Chip Champs, Fake Pics & Robots Taking Over Jobs! (9.23.26)

0:00Good morning. It's Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Gemini 3.8 Text to Speech says hello. Google just launched two new AI models that can generate completely custom voices from text. With Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS, you can create a voice from scratch and control the accent, the emotion, even whether it sounds like a hyper DJ or a monotone robot. The models are built into tools like Google Vids and Gem in I-Nope Book, so creators can make audio books, podcasts, or game characters that sound way more realistic. If you're making a video project for school, you could add professional sounding narration without recording your own voice. Text story coming up Your phone's about to get smarter. Qualcomm's just announced its new flagship phone ship. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, and it's coming in two versions for the first time.

1:04The standard version handles 8000 video at 30 frames per second, while the extreme version packs 50% more shared memory. This means phones with these chips could offer more advanced AI features and better video effects. It's all about making your smartphone experience faster and smarter. Speaking of AI, AI fakes are fooling millions. A fake photo showing Donald Trump kissing a woman named Natalie Harp spread across social media this week, and millions of people believed it was real. The AI created image looked so convincing that major news outlets had to fact check it. Experts say this is becoming a bigger problem as AI tools get better at creating realistic fake photos. It's a reminder to check whether something's real before sharing, especially during election years. You see a wild photo on Instagram or TikTok verify its legit before hitting share. Pop quiz. Ready?

2:04This one's from the stories we just heard. What is the name of the new AI model that can generate custom voices from text? Google Voice Generator 2.0. B. AI Speakbot Flash. C. Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS. Or maybe D. Robo Voice 3000 Turbo Edition. Take 5 seconds and lock in your answer. Processing your answer. Standby. Did you get it? The answer is C. Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS. TTS stands for Text to Speech, which means the AI reads written words out loud in whatever voice style you choose. Hope you nailed that one. We've got more stories. Let's keep going. Now for something different. Discords changing how it checks users ages.

3:05Earlier this year they announced new teen by default settings. Now users are sorted into adult or teen groups based on account details like how long it's been active. Most users won't need to do anything extra. But if your mark is unconfirmed, you can verify your over 18 with a credit card or ID scan. Teens will have some limits, like message requests from strangers going to a separate inbox. This next one's interesting. Greece's leader gets real about AI. Greece's Prime Minister just told a roomful of tech founders something politicians usually don't say. He doesn't have all the answers about AI. Kiriako smits a talk ace, visited San Francisco this week to pitch Greece as a tech hub. And he was surprisingly honest about how fast AI is moving. He said governments are already fighting yesterday's battle when it comes to AI rules. Greece is trying to attract tech companies by changing its tax laws and building infrastructure, including a supercomputer that'll power AI research. Over in the world of AI, eight aunties cutting jobs as it leans more on artificial intelligence.

4:10They've already let go of 2,100 people this year. The company which has reduced its workforce by over half in the past decade is using AI to streamline operations. While some reports suggest AT&T's workforce could drop to 85,000 by 2030, the company says that's not their target. They're focusing on becoming a dramatically different company with improved fiber internet and wireless networks. One more quiz question from our latest stories. How many AT&T employees have lost their jobs so far this year? Is it A, 850 people? Is it B, 2,100 people? Is it C, 5,400 people? Or is it D, more people than fit in my school cafeteria? Think 5 seconds and lock in your answer.

5:13Did you get it? The answer is B, 2,100 people. 8 and T once employed over 300,000 people back in the 1980s when they were the biggest phone company in America. That's a tricky one. Well done if you knew it. We want to hear from you. What do you think? Would you rather have AI that can perfectly copy any voice or AI that can create totally realistic fake photos? There's no wrong answer. Just talk about it. Shout out to everyone at Edgewood Primary School in Elletsville, Indiana. If you want your school on the show, leave us a review and tell us your school name. Time for your word of the day. The day's word is ingenious, cleverly inventive or resourceful. Here it is in a sentence. The engineer came up with an ingenious solution using everyday materials. Try using ingenious in a sentence today.

6:17Fact of the day. Ready for this one? AI can now generate 3D models of famous buildings from a single old photograph. Not bad for a random fact. Wow. OK, joke time. Why did the robot go to therapy? It had too many bugs in its system. I'll be here all week. Today we covered Google's new custom voice AI, Qualcomm's dual flagship chips, fake AI images, fooling millions, discord's new age verification rules, Greece's Prime Minister speaking candidly about AI and AT&T cutting jobs while automating with artificial intelligence. Thanks for listening. We'll be back tomorrow with more AI. AI and technology are advancing every single day. And there's always something new to discover. Keep being curious about technology and we'll see you tomorrow with more amazing AI news. Thanks for joining us on AI Kids News Flash.

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