Tech News Weekly 436

Abrar Al-Heeti of CNET joins the show this week! The Oscars implement new rules with limits placed on the use of AI. Apple is set to pay $250 million to settle allegations about the capabilities of AI on its iPhones. Does tech suck now? And a study into the ban of cellphone use in schools shows mixed results in students' behavior and overall academic performance.

• Abrar talks about how the Oscars announced new eligibility guidelines for awards, requiring that roles & screenplays must be conducted by humans, stopping short of a ban on the use of AI in films nominated.
• Mikah shares how Apple must pay $250 million to settle class action lawsuits that allege the company misled customers on the capabilities of AI on its iPhones that never fully shipped as promised.
• Andrew Lanxon of CNET joins the show to discuss whether modern technology is genuinely getting worse or if some of us are simply becoming harder to please as we get older.
• And Mikah talks about a study that looks at schools restricting student use of cellphones during the day and the mixed results in improving students' behavior and in their academics overall.

Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

• Transcripts: Tech News Weekly 436 Transcript

Links

• Oscars 2026 Rules: AI Limits, Multiple Acting Nominations Allowed
• New Academy Rules for 99th Oscars in 2027 : NPR
• Apple Will Pay $250M to Settle Allegations It Misled iPhone Buyers About AI - CNET
• If you're an iPhone user, you could get $95 from this Apple settlement - Los Angeles Times
• Does Tech Actually Suck Now or Have I Just Become a Grumpy Old Man? - CNET
• School Cellphone Ban Study Finds Mixed Results - The New York Times
• National Bureau of Economic Research, Study Text