AI, Gaming Controversies & Tech Policy Shifts: This Week’s Must-Know Headlines – July | DogHouse 26
From AI-powered breakthroughs and controversial gaming decisions to major tech policy changes, this week’s roundup covers the stories that are shaping the future of entertainment, privacy, and innovation. Whether you’re a gamer, tech enthusiast, or just trying to keep up with the latest headlines, we’ve pulled together the most buzzworthy updates for you—all in one place.
Wanna listen? Check out: The DogHouse 26 | Tech & Gaming Turmoil: AI Advice Fails, YouTube Changes, and Hacked Launches
Bark Bits Articles
Etsy Restricts 3D-Printed Listings to Original Designs Only.
Etsy has quietly tightened its creative standards, now excluding most 3D-printed items unless the seller is the original designer of the item. They will still allow sellers who design and print their own creations, but those who rely on licensing or purchasing digital print files now must significantly modify the item or change platforms.
The changed rule was buried within a community newsletter rather than being announced, leading to considerable confusion among shop owners about how Etsy intends to enforce the new rule.
In response to the rule change, other platforms are stepping in to support 3D-print sellers with subscription-based storefronts and a licensing framework. Sellers are encouraging each other to personalize their designs, offer kits or look for another storefront alternative if they see Etsy’s guidelines now too restrictive for their shop.
McDonald’s AI Hiring Bot Exposes 64 Million Job Applicants’ Data.
LINK: McDonald’s AI bot spills data on job applicants | Malwarebytes
Cybersecurity researchers recently discovered a massive breach in McDonald’s AI-powered hiring platform, McHire. The researchers discovered that the admin credentials, both username and password, were easily guessable and that they almost immediately gained access to the platform’s backend. With an insecure API, they were able to view more than 64 million job applications, most of which contained personal information, including emails, phone numbers, and chat transcripts.
The researchers found no malicious activity within the platform, which highlights serious concerns for AI systems.
Xbox Exec Suggests Laid-Off Workers Lean on AI—and Gets Called Out.
Xbox Game Studio Executive Publishing Producer, Matt Turnbull, is in a little bit of hot water recently. In a now-deleted LinkedIn post, the executive advises recently laid-off Microsoft employees to use AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT or Copilot, to “Reduce the emotional and cognitive load” of losing their jobs. Along with the advice, he posted a series of prompts for the AI bot. Everything from resume building to dealing with impostor syndrome.
The message drew a large crowd, and much of it was negative. Most called him out for posting a tone-deaf message as thousands of Xbox and gaming staff are laid off, saying it was a subpar substitute for genuine human interaction during rough times. Many saw it as a push from Microsoft for their AI.
Facebook Tests AI Feature That Analyzes Your Unshared Camera Photos.
LINK: Facebook is asking to use Meta AI on photos in your camera roll you haven’t yet shared | TechCrunch
Facebook has rolled out a brand new feature for its app: Cloud Processing prompts for stories. When this feature is enabled, Meta’s AI has access to your entire camera roll and will upload it, including photos you don’t want shared, to its cloud server for automatic suggestions.
Opting in requires agreeing to Meta’s AI Terms of Service, which allows analysis of facial features, timestamps, object presence, and locations. Meta claims these images aren’t used for ads or current AI model training, but its terms don’t rule out future use and notably lack clear, consumer-friendly explanations.
Meta’s latest AI initiative may seem like a handy photo-editing tool, but it quietly opens deep access to your private, unpublished content. Opting in grants a wide AI permissions that could include future training use. Privacy-minded users should carefully consider the trade-off before clicking “Allow.”
Etsy Restricts 3D-Printed Listings to Original Designs Only.
LINK: YouTube ‘clarifies’ its plan to demonetize spammy AI slop | The Verge
YouTube has refined its Partner Program guidelines. Starting this month, the guidelines will outline a clearer ban on monetizing inauthentic videos posted to the platform. These are the videos that are mass-produced, repetitive, or AI-generated, or heavily reliant on AI, with minimal human input.
YouTube has emphasized that this is a minor update, but it has reinforced the longstanding rule that YouTube has had, which requires originality and significant creative effort to be put into the videos posted. Now, creators can still use AI tools, but the videos they post must include narration, commentary, edits, or have an educational value.
To combat inauthentic videos, YouTube will employ a combination of AI detection and human review to identify channels that rely on low-quality AI content, formats, or repetitive stock footage. They originally named this “AI Slop.”
The clarifications aim to preserve content quality, protect advertiser interests, and reward creators who invest genuine creativity and value in their videos.
Activision Pulls Call of Duty: WWII from PC Amid Major Security Exploit.
LINK: Activision pulls Call of Duty game after PC players are hacked | The Verge
Call of Duty publisher Activision has removed Call of Duty: WWII from the Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass after players reported remote code execution (RCE) attacks on their systems. This occurs when a hacker gains complete control over a system while players are in-game, causing some to find the command bar popping up randomly as they play. Others reported sudden game freezes, Notepad pop-ups with taunting messages, and forced shutdowns.
There is good news to this. The versions on which this is happening were uploaded to Microsoft’s platform in June. If you have an older version or are using it on Steam, you are not affected by this update. They have been patched and remain unaffected by the RCE attacks.
Activision confirmed the takedown came in response to “an issue” under investigation and warned players to avoid launching the Game Pass version until fixes are applied.
If you’ve installed Call of Duty: WWII via Game Pass or the Microsoft Store, consider temporarily uninstalling it. Avoid launching the game until an official patch is released. For safer play, switch to the Steam version or other more secure platforms. As a general rule, avoid downloading untrusted mods, keep your antivirus software up to date, and regularly monitor community channels for updates.
SAG‑AFTRA Video Game Voice Actor Strike Ends with Major AI & Pay Wins.
LINK: The SAG-AFTRA video game voice actors’ strike has come to an end | Polygon
After an almost year-long strike, SAG-AFTRA voice actors and motion capture performers have come to a new agreement. The deal, ratified by 95% of members in July, offers historic wage increases. It starts with a 15% bump and a 3% increase through 2027, along with stronger health and safety benefits for actors. It also includes AI protections that require informed consent for AI voice/likeness replication, and allows actors to pause the content in case of future strikes.
This landmark agreement not only ensures fair pay and working conditions but also sets a significant precedent in the fight against unauthorized use of AI in the media. It marks a major victory for SAG‑AFTRA and a new era of empowerment for performers in the gaming industry.
When Chatbots Become More Than Tools: Emerging Addiction and Recovery Communities.
LINK: Inside ‘AI Addiction’ Support Groups, Where People Try to Stop Talking to Chatbots | 404 Media
In the era of AI generation and the increasing adoption of AI, people are beginning to rely on AI chatbots for emotionally engaging conversations. Young individuals are finding it easier to speak with an AI chatbot, describing late-night conversations and a whole host of other issues that come with developing an addiction to AI.
Researchers and experts have compared this set of behaviors to that of gambling. Most of those who discuss their addiction find themselves with a rush of dopamine, but it can lead to decreased social interactions and emotional dysregulation.
If you fear that you are a part of this, don’t worry! There are online communities, like subreddits, that are dedicated to helping beat AI addiction and provide safe spaces where users can work through their struggles anonymously and support each other throughout the recovery period.
Google Expands Gemini AI Across Devices—Starting With Smartwatches.
LINK: Google Unpacks Another Round of AI Features, Starting With Gemini On Wear OS | PCMag
Google recently announced that it is bringing Gemini to its wearables with Wear OS 5. This marks the beginning of a wave of integrations into the Google ecosystem, enabling users to access conversational AI assistance on their wrist.
Along with the watch, Google will be implementing Gemini on Android phones and tablets, offering context-aware suggestions, image generation, and voice input improvements. These enhancements aim to streamline tasks such as composing emails, searching for apps, and setting reminders without requiring manual input.
Microsoft Teams Catches Up to Slack with Threaded Conversations & More.
LINK: Microsoft Teams Is Finally Getting Features Slack Users Have Had for Years | PCMag
Microsoft Teams is officially rolling out its long-promised threaded message feature within channels, currently in public preview. This update finally lets users reply directly to individual messages, keeping discussions organized and reducing channel clutter, just like Slack has offered for years. Teams also includes a “Followed Threads” view so you can easily keep tabs on topics you care about or opt out of them completely.
However, that’s not all; Microsoft is also introducing multiple emoji reactions per message, slash commands, and customizable keyboard shortcuts. These workflow enhancements bring Teams much closer to feature parity with Slack, improving usability for long-time Teams users.
Amazon’s Nintendo Switch 2 Arrival Comes With a Catch.
LINK: Amazon Is Finally Selling the Nintendo Switch 2, But You’ll Need to Do This First | PCMag
Amazon is finally selling the highly sought-after Switch 2, but it comes with a catch. Purchases currently require signing up for an invite-only raffle system, where users register their interest and wait for an email with a limited-time purchase link.
This is a way for Amazon and Nintendo to try to combat those who mass purchase and resell. For now, Amazon shoppers must join the waiting list and hope for an invite, while others continue to monitor restocks at retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Target.
AI-Built Band with Over 1 Million Spotify Listeners Now Admits It’s Synthetic.
LINK: This Band With a Million Monthly Spotify Listeners Now Confirms It’s Using AI | PCMag
Velvet Sundown, a retro-styled indie band that once amassed over one million monthly listeners on Spotify, has officially confirmed that every aspect of the act, from music to visuals and backstory, is entirely AI-generated.
Their first album, released in June, gained widespread popularity quickly, with several songs topping the charts. Despite their popularity, the band’s backstory and identity unraveled under scrutiny, as there were no live shows, a social media presence, or credible band member backgrounds.
The revelation has sparked broader controversy over transparency, copyright, and the ethics of AI content creation in the music industry, with critics calling for mandatory labeling of AI-generated work and expressing concern that such practices might erode opportunities for real artists.
Can ChatGPT Steal Your Banking Login?
LINK: Is ChatGPT Helping Phishing Scammers Steal Your Banking Login? | PCMag
Security researchers at Netcraft demonstrated that AI tools based on GPT-4.1—such as ChatGPT, Bing AI, and Perplexity—often provide incorrect or misleading login URLs when asked to direct users to the websites of major brands. Around one-third of responses pointed to dead domains or unrelated sites, creating opportunities for attackers to register these unclaimed domains and host convincing phishing pages to harvest credentials.
Napster Resurfaces As (What Else?) an AI Company.
LINK: Napster Resurfaces As (What Else?) an AI Company. Can Its Agents Deliver? | PCMag
Napster has returned in 2025—not as a streaming rival, but as an AI-powered conversational platform. The brand was acquired in March for $207 million by the Florida-based firm formerly known as Infinite Reality, which promptly rebranded itself as Napster Corporation and launched two new products: Napster Companion, a suite of domain-specific, personality-driven video chat agents, and Napster View, an optional 3D holographic display to bring these embodied AI personas to life.
NASA+ Live Streams Are Coming Soon.
LINK: Ready to Watch Spacewalks on Netflix? NASA+ Live Streams Are Coming Soon | PCMag
In 2023, Netflix and NASA collaborated to launch NASA+ on the streaming giant’s platform. The integration, available free to those who already have a Netflix account, will enable people to stream spacewalks, rocket launches, mission coverage, and even watch the Earth from the International Space Station. They have yet to release a schedule, but it will be available in the coming weeks.
Roblox Players Now Have to Prove They’re Over 13 to Chat Without Filters.
LINK: Roblox Players Now Have to Prove They’re Over 13 to Chat Without Filters | PCMag
Roblox has announced changes to its Friends feature on the app. The changes, which include Age Estimation verification, mean that kids aged 13-17 will be able to have unfiltered chats only after they’ve proven their age. The Age Estimation Process begins with a selfie, comparing it to a broad set of information to estimate age. However, it’s optional; you can simply upload a photo of your ID and use that instead.
If you’re concerned about your information, Roblox assures that biometric data is only stored for 30 days and then deleted unless legal requirements arise.
They have also limited the ability to communicate with someone over 17 unless there is a real-life connection, such as through a code or QR code.
Gaming Spotlight
- Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon: Step into a dark reimagination of Arthurian legends in this first-person, open-world RPG. Explore a world stuck in everlasting autumn, witness falling legends, and make meaningful choices woven into a complex, branching storyline.
- Offers a Free Demo, but it is $44.99 on Steam
- Guilty as Socks! Enter a chaotic courtroom where socks play lawyers, prosecutors, and judges! Use absurd evidence, craft wild arguments, and deliver verdicts in this hilarious online party game. Improvise, strategize, and shout “Objection!”—because in Guilty as Sock!, chaos always wins!
- As of this recording, this is on sale for 20% off.
It’s official, the Dog Daze of Summer! With the release of this podcast episode, we’re sharing some of our best friends’ tips for staying cool with a little snack. Head over to our Facebook and share your furry friend enjoying a little bit of watermelon!
Tags: Tech News, Gaming Industry, AI Developments, Privacy & Security, PC Gaming, Console Gaming, Xbox, Nintendo Switch 2, Roblox, Call of Duty, SAG-AFTRA, Activision, AI Technology, Generative AI, AI Companions, AI Addiction, Meta AI, Gemini OS, YouTube Monetization, AI in Job Search, 3D Printing, Etsy Policy, Streaming Tools, McDonald’s AI, Malware, Hackers, Slack vs Microsoft Teams, Napster AI, Wear OS, Digital Life, Content Creation, Game Hacking, Voice Actors Strike, AI and Creativity, Tainted Grail, Guilty as Socks!, DogHouse26
Wanna Join Our Mailing List? Click Here!
Contact Us:
Email: podcast@doghousesystems.com
Leave us a voicemail: 214-810-4347
Direct Message: Instagram | Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Threads
© 2025 DogHouse Systems, Inc.
