Every single day—weekend, weekday, rain or shine—whichever robot vacuum I’m currently testing starts running at 9 am. It’s always a good sign. I heave a sigh of relief and continue with whatever else I was doing, content that at least that f*cking chore in my house is getting done.

When I first started testing robot vacuums eight years ago, it sometimes seemed like more trouble than it was worth. I cleaned up the floor. I meticulously maintained the different sensors. Now I just don’t care. (I mean, yes, I do care, robot vacuum manufacturers, I just care slightly less.) Even if it gets tripped up on my daughter’s latest knitting project, or it can’t mop the kitchen because I haven’t emptied the water tank. Just go, little soldier, go.

Robot vacuums are so much smarter now. They can navigate through many more surprising minefields of Lego bricks, stuffed animals, or piles of shoes than you might have expected even two or three years ago. As a working parent with two elementary-school-aged kids and a dog, I need all the help I can get. Maybe it will clean the whole house; maybe it will only clean up 50 or 65 percent of it. But as someone who is constantly fighting chaos, consistency is what counts.

It’s a Miss

It took a while for me to reach this Zen state (and also to collect enough robot vacuums to have an army running in every room and floor of my house). Based on my years of talking to many families (and trying to foist used robot vacuums on them), these are a few reasons why a robot vacuum might not be worth it for you.

• You live in a small space. If it only takes you an hour or so to vacuum, why bother?
• Your home has a complicated layout. A lot of 1970s homes have strange, complicated designs—a sunken living room, a playroom that’s up a few stairs, bedrooms upstairs. Although stair-climbing vacuums are on the way, for now, it’s not worth carrying a vacuum from room to room.
• You have rugs with weird tassels. The 1970s were bad for robot vacuums. Shag carpeting is also bad, as is a lot of low furniture.
• You hate maintenance. You really can’t stand emptying the fussy little dust bag or refilling the water container. I’m going to say here that you probably have other problems that need addressing before getting a robot vacuum.

Even I don’t rely solely on a robot vacuum to keep my house clean. I also have a Dyson stick vacuum, a carpet cleaner, and a regular broom and mop in a closet. If my kid spills a bunch of flour under the counter while she’s making pancakes, I’m not going to pull out my phone, open the app, and watch a robot vacuum slowly trundle over to spot-clean it.

It’s also not great for deep-cleaning. No matter how much a company hypes up a robot’s suction power, it will just never be as thorough as even the smallest hand vacuum. It’s just physics. A robot vacuum’s motor and battery are smaller.

Even the best navigation system cannot accommodate everything that happens in a crazy, dynamic environment with a bunch of gremlins and animals running around. If I have people coming over, I still have to walk around and do things like put away cushion forts and pick up the shreds of a log that my dog decided to pluck off the woodpile and bring into the house to gnaw in the warmth and comfort of the living room.

Every day, millions of people talk to chatbots and AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Replika and Gemini, but what kind of “relationships” are we really forming with them?

In a special issue of the journal New Media & Society, Dr. Iliana Depounti (Loughborough University) and Associate Professor Simone Natale (University of Turin) explore the rise of “artificial sociality”—technologies that simulate social behavior and emotional connection without actually possessing them.

Their article, “Decoding Artificial Sociality: Technologies, Dynamics, Implications,” reveals a number of issues associated with the rise of Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI chatbots.

It argues that the illusion of friendship or understanding created by AI is being deliberately cultivated by technology companies to increase user engagement, such as Spotify’s “AI DJ” with a friendly human voice and Replika’s “virtual companion” chatbots.

Dr. Depounti said, “Companion generative AI bots such as Replika or Character AI exemplify artificial sociality technologies.

“They are created to foster emotional projection, offering users intimacy and companionship through features like avatars, role-playing, customization and gamification—all with monetary benefits for the companies that design them.

“ChatGPT, too, uses artificial sociality techniques, from referring to itself as ‘I’ to adopting tones of authority, empathy or expertise.

“Though these systems simulate sociality rather than recreate it, their power lies in that simulation—in their ability to engage, persuade and emotionally move millions of users worldwide, raising deep ethical questions.”

The study shows how social cues are engineered into products to keep people interacting longer.

Other issues include:

• Machines only imitate social behavior, but users still project feelings, trust and empathy onto them.
• User data and emotional labor are exploited to train and “personalize” AI systems, raising ethical and environmental concerns about hidden human work and massive data-center energy use.
• Bias and stereotypes in AI systems mirror social inequalities, shaping how gender, class and race are represented in digital conversations.
• Users adapt to AI “companions” through what researchers call “re-domestication”—renegotiating relationships every time a chatbot’s personality or behavior changes.
• The line between authenticity and deception is becoming blurred as AI personalities are marketed as “friends,” “co-workers” or even “influencers.”

Dr. Natale said, “Artificial sociality is the new frontier of human–machine communication in our interactions with generative AI technologies.

“These systems don’t feel, but they are designed to make us feel, and that emotional projection has profound social, economic and ethical consequences. Artificial sociality technologies invite and encourage these projections.”

Behind these apparently effortless conversations, the researchers warn, lies a vast infrastructure of human and environmental cost.

AI models rely on huge datasets drawn from people’s online interactions and often from their conversations with the machines themselves.

This data is then used to “train” chatbots to sound more human—sometimes with users unknowingly performing unpaid emotional or linguistic labor.

At the same time, the servers powering generative AI consume enormous amounts of electricity and water.

The authors highlight a $500 billion investment by major tech firms in new data centers to meet AI demand, describing it as part of an “extractive” system that turns human communication into corporate assets.

HBO Max is not just for The Sopranos anymore (but it is the only place to stream The Sopranos). Subscription video service HBO Max not only has The Sopranos, but other content from the best entertainment libraries, including: Warner Bros., Discovery Channel, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, and other brands.

We at WIRED also watch a lot of content—obviously, because we are always testing TVs, soundbars, and streaming devices—and regularly round up our newest favorites from HBO Max so that you’ll know what to watch once you nab an HBO Max promo code. Whether you’re wanting to watch an HBO original series like Succession or a smash hit movie like Barbie, HBO Max has the content you’re looking for, and WIRED has the perfect promo codes to help you save on these sometimes-pricey subscription plans.

50% Off HBO Max Promo Code for Students

Students rejoice, you don’t have to try to mooch off your friends’ parents’ HBO Max subscriptions anymore when you want to rewatch Euphoria for the 15th time (…not speaking from personal experience or anything). HBO Max is offering a Student Discount, where you can save and get 50% off subscriptions with a promo code. This means the price is only $5 a month. This discounted plan is eligible for The HBO Max Basic With Ads monthly plan, so you’ll get unlimited access to all of HBO, hit series, movies, news, sports, and more on up to two devices at once.

Save 35% by Bundling HBO Max, Disney+ and Hulu

This deal is honestly one of the best I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been thinking of switching as well, because with this Magic Bundle, you can get HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu for just $17 a month. (which is crazy because I pay that much alone for my Hulu! Again, I’m convincing myself while writing this that I should switch to this plan.) This crazy good deal is for those three streaming services with ads, but you’ll be saving 35% on the original price. If you’re impatient like me, you can get the same deal without ads for $30 a month, which is definitely higher than with ads but you’re still saving almost $19 a month with this Evergreen deal.

HBO Max Deals: Save up to $41

Like other streaming services, HBO Max has different tiers at different prices for streaming, so you can choose which one fits you (or your “household;” wink) best. Basic with ads allows you to stream on two devices at once in full HD for $10 a month. Standard is midrange, where you get everything from the previous basic plus 30 available downloads so you can watch on the go, for $17 a month. If you are impatient and a movie/TV buff, you might want to choose the premium, where you can stream on four devices at once, have 4k Ultra HD video quality, Dolby Atmos immersive audio, and 100 downloads to watch on the go for $21 a month.

HBO Max November 2025 New Shows and Films

HBO Max is known for being one of the most heralded platforms in entertainment. These new shows and films on HBO Max are sure to be a hit too. We’re most excited for Task, a new series set in the working-class suburbs of Philadelphia, where an FBI agent heads a task force aiming to end the violent robberies led by an unsuspecting family man. There’s also a new GOT-spin off series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, premiering January 18. Taking place a century before the events of Game of Thrones, set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory. There’s also Chair Company from the oddball mind of Tim Robinson, and IT: Welcome to Derry, a spin off set in the IT universe for fans of horror.

Stream Sports Games for Free With Your HBO Max Subscription

As an added bonus, you can also stream live sports through the B/R Sports add-on at no extra cost. This includes super popular events from the NBA, NHL, March Madness, MLB, U.S. Soccer, Bellator, and premier cycling events. Act soon though, because after the promo period, the add-on will be available for $10 a month.

Watch Your Favorite Shows on HBO Max for Free

Because HBO knows how tempting (and sexy) teasing can be, folks can sample episodes of new and fan-favorite original steamy series, like Euphoria, Industry, or The Idol for free without a subscription. When you inevitably get hooked (too soon after the Euphoria reference?) on that sweet, sweet content, you’ll need an HBO Max subscription to stream the full library. To continue to tease, you can stream nearly endless options, like House of the Dragon from the wildly popular Game of Thrones series, Dune, and my personal faves: The Last of Us, The Penguin, and Hacks, right now. Hurry, you don’t want to miss out on the shows everyone is talking about around the proverbial water cooler.