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Whether we like it or not, AI is now a huge part of our world. Websites like ChatGPT and Google Gemini are where a lot of people are going to get advice, information, and even recipes. There’s a ton of rightful uproar about its place in creative spaces, from crafting film and TV scripts to using the likeness of deceased actors in new projects. So it is not shocking that a recent study found that one third of relatively new websites are AI-generated. We learned about this rather bleak news via 404 Media, and it really makes us question what is powering some of our favorite websites. 

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To be clear, your team at Nerdist are all very much so human. So no worries there! Now, more about this study. Researchers from Stanford University and the Imperial College London teamed up with the Internet Archive and found that a third of websites created since 2022 are AI-generated. That is the same year that ChatGPT launched, which is certainly not a coincidence. They published their findings in a paper titled “The Impact of AI-Generated Text on the Internet,” and said that these websites are making the internet less verbose. And that really means less creativity and meaningful content and conversation. 

“The proliferation of AI-generated and AI-assisted text on the internet is feared to contribute to a degradation in semantic and stylistic diversity, factual accuracy, and other negative developments,” the researchers write in the paper. “We find that by mid-2025, roughly 35% of newly published websites were classified as AI-generated or AI-assisted, up from zero before ChatGPT’s launch in late 2022.” 

Prime Video

It took so many years for the Internet to become a driving force that connected humanity in unprecedented ways. Now, in just a few years, that landscape is totally different. There’s very real consequences of heavy AI usage to our environment as well as our workplaces as people in some industries are losing their livelihood to AI tools. But, like death and taxes, it seems that AI is simply unavoidable, especially if one third of newer websites are created by it.

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When Disney+ dumped all eight episodes of Marvel Studios’ Wonder Man at the end of January, many people prejudged the series. Being “dumped” like that meant it had to be a stinker, right? Well, the series wound up getting great reviews from both critics and fans, especially for its two lead stars, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Sir Ben Kingsley. An exploration of trying to make it as Hollywood actors, coupled with a buddy comedy, Wonder Man won over people who rarely pay attention to Marvel projects. But will the upcoming second season keep that quirky tone? According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, fans need not worry. Here’s what Wonder Man showrunner Andrew Guest had to say:

The people who like this show and like it because it feels different are going to be rewarded. And the people who think that this show is going to suddenly turn into something else, I’m sorry to say, it’s not.

Marvel Studios

So, don’t expect Simon Williams to suddenly join the Avengers or even the X-Men. (We do think he might be a mutant in the MCU, however.) And don’t expect Simon to toss cars in the street against some super villain. This will likely remain a series about newly minted superstar Simon Williams and his unlikely friendship with actor Trevor Slattery. When the first season ended, an undercover Simon busted Trevor out of prison after he took the fall for him. So where season two goes is anyone’s guess.

Marvel Studios

After playing two different DC characters, Black Manta in Aquaman, and Doctor Manhattan in Watchmen, Yahya was eager to play a Marvel character. However, he knew it had to be the right character. Because in a shared universe, you (usually) only get to play one character. Here’s what Yahya Abdul-Mateen II said while speaking to Kevin Feige:

I only get one Marvel buck to spend. Is this worth my dollar, because I can wait. And I’m so glad this is the role I got to spend my dollar on because I’m getting all of the super stuff and I’m getting all of the human stuff at the same time.

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Even though it won’t be a typical Marvel show when it returns, we do hope for a little bit of classic superhero storytelling. After all, who doesn’t want a bit more of Yahya in the Wonder Man suit, flexing his powers? For those of you who missed the first season of Wonder Man, it’s currently streaming on Disney+.

The post WONDER MAN Season 2 Will Keep Its Quirky Tone and Bromance Vibes appeared first on Nerdist.

The company saw a 30% year-on-year jump in the number of people using search every week, CEO Steve Huffman said on Thursday.

Users in India are embracing ChatGPT Images 2.0 for creative, personal visuals — from avatars to cinematic portraits.

Cook warned that Apple is facing supply chain headwinds from RAMaggedon that could impact its business.

Subscription billing fintech Skio sold to its competitor Recharge in what was a healthy exit, according to its founder and former CEO.

Anthropic is asking investors to submit allocations for the AI company’s latest fundraise within the next 48 hours, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Apple said it will be supply-constrained on Mac mini, Studio, and Neo in the next quarter, too.

The two wildly fast-growing rivals have raised massive sums, pushed into each other's home turf and now have dueling ad campaigns.

Rivian has reworked its loan deal with the Department of Energy and now expects to borrow $4.5 billion to build its new factory in Georgia, down from the original amount of $6.6 billion.

Web hosts are scrambling to fix the bug under active attack by hackers. One company said hackers have been abusing the bug for months.

OpenAI will begin rolling out it cybersecurity testing tool, GPT-5.5 Cyber only "to critical cyber defenders" at first.

The perpetually-struggling EV company made the payments while being investigated by the SEC. That four-year-long probe was ultimately closed in March.

The Mandalorian and Grogu will soon head to the big screen in the aptly named The Mandalorian and Grogu. It’s not the only place that little green Star Wars icon is going, though. He can soon make his home at yours. Hasbro has announced Ultimate Grogu, a full-sized, deluxe, (and pricey) hyperrealistic animatronic toy.Hasbro

Disney Consumer Products and Hasbro have partnered on a little toy that can do some really big things. Hasbro calls its new Ultimate Grogu a “first-of-its-kind” animatronic of the beloved character. This 1:1 scale premium tyke has built-in motors and sensors. It can also make more than 250 animations and sounds. It also looks and feels like the real thing. The Ultimate Grogu toy features “premium materials” and “painstakingly crafted into screen-accurate details.” It also has “soft skin face and rooted hair, soft fabric robe, chainmail, cross strap, satchel, and beskar rondel armor.”

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While Hasbro says it’s for “collectors, fans, and cosplayers,” this Grogu animatronic is still very much a toy. It features three different play modes. Those include Explore Mode (“steps and response to movement and sound”), Grab & Go Mode (“best for costumes or conventions, so you can keep him close”), or Display Mode (“cycle through different poses”). The toy’s realistic actions include waving, giggling, “toddling” forward, moving ears, head, blinking eyes, a working mouth, and a Force arm movement.

What clearly makes this the “ultimate” Grogu toy, though, is that this green guy won’t throw up blue cookies. (Even though it comes with one.)

Hasbro

“Our goal with Ultimate Grogu was to make fans feel like he’s truly part of their world,” said Adam Biehl, Head of Disney Action Brands at Hasbro, in a press release. “Our design and development team spent hours studying how the character came to life in The Mandalorian series, striving to capture his personality and movements in a way that honors what Lucasfilm delivered in entertainment. Powered by our long-standing collaboration with Disney Consumer Products, we’re launching the most life-like, interactive, and expressive Grogu character Hasbro has ever created.”

Hasbro

You can already pre-order your Ultimate Grogu ($599.99) toy. Hasbro has two options for customers, both available at Hasbro Pulse, Amazon, and Fan Channel retailers. The limited-edition First Edition Ultimate Grog will ship at the end of 2026 in an exclusive packaging sleeve with a limited-edition collector card. The Standard Edition will ship in 2027, but without the exclusive packaging or limited-edition collector card.

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If you want those extras, you know what to do. And when you get your Ultimate Grogu, make sure you keep him safe. An animatronic toy this realistic is sure to have Imperials after him.

The post This Insanely Realistic Grogu Animatronic Toy Is Every Fan’s Dream appeared first on Nerdist.

Listen, you should always know your worth. And that’s something we can learn right from one of the icons of our time, Meryl Streep. In the lead-up to The Devil Wears Prada 2, a sequel movie which we found really had something important to say, Streep revealed that she actually turned down the role of Miranda Priestly in the original 2006 The Devil Wears Prada, so she could get paid what she thought she was worth. Streep explained that she knew The Devil Wears Prada needed her and that the movie would be a hit, but she didn’t feel too bothered about being in it, allowing her to make a power move. And that’s why Meryl Streep turned down The Devil Wears Prada, asked for double her pay, and got it all.20th Century Fox

That’s all, as they say. Here’s what Streep had to share about her initial rejection of The Devil Wears Prada in seach of a higher salary, ““I knew it was going to be a hit. I read the script — the script was great. They called me up, and they made an offer, and I said ‘No. I’m not going to do it.’” Streep said she foresaw the film’s success — and wanted to be paid accordingly. “I wanted to see if I doubled my ask, and they went right away and said ‘Sure.’” And she added, “I’m 56 years [old] — it took me this long to understand that I could do that! I was sure of it. I was sure it would be a hit. And they needed me, I felt. And I wanted it, but if they didn’t want to do that, I was okay. Because I’m old — I’m 56, I was ready to retire.”

Well, we don’t all have the privilege of turning down work because we think our salary may be doubled. But we’re glad Streep felt like she was paid her worth in the end. We wish we could say “getting paid your worth for your work, groundbreaking.” But it’s sadly pretty rare. Here’s hoping for more instances of such things.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is now in theaters.

The post Meryl Streep Rejected DEVIL WEARS PRADA So They’d Double Her Pay appeared first on Nerdist.

OpenAI is launching additional opt-in protections for ChatGPT accounts. The new security initiative includes a new partnership with security key provider Yubico.

"Distillation" is a hot topic as frontier labs try to prevent smaller competitors from copying their models.

BioticsAI CEO Robhy Bustami joined Isabelle Johannessen on Build Mode to discuss how the company has navigated a highly regulated space and kept the team motivated while cutting through all the red tape.

Bringing JD and Turk back together for more hospital shenanigans was a great call by ABC. The popular sitcom Scrubs came back to TV screens in 2026 with a reboot series that blended OG characters with a new generation. It became a hit among fans who wanted that dose of nostalgia, and now the Scrubs reboot is officially renewed for another season. It will be the show’s eleventh season overall but technically season two for this new version.  Disney/Darko Sikman

It is not clear when the cast and crew will start filming this next round nor how many episodes there will be. The season one finale aired on April 15 and showed the return of the Janitor to Sacred Heart. He will surely be a thorn in JD’s side in the next season.

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The Scrubs reboot was not only a hit among fans but it also boasts a pretty high critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, too. Now, with a season two renewal secured, Scrubs is ready for more wacky and heartfelt action.

The post SCRUBS Reboot Renewed for a Second Season appeared first on Nerdist.

Google announced on Thursday that it will begin rolling out Gemini to cars with Google built-in, marking a significant upgrade from the current Google Assistant. The move signals Google’s push to bring more advanced, conversational AI into the driving experience. The announcement follows closely behind news from General Motors, which revealed yesterday that Gemini is […]