ChatGPT Enterprise usage grew 8x year-over-year as workers report saving an hour daily, but OpenAI faces competitive pressure from Anthropic and questions about cost sustainability.
If you’re a longtime reader, you probably know that our newsroom selects 10 breakthroughs every year that we think will define the future. This group exercise is mostly fun and always engrossing, but at times it can also be quite difficult.
We collectively pitch dozens of ideas, and the editors meticulously review and debate the merits of each. We agonize over which ones might make the broadest impact, whether one is too similar to something we’ve featured in the past, and how confident we are that a recent advance will actually translate into long-term success. There is plenty of lively discussion along the way.
The 2026 list will come out on January 12—so stay tuned. In the meantime, I wanted to share some of the technologies from this year’s reject pile, as a window into our decision-making process.
These four technologies won’t be on our 2026 list of breakthroughs, but all were closely considered, and we think they’re worth knowing about.
Male contraceptives
There are several new treatments in the pipeline for men who are sexually active and wish to prevent pregnancy—potentially providing them with an alternative to condoms or vasectomies.
Two of those treatments are now being tested in clinical trials by a company called Contraline. One is a gel that men would rub on their shoulder or upper arm once a day to suppress sperm production, and the other is a device designed to block sperm during ejaculation. (Kevin Eisenfrats, Contraline’s CEO, was recently named to our Innovators Under 35 list). A once-a-day pill is also in early-stage trials with the firm YourChoice Therapeutics.
Though it’s exciting to see this progress, it will still take several years for any of these treatments to make their way through clinical trials—assuming all goes well.
World models
World models have become the hot new thing in AI in recent months. Though they’re difficult to define, these models are generally trained on videos or spatial data and aim to produce 3D virtual worlds from simple prompts. They reflect fundamental principles, like gravity, that govern our actual world. The results could be used in game design or to make robots more capable by helping them understand their physical surroundings.
Despite some disagreements on exactly what constitutes a world model, the idea is certainly gaining momentum. Renowned AI researchers including Yann LeCun and Fei-Fei Li have launched companies to develop them, and Li’s startup World Labs released its first version last month. And Google made a huge splash with the release of its Genie 3 world model earlier this year.
Though these models are shaping up to be an exciting new frontier for AI in the year ahead, it seemed premature to deem them a breakthrough. But definitely watch this space.
Proof of personhood
Thanks to AI, it’s getting harder to know who and what is real online. It’s now possible to make hyperrealistic digital avatars of yourself or someone you know based on very little training data, using equipment many people have at home. And AI agents are being set loose across the internet to take action on people’s behalf.
All of this is creating more interest in what are known as personhood credentials, which could offer a way to verify that you are, in fact, a real human when you do something important online.
For example, we’ve reported on efforts by OpenAI, Microsoft, Harvard, and MIT to create a digital token that would serve this purpose. To get it, you’d first go to a government office or other organization and show identification. Then it’d be installed on your device and whenever you wanted to, say, log into your bank account, cryptographic protocols would verify that the token was authentic—confirming that you are the person you claim to be.
Whether or not this particular approach catches on, many of us in the newsroom agree that the future internet will need something along these lines. Right now, though, many competing identity verification projects are in various stages of development. One is World ID by Sam Altman’s startup Tools for Humanity, which uses a twist on biometrics.
If these efforts reach critical mass—or if one emerges as the clear winner, perhaps by becoming a universal standard or being integrated into a major platform—we’ll know it’s time to revisit the idea.
The world’s oldest baby
In July, senior reporter Jessica Hamzelou broke the news of a record-setting baby. The infant developed from an embryo that had been sitting in storage for more than 30 years, earning him the bizarre honorific of “oldest baby.”
This odd new record was made possible in part by advances in IVF, including safer methods of thawing frozen embryos. But perhaps the greater enabler has been the rise of “embryo adoption” agencies that pair donors with hopeful parents. People who work with these agencies are sometimes more willing to make use of decades-old embryos.
This practice could help find a home for some of the millions of leftover embryos that remain frozen in storage banks today. But since this recent achievement was brought about by changing norms as much as by any sudden technological improvements, this record didn’t quite meet our definition of a breakthrough—though it’s impressive nonetheless.
[Alexwlchan] noticed something funny. He knew that not putting a size for a video embedded in a web page would cause his page to jump around after the video loaded. So he put the right numbers in. But with some videos, the page would still refresh its layout. He learned that not all video sizes are equal and not all pixels are square.
For a variety of reasons, some videos have pixels that are rectangular, and it is up to your software to take this into account. For example, when he put one of the suspect videos into QuickTime Player, it showed the resolution was 1920×1080 (1350×1080). That’s the non-square pixel.
So just pulling the size out of a video isn’t always sufficient to get a real idea of how it looks. [Alex] shows his old Python code that returns the incorrect number and how he managed to make it right. The mediainfo library seems promising, but suffers from some rounding issues. Instead, he calls out to ffprobe, an external program that ships with ffmpeg. So even if you don’t use Python, you can do the same trick, or you could go read the ffprobe source code.
[Alex] admits that there are not many videos that have rectangular pixels, but they do show up.
Japanese outfit aims to improve comms for aquatic drones
Kyocera has demonstrated underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) technology that achieved 5.2 Gbps in lab tests, targeting video feeds and sensor data for ocean exploration and underwater robotics.…
Regulator disappointed as soon-to-be-scrapped algo's problems remained a secret despite consistent engagement
The UK's data protection watchdog has criticized the Home Office for failing to disclose significant biases in police facial recognition technology, despite regular engagement between the organizations.…
Speaking to Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday, Luckey said, "When it comes to life-and-death decision-making, I think that it is too morally fraught an area, it is too critical of an area, to not apply the best technology available to you, regardless of what it is."
Are you sitting bored at your Linux machine and looking for a quick gaming session? Tired of playing those online card games that bombard you with ads or push microtransactions? Well, here are five open-source card games that are completely free and deliver a fun gaming experience.
As we cruise into the second week of December, I continue to cruise Amazon Prime Video for the best movies to watch. This week, I’m taking you deep undercover into the world of improv comedy with Bryce Dallas Howard and Orlando Bloom, then we’re going back to college with a very funny Tom Hanks circa 2011. After that, it’s a gritty Western featuring a fierce Peter Dinklage followed by a must-see, award-winning post-apocalyptic film. Lastly, we’ll join an amazing race to save a kidnapped Santa Claus.
An AWS outage recently took out Trello and for an entire day, people weren’t able to access their projects and tasks. The good news is you don’t need a Trello account just to have a Kanban board for you or your team. Instead, you can self-host a Trello alternative on your computer or homelab and protect your work from cloud outages.
Hoping to find a powerful laptop under the tree this year? This amazing deal on a MacBook Pro lets you be your own Santa this year — dropping the price from $1,580 to just $399.97 while supplies last.
Just in time for the holiday season, a feature-packed MacBook Pro can be yours for a fraction of the usual price. This model in particular combines performance and portability. It weighs just 3.1 pounds while offering all the power of a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor with a 2GHz base speed to keep up with your multitasking.
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Like to keep your important files within reach? This MacBook Pro offers 512GB of SSD so that you can store things locally with plenty of space. A 13.3-inch Retina display delivers stunning visuals no matter what you’re up to, with Apple’s True Tone Technology that adjusts screen color for improved visibility and reduced eye strain.
Type comfortably with the Magic Keyboard, and enjoy easy access to shortcuts to streamline your workflow with the Apple Touch Bar on top. When you need to connect, this device has four Thunderbolt 3 ports. You’ll also enjoy a layer of security with the Touch ID, and 10 hours of battery life on a single charge.
You’re saving a small fortune thanks to this model’s grade A refurbished rating, which means it will arrive on your doorstep in near-mint condition while you enjoy the deep discount.
This MacBook Pro is just $399.97 (reg. $1,580) now through Jan. 11.
You can’t get much for $10 nowadays. It’s not enough to buy you lunch or get you a ticket to the movies, but it is enough to get your PC a total refresh. If you have a dusty old computer lying around, you can revamp it with this affordable Microsoft Windows 11 Pro license — now just $9.97 (reg. $199).
Though it seems like a small act, giving your PC a new operating system totally revolutionizes your device. Installing Microsoft Windows 11 Pro gives a computer a new lease on life, as this particular operating system was made with the modern professional in mind.
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Curious what’s new with Windows 11 Pro? This operating system is geared toward improving your daily workflow, with features like a seamless interface, a more powerful search experience, snap layouts, and seamless redocking.
This operating system also offers some tools that will save you money in the long run — like access to Microsoft Teams to help you communicate with coworkers. You’ll also have Microsoft Copilot right on your desktop — with no subscription required — which can help you with your daily tasks like changing settings, summarizing web pages, or opening apps.
This license includes Azure AD, Windows Sandbox, and BitLocker device encryption. You’ll also enjoy improved cybersecurity, with features like biometric logins, encrypted authentication, and enhanced antivirus protection.
SAVE OVER $100: As of Dec. 8, the PlayStation 5 Pro is still marked down to its best price of $648.99 at Amazon. This is $101 off its list price of $749.99.
Black Friday featured some great PlayStation deals, and while many of them have ended by now, lucky shoppers can still take advantage of a select few lingering around at different retailers. The PlayStation 5 Pro is among the best, still marked down to its best price of $648.99 at Amazon after the seasonal sale event.
This deal saves you $101 on the PlayStation 5 Pro's usual price of $749.99. This is the deal price it was sitting at during Cyber Monday. It may not stay live for much longer though, so it's worth acting fast if you've been hoping to upgrade to this powerful PS5.
The PlayStation 5 Pro is a console with quite a lot of features packed into it, including advanced ray tracing capabilities. It's able to reach higher frame rates than the original PS5, with support for both 60Hz and 120Hz displays, and it can make games shine on a 4K TV with PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, which up-scales visuals for crystal clear picture without having to sacrifice more demanding effects like reflections. It also comes with a 2TB SSD, which offers plenty of storage for your favorite games, a DualSense wireless controller, and even comes with the delightful Astro's Playroom pre-installed.
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Unfortunately, the PlayStation 5 Pro does not come with a disc drive. That has to be purchased separately. If you don't mind having a digital-only console or you're happy to buy the disc drive, this deal is worth jumping on before it's gone for good.
The annual Streamer Awards announced its 2025 winners on Saturday, with the best streamers taking home the gold.
Held in a ceremony at Los Angeles' Wiltern Theatre, the awards saw creatorIShowSpeed taking home the all-important Streamer of the Year award, the second time in a row after taking out last year's title. Meanwhile, CaseOh landed Gamer of the Year, and Cinna took out The Sapphire Award for best female or marginalised gender streamer of 2025.
Kai Cenat took home multiple awards including Best Just Chatting Streamer, best Streamed Event for Streamer University, Best Marathon Stream for Mafiathon 3, and Best Collab for LeBron James' appearance mid-marathon in which the Los Angeles Lakers star gave the streamer a haircut live.
Producer, rapper, and Twitch streamer PlaqueBoyMax took home Best Music Streamer and Best Streamed Series for In the Booth, while YouTuber and Twitch streamer Emiru landed Best Creative Arts Streamer. Specific gaming categories saw League of Legends streamer Caedrel winning Best MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) Streamer, while Peak took out Stream Game of the Year.
"Streamer who experienced explosive growth in the past year, establishing themselves amongst the top streamers and as one of the most talked-about names in streaming."
"Streamer who creates truly one-of-a-kind content, pioneering a niche or category that no one else does, a creator who is simply in a league of their own."
"Recognizing the best female or marginalized gender streamer of 2025, this award goes to a streamer who shines against the odds in a male-dominated industry and has excelled in entertaining at the highest level this past year."
Meet The Mashable 101: the creators keeping the internet interesting. From meme-makers to movement-starters, these are the people powering our timelines today.
Whatever the occasion that has you looking for dad gifts (Father's Day, Christmas, Hanukkah), stay far away from clichés like whiskey stones and pocket knives. Unless your dad is an avid tie collector and seriously *lives* for ties, then avoid this played-out gift too. Instead, the best gifts for dads say, “I see your hobbies and I respect them." We've even got some unique ideas you may not have seen before. (We have two words for you: Fire. Harpoon.) From the latest gadgets from Apple, Sony, and Vizio to hip menswear finds, we think you'll find something your old man will love.
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