AI did what? Gemini, Val Kilmer, Claude Mythos and more of the week’s most surprising developments

This week, AI is showing up in our likeness, our jobs and our writing

by · TechRadar

News By Becca Caddy published 20 April 2026

Catch up on the biggest AI stories of the past week. (Image credit: Getty Images / First Line Films / Google)

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The AI news cycle doesn't do slow weeks. I've been writing about it for more than a year now and this one still caught me off guard. Not because there's been one big breakthrough or story. But because I think there's been a mood shift. People are using AI more than ever, but a growing number seem to wish they didn't have to.

One of the stories I've been watching closely is Anthropic teasing its new model, Claude Mythos. It's described as a major step forward and yet the hype is running ahead of the evidence. Elsewhere, the focus is less on capability and more on broader consequences. Like Val Kilmer's return via AI, which raises questions about consent and the future of entertainment.

Once again, I’ve pulled together the key stories you need to know, plus a few practical prompts to get more out of tools like ChatGPT. Think you know the biggest AI stories from the past week? Take my AI news quiz below to see how much you remember.

Were you paying attention? Take my AI news quiz

The top AI headlines from the past week

Welcome to ICYMI AI, your weekly round-up of the most important developments in artificial intelligence. Here are the biggest AI stories from last week and why they matter.

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The first full AI performance of a dead actor is here — and it won't be the last

(Image credit: First Line Films)

Upcoming film As Deep as the Grave has used AI to recreate Val Kilmer in a major role. It's not a brief cameo, but a full performance with his family's approval.

This feels like a threshold moment. With AI, a person's likeness can become an asset that can outlive them. It does seem important to flag that the filmmakers are stressing Kilmer's family have been involved in the process. But that doesn't resolve some of the deeper questions around consent, ownership and what performance even means when an actor was never on set.

Another detail really stands out to me here. A key AI-generated shot reportedly only took minutes to make once the assets were ready. Which suggests this kind of AI movie-making isn't going to be a rare or expensive. We might get to a point soon where AI-generated movies are commonplace, but will audiences accept them?

Gemini is now the hardest AI writing tool to detect — but I think that might be a problem for everyone

(Image credit: Google)

A recent test found Google Gemini produces writing that's harder to flag as AI-generated than many of its rivals, particularly ChatGPT. Importantly, some AI detection tools failed to spot Gemini-generated writing at all.

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