Morning Brief

1. X reaffirms ownership of the Twitter trademark
2. China approves its first batch of L3 autonomous driving models
3. OpenAI launches GPT Image 1.5
4. Google Labs introduces experimental AI agent CC
5. Bambu Lab launches the “Let’s Make It” Creator Fund
6. Google to shut down the “Dark Web Report” feature
7. Steam 2025 Year in Review page goes live
8. Merriam-Webster names “slop” as Word of the Year
9. Rumors You Can Just Glance At

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X reaffirms ownership of the Twitter trademark

On December 16, X Corp. filed a lawsuit in federal court in Delaware against startup Operation Bluebird, accusing the company of attempting to revoke X’s ownership of the Twitter brand.

On December 2, Operation Bluebird submitted a petition to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office seeking to cancel X’s federally registered Twitter and Tweet trademarks. The lawsuit centers on whether X still retains trademark rights to the Twitter brand following its rebranding in 2023. In its complaint filed in Delaware, X argues that the Twitter brand remains valid, noting that millions of users continue to access the platform via twitter.com, and stating that “rebranding does not equate to abandoning original trademark rights.” Source

Around the same time, TechCrunch also discovered that X had updated its Terms of Service. The revised terms state that, effective January 16, 2025, nothing in the agreement grants users the right to use the X name or the Twitter name, including any X or Twitter trademarks, logos, domain names, other distinctive brand features, or other proprietary rights—despite Elon Musk having publicly stated in 2023 that he would abandon Twitter-related branding. Source

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China approves its first batch of L3 autonomous driving models

On December 15, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology officially announced China’s first batch of entry permits for L3 (conditionally automated) driving vehicles. The approved models include the Changan SC7000AAARBEV all-electric sedan and the Arcfox-branded BJ7001A61NBEV all-electric sedan, designed respectively for urban congestion scenarios and highway driving.

Both models will carry out on-road pilot programs in designated areas of Beijing and Chongqing, marking a critical step as China’s L3 autonomous driving moves from the testing phase toward commercial application. Source

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OpenAI launches GPT Image 1.5

On December 17, OpenAI released GPT Image 1.5. The new model promises up to a fourfold increase in image generation speed compared with its predecessor, improved prompt adherence, and more precise image editing capabilities that maintain visual consistency throughout the editing process. It also delivers greater reliability when handling smaller, denser text and large numbers of small-sized faces in images.

The model has now been fully rolled out to all ChatGPT and API users. Source

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Google Labs introduces experimental AI agent CC

On December 16, Google Labs announced the launch of an experimental AI agent called CC. The agent can connect to services such as Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive to help users stay on top of their daily schedules. Each morning, CC sends a “Today’s Agenda” briefing to the user’s inbox. In addition to schedule overviews, key tasks, and summaries of recent updates, the briefing may also include email drafts and calendar links when needed. Users can control CC and submit custom requests by replying to or directly sending emails, as well as use it to add personal information or jot down thoughts and to-do items.

CC is now available in early access to Google account holders aged 18 and above in the United States and Canada, initially rolling out to Google AI Ultra users and paid subscribers. Source

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Bambu Lab launches the “Let’s Make It” Creator Fund

On December 15, Bambu Lab announced the launch of the “Let’s Make It” Creator Fund. The fund aims to provide long-term financial, technical, and resource support to makers around the world, with each project eligible to receive up to RMB 1 million. Both individual creators and small studios are welcome to apply.

The “Let’s Make It” Creator Fund is open on an ongoing basis with no application deadline. Applicants can submit project proposals through Bambu Lab’s official website, and the same applicant may submit multiple projects. After evaluation, the review committee will work with selected applicants to determine specific support plans. This is currently the largest maker grant program by funding amount known in China. Source

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Google to shut down the “Dark Web Report” feature

On December 16, Google informed users via email that its security check tool “Dark Web Report,” which scans for personal data and password leaks, will be discontinued on February 16, 2026. Starting January 15, 2026, the feature will no longer provide new monitoring results; from February 16, 2026 onward, the feature and its associated data will no longer be available.

Google stated that while the report tool could provide basic information, user feedback indicated that it failed to offer practical follow-up actions. As a result, Google has decided to shift its focus toward developing tools that deliver clearer and more actionable guidance. Source

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Steam 2025 Year in Review page goes live

On December 17, the 2025 Steam Year in Review page officially went live. The statistics period for the 2025 Steam Year in Review runs from the very first second of January 1, 2025, to the very last second of December 14, 2025 (GMT). It does not include playtime in Offline Mode or while disconnected from the internet, nor does it count time spent running tools, unreleased, preloaded, pre-release, or disabled games, or other non-game software.

Users can set the visibility of their Steam Year in Review page to “Friends Only” or “Public.” All adult members in a Steam Family will also automatically have permission to view the Steam Year in Review of every other member in that family, while child members do not receive any special access privileges. Source

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Merriam-Webster names “slop” as Word of the Year

The well-known dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster recently announced that slop has been selected as its Word of the Year for 2025, reflecting the widespread proliferation of low-quality AI-generated content across the internet. The term originally emerged in the 18th century to describe mud or sludge, but today it is more commonly defined as “low-quality digital content mass-produced by artificial intelligence.” Merriam-Webster president Greg Barlow said that the surge in searches for slop indicates growing public awareness of false and low-value content. Source

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Rumors You Can Just Glance At

After reviewing Paramount’s all-cash offer of USD 30 per share and taking into account Paramount’s financing structure and regulatory approval pathways, Warner Bros. Discovery is reportedly planning to reject the previously proposed USD 108.4 billion hostile takeover bid from Skydance Media. According to sources familiar with the matter, the Warner Bros. Discovery board plans to recommend that shareholders accept the existing Netflix deal, with a related announcement potentially coming as early as Wednesday. Source

In response to claims by video creator @MLID that Samsung plans to gradually discontinue solid-state drives based on the SATA interface, wccftech contacted Samsung for comment. A Samsung spokesperson issued a brief response stating that rumors about Samsung phasing out SATA or other SSD products are false. However, as the response did not specifically address SATA SSDs, whether Samsung will discontinue its SATA SSD lineup remains unclear and is expected to become clearer next month. Source