News Report Tonight

If you were hoping to see a computer win an Oscar, you can forget about it. The group that runs the Academy Awards just changed the rules. Starting with the show in March 2027, performances and scripts created by artificial intelligence will not be allowed to win any awards. The new rule says that filmmakers can still use AI as a tool. But the final acting performance has to be done by a real person, not a “synthetic” one. The same goes for screenplays. They must be written by humans. The Academy can ask for extra proof if they suspect a movie broke the rule. This new policy comes at a strange time. An upcoming independent movie called “As Deep as the Grave” features a digital version of the late actor Val Kilmer. He passed away in April 2025. The actor had to leave the project because he was sick. But the filmmakers used AI to put him in a big part of the movie anyway. The director, Coerte Voorhees, said the actor’s family gave him the green l...

OpenAI has launched a surprisingly cute new feature for its Codex app: AI-generated pets that float alongside your workspace. The company introduced these “optional animated companions” to the coding assistant application. Unlike the main Codex agent, these pets don’t write or fix any code. Instead, they act as a friendly overlay on your screen. They let you know what Codex is working on, send a notification when a task is finished, and tell you when the app needs your input. The main benefit is convenience. Developers can see what Codex is doing in real time without switching away from their current open app. OpenAI plans to release an Agentic AI-powered smartphone in 2028 Study finds too much reliance on AI reduces persistence and lowers performance of humans To bring a pet into view, users simply type “/pet” into the Codex app. The same command dismisses it. OpenAI included eight built-in pets to choose from. But the real fun comes with the “/hatch” command, ...

A new loan program from the state pension fund aims to help government employees cut down what they spend on getting to and from work. The Government Service Insurance System rolled out this new program on Monday. It lets qualified members borrow money to buy bicycles or electric rides like e-bikes, e-scooters, e-mopeds, cargo e-bikes, and folding e-bikes. However, it’s important to note that the items must be brand new. A borrower can take out a loan for the full purchase price, but not more than Php300,000. The payment period runs for three years (36 months). Interest is set at 5 percent per year, and there is no fee to process the loan. How to register e-bikes in LTO Philippines LTO Classification of E-Bikes and E-Scooters: Helmet, License and Registration Requirements GSIS President Wick Veloso said the idea is to give government workers a more affordable way to move around. The program backs a wider government effort led by President Ferdinand R...

If you’re flying through Tokyo’s Haneda Airport in the next couple of years, don’t be surprised if you see a robot moving luggage around. Japan Airlines is trying out humanoid robots as baggage handlers starting this month. The robots trial will run until 2028. Besides handling bags and cargo, the humanoid robots might also be tested on other jobs like cleaning airplane cabins or towing baggage carts. The goal is to see if these machines can work in busy, unpredictable spaces like airports without needing major changes to the building or equipment. So far, most factory and warehouse robots have been robotic arms or other fixed machines that do the same motion over and over. Humanoid robots are different. They look more like people and are supposed to handle a wider range of tasks. But they also face bigger challenges, especially when it comes to safety and working alongside real humans. Japan Airlines is working with its ground service team and a compa...

If you were looking to buy the most affordable version of Apple ’s Mac mini M4, you are out of luck. Apple has stopped making the model with 256GB of storage. That little computer used to cost Php36,990. Now, the cheapest Mac mini you can buy will set you back Php49,990 . That’s a Php13,000 difference. The change is not a typical price hike. Apple did not raise the cost of the Mac mini M4 base model. Instead, the company just removed the low cost option from its website. The 256GB model had been sold out for quite a while, but now it’s gone for good. This is happening in every country around the globe, not just the US. So what do you get for Php49,990? That buys you the next model up, which comes with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage. That price has not changed. The more powerful M4 Pro versions of the Mac mini also cost the same as before. With the ongoing price increases in the PC market, this move is not a surprise. Apple has been slowly pushing its pr...

OnePlus has announced a new brand-new tablet in India, the OnePlus Pad 4. The OnePlus Pad 4 features a large 13.2-inch IPS display, with a sharp 3.3K resolution, a very smooth 144Hz refresh rate, and a responsive 540Hz touch sampling rate. It also has a tall 7:5 aspect ratio for multitasking, 12-bit color, and a high 1,000-nit peak brightness. It comes with a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, with up to 12GB LPDDR5X RAM, and 512GB UFS 4.1 storage. It is cooled by a 45,260mm2 vapor chamber. Keeping the lights on is a generous 13,380mAh battery with 80W fast charging. It runs on Android 16-based OxygenOS 16 with a desktop-like interface and features like Seamless Sync. You also get the latest WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity, dual microphones, and 8 speakers. The OnePlus Pad 4 is India with a price of INR59,999 (~Php38,800) and INR64,999 (~Php42,000) for the 8GB/256GB and 12GB/512GB configurations, respectively. OnePlus Pad ...