Instagram Concerned About Challenge In Distinguishing Real And AI-Generated Images, Apple To Launch Foldable iPhone By 2026 & More: Consumer Tech News (December 16-20) – Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)

In a significant move to bolster the domestic semiconductor industry, the U.S. Commerce Department has approved a $406 million grant for Taiwan’s GlobalWafers. This funding is aimed at enhancing silicon wafer production within the United States.

Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, urging the rejection of TikTok’s request to delay a law that could ban the app in January.

Smartphones

Apple Inc. AAPL is reportedly gearing up to launch a redesigned AirTag in 2025 with better tracking capabilities and range.

Apple is reportedly planning to launch foldable iPhones and ultralight devices by 2026.

Read: Apple’s 2025 Bull Case: Can It Deliver Without Riding The AI Wave?

New leaks have emerged, offering a glimpse into the design of the upcoming Samsung Electronics Co.’s SSNLF Galaxy S25 Ultra and S25+.

Apple and NVIDIA Corporation NVDA have announced a collaboration for the improvement in the performance of large language models.

Apple has slammed Meta Platforms, Inc. META for its numerous requests to access iPhone-maker’s software tools, citing potential privacy and security risks.

Apple is reportedly engaging in discussions with Tencent TCEHY and TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to integrate their AI models into iPhones sold in China.

Technology & Social Media

Microsoft Corp. MSFT has reportedly acquired nearly twice as many Nvidia AI chips as its closest competitors. This strategic investment is aimed at bolstering its AI capabilities, particularly for its Azure cloud services.

Meta unveiled much-anticipated updates to its Ray-Ban smart glasses. It rolled out three new features for its Ray-Ban smart glasses: live AI, live translations, and Shazam. 

Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Instagram’s Threads has reached a milestone of 100 million daily active users.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri raised concerns about the growing challenge of distinguishing between real and AI-generated images on social media platforms.

Read: SoundHound AI Soars Over 700%: Short Squeeze Potential Has Traders Talking

On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump reportedly met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, as the company seeks intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent a looming ban.

Read: Elon Musk Reacts After Sundar Pichai Shares Veo 2 As Google Looks To Challenge OpenAI’s Sora In AI Video Race: ‘Looks Impressive’

PDD Holdings‘ PDD Temu app has once again secured the top position as the most downloaded free app on Apple’s U.S. iOS store, marking its second consecutive year at the summit.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella shared insights about the transformative impact of AI throughout 2024, with which Elon Musk agrees.

Elon Musk has once again expressed his disapproval of hashtags on X, formerly Twitter, describing them as “ugly” and redundant.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Marc Andreessen has lauded OpenAI’s Sora video model, suggesting it may have resolved a significant challenge in robotics.

OpenAI announced that it is extending the ChatGPT Search engine to all users, including those on the free tier. The AI search engine was initially launched for paid subscribers in October.

Mondelez International MDLZ has been leveraging AI to speed up recipe development and improve flavor profiles.

Grammarly Inc.’s acquisition of Coda has received a thumbs-up from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. The writing assistant company will now be led by the new CEO, Shishir Mehrotra.

OpenAI has unveiled a new feature that lets users call ChatGPT for free, offering a 15-minute call per month through the toll-free number 1-800-CHATGPT.

Read: Apple’s iPhone 16 Stumbles On ‘Intelligence’ Awareness, But Pro Max Shines Bright: Analyst

Perplexity AI, backed by Amazon.com Inc. AMZN founder Jeff Bezos, secured $500 million in funding led by Institutional Venture Partners, tripling its valuation to $9 billion.