ABC Tech News

• Venmo announces it is 'back up and running' following widespread service outage

  Venmo says that an issue impacting the payment service has been fixed and it is “back up and running,” after users reported trouble sending and receiving money

• WhatsApp faces European antitrust investigation over artificial intelligence

  The European Union has launched an antitrust investigation into WhatsApp's artificial intelligence policy

• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visits Republicans as debate over intensifying AI race rages

  Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is making the rounds in Washington

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declares 'code red' to improve ChatGPT amid rising competition

  OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued a "code red" alert to employees to improve ChatGPT, according to The Wall Street Journal

• San Francisco's beloved albino alligator Claude dies at 30

  A beloved albino alligator named Claude at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco has died at age 30

• Can AI ever be funny? Some comedians embrace AI tools but they're still running the show

  Comedians like Jon Lajoie and King Willonius are embracing artificial intelligence tools to help them create humor

• Endangered species convention proposes new rules for growing exotic pet trade

  Conservationists are hoping to strengthen regulations at a wildlife trade conference on birds, reptiles and other animals that are seeing their numbers decline due to the exotic pet trade

• Researchers slightly lower study's estimate of drop in global income due to climate change

  Researchers who examined climate change’s potential effect on the global economy say data errors led them to slightly overstate an expected drop in income over the next 25 years

• One Tech Tip: Up your Christmas shopping game with AI tools

  AI-powered shopping assistants have become a staple in online retail, making shopping easier and more convenient

• Australia to enforce social media age limit of 16 next week

  Australia is set to enforce its age limit for social media accounts starting next week, and the platforms must provide monthly reports on how many children's accounts they have closed or face fines

• India mandates pre-installation of government cyber safety app on all smartphones

  India’s telecoms ministry has ordered smartphone manufacturers to install a government-run cybersecurity app on all new devices

• PlayStation turns 30: Looking back at the legendary video game console

  Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show earlier this year featured a stage design resembling a giant PlayStation controller

• Renowned astronomers push to protect Chile's cherished night sky from project

  Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the darkest spots on Earth, a crown jewel for astronomers who flock to study the origins of the universe in this inhospitable desert along the Pacific coast

• AI's impact could worsen gaps between world's rich and poor, a UN report says

  A new report by the United Nations Development Program is urging governments to focus more on how artificial intelligence technologies might affect people already disadvantaged in a data-driven world

• Apple Replay is here. What's the No. 1 song on Apple Music’s 2025 songs chart?

  Rosé and Bruno Mars’ “APT.”