The past year marked the rise of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI ) tools .
But here is a look back at some of the other noteworthy technology stories we covered in 2023 .
Both Apple and Google faced lawsuits accusing them of carrying out unfair business methods linked to their app stores .
The cases might cost the companies billions of dollars and change the way similar app stores do business .
A decision in the Google case was reached earlier this month when an American jury found Google's app store operates as an illegal monopoly .
The case was brought by video game company Epic Games .
One of the main questions in the case was whether Google had the right to require app developers to use Google's app store's payment systems .
The jury ruled Google's monopoly covered both its app selling system and payment processing within the app .
Google condemned the decision and appealed the ruling .
Epic brought a similar lawsuit against iPhone maker Apple that was decided in April .
In that case , a judge in California mostly sided with Apple .
But the judge did order Apple to permit developers to add their own links to process payments within iPhone apps .
The worldwide demand for electric vehicle (EV ) batteries continues to grow .
But supplies of the materials used to make them are limited .
Currently , China controls most mining and processing of a group of 17 metals known as rare earths .
One of the main materials used to produce the batteries is lithium , a light metal substance .
Other necessary materials include the metallic elements cobalt , manganese and nickel .
Even though some of the minerals are mined in nations outside China , Chinese companies still hold ownership over the operations .
In February , U.S . President Joe Biden announced federal assistance programs to help companies mine and process lithium and other rare metals .
Similar efforts were announced in other countries , including Britain and Germany .
In addition , major automakers said they were seeking new EV engine designs that are less dependent on rare earth minerals .
EV market leader Tesla said it plans to remove rare earths from its next-generation EVs .
Other automakers said they are in the process of researching or developing EV motors that use little or no rare earth minerals .
These include General Motors , Jaguar Land Rover , and BMW .
We covered several developments involving robotic systems .
A team of American researchers announced it had built a human-like robot that can play soccer at a high level .
The robot , named ARTEMIS , is one of only a few humanoid robots that can run .
It also can walk and jump on different kinds of surfaces without losing its balance .
The robot also can kick a ball and remain standing even when kicked or hit , the team said .
In Germany , many companies – large and small – turned to robots to fill jobs as the country faced a severe labor shortage .
Experts say increasing robotic operations are a sign that robots have become easier to use , with no special skills required .
Police said the victim was an employee of a company that deploys industrial robots to businesses .
NASA even tested a snake-like explorer designed to search for signs of life in hard-to-reach places .
The American space agency said the robot is equipped to move in ways that traditional explorer vehicles , called rovers , cannot .
In the future , NASA plans to send the robot to space to search for signs of life in an underground ocean on Saturn's moon Enceladus .