If you have a particular AI tool that you tend to try first when you have an artificial intelligence task on deck, you’re not alone. According to a new survey, 91% of people who use AI have a favorite tool they try first, whether it’s ChatGPT, Gemini, Alex or something else.

A Menlo Ventures survey of 5,000 adults found that this so-called «default tool dynamic» means that most people using AI have chosen a general AI tool they’ll try first for every job, even if it’s not necessarily the best tool for the job. 

In the report, ChatGPT is the AI assistant that tops default tools, with 28% of respondents choosing it first. It’s followed by Google’s Gemini at 23%, Meta AI and Amazon’s Alexa, both at 18%, and Apple’s Siri at 16%. Other tools including Claude, Grok and Perplexity collectively make up another 33%. 

Some of that, Menlo Ventures says, is «first-mover advantage,» with tools like ChatGPT having built up a following by being the first to offer some chatbot and image-generation features. But, the company warns, «that position is not guaranteed,» with challengers moving fast. 

«The consumer market for [large language models] is still nascent and far from saturated,» the report says, «leaving ample room for product innovation to shift market share over time.»

Some of the most common ways people are using these AI tools include composing emails and other writing support, researching topics of interest and managing to-do lists, according to Menlo Ventures. 

Overall, 61% of Americans have used AI in the last six months and nearly 1 in 5, 19%, rely on it daily, the report says.

It’s been a good week for Fortnite gamers who felt cheated by accidental in-game purchases. The Federal Trade Commission announced it was distributing $126 million in compensation to 969,173 claimants this week, and it also extended the time to file a claim — the process had previously ended on Jan. 10, 2025.

Games who were charged by Fortnite for unwanted purchases between January 2017 and September 2022 who haven’t already filed now have until July 9, 2025, to participate in the settlement by filing a claim. The FTC says that since December, 629,344 payments went out to players who made those in-game purchases and who filed a valid claim by Oct. 8, 2024. The average payout was about $114 per customer and totaled $72 million.

In the settlement, the FTC concluded that Fortnite’s developer and publisher, Epic Games, used design tricks known as dark patterns to make in-game sales. «Fortnite’s counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration led players to incur unwanted charges based on the press of a single button,» the agency said in its March 2023 announcement. 

The FTC has more money left, so it’s extending the claim deadline 

The FTC apparently still has about $47 million left to distribute from the settlement. On June 25, the agency posted a notice alerting those who haven’t yet filed that they now have until July 9, to submit a claim at ftc.gov/fortnite. 

The Fortnite settlement applies to anyone who was charged for in-game currency for items they did not want to purchase between January 2017 and September 2022; if a child made credit card charges without a parent’s knowledge between January 2017 and November 2018; or if an account was locked after a charge was disputed between January 2017 and September 2022. 

Those filing must be 18 or older; minors can ask a parent or guardian to complete the form on their behalf. 

One CNET staffer received his PayPal deposit (for $95.98) from a Fortnite claim in January, a pleasant surprise since he had forgotten about the settlement. 

Epic’s Fortnite is wildly popular, especially with teens; in one game event last year, 44.7 million players participated on a single day. But the free-to-play game relies on players buying Battle Passes and other items with V-Bucks, the in-game currency. 

Like other games-as-platforms that have a large audience of young people, such as Roblox, Fortnite has evolved on how to make its game secure for young people and to ensure that payments aren’t being generated without the player’s authorization. 

How can I file a Fortnite claim?

When you visit the FTC’s Epic Games/Fortnite page to file a claim, you will be asked if you received a notification email from the FTC with a claim number. If you have a claim number, select Yes, click Next, then provide your claim number and solve a CAPTCHA test to submit your claim.

If you didn’t receive a notification or can no longer find your claim number, you can apply for a Fortnite claim using your Epic account ID. If you’re not sure of your Epic account ID, follow these steps from the Epic Games support page.

When and how will I receive my money from the FTC?

Eligible claims submitted by Oct. 8, 2024, and January have already started receiving payments. The FTC has not specified when money for new claims filed by July 9 will be distributed. 

During the claims process on the FTC site, you will be able to specify whether you’d like to be paid with a check or via PayPal. Checks must be cashed within 90 days, and PayPal payments must be accepted within 30 days. For questions about your payment, you can call a claims support hotline at 1-800-915-0880 or email admin@fortniterefund.com. 

Will filing a claim against Epic Games affect my Fortnite account?

According to the FTC, filing a claim will not affect the status of a player’s Fortnite account. For more information, see the FTC’s Fortnite refunds FAQ.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition might be tough. The purple category might be one of those where you have to just fill in the other categories and see what you end up with. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.  

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: How you recognize your team.

Green group hint: Sport, but its name is also a Wisconsin city.

Blue group hint: Hockey team names with something in common.

Purple group hint: Think Shedeur’s dad.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: A team’s symbol.

Green group: Associated with lacrosse.

Blue group: NHL teams with singular nicknames.

Purple group: Teams Deion Sanders has played for or coached.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is a team’s symbol. The four answers are badge, crest, emblem and logo.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is associated with lacrosse. The four answers are cradling, crease, faceoff and ground ball.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is NHL teams with singular nicknames. The four answers are Minnesota, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Utah.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is teams Deion Sanders has played for or coached. The four answers are Colorado, Dallas, Jackson State and New York.

Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories

The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.

That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing recently.

#1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.

#2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.

#3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.

#4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.