DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Talks between Iran and the United States will be held Friday in Oman, Iranian media reported as tensions between the countries remain high following Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month.

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The semiofficial ISNA and Tasnim news agencies and the Student News Network reported on Wednesday that the talks would take place in Oman, though the sultanate did not immediately confirm this. Oman has hosted multiple rounds of earlier nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. in the past.

The U.S. has not acknowledged the talks would take place in Oman, though the White House said it anticipated the negotiations would take place even after the U.S. shot down an Iranian drone Tuesday and Iran attempted to stop a U.S.-flagged ship.

Also on Wednesday, activists said the number of arrests topped 50,000 in the government crackdown, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in other rounds of unrest in Iran.

At least 50,834 people have been arrested in connection with the Iranian government’s crackdown on protests, the activists said. The crackdown on the demonstrations has also killed at least 6,876 people, though there are fears many more may be dead.

The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll due to the sweeping internet shutdown in Iran.

On Tuesday, Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian said he had instructed the country’s foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations” with the U.S. in what was the first clear sign from Tehran it wants to try to negotiate.

The announcement came as a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that approached an American aircraft carrier early on Tuesday morning. Iranian fast boats from its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard also tried to stop a U.S.-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, the Navy said. Iran did not immediately acknowledge either incident.

The incidents strained but apparently did not totally derail hopes for talks between Iran and the U.S. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff has been planning to hold talks with Iranian officials in Turkey later this week.

U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested the US might use force against Iran in response to its deadly crackdown on protesters, and also is pushing Tehran for a deal to constrain its nuclear program.

Trump ”is always wanting to pursue diplomacy first, but obviously it takes two to tango,” Leavitt said. “You need a willing partner to achieve diplomacy and that’s something that special envoy Witkoff is intent on exploring and discussing.”

The shift toward negotiations marked a major turn for Iran, and it also signals that the move is supported by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state. The 86-year-old cleric previously had dismissed any negotiations.

Also on Wednesday, Iranian military chiefs visited a missile base of the country in attempt to highlight its military readiness after a 12-day war with Israel in June devastated Iran’s air defenses. The footage of the visit to a base holding the Khorramshahr missile, which has a range of more than 2,000 kilomters (1,250 miles) and was launched towards Israel during the war, will be broadcast on Iranian state television Wednesday evening.

By JANIE McCAULEY, AP Sports Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Take a stroll down The Embarcadero on San Francisco’s spectacular waterfront to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market for plentiful food options, people watching and souvenir shopping.

Travel farther outside the city for renowned wine tasting or a breathtaking drive along the coastline.

Fans coming to the Bay Area for the Super Bowl will have no shortage of options for great eats and outdoor adventure, all within a couple of hours of San Francisco.

Sure, the week centers around football — it’s Patriots vs. Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Feb. 8 — yet anyone visiting this week can seek out entertainment ahead of Super Bowl Sunday.

Make sure to hit the Ferry Building on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday for one of the most famous farmers markets in the country, with both indoor and outdoor food and shopping options.

From world-renowned vineyards and wineries to the north in the Napa Valley region to spectacular ocean vistas to the south along 17-Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula providing views of picturesque Pebble Beach Golf Links, there’s something for everybody. There is a fee for cars on 17-Mile Drive, while walking and biking are free. It can be foggy during the winter season.

Walking the Golden Gate Bridge is always a popular choice, but bring a windbreaker or light rain jacket just in case to combat the chill factor. For anyone eager to explore former prison Alcatraz, the tour leaving from iconic Pier 39 can fill up fast and should be booked in advance — especially for the weekends.

At Alcatraz, patrons can not only go inside the cells but hear audio of the voices of those formerly incarcerated at the iconic federal penitentiary that closed in 1963. You can decide whether to believe whether anyone might have ever escaped through the choppy bay water some 1 1/2 miles off San Francisco’s shore.

A hike beneath the towering, old-growth coast redwoods at Muir Woods National Monument is less than an hour’s drive away in Marin County, offering hiking and history in a treasured spot protected as a national monument since 1908. There, you can see the cross section of an old redwood showing its growth rings to better understand the tree’s life cycles and how historical events affect them.

That’s just one of many available outdoor activities to do all year long, and if you’re ready to go a little farther, the Napa wine country is just more than an hour away.

Napa and Sonoma offer wine tasting and even an opportunity to see the lush landscape by riding the Napa Valley Wine Train.

Back in the city, a jaunt to the Presidio will provide access to some of San Francisco’s deep history from the former Spanish military post, while Golden Gate Park offers opportunities for walking and fitness.

There also is the predominantly gay Castro District where visionary, politician, and civil and human rights leader Harvey Milk came to fame.

Where to go

— Take a ferry ride from the Ferry Building in San Francisco to Oakland’s Jack London Square waterfront neighborhood or go in the other direction to Sausalito for lunch — a chance to see some of the city’s famous spots like Coit Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge from the water.

— Head straight for North Beach in San Francisco to find top-notch Italian food options, such as Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, where waiting is worth it. This area is also home to City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, a beloved spot founded by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti in 1953 where readers, writers, artists and activists immediately gravitated.

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— San Francisco’s world-famous vintage cable cars are a fun way to travel up the steep city hills and a huge tourist attraction.

— Venture to the Mission District and Mission Street to discover some of the best burrito options in the city.

— If you’re staying in the East Bay, Fentons Creamery in Oakland is an old-fashioned ice cream parlor with charm and generous scoops — but prepare to wait if you want a table. Ice cream can be purchased at the counter and taken to go.

— For anyone with teenagers wanting to take college tours, both Stanford and California in Berkeley have beautiful campuses with plenty of sightseeing nearby.

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting in mixed trading on Wednesday, while gold’s price stabilized further and climbed back above $5,000 per ounce.

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The S&P 500 edged down by 0.1%, coming off its fourth modest drop in the last five days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 281 points, or 0.6%, as of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.6% lower.

Technology stocks weighed on the market for a second straight day. Advanced Micro Devices sank 13.6% even though the chip company reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It also gave a forecast for revenue for the start of 2026 that topped analysts’ expectations, but that may not have been enough for investors after its stock had doubled over the last 12 months.

Tech stocks are broadly feeling pressure, even when they deliver stronger-than-expected profits. Big Tech stocks are facing criticism that their prices shot too high following their yearslong dominance of the market. Companies like software makers, meanwhile, are struggling with questions about whether they’ll lose in the future to competitors powered by artificial-intelligence technology.

Uber Technologies also weighed on the market after dropping 5.4%. The ride-hailing company reported results for the latest quarter that fell short of analysts’ expectations. It also gave a forecast for profit in the current quarter that was below analysts’ expectations, while naming a new chief financial officer.

Some tech stocks nevertheless climbed, including a 12.6% rise for Super Micro Computer. The company, which sells AI servers and other equipment, delivered a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

Eli Lilly rallied 7.7% after topping analysts’ expectations for profit in the latest quarter. It’s been riding big growth created by its Mounjaro and Zepbound products for diabetes and weight loss.

Match Group added 2.5% after reporting better results than analysts expected and increasing its dividend. The company credited early signs of success from efforts to improve outcomes for users. It said a new facial verification feature for its Tinder service, for example, led to a sharp drop in interactions with “bad actors” where it’s been rolled out.

Walmart edged up 0.3%, a day after its total market value topped $1 trillion for the first time. The retailer has broken into a small club dominated by Big Tech companies like Nvidia and Apple, which are each worth more than $4 trillion.

Gold and silver prices were also stronger following their sudden washouts over the last week. Gold rose 1.7% and rose to $5,019.00 per ounce. It’s been swinging sharply after roughly doubling in price over 12 months. After nearing $5,600 last week, it fell below $4,500 on Monday.

Silver’s price, which has been on an even wilder ride, rose 7.7%.

Their prices had surged as investors looked for safer places to keep their money amid worries about everything from tariffs to a weaker U.S. dollar to heavy debt loads for governments worldwide. But critics said their prices rose too far, too fast and were due for a pullback.

In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady following a couple mixed reports on the U.S. economy.

One from ADP Research suggested that U.S. employers outside of the government hired fewer workers last month than economists expected. A second from the Institute for Supply Management said that growth for health care, construction and other U.S. services businesses continued in January at the same pace that economists expected.

That second report, though, also indicated that prices paid by U.S. services businesses rose at a faster rate in January, which could be a discouraging signal for inflation.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 4.27% from 4.28% late Tuesday.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed across Europe and Asia.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.8% from its all-time high. Nintendo sank 11%, even as the video game company reported strong profits. Investors and analysts are concerned about whether sales momentum can be maintained for the Switch 2 game console that was rolled out last year.

South Korea’s Kospi, meanwhile, climbed 1.6% to another record.

AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed

By KELVIN CHAN, AP Business Writer

AI slop seems to be everywhere. Low-quality digital content made with artificial intelligence has flooded our feeds, screens and speakers. Is there anything we can do about it?

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If you want fewer cartoonish videos of dead celebrities, creepy or absurd images or fake bands playing synthetic tunes, a few platforms have rolled out settings and features to help minimize AI-generated content.

Here is a guide on how to use them. But first, a caveat from Henry Ajder, who advises businesses and governments on AI and has been studying deepfakes since 2018. He warned that it’s “incredibly difficult” to entirely remove AI slop content entirely from all your feeds.

He compared AI slop to the smog generated from the industrial revolution, when there weren’t any pollution controls in place.

“It’s going to be very, very hard for people to avoid inhaling, in this analogy.”

Pinterest

Pinterest’s move to lean into the AI boom made it something of a poster child for the AI slop problem, as user complained that the online moodboard for pinning inspirational material by themes has become overrun with AI content.

So Pinterest recently rolled out a “tuner” that lets users adjust the amount of AI content they see in their feeds.

It rolled out first on Android and desktop operating systems, before starting on a more gradual roll out on iOS.

“Now, users can dial down the AI and add more of a human touch,” Pinterest said, adding that it would initially cover some categories that are “highly prone to AI modification or generation” such as beauty, art, fashion and home decor.

More categories have since been added, including architecture, art, beauty, entertainment, men’s, women’s and children’s fashion, health, home décor, and sport, food and drink.

To use the tuner, go to Settings and then to “refine your recommendations.” and then tap on GenAI interests, where you can use toggles to indicate the categories you’d like to see less AI-content.

TikTok

It’s no surprise that AI-generated videos proliferate on TikTok, the short-video sharing app. The company says there are at least 1.3 billion video clips on its platform it has labeled as AI-generated.

TikTok said in November it was testing an update to give users more control of the AI-generated content in their For You feeds. It’s not clear when it will be widely available. TikTok did not respond to requests for comment.

To see if you have it on the TikTok mobile app, go to Settings, then Content Preferences, then to Manage Topics where you’ll see a set of sliders to control various types of content, such as dance, humor, lifestyle and nature.

You can also access the controls from the For You feed, by tapping the Share button on the side of a post, then tap Why this Video, then Adjust your For You, and then Manage topics.

There should be a new slider that allows you to dial down — or turn up — the amount of AI-generated content that you receive. If you don’t see it yet, it might be because you haven’t received the update yet. TikTok said late last year that it would start testing the feature in coming weeks.

These controls are not available on the desktop browser interface.

You won’t be able to get red of AI content altogether — TikTok says the controls are used to tailor the content rather than removing or replacing it entirely from feeds.

“This means that people who love AI-generated history content can see more of this content, while those who’d rather see less can choose to dial things down,” it said.

Deezer

Song generation tools like Suno and Udio let users create music merely by typing some ideas into a chatbot window. Anyone can use them to spit out polished pop songs, but it also means streaming services have been flooded with AI tunes, often by accounts masquerading as real artists.

Among the music streaming platforms, only Deezer, a smaller European-based player, gives listeners a way to tell them apart by labeling songs as AI.

“Deezer has been really, really pushing the anti-AI generation music narrative,” said Henry Ajder.

Deezer says 60,000 fully AI-generated tracks, or more than 39% of the daily total, are uploaded to its platform every day and last year it detected and labeled more than 13.4 million AI tracks. The company says the people doing it are trying to make money by fraudulent streams.

Change your platform

If you can tear yourself away from Big Tech platforms, there are a new generation of apps targeting users who want to avoid AI.

Cara is a portfolio-sharing platform for artists that bans AI-generated work. Pixelfed is an ad-free Instagram rival where users can join different servers, or communities, including one for art that does not allow AI-generated content. Spread is a new social media platform with content for people who want to “access human ideas” and “escape the flood of AI slop.”

Watch out for the upcoming launch of diVine, a reboot of Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s defunct short form video app Vine. The app has only been available as a limited prerelease for Apple iOS. It promises “No AI Slop” and uses multiple approaches to detect AI. An Android beta app is expected soon. The company plans to launch it in app stores soon but needs more time to get ready for unexpectedly high demand.

Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.