AI didn't just change tech in 2025; it changed us. From chatbots that feel human to scams that fool your eyes, here's what you need to know for 2026.

San Francisco

The release of Open AI's ChatGPT has accelerated the development of artificial intelligence and warnings about its impact on society.

Rise of AI

In 2025, artificial intelligence became more integrated into daily life, with chatbots offering human-like conversations and AI tools enabling users to create hyper-realistic images and videos. While these advances provided new opportunities for productivity and creativity, they also brought significant risks, including increased loneliness, emotional dependence, and new forms of identity theft and fraud.

Several incidents highlighted the dangers, such as lawsuits against chatbot companies for alleged harm to teens and a surge in AI-driven scams that impersonated loved ones. Experts recommend using AI responsibly, protecting personal data, and verifying the authenticity of digital communications to stay safe.

2025 — the year AI got personal

2025 wasn't just another tech year. It's the year AI got personal. It spoke to us and shaped our emotions. AI brought us amazing new tools and great risks along with them. Here are three ways AI has shaped our lives and how to stay safe in 2026. AI chatbots with real-time voices now sound strikingly human. Absolutely. You're sounding good. Many of us use them for work but others turn to them for companionship and personal advice. And that's becoming a problem. Heavy daily chatbot use correlates with higher loneliness, stronger dependence and lower socialization according to a 2025 MIT study. And that's not all. This year psychiatrists discussed the emergence of a new psychosis induced by AI. People have spiraled out of control after bots validated their darkest thoughts. It's not a formal diagnosis yet but the risks are being seriously discussed. In 2025 several US families have sued character AI, an AI chatbot service, alleging that its role play bots harm teens and encourage suicide. The cases are moving forward. Why does this happen? Chatbots mirror our emotions. They don't apply reality checks. In this way they can reinforce people's isolation and delusions. So here are three things not to do. Don't treat chatbots as therapists. They are not programmed for that. Avoid spending too much time with them. It can distort your thinking. And in general be careful about what private data you're sharing with chatbots. Bottom line use them for fun or productivity not as your only lifeline. Next up our faces. Tools like Sora 2 and Nano Banana now let you upload your photo or video and star in hyper-realistic images and videos. Sounds cool for influencers. And social media companies like Meta are indeed targeting this demographic with additional AI tools. They want them to produce more content to keep us longer on their platforms. Originally using people faces was restricted on mass market AI generators. But the dark side is now your face can be cloned in minutes. And while there are safeguards in place on Sora 2 or Google's VO3, the technical progress in the field has made identity theft and revenge porn explode. Three tips to protect yourself. Always think before uploading images or videos with your face. Once it's out there it's exploitable. Might sound dramatic but it might be wise to first call into question all images you see on social media. And verify before sharing video proof. Deepfakes can mimic anyone even their voices. The same tech that powers creative videos is fueling scams. In 2025 scammers leveled up. Imagine getting a call from your child in distress crying and begging for money. You send cash only to learn it was an AI deepfake. This isn't hypothetical. A U.S. mom got a call from what sounded like her daughter. She only realized it was an AI scam after the FBI got involved. Crimes like these have risen rapidly in 2025. According to research by cybersecurity company Surfshark, financial losses from AI frauds reached more than 400 million U.S. dollars in the first half of 2025. That's more than in all of 2024. Here are some strategies to stay safe. Always verify emergency calls through a second channel. Call back on a known number. Set friends and family safe words. It's a quick way to confirm someone's identity. Be skeptical of urgency and emotion. Those are classic scam triggers. AI in 2025 gave us incredible tools but also new risks. Stay curious, stay cautious and remember tech is powerful but so is your own judgment.

President Donald Trump has said the US launched a "powerful and deadly strike" against the Islamic State (IS) group in north-western Nigeria. In a Christmas evening post on his social media platform, Trump offered no operational details and did not specify the scale of damage inflicted or the number of militants targeted in the operation.

Washington

Trump announces U.S. Strike on Islamic state targets in Nigeria

Official results show Asfura edged out his main rival Salvador Nasralla by less than one percentage point. Marred by delays and fraud claims, the Honduran election continues Latin America's shift to the right.

Tegucigalpa

Honduras: Trump ally Nasry Asfura wins disputed presidency

Several people were killed in Southern California when severe storms with heavy rain caused mudslides and flooding, which was made worse in areas affected by wildfires in January.

Heavy rain, flooding turns deadly in California

The U.S. Department of Justice says it has found more than a million more documents potentially tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, delaying a full release for weeks while officials redact details to protect victims.

DOJ reviews over 1 million newly found Epstein documents

Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Christmas Mass Wednesday evening where he described the celebration as a feast of "faith, charity and hope". He reminded the faithful that refusing to help the poor and vulnerable is comparable to rejecting God altogether.

Rome

Pope Leo reminds believers to help the poor in first Christmas mass

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaled progress in a Ukraine-Russia peace plan, after he told journalists about a new draft that would include a free economic zone and demilitarization. Holly Williams has the latest.

Kyiv

Zelenskyy signals progress with Ukraine-Russia peace plan

Democrats and some Republicans are blasting the Justice Department over its handling of the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, which included major redactions.

U.S. lawmakers blast DOJ over Epstein files release

Bolsonaro is expected to undergo the procedure on 25 December.

Brasília

Brazil's ex-president Bolsonaro temporarily leaves prison for surgery

Two police officers have been killed in an explosion in Moscow, Russian investigators said on Wednesday. Their deaths come just two days after a car bomb killed a top general in the same area of the Russia capital.

Moscow

Three people killed in Moscow car explosion, Russian authorities say

European intelligence agencies say investigations into Russian interference now consume as much time as terrorist threats.

Paris

Pro-Russian hackers claim French postal service cyberattack

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country and the United States have reached a consensus on several critical issues aimed at bringing an end to the conflict with Russia — but sensitivities around territorial control in Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland and the management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain unresolved.

Ukraine Invasion

U.S., Ukraine reach consensus on some key issues to end war with Russia

The latest Epstein file release alleges a connection between former prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell, including emails in which an individual identified as 'A' requested 'inappropriate friends.'

London

Latest Epstein release alleges new link to ex-prince Andrew

The US and Venezuela are in a war of words at the UN Security council following America's seizure of ships off Venezuela's coast. Venezuela's ambassador strongly condemned the U.S. actions, labeling them as extrajudicial executions and a military blockade intended to destabilize the country.

New York

U.S., Venezuela in war of words at UNSC over military strikes

Two people are dead after an explosion at a nursing home in Bristol, Pennsylvania, and several are still missing, Gov. Josh Shapiro said.

Bristol

Two dead, several missing after nursing home explosion in Pennsylvania

A Delaware state trooper was killed Tuesday during a shooting at a Wilmington DMV, the Delaware State Police said. The state's governor confirmed the shooter is also dead.

Wilmington

Delaware state trooper killed in DMV shooting, officials say

The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that President Trump cannot deploy the National Guard troops to Chicago as a legal challenge moves ahead.

Supreme Court blocks deployment of National Guard to Illinois

The Justice Department released a new trove of documents from its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including an email from a prosecutor indicating President Donald Trump had traveled aboard his private jet "many more times than previously has been reported."

Trump flew on Epstein jet 8 times according to newly released files

The Libyan army's chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, died in a plane crash after leaving Turkey's capital Ankara, the prime minister of Libya's internationally-recognized government said, adding that four others were on the jet as well.

Haymana

Libyan army's chief dies in plane crash in Turkey

Two men have been found guilty of plotting to kill hundreds in an Islamic State-inspired gun rampage against the Jewish community in England, a planned attack investigators say demonstrates the resurgent risk posed by the militant group.

Bolton

Two men found guilty of UK plot to kill Jews as IS fears grow

The FDA has approved the pill version of the weight loss drug Wegovy, the first oral medication of its kind. The new pills are expected to be available in a few weeks.

FDA approves Wegovy pill, first prescription pill for weight loss

French Parliament has approved the Stopgap Bill two days before Christmas. The budget bill now moves to French senate.

Parijs

French Parliament approves Stopgap Bill: Budget bill moves to senate

Russia fired more than 650 drones and three dozen missiles at Ukraine in a large-scale attack that began during the night and stretched into daylight hours Tuesday, officials said. At least three people were killed, including a 4-year-old child, two days before Christmas.

Kiev

Russia carries out massive drone attack on Ukraine's energy sector

The U.S. Department of Justice has released another batch of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including videos, emails and documents. CBS News' Scott MacFarlane reports.

U.S. Justice Department releases new trove of Epstein files

The leaders of Denmark and Greenland insisted that the United States won't take over Greenland and demanded respect for their territorial integrity after President Donald Trump ‍​announced ​the appointment of a ‌special envoy to the semi-autonomous territory.

Nuuk

Trump's appointment of envoy to Greenland sparks tension with Denmark

Australia's most populous state is set to pass tougher gun laws, ban the display of terrorist symbols and curb protests after the state parliament's lower house cleared a bill late on Monday (December 22) in an emergency sitting following the Bondi mass shooting.

Council of the City of Sydney

Australia's NSW to tighten gun, hate speech laws after Bondi attack

On Monday, President Trump announced a new class of Navy battleships he's calling the "Golden Fleet." The president said two vessels will be built in the short term, with plans to expand to up to 25.

Trump unveils plans for new fleet of advanced Navy battleships

China's foreign ministry on Monday (December 22) said the United States' seizure of another country's ships was a serious violation of international law, after the U.S. intercepted a China-bound oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.

Beijing

China says U.S. ship seizures ‘serious violation' of international law

A Russian general was killed by an explosive device underneath his car in Moscow, according to Russian investigators, who say Ukraine's intelligence services may have orchestrated the attack. Ukraine has not commented.

Russian general killed in car explosion

The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela, officials told Reuters on Sunday (December 21), in what would be the third operation in less than two weeks if successful.

Caracas

U.S. pursuing third oil tanker near Venezuela, officials say

At least 15 documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that were initially made public have been pulled from the Justice Department website. The agency says it will keep reviewing and redacting materials to "protect victims."

2025 — the year AI got personal

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