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Steve Fecht for Genreal Motors

General Motors is working with EV battery and recycling firm Redwood Materials to recycle the scrap from two of its manufacturing facilities, the companies announced.
Redwood, which was founded by Tesla co-founder and ex-chief technology officer JB Straubel, will handle “100 percent” of the scrap from GM’s Warren, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee, facilities.
Specifically, the deal is between Redwood and Ultium Cells LLC, which is a joint battery-making venture between GM and South Korea’s LG Energy Solution, a subsidiary of LG Chem and a major supplier of lithium-ion batteries to Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and of course, GM.

With this deal, Redwood says it now has secured recycling partnerships with “most” of the major EV battery-making operations in the US.
The scrap that Redwood will be processing will include cathode and anode material, which are key ingredients in lithium-ion batteries. The company will take the materials and transform them into “high-quality” battery materials that can then be sold back to its many partners to make new EV batteries.
Ultium Cells LLC is already shipping materials to Redwood’s main facility in Nevada for recycling and processing. The joint venture is expected to produce 80GWh of battery cells annually at its two facilities. A third plant located in Michigan is currently under construction.
According to Redwood, even the most efficient battery cell manufacturers still produce scrap at an average rate of 5–10 percent. This equates to daily truckloads of material, eventually amounting to over 10,000 tons a year — all of which can be recycled by Redwood’s recyclers.
Redwood Materials was founded in 2017 by Straubel. In addition to breaking down scrap from GM’s battery-making process, the company also recycles EV batteries from Tesla, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Specialized, Amazon, Lyft, Rad Power Bikes, and others. The company also produces anodes and cathodes at a facility in South Carolina.
Many of the batteries from those first-wave electric vehicles, like the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S, are just now reaching the end of their lifespan and are in need of recycling. After receiving batteries from its various partners, Redwood begins a chemical recycling process in which it strips out and refines the relevant elements like nickel, cobalt, and copper. A certain percentage of that refined material can then be reintegrated into the battery-making process — 95 percent of key battery metals on average, according to Redwood.

Steve Fecht for Genreal Motors

General Motors is working with EV battery and recycling firm Redwood Materials to recycle the scrap from two of its manufacturing facilities, the companies announced.

Redwood, which was founded by Tesla co-founder and ex-chief technology officer JB Straubel, will handle “100 percent” of the scrap from GM’s Warren, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee, facilities.

Specifically, the deal is between Redwood and Ultium Cells LLC, which is a joint battery-making venture between GM and South Korea’s LG Energy Solution, a subsidiary of LG Chem and a major supplier of lithium-ion batteries to Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and of course, GM.

With this deal, Redwood says it now has secured recycling partnerships with “most” of the major EV battery-making operations in the US.

The scrap that Redwood will be processing will include cathode and anode material, which are key ingredients in lithium-ion batteries. The company will take the materials and transform them into “high-quality” battery materials that can then be sold back to its many partners to make new EV batteries.

Ultium Cells LLC is already shipping materials to Redwood’s main facility in Nevada for recycling and processing. The joint venture is expected to produce 80GWh of battery cells annually at its two facilities. A third plant located in Michigan is currently under construction.

According to Redwood, even the most efficient battery cell manufacturers still produce scrap at an average rate of 5–10 percent. This equates to daily truckloads of material, eventually amounting to over 10,000 tons a year — all of which can be recycled by Redwood’s recyclers.

Redwood Materials was founded in 2017 by Straubel. In addition to breaking down scrap from GM’s battery-making process, the company also recycles EV batteries from Tesla, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Specialized, Amazon, Lyft, Rad Power Bikes, and others. The company also produces anodes and cathodes at a facility in South Carolina.

Many of the batteries from those first-wave electric vehicles, like the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S, are just now reaching the end of their lifespan and are in need of recycling. After receiving batteries from its various partners, Redwood begins a chemical recycling process in which it strips out and refines the relevant elements like nickel, cobalt, and copper. A certain percentage of that refined material can then be reintegrated into the battery-making process — 95 percent of key battery metals on average, according to Redwood.

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It’s a sad panda day. | Image: Microsoft

Search capabilities for ChatGPT, Copilot, DuckDuckGo, and other platforms aren’t working properly right now due to a Microsoft outage that appears to be related to the Bing application programming interface (API). Sites and services are either completely unavailable or only intermittently responding at the time of publication.
The issues — which began around 3AM ET — appear to be linked to Bing’s API and any service that relies upon it. While Microsoft’s own web search engine Bing was also seemingly affected earlier, according to Techcrunch, the service now appears to be correctly loading search results.

Image: DuckDuckGo
Search engines like DuckDuckGo relying on Bing’s API are displaying error messages.

Other search engines like DuckDuckGo and Ecosia, which rely on Bing’s API, are unable to load any search results. Microsoft’s Copilot is also experiencing similar issues, displaying a loading loop that prevents users from accessing the service. ChatGPT, which allows Plus subscribers to perform web searches, is similarly displaying an error message when users attempt to make a search enquiry.

We’re investigating an issue where users may be unable to access the Microsoft Copilot service. We’re working to isolate the cause of the issue. More information can be found in the admin center under CP795190.— Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) May 23, 2024

Microsoft has acknowledged the loading issues with its Copilot service, saying it’s “working to isolate the cause of the issue.” Meanwhile, Microsoft’s service health platform doesn’t flag any other service outages currently. OpenAI and Ecosia have confirmed that they are experiencing issues with their platform’s search features, and OpenAI says it’s also investigating the issue.
This story is developing…

It’s a sad panda day. | Image: Microsoft

Search capabilities for ChatGPT, Copilot, DuckDuckGo, and other platforms aren’t working properly right now due to a Microsoft outage that appears to be related to the Bing application programming interface (API). Sites and services are either completely unavailable or only intermittently responding at the time of publication.

The issues — which began around 3AM ET — appear to be linked to Bing’s API and any service that relies upon it. While Microsoft’s own web search engine Bing was also seemingly affected earlier, according to Techcrunch, the service now appears to be correctly loading search results.

Image: DuckDuckGo
Search engines like DuckDuckGo relying on Bing’s API are displaying error messages.

Other search engines like DuckDuckGo and Ecosia, which rely on Bing’s API, are unable to load any search results. Microsoft’s Copilot is also experiencing similar issues, displaying a loading loop that prevents users from accessing the service. ChatGPT, which allows Plus subscribers to perform web searches, is similarly displaying an error message when users attempt to make a search enquiry.

Microsoft has acknowledged the loading issues with its Copilot service, saying it’s “working to isolate the cause of the issue.” Meanwhile, Microsoft’s service health platform doesn’t flag any other service outages currently. OpenAI and Ecosia have confirmed that they are experiencing issues with their platform’s search features, and OpenAI says it’s also investigating the issue.

This story is developing…

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Image: NASA

NASA has turned on the electric Hall thrusters of Psyche, a spacecraft that’s now gently motoring toward a metal-rich asteroid embedded in the main asteroid belt beyond Mars. The agency says Psyche is in “full cruise” mode now, six months after launching on October 13th, 2023, on a conventional, SpaceX rocket.
On the way, NASA used Psyche to test laser-based deep space communications. The craft shot a communications laser back at the Earth from close to 10 million miles out, which is a first for NASA. It’s expected to reach its target and namesake, the Psyche asteroid, by 2029 and will orbit it for two years, observing and sending data back to NASA. Scientists suspect Psyche is actually the beginning core of a planet, also called a planetesimal.

Image: NASA

Ion propulsion is both relatively new and pretty old for NASA. The agency has been working on the tech since before US astronauts first flew to the Moon, having test-fired its first ion thruster in 1964. They also have no moving parts; instead, they generate thrust by exciting xenon particles, pushing them out of the thruster. You can read more about them in this NASA paper (PDF) describing ion propulsion.

There are lots of different kinds of ion propulsion, including the magnetic Hall thrusters used by Psyche. In 2018, Psyche’s Spacecraft Chief Engineer wrote this detailed explanation of the differences between those and other ion thrusters, as well as other kinds like arc jets and microwave thrusters.
NASA first used ion propulsion as a spacecraft’s main propulsion for 1998’s Deep Space 1, a mission specifically conducted to test “various advanced technologies for future interplanetary missions.” In 2007, Dawn became NASA’s “first exclusively science-focused” mission to use ion thrusters, flying until it ran out of hydrazine, the fuel it used for its orientation thrusters. Without those, it couldn’t turn itself back to maintain communication with NASA
Ion propulsion isn’t powerful enough to launch a rocket from Earth, but they can still reach very high speeds over time. Right now, NASA says Psyche is traveling at 23 miles per second, or about 84,000mph, and will eventually reach 124,000mph. Thrusters like Psyche’s are generally useful because the lack of moving parts makes them durable, and they use less fuel, so they’re lighter and can be used on smaller spacecraft. Plus, they look cool when they’re turned on.

Image: NASA

NASA has turned on the electric Hall thrusters of Psyche, a spacecraft that’s now gently motoring toward a metal-rich asteroid embedded in the main asteroid belt beyond Mars. The agency says Psyche is in “full cruise” mode now, six months after launching on October 13th, 2023, on a conventional, SpaceX rocket.

On the way, NASA used Psyche to test laser-based deep space communications. The craft shot a communications laser back at the Earth from close to 10 million miles out, which is a first for NASA. It’s expected to reach its target and namesake, the Psyche asteroid, by 2029 and will orbit it for two years, observing and sending data back to NASA. Scientists suspect Psyche is actually the beginning core of a planet, also called a planetesimal.

Image: NASA

Ion propulsion is both relatively new and pretty old for NASA. The agency has been working on the tech since before US astronauts first flew to the Moon, having test-fired its first ion thruster in 1964. They also have no moving parts; instead, they generate thrust by exciting xenon particles, pushing them out of the thruster. You can read more about them in this NASA paper (PDF) describing ion propulsion.

There are lots of different kinds of ion propulsion, including the magnetic Hall thrusters used by Psyche. In 2018, Psyche’s Spacecraft Chief Engineer wrote this detailed explanation of the differences between those and other ion thrusters, as well as other kinds like arc jets and microwave thrusters.

NASA first used ion propulsion as a spacecraft’s main propulsion for 1998’s Deep Space 1, a mission specifically conducted to test “various advanced technologies for future interplanetary missions.” In 2007, Dawn became NASA’s “first exclusively science-focused” mission to use ion thrusters, flying until it ran out of hydrazine, the fuel it used for its orientation thrusters. Without those, it couldn’t turn itself back to maintain communication with NASA

Ion propulsion isn’t powerful enough to launch a rocket from Earth, but they can still reach very high speeds over time. Right now, NASA says Psyche is traveling at 23 miles per second, or about 84,000mph, and will eventually reach 124,000mph. Thrusters like Psyche’s are generally useful because the lack of moving parts makes them durable, and they use less fuel, so they’re lighter and can be used on smaller spacecraft. Plus, they look cool when they’re turned on.

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Nvidia just made $14 billion worth of profit in a single quarter thanks to AI chips, and it’s hitting the gas from here on out: Nvidia will now design new chips every year instead of once every two years, according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
“I can announce that after Blackwell, there’s another chip. We’re on a one-year rhythm,” Huang just said on the company’s Q1 2025 earnings call.
Until now, Nvidia’s produced a new architecture roughly once every two years — revealing Ampere in 2020, Hopper in 2022, and Blackwell in 2024, for example.
(The industry darling H100 AI chip was Hopper, and the B200 is Blackwell, though those same architectures are used in gaming and creator GPUs as well.)
But analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported earlier this month that the next architecture “Rubin” is coming in 2025, giving us an R100 AI GPU as soon as next year, and Huang’s comments suggest that report might be on the money.
Huang says Nvidia will accelerate every other kind of chip it makes to match that cadence, too. “We’re going to take them all forward at a very fast clip.”
“New CPUs, new GPUs, new networking NICs, new switches… a mountain of chips are coming,” he says.
Earlier on the call, when an analyst asked him to explain how the recent Blackwell GPUs would ramp while Hopper GPUs are still selling well, Huang explained that Nvidia’s new generations of AI GPUs are electrically and mechanically backward-compatible and run the same software. Customers will “easily transition from H100 to H200 to B100” in their existing data centers, he says.
Huang also shared a couple of his sales pitches on the call by way of explaining the incredible demand for Nvidia’s AI GPUs:
We expect demand to outstrip supply for some time, as we transition to H200, as we transition to Blackwell. Everyone’s anxious to get their infrastructure online. And the reason for that is because they’re saving money and making money and they would like to do that as soon as possible.
He also has a FOMO argument that made me smile:
The next company who reaches the next major plateau gets to announce a groundbreaking AI, and the second one after that gets to announce something that’s 0.3 percent better. Do you want to be the company delivering groundbreaking AI, or the company, you know, delivering 0.3 percent better?
Nvidia’s CFO interestingly says that automotive will be its “largest enterprise vertical within data center this year,” pointing to how Tesla purchased 35,000 H100 GPUs to train its “full-self driving” system, while “consumer internet companies” like Meta will continue to be a “strong growth vertical,” too.
Some customers have purchased or plan to purchase over 100,000 of Nvidia’s H100 GPUs — Meta plans to have over 350,000 of them in operation by the end of the year.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Nvidia just made $14 billion worth of profit in a single quarter thanks to AI chips, and it’s hitting the gas from here on out: Nvidia will now design new chips every year instead of once every two years, according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

“I can announce that after Blackwell, there’s another chip. We’re on a one-year rhythm,” Huang just said on the company’s Q1 2025 earnings call.

Until now, Nvidia’s produced a new architecture roughly once every two years — revealing Ampere in 2020, Hopper in 2022, and Blackwell in 2024, for example.

(The industry darling H100 AI chip was Hopper, and the B200 is Blackwell, though those same architectures are used in gaming and creator GPUs as well.)

But analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported earlier this month that the next architecture “Rubin” is coming in 2025, giving us an R100 AI GPU as soon as next year, and Huang’s comments suggest that report might be on the money.

Huang says Nvidia will accelerate every other kind of chip it makes to match that cadence, too. “We’re going to take them all forward at a very fast clip.”

“New CPUs, new GPUs, new networking NICs, new switches… a mountain of chips are coming,” he says.

Earlier on the call, when an analyst asked him to explain how the recent Blackwell GPUs would ramp while Hopper GPUs are still selling well, Huang explained that Nvidia’s new generations of AI GPUs are electrically and mechanically backward-compatible and run the same software. Customers will “easily transition from H100 to H200 to B100” in their existing data centers, he says.

Huang also shared a couple of his sales pitches on the call by way of explaining the incredible demand for Nvidia’s AI GPUs:

We expect demand to outstrip supply for some time, as we transition to H200, as we transition to Blackwell. Everyone’s anxious to get their infrastructure online. And the reason for that is because they’re saving money and making money and they would like to do that as soon as possible.

He also has a FOMO argument that made me smile:

The next company who reaches the next major plateau gets to announce a groundbreaking AI, and the second one after that gets to announce something that’s 0.3 percent better. Do you want to be the company delivering groundbreaking AI, or the company, you know, delivering 0.3 percent better?

Nvidia’s CFO interestingly says that automotive will be its “largest enterprise vertical within data center this year,” pointing to how Tesla purchased 35,000 H100 GPUs to train its “full-self driving” system, while “consumer internet companies” like Meta will continue to be a “strong growth vertical,” too.

Some customers have purchased or plan to purchase over 100,000 of Nvidia’s H100 GPUs — Meta plans to have over 350,000 of them in operation by the end of the year.

Read More 

Illustration: The Verge

Caller ID company Truecaller will let users create an AI version of their voice to answer calls.
Truecaller is an app that identifies and blocks spam calls that some people prefer over their phone’s default system. Now the service will let users with access to its AI Assistant to record their voice. The company partnered with Microsoft’s Azure AI Speech, which will learn from the recorded clip to generate an AI version of the user’s voice.
“This groundbreaking capability not only adds a touch of familiarity and comfort for the users but also showcases the power of AI in transforming the way we interact with our digital assistants,” says Truecaller product director and general manager Raphael Mimoun in the blog post.

Truecaller’s AI Assistant screens incoming calls and lets users know why they are calling. Customers can see the reason for the call and can choose how to respond, either by picking up the phone or having the assistant answer for them. The Assistant, only available in select countries, was first introduced on the Truecaller app in 2022.
Users have always been able to choose from a preset number of voices to represent them, and the company says letting users record their own voices is a step in personalizing the service even more.
Azure AI Speech, showcased during the Build conference, added a personal voice feature that lets people record and replicate voices. Microsoft says in a blog post, however, that personal voice is available on a limited basis and only for specific use cases like voice assistants.
Microsoft says it automatically adds watermarks to voices generated by Azure AI Speech’s personal voice. It also released a code of conduct requiring users to get the full consent of people being recorded and prohibit impersonation.
It remains to be seen how well personal voice will perform against your own voicemail message.

Illustration: The Verge

Caller ID company Truecaller will let users create an AI version of their voice to answer calls.

Truecaller is an app that identifies and blocks spam calls that some people prefer over their phone’s default system. Now the service will let users with access to its AI Assistant to record their voice. The company partnered with Microsoft’s Azure AI Speech, which will learn from the recorded clip to generate an AI version of the user’s voice.

“This groundbreaking capability not only adds a touch of familiarity and comfort for the users but also showcases the power of AI in transforming the way we interact with our digital assistants,” says Truecaller product director and general manager Raphael Mimoun in the blog post.

Truecaller’s AI Assistant screens incoming calls and lets users know why they are calling. Customers can see the reason for the call and can choose how to respond, either by picking up the phone or having the assistant answer for them. The Assistant, only available in select countries, was first introduced on the Truecaller app in 2022.

Users have always been able to choose from a preset number of voices to represent them, and the company says letting users record their own voices is a step in personalizing the service even more.

Azure AI Speech, showcased during the Build conference, added a personal voice feature that lets people record and replicate voices. Microsoft says in a blog post, however, that personal voice is available on a limited basis and only for specific use cases like voice assistants.

Microsoft says it automatically adds watermarks to voices generated by Azure AI Speech’s personal voice. It also released a code of conduct requiring users to get the full consent of people being recorded and prohibit impersonation.

It remains to be seen how well personal voice will perform against your own voicemail message.

Read More 

You can get an LG C3 for under $800 right now, along with tablets, earbuds, and a slew of other discounted items. | Image: LG

The summer solstice may be when summer officially kicks off, but for many of us, it starts as soon as temperatures begin to rise and the smell of barbecue begins wafting through the air. Memorial Day also serves as the unofficial start to the season, and the deals that are popping up right now are a great indicator that it’s right around the corner.
Below, we’ve rounded up the best Memorial Day deals you can get on an array of gadgets and gizmos. This includes wireless headphones like the Beats Solo 4, which are currently receiving their first discount, as well as inexpensive security cameras like the Blink Mini 2. You can also pick up Amazon’s latest Fire TV Cube for its best price to date, along with tablets, Garmin watches, and one of our favorite OLED TVs.
It’s worth noting up top that many Memorial Day sales have yet to kick off, but, lucky for you, we’ll continue to refresh the list throughout the week as more deals appear at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.

Earbud and headphone deals

The new Beats Solo 4 are currently on sale starting at $149.95 ($50 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. This is the lowest price we’ve seen on the refreshed on-ear headphones, which have USB-C connectivity, a more comfortable fit, and longer battery life than the previous model. Unfortunately, they lack active noise cancellation and water resistance — two features we expect to see in this price range. Read our review.
The Apple AirPods Max have been discounted to $449.99 ($100 off) at Amazon, which is only $20 more than their all-time low. Apple’s only pair of over-ear headphones offer excellent sound quality, great comfort, and spatial audio support. While there are better headphones when it comes to noise cancellation performance, the Max are ideal if you’re looking for something that works seamlessly with all of Apple’s products. Read our review.
You can grab a pair of the LinkBuds S from Amazon, Best Buy, and Sony starting at $128 ($72 off). Sony’s closed earbuds are a comfortable, more affordable alternative to the pricier WF-1000XM4 and XM5, but unlike the original LinkBuds, which feature an open-ear design, they rely upon a transparency mode to allow ambient sound through. Read our review.

Smart home deals

The battery-powered Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is on sale for $139.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Ring’s online storefront or in its wired configuration for $139.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. The outdoor-ready Cam Pro is similar to the company’s base 1080p security cameras, only it comes with radar-powered 3D motion detection sensors and a view that lets you track every step of your visitor’s approach.
The Blink Video Doorbell, aka our favorite budget video doorbell, is down to $41.99 ($18 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. You can also get it with a Sync Module 2 for $48.99 ($21 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is only $7 more than its all-time low. The inexpensive doorbell offers decent video quality and up to two years of battery life, though we recommend purchasing the bundle, as the module adds free local storage and on-demand live views.

The second-gen Ring Indoor Cam is available for $39.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, which is only $10 more than its lowest price to date. The wired 1080p camera features motion-activated recording, night vision, two-way audio, and a built-in privacy cover, allowing you to cover the camera to ensure potential snoopers can’t spy on you.
You can get a pair of Google Nest WiFi Pro mesh routers for $239.98 (about $60 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. We’ve seen a two-pack sell for $40 less, but that’s still a great price for a Wi-Fi 6E system that’s easy to use and comes with Thread / Matter support. Read our review.

Eve’s Matter-compatible smart door and window sensors are on sale at Amazon in a pack of three for $91.99 ($48 off). You can get alerts whenever one of the protected entryways is opened, and you can set up automations to have other smart home devices react whenever that happens. The Matter support makes it easy to manage the sensors no matter which smart home platform you prefer.
Tablet deals

The latest Amazon Fire HD 10 is currently on sale at Amazon and Best Buy with ads starting at $94.99 ($45 off) or without ads at Amazon starting at $109.99 ($45 off). The 2023 tablet is one of the only non-iPad slates we’d recommend in its relatively affordable price range, especially if you only need it for basic browsing and entertainment purposes.
TV and streaming device deals

LG’s 27-inch StanbyME Go is down to $797.59 (about $200 off) at eBay when you use coupon code MEMORIALTWENTY. The 1080p smart TV lives inside a briefcase and features a built-in collapsible arm, which folds down into the cache for easy transport. It supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, too, and runs LG’s excellent webOS, which has tons of streaming apps and channels built-in. Read our review.

Amazon’s latest Fire TV Cube is matching its all-time low of $109.99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and The Home Depot. The speedy 4K set-top streaming box doubles as an Echo speaker and has conveniences like Wi-Fi 6E and HDMI passthrough, plus support for newer visual and audio technologies like Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, and HDR 10 Plus. Read our review.

Hisense’s 75-inch U6HF TV is down to $649.99 ($196 off) at Amazon, which is only $20 shy of its best price to date. The sizable ULED TV is already a tremendous value before the discount and even comes with an NBA Store gift card worth up to $200. To be clear, this is the Amazon-exclusive version, which uses Fire OS as a smart TV platform, but you can also get the Google TV version at Best Buy for the same price with a $100 NBA Store gift card.

Amazon is selling the 75-inch Fire TV Omni for $789.99 ($240 off), which is $80 more than its all-time low but still a great price for the lower-end Fire TV. It supports Dolby Vision HDR and HDR 10, and there are built-in microphones for hands-free Alexa control. Read our review.

You can get Samsung’s 27-inch M80C Smart Monitor at Amazon and B&H Photo for $349.99 ($300 off), an all-time low. We liked the original M80B version released in 2022, which was a great 2-in-1 work monitor that could serve as both a PC display and a 4K smart TV. The M80C offers a similar set of features, along with Alexa compatibility, the ability to serve as a Samsung SmartThings hub, and support for a wealth of productivity apps.
Gaming deals

Sony’s InZone H3 headset is on sale for $79 ($21 off) at Adorama — a dollar more than its all-time low. The wired gaming headset works with the PS5 and Windows PCs, offering up immersive spatial audio that’s tuned best for Sony’s Tempest 3D tech. It’s also comfortable to wear thanks to its ample padding and features a boom mic, which flips up when you want to engage the mute feature.

Samsung’s massive 49-inch Odyssey G9 gaming monitor is down to $799.99 ($500 off) at Amazon and Best Buy when you opt for the QLED version with a VA panel. The ultrawide form factor on the curved QHD-equivalent monitor has proven popular not just for gaming but also for productivity, as it offers a blistering-fast 240Hz refresh rate with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.
A two-pack of Govee RGBIC Gaming Light Bars is available for $64.99 ($25 off) from Govee and Amazon (when you clip the on-page coupon). The RGB lights go on either side of your monitor, with the bulbs facing the wall to illuminate your space. You can use the included controller to adjust the brightness and cycle through a range of default colors; however, you’ll get the most out of them by using the Govee app, which lets you choose from more than 60 scenes and modes. There’s even an option that prompts the lights to respond to music and various in-game sounds.

Smartwatch and wearable deals

Garmin’s Fenix 7S Pro, our top wearable pick for serious outdoor athletes, is also on sale starting at $599.99 ($200) from Garmin and REI. The Fenix 7S Pro doesn’t feature the Epix Pro’s OLED display, which we found more readable, but it does share the same LED flashlight and built-in multiband GPS, along with perks like solar charging. Read our review.

Garmin’s Venu 3S, our favorite platform-agnostic fitness smartwatch, currently starts at just $399.99 ($50 off) when you buy the wearable directly from Garmin and REI. It lacks cellular connectivity, but it’s an excellent choice if you want Garmin’s in-depth training metrics and an assortment of smart features. It offers a heart rate sensor and wheelchair mode, for instance, as well as support for contactless payments and a mic for taking calls. Read our review.

Miscellaneous tech deals

The 512GB Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is down to $849.99 ($270 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, while the 256GB Galaxy Z Fold 5 is on sale for $1,349.99 ($450 off) at Amazon — just $50 north of its all-time low. Samsung’s latest foldables offer a fun form factor, with the Fold 5 serving particularly well as a productivity device. One major downside compared to the smartphone maker’s traditional candy bar flagships, however, is their aging camera systems.
Now through May 27th, you can save 30 percent on a variety of mobile accessories as part of Speck’s sitewide sale, so long as you use promo code VERGE30. You can find cases and accessories for flagship products from Apple and Samsung, including AirPods, iPads, iPhones, MacBooks, and Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets.
The DJI Mini 2 SE is a great beginner drone, especially now that it’s down to $248 ($62 off) at eBay when you use offer code MEMORIALTWENTY at checkout. The palm-sized drone lets you fly for up to 31 minutes and works from up to 500 meters away; it also includes a 2.7K camera sensor for capturing crisp point-of-view footage.
The Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank is available for only $124.99 ($55 off) from Amazon, Walmart, and Anker (with promo code WS7DV2OOFSUC). It has 250W throughput to supply two USB-C ports with up to 140W each, plus a 65W USB-A port. There’s also a handy LCD display that clues you in on remaining capacity, recharge time, and power draw for each port, and you can locate it by playing a sound using the companion app.
Now through May 26th, you can use promo code FA15 to save 15 percent on Grid Studio’s framed artwork, which showcases the innards of iconic tech products. A few pieces are even currently on discount, including the iPhone 4S (now $99), the Nokia 3310 (now $99), and the Game Boy Pocket (now $129).

Anker’s Soundcore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for an all-time low of $19.99 ($10 off) at Amazon in select colors when you clip the on-page coupon. It’s the most basic speaker Anker currently makes, but it offers decent sound for the price, up to 24 hours of battery life, and an IPX5 rating for water resistance.

You can get an LG C3 for under $800 right now, along with tablets, earbuds, and a slew of other discounted items. | Image: LG

The summer solstice may be when summer officially kicks off, but for many of us, it starts as soon as temperatures begin to rise and the smell of barbecue begins wafting through the air. Memorial Day also serves as the unofficial start to the season, and the deals that are popping up right now are a great indicator that it’s right around the corner.

Below, we’ve rounded up the best Memorial Day deals you can get on an array of gadgets and gizmos. This includes wireless headphones like the Beats Solo 4, which are currently receiving their first discount, as well as inexpensive security cameras like the Blink Mini 2. You can also pick up Amazon’s latest Fire TV Cube for its best price to date, along with tablets, Garmin watches, and one of our favorite OLED TVs.

It’s worth noting up top that many Memorial Day sales have yet to kick off, but, lucky for you, we’ll continue to refresh the list throughout the week as more deals appear at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.

Earbud and headphone deals

The new Beats Solo 4 are currently on sale starting at $149.95 ($50 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. This is the lowest price we’ve seen on the refreshed on-ear headphones, which have USB-C connectivity, a more comfortable fit, and longer battery life than the previous model. Unfortunately, they lack active noise cancellation and water resistance — two features we expect to see in this price range. Read our review.
The Apple AirPods Max have been discounted to $449.99 ($100 off) at Amazon, which is only $20 more than their all-time low. Apple’s only pair of over-ear headphones offer excellent sound quality, great comfort, and spatial audio support. While there are better headphones when it comes to noise cancellation performance, the Max are ideal if you’re looking for something that works seamlessly with all of Apple’s products. Read our review.
You can grab a pair of the LinkBuds S from Amazon, Best Buy, and Sony starting at $128 ($72 off). Sony’s closed earbuds are a comfortable, more affordable alternative to the pricier WF-1000XM4 and XM5, but unlike the original LinkBuds, which feature an open-ear design, they rely upon a transparency mode to allow ambient sound through. Read our review.

Smart home deals

The battery-powered Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is on sale for $139.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Ring’s online storefront or in its wired configuration for $139.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. The outdoor-ready Cam Pro is similar to the company’s base 1080p security cameras, only it comes with radar-powered 3D motion detection sensors and a view that lets you track every step of your visitor’s approach.
The Blink Video Doorbell, aka our favorite budget video doorbell, is down to $41.99 ($18 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. You can also get it with a Sync Module 2 for $48.99 ($21 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is only $7 more than its all-time low. The inexpensive doorbell offers decent video quality and up to two years of battery life, though we recommend purchasing the bundle, as the module adds free local storage and on-demand live views.

The second-gen Ring Indoor Cam is available for $39.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, which is only $10 more than its lowest price to date. The wired 1080p camera features motion-activated recording, night vision, two-way audio, and a built-in privacy cover, allowing you to cover the camera to ensure potential snoopers can’t spy on you.
You can get a pair of Google Nest WiFi Pro mesh routers for $239.98 (about $60 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. We’ve seen a two-pack sell for $40 less, but that’s still a great price for a Wi-Fi 6E system that’s easy to use and comes with Thread / Matter support. Read our review.

Eve’s Matter-compatible smart door and window sensors are on sale at Amazon in a pack of three for $91.99 ($48 off). You can get alerts whenever one of the protected entryways is opened, and you can set up automations to have other smart home devices react whenever that happens. The Matter support makes it easy to manage the sensors no matter which smart home platform you prefer.

Tablet deals

The latest Amazon Fire HD 10 is currently on sale at Amazon and Best Buy with ads starting at $94.99 ($45 off) or without ads at Amazon starting at $109.99 ($45 off). The 2023 tablet is one of the only non-iPad slates we’d recommend in its relatively affordable price range, especially if you only need it for basic browsing and entertainment purposes.

TV and streaming device deals

LG’s 27-inch StanbyME Go is down to $797.59 (about $200 off) at eBay when you use coupon code MEMORIALTWENTY. The 1080p smart TV lives inside a briefcase and features a built-in collapsible arm, which folds down into the cache for easy transport. It supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, too, and runs LG’s excellent webOS, which has tons of streaming apps and channels built-in. Read our review.

Amazon’s latest Fire TV Cube is matching its all-time low of $109.99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and The Home Depot. The speedy 4K set-top streaming box doubles as an Echo speaker and has conveniences like Wi-Fi 6E and HDMI passthrough, plus support for newer visual and audio technologies like Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, and HDR 10 Plus. Read our review.

Hisense’s 75-inch U6HF TV is down to $649.99 ($196 off) at Amazon, which is only $20 shy of its best price to date. The sizable ULED TV is already a tremendous value before the discount and even comes with an NBA Store gift card worth up to $200. To be clear, this is the Amazon-exclusive version, which uses Fire OS as a smart TV platform, but you can also get the Google TV version at Best Buy for the same price with a $100 NBA Store gift card.

Amazon is selling the 75-inch Fire TV Omni for $789.99 ($240 off), which is $80 more than its all-time low but still a great price for the lower-end Fire TV. It supports Dolby Vision HDR and HDR 10, and there are built-in microphones for hands-free Alexa control. Read our review.

You can get Samsung’s 27-inch M80C Smart Monitor at Amazon and B&H Photo for $349.99 ($300 off), an all-time low. We liked the original M80B version released in 2022, which was a great 2-in-1 work monitor that could serve as both a PC display and a 4K smart TV. The M80C offers a similar set of features, along with Alexa compatibility, the ability to serve as a Samsung SmartThings hub, and support for a wealth of productivity apps.

Gaming deals

Sony’s InZone H3 headset is on sale for $79 ($21 off) at Adorama — a dollar more than its all-time low. The wired gaming headset works with the PS5 and Windows PCs, offering up immersive spatial audio that’s tuned best for Sony’s Tempest 3D tech. It’s also comfortable to wear thanks to its ample padding and features a boom mic, which flips up when you want to engage the mute feature.

Samsung’s massive 49-inch Odyssey G9 gaming monitor is down to $799.99 ($500 off) at Amazon and Best Buy when you opt for the QLED version with a VA panel. The ultrawide form factor on the curved QHD-equivalent monitor has proven popular not just for gaming but also for productivity, as it offers a blistering-fast 240Hz refresh rate with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.
A two-pack of Govee RGBIC Gaming Light Bars is available for $64.99 ($25 off) from Govee and Amazon (when you clip the on-page coupon). The RGB lights go on either side of your monitor, with the bulbs facing the wall to illuminate your space. You can use the included controller to adjust the brightness and cycle through a range of default colors; however, you’ll get the most out of them by using the Govee app, which lets you choose from more than 60 scenes and modes. There’s even an option that prompts the lights to respond to music and various in-game sounds.

Smartwatch and wearable deals

Garmin’s Fenix 7S Pro, our top wearable pick for serious outdoor athletes, is also on sale starting at $599.99 ($200) from Garmin and REI. The Fenix 7S Pro doesn’t feature the Epix Pro’s OLED display, which we found more readable, but it does share the same LED flashlight and built-in multiband GPS, along with perks like solar charging. Read our review.

Garmin’s Venu 3S, our favorite platform-agnostic fitness smartwatch, currently starts at just $399.99 ($50 off) when you buy the wearable directly from Garmin and REI. It lacks cellular connectivity, but it’s an excellent choice if you want Garmin’s in-depth training metrics and an assortment of smart features. It offers a heart rate sensor and wheelchair mode, for instance, as well as support for contactless payments and a mic for taking calls. Read our review.

Miscellaneous tech deals

The 512GB Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is down to $849.99 ($270 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, while the 256GB Galaxy Z Fold 5 is on sale for $1,349.99 ($450 off) at Amazon — just $50 north of its all-time low. Samsung’s latest foldables offer a fun form factor, with the Fold 5 serving particularly well as a productivity device. One major downside compared to the smartphone maker’s traditional candy bar flagships, however, is their aging camera systems.
Now through May 27th, you can save 30 percent on a variety of mobile accessories as part of Speck’s sitewide sale, so long as you use promo code VERGE30. You can find cases and accessories for flagship products from Apple and Samsung, including AirPods, iPads, iPhones, MacBooks, and Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets.
The DJI Mini 2 SE is a great beginner drone, especially now that it’s down to $248 ($62 off) at eBay when you use offer code MEMORIALTWENTY at checkout. The palm-sized drone lets you fly for up to 31 minutes and works from up to 500 meters away; it also includes a 2.7K camera sensor for capturing crisp point-of-view footage.
The Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank is available for only $124.99 ($55 off) from Amazon, Walmart, and Anker (with promo code WS7DV2OOFSUC). It has 250W throughput to supply two USB-C ports with up to 140W each, plus a 65W USB-A port. There’s also a handy LCD display that clues you in on remaining capacity, recharge time, and power draw for each port, and you can locate it by playing a sound using the companion app.
Now through May 26th, you can use promo code FA15 to save 15 percent on Grid Studio’s framed artwork, which showcases the innards of iconic tech products. A few pieces are even currently on discount, including the iPhone 4S (now $99), the Nokia 3310 (now $99), and the Game Boy Pocket (now $129).

Anker’s Soundcore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for an all-time low of $19.99 ($10 off) at Amazon in select colors when you clip the on-page coupon. It’s the most basic speaker Anker currently makes, but it offers decent sound for the price, up to 24 hours of battery life, and an IPX5 rating for water resistance.

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Illustration: The Verge

OpenAI has struck a deal with News Corp, the media company that owns The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, The Daily Telegraph, and others. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, OpenAI’s deal with News Corp could be worth over $250 million in the next five years “in the form of cash and credits for use of OpenAI technology.”
The multi-year agreement gives OpenAI access to current and archived articles from News Corp publications for AI training and to answer user questions.
This is the latest in a string of licensing deals OpenAI has inked with major media companies and outlets, including The Associated Press, the Financial Times, People publisher Dotdash Meredith, and Politico owner Axel Springer. Some outlets have filed lawsuits against OpenAI instead, like The New York Times, New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, and The Intercept. They’ve accused both OpenAI and Microsoft of copyright infringement by training AI models on their work.
The partnership also includes outlets like Barron’s, MarketWatch, Investor’s Business Daily, FN, The Sunday Times, The Sun, and The Australian, among others, and News Corp will “share journalistic expertise” with OpenAI to “ensure the highest journalism standards.”

Illustration: The Verge

OpenAI has struck a deal with News Corp, the media company that owns The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, The Daily Telegraph, and others. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, OpenAI’s deal with News Corp could be worth over $250 million in the next five years “in the form of cash and credits for use of OpenAI technology.”

The multi-year agreement gives OpenAI access to current and archived articles from News Corp publications for AI training and to answer user questions.

This is the latest in a string of licensing deals OpenAI has inked with major media companies and outlets, including The Associated Press, the Financial Times, People publisher Dotdash Meredith, and Politico owner Axel Springer. Some outlets have filed lawsuits against OpenAI instead, like The New York Times, New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, and The Intercept. They’ve accused both OpenAI and Microsoft of copyright infringement by training AI models on their work.

The partnership also includes outlets like Barron’s, MarketWatch, Investor’s Business Daily, FN, The Sunday Times, The Sun, and The Australian, among others, and News Corp will “share journalistic expertise” with OpenAI to “ensure the highest journalism standards.”

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Illustration: The Verge

After threatening to remove links to California news outlets due to a new bill in the state, Google could cut back its investments in the industry even more. The tech giant has told nonprofit newsrooms that it could halt funding to the Google News Initiative, which provides more than $300 million in funding across thousands of news outlets, according to a report from Axios.
Google issued the warning in response to another California bill aimed at helping local news outlets. If passed, the bill would charge a 7.25 percent tax whenever large companies like Google sell user information to advertisers. The money collected from that tax would fund tax credits for news outlets in the state.

Although this law would only go into effect in California, Google has reportedly warned outlets that it could pause new grants nationwide. Sources tell Axios that Google is concerned about it setting a “wider precedent for other states.” Last month, Google tested removing links to California news outlets in response to the pending California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA). This bill would make major tech platforms, like Google and Meta, pay to link to articles from news publishers based in California.
When reached for comment, Google referred The Verge to a post the company made in April about the CPJA. At the time, Jaffer Zaidi, Google’s vice president of news partnerships, wrote that the company is “pausing further investments in the California news ecosystem, including new partnerships through Google News Showcase, our product and licensing program for news organizations, and planned expansions of the Google News Initiative.”
News publishers have long argued that big tech should pay them more for publishing links to their articles — and for good reason. A working paper published last year estimated Google would owe publishers anywhere from $11.9 billion to $13.9 billion per year if the nationwide law were passed. Other countries that have enacted legislation designed to protect publishers, including Australia and Canada, were met with similar threats from Google. But the company ultimately reached a deal to compensate outlets in both countries.

Illustration: The Verge

After threatening to remove links to California news outlets due to a new bill in the state, Google could cut back its investments in the industry even more. The tech giant has told nonprofit newsrooms that it could halt funding to the Google News Initiative, which provides more than $300 million in funding across thousands of news outlets, according to a report from Axios.

Google issued the warning in response to another California bill aimed at helping local news outlets. If passed, the bill would charge a 7.25 percent tax whenever large companies like Google sell user information to advertisers. The money collected from that tax would fund tax credits for news outlets in the state.

Although this law would only go into effect in California, Google has reportedly warned outlets that it could pause new grants nationwide. Sources tell Axios that Google is concerned about it setting a “wider precedent for other states.” Last month, Google tested removing links to California news outlets in response to the pending California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA). This bill would make major tech platforms, like Google and Meta, pay to link to articles from news publishers based in California.

When reached for comment, Google referred The Verge to a post the company made in April about the CPJA. At the time, Jaffer Zaidi, Google’s vice president of news partnerships, wrote that the company is “pausing further investments in the California news ecosystem, including new partnerships through Google News Showcase, our product and licensing program for news organizations, and planned expansions of the Google News Initiative.”

News publishers have long argued that big tech should pay them more for publishing links to their articles — and for good reason. A working paper published last year estimated Google would owe publishers anywhere from $11.9 billion to $13.9 billion per year if the nationwide law were passed. Other countries that have enacted legislation designed to protect publishers, including Australia and Canada, were met with similar threats from Google. But the company ultimately reached a deal to compensate outlets in both countries.

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After automatically switching on the adaptive audio mode, Google will group participants in the same room together in the people panel under “merged audio.” | Image: Google

Google has introduced “adaptive audio,” a new Google Meet feature that offers Google Workspace users an alternative to dedicated videoconferencing equipment — if their package includes access to new AI features.
Once it’s rolled out, Google Meet will be able to automatically detect multiple laptops in the same room and merge together their speakers and microphones. The idea is that it will allow multiple participants to be heard clearly without needing to huddle around a single laptop while also reducing echoes and audio feedback.

Image: Google

According to Google, this feature should benefit small organizations and other teams who might not have the dedicated equipment available or if the equipment is experiencing technical difficulties. It should also give teams more flexibility in choosing meeting locations so they can meet in, say, cafés or lounges when a conference room isn’t available.

Google says it will gradually roll out the feature over the next few weeks to “Google Workspace customers with the Gemini Enterprise, Gemini Business, Gemini Education, Gemini Education Premium, and the AI Meetings and Messaging add-on.”
Once rolled out, the feature will be turned on by default, though users have the option of manually turning it off.
Announced during the Google Next event last month, adaptive audio is just one of the many new features coming to Google Workspace. During Google I/O, Google announced it’s adding the new Gemini 1.5 Pro to the right sidebar in Workspace apps like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, and Gmail to more seamlessly connect them all. The company also introduced Google Chip, a new capability that lets users ask an AI agent questions about meetings, emails, and other work-related tasks.

After automatically switching on the adaptive audio mode, Google will group participants in the same room together in the people panel under “merged audio.” | Image: Google

Google has introduced “adaptive audio,” a new Google Meet feature that offers Google Workspace users an alternative to dedicated videoconferencing equipment — if their package includes access to new AI features.

Once it’s rolled out, Google Meet will be able to automatically detect multiple laptops in the same room and merge together their speakers and microphones. The idea is that it will allow multiple participants to be heard clearly without needing to huddle around a single laptop while also reducing echoes and audio feedback.

Image: Google

According to Google, this feature should benefit small organizations and other teams who might not have the dedicated equipment available or if the equipment is experiencing technical difficulties. It should also give teams more flexibility in choosing meeting locations so they can meet in, say, cafés or lounges when a conference room isn’t available.

Google says it will gradually roll out the feature over the next few weeks to “Google Workspace customers with the Gemini Enterprise, Gemini Business, Gemini Education, Gemini Education Premium, and the AI Meetings and Messaging add-on.”

Once rolled out, the feature will be turned on by default, though users have the option of manually turning it off.

Announced during the Google Next event last month, adaptive audio is just one of the many new features coming to Google Workspace. During Google I/O, Google announced it’s adding the new Gemini 1.5 Pro to the right sidebar in Workspace apps like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, and Gmail to more seamlessly connect them all. The company also introduced Google Chip, a new capability that lets users ask an AI agent questions about meetings, emails, and other work-related tasks.

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Photo by Taylor Hill / WireImage

OpenAI could face legal consequences for making a ChatGPT voice that sounds a lot like Scarlett Johansson — whether the company did so intentionally or not. And the fact that OpenAI’s CEO referenced those similarities? That only makes matters worse, intellectual property lawyers tell The Verge.
“There are a few courses of actions she can take, but case law supports her position,” says Purvi Patel Albers, partner at the law firm Haynes Boone with a focus on trademarks and copyright.
After demoing updates to ChatGPT last week, OpenAI spurred commentary and headlines noting that the voice of its AI assistant — named Sky — sounded a lot like Johansson, especially her performance as an AI assistant in the movie Her.
Past celebrity likeness lawsuits “have clear implications for AI voice clones”
Albers says that Johansson and other celebrities can invoke right to publicity laws, which protect identifying features of a person from being used without their permission. “If you misappropriate someone’s name, likeness, or voice, you could be violating their right to publicity,” Albers says.
Celebrities have previously won cases over similar-sounding voices in commercials. In 1988, Bette Midler sued Ford for hiring one of her backup singers for an ad and instructing the singer to “sound as much as possible like the Bette Midler record.” Midler had refused to be in the commercial. That same year, Tom Waits sued Frito-Lay for voice misappropriation after the company’s ad agency got someone to imitate Waits for a parody of his song in a Doritos commercial. Both cases, filed in California courts, were decided in the celebrities’ favor. The wins by Midler and Waits “have clear implications for AI voice clones,” says Christian Mammen, a partner at Womble Bond Dickinson who specializes in intellectual property law.
To win in these cases, celebrities generally have to prove that their voice or other identifying features are unregistered trademarks and that, by imitating them, consumers could connect them to the product being sold, even if they’re not involved. That means identifying what is “distinctive” about her voice — something that may be easier for a celebrity who played an AI assistant in an Oscar-winning movie.
What makes things difficult is the lack of federal right to publicity laws — instead, the laws are state by state, and not all states have one on the books. Each state also designs its likeness laws differently; for example, New York recognizes every individual has the right to control the commercial use of personal characteristics like their name, picture, voice, and even their signature. This right extends to a deceased person, whose estate must give prior consent for the use of a computer-generated replica. California, where OpenAI is headquartered, does not mention using digital replicas like AI-generated voices in its law. But California protects a living person’s voice from being used in commercial activities without consent. It states that using a person’s “identity,” whether a voice, face, or name, could violate these protections.
Even though OpenAI didn’t mention Johansson, consumers pointed out the similarities
“The Ninth Circuit held that a celebrity with a distinctive voice could recover against someone who used a voice impersonator to create the impression that the celebrity had endorsed the product or was speaking in the advertisement,” Mammen says.
Johansson has not sued OpenAI, but she has lawyered up. On Monday, Johansson said that she had hired legal counsel to draft letters to OpenAI asking for an explanation about how the voice of Sky was created. Johansson said OpenAI had previously reached out to her about voicing the assistant and that she had refused the company’s request.
OpenAI says it did not intend for the Sky voice to sound like Johansson, but that doesn’t necessarily protect the company. Albers says that even though OpenAI did not explicitly mention Johansson, consumers were already pointing out the similarities. The commentary began while OpenAI’s demo of ChatGPT-4o was ongoing, and Saturday Night Live even joked about it.
Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, may have complicated matters further. Altman posted the word “her” on X as the company’s event was happening last week, seemingly referencing the demo’s similarity to what was portrayed in the film. Albers says that could fuel the public’s opinion that the voice is meant to imitate Johansson.
OpenAI has pulled the voice of Sky for the time being, which could quell Johansson’s concerns. But Albers says OpenAI could further Johansson’s ire if they put the Sky voice back and it still sounds like the actor.
“The question we need to ask is why on Earth did OpenAI do this?” Albers says. “[Johansson] is a known advocate for protecting her rights, so she’s not going to shy away from going against them.”

Photo by Taylor Hill / WireImage

OpenAI could face legal consequences for making a ChatGPT voice that sounds a lot like Scarlett Johansson — whether the company did so intentionally or not. And the fact that OpenAI’s CEO referenced those similarities? That only makes matters worse, intellectual property lawyers tell The Verge.

“There are a few courses of actions she can take, but case law supports her position,” says Purvi Patel Albers, partner at the law firm Haynes Boone with a focus on trademarks and copyright.

After demoing updates to ChatGPT last week, OpenAI spurred commentary and headlines noting that the voice of its AI assistant — named Sky — sounded a lot like Johansson, especially her performance as an AI assistant in the movie Her.

Albers says that Johansson and other celebrities can invoke right to publicity laws, which protect identifying features of a person from being used without their permission. “If you misappropriate someone’s name, likeness, or voice, you could be violating their right to publicity,” Albers says.

Celebrities have previously won cases over similar-sounding voices in commercials. In 1988, Bette Midler sued Ford for hiring one of her backup singers for an ad and instructing the singer to “sound as much as possible like the Bette Midler record.” Midler had refused to be in the commercial. That same year, Tom Waits sued Frito-Lay for voice misappropriation after the company’s ad agency got someone to imitate Waits for a parody of his song in a Doritos commercial. Both cases, filed in California courts, were decided in the celebrities’ favor. The wins by Midler and Waits “have clear implications for AI voice clones,” says Christian Mammen, a partner at Womble Bond Dickinson who specializes in intellectual property law.

To win in these cases, celebrities generally have to prove that their voice or other identifying features are unregistered trademarks and that, by imitating them, consumers could connect them to the product being sold, even if they’re not involved. That means identifying what is “distinctive” about her voice — something that may be easier for a celebrity who played an AI assistant in an Oscar-winning movie.

What makes things difficult is the lack of federal right to publicity laws — instead, the laws are state by state, and not all states have one on the books. Each state also designs its likeness laws differently; for example, New York recognizes every individual has the right to control the commercial use of personal characteristics like their name, picture, voice, and even their signature. This right extends to a deceased person, whose estate must give prior consent for the use of a computer-generated replica. California, where OpenAI is headquartered, does not mention using digital replicas like AI-generated voices in its law. But California protects a living person’s voice from being used in commercial activities without consent. It states that using a person’s “identity,” whether a voice, face, or name, could violate these protections.

“The Ninth Circuit held that a celebrity with a distinctive voice could recover against someone who used a voice impersonator to create the impression that the celebrity had endorsed the product or was speaking in the advertisement,” Mammen says.

Johansson has not sued OpenAI, but she has lawyered up. On Monday, Johansson said that she had hired legal counsel to draft letters to OpenAI asking for an explanation about how the voice of Sky was created. Johansson said OpenAI had previously reached out to her about voicing the assistant and that she had refused the company’s request.

OpenAI says it did not intend for the Sky voice to sound like Johansson, but that doesn’t necessarily protect the company. Albers says that even though OpenAI did not explicitly mention Johansson, consumers were already pointing out the similarities. The commentary began while OpenAI’s demo of ChatGPT-4o was ongoing, and Saturday Night Live even joked about it.

Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, may have complicated matters further. Altman posted the word “her” on X as the company’s event was happening last week, seemingly referencing the demo’s similarity to what was portrayed in the film. Albers says that could fuel the public’s opinion that the voice is meant to imitate Johansson.

OpenAI has pulled the voice of Sky for the time being, which could quell Johansson’s concerns. But Albers says OpenAI could further Johansson’s ire if they put the Sky voice back and it still sounds like the actor.

“The question we need to ask is why on Earth did OpenAI do this?” Albers says. “[Johansson] is a known advocate for protecting her rights, so she’s not going to shy away from going against them.”

Read More