Chinese workers turn bosses into virtual pets for stress relief amid rising quirky trend

thestar.com.my Aug 18, 2026

Chinese workers turn bosses into virtual pets for stress relief amid rising quirky trend

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Aug 18, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

AI desktop pets are gaining traction in China as a novel outlet for workplace stress and a digital memorial for lost pets. Emerging from early 2000s messaging platform pets, these new AI versions allow users to upload images and prompts to create highly customized companions that respond to mouse movements and user commands. In August, creators demonstrated how to transform bosses into playful avatars that mock overtime or demand promotions, while others turn disliked colleagues into apologetic pets. The trend offers emotional support and a creative way to vent office frustrations, though legal concerns over likeness rights persist.

💡 Why It Matters

· The rise of AI pets reflects a broader shift toward digital coping mechanisms in high‑pressure work cultures, illustrating how technology can reshape interpersonal dynamics and emotional well‑being in the modern office.

AI Capsules

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EtaPRO deploys digital twin and predictive analytics at MGA Thermal’s 5MWh Tomago…

EtaPRO, a Toshiba Group company, has installed its digital twin, monitoring, and predictive analytics platform at MGA Thermal’s 5 MWh thermal energy storage demonstrator in Tomago, New South Wales. The system uses patented MGA Blocks to store renewable energy as latent heat and deliver high‑grade process heat or steam on demand. EtaPRO’s Archive historian, VirtualPlant, and APR pattern‑recognition tools consolidate operational data, model thermodynamics, and flag abnormal behaviour. The deployment follows a 2025 demonstration and an earlier overheating incident, aiming to raise the plant’s Technology Readiness Level to 8.

💡 The integration of advanced digital intelligence into a long‑duration thermal storage prototype demonstrates how data‑driven tools can accelerate the reliability and commercial readiness of hard‑to‑decouple industrial heat solutions.

9to5mac.com · Aug 19

Firefox Smart Window adds AI web search, automatic tab groups, and more

Mozilla has expanded its beta Smart Window feature in Firefox, adding AI-driven tab grouping, duplicate tab detection, and a partnership with Exa for real‑time web search that displays source links without leaving the window. Users can now query natural language prompts to preview browsing history and receive visual previews of pages. Upcoming updates promise to surface recent browsing journeys, auto‑populate forms, and maintain user control over shared tabs. The feature is currently available in English for U.S. and Canadian users.

💡 By keeping search, tab management, and content previews within a single pane, Mozilla reduces friction in multitasking, potentially reshaping how users navigate and organize online research.

ng.shotoe.com · Aug 19

iOS 18.2 Brings Major Upgrade to Apple Intelligence. How to …

Apple unveiled iOS 18.2, the first major update to its Apple Intelligence suite, adding ChatGPT‑powered Siri responses, a generative‑AI Writing Tools feature, and Genmoji, which lets users design custom emoji. The release also introduces Image Playground, a text‑to‑image generator, and Visual Intelligence, a camera‑based visual search tool comparable to Google Lens, available exclusively on the iPhone 16. Compatibility extends to iPhone XS and newer for iOS 18, but only devices that support Apple Intelligence—iPhone 16, iPad models with M1 chips or later, and Macs with M1 or newer—receive the new AI capabilities. Apple advises users to back up data, update to iOS 18.1.1 first, ensure sufficient battery charge, and connect to Wi‑Fi before installing the 18.2 update.

💡 The upgrade finally delivers the AI functionality Apple promised, turning iPhones into on‑device conversational and visual assistants and setting a new baseline for mobile AI interaction.

financialexpress.com · Aug 19

I asked ChatGPT to plan my career switch. It gave me these…

A journalist tested whether ChatGPT could map his existing professional profile to new career options. After providing a detailed account of his experience, skills, interests and income goals, the model first extracted transferable abilities such as editing, research, information synthesis, AI tool usage, multitasking, deadline management, critical reading, communication and adaptability. It then clustered these into five functional categories: turning information into understanding, turning understanding into output, managing workload, solving problems, and working with people and information. Based on this analysis, ChatGPT proposed five distinct paths—business analyst, UX researcher, operations manager, customer success manager and AI trainer—each with identified skill gaps, estimated learning periods ranging from two to nine months, and projected annual salaries between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 14 lakh. The experiment demonstrates AI’s capacity to generate personalized career transition roadmaps.

💡 It shows that generative AI can quickly translate a nuanced skill set into concrete, market‑relevant job pathways, offering a scalable tool for workers seeking mid‑career pivots.

businessworld.in · Aug 19

OpenAI Introduces ChatGPT For Teens With New Parental Safety Controls

OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens, a version of its AI chatbot tailored for users aged 13‑17, on Tuesday. The service automatically activates when the system detects a user under 18 or when the user self‑reports a teen age, and it blends educational tools—such as Study Mode, quizzes, visualisations, dedicated study hours, and homework reminders—with reinforced safety features. Parents can link their accounts, set Quiet Hours, and receive alerts for high‑risk interactions, including those related to eating disorders. OpenAI positioned the product as a means to foster critical thinking and direct teens to real‑world support when AI advice is insufficient. The rollout arrives amid lawsuits accusing ChatGPT of harming children and ahead of a potential record‑setting IPO, intensifying scrutiny of the company’s youth‑safety protocols.

💡 By embedding parental oversight directly into the user experience, OpenAI aims to pre‑empt regulatory pressure while keeping teens engaged with AI‑enhanced learning.

tribuneonlineng.com · Aug 19

From megawatts to prosperity: Rural electrification in the age of AI

In 2026, artificial‑intelligence firms are confronting a critical bottleneck: reliable, high‑capacity electricity. While earlier AI debates focused on chips and data, the International Energy Agency now projects global data‑centre power use to hit about 945 TWh by 2030—double today’s level and growing 15 % annually, outpacing overall electricity demand four‑fold. Major tech companies are responding by acting like utilities, securing nuclear and gas generation, buying power‑grid assets, and siting new data centres where power is abundant. The shift, dubbed the “Age of Electricity,” promises a 50 % annual rise in global electricity demand from 2026 to 2030, driven by data‑centres, electrified cooling, manufacturing and electric mobility. In Nigeria, the surge reframes electricity from a social service to a cornerstone of economic competitiveness, prompting firms such as REA and RAMCO to rethink investment strategies. Elon Musk’s xAI, despite rumors of a nuclear purchase being unfounded, has built its own generation capacity, deploying gas turbines in Tennessee and committing over $20 billion to a 2 GW data‑centre in Southaven, Mississippi.

💡 The race to secure power will dictate which AI players can scale, reshaping global tech leadership and forcing emerging economies to prioritize energy infrastructure as a competitive asset.