Technologies

ChatGPT Rival Google Bard Integrates Images Into Responses, AI Images Coming Soon

Google adds images to Bard, but doesn’t generate AI images like Bing AI.

Google Bard, the search giant’s generative artificial intelligence engine that competes with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing AI, has integrated images into queries, the company said in a blog post on Tuesday.

Now when you ask Bard questions, it’ll pull up images found online to help you get a better understanding through visuals. These are images that already exist online and are not AI-generated images, like those made by Dall-E 2, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly and Bing AI. But Google is working on bringing image generation into Bard.

«We’ll also integrate Adobe Firefly into Bard so you can easily and quickly turn your own creative ideas into high-quality images,» a Google spokesperson said in a statement.

In Bard, you can also ask for images directly. In addition, Bard will show the image source. This can be handy when you want to look up must-see sights in, say, New Orleans or you’re planning a road trip and want to visit some scenic destinations. In the coming weeks, you’ll also be able to use Google Lens to prompt Bard with related images.

Ever since the launch late last year of ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that could pretty much answer any question with a novel response, Google has been upping its AI game. Earlier this year, it introduced Bard, just as Microsoft announced ChatGPT integration into Bing Search.

Earlier this month at Google I/O, its annual developer conference, Google focused a significant chunk of the keynote on AI, with presenters saying the term more than 140 times during the two-hour presentation. Along with hardware announcements like the Pixel Fold phone, Google opened up Bard to the public and showed off an experimental version of search with integrated AI.

If Google does fully integrate AI into search, it’ll change the experience of finding information online for billions of people, but it might also require a rethinking of the larger ad-driven internet economy. After Google I/O, the company saw its stock jump 4.1% suggesting investor confidence.

Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to create some personal finance explainers that are edited and fact-checked by our editors. For more, see this post.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Sept. 20 #566

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Sept. 20, No. 566.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be a puzzler. Some of the answers are long and a bit tough to unscramble. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Dire straits.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Oh no! Get me out of here!

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

PICK, PIED, DIRT, DIRE, MANE, MILE, MAIL, MALE, DAME, FRET, MACE, RENT

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

PICKLE, MESS, MUDDLE, DILEMMA, QUANDRY, PREDICAMENT

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is INAFIX. To find it, look for the I that’s four letters down on the far left, and wind up.

Technologies

Microsoft Is Hiking Xbox Series Console Prices Again. Here’s What You’ll Pay This Fall

Gaming is getting more and more expensive due to tariffs.

Microsoft will increase the prices of its Xbox Series consoles once again in October. This latest increase comes just five months after it raised prices due to tariffs.

An Xbox support page notes the upcoming price increase happening on Oct. 3, as first reported by Windows Central on Friday. Console costs will jump $20 to $70, depending on the version.

The new prices are:

Xbox Series S 512GB: $380 to $400
Xbox Series S 1TB: $430 to $450
Xbox Series X Digital: $550 to $600
Xbox Series X: $600 to $650
Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition: $730 to $800

To provide some context on the pricing, the Xbox Series S 512GB was $300 at launch, and the Xbox Series X was $500. In December 2023, the Xbox Series X went for as low as $350.

Microsoft says the price changes are «due to the changes in the macroeconomic environment.» This likely refers to the tariffs instituted by President Donald Trump, which have also caused prices to increase for other video game hardware from Nintendo and Sony.

«We are navigating an incredibly dynamic environment right now,» a company source told Windows Central. «We’ve assessed the changing macroeconomic environment and addressed the applicable impacts.»

When asked for further comment, a Microsoft spokesperson pointed CNET to the Xbox support page.

Where to get an Xbox Series X at its original price

The Xbox price hike won’t take effect until Oct. 3. Until then, you can pick up the Xbox Series consoles for the current pricing at retailers including Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart.

Technologies

The New Meta Ray-Bans Might Be Your Next Disneyland Tour Guide

Disney’s Imagineers are prototyping a virtual assistant to guide you through its theme parks via your own smart glasses.

Walt Disney Imagineering is in the early stages of prototyping a new augmented reality experience at its theme parks. This week, the team released a video showing Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses used as a personal virtual assistant inside Disneyland.

Meta is just one of the companies Disney Imagineering R&D is working with on AR. The Ray-Ban smart glasses allow Disney guests to ask questions out loud and receive real-time responses with information about rides, attractions, merchandise, food and directions.

Disney Imagineering’s R&D team has been working on early prototypes for how our AI glasses can help bring easy to access tips while in the parks, using our new Device Access Toolkit pic.twitter.com/japyanoSEh

— Jake Steinerman (@jasteinerman) September 18, 2025

The video shows a Disney cast member walking through Disneyland wearing Meta Ray-Bans. As she approaches the paddleboat attraction, she asks, «What’s that, and how can I ride it?»

«That’s the Mark Twain River Boat,» the AI-powered glasses respond instantly. «It’s nearby and you can board for a relaxing 14-minute cruise.»

She proceeds to ask, «Where can I get a gluten-free snack?» The answer is, at a snack stand nearby, with the glasses offering to check the full menu for her. She also asks whether a certain ride is appropriate for her 4-year-old, and focuses on a guest’s Porg keychain to inquire, «Where can I get one of those?» It responds by telling her it’s from a store in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.

Another part shows the glasses suggesting activities. «Pirates of the Caribbean currently has a short wait time. Want directions?» And «Winnie the Pooh is nearby, want to meet him?»

Meta’s latest Ray-Bans were unveiled on Wednesday. The second-generation Meta smart glasses have received AI upgrades, a better battery life and an improved camera. They are available now for $379.

Augmented reality experiences have become a way for theme parks to distinguish themselves from the competition. Earlier this year, Universal opened its brand new theme park, Epic Universe, featuring a blend of immersive technology.

Disney doesn’t shy away from using the latest technology in its parks and experiences. There are wearables for park and hotel room entry, new Haunted Mansion illusions and apps for checking ride wait times or voting for that evening’s nighttime entertainment. Let’s not forget the latest Walt Disney animatronics or Disney’s groundbreaking holotile floor, either.