AI isn’t new to Hollywood — but this was the year when it really made its presence felt. For years now, the entertainment industry has used different kinds of generative AI products for a variety of post-production processes ranging from de-aging actors to removing green screen backgrounds. In many instances, the technology has been a useful tool for human artists tasked with tedious and painstaking labor that might have otherwise taken them inordinate amounts of time to complete. But in 2025, Hollywood really began warming to the idea of deploying the kind of gen AI that’s really only good for conjuring up text-to-video slop that doesn’t have all that many practical uses in traditional production workflows. Despite all of the money and effort being put into it, there’s yet to be a gen-AI project that has shown why it’s worth all of the hype.
Technology
Simple steps to build your own website: A beginner’s guide
Remember when you were young and dreamed of opening up that store one day or starting that business? For many retirees, there is no time like the present. Many retired people still like to keep themselves active and busy, and what better way to do that than realizing a passion you’ve always had? For some people, this may seem like a daunting task, but the internet has made it much easier to open up shop from the comfort of your home. And the start-up costs are also much more affordable than doing it the brick-and-mortar way.
Still, opening a store online, whether you’d describe yourself as tech-savvy or not, can be challenging if you don’t know the correct steps to take. The good news is that today, we’re going to walk you through it all in this beginner’s guide to building an online presence and finally pursuing that post-retirement passion project (that could also earn you some bucks).
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A woman doing yoga on her laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
1) Choose your passion project
Deciding what to sell is the first step in setting up an online store. Perhaps you’ve already known the answer to this for a long time, and that’s what inspired the store in the first place. But if you’re not quite sure, consider your expertise, interests and what’s in demand in the market.
For retirees, it’s often beneficial to choose products or services that align with your passions or past experiences, as it’s not just something you’re interested in but, by now, you’re likely already an expert in it, too. And, being an expert in your niche will help you establish yourself as a trusted authority in the industry, which is something that potential customers look for.
And, it’s not just products you can sell; you can also sell services like coaching or consulting or even create a blog that can be monetized. The options are endless, but it’s important to have some direction before you get started.
Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.
A woman working on her laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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2) Identify your target audience
Knowing what you want to sell is one thing, but knowing who to sell it to is another. Understanding who your potential customers are is essential for effective marketing and product development. Therefore, take some time to research and understand your target demographic. Consider factors such as age, gender, location, interests and purchasing behavior. A good idea is to start off in your own community.
If you know anyone who would be interested, talk to them and see who they can connect you with. You can even create a research survey to get feedback on your audience and what they are looking for. In fact, some people do this step first if they are not sure what to sell but are certain they want to start an online store.
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3) Ideas for online stores and businesses you can create
When it comes to doing your passion project online, the options are endless. But if you’re not sure, there are various types of online stores you can establish to cater to diverse needs and preferences. Start with an idea that you are passionate about. Below are some examples:
E-commerce store: This is the most common type of online store, where you can sell physical products ranging from clothing and electronics to groceries and furniture.
Digital products store: If you specialize in creating digital goods such as e-books, software, music or online courses, you can set up a digital products store to distribute your creations.
Subscription box service: Subscription-based businesses are gaining popularity, offering curated boxes of products delivered to customers’ doorstep on a recurring basis. Examples include beauty boxes, snack boxes and pet subscription services.
Marketplace platform: Instead of selling your own products, you can create a marketplace platform where multiple vendors can list and sell their items. Etsy and eBay are prime examples of successful marketplace platforms.
Service-based store: Beyond physical and digital products, you can offer various services through an online store, such as consulting, tutoring, freelance services or event planning.
Dropshipping store: With dropshipping, you can sell products without holding inventory. When a customer makes a purchase, the order is fulfilled by a third-party supplier who ships the product directly to the customer.
Print-on-demand store: This model allows you to sell custom-designed merchandise, such as T-shirts, mugs and phone cases, without the need for inventory. Products are created and shipped on demand.
Membership-based store: Create a store where customers pay a membership fee to access exclusive products, discounts or content. This model fosters customer loyalty and recurring revenue.
Blog: Combine content creation with e-commerce by creating a blog where you share valuable information or insights related to your niche, such as health and exercise, and integrate it with an online store to sell related products or services.
Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.
A group of people exercising (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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4) Choose a website builder
Selecting the right website builder is crucial if you are looking to set up an online store. A good website builder should have a user-friendly interface and customizable templates, making it accessible even to those who aren’t tech-savvy. Look for a platform that requires no coding knowledge and offers a variety of professionally designed templates that can be easily customized to create a unique and visually appealing website for your online store.
Additionally, the website builder should offer built-in e-commerce features, making it easy to manage inventory, process payments and track orders all in one place. Before you start building your online store, you’ll need to select a plan that best suits your needs and budget. Many website builders offer a range of plans, from free options with basic features to premium plans with advanced e-commerce capabilities.
Consider factors such as storage, bandwidth and the number of products you plan to sell when choosing a plan. If you’re just starting out, you may want to start with a basic plan and upgrade as your business grows. With flexible pricing options, you can easily scale up your plan as needed to accommodate your growing online store.
Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.
Father and son looking at tablet (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
5) Pick a website name, domain name, hosting provider
Choosing the right name and domain for your online store is crucial as it’s the first thing customers will see and remember about your brand. Your name should be catchy, memorable and reflective of your brand identity. When selecting a domain, try to keep it simple and easy to spell to ensure that potential customers can easily find and remember your website.
You can use various domain search tools to check the availability of your desired domain name and explore different options until you find the perfect match for your online store. While some platforms offer free domains, upgrading to a premium plan often allows you to connect your own domain and remove any platform-specific branding from your URL.
Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.
6) Design your website for success
Now, it’s time to start designing your website. There are many platforms that offer a wide range of professionally designed templates that you can customize to create a unique and visually appealing online store. Choose a template that best fits your brand identity and industry, then use the platform’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor to customize it to your liking.
Add your logo, change colors and fonts and rearrange elements to create a website that reflects your brand personality and effectively showcases your products or services. A good tip is to start off simple; you can always add to your design as you go.
Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.
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7) Decide on what pages to include on your site
When building your online store, blog or business, you’ll want to have useful pages on your website. This not only helps people find your website, but once they are there, it gives them all the information they need.
Common pages for an online store include a home page, product or service pages, an “about us” page, a contact page and a blog (unless, of course, this is the focus of your site, in which case the blog page may be the home page). Generally speaking, the fewer steps it takes for someone to engage in a call to action the better.
You may also want to consider adding pages for shipping and return policies, FAQs and customer testimonials to build trust and credibility with your audience, as well as a privacy policy, disclaimer, regulatory compliance and other legal notices.
Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.
Illustration of various pages to use on your site (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
8) Familiarize yourself with SEO to stand out
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a buzzword that you may have heard going around. SEO is essential for driving organic traffic to your online store and improving your visibility in search engine results. You can optimize your website for search engines by adding relevant keywords to your content, optimizing your meta tags and descriptions, and improving your site’s loading speed and mobile responsiveness. Many website builders offer built-in SEO tools and guides to help you optimize your website for search engines and improve your chances of ranking higher in search results.
Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.
Illustration of search engine optimization on a laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
9) Consider email marketing
Email marketing is a powerful tool for engaging with your audience, promoting your products or services and driving sales for your online store. But it doesn’t have to be complicated. If you already have email contacts, consider reaching out to them to tell them about your project. Most people want to support their friends and family with their pursuits, even if it’s just by spreading the word.
Otherwise, in order to collect more emails, consider offering a discount or incentive in exchange for signing up for your email list to encourage visitors to subscribe, like an e-book or a downloadable such as a brochure. Then use an email marketing platform to design and send professional-looking emails that direct them to products, services or blog posts on your website.
Get my picks for the best website builders to easily set up.
A couple looking at a tablet (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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What else to consider
The above are some of the most common steps to opening an online store, but it will look different for everyone. There may be steps you skip and steps you add, and some good advice is to perhaps talk to other retirees you know who have already done it. Maybe they have some suggestions, especially if there’s anything they can share that they wish they had known before they started down that path.
When launching a website, you have a variety of choices to suit your specific needs, whether you’re seeking simplicity, customization or advanced features. Explore these top website builders to find the perfect fit for your online presence: Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, Shopify and WordPress. Learn more about these options by clicking here.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Starting an online shop or launching a website for your passion project might seem a little overwhelming, but many of these sites have wizards, resources and customer support teams that can help. Once you get started, you’ll be on your way to running your online store or project while enjoying your retirement.
Have you started an online store or blog? What was your experience? If you haven’t, is it something you would consider? Why or why not? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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Unlike the day after Thanksgiving, when people are rushing online and to the stores to look for deals, the day after Christmas is usually a time to recover from the festivities and check your budget to see how much all that gifting has cost you. However, if you’re in a shopping mood, or if you suddenly realized you forgot somebody important, there are still some deals out there.
For example, Nintendo is offering a bunch of its best-known games at deals ranging from 25 to 50 percent off. These include Princess Peach: Showtime ($41.99 down from $59.99), The Legend of Zelda, Echoes of Wisdom (also ($41.99 down from $59.99), Super Mario Odyssey ($39.99 down from $59.99), Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition ($39.99 down from $69.99) — and a slew of others.
Princess Peach: Showtime!
Where to Buy:
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$59.99$49.99 at Amazon -
$59.99$41.99 at Nintendo
So if you’ve received a new Switch 2 for the holidays — or you gifted yourself one — this is a great way to start assembling your game library for the new year.
Other great deals
Amazon is still offering major discounts on some of its smart speakers. For example, the Amazon Echo Spot, a nifty bedside smart speaker / clock, is on sale at Amazon for $44.99 down from $79.99, the lowest price it has sold for. If you want something with a screen, the Echo Show 5 is available at Amazon for $59.99, down from $89.99, and while it’s gone down as low as $39.99 in the past, this isn’t a bad price if you want one now. Read our reviews of the Echo Spot and the Echo Show 5.
Anker’s Prime Charger is a charging station which supports 250W output via four USB-C and two USB-A ports. It’s now at its lowest price of $99.99 (down from $169.99, a savings of $70) at Amazon and at Anker (using the code WS7DV2I5IMSW).
You can still get an Apple Airtag for $19 (down from $29) at Walmart — and after all, how can you have too many of these handy trackers (our choice as best tracker for iPhone users), especially if you’ve gotten any holiday gifts that you really don’t want to misplace? Read our original review.
A new op-ed explores how we can live and work with artificial intelligence without losing our humanity. (Nastasic/Getty Images)
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Welcome to Fox News’ Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.
IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:
– Here’s how we can live and work with artificial intelligence without losing our humanity
– Amazon adds controversial AI facial recognition to Ring
– New US military GenAI tool ‘critical first step’ in future of warfare, says expert
OPINION: The Vatican’s recent document on artificial intelligence, Antiqua et Nova — “The Old and the New” — is not a technical treatise, but a philosophical reminder: The advance of AI provokes in new ways fundamental questions about the nature of intelligence and the kind of people we must become to wield powerful tools responsibly.
The Vatican’s document on artificial intelligence and comments from Pope Leo XIV frame AI as a powerful human achievement while warning that easy access to information can undermine genuine understanding, especially among the young. (iStock)
‘FAMILIAR FACES’: Amazon’s Ring video doorbells are getting a major artificial intelligence (AI) upgrade, and it is already stirring controversy. The company has started rolling out a new feature called Familiar Faces to Ring owners across the United States. Once enabled, the feature uses AI-powered facial recognition to identify people who regularly appear at your door. Instead of a generic alert saying a person is at your door, you might see something far more personal, like “Mom at Front Door.” On the surface, that sounds convenient.
‘FORGE AHEAD’: The recently launched “GenAI” tool for U.S. service members and Department of War workers is a “critical first step” in the future of warfare, according to a military expert. This month, the Pentagon announced the launch of GenAI.mil, a military-focused AI platform powered by Google Gemini. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the platform is designed to give U.S. military personnel direct access to AI tools to help “revolutioniz[e] the way we win.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addressed reporters during a Pentagon news conference in Arlington, Virginia, on June 26, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
POWER SHIFT: China is racing ahead of the U.S. in artificial intelligence (AI), bypassing regulatory roadblocks that O’Leary Ventures Chairman Kevin O’Leary warns are leaving America dangerously behind.
THE NEXT FRONTIER: Google executive Royal Hansen responded to some lawmakers’ calls to slow the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the U.S., emphasizing the need to develop and use the technology responsibly rather than fall behind other countries.
FEED FREEDOM NOW: Instagram is rolling out a new tool called Your Algorithm that gives you direct control over the videos that fill your Reels tab. Your interests shift as time moves on. Now your feed can shift with you in real time.
‘AHEAD OF THE GAME’: FBI Director Kash Patel said Saturday the agency is ramping up its use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to counter domestic and international threats. In a post on X, Patel said the FBI has been advancing its technology, calling AI a “key component” of its strategy to respond to threats and stay “ahead of the game.”
FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WHO’S IN CHARGE?: A week after Time Magazine named the “Architects of AI” as Person of the Year, the latest Fox News national survey of registered voters finds broad support for careful development of artificial intelligence — yet little agreement on who should regulate it. The poll, released Thursday, finds 8 in 10 voters favor a careful approach to developing AI to manage potential risks to the U.S., while 2 in 10 prefer rapid advancement to stay ahead of countries like China.
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This confluence of Hollywood and AI didn’t start out so rosy. Studios were in a prime position to take the companies behind this technology to court because their video generation models had clearly been trained on copyrighted intellectual property. A number of major production companies including Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery did file lawsuits against AI firms and their boosters for that very reason. But rather than pummeling AI purveyors into the ground, some of Hollywood’s biggest power players chose instead to get into bed with them. We have only just begun to see what can come from this new era of gen-AI partnerships, but all signs point to things getting much sloppier in the very near future.
Though many of this year’s gen-AI headlines were dominated by larger outfits like Google and OpenAI, we also saw a number of smaller players vying for a seat at the entertainment table. There was Asteria, Natasha Lyonne’s startup focused on developing film projects with “ethically” engineered video generation models, and startups like Showrunner, an Amazon-backed platform designed to let subscribers create animated “shows” (a very generous term) from just a few descriptive sentences plugged into Discord. These relatively new companies were all desperate to legitimize the idea that their flavor of gen AI could be used to supercharge film / TV development while bringing down overall production costs.
Asteria didn’t have anything more than hype to share with the public after announcing its first film, and it was hard to believe that normal people would be interested in paying for Showrunner’s shoddily cobbled-together knockoffs of shows made by actual animators. In the latter case, it felt very much like Showrunner’s real goal was to secure juicy partnerships with established studios like Disney that would lead to their tech being baked into platforms where users could prompt up bespoke content featuring recognizable characters from massive franchises.
That idea seemed fairly ridiculous when Showrunner first hit the scene because its models churn out the modern equivalent of clunky JibJab cartoons. But in due time, Disney made it clear that — crappy as text-to-video generators tend to be for anything beyond quick memes — it was interested in experimenting with that kind of content. In December, Disney entered into a three-year, billion-dollar licensing deal with OpenAI that would let Sora users make AI videos with 200 different characters from Star Wars, Marvel, and more.
Netflix became one of the first big studios to proudly announce that it was going all-in on gen AI. After using the technology to produce special effects for one of its original series, the streamer published a list of general guidelines it wanted its partners to follow if they planned to jump on the slop bandwagon as well. Though Netflix wasn’t mandating that filmmakers use gen AI, it made clear that saving money on VFX work was one of the main reasons it was coming out in support of the trend. And it wasn’t long before Amazon followed suit by releasing multiple Japanese anime series that were terribly localized into other languages because the dubbing process didn’t involve any human translators or voice actors.
Amazon’s gen-AI dubs became a shining example of how poorly this technology can perform. They also highlighted how some studios aren’t putting all that much effort into making sure that their gen AI-derived projects are polished enough to be released to the public. That was also true of Amazon’s machine-generated TV recaps, which frequently got details about different shows very wrong. Both of these fiascos made it seem as if Amazon somehow thought that people wouldn’t notice or care about AI’s inability to consistently generate high-quality outputs. The studio quickly pulled its AI-dubbed series and the recap feature down, but it didn’t say that it wouldn’t try this kind of nonsense again.
All of this and other dumb stunts like AI “actress” Tilly Norwood made it feel like certain segments of the entertainment industry were becoming more comfortable trying to foist gen-AI “entertainment” on people even though it left many people deeply unimpressed and put off. None of these projects demonstrated to the public why anyone except for money-pinching execs (and people who worship them for some reason) would be excited by a future shaped by this technology.
Aside from a few unimpressive images, we still haven’t seen what all might come from some of these collaborations, like Disney cozying up to OpenAI. But next year AI’s presence in Hollywood will be even more pronounced. Disney plans to dedicate an entire section of its streaming service to user-generated content sourced from Sora, and it will encourage Disney employees to use OpenAI’s ChatGPT products. But the deal’s real significance in this current moment is the message it sends to other studios about how they should move as Hollywood enters its slop era.
Regardless of whether Disney thinks this will work out well, the studio has signaled that it doesn’t want to be left behind if AI adoption keeps accelerating. That tells other production houses that they should follow suit, and if that becomes the case, there’s no telling how much more of this stuff we are all going to be forced to endure.
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