Tech

Google is bringing new AI-powered ad formats to search – Engadget

Finally, the Google I/O announcement you’ve been waiting for.

Google

With Google transforming search into an AI-driven experience, it was only a matter of time before AI ads entered the fray. As part of its Google I/O week announcements, the company previewed how Gemini-powered, conversational ads will start appearing in search results. Fortunately, all of the new AI-generated ad formats will be labeled as “sponsored.”

Google is testing two new ad types in AI Mode, both powered by “an independent AI explainer.” First, Conversational Discovery Ads will appear in AI Mode’s answers. The company explains to its advertisers that “your ad answers a person’s specific question.” (Who among us hasn’t dreamed of their questions being answered by ads?) Then there’s “highlighted answers,” which insert ads into AI Mode’s recommendation lists. For example, if you ask it about the best language apps, a sponsored entry for Duolingo might appear.

Standard Google Search will also be getting AI ads in the coming months. AI-Powered Shopping Ads are tailored to “big” purchases. (Google’s examples include a refrigerator, TV, or espresso machine.) When searching for one of these items, sponsored products will appear in the AI-fueled search results. As the company explains to its advertisers, “Gemini will pull up your most relevant products and instantly write a custom explainer highlighting why your product may be the right choice for them.”

Then there’s Business Agent for Leads. This Gemini-powered ad format places a “smart brand agent” (a custom chatbot that speaks as a company representative) within search ads. For example, a student researching universities might see a box with a “Chat” or “Ask a question” button within a sponsored search result.

Finally, Google’s Direct Offers feature is expanding to include more personalized deals. You’ll start seeing things like AI-powered product bundles, giveaways, and local coupons. Meanwhile, a built-in checkout feature lets you snag deals without leaving search, and you’ll also start seeing personalized travel deals within AI-assisted trip planning.

Tech

Kobo ereaders are integrating with Goodreads alternative StoryGraph – Engadget

The integration launches in June and will automatically sync progress with the reading platform.

Amy Skorheim for Engadget

Kobo has announced plans to integrate its ereaders and reading apps with the social reading platform StoryGraph in June. StoryGraph is an independent alternative to Goodreads that exists outside of Amazon’s ecosystem and offers users more control over their recommendations.

“For a lot of us, the best part of reading is the community. It’s a part of how we show up in the world as readers every day,” Rakuten Kobo CEO Michael Tamblyn said in a statement. “That’s why I’m so excited about our integration with StoryGraph. We wanted to strip away the friction between finishing a chapter and tracking and sharing your progress. Now, Kobo readers can do exactly that, seamlessly.”

When the new integration launches in June, Kobo ereaders and reading apps will automatically sync with connected StoryGraph accounts. The integration will update book progress percentages, add books you’re currently reading to StoryGraph’s In Progress shelf and mark finished books as “Read.” Besides ebooks, the integration will also work with any audiobooks you listen to through Kobo’s platform.

As an alternative to Amazon’s more popular, but restrictive Kindle ecosystem, it makes a lot of sense Kobo would work with StoryGraph. Both companies are aligned on giving readers more control over their reading experience. StoryGraph is also just one of several integrations Kobo currently offers. The company’s ereaders have an Instapaper integration for reading saved web articles and the ability to access files from cloud storage providers like Dropbox and Google Drive.

Tech

Plex Is Raising Its Lifetime Subscription Price Again, to a Whopping $750

The media library management and TV streaming app Plex is tripling the price of its Lifetime Plex Pass to $750, a second major price hike after it raised the cost of the option from $120 to $250 just last year.

The $250 price is still available until the new pricing goes into effect on July 1. Those with existing non-lifetime Plex accounts have the option to upgrade at the lower price until then as well.

Plex is a service that helps you organize digital videos, music and photos and stream them across apps on TVs, mobile devices and home-networked computers. Plex also offers some ad-supported live TV and on-demand movies and TV shows.

In its blog post about the change, the company said, “We’ve considered eliminating the Lifetime Plex Pass in the past, given that recurring subscriptions help us sustain long-term development, but we know it’s still a valuable option for many in our community. So instead of retiring it, we’re keeping it available at a price that reflects the real, ongoing value of the software we’re committed to building and maintaining for years to come.”

Plex’s plans

Plex’s software works for free for those who are streaming media they own or Plex’s TV offerings within their local network. But like many companies (hello, Microsoft!), Plex has been steering its customers to its subscription plans, which start at $1.99 a month, for additional features including remote streaming to different devices or hardware-based transcoding, the option to download media remotely and skip intros, credits or commercials.

One of the reasons people use Plex is that it can sort through your collection of music, TV shows and movies and populate metadata to make them easier to navigate and play.

But the price hike has created speculation among Plex subscribers that Plex’s future costs of serving those with the Lifetime subscription plan are causing it to wean users off the option by pricing it so high.

One poster on Reddit said of the price increase, “I’d be shocked if anyone ever purchases the lifetime pass at $750. Like, even a single buyer would shock me at that price.”

Another wrote, “Today’s pricing is a LOT different than when I got mine for $75. I’ve been using Plex for 11 years, 220 days, 14 hours, 27 minutes (as of this comment), and the progress and usability in the suite of apps and interfaces has continued to meet or even surpass my expectations.”

Avoiding the price hike with other options

The options for those who want to use Plex but avoid the price hike amount to either paying for Lifetime before July 1, going with a monthly or annual subscription to access features that Lifetime offers, sticking with the free tier for local watching or seeking out a competitor.

Many swear by Jellyfin, a free, open-source media server software suite that has a volunteer community updating it. For many in those communities, it’s a battle of ease-of-use (Plex) versus a free platform that is quickly and continuously updated, but that may have a steeper learning and installation curve (Jellyfin).

Others who are not fans of Jellyfin or who simply want something more plug-and-play are using free software such as Kodi or Emby, which also help sort media and offer a variety of streaming options.

Tech

Kickstarter rolls back its mature content policy after outcry – Engadget

It explained that it created the new rules due to Stripe’s policy.

Kickstarter

Kickstarter has retracted the new set of rulesaround mature content that it released last week, following an outcry from creators whose campaigns are affected by the change. While the platform still allowed “romance and spicy literature, including comics” under that policy, it enforced stricter rules around pornographic and sexually explicit content. Now, Kickstarter has admitted that the response it got from its community let it know “loud and clear” that the crowdfunding platform got it wrong, so it’s going back to its previous rules.

It explained in its announcement that it updated its policy because of Stripe, its payment processor that operates under its own set of rules.Kickstarter explained that over the past few months, it has seen a growing number of campaigns that it had already approved get suspended by Stripe mid-funding due to their nature.

The platform would advocate for affected creators whenever that happened, and it was able to get Stripe to unfreeze their funds and to continue accepting money on their behalf so they could finish their campaigns. However, Kickstarter wasn’t always successful in getting Stripe’s decision reversed. It thought that the best path forward was to “close the gap” between its rules and Stripe’s so that creators would only have one set of rules to deal with.

“That was the intent, but the decision we made was an abandonment of the core counterculture, f*ck the establishment spirit of Kickstarter, and it left our community vulnerable,” it wrote in its post.

Under its previous rules, which have now been reinstated,pornography and illegal content are still prohibited. But the rules are less restrictive, as they’re more “bare bones and not as specific.” Kickstarter said that Stripe can still suspend campaigns due to their nature, but it promised to advocate for creators and to help them make adjustments to make their projects acceptable to Stripe. The platform called it an “imperfect temporary solution,” so it could still implement changes surrounding mature content in the future.

Kickstarter isn’t the only website affected by payment processors’ policies. Last year, Steam also started banning games that violate the rules and standards of”payment processors and related card networks and banks,” which affected titles with adult themes. Years before that, credit card companies Mastercard and Visa blocked the use of their cards on Pornhub and even severed ties with the advertising arm of the adult website’s parent company MindGeek.

Tech

Today's NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, May 20

Looking forthe most recentMini Crossword answer?Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s not too tough today, although I had to pause and think about 6-Down for a bit. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visitCNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

The completed NYT Mini Crossword puzzle for May 20, 2026.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Ross Edgley’s 1,700+-mile journey around Great Britain, for example
Answer: SWIM

5A clue: Fuzzy fruit
Answer: KIWI

6A clue: Someone who assumes the worst intentions in everything
Answer: CYNIC

7A clue: Orangutans, e.g.
Answer: APES

8A clue: Work well together
Answer: MESH

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Former competitor of Google Hangouts
Answer: SKYPE

2D clue: Signature products of Napa Valley
Answer: WINES

3D clue: “Yeah, in my dreams!”
Answer: IWISH

4D clue: Open ___ night
Answer: MIC

6D clue: Something found on a Mac (that anagrams to MAC)
Answer: CAM

Tech

How to Remove Nonconsensual Intimate Images Under the Take It Down Act

If someone has posted intimate pictures or videos of you online, you now have stronger legal tools to compel platforms to remove them, regardless of whether the media is authentic or an AI-generated deepfake.

Tuesday marks the start of full enforcement of the Take It Down Act, which legally requires online platforms — social media, messaging, and image-sharing or video-sharing apps — to implement processes for removing such material in response to valid takedown requests.

Signed into law in 2025, the Take It Down Act was written in response to the increased proliferation of AI-generated and digitally manipulated sexual images. The law,enforced bythe Federal Trade Commission, also applies to authentic nonconsensual intimate imagery shared online.

Zooey Liao/CNET

The FTC isn’t directly responsible for the content removal. Affected individuals must first report the images to the platform administrator via the platform’s on-site tools. The agency will collect reports about platforms that do not comply with the law’s removal requirements, and may use those reports to support enforcement.

The FTC allowsindividuals to report nonconsensual intimate imagery involving themselves or their children. Reports may also be submitted on a victim’s behalf with their consent.

The agency also recommends reporting such incidents to local law enforcement and the FBI’s online tipline when appropriate.

FTC representatives pointed CNET to its press release and didn’t comment further.

How to file a Take It Down request

If someone has shared nonconsensual intimate images of you online, the first step is to report the content directly to the platform using its built-in moderation tools.

On platforms like Instagram and X, you can usually tap the three-dot menu on a post to access reporting options and select a category related to nonconsensual or sexually explicit imagery.

The FTC’s Take It Down Act has a website where you can submit a report if platforms haven’t removed nonconsensual sexual imagery.

Federal Trade Commission

Every platform should have similar reporting tools. The new legislation mandates that the platform must remove the images within 48 hours of a valid report.

If a platform fails to act on a report of nonconsensual intimate imagery, or if reporting tools are unavailable or malfunctioning, victims can file a complaint with the FTC online. The agency may use complaints to identify patterns of noncompliance and pursue enforcement actions against platforms that fail to meet their legal obligations. If an image reappears on a platform, you can submit a new takedown request to the platform.

FTC outlines the steps to submit a report.

Federal Trade Commission

Sexually explicit material involving minors is treated as child sexual abuse material and is subject to stricter legal requirements. It should also be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Cyber Tipline. The FTC also encourages people who know about existing pornographic images of minors — whether they be pictures of themselves, their children or another vulnerable minor — to submit a request with the NCMEC’s own Take It Down service.

If a platform doesn’t remove nonconsensual intimate imagery, additional tools are available. One option is , a system run in partnership with the Revenge Porn Helpline that creates a digital fingerprint of an image on the user’s device so participating platforms can detect and block it from being uploaded again.