TECH

Google’s ‘AI wall’ that could put the open internet at risk

Since last year, the Silicon Valley giant has overhauled its search function with AI. It launched AI Mode, which replaces search results containing hyperlinks with conversational answers written by Gemini, its AI chatbot. More recently, Google also altered its iconic search box for the first time in 25 years, allowing people to add photos and videos to their queries and designate AI “agents” to conduct searches on their behalf.

Users are typing queries three times longer than the keyword-laden questions used in traditional searches, Google stated at its developer conference in May. People are spending between one and nine minutes longer in AI Mode than in traditional Google searches, according to three studies by researchers compiled by *The New York Times*. An October study by Growth Memo, a newsletter focused on search and marketing, found that in about 75% of sessions, users never left AI Mode to visit the open web.

For publishers, businesses, banks, and others that relied on Google to drive its billions of users to their sites, the impact has been unmistakable as the company increasingly integrates AI into search. Google users are no longer leaving the platform after a search, opting instead to read AI-generated answers; this means fewer people are visiting their sites, and search traffic has dropped.

Nilay Patel, editor-in-chief of the tech site *The Verge*, has been warning publishers for years that they would face “Google Zero”—a moment when traffic originating from Google would plummet to zero.

“For media companies, Google Zero is already here,” he said. “It was only with the arrival of AI Mode that people realized this slow evolution was about to reach a tipping point.”

These changes threaten the open web and demonstrate how rapidly AI has transformed the technological landscape. Tim Berners-Lee, the computer scientist credited with inventing the World Wide Web in 1989, envisioned the web as a tool for borderless global collaboration, where people could launch their own sites and navigate freely between sites created by others.

Much of that vision has eroded over the years as tech giants like Apple and Meta created "walled gardens"—technological ecosystems where users could get almost everything they needed in one place. Now, AI has arguably accelerated this trajectory, Berners-Lee stated in a 2024 essay.

Tech companies have built empires that lock in users and focus on maximizing profit rather than enhancing public utility, Berners-Lee wrote. "The rapid advance of AI has exacerbated these concerns," he added, "demonstrating that issues on the web are not isolated but deeply intertwined with emerging technologies."

Google has denied putting the open web at risk. In a blog post last August, Liz Reid, vice president of Search, stated that the company’s philosophy had not changed and that it was generating a "relatively stable" number of clicks—in the billions. Reports of a decline in search traffic were "inaccurate" and based on "flawed methodologies," she said.

"We care deeply—perhaps more than any other company—about the health of the web ecosystem," Reid said.

Since that blog post was published, Google has integrated more artificial intelligence (AI) into Search. The company has also created features designed to steer users away from "AI mode" and toward the broader web, including website previews in some responses and a tool that allows people to set "preferred sources," ensuring the AI ​​consults their favorite news outlets more frequently. The company also created a feature that helps media companies and content creators promote their work in search results.

“Google’s AI-powered search features generate billions of clicks to the web each week, meeting people’s evolving preferences for how they want to find information, while also driving significant traffic to websites,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the company’s AI features highlight links to the web.

Even so, searches are increasingly being performed by AI chatbots, while the number of people visiting websites is falling, according to Cloudflare, a content delivery network company. Whereas someone might previously have Googled a soccer player's World Cup performance and clicked on a sports site or a social media discussion to read commentary, a bot now scours the web for that information and presents the player's statistics to the user, who remains on Google.

In total, more than 50% of web traffic is now non-human, Cloudflare stated. Between June 2025 and April 2026, human traffic to company websites in sectors such as finance, publishing, and retail dropped by nearly 40%, the company added.

The web's fundamental economic model has shifted, Cloudflare stated, and chatbot-style search tools—such as Google's—could put the open web at risk if left unchecked.

Google's AI, along with other popular chatbots, has impacted Wikipedia. The Wikimedia Foundation, which manages the online encyclopedia, reported an 8% decline in human visitors to its site over the past year. At the same time, there has been an increase in bots scraping data from the site to train AI models.

“My job is to ensure people don't forget us because Google's user interface has changed,” said Selena Deckelmann, Chief Product and Technology Officer at the Wikimedia Foundation.

Wikipedia has begun promoting its own app and social media channels to build connections with readers outside the Google ecosystem, she said. The organization has also started charging Google and other AI companies for access to its data for training purposes.

Last month, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority ordered Google to modify its AI-based search tools in the UK to address concerns raised by media companies. The regulator ruled that Google must include clear links attributing content authorship in chatbot responses—a measure designed to help drive traffic to websites. The company is also required to allow website operators to opt out of having their content displayed in AI-generated summaries, and it is implementing these changes to its search function globally.

For some advocates of the open web, the fact that people can leave Google’s ecosystem is enough.

“Whether using a traditional search method or AI, I think Google is still facilitating access to the open internet,” said Tori Noble, a lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to defending civil liberties online. “It’s not a closed universe” compared to walled gardens like Facebook, which requires a login for access, she added. This offers little consolation to some website operators.

In May, Vox Media—owner of *The Verge* and other publications—began selling off some of its sites. Jim Bankoff, Vox Media’s CEO, said the “decimation of search traffic” influenced his decision to sell about half the company to James Murdoch. In June, *The Verge* and several other Vox Media sites were sold to Penske Media.

Google often claims it is “sending more traffic and that the web is bigger than ever,” Patel said. “And, right alongside that, there are a lot of content producers whose businesses are being destroyed.”

mundophone

DIGITAL LIFE

We know violent and gory videos exist online. Teens are seeing more of them than you'd think

To keep up with world events, Grade 12 student Hanna Grover ventures online, like most teens do. But she finds it "disturbing" that violent content regularly pops up — often appearing from questionable sources or without context.

The Surrey, B.C., high schooler said she has seen "brutal short-form videos that one, provide absolutely no context on what's happening, and two, are just very graphic and often not from verified sources. They're just individual, private users posting videos."

As well, Grover said, "I've seen influencers and commentary accounts do stories on these kinds of very graphic events and using [that] footage because they know that it will provide them with engagement."

Friends scrolling for entertainment — and not news specifically — also see this kind of content, Grover added.

"Those disturbing images stay with me. Graphic content stays in your head and sometimes you will find yourself thinking about it days later."

Chilling videos of school fights. The Charlie Kirk killing. Violent encounters with police. Depictions of animal abuse, sexual abuse or sexual content. A new survey of more than 1,000 teens across Canada offers a glimpse into graphic content they say they're seeing online — largely without seeking it out — and what young people want done about it.

More than four out of five of the teen respondents, who were aged 13 to 18 and hailed from every province in Canada, said they've seen violent or gory content via online platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Few were searching this material out, with most noting the material appears in posts from a stranger's account or through a platform's algorithmic recommendations.

The report, entitled Young Canadians’ Exposure to Authentic Violent and Gore Content Online, came out of recurring comments teens shared in focus groups for the research project Digitally Informed Youth: Digital Safety, according to project member and lead author Alexa Dodge, an associate professor of criminology at Saint Mary's University in Halifax.

"We imagined this was something that maybe a couple of teens were experiencing," she said from Halifax. "When we did the survey, we found that 85 per cent of young people in Canada had seen real gore or violent content, and some of the categories of content they saw were really on the more severe end of what we thought we would see."

For instance, half of the teen respondents reported seeing the fatal shooting of U.S. activist Charlie Kirk. Overall, school fights and beatings, violence from police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, and clips of people gravely injured or killed in global conflicts were the types of content most commonly cited.

Dodge said it's a change from years past, when young people would primarily see disturbing content after intentionally seeking it out, whether it be for research or shock value.

"There's something very different about scrolling and having, all of a sudden, this very disturbing content pop up into your feed when you maybe just went on Instagram or TikTok to chill out and decompress for 10 minutes after school."

'Media we consume makes us who we are'...While the precise impact of exposure to violent or gory content depends on the individual, generally it pushes people away from empathy toward being "more cruel, more aggressive and more violent," according to Michael Cheng, a child and youth psychiatrist at Ottawa children's hospital CHEO.

"We are what we eat and the digital media we consume makes us who we are in terms of values and ethics. So if you show violent, gory content, then the brain learns that that's acceptable. It desensitizes us to violence. It makes us less caring, less empathetic, more narcissistic."

It's not just teens: even adults can find it tough to avoid a peek at something disturbing or boundary-pushing, he said.

"The problem is [when] that is what the companies monetize ... our kids click the stuff which might be a bit scary and forbidden. It's really hard to resist that."

Grade 11 student Finn Ye has become somewhat resigned to encountering violent content on Instagram and TikTok, thinking that her interest in news and politics pushes more of that material to her feed.

When she encounters graphic content, the Richmond, B.C., high schooler worries about younger peers likely also seeing this material. At the same time, Ye describes feeling somewhat desensitized.

She also feels a sense of hopelessness about trying to rein it in. While some teens might try to flag or steer themselves away from offensive material, Ye says others find it tricky to figure that out or are unmotivated to do so.

"Reporting one video generally doesn't work," she said. "I've recently seen videos that I saw when I was 13 — and [they're] still cycling through the internet."

Ye thinks tech companies must do more to educate young users about navigating violent content and to "strengthen their own systems" against it.

CBC News reached out to Google, Meta and Bytedance — the parent companies of YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, respectively — but representatives declined comment without having seen the report.

Dodge also pointed to recommendations teens made in the survey, including for platforms to respond faster when content is flagged and adding more barriers to violent videos, such as removing the autoplay feature, blurring videos or adding a click-through so users must choose to watch it.

With the federal government having just introduced online safety legislation, Dodge wants to see lawmakers lean into regulation — for instance, mandating transparency reports for platforms, setting clear moderation guidelines and enforcing them.

She also wants adults — parents, guardians, teachers and others with teens in their lives — to be more open and calm and avoid overreacting if young people disclose that they're seeing this kind of content.

"They're often not gonna go to adults for support if they think it's going to result in them having their technology taken away from them in really broad ways," she said.

As someone who first encountered disturbing and violent online content as a tween, Ye says teens want a safe space to talk, and someone to allay their fears and provide guidance in navigating safety.

"I felt bad for just coming across [this material], because it felt like I was doing something wrong. And I think that it's definitely not a unique experience."

by: Jessica Wong---jessica.wong@cbc.ca.

TECH

Nearly half of AI projects could fail in the coming years, and the reason goes far beyond the technology itself.

The new generation of artificial intelligence is no longer limited to answering questions or automating simple tasks. So-called "agentic AI" promises to execute entire processes autonomously and transform corporate operations. Yet, despite the excitement, experts warn that the race to adopt this technology may mask a problem far greater than the choice of software.

Agentic AI is emerging as a key trend in the corporate world. Unlike traditional chatbots or generative AI assistants, these systems can coordinate multiple process stages, analyze information, make decisions within set parameters, and interact with other digital agents to complete complex tasks.

In practice, this means AI moves beyond executing isolated actions to managing entire workflows.

Despite this potential, a report by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services—produced with support from Deloitte—offers a worrying prediction: up to 40% of agentic AI projects could be cancelled before 2027.

According to the study, the reason lies not in technological limitations, but in the difficulty companies face in adapting internal processes, organizing data, and transforming their operating models.

The challenge, therefore, is not simply implementing a new tool, but preparing the entire organization to work alongside increasingly autonomous systems.

The biggest mistake is viewing AI solely as a cost-cutting measure... For years, companies invested in automation to eliminate repetitive tasks—such as copying data between systems, validating documents, or filling out forms.

Agentic AI takes this concept much further. Instead of automating just one step, it can coordinate across departments and execute an entire workflow.

One example cited by Deloitte involves hiring new employees. While a traditional system might merely extract data from a contract, intelligent agents could automatically register the new hire with HR, request equipment from IT, organize payroll documentation, and track all subsequent steps without constant human intervention. According to Fernanda Velázquez, leader of the Operate practice at Deloitte Southern Cone, the real gain lies in redesigning entire processes—moving away from a focus on departmental silos and centering operations on the end-user experience.

She also warns of a common mistake: many organizations view AI merely as a tool to cut costs or replace employees.

This strategy often overlooks persistent issues such as disorganized processes, outdated systems, inconsistent data, and cultural resistance within teams.

Without addressing these matters, artificial intelligence fails to boost efficiency; on the contrary, it can amplify existing errors.

Poor data and legacy systems can compromise the entire operation...The report identifies three obstacles that frequently arise in agentic AI projects.

The first involves poorly structured processes. Many companies rely on employee experience to handle exceptional situations that have never been formally documented. An intelligent agent, however, requires clear rules to make decisions consistently.

The second challenge lies in data quality.

Duplicate, incomplete, or fragmented information across different systems hinders AI performance and significantly reduces its reliability.

According to Velázquez, intelligent agents rely on solid data to produce reliable results. When this foundation is flawed, the technology ends up multiplying problems rather than solving them.

The third obstacle involves so-called legacy systems—platforms developed years ago that were not designed to integrate with modern artificial intelligence solutions. A lack of documentation and integration limits the agents' ability to execute end-to-end processes.

Governance, costs, and human oversight will be decisive...As these agents begin making increasingly complex decisions, the need for control mechanisms grows as well.

In sectors such as banking, healthcare, insurance, and energy, it is not enough for a decision to be correct; it is also necessary to demonstrate how it was reached and which rules were applied during the process.

Furthermore, the cost structure of artificial intelligence itself is shifting.

Instead of fixed expenses for software licenses, many platforms charge based on usage, measured in tokens. The more queries, analyses, and reasoning tasks the system performs, the higher the operational cost tends to be.

This compels companies to devise new ways to monitor spending, set usage limits, and continuously evaluate whether the investment is generating a return.

Another key factor will be the role of managed service providers, who are taking on a strategic function by integrating technology, continuous operations, and business expertise.

Despite the rapid evolution of AI, experts emphasize that human judgment will remain indispensable.

The recommendation is for intelligent agents to handle repetitive, operational tasks, while critical decisions remain under the supervision of professionals capable of interpreting contexts, assessing risks, and responding to unexpected situations.

Ultimately, competitive advantage will not necessarily lie with companies possessing the most sophisticated agents, but rather with those that successfully combine technology, well-structured processes, reliable data, efficient governance, and a workforce prepared to collaborate with artificial intelligence.

 

mundophone

TECH

Planning to sell your used phone? These mistakes could cost you both the device and the money

The market for used phones is booming, turning devices long forgotten in drawers into a potential source of income. However, the rush to list, negotiate, and ship the device often masks significant risks. A simple error regarding account removal, payment, or packaging can lead to financial loss, complaints, and even the permanent loss of the device.

Wiping the device's content before the sale is essential, but the procedure must be done correctly. Resetting the phone without first removing linked accounts can leave the device locked and unusable for the buyer.

On an iPhone, the recommended path is to go to Settings, tap General, tap Transfer or Reset iPhone, and select Erase All Content and Settings. During the process, the system may ask for your Apple Account password. This step signs you out and disables Activation Lock.

If the device is reset via recovery mode or a computer before the account is removed, it may continue to require the previous owner's credentials. In practice, the buyer ends up with a device they cannot set up.

Android phones have a similar safeguard known as Factory Reset Protection. Before erasing data, remove your Google account under Settings > Accounts. Then, look for the system reset options and select the option to completely erase data.

There is also no need to install apps that promise to wipe memory multiple times using supposedly military-grade methods. Modern phones use encryption; when reset correctly, they delete the key that allows access to stored information.

One common mistake is overlooking the phone's SIM tray. The physical SIM card and microSD card might remain inside the device without the seller realizing it.

The risk associated with eSIMs is even less obvious. During the reset process, some devices ask if the user wants to keep the installed data plan. If this option is confirmed by mistake, the phone line may remain associated with the sold device. Before packing the phone, delete the eSIM in the mobile network settings or transfer the plan to the new device. It is also worth confirming with your carrier that the line is active on the correct device.

The microSD card requires special attention, as it may contain photos, documents, backups, and app files. Remove the card even if you intend to include it in the sale; in that case, format it separately and clearly state this in the listing.

Too many photos can expose information that should remain private...A good listing needs to show the phone's actual condition, but that doesn't mean publishing every visible detail.

The IMEI and serial number should not appear in public images. This information can be used for fraudulent warranty claims or to make stolen devices appear legitimate.

Also, avoid photographing the device with notifications, contact names, addresses, or messages visible on the screen. The original box label may reveal data that doesn't need to be available to strangers.

Ideally, place the phone on a neutral surface with good lighting and no personal items in the background. Photograph the screen, the sides, the cameras, and any signs of wear. You can keep the IMEI in a private file to reference should any issues arise after the sale.

Hiding defects almost always turns a transaction into a conflict...Masking the device's condition might speed up the initial inquiry, but it usually ends in a complaint.

Disclose the actual battery capacity, scratches, marks, cracks, button malfunctions, and previous repairs. Also, mention if the screen or any other component has been replaced with a third-party part.

On an iPhone, the buyer can check battery health and view alerts about unknown components in the settings. Therefore, hiding this information rarely works for long.

An honest listing might take a few days longer to generate interest, but it reduces the likelihood of returns, accusations, and disputes on the platform. Photographing the defects also protects the seller against claims regarding damage that existed prior to shipping.

Off-platform payments pave the way for the most common scams...Scammers often try to move the transaction out of the protected environment. They claim they want to avoid fees, ask to communicate via WhatsApp, or send fake links to verify accounts and payments.

Another frequent scam involves proof of transfers that were never actually completed. With services like Pix or Bizum—depending on the country—a payment request might also appear disguised as an incoming payment.

You should only hand over the phone once the funds are confirmed in your bank account or officially held by the platform. Do not rely on screenshots, emails, or messages sent by the buyer.

For in-person transactions, choose busy locations and verify the cash before handing over the device. Avoid meeting at private homes, empty parking lots, or locations suggested at the last minute.

Documenting the sale can save you if a dispute arises later...Before wiping the phone, note down the IMEI number, which can be found by dialing *#06# in the phone app. Take a photo of the screen and keep the record.

If you have the original sales receipt, keep it safe. It helps prove the device's origin and builds trust with the buyer.

When shipping, use a tracking service and take photos of the phone, accessories, and the packing process. Keep the shipping receipt and, whenever possible, take a picture of the sealed package.

In most transactions, this evidence will never be needed. However, if an accusation arises regarding an empty box, shipping damage, or a different device being received, this proof can be decisive.

Finally, don't rush the sale. Compare listings for the same model, storage capacity, and condition. Buyback programs are faster but usually pay less. A careful presentation, a reasonable price, and a secure transaction increase your chances of a successful sale without turning an old phone into a new problem.

mundophone

DIGITAL LIFE

Facial recognition advances globally, reigniting debate on privacy and surveillance

Found in airports, mobile phones, stadiums, and even payment systems, facial recognition promises enhanced security and convenience. At the same time, experts warn of risks regarding privacy, the storage of biometric data, and the use of this information by governments and companies.

Facial recognition has evolved from a futuristic technology into a part of daily life for millions of people. Today, it is found in smartphones, immigration control systems, payment platforms, security cameras, and sporting events. As governments and companies expand its adoption, the debate surrounding privacy, data protection, and the limits of mass surveillance is also growing.

Speaking on the program *Infobae en Vivo*, analyst Emmanuel Ferrario stated that the technology is already widely deployed and can offer significant gains in security and efficiency. However, he argued that its use must be accompanied by clear regulations, oversight, and mechanisms to prevent abuse.

According to Ferrario, approximately seven out of ten governments already use some form of facial recognition system in their operations.

The technology's presence extends far beyond public safety; it also appears in mobile phones, airports, supermarkets, and even payment solutions.

As an example, the analyst cited South Korea, where a system called FacePay allows consumers to make purchases using only their faces for authentication.

In practice, this type of solution uses biometric data to uniquely identify an individual, eliminating the need for cards, passwords, or cash.

Ferrario notes that the popularization of this feature began nearly a decade ago when Apple introduced Face ID on iPhones.

Initially, the technology was used to unlock the device. Over time, it expanded to authorize payments, access apps, and validate various digital transactions, making facial recognition a common tool for millions of users.

Supermarkets and companies are also adopting the system...The private sector has likewise been expanding its use of this technology. In the United Kingdom, for example, some supermarket chains use internal facial recognition systems to identify individuals involved in thefts previously recorded at other locations within the same company.

According to Ferrario, when a customer is identified by cameras during a theft, their biometric data may be stored in the chain's database to facilitate future identification.

This type of application illustrates how facial recognition has moved beyond exclusive government use to become part of loss prevention and corporate security strategies.

Benefits for public safety...In the security sector, Ferrario states that the technology offers significant advantages.

The systems can assist in identifying fugitives, missing persons, kidnapping victims, or vulnerable individuals.

Furthermore, facial recognition can accelerate investigations and provide biometric evidence for legal proceedings.

The analyst points out that eyewitnesses often make mistakes due to the stress or pressure experienced during a crime. In contrast, biometric identification tends to offer a higher level of accuracy when used correctly and combined with other investigative elements.

Another cited benefit is speed.

At airports and stadiums, for example, facial recognition can significantly reduce the time required to verify user identities. According to Ferrario, some systems can speed up access processes by up to 30%.

World Cup experience showed adoption still depends on user choice...Ferrario also commented on information released during the World Cup regarding the use of facial recognition for stadium entry.

He noted that although FIFA presented this option as an innovation available to fans, its use was not mandatory.

After speaking with people who attended tournament matches, the analyst concluded that many fans chose to use only the traditional QR code to enter the stadiums, opting against facial recognition.

This instance demonstrates that, in some cases, the technology still coexists with conventional authentication methods.

The episode demonstrates that, in some cases, technology still coexists with conventional authentication methods.

Facial recognition in residential complexes...Technology has made its way into residential complexes, and there is a curious case worth recounting here...A residential complex in a certain region of Brazil decided to adopt a type of magnetic key system; it was more convenient because residents simply had to hold the magnet embedded in their keys near the reader to open the door—but people kept losing these magnetic keys. After some time, the decision was made to switch to biometrics; this solution was certainly more suitable, practical, and secure. Yet, that still wasn't enough; now, the trend of the moment—facial recognition—has been adopted. The administration decided unilaterally (and dictatorially) that all residents must use facial recognition exclusively, or else face being unable to access their homes within the complex...The moral of the story? The resident is reduced to cattle in a pasture—devoid of autonomy and subservient to the complex's overseer—writes the *mundophone* portal.

Privacy remains the primary challenge...Despite the operational advantages, Ferrario believes the major debate centers on the fate of the collected biometric information.

Issues such as image retention periods, who manages these databases, which institutions can access them, and what mechanisms exist to prevent misuse still lack uniform answers in many countries.

These concerns are becoming increasingly relevant as governments and companies expand the use of the technology in public spaces and private services.

For this reason, experts argue that the expansion of facial recognition must be accompanied by specific legislation, independent audits, and transparent policies regarding the collection, storage, and sharing of biometric data.

There is a consensus among both proponents and critics that facial recognition will continue to advance in the coming years. The challenge will be to strike a balance between the benefits offered by the technology and the protection of fundamental rights regarding privacy and individual freedom.

mundophone

TECH

Sony explores new heat pipe tech In PlayStation 6 cooling patent

Sony has published a new international patent application detailing an improved cooling system for a future electronic device, and while the filing doesn't mention the PlayStation 6 by name, it's certainly the sort of technology that could find its way into a next-generation console. Tech4Gamers first drew attention to the patent, but the site went on to draw a conclusion from the document that I don't think it supports.

The patent focuses entirely on a redesigned heat pipe assembly intended to maintain cooling performance regardless of whether the device is operated horizontally or vertically. Rather than introducing an entirely new cooling principle, Sony appears to be refining how the working fluid inside the heat pipe circulates between its evaporating and condensing sections. The design includes specially shaped portions of the pipe that help return condensed fluid to the heat source more consistently, reducing the impact of gravity when the console changes orientation.

The PS5's liquid metal-based cooling system has been repeatedly criticized since the console's release in 2020. Owners of early revisions reported device overheating, as well as cases of liquid metal leaking onto the APU and motherboard components, leading to serious malfunctions. Such reports continue to appear several years after the console's launch.

The new patent describes a liquid evaporation-based cooling system. Instead of liquid metal, it proposes using a cooling fluid (such as water) and several conical heat pipes that ensure the circulation of the coolant and efficient heat dissipation from the processor. In addition, such a design should maintain high efficiency regardless of whether the console is positioned horizontally or vertically.

Another advantage of the new technology could be reduced manufacturing costs. Applying liquid metal requires high precision during assembly, as even a small error can damage device components. An evaporation chamber, on the other hand, is a ready-made module that can be installed on the APU using standard manufacturing methods, reducing the likelihood of defects and simplifying the assembly process.

In plain English, Sony is trying to make a cooling system that's less sensitive to how you place the console. That's a practical problem to solve, particularly for a device like the PlayStation 5 that was explicitly designed to be used in either orientation. While some repair technicians have reported reliability issues involving liquid metal migration in consoles with compromised seals, Sony officially supports both horizontal and vertical operation.

Things become more speculative in Tech4Gamers' conclusion that Sony may be abandoning the liquid metal thermal interface used in the PlayStation 5 on the PlayStation 6. That's certainly a possibility, and it would even make sense, but it's really not a story this patent appears to support.

Throughout, the filing discusses the construction and geometry of the heat pipe itself: its working fluid, its internal flow path, and the heat transfer characteristics of the cooling assembly. What it specifically doesn't describe is the thermal interface material that sits between the processor package and the cooler. Those are separate parts of the thermal stack. A future console could absolutely adopt this revised heat pipe design while continuing to use liquid metal TIM. Or, it could use a conventional thermal compound, or even some entirely different interface material, all without contradicting anything described in the patent.

Patent filings are often broad by design, and it's always worth resisting the temptation to read product decisions into them that simply aren't there. If you read Japanese, Sony's filing makes for an interesting look at how the company is thinking about next-generation cooling, particularly for hardware that may spend years operating in either a horizontal or vertical position. Whether that eventually translates into the PlayStation 6, and whether Sony sticks with liquid metal for the next-gen "Orion" system, are questions the patent itself doesn't answer.

mundophone

TECH

Japan's answer to deadly heat waves is a human refrigerator

Japan's Do Hiemon Box is a new walk-in personal cooling booth that maintains an interior temperature of 15°C, with 5°C airflow directed at the head and neck. Priced at ¥1.5 million (~$9,230), it's now on sale for businesses across Japan.

A Japanese company has developed what it calls a human refrigerator — a walk-in personal cooling booth that chills the body in minutes and is already showing up in public spaces across Japan.

Called the "Do Hiemon Box", the product was developed by SDRS, a Japanese refrigeration and vending machine manufacturer, and is distributed by industrial equipment supplier Trusco Nakayama. The design is directly inspired by Japan's ubiquitous vending machines. The refrigeration booth is roughly the same shape and footprint as a standard unit, standing 2,029 mm tall and 931 mm wide, and weighing 293 kg. It runs on wheels, requires no installation, and can be deployed indoors or outdoors.

Mechanics-wise, the booth manages to maintain an interior ambient temperature of 15°C. Once seated on the built-in chair, chilled air at around 5°C is directed toward the user's head, neck, shoulders, and back simultaneously. The company says users feel much cooler within five minutes only, and that ten minutes inside may help relieve symptoms of heat exhaustion by rapidly lowering body temperature. Three airflow and cooling settings are available, and the unit shuts off automatically after 20 minutes to prevent overcooling. Power consumption is roughly half that of a typical spot air conditioner.

The Do Hiemon Box went on sale in April at ¥1.5 million (approximately $9,230) plus tax. Businesses and organizations should benefit greatly from this, instead of individual buyers. One unit has already been donated to Maebashi City Hall in Gunma Prefecture.

The booth releases air at approximately 5°C...Developed by Trusco Nakayama, the "Do Hiemon Box" is based on the structure of a frozen food vending machine.

Upon entering and sitting in the booth, the user receives a stream of air at approximately 5°C directed at their head and the back of their neck. The unit features three temperature and airflow settings and shuts off automatically after 20 minutes to prevent over-cooling.

In a test featured in the report, a journalist ran for five minutes in an outdoor temperature of around 36°C. After entering the booth, their measured surface body temperature reportedly dropped from approximately 35°C to 15.3°C in about four minutes.

Designed for both indoor and outdoor use, the unit operates on a standard 100-volt power outlet and is equipped with wheels for easy mobility.

Launched on April 1, 2026, the product had already been adopted by approximately 130 companies—primarily factories and workplaces with high-heat environments—according to the report.

Since June 2025, companies with employees working in conditions that pose a risk of heatstroke have been required to establish communication methods and emergency procedures to prevent such cases from worsening.

The timing also makes sense. Japan recently introduced new official terminology for days when temperatures exceed 40°C, and on July 15 alone, 48 people were taken to hospital for heatstroke in Tokyo.

 

mundophone