NATURE I have dedicated my weekends to being outdoors in nature, hiking, and totally disconnecting from work. This time away from work allows me to recharge, think clearly, and come to work on Monday not feeling burned out. Making this change was slight. As well as taking this time for myself, I am also more focused, energized, and satisfied with work. – Gianluca Ferruggia, DesignRush 9. SETTING ASIDE TIME FOR FAMILY One simple change I’ve made is to block out several times during the day to spend with my toddler son. Those moments reenergize me, give me perspective, and actually make me more productive when I return to work. It’s a reminder that recharging doesn’t always mean stepping away completely—it can mean leaning into the things that bring you joy outside of business. – Kristin Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC 10. SAYING NO TO THE WRONG PROJECTS I decided to stop accepting new projects unless they were genuinely committed to safety excellence. Many organizations claim to prioritize safety or that it is a corporate value, but often, their actions tell a different story. By saying no to clients lacking a true commitment to safety, I preserve my focus and energy for work that genuinely resonates with me and aligns with my core values. – Shawn Galloway, ProAct Safety, Inc. 11. OPTIMIZING MY WORK ENVIRONMENT I have optimized my work environment for productivity. I run my company from a home office in a high-rise apartment. I chose this property purposefully because of the cityscape view. I have the latest MacBook Pro, use Ethernet, and have everything organized. I also have inspiring artwork in the property, as well as home plants, and an external monitor. My office is “epic,” so to speak. – Leon Sylvester, Soberclear 12. GOING TO THE GYM DAILY I go to the gym every single day. It’s like making my bed. I feel like I’ve accomplished something by just showing up. It doesn’t have to be intense. Maybe I’ll make a phone call while walking on the treadmill or maybe I’ll just ride the bike and scroll through my emails. Other times, I will push myself on the weight machines and grow my overall confidence, seeing my strength increase over time. – John William Patton, ProVention Health Foundation 13. LIMITING PRIORITIES TO TACKLE EACH WEEK I’ve stopped trying to solve everything at once. Instead, I focus on three to four priorities each week that will truly move the business forward. While it’s not always easy to let go of smaller tasks, this approach has made me a stronger leader and colleague—and it’s also given me back valuable time. – Martin Pedersen, Stellar Agency 14. CHOOSING A WORK LOCATION BASED ON TASKS Here’s a simple change that’s improved my work life. I’ve started to “work for my day.” I head into the office for the moments that truly matter—collaboration, connection, big conversations—and I work from home when I need quiet focus to knock out thoughtful tasks without interruptions. It’s been a game-changer for both productivity and balance. – Britton Bloch, Navy Federal Credit Union 15. CLEANING UP MY DIGITAL WORKSPACE The change I made was cleaning up my digital workspace. Every week, I clean folders and files, and even unsubscribe from unnecessary emails. Clutter in the digital world creates hidden stress. By simplifying my digital environment, I cut the friction, save time hunting for information, and reduce the overall mental overload. It’s like decluttering an office, but the one I carry in my pocket. – Volen Vulkov, Enhancv View the full article

The head of the government-sponsored enterprise's oversight agency said the cuts were made to positions that weren't central to mortgages and new home sales. View the full article

Rocket Companies lost $124 million on a GAAP basis, but its management celebrated milestones regarding its Redfin and Mr. Cooper acquisitions. View the full article

Every single day, the average working person plays many roles: sassy coworker, office comedian, and deadline stickler, to name a few. The labor doesn’t stop when one gets home—with new job titles coming into play, such as mom, brother, pet parent, and more. On Halloween, you get to choose which character you want to inhabit instead of having society dictate your role. This frivolity requires forward thinking and planning. If you find yourself running out of time, popular culture and a few easy-to-obtain items can come to the rescue. Here are nine easy costume ideas that range from classic to timely. The Louvre museum robbers This one is perfect for last-minute Halloween planners, as the true-life events surrounding the costume happened a little over a week ago. On Sunday, October 19, four robbers dressed up as maintenance workers and stole the French crown jewels from the Apollo Gallery at the world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris. The internet had a field day with this. The heist only took about seven minutes, security at the museum was severely lacking, and it occurred during regular business hours. To pull off this current event costume, all you need is a reflective maintenance vest, fake costume jewelry, and a tiara. You can wear these accessories on an all-black outfit base. Labubu These furry collectible toys really took off in 2024 despite being around for almost a decade. Artist Kasing Lung created the creepy yet cute characters in 2015 and introduced them in the book series The Monsters. Celebrity endorsements helped move the creatures into the cultural zeitgeist, with K-pop star Lisa from Blackpink leading the way. The easiest way to dress up as this popular plush toy and/or mini key chain accessory is to start with a onesie base. From there, you can get creative with premade bunny ears and makeup. Between your local Spirit Halloween store and Amazon, you should be able to obtain everything you need. Jake from State Farm This is one of the easiest looks on this list. You may even have all the costume pieces in your closet already. State Farm Insurance first introduced a real-life employee in its commercials in 2011. His name was Jake Stone. In 2020, actor Kevin Miles began playing the character in an effort to modernize the advertising campaign. All you need to pull off this look is a red polo and khakis. Bonus points if you have a name tag that introduces your character as well. Glinda and Elphaba Wicked: For Good will be released in movie theaters in the United States on November 21, ending the longest intermission in musical theater history. To celebrate all things witchy, consider dressing up as one of the movie’s leading ladies: Elphaba or Glinda (aka Galinda, before she drops a letter in Wicked: Part 1). You can even keep it minimal by wearing a simple green or pink outfit. If you want to bust out the green makeup and body paint, though, more power to you. Joel Goodsen from ‘Risky Business’ This costume will take some guts to pull off and might get a bit chilly, but it’s an easy one. In the 1983 film Risky Business, Tom Cruise plays a straight-laced high school senior named Joel Goodsen who cuts loose when his over-protective parents leave town for a couple days. His first act of rebellion is dancing around the house in a pink Oxford shirt, white socks, and briefs to “Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob Seger. This scene is so iconic that most will recognize the dance moves if you commit by sliding around in your socks. Plus you don’t even need pants—although that could make for an awkward Uber ride. Mark and Helly from ‘Severance’ This Apple TV-inspired couple costume is more office friendly than the pantless option. Severance is of course the hit science fiction series that puts a whole new spin on the term work-life balance. Employees of Lumon Industries have undergone a process that creates two personalities living in the same body: a work personality called an “innie” and a personal life persona called an “outie.” The two are not aware of each other. At the center of this story are the couple Mark, played by Adam Scott, and Helly, played by Britt Lower. To dress up as Mark’s innie, all you need is a blue suit and Lumon Industries ID badge. To go as Helly’s innie, all you need is a pencil skirt, blue turtle neck sweater, and a Lumon Industries ID badge. Damian from ‘Mean Girls’ While this costume idea has been around since the hit 2004 movie Mean Girls came out, the classics endure for a reason. It is also so simple to pull off. Damian Leigh is the sassy gay best friend who feels more comfortable with the girls than the boys. This is one of the reasons he sneaks into the girls’ assembly with his masterful disguise of a blue hoodie and sunglasses. Make sure to tell people throughout the night that “she doesn’t even go here,” for maximum costume effect. 6-7 If you have been around any group of young people lately, you have probably heard the term 6-7. These same youths will not be able to tell you exactly what that even is, but rest assured they are obsessed with it. A quick Google search will tell you it came from rapper Skrilla’s song “Doot Doot,” but then turned into a TikTok sensation and took on a life of its own. You can be a hit at the costume party with the young people and thoroughly confuse everyone else by wearing a t-shirt with the two numbers. You could even turn this into a couple’s costume and both wear just one number. View the full article

If you're getting more scam texts than your friends and family, it turns out it might be your mobile platform, at least going by a recent poll from Google and YouGov. According to Google, users on Android report receiving 58% fewer scam texts than those on iOS, and that number is even better on Pixel devices. Credit: Google That data comes from a survey Google and YouGov conducted of over 5,000 Android and iOS users across the U.S., India, and Brazil. The data says that Android users as a whole were "58% more likely than iOS users" to report that they had not received any scam texts in the week prior to the survey, and that iOS users were 65% more likely than Android users to report getting three or more scam texts in a week. On the whole, it also says that Android users were 20% more likely to describe their device's scam protection features as "very effective" or "extremely effective." As for Pixel vs. iPhone specifically, the survey also found that Pixel users were 96% more likely to report zero scam texts than iPhone users, and that iPhone users were 136% more likely to say they had received "a heavy volume of scam messages" than Pixel users, as well as 150% more likely to say their device was "not effective at all in stopping mobile fraud." Those numbers don't look good for Apple, although it's worth pointing out a few details before taking Google at its word. What is YouGov?First, to Google's credit, it didn't conduct this study alone. While the company didn't go into detail on how it partnered with YouGov here, YouGov itself is a respectable entity, widely cited in market research and even political news. The organization specializes in polls, and has been cited in everything from the New York Times to Lifehacker sister publication Mashable. It's also worth pointing out that YouGov wasn't the only independent entity Google worked with while putting together its report. The company also reached out to Counterpoint Research to evaluate its AI-powered anti-scam protections, and Leviathan Security Group to asses scam protection across four Android phones. The company used these studies to put together infographics depicting its security features vs. iPhone's, which you can see below. Credit: Google Credit: Google Note, however, how Google has put together the information here. Specifically, it implies that iPhone does not offer any scam protections in emails, while ignoring that many iPhone users access their email through the same Gmail app as on Android. It also doesn't mention Safari's ability to block pop-ups or the iPhone's ability to screen phone calls, which makes me think Google might be getting choosy with how its presenting the data here. As such, it's worth looking at its survey results with a critical eye as well. Questions about methodologyWhile Google's survey results are likely accurate to the polled audience, I do have a few questions about the methodology. First, there's the issue with this being a survey, rather than a more dispassionate look at texting inboxes. While helpful for getting insight into how users perceive their devices, surveys are susceptible to the word of those surveyed, which means that can be swayed by respondents misremembering details or misunderstanding questions. The bigger question to me, though, is sample size. While I commend Google for conducting its survey across three different regions, the company was not clear about how many of its respondents owned iPhones vs. Android devices. It's possible that iPhone users might have reported more scams simply because the iPhone is more popular in the U.S., for instance. To be fair, those numbers are reversed in India and Brazil, but without knowing a breakdown of how many people Google and YouGov interviewed where, it's hard to know if the data is being impacted by other factors. For instance, in addition to potentially being more numerous depending on a breakdown of the surveyed population, iPhone users might also be more susceptible to scam texts simply because scammers might want to target that user base more, as was once the case with viruses on Windows. The iPhone is known as a luxury device, which implies its user base might have extra money to spend, making it an alluring target. Can you believe Google's survey?So, can you take Google's polling at its word? Yes and no. With YouGov helping the company out, it's likely that the results presented are truthful, although they could still be misleading. The only way to know for sure would be to look at a detailed breakdown of the survey itself, but unlike the Counterpoint Research and Leviathan Security Group evaluations, there doesn't seem to be a way to look at the raw survey data at the moment, just Google's blog reporting on its findings. I've reached out to Google and YouGov independently with questions about their methodology, and did not immediately hear back. For good measure, I've also reached out to Apple for its take, and similarly am still waiting for a reply. In the meantime, I would take this survey with a grain of salt. It's almost certainly based in truth, but it's important to remember that it's still part of a larger advertising narrative. Google has made a big deal as of late about calling Apple's ecosystem a walled garden. If the company can convince users that it can offer them greater freedom while also upping their protection, that would be a big win. It does, however, coincide with Android's own efforts to close itself off in the name of security, so maybe the truth is both platforms aren't so different after all. View the full article

Beijing shows it can force Washington to compromise on trade issues View the full article

The market for obesity and diabetes treatments remains scorching hot, funneling billions in sales to Eli Lilly and fueling a bidding war over another drugmaker. Lilly said Thursday that its top-selling drugs, Mounjaro and Zepbound, brought in more than $10 billion combined during the recently completed third quarter. That made up over half of the drugmaker’s $17.6 billion in total sales. Separately, Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk announced plans to buy Metsera Inc. in a deal that could be worth up to $9 billion. That came more than a month after U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc. made a nearly $5 billion bid for Metsera, which has no drugs on the market but is developing several potential oral and injectable treatments. Popular treatments labeled GLP-1 receptor agonists are fueling the soaring sales and deal interest. They work by mimicking hormones in the gut and the brain to regulate appetite and feelings of fullness. But they don’t work for everyone and can produce side effects that include nausea and stomach pain. Supplies of the drugs have improved this year, and some insurance coverage is growing. That helps improve access to drugs that can cost around $500 a month without coverage. That can put them out of reach for many patients. The treatments are injectable drugs, but Novo and Lilly also are developing easier-to-take pill versions. U.S. sales of Lilly’s weight-loss treatment Zepbound nearly tripled to $3.57 billion in the third quarter. Meanwhile, revenue from the diabetes drug Mounjaro, which has been on the market longer, doubled to $6.52 billion thanks to growth outside the U.S. Combined, the drugs have brought in nearly $25 billion in sales so far this year for Indianapolis-based Lilly. That surpasses the entire company’s revenue total from 2020. The drugs helped Eli Lilly and Co. record a $5.58 billion profit in the third quarter and deliver a better performance than Wall Street expected. Novo Nordisk said it will pay $56.50 in cash for each Metsera share and could pay an extra $21.25 if the company meets some drug development milestones. The drugmaker already has the obesity and diabetes treatments Wegovy and Ozempic on the market. That combined total of $77.75 more than doubles the closing price of Metsera shares on Sept. 19, the last trading day before Pfizer made its offer. Metsera said Thursday that its board has determined that the new, unsolicited offer from Novo was superior, and Pfizer has four business days to negotiate adjustments to its offer. Pfizer called Novo’s offer “reckless and unprecedented” and an attempt by a drugmaker with a “dominant market position to suppress competition in violation of law by taking over an emerging American challenger.” Pfizer Inc. is known for the COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty and the treatment Paxlovid, among other drugs. But the New York drugmaker decided to take another stab at obesity treatments months after ending development of its own drug. —Tom Murphy, AP health writer AP Health Writer JoNel Aleccia contributed to this report. View the full article

I am extremely concerned about the prevalence of AI content on our social media feeds. Now that just about anyone can generate hyper-realistic videos with a simple text prompt, I fear that disinformation will rise exponentially, distorting worldviews faster than algorithms have so far been able to do. So you can imagine how I feel about Meta's plans to add a "huge corpus" of AI content to its feeds. Good luck out there, everyone. That's directly from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself. In a Meta Platforms, Inc. earnings call on Wednesday, Zuckerberg confirmed the company's plans to add this self-described huge corpus of content, thanks to how easy AI makes it to create and "remix" content. People will create AI content, the platform's recommendation systems will deliver that content to people, who may then slightly alter that content and send it back into the Metaverse. As this feedback loop will continue, feeds will start filling up with more and more AI content. That's good for Meta, and anyone who enjoys watching videos that aren't real. For those of us a little sick of this content, or worried we won't be able to spot it during long scrolling session, it's only bad news. While much (if not most) of that AI content is likely coming from outside sources, like OpenAI's Sora, some of it may come from Meta itself. The company recently rolled out "Vibes," its own short-form AI video generator, as part of the existing Meta AI app. Users can create videos directly in Vibes, or remix existing videos. I'd wager some Vibes content is going to cross your Meta feed in the near future, if it hasn't already. Zuckerberg took the time to highlight how Meta's AI recommendation systems across all of its core products—Facebook, Instagram, and Threads—are delivering "higher quality and more relevant content" to users, especially with regards to video. Apparently, the amount of time we've spent watching Instagram reels has increased by more than 30% when compared to last year. (Fun fact: Reels brings in over $50 billion according to the earnings call.) That environment seems just right to foster a new wave of AI slop to Meta's enormous audience. Look, I've definitely laughed at some AI memes that have come my way. But to suggest that flooding the feeds with realistic AI videos without any regulation or forethought is a good idea is itself laughable. If you use Meta products, watch out: You might not be able to trust what you're watching is actually real for much longer—if at all. View the full article

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I’ve been using Fitbit’s revamped app, currently in “public preview” mode for adult Android users in the United States. While I like the simplified aesthetic, its functionality seems to center around the questionable AI that gave me so many wrong and confusing answers. Let me take you on a tour of where the new app has improved, where it’s falling short, and what’s still missing. Better: cardio load and key metrics are easy to readThe top few metrics on the home screen have always been configurable, but I find the new version is even more readable than the old one. You get three “focus metrics” on the right hand side, and a big donut shape giving your progress toward your cardio load. Fitbit's current app is on the left; the updated preview version is on the right. Credit: Beth Skwarecki/Fitbit Measuring cardio load as progress toward a weekly goal is a welcome change; previously, cardio load was a daily measure that often didn’t correspond to reality. There’s a downside to the new view, though: in the old version of the app, you could turn off the recommendations or hide them. In this version, there’s no way I could find to remove that metric from the top of your screen. Better: separate tabs for fitness, sleep, and health What you see on the Fitness, Sleep, and Health tabs. Credit: Beth Skwarecki/Fitbit Finding any specific data in the old Fitbit app always meant scrolling through a CVS receipt-length list of things you weren’t looking for. Items tended to be grouped, which helped a little, but ultimately some things need more space than the little card they were stuffed into. You couldn’t find your recent workouts without guessing on which tile to tap—turns out it’s Exercise Days (but not Cardio Load or Active Zone Minutes). But now, you just tap on the Fitness icon at the bottom, and there everything is! My exercise days and weekly cardio are there, then a listing of upcoming workouts, and then my recent activities. I can log a manual activity right from this screen. Perfect. (The button doesn’t seem to be working right now, but hey, it’s a beta. I can appreciate the idea.) Same goes for the Sleep tab. Right up top there’s a trend insight (“Your steps linked [sic] to better sleep quality”) and then I get my graph of sleep stages, and a list of “key metrics” like when I went to bed and how much time in bed was spent awake. The Health tab gives my vitals, like my resting heart rate and HRV. If I scroll down, I can set up alerts, update my profile, and the “coach notes” that the AI has written down about me. For example, I see “wants low reps and heavy weights” and “hates lunges.” Worse: glitches galoreI know it’s a beta, but things seem really rough. My workout from two days ago is listed as “upcoming,” and the app crashes when I try to mark it as completed. The old Fitbit app says that my high and low heart rate notifications are “on & checking” but the new app says I still need to set them up. Some of the AI conversations fail to load at all. When they do, often the bot tells me it doesn’t have access to the information I’m asking about, or it says that “internally” it sees something different than what I’m seeing in the main screens of the app. The team has a lot to fix before these features are ready for widespread use. Worse: structured data views are replaced with AI conversationsHumans invented graphs, charts, and other means of data presentation because these are easy to scan and interpret at a glance. The new Fitbit app can generate some charts (great!) but tends to present these as little cards to illustrate insights from the AI bot. To see more data, you’d think you could tap on a button or card about a recent run to get your lap times, running dynamics, and other information. But that doesn’t seem to be an option. Instead, I get a “continue conversation” button that seems to want to feed a screenshot of the AI output back into the AI bot. I’ve already written about some of the problems I’ve had conversing with the AI bot, so I won’t rehash those issues here. (It hallucinates in ways that are sometimes hilarious and often frustrating.) But even if the AI was as intelligent as it’s supposed to be, this would still be a major issue. The AI responses are slow, and I can’t always get the bot to give a straight answer to my questions. In short, it seems like the app’s designers said “we’ll have the AI handle it” anytime they weren’t sure how to build a feature. So the app feels like a mere wrapper around the bot, and the bot is just not the right tool for all those jobs. Missing: nutrition, menstrual health, and moreGoogle says that it hasn’t ported all the Fitbit app’s features to the new preview. When I asked about these limitations by email, the response I got was that “As a preview, the service is not yet feature-complete and lacks several functionalities to focus testing on the core AI coaching experience.” A full list of missing features is available from this Fitbit forum post. They include: Nutrition tracking Hydration tracking Menstrual health Community features Badges Social media sharing Heart rate zone analysis for workouts Running analytics for Pixel Watch 3 and 4 users (other devices don’t provide this data) Syncing data from Aria Air smart scales The post also notes that the AI coach treats certain subjects as off-limits for the moment, including those related to weight, body fat, running distance, and heart health measurements like ECG and irregular rhythm notifications. View the full article

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Tinymoose Pencil Pro Ultra is both an affordable accessory and a serious productivity tool, and it's currently on sale for $39.95 on StackSocial. It costs less than a third of what Apple charges for its stylus, and it works with an Android device thanks to its Smart Switch button on the top. A single press lets you jump from sketching on an iPad Pro to jotting notes on a Galaxy Tab without digging through settings. That makes it more flexible than most one-platform pens, especially for students or professionals who don’t want to carry two separate styluses. It also works on phones in dual mode, which could be handy if you like editing photos on your Android but use your iPad for work. In use, the Pencil Pro Ultra does a lot right. Tilt sensitivity and palm rejection give you smooth shading and writing, at least on supported tablets, while zero-lag precision keeps lines from wobbling behind your strokes. Bluetooth gestures add a layer of convenience: one press takes you home, two pulls up multitasking, and a long press powers it on or off. As for the battery life, it holds its own with 10 hours of productivity, and supports fast charging via USB-C. There are trade-offs, though. Palm rejection and tilt features only work in tablet mode, which means the experience is more basic when you’re on a phone. The magnetic attachment also doesn’t work outside of Apple’s tablets, so Android users will need to keep the included leather case handy. And while it’s backed by a six-month warranty, that’s shorter than what you get from bigger brands. Still, with three extra nibs, a carrying case, and cross-platform support baked in, it’s a compelling option for anyone who doesn’t want to lock into one ecosystem. If you’re a casual creator, note-taker, or multitasker who wants a stylus without splurging, this deal is worth considering. View the full article