Here are the latest technology news, AI developments, and trending tools this week in January 2026:
This Week’s Technology News
- New York will require social media platforms with algorithmic feeds and infinite scroll to display mental health warnings about potential harm to young users.
- Samsung will operate an independent exhibition hall at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, highlighting an AI ecosystem experience and hosting tech forums and product demos.
- TikTok introduced GamePlan, a global product suite to help sports teams and broadcasters drive discovery, fan engagement, and measurable business results.
- Samsung plans to integrate Google Photos into its 2026 AI TV lineup, allowing users to view curated memories, AI-generated creations, and personalized results on the big screen.
- Amazon said most U.S. customers can return eligible items for free without a box or label at partner and company-operated drop-off locations.
- Meta announced that Manus will join the company, bringing its autonomous AI agent technology while continuing to operate and sell its service independently.
- Nvidia is reportedly in advanced negotiations to buy AI21 Labs for up to $3 billion, following earlier investment and a 2023 valuation of $1.4 billion.
- TCL has announced the Note A1 NXTPAPER, a paper-like e-note tablet launching in February 2026, featuring an 11.5-inch NXTPAPER display designed for productivity.
- Elon Musk said xAI bought another building near Memphis to expand its Colossus data center footprint, targeting nearly 2 gigawatts of computing capacity.
- Polymarket and Kalshi raised a combined $3.3 billion in 2025, topping the global fintech funding charts, as prediction markets drew significant venture capital.
- Google highlighted 13 Nano Banana image-generation trends from 2025, showcasing how users applied the model to tasks such as editing, restoration, comic creation, and design.
This Week’s Trending AI Tools
- GPTZero – an AI detection tool that analyzes text to estimate the likelihood that a large language model wrote it.
- Grubby AI – a web-based tool marketed as an “AI humanizer” designed to rewrite robotic text generated by models like ChatGPT into more natural language.
- Giga – an advanced AI platform designed to automate enterprise customer support by deploying autonomous agents that can handle complex workflows with high accuracy.
- Otter – an AI meeting assistant that records conversations, transcribes speech in real time, and generates summaries and action items.
- Suno – an AI-powered music creation platform that generates complete songs, including vocals, instrumentals, and lyrics, from simple text prompts.
- Question AI – an AI question-answering and study assistant that solves problems, explains answers, and helps with homework across subjects from natural language input.
- Perchance – enables creators to generate detailed character profiles, encompassing appearance, personality, backstory, and visuals, without requiring registration or payment.
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