IT News Review by Control F5 Software: A hair clipper with "AI coach" has been launched.

A hair clipper with "AI coach" has been launched

At CES 2026, the Glyde hair clipper was launched, promising AI-guided haircuts and automation for fade trimming, using a band worn on the face to "understand" the position on the head.

The product serves as an example of "AI everywhere", including in areas where the marginal benefit may be debatable compared to the added complexity.

For software companies, the useful message is about design: AI has value when it reduces friction and increases the quality of the outcome, but it can become a cost of adoption if it requires accessories, calibration, and behavior changes.

In the product area, such examples are useful in defining the criteria for "useful AI": accuracy, reliability, post-launch support, and an experience that does not turn the user into a technician.

Google ends 2025 with the best stock year since 2009, amid enthusiasm for AI

In the last days of 2025, Alphabet (Google) ended the year with a stock performance described as the best since 2009, as investor optimism around AI remained high.

The context is simple: the market continued to reward companies perceived as direct beneficiaries of the AI wave, and Google entered this category, both through products and through infrastructure and modeling capabilities.

For the software industry, the important signal is that valuation is increasingly linked to the ability to transform AI into usable products and recurring revenues, not just demos. In practice, this translates into integration into workflows, quality, running costs, and data governance.

SoftBank confirms full funding of the $40 billion commitment to OpenAI

SoftBank announced that it has fully met its investment commitment of up to $40 billion in OpenAI, following an additional investment of $22.5 billion made at the end of December 2025.

Initially, the round was communicated as one of the largest private financings in the industry, related to the expansion of research and especially the need for computing infrastructure.

The practical implication for the ecosystem is the continued emphasis on compute: designing, operating, and optimizing infrastructure (data centers, accelerators, storage, networking) remain real differentiators, and companies that can deliver efficiency and predictability have an advantage.

In parallel, SoftBank's announcement confirms the participation of co-investors and the closing of the second stage, indicating a financing structure oriented towards execution in the medium term, not just hype.

Samsung could double device shipments with Gemini

A report cited by Reuters indicates that Samsung is looking to double shipments of devices with Gemini integration, to about 800 million per year, according to a market source.

This information fits into the trend of "implicit AI": the model and capabilities become a standard part of the platform, not a separate function. For product and engineering teams, the implication is the pressure for system-level integration: UI, permissions, privacy, on-device performance, and routing to the cloud when necessary, with controlled costs.

If this scale is confirmed, user expectations also change: "AI by default" becomes the baseline for mobile experience, and differentiation will come from quality and consistency, not from the mere presence of the function.

Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold: the foldable with three screens starts to look like a mature product

Gizmodo describes a hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold at CES 2026 and notes that the device, although massive, seems to "deserve" a screen of about 10 inches when unfolded.

The model would have been put on sale in South Korea in December, at a price of around $2,400, with an external screen of 6.5 inches and a format that transforms into a tablet.

From a software perspective, such form factors raise the stakes for adaptive applications: responsive layouts, real multitasking, continuity between states, and testing for frequent transitions between screens. For the ecosystem, trifold devices put pressure on standardization and optimizations at the OS level and UI frameworks, otherwise the hardware remains an expensive demonstration.

European banks could cut 200,000 jobs by 2030, as AI accelerates efficiency

A Morgan Stanley analysis, reported by the Financial Times, states that over 200,000 jobs in European banking could disappear by 2030, about 10% of the workforce of 35 major banks.

The targeted areas would mainly be back-office, risk management, and compliance, where automation on documents, processes, and verifications promises significant efficiency gains, mentioned at around 30%.

For the industry, this means investments in processing platforms, governance, and auditability: AI must be explainable, traceable, and aligned with regulatory requirements, otherwise the efficiency gain gets stuck in operational risk.

In parallel, the article indicates structural tension: cost reduction versus the need to train juniors, in an area where learning the "basics" matters for long-term risk control.

Plaud launches an AI pin for notes and a desktop application for online meetings

Plaud presented before CES 2026 a new pin device, Plaud NotePin S, plus a desktop application that generates notes for digital meetings.

The new pin adds a physical button for start/stop and highlights during recording. The package includes several carrying accessories, and the company adds support for Apple Find My.

Technically, the product comes with 64GB storage, a declared battery life of 20 hours of recording, two MEMS microphones, and 300 minutes of transcription per month included.

For IT teams, the direction is clear: transcription and summarization are moving into dedicated hardware and applications "around" work, and differentiation will depend on the quality of diarization, data security, and integration with existing tools.

Clicks launches a "modern BlackBerry" and a $79 snap-on physical keyboard

Clicks Technology, known for physical keyboards for smartphones, announced two products before CES: a $79 slide-out keyboard and its first phone, "Communicator", designed as a second device.

The phone is presented as being for users who do "real work" on mobile, with a focus on messaging, email, and documents. The company says the device avoids social media applications and games, using Niagara Launcher for access to productivity tools.

A notable feature is the "Signal Light", a customizable light button that can signal notifications differently, depending on the contact or application.

For the enterprise area, such products indicate a stable niche: hardware focused on focus and communication, where the difference is made by integration with collaboration suites and notification control, not raw performance.

OpenAI reorganizes teams for audio models and an "audio-first" device

OpenAI has unified several engineering, product, and research teams in recent months to review audio models, in preparation for a personal "audio-first" device expected to appear in about a year.

The broader context is a repositioning of the industry towards voice interfaces and devices where the screen becomes secondary, from smart speakers to glasses and integration assistants.

From a software perspective, the stakes shift to latency, diarization, robustness in noise, inference costs, and conversational UX, plus clear policies for recording and privacy.

2025: the year AI received a "vibe check" from the market

After a period where "money didn't matter", the second half of 2025 brought more caution: high valuations and massive investments, but also questions about sustainability and real business models.

At the same time, the focus on uncomfortable questions emerges: how much does classic "scaling" help, how much does it cost to maintain the pace, and where is the return on investment seen.

For product teams, the direction is useful: differentiation is starting to be measured by utility, integration, and results, not by the size of the model or isolated demos.

VCs say again that 2026 will be the year of enterprise adoption, but companies are still waiting for ROI. Three years after the launch of ChatGPT, there are still difficulties in demonstrating concrete benefits in the enterprise area, including in the area of return on investment. Many organizations still do not achieve "significant" ROI from investments in AI.

People in VC interviewed indicate a shift in focus: less "LLM as a universal solution", more on custom models, fine-tuning, evals, observability, orchestration, and data sovereignty.

France wants to ban social media for children under 15

Le Monde reports that in France there are initiatives to restrict access for children under 15 to social media, amid concerns about the impact on minors.

The discussion fits into a broader European trend, where the regulation of digital platforms aims to impose stricter age checks and clearer responsibilities for providers.

For the software industry, the practical stakes are the implementation of age verification and parental controls without degrading privacy and without creating new security risks through excessive data collection.

At the same time, any new compliance requirements quickly translate into product changes, audit processes, and operational costs for platforms and for the digital advertising ecosystem.

Brookfield enters "cloud" with Radiant, to rent AI chips directly from the data center

Reuters reports that Brookfield is launching a cloud business called Radiant, focused on renting chips in data centers directly to AI developers, according to a report from The Information.

The initiative would be connected to a $10 billion AI fund and to data center projects with priority access, with the idea of more "end-to-end" control of the AI value chain.

The implication for the market is the pressure on hyperscalers: players are emerging trying to monetize compute as a product, using the advantage of capital and energy infrastructure.

For companies, this could mean capacity alternatives, but also greater complexity in procurement, costs, and portability of workloads between providers.

Timekettle optimizes translation based on spoken languages, through an automatic "engine" selector

The Verge announces that, at the beginning of 2026, Timekettle's translation devices (handheld and earbuds) will receive a software upgrade called "SOTA Translation Engine Selector", which automatically selects the optimal engine based on the pair of languages used.

The stated goal is for translations to sound more natural, through the dynamic selection of the appropriate engine for the linguistic context.

For product and applied AI, this type of routing is a relevant example: there is no single "best" model for all cases, and orchestration becomes part of the user experience.

Moreover, such upgrades show how value can be delivered post-sale, through software, with a direct impact on user satisfaction.

Google Photos arrives on Samsung TVs in 2026, with customized slideshows and AI tools

Google Photos will be integrated into Samsung TVs in 2026, with plans that include customized slideshows and Google tools for AI-based image generation and editing.

The Google Photos Memories feature is expected to be exclusive to Samsung for six months.

For the ecosystem, integration into the living room pushes photo experiences towards shared devices, which puts pressure on access control, profiling, and content separation in households.

From a software perspective, such partnerships increase the importance of stable SDKs, performance on varied hardware, and a clear policy for AI functions that modify personal content.

Sweekar: a modern "Tamagotchi", as a physical AI pet, presented at CES 2026

An AI pocket pet, inspired by Tamagotchi, that does not "die", is expected to arrive on Kickstarter.

A TechNode article details the device as being palm-sized, with an "egg" shape, with a screen used as a "face", and with care mechanics that maintain the "state" of the pet.

For the digital product area, such toys are case studies about attachment, retention, and conversational design: the value does not come from generic "intelligence", but from the consistency of personality and the safety of interaction with young users.

At the same time, they raise security and privacy questions: audio recording, profiling, and parental control, especially when the device is designed for daily use.

2026: AI moves from hype to pragmatism, with a focus on smaller models and integration into workflow After 2025, 2026 will emphasize "practical AI": less focus on larger models and more on implementation, integration, and utility in real processes.

The transition to smaller models where they fit appears, AI integrated into physical devices and systems designed to fit into human workflows, not to replace them with promises of autonomy.

The implication for software teams is clear: architecture, observability, evals, and cost control matter, so that AI is predictable and operable in production.

In this framework, the "agent" becomes useful when it completes human work and reduces friction, not when it promises total automation without quality guarantees.

Investors see a major impact of AI on work in 2026

TechCrunch notes that concerns about the effect of AI on jobs are growing, as products emerge that promise automation and efficiency.

A MIT study estimates a percentage of jobs already automatable with AI and observes that some companies cite AI as a reason for layoffs or for reducing entry-level roles.

For the industry, the implication is not just "replacement", but the reorganization of work: where responsibility shifts, how productivity is measured, and what quality control means when output is generated or assisted by models.

In the short term, this increases demand for roles in implementation, integration, and governance, which is exactly where software engineering and platform engineering are decisive.

A social application tries to repair the "devastation" caused by social media

West Co, a startup founded by Biz Stone (Twitter) and Evan Sharp (Pinterest), has attracted funding.

The company launched in November an invite-only version of the Tangle application, which starts with the question "What is your intention for today?", and users can share their goals with friends.

For the product, the approach is interesting: it tries to change the unit of measurement of social networks from engagement to intention and reflection, which implies a different set of mechanics, metrics, and moderation.

The application could change significantly before the public launch, indicating an intense iteration stage on product-market fit.

Satya Nadella vs "slop": Microsoft CEO wants to change the conversation about low-quality AI content

After Merriam-Webster chose "slop" as the word of the year 2025, Satya Nadella criticized the "slop vs sophistication" framework and called for a repositioning of the discussion about AI.

The context is an increasingly visible anxiety around AI-generated mass content, with low quality, and the effects on platforms, search, and user trust.

For the industry, the practical implication is that "quality" becomes a differentiator again: evals, provenance, anti-abuse policies, and detection tools are demanded by the market, regardless of the public positioning of leaders.

Moreover, the reaction to the term shows an adoption problem: if users perceive AI as a degradation of the product, the reputational cost can quickly exceed the efficiency gain.

LG CLOiD: the home robot that promises "zero work"

CLOiD is LG's home robot, designed to perform tasks such as bringing items from the fridge, preparing food, and laundry activities, including folding clothes, within the vision of a "zero labor home".

Integration with the LG ThinQ ecosystem appears, and the idea is that the robot also functions as a smart home hub, not just as a work mechanism.

For the digital infrastructure area, such robots are essentially "edge devices" with high requirements: perception, planning, integration with home systems, and an AI layer that must be safe and predictable.

The market question remains open, including price and availability, but the technological direction is clear: AI is trying to move from interfaces into physical actions, and integration software is as important as hardware.

Anthropic bets on efficiency in AI competition: "more with less"

Anthropic, one of the significant players in the field of artificial intelligence, promotes a clear strategy of efficiency in technology development, different from the approach of most competitors. Daniela Amodei, president and co-founder, stated in an interview that the firm focuses on algorithmic optimization and the smart use of resources instead of massive investments in infrastructure, as major rivals do.

Amodei emphasized that, although infrastructure remains essential for top performance, the huge expenses that companies like OpenAI incur for computing capacity (estimates speak of trillions of dollars) are not necessarily the only path to success in AI. Anthropic's strategy combines model optimization, efficient algorithms, and flexible cloud infrastructure to maintain competitiveness at lower costs.

For software and infrastructure professionals, the message is relevant: efficiency in running models, operational cost, and flexibility in infrastructure (multi-cloud, workload optimization) become increasingly important as AI moves from the hype investment phase to practical implementations.

Financial details indicated by sources suggest that Anthropic has commitments in the tens of billions of dollars in compute and enterprise revenue growth projects, showing that "more with less" does not mean a negligible budget, but a different model of strategic capital allocation in AI.

The semiconductor sector and "AI trade": demand for chips continues to support stocks in 2026 At the beginning of 2026, the merits of "AI trade" in capital markets are still reflected in the performance of semiconductor companies' stocks, amid increased demand for technologies related to artificial intelligence. According to market reports, chip stocks, especially memory and logic for AI, have risen amid optimism regarding hardware suppliers' involvement in AI infrastructure and expectations of increased demand.

Significant investments in DRAM and HBM (high bandwidth memory) are a key factor, as such components are critical for both training and executing AI models at scale. This demand leads to price increases and higher profit prospects for major chip manufacturers.

Trend analysis shows that this movement has practical implications for the software and systems industry: costs for AI infrastructure (cloud and on-premises) may rise, and capacity planning must take into account pressures on the supply chain and component prices.

Although market discourse continues to support the idea of "AI trade" as a growth engine for semiconductors in 2026, specialists and investors remain vigilant regarding the sustainability of the trend and the real correlation between stock performance and actual operational profits from the AI segment.

Synthesis made with the help of a monitoring flow provided by Control F5 Software.