A new survey from HABRI and Chewy Health finds that 36% of US pet owners have used AI for pet care, and 80% say it helps them care for their pets better. The study, which covered 2,008 dog and cat owners, also found that AI users reported stronger bonds with their pets and improved relationships with their veterinarians. Pet owners are turning to AI for everyday care, symptom checks, and vet visit preparation.
However, experts warn that accurate AI health advice can still lead to poor health choices. Jessica Fishman and John L. Jackson Jr. propose a new safety standard called behavioral benchmarking, which would test whether AI responses encourage people to protect their health or take risks. They point to chatbots discussing chickenpox parties as an example of AI unintentionally promoting harmful behavior.
Meanwhile, France is pushing for immediate rules on AI assistants. An advisory group called CIANum told President Emmanuel Macron that tools like ChatGPT and Gemini need stricter regulation, citing concerns about dependency and the need for better detection of self-harm topics and a report button for harmful responses.
Apple is developing a new Mac app called Harbor that turns a Mac into a private AI inference server. The app lets users run open-weight AI models locally on Apple silicon, keeping data on the hardware. Harbor can link multiple Thunderbolt 5 Macs to pool memory and handle larger models, and it is currently in private preview under Apple's Claris brand.
Meta is expanding AI-powered age checks on Instagram worldwide. The system looks for clues like birthday posts or school mentions to identify teens who lied about their age, then moves them to Teen Accounts with tighter limits. This move comes as Meta faces a $18 billion settlement in a US lawsuit over child safety.
In other AI news, a survey of 1,000 people across nine countries found that while AI content in news is growing, audiences still distrust it. Only 24% saw labels indicating AI made the content, and many people do not want AI deciding what news they receive. Pope Leo the XIV warned that AI and automation could change work in ways that are not always better, with a Pew survey finding 52% of people more worried than excited about AI. Fire crews in Aspen, Colorado are testing AI-powered drones from Seneca that can carry 500 to 1,000 gallons of fire-suppressing foam and work together in a swarm.
Key Takeaways
- A survey of 2,008 US pet owners found 36% have used AI for pet care and 80% say it helps them care better
- Experts propose behavioral benchmarking to test whether AI health advice leads to safer or riskier choices
- France's CIANum urges stricter rules for AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini, citing dependency and self-harm concerns
- Apple is developing a Mac app called Harbor for running open-weight AI models locally on Apple silicon
- Meta faces a $18 billion settlement in a US lawsuit over child safety while expanding AI age checks on Instagram
- Only 24% of people across nine countries saw labels showing AI-made news content, and many distrust AI-curated news
- Pope Leo the XIV warns AI and automation could change work in ways that are not always better
- Aspen, Colorado fire crews will be the first to test Seneca's AI drones carrying 500 to 1,000 gallons of fire foam
- Pet owners still rate veterinary teams higher than AI on trust, personalization, and accuracy
- 52% of adults are more worried than excited about AI, with younger adults showing more concern
Survey finds 36% of US pet owners use AI for pet care
A HABRI and Chewy Health study surveyed 2,008 US dog and cat owners. It found 36% have used AI for pet care and 80% say it helps them care for their pets better. Most AI users also reported stronger bonds with their pets and improved relationships with their veterinarians. Pet owners use AI to manage everyday care, understand symptoms, and prepare for vet visits. The study found AI users are 3.7 times more likely to use more AI in the future.
Pet owners using AI may strengthen vet relationships, study says
The Artificial Intelligence and Pet Health Study was released November 10, 2026 by HABRI and Chewy Health. It surveyed 2,008 US dog and cat owners aged 18 to 70. Among AI users with a veterinarian, 69% said AI improved their relationship with their vet and 80% said it helped them care for their pets better. Pet owners use AI for everyday care, symptoms, diagnoses, and vet visit prep. The study found that pet owners still rate veterinary teams higher than AI on trust, personalization, and accuracy.
Apple developing new Mac app called Harbor for local AI
Apple is working on a new Mac app called Harbor that turns a Mac into a private AI inference server. It lets users run open-weight AI models locally on Apple silicon so data stays on the hardware. Harbor can connect multiple Thunderbolt 5 Mac computers to pool memory and run larger models. The app is in private preview under Apple's Claris brand.
Georgia college students use AI to help Mableton with civic problems
Student teams from Morehouse College, the University of Georgia, Kennesaw State University and Georgia Tech took part in the Georgia 311 Challenge 2026 Demo Day. They gathered at Morehouse College to build digital solutions for Mableton, Georgia's newest city. The student teams created accessible, no-cost civic technology tools. The event paired students with the city to prototype practical solutions.
Experts urge new AI safety standard for health advice
Jessica Fishman and John L. Jackson Jr. wrote that accurate AI health advice can still lead to worse health choices. They propose a new safety standard called behavioral benchmarking. This approach would test whether AI responses make people more or less likely to protect their health. The authors point to examples like chatbots discussing chickenpox parties that could unintentionally encourage risky behavior. They say AI should be tested for behavioral effects, not just factual accuracy.
France urges immediate rules to control AI assistants
A French advisory group called CIANum told President Emmanuel Macron that AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini need stricter rules now. The report warns that people may become dependent on AI. It also urges better detection of self-harm topics and a report button for harmful responses.
Meta expands AI age checks to protect teens worldwide
Meta announced it is using AI to estimate ages on Instagram worldwide. The system looks for clues like birthday posts or school mentions to find teens who lied about their age. Flagged users are moved to Teen Accounts with tighter limits. Meta faces a $18 billion settlement in a US lawsuit over child safety.
AI news grows but audiences still distrust it
A survey of 1,000 people across nine countries found that AI content is becoming common in news. Only 24 percent saw labels showing AI made the content. Many people still do not want AI to decide what news they get. The study was done with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
Pope warns AI may harm workers as worry grows
Pope Leo the XIV warned that AI and automation could change work in ways that are not always better. A Pew survey found 52 percent of people are more worried than excited about AI. Adults under 30 showed more concern than in past years. The NPR program explores how employees are adapting to AI at work.
Quantum computing may ease AI energy use
The founder of a quantum computing company says quantum computers could reduce the energy used by AI data centers. Quantum computers use qubits to handle many calculations at once. The company is working on a more energy-efficient quantum processor. It hopes the technology will be ready for use within a few years.
Aspen fire crews test AI drones that drop fire foam
Fire crews in Aspen, Colorado are training to use new drones from Seneca. The large drones can carry 500 to 1,000 gallons of fire-suppressing foam. They use AI and can work together in a swarm. Aspen will be the first fire department to operate these drones on its own.
Sources
- Survey: Pet owners turning to AI for pet care
- How pet owners are using AI—and why veterinary teams should welcome it
- Apple has new Mac app coming to make running local AI models easy
- Georgia College Students Use AI to Solve Problems for Burgeoning Town
- AI’s health advice can be accurate and still make us sicker
- Commission calls for stricter regulation of AI assistants in France
- Meta’s AI age-check goes global: Can it protect teens?
- AI is becoming an information gateway. Audiences still don’t want it making their news.
- Pending: AI In The Workplace
- Quantum could solve AI energy drain, says tech founder
- Testing the new generation of AI-enabled fire-extinguishing drones
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