Hello, Thursday, and hello, friends! Let’s kick things off with the trivia. Where’d the name “Twitter” come from? Was it because … the founders were birdwatchers, the programmers made bird sounds when the code worked or the short messages were like chirps from birds? Answer’s at the end!

🌪️ It’s a busy tech news day. I’ll catch you up in a jiffy. — Kim

I'll probably never forget my interview with Rosanna Ramos. The 36-year-old mom from Brooklyn is totally in love with her husband, Eren. He's handsome, never judges … and was created with the AI app Replika.

For Rosanna, Eren is her main squeeze. But what about when folks turn to AI for a little extra fun?

Paying for, uh, adult content online and sexting with strangers aren't new concepts. But boy, oh boy, AI is kicking it up a notch and taking us all into uncharted territory.

Sexy AI chatbots have been flooding social media platforms, sliding into the DMs of millions worldwide. From simulating a romantic relationship with a program like Replika to paying a bot for explicit photos, one major thought is on everyone's minds.

Is it cheating if the person on the other end isn't real?

A 22-year-old woman noticed something off in her boyfriend's Instagram messages. He went to show her a meme, and she saw a DM that included a winky-face emoji and a link.

The boyfriend lied, saying it was "some football thing" (good one, chief), but the woman wasn't born yesterday. The link was to racy photos. She booted him out of their apartment and that was that.

She never found out whether her boyfriend was talking to an actual sex worker or a bot — but it didn't matter to her. He lied, and that was enough.

Money enters the equation

Another woman had been dating her boyfriend for months when she noticed a DM request on one of his social media accounts. She snooped and found the sender: A girl with a half-naked profile photo encouraging him to check out her spicy pics.

It gets worse. The gal also discovered he downloaded a shady app, where he paid for nudes — and was messaging with several other Instagram sex bots. She broke up with him via an exposing Snapchat post … Ouch.

Her take: If her boyfriend gets intimate with anyone else, bot or not, it's infidelity.

The bot next door

The problem with these bot conundrums is a lack of honest conversation between partners to lay out the ground rules of a relationship. One couple's boundaries could look very different than another's.

For instance, one partner could view a bot fling as “no big deal,” while another might consider it cheating. All that matters is that both parties agree so no one gets hurt.

If you're not cool with your partner having an intimate relationship with a bot, it's best to communicate that clearly. Did I think I'd be saying that in my email newsletter? No, but this is 2023, folks.

Although these conversations are awkward, they could save you a lot of heartache in the future.

💔 I made a graph showing my past relationships. It has an ex‑axis and a why‑axis. (Now, that was a great one!)

Brave little toaster attack: Think your smart fridge is listening to you? It might be. Members of Congress want to make sure smart devices can't give hackers a backdoor into your home. Hijacked smart devices could be used to pull off cyberattacks. My advice: Put all your smart devices on a guest network in your home.

💣 Not a funny prank: Oregon State students trying to curb the munchies with the school's food delivery robots got a shocking message on Tuesday: One of the bots had a bomb inside. Starship, the company behind the robots, stopped service for 12 hours until a prankster admitted it was all just a joke.

Sgt. Pepper's Elderly Hearts Club Band: If you were surprised when the Rolling Stones released a new album this month, you'll be positively shocked to learn a new Beatles song is dropping soon. Paul McCartney says "Now and Then" is a remix of a 1978 John Lennon song. They say that no AI was used to produce the new single. Uh, sure.

This is crazy: Meta researchers taught AI how to replicate images from the human brain in milliseconds. A scan of the brain's magnetic fields is input into a generative AI model, producing an image to match the one the subject is thinking about. See some pics from the experiments here.

🍎 Inflation bites: Apple is raising prices (and I don’t just mean on its devices). On your next renewal date, Apple TV+ will go from $6.99 to $9.99 per month, News+ will jump from $9.99 to $12.99 monthly, and Arcade will rise from $4.99 a month to $6.99. Why? Apple only made $81.8 billion last quarter, up 5% from last year.

Dumb fridge: Think twice before you buy a fridge from Samsung. It's received a record number of complaints in recent years. Customers say ice buildup blocks the fridge's vents, causing food and medicine to spoil. I can smell a recall.

Bear with me: A 13-year-old girl was listening to music on her backyard swing when a bear waltzed into the yard. Mom, who was away from home, got a notification from her Ring cam and saw it all happening. She called to warn her daughter, who got away. I knew the video had a happy ending, but I was on the edge of my seat anyway.

I make the complex world of tech simple and approachable. From explaining the latest gadgets in plain English to offering easy-to-follow cybersecurity advice, I’ve got you covered.

Choose your platform below to listen:

There are so many streaming services, and most of us have at least a handful. Two sites will make you say, “Amen!”

Reelgood and JustWatch are great. Go to either or download the app. Once you sign up, check all your channels and streaming services. They’ll keep track of:

➕ Add the shows or movies you watch or want to check out. You’ll be notified when new episodes are coming. Both work on any show and upcoming movies.

📺 I want to watch “Hamlet” on a streaming platform. Does anyone know which one it's on? Is it Tubi or not Tubi? (Oh, that one hurt!)

Do you get my Daily Tech Update in your podcast feed? I catch you up on the big tech news of the day (along with my take) and share a snappy tech tip to make life easier.

This week, I have a new segment you’ll love: Listener Q&A. Get my answers to folks just like you (and hey, maybe even you!) who need a little digital-life help — like Mark, who asked how long his expensive smartphone should last.

This picture is driving the internet bonkers. Can you find the hidden tiger? They say only 1% of the population can see it.

🐦 The answer: According to Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, they looked up the definition of the word "twitter" and learned it's "a short burst of inconsequential information" and "chirps from birds." Why did Elon change it to X? He says it was inspired by algebra's "unknown variable." Hmm, sure.

🐅 Now, about the tiger … You can see the hidden tiger answer on my Instagram. While you’re there, hit the “Follow” button. Be sure to follow me everywhere else, too. I’m on X, YouTube and Facebook.

I’ll see you tomorrow with another issue of the best tech newsletter in the USA! Until then, stay amazing! — Kim