Character AI's shift to stories for kids, ChatGPT's integrated voice mode, and Warner Music's deal with AI music startup Suno headline a day of diverse AI news, alongside new AI shopping assistants from OpenAI and Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot's exit from WhatsApp, Pony AI's robotaxi expansion, AI-powered lithium discovery by Fleet Space, Speechify's new voice typing features, and Google's investment push for Indian AI startups.

• Character AI will offer interactive ‘Stories’ to kids instead of open-ended chat — TechCrunch -
• ChatGPT’s voice mode is no longer a separate interface — TechCrunch -
• Warner Music signs deal with AI music startup Suno, settles lawsuit — TechCrunch -

• OpenAI and Perplexity are launching AI shopping assistants, but competing startups aren’t sweating it — TechCrunch -
• Microsoft’s AI chatbot Copilot leaves WhatsApp on January 15 — TechCrunch -
• China’s Pony AI plans to triple global robotaxi fleet by the end of 2026 — TechCrunch -
• Fleet Space finds massive lithium deposit using AI and satellites — TechCrunch -
• Speechify adds voice typing and voice assistant to its Chrome extension — TechCrunch -
• Google teams up with Accel to hunt for India’s next AI breakouts — TechCrunch -

YouTube's effort to fix its home feed, Plex's new restrictions on free remote streaming, and Spotify's anticipated price increase in the US indicate significant shifts in how users interact with and pay for online content.

• YouTube is working on a feature that will fix the messy home feed — TechCrunch -
• Plex’s crackdown on free remote streaming access starts this week — Ars Technica -
• Spotify to raise US prices in first quarter of next year, report says — TechCrunch -

"Hold forever" investors buying venture capital "zombies" and **Find Your Grind raising $5M** showcase evolving investment strategies and continued funding for educational technology.

• Why ‘hold forever’ investors are snapping up venture capital ‘zombies’ — TechCrunch -
• Find Your Grind raises $5M to grow platform empowering students to explore unique career paths — TechCrunch -

The fluctuating prices of GPUs and skyrocketing RAM costs impact PC building, while Valve's Steam Machine is set to be priced like a full PC, rather than a console.

• GPU prices are coming to earth just as RAM costs shoot into the stratosphere — Ars Technica -
• Valve’s Steam Machine looks like a console, but don’t expect it to be priced like one — Ars Technica -

China's successful emergency space lifeboat launch, new research on boiling oceans within icy moons, and studies on mushroom foragers collecting diverse species represent fascinating developments in space and terrestrial science.

• China launches an emergency lifeboat to bring three astronauts back to Earth — Ars Technica -
• Formation of oceans within icy moons could cause the waters to boil — Ars Technica -
• Mushroom foragers collect 160 species for food, medicine, art, and science — Ars Technica -

A settlement against RealPage's rent-setting tool addresses algorithmic collusion, while India's gig workers gain legal status, though access to social security remains a challenge.

• Landlords’ go-to tool to set rent prices to be gutted under RealPage settlement — Ars Technica -
• India’s gig workers win legal status, but access to social security remains elusive — TechCrunch -

A study suggests that GLP-1 drugs may not offer a safe off-ramp, with significant weight rebound and reversal of cardiovascular benefits upon withdrawal.

• There may not be a safe off-ramp for some taking GLP-1 drugs, study suggests — Ars Technica -