Avatar of Brian FagioliBrian Fagioli

Brian Fagioli is a technology journalist and founder of NERDS.xyz. Known for covering Linux, open source software, AI, and cybersecurity, he delivers no-nonsense tech news for real nerds.

Gen Z loves AI for homework, hates it in their headphones

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A new study from Wavelength by MAX surveyed more than 14,000 people and found a striking contradiction at the heart of Gen Z’s relationship with AI. The generation uses it more than anyone else, with 81 percent reporting active use, but it is also the most hostile toward it. More than a third of Gen Z say they would stop liking a song they already enjoy if they found out it was AI generated. That number drops to just 15 percent among Gen X and Baby Boomers. The divide runs deeper than age, cutting across gender, race, and music genre in ways that reveal just how complicated the AI conversation really is.

Waze gets a ‘Star Trek’ makeover, and The Doctor is your new co-pilot

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Waze has launched a Star Trek themed driving experience to celebrate “Starfleet Academy,” the new series streaming on Paramount+. The star of the show is The Doctor, the beloved holographic physician from “Star Trek: Voyager,” voiced by Robert Picardo. He brings his trademark wit to turn-by-turn navigation, covering everything from traffic alerts to your daily commute. You can also swap your car icon for the U.S.S. Athena, the new starship from Starfleet Academy, and activate a custom Vulcan salute Mood to greet other drivers on the map. The experience is available globally in English right now.

Google kisses Trump’s ring to protect AI data center power

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Google says it will cover the electricity costs of its growing data center empire as AI drives huge energy demand. The pledge aligns with the Trump White House push to protect ratepayers from rising power costs.

OpenAI GPT-5.3 Instant makes ChatGPT feel less weird and more useful

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OpenAI office

OpenAI has released GPT-5.3 Instant, a refinement of its most-used ChatGPT model that focuses on smoother conversations, fewer unnecessary refusals, better web-synthesized answers, and improved factual accuracy. Instead of flashy new features, this update targets tone, relevance, and flow, aiming to make ChatGPT feel less awkward and more genuinely helpful in daily use.