There has always been little more to swiping right or left on a person's Tinder profile than if you like how they look. Now, the dating app is finally introducing a range of features that provide a more rounded idea of people, such as profile prompts and basic info tags.

Anyone who has used apps like fellow Match Group-owned Hinge or Bumble will likely find many of these updates familiar. Profile prompts, for example, are a long-standing feature on both, with Tinder users now able to share their responses to statements like "The first item on my bucket list is" or the ever-popular "Two truths and a lie." Basic info tags let people share facts such as their zodiac sign, drinking habits and love language. More unique is the addition of a quiz, which should highlight a user's interests and preferences (they can add these results to their profile). Plus, there's now an option to report specific details of a person's profile that are alarming versus reporting the entire account.

Tinder is openly looking to engage Gen Z, and that couldn't be clearer than the pointedly named "Rizz-first Redesign." There are UI updates, enhanced animations, and even a new "It's a Match!" screen. At the same time, Tinder has also introduced a dark mode feature for more discrete swiping while out in public or dimmer lighting at night. 

The dating app points to Gen Z's responses in its recent Future of Dating Report as motivation for the updates. "At Tinder, we understand that connecting today is about authenticity, depth, and the desire for connections that go beyond the surface. This suite of features is the response to this evolving need," Mark Van Ryswyk, Chief Product Officer at Tinder, said in a statement. "We know the new generation of daters prioritizes value-based qualities such as respect (78 percent) and open-mindedness (61 percent) over looks (56 percent). They care about authentic connections formed through shared interests and common causes and have no time for the 'game-playing' of previous generations." Was connecting not about authenticity in the past? That's for someone else to debate.

We're only a few days out from Black Friday, and the sales keep building. The latest deal worth checking out comes courtesy of a new all-time low price on Apple's ninth-generation iPad. The 64GB device is currently available for $230, down from $329 — a 30 percent discount. 

The ninth-gen Apple iPad is a great option if you want a simple, well-performing iPad that does everything you need. It's the cheapest option on the market (even more so now), with us naming it the best budget iPad for 2023. It first came on the scene in 2021, getting an 86 in our review thanks to updates like Apple's A13 Bionic chip and doubling the amount of storage it has for the same price. 

Apple's 2021 iPad also has True Tone technology, changing the color based on the room's ambient light, and has a 12MP front-facing camera. Plus, it offers up to 10 hours of battery life when watching videos, playing music or on the internet. Accessory-wise, it's compatible with the first-gen Apple Pencil. If you want a bit of an upgrade, Apple's tenth-generation iPad is also on sale, with a 22 percent discount dropping its price to $349 from $449. 

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Early Black Friday sales have been steadily rolling in, but few have been as practical heading into the long winter months as Google's Nest Thermostat. The smart thermostat is typically $130 but is currently just $90 — a 31 percent discount and only $10 more than its all-time low. 

Google's Nest Thermostat came on the scene in 2020 as a cheaper but solid alternative to its Nest Learning Thermostat (retailing at $240). Both devices have the same goal: to save energy and money. The standard Nest Thermostat is Energy Star-certified and turns the temperature down when you leave to avoid any waste. If you're heading home sooner than expected (or staying out later, for that matter), you can adjust the heat schedule right on the app from your phone, tablet or laptop.

While it can be a big help with keeping those heating bills in check, Google's Nest Thermostat should work just as well with your air conditioning system come summer. Plus, it also provides tips for both through the Savings Finder on ways to adjust your heating or cooling schedule to save even more money.

The thermostat isn't the only Nest product offering a solid deal ahead of Black Friday. The Google Nest Wireless Doorbell is down to $120 from $180 — one of a trio of Nest products currently at their all-time low price. Rounding out the sale is the Google Nest Indoor Wired Security Camera for $70 from $97 and the two-pack Google Nest Wi-Fi Pro with Wi-Fi 6E available for $200, down from $300.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

YouTube has announced new experimental AI services, including a feature called Dream Track in YouTube Shorts. It creates up to 30-second soundtracks using AI-generation versions of artists' voices. Though musicians have mostly pushed back on AI (and their voices being used for training models without permission or compensation), YouTube got nine big names from the music industry to participate, including John Legend, Troye Sivan, CharliXCX and T-Pain. The company hoped to announce the feature at its Made on YouTube event in September but has been in negotiation with recording companies over rights and payments.

Users can access Dream Track by typing an idea into the creation prompt and choosing from one of the participating artists. It uses Google DeepMind's Lyria — a new, powerful music generation model designed specifically for creating high-quality vocals and instrumentals while giving the user more control over the final product. Any content Lyria produces will also have a SynthID watermark, denoting it as such. 

Charlie Puth and T-Pain created sample Dream Tracks, which YouTube has shared as inspiration. However, many of the artists involved expressed their apprehension about AI but hoped that collaborative work could create positive, non-exploitative opportunities. "When I was first approached by YouTube I was cautious and still am, AI is going to transform the world and the music industry in ways we do not yet fully understand," singer CharliXCX said. "This experiment will offer a small insight into the creative opportunities that could be possible and I'm interested to see what comes out of it." 

Music AI Tools are also coming to YouTube, in collaboration with its Music AI Incubator. These tools can create guitar riffs from a hummed melody or turn a pop track into a reggaeton anthem. Producer and songwriter, Louis Bell, created a sample video to showcase it. 

YouTube is walking a tightrope as it navigates the careful balance of introducing AI tools and protecting against misuse. The video platform recently announced new policies for labeling videos made using AI and letting public figures, such as musicians, report deepfakes. 

Dream Track is currently only available to a select group of creators and artists, whereas participants of the Music AI Incubator should be able to test the tools out later this year. 

Countless aspects of generative AI have caused rampant debate, including its access to copyrighted material. Now, the vice president of audio at Stability AI, Ed Newton-Rex, has resigned due to his belief that training generative AI models using copyrighted content doesn't qualify as "fair use," he wrote in an op-ed on Music Business Worldwide. He joins the likes of artists such as Bad Bunny, who recently spoke out against a viral TikTok song that used AI to mimic his voice.

Meanwhile, AI companies have steadfastly supported fair use (training models with copyrighted material without asking permission or providing compensation), and Newton-Rex's decision marks a unique change from the norm. In his public resignation letter, Newton-Rex explains that he believes Stability AI has a more "nuanced view" than some of its competitors. However, he had an issue with the company's recent submission to the United States Copyright Office, which argued that AI development should fall under fair use.

"I disagree because one of the factors affecting whether the act of copying is fair use, according to Congress, is 'the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work,'" Newton-Rex stated. "Today's generative AI models can clearly be used to create works that compete with the copyrighted works they are trained on. So I don't see how using copyrighted works to train generative AI models of this nature can be considered fair use."

Newton-Rex is a published classical composer and founded Jukedeck, which created music using AI, in 2012. He became the product director of TikTok's in-house AI lab after the company purchased Jukedeck in 2019 and subsequently worked at Voicey (acquired by Snap) before joining Stability AI in November 2022.

Ironically, there's also been an (as yet unsuccessful) push to protect AI-produced work. In August, a judge upheld the US Copyright Office's decision that AI-generated art can't be copyrighted, stating, "Human authorship is a bedrock requirement of copyright."

Microsoft has announced a project it has been "refining in secret for years;" Its own custom silicon in the form of two new server chips. The company unveiled the fruits of its labor at Microsoft Ignite, showing off the Azure Maia AI Accelerator and the Azure Cobalt CPU. The latter of which, at least, the company is happy to admit is ARM-based, which can still feel unthinkable to eyes so used to Microsoft and Intel's hand-in-glove dominance of the computing market. 

The company turned to OpenAI to receive feedback on Azure Maia and to use the company's models for testing. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the updated Microsoft's Azure will also provide the opportunity for training improved models and making them more affordable for customers.

The custom-designed chips can further optimize Microsoft's infrastructure instead of relying on third-party options. "Much like building a house lets you control every design choice and detail, Microsoft sees the addition of homegrown chips as a way to ensure every element is tailored for Microsoft cloud and AI workloads," a blog post from the company explained. "The chips will nestle onto custom server boards, placed within tailor-made racks that fit easily inside existing Microsoft datacenters. The hardware will work hand in hand with software — co-designed together to unlock new capabilities and opportunities."

The company plans to use the new Maia 100 AI Accelerator to power some of Microsoft Azure's biggest internal AI workloads. Microsoft claims both the accelerator and Azure Cobalt CPU will improve efficiency and performance. The chips will make their way to Microsoft's data centers early next year for powering services like Microsoft Copilot (now encompassing Bing Chat) and Azure OpenAI Service.

Google Maps is rolling out some new features ahead of the very fun, not at all hectic travel season known as the holidays. The updates aren't actually holiday specific — though we'll admit the timing isn't bad — with a focus on ways to figure out where you're going and how you're getting there. 

Let's start with the how. Google is expanding the ways you can customize your transit directions. Now, you can use filters such as ETA, length of trip, time spent walking, type of transit and number of transfers. If you get carsick on buses or hate walking that hilly path, for example, simply change the settings to suggest other options first. Click the options button at the top right of displayed transit routes and you'll see preferred modes and route options to pick from. Google Maps should save your preferences so you don't need to redo them every time you search. 

Google is also adding clearer directions to station entrances, including which side of the street to enter on depending which direction your train is going. This update will be available in 80 cities, from Boston to Singapore. 

Now for the where: Google Maps is introducing collaborative lists. Basically, share any location on Maps and all of you can create a list of places you're interested in going and vote on them with a heart or thumbs down emoji. 

Speaking of emoji reactions, the last Google Maps update lets you respond to reviews with emojis. You can even create your own emoji of sorts with AI and the Emoji Kitchen. The pair will suggest mashups based on whats in a photo and any emojis you use. This new feature is available now, while the updates to Google Maps will roll out on Android and iOS devices over the next few weeks. 

YouTube has announced new steps to combat AI misuse and misinformation that will roll out over the coming months. The new policies address transparency in videos made using AI and the rampant issue of deepfakes. YouTube is making it "possible to request the removal of AI-generated or other synthetic or altered content that simulates an identifiable individual, including their face or voice."

Individuals can submit calls for removal through YouTube's privacy request process, but the company will weigh the decision based on whether it's satire or if the person can be uniquely recognized — such as a public figure. Similarly, musicians or their representatives can also request the removal of any content using AI to mimic their voice. The policies come at a time when deepfakes are being widely pushed and shared, such as Civitai, which is encouraging sexualized recreations of influential women.

On top of streamlining removal, YouTube will also make sure any altered or synthetic content is labeled as such. Creators will see new options to disclose this information and, if they don't, could face post removal, a YouTube Partner Program suspension and other repercussions. YouTube claims it will connect with creators about using this new tool before it rolls out. On the viewer side, this will lead to a big banner in the description stating the content is "altered or synthetic," with the option to learn more. Regardless of proper labeling, YouTube might still take down AI-created videos if they contain purposely disturbing content.

If you've had your eye on one of Apple's versatile M2-powered Mac Minis, Amazon has you covered. Right now, the 256GB Apple Mac Mini M2 is back down to $500 from $600 — its all-time low price. The first $50 is taken off immediately, while a coupon removes the rest at checkout. If you need even more storage, you can also check out the 512GB Mac Mini M2, currently at $690 from $799, thanks to a 13 percent discount and a $9 coupon thrown in at the end.

Apple's 2023 Mac Mini M2 is a long way from 2005's Mini. We gave the Mac Mini M2 an 86 in our review thanks to its eight CPU cores, ten graphic cores and 8GB of RAM. It's also wild with ports, including a headphone jack, gigabit Ethernet, two USB-A, two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C and an HDMI 2.0. Though, it doesn't have any front-facing ports, which can be a bit frustrating. 

We also like the Mac Mini 2 for its sleek design and slightly raised bottom, allowing for optimal airflow. Overall, it's just a really well performing device, that can boost your Mac's performance without taking up too much room on your desk. Plus, it stays quiet while doing all this hard work. The only difference between the two models is storage, so if you're happy with 256GB, save yourself $190 (or put it towards Black Friday deals). 

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Black Friday is fast approaching, and with it are more and more opportunities to get great devices for a steal. Take the Ring Video Doorbell and Echo Show 5 bundle, which is currently down to $65 from $190 — a 65 percent sale. The Prime Member exclusive is available with the second-generation video doorbell in either Satin Nickel or Venetian Bronze. 

Amazon's Echo Show 5 allows you to easily see any motion Ring's video doorbell detects without always having your phone handy. The second-gen video doorbell isn't Ring's latest iteration (this one is from 2020), but it has all the essentials, such as 1080p HD video. It can also run on battery power alone or use a Ring solar charger and lets you block certain areas in its field of vision from being recorded. The latter could be handy if the doorbell faces a neighbor's place or something else that would invade another person's privacy. 

Meanwhile, the third-gen Echo Show 5 only came on the scene in May and is 20 percent faster than its predecessor. Looks-wise, it's quite similar, but sound-wise, it offers double the bass with an updated speaker system. You can also use Alexa to see, listen to or talk with anyone at your front door. Additional features include a 2MP camera, music streaming and transforming into a digital frame for showcasing your favorite photos. It's $90 to purchase on its own, more than the pair currently costs together. 

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.