Today’s Big Story

What Are AI-Edited Photos?

A new era of restored vintage photos, bland perfected pics and manipulated memories

It’s almost Dickensian. This new era of photos that have been edited using artificial intelligence feels like the best of times and the worst of times. It’s never been easier to distort, airbrush and manipulate our photos—and by extension, our memories. But the result is that every photo starts to look a little too perfect. Like a low-brow advertisement.

Of course, phone makers have been emphasizing blue skies and smooth skin for years, but the latest batch of Pixels, Galaxies, and iPhones are using AI to take photo manipulation further than ever. According to The Verge, Magic Editor on the Pixel 9 includes a new option called “reimagine”. Now, instead of just erasing or moving objects around, you can add stuff with nothing more than a text prompt. Replace the background; sprinkle in some rainbows and butterflies. It’s in service of creating the scene you remember, not depicting the scene exactly as you saw it, or so Pixel camera PM Isaac Reynolds told WIRED earlier this year. They’re memories, not photos.

I guess when photos are just vibes, then you can add whatever the hell you want to them. But we know this will go too far. When tech writer Allison Johnson started manipulating photos of her son at a playground, she says she took out a building housing restrooms and a trashcan, replacing them with trees. “The resulting photo is completely convincing, and sure, the public bathrooms aren’t a core part of my memory of that day. But the photo is also more generic, more boring. I put the building back … it’s very easy to cross a line and take so much out of an image that you actually remove the context and imperfections that gave it character.”

Then again, it’s not all bad. These are tools, right? They can be used deftly to achieve desired results without going overboard. It just requires a little discipline—imperfections in photos play a crucial role in reality, highlighting authenticity and human experiences. Think of it as cleaning up, not washing and replacing. And there are some things AI can achieve that are genuine marvels: the technology is amazing at restoring vintage photos that are blurry, lit poorly, and lacking the clarity we’ve come to expect with modern camera technology. TechRadar endorses the Remini app for its ability to animate photos of distant relatives or try out new haircuts with a convincing recreation. So have your fun, just don’t get too carried away.

EPA Requires Removal of All U.S. Lead Pipes

In landmark move, Biden sets 10-year deadline for U.S. cities nationwide

The Biden administration finalized a landmark rule on Tuesday that would require water utilities to replace every lead pipe in the country within 10 years—tackling a major threat that is particularly dangerous to infants and children. In a Milwaukee speech to highlight the new rule, President Joe Biden said public officials have long understood the dangers lead pipes pose to the public, but it never had been given the national priority it deserved.

Decades after the dangers of lead pipes were clear, more than 9 million lead pipes remain in use, a fact Biden called shameful. He announced the final Environmental Protection Agency rule during a visit to the swing state of Wisconsin in the final month of a tight presidential campaign. The announcement highlights an issue—safe drinking water—that Kamala Harris has prioritized as vice president and during her presidential campaign. The new rule supplants a looser standard set by former President Donald Trump’s administration that did not include a universal requirement to replace lead pipes.

According to the Washington Post, the new rule also establishes the first-ever national requirement to test for lead in schools that rely on water from public utilities. It mandates that water systems screen all elementary and child-care facilities, where those who are the most vulnerable to lead’s effects—young children—are enrolled, and that they offer testing to middle and high schools.

Will the DOJ Break Up Google?

Justice Dept. calls for sanctions against Google in landmark antitrust case

Now that Judge Amit Mehta has found that Google is a monopolist, the Department of Justice is proposing a series of sanctions against Google to ensure that it can no longer monopolize the search engine market. In a filing late Tuesday night, the government laid out its framework for reining in the tech giant.

According to Bloomberg, proposals include possibly putting an end to exclusive agreements Google has with companies like Apple and Samsung, and prohibiting certain kinds of data tracking. The government wrote that it’s considering “behavioral and structural” remedies that would ensure Google couldn’t use its Chrome browser or Android phone in a way that advantages its search engine, but didn’t outline what the structural remedies would be.

In a response on its blog late Tuesday, Google claimed the proposed framework “goes well beyond the legal scope of the Court’s decision about Search distribution contracts,” and that “[s]plitting off Chrome or Android would break them.” Google claims that billions of people get online thanks to Chrome and Android existing as free products, and that “[f]ew companies would have the ability or incentive to keep them open source, or to invest in them at the same level we do.” The most likely outcome, according to some legal experts, is that the court will ask Google to do away with certain exclusive agreements such that it has with Apple. The court may suggest that Google make it easier for users to try other search engines, experts told CNBC. However, a break-up seems less likely, the experts said.

Taco Bell Brings Back Fan Favorites

Fans rejoice as discontinued items return (for a limited time)

If you’re a regular Taco Bell customer, you probably have a mental list of discontinued menu items that are gone but not forgotten. RIP, Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos. We miss you, Meximelt. You made life sweeter, Caramel Apple Empanada. Unlike movies locked in the “Disney vault” or the way the McRib keeps “retiring” only to return again the next year, when Taco Bell dishes are retired, they usually depart from the menu for good.

But that changed back in October 2022, when the chain allowed fans to vote online to bring back one discontinued Taco Bell dish. After tabulating the more than 760,000 votes, the Enchirito edged out the Double Decker Taco in a 62% to 38% rout. Fans of the Double Decker Taco refused to go quietly into the night, though. The two-layer treat—a beef, lettuce, and cheese hard shell taco tucked inside a refried bean-smeared flour tortilla—is set to have another run on the menu after fans repeatedly raised their voices online.

Food blogger Markie Devo first announced on Instagram that both the Double Decker Taco and Double Decker Taco Supreme will hit the menu on October 10. Fans can’t wait to get their hands on the limited-edition items, with one commenting, “I don’t know why they make these limited-time items, they’re so dang good!” Still, others put in their orders for other limited-edition items to make a comeback on the nationwide menu. “I wanna see them bring back the CHILI CHEESE BURRITO! That’s one of our most favorite items!” wrote another fan.

10 Amazon Prime Perks You Need to Be Using

Just in time for the coming Prime Days

Can you remember a time before Amazon? What about before you had Prime? Maybe you don’t have a membership yet. But if you have been going without, now’s the time to sign-up, as Prime Days will launch next week with plenty of big discounts and limited-time markdowns.

For many of us, the free shipping perk and access to exclusive shows and movies is enough reason to fork over the $14.99 per month to get Prime. But if those reasons haven't been enough to entice you to join Prime, maybe some of these lesser-known incentives will tempt you to sign up. Brad’s Deals has pulled together their top 10 perks that make the membership a worthy investment.

Don’t let your brain trick.