Tech
Nevada government offices close after massive network security incident
Renewing driver's licenses, obtaining marriage certificates, and conducting any government business were impossible on Monday in Nevada, following a "significant state network degradation affecting the ability to conduct normal business," according to the state attorney general's office.
Nevada closed all in-person services at state offices on Monday following the "network security incident," which was first detected early Sunday, according to a press statement from Gov. Joe Lombardo. While the in-person services were unavailable because of the outage, emergency services and 911 remained online.
The websites of the governor, the state attorney general, and the state Department of Motor Vehicles remained unavailable as of 3 p.m. PT on Monday.
It's not clear if the network issues were malicious, but the FBI is investigating the matter, according to CNN.
Lombardo's office warned Nevadans to be wary of those who may take advantage of the shutdown and to specifically "be cautious of unsolicited calls, emails, or texts asking for personal information or payments." Lombardo's office also stated that there is no evidence yet that any Nevadans' personal data was breached.
Elon Musk threatened to sue Apple for favoring ChatGPT over Grok in the App Store — and now he has.
On Monday, Musk's AI company xAI officially filed a lawsuit against Apple as well as ChatGPT creator OpenAI over the two companies' business partnership.
Don’t miss out on our latest stories: Add Mashable as a trusted news source in Google.
"This is a tale of two monopolists joining forces to ensure their continued dominance in a world rapidly driven by the most powerful technology humanity has ever created: artificial intelligence," reads the opening of xAI's lawsuit.
"Working in tandem, Defendants Apple and OpenAI have locked up markets to maintain their monopolies and prevent innovators like X and xAI from competing," the suit continues.
xAI's issue with Apple and OpenAI
xAI's suit claims that Apple boosts ChatGPT in the Apple App Store to the detriment of competing AI apps, like xAI's Grok.
"Apple has taken further steps to protect its monopoly in smartphones and to preference OpenAI by deprioritizing the apps of competing generative AI chatbots and super apps in its App Store rankings, and it has dragged out its App Store app review processes for those competitors," the lawsuit reads.
Alleged abuses of the App Store charts are only part of the suit, however. xAI's lawsuit also claims that Apple and OpenAI are partaking in monopolistic activities more broadly.
According to xAI, Apple's partnership with OpenAI, which includes integrating ChatGPT into Mac and iOS devices to power some Apple Intelligence features, has boxed Musk's company out of the AI race.
"As a result of Apple and OpenAI’s exclusive arrangement, ChatGPT is the only generative AI chatbot that benefits from billions of user prompts originating from hundreds of millions of iPhones," reads xAI's lawsuit. "This makes it hard for competitors of ChatGPT’s generative AI chatbot and super apps powered by generative AI chatbots to scale and innovate."
Will Musk and company beat Apple and OpenAI?
Prior to the lawsuit, Musk claimed on his social media platform X that it was "impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
However, users on Musk's platform disputed this using X's Community Notes feature. The Community Note embedded on Musk's posts provides proof that OpenAI competitors like DeepSeek and Perplexity have all reached #1 in App Store, even after the Apple and OpenAI partnership was formed.
Even so, a recent antitrust decision may work in Musk's favor. Last year Google lost an antitrust case concerning its paid partnership with Apple, which provided Google with the default search engine position on Apple's mobile devices. While there are differences between Apple's relationship with both companies, that case could become relevant here.
So, does Musk and xAI have a case here, or is he simply unhappy that his beloved Grok app hasn't taken off like its AI competitors? We'll soon find out as this plays out in court.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
Peacock Premium annual subscription
(save 17%)
Peacock Premium
Peacock Premium
(save $8 per month)
Peacock Premium
(save $7 per month)
Peacock Premium
(save $7 per month)
Peacock Premium
(save $7/month)
Instacart+ with Peacock Premium
(save $109.99 per year)
Peacock Premium
The show of the summer isn't over yet, y'all. Your favorite Islanders from Love Island USA Season 7 are returning to dish on the juicy drama inside the Villa in a new reunion special.
Catch up with the cast, relive the dumpings, and find out which couples are still together in one last drama-packed night. Here's everything you need to know to watch the reunion episode.
How can I watch the Love Island USA reunion?
The Love Island USA Season 7 reunion, which was filmed in New York City, airs Aug. 25 at 9 p.m. ET exclusively on Peacock. It's only fitting, given that all episodes of Season 7 are also available to stream on Peacock.
Who will be on the Love Island USA Season 7 reunion?
The Season 7 cast flocked to New York City for the taping of the reunion show. It will feature newly crowned winners Amaya and Bryan, as well as other fan-favorite couples and bombshells like Huda, Jeremiah, Iris, Pepe, Olandria, Nic, Chelley, and Ace for a personal look back at their experiences in the Villa. Love Island USA host Ariana Madix will take on emcee duties, alongside Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen.
Can I get Peacock for free?
Unfortunately, Peacock no longer offers a free trial of its streaming service. However, there are a couple of ways to get a subscription for free or at least at a discount. We've rounded up the best Peacock streaming deals below to help you out.
The best Peacock streaming deals
Best long-term Peacock deal
Opens in a new window
If Peacock isn't running any sort of special rates, the best Peacock deal for most people on any given day is the annual subscription deal. While a monthly subscription will cost you $10.99 per month with ads ($131.88 per year) or $16.99 per month without ads ($203.88 per year), a yearly subscription will only cost you $109.99 or $169.99. That's about 17% in savings and breaks down to about 12 months of streaming for the price of 10.
Best Peacock deal for Xfinity customers
Opens in a new window
Xfinity customers should check the eligibility details below before signing up for Peacock, as you might be able to score a subscription without paying a cent. Here's a breakdown of who is eligible to get Peacock for free through Xfinity. You can also head to Xfinity.com for more details.
-
Xfinity Internet customers who are Diamond or Platinum Xfinity Rewards members can get Peacock Premium for free by redeeming a reward for it. Sign in at xfinity.com/rewards and choose Peacock as a reward. Then, wait for your email (it may take a few hours) with instructions on activating the offer.
-
NOW TV customers can also receive Peacock Premium as part of their service.
-
New customers with Xfinity Internet and an X1 TV Box, Flex streaming TV Box, or a Xumo Stream Box from Xfinity can get Peacock Premium for free for six months.
Best Peacock deal for students
Opens in a new window
If you're a current college student, you can snag a Peacock Premium subscription for only $2.99 per month for the whole year. That's a total of $96 in savings. You just have to prove your student status through SheerID and retrieve the unique promo code to secure the discount. Just note that the code can only be used once (aka, don't share it with your friends).
Best Peacock deal for first responders, medical professionals
Opens in a new window
First responders and medical professionals can score a Peacock Premium subscription at a discounted rate of $3.99 per month by verifying their professional status via SheerID. If you continue to meet verification qualifications, you can renew your subscription at the discounted rate each year — although you may have to go through the verification process each time and receive a new promo code. Learn more about eligibility terms and requirements.
Best for military personnel
Opens in a new window
Likewise, active duty U.S. military service members, Reservists, National Guard members, veterans, or U.S. military retirees can also get Peacock Premium for a discounted rate of $3.99 per month. Just prove your military status using SheerID and if you continue to meet requirements, you can revalidate your status to renew the promotion yearly.
Best for teachers
Opens in a new window
Teachers looking to watch the Love Island USA reunion can score a Peacock Premium subscription for only $3.99 per month for 12 months. Just verify your educator status and use the unique promo code you receive to sign up for the discount.
Best way to watch for free
Opens in a new window
Peacock and Instacart partnered up last year to offer paid Instacart+ members free access to Peacock Premium. That's a $109.99 per year value for free. An Instacart+ account costs you $99.99 per year and includes free grocery delivery on orders over $35, lower fees, and credit back on eligible pickup orders, among other perks. Plus, the best part is that you get a two-week free trial to test things out. Grabbing this freebie will allow you to tune into the Love Island USA Reunion and more. Just remember to cancel before the trial ends if you don't want to be charged.
Best for Mastercard holders
Opens in a new window
Through Dec. 31, if you sign up for Peacock using an eligible World or World Elite Mastercard, you'll automatically receive a monthly statement credit of $3 for Peacock Premium or $5 for Peacock Premium Plus. That ultimately drops the price of the Premium tier back to $7.99 (its former price before the most recent price hike) and Premium Plus down to $11.99 per month. Learn more about eligibility requirements on the promotional page.
In the year 2025, it seems we're hearing frequent warnings about impending doom via artificial intelligence. And that's not without some merit: Heck, AI is causing job loss and filling our social feeds with fairly convincing slop.
But sometimes, the world sends a reminder that our AI tools are a far cry from Schwarzeneggerian domination. For instance, Google's much-maligned AI Overviews is, at times, struggling to decipher if 1995 was, in fact, 30 years ago. For the mathematically challenged, yes it was, because, well, 2025 minus 1995 equals 30. But don't go telling that to Google.
People online noticed Google's AI Overviews seemed to have trouble with this particular query. It became almost a trend of sorts to ask, "Was 1995 30 years ago?" Lots of people posted screenshots appearing to show Google answering with incorrect answers — typically speaking, AI Overviews decided 1995 was 29 years ago, for some reason.
We tested the query at Mashable, and did — at least sometimes — replicate the results of these screenshots and get an incorrect answer from Google's AI Overviews
Here is a screenshot from a Mashable editor.
Credit: Mashable / Screenshot: Google
When I tried to recreate the results, Google, at first, correctly answered the question. But later, it answered both incorrectly and correctly. The AI Overview spat out a garbled response that said 1995 was both 29 years ago and 30 years ago. Mashable has reached out to Google for comment and will update as necessary.
Credit: Mashable / Screenshot: Google
We've covered Google's often confidently wrong AI Overviews at Mashable. There was that trend where it would invent meaning for any made-up idiom. Or when it struggled to get the year right. Or the time it got the NFL rules wrong during a high-profile game, causing a lot of confusion.
Despite these repeated issues and mistakes, Google continues to feed users more AI Overviews. Remember to double-check your sources…or maybe just break out your calculator.
6 Money Loopholes Used by the Rich That You Can Use Too
The 5-Minute Financial Fix That Could Save You $50,000 (or More)
These 6 Money Mistakes Will Cost You $517,000 by Age 65
New Kid and Family Movies in 2025: Calendar of Release Dates (Updating)
The best sexting apps in 2025
Brooklyn Mirage Has Been Quietly Co-Managed by Hedge Fund Manager Axar Capital Amid Reopening Drama
-
Entertainment5 months agoNew Kid and Family Movies in 2025: Calendar of Release Dates (Updating)
-
Tech5 months ago
The best sexting apps in 2025
-
Entertainment2 months agoBrooklyn Mirage Has Been Quietly Co-Managed by Hedge Fund Manager Axar Capital Amid Reopening Drama
-
Tech6 months agoEvery potential TikTok buyer we know about
-
Tech6 months ago
iOS 18.4 developer beta released — heres what you can expect
-
Politics6 months agoDOGE-ing toward the best Department of Defense ever
-
Tech6 months agoAre You an RSSMasher?
-
Entertainment4 months agoKid and Family TV Shows in 2025: New Series & Season Premiere Dates (Updating)