News/Google
Google’s Isomorphic Labs secures $600M to accelerate AI drug discovery
Google's bioscience arm Isomorphic Labs has secured $600 million in funding to accelerate its AI-driven drug discovery mission. The investment, led by venture capital firm Thrive Capital with participation from Google parent Alphabet, comes on the heels of impressive scientific achievements including Nobel Prize-winning work in protein structure prediction. This funding signals a major push to transform traditional pharmaceutical development by replacing time-consuming lab work with computational methods that can dramatically reduce drug discovery timelines. The big picture: Isomorphic Labs, spun out from Google's DeepMind AI research lab, is building on groundbreaking protein folding technology to revolutionize pharmaceutical development through...
read Apr 12, 2025Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro launches with 1 million token context window and improved reasoning
Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro represents a significant leap forward in generative AI capabilities, offering unprecedented context handling and improved reasoning abilities that position it as one of the most sophisticated AI models currently available. The rapid release cycle—coming just months after Gemini 2.0—demonstrates Google's accelerating pace in the competitive AI landscape, where context window size and reasoning capabilities have become critical differentiators for large language models. The big picture: Google has launched Gemini 2.5 Pro Experimental, claiming it's their "most intelligent" AI model to date with enhanced reasoning capabilities and an enormous context window. The model features a massive 1...
read Apr 12, 2025Tech giants pour billions into AI infrastructure as data center demand surges
The AI infrastructure sector continues to see major developments as tech giants adapt their data centers for AI compute demands. Google's massive Li-ion battery deployment, Apple's potential billion-dollar AI hardware investment, and warnings of a potential data center construction bubble highlight how infrastructure requirements are evolving to meet AI's exponential growth. These developments reveal the substantial physical foundation being built to support the next generation of AI applications. The big picture: Google has deployed over 100 million lithium-ion battery cells across its global data center network, marking a significant shift from traditional lead-acid batteries to more efficient power solutions. The...
read Apr 11, 2025Google brings Gemini Gems customization to all users for free
Google is democratizing personalized AI interactions by extending its Gemini Gems feature to all users without requiring a subscription. This customization tool allows anyone over 18 to create specialized chatbot experiences, enabling more tailored AI assistance for specific tasks across education, career development, and personal projects. While Google arrives somewhat late to the customizable AI assistant space, its approach offers unique advantages for non-paying users. The big picture: Google has made Gemini Gems available to all users aged 18+ across web and mobile platforms, allowing anyone to create specialized AI assistants without requiring a paid subscription. Gems can be accessed...
read Apr 11, 2025Google testing one-click AI search shortcut to simplify user experience
Google is streamlining its AI Mode search experience, eliminating the cumbersome process currently required to initiate new searches. The company appears to be testing a new shortcut button in the Google app that would allow users to start fresh AI Mode searches directly from results pages, rather than forcing them back to the home screen. This potential update represents Google's ongoing effort to make its AI-powered search features more accessible and user-friendly following the recent expansion of AI Mode beyond premium subscribers. The big picture: Google's AI Mode, powered by Gemini 2.0, combines traditional search results with AI-generated overviews to...
read Apr 11, 2025China’s AI boom: How DeepSeek sparked a wave of low-cost competitors to OpenAI
DeepSeek's breakthrough in January has catalyzed a renaissance in China's AI industry, challenging the notion that developing powerful AI models requires billions in investment. This emergent ecosystem of low-cost, high-performance AI services from Chinese tech companies is now directly competing with Western tech giants like OpenAI and Google, potentially disrupting the global AI market dynamics and redefining the economics of artificial intelligence development. The big picture: China-based DeepSeek upended industry assumptions by creating a powerful AI model for just several million dollars, sparking an explosion of affordable AI offerings from Chinese tech companies. DeepSeek's January breakthrough showed the industry that...
read Apr 11, 2025Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro sets new reasoning benchmark with 18.8% score
Google's Gemini 2.5 represents a significant leap in AI reasoning capabilities, positioning the company at the forefront of the competitive AI landscape. With benchmark scores substantially higher than rival systems, this latest model demonstrates Google's commitment to rapid AI advancement through frequent, meaningful updates. The new version's enhanced thinking capabilities signal a shift toward AI systems that can tackle increasingly complex problems while supporting more context-aware applications. The big picture: Google has unveiled Gemini 2.5 Pro Experimental, which it claims is its "most intelligent AI model" yet, featuring substantially improved reasoning capabilities. The new model combines an enhanced base architecture...
read Apr 11, 2025Creative Pragmatism: Design-focused Canva takes on Microsoft, Google with all-in-one visual workspace
Canva's ambitious platform expansion marks the latest evolution in the workplace software wars, as the design-focused company aims to consolidate Microsoft, Google, and Adobe functionalities into a unified visual workspace. With 230 million users already on board, Canva's Visual Suite 2.0 reimagines traditional office software through a design-centric lens, potentially reshaping how teams collaborate across various creative and business functions in a marketplace where specialized tools have traditionally dominated distinct productivity domains. The big picture: Canva is fundamentally restructuring its platform by merging its design and productivity tools into a single interface while adding new AI-powered capabilities for coding, photo...
read Apr 11, 2025Comparison: Gemini Canvas outshines ChatGPT Canvas in visual tasks
In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI writing tools, Google's Gemini Canvas and OpenAI's ChatGPT Canvas are competing for user attention with similar collaborative workspaces. A recent head-to-head comparison reveals surprising strengths and limitations of each platform, particularly in how they handle visual content and iterative editing. Understanding these differences is crucial for users deciding which AI assistant best meets their creative and professional needs, especially considering Gemini's free access versus ChatGPT's subscription requirement. Canvas vs Canvas: Google Gemini and ChatGPT Go Head-to-Head 1. Weekly scheduling capabilities Both AI platforms demonstrated strong performance in creating and refining weekly schedules that...
read Apr 11, 2025Google’s Pixel 9A offers same chip but stripped-down AI due to memory limits
Google's Pixel 9A brings the same Tensor G4 chip as its premium siblings but includes significant limitations to its AI capabilities due to hardware constraints. The midrange device comes with a stripped-down version of Google's Gemini AI that only processes text, highlighting how memory constraints increasingly determine AI feature availability in smartphones, even when devices share the same processor. The big picture: The Pixel 9A features a text-only version of Gemini AI due to its more limited 8GB of RAM, compared to the 12GB in the Pixel 9 and 16GB in the Pro models. The device runs an even smaller...
read Apr 11, 20254 ways Gemini Gems can help manage daily stress without technical skills
Google's Gemini Gems offer a simplified approach to personalized AI, allowing users to create custom AI companions for specific tasks without technical expertise. This feature mirrors ChatGPT's custom GPTs but with Google's implementation, making AI customization accessible to everyday users looking to solve common problems rather than creating additional complexity. The free tool represents Google's strategy to make AI more approachable and practical for daily challenges. 4 Ways to Use Gemini Gems for Daily Stress Management 1. AI Therapy CompanionA Gemini Gem configured as a therapeutic listener can provide a judgment-free space for processing anxiety and stress. When set up...
read Apr 10, 2025Perplexity mocks Google’s search with Squid Game star in new ad campaign
Perplexity AI is escalating its competition with Google through a celebrity-driven ad campaign featuring "Squid Game" star Lee Jung-jae. The campaign directly mocks Google's search functionality while highlighting Perplexity's AI-powered conversational search capabilities. This marketing strategy reveals how AI companies are increasingly focusing on reliability and accuracy as key differentiators in the rapidly evolving search market. The campaign setup: Perplexity's 90-second advertisement places Lee Jung-jae in a Squid Game-like scenario where he must complete various information-seeking challenges. In the first challenge, when trying to remove coffee stains from a white shirt, a Google parody called "Poogle" unhelpfully provides a list...
read Apr 10, 2025Google boosts healthcare tools as Mistral and xAI expand capabilities
Major tech developments are shaping the AI landscape as Google enhances its healthcare capabilities, xAI expands into video generation through acquisition, and Mistral releases a more accessible model for broader applications. These parallel developments highlight how AI continues to penetrate critical sectors like healthcare while companies simultaneously work to make sophisticated AI technology more widely available through strategic acquisitions and resource-efficient models. The big picture: Google's health-focused AI updates target both consumers and medical professionals, showcasing AI's growing role in healthcare accessibility and research. Google expanded its AI-powered health knowledge panels to support Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese queries while adding...
read Apr 9, 2025Google’s AI shopping tools let you create and virtually try on clothing and makeup
Google's Vision Match and AR Beauty features are transforming online shopping with AI-generated visuals and virtual try-ons. Now widely available after limited testing, these tools help shoppers visualize clothing and makeup based on descriptions or trends, bridging the gap between imagination and shopping reality. These innovations represent Google's growing commitment to using AI for enhancing online retail experiences with more personalized and interactive shopping capabilities. The big picture: Google has expanded access to Vision Match, an AI tool that generates clothing images based on user descriptions and suggests similar purchasable items. The feature, previously limited to testers, is now available...
read Apr 9, 2025“Deep Research” becomes AI’s latest recycled buzzword as labs race to rebrand similar tech
The phraseology power of "deep dive" may be dwindling, but "Deep Research" is just getting started. The tech marketing machine has recycled yet another term, as "Deep Research" becomes 2025's hot AI buzzword. Following the pattern of previous industry crazes like RAG (2023) and agentic systems, major AI labs including Google, OpenAI, Perplexity, DeepSeek, Alibaba, and xAI have all launched versions of "Deep Research" capabilities without establishing a consistent definition. This rebranding phenomenon highlights how frontier AI companies continually repackage similar technological approaches under new marketing terms, creating confusion while competing for market attention. The big picture: Multiple major AI...
read Apr 9, 2025How to set up Perplexity AI as your default search engine—a step-by-step guide
Perplexity AI offers a compelling alternative to Google Search with its conversational interface and research-oriented approach at a time when Google's search experience has deteriorated. This step-by-step guide explains how to set up Perplexity AI as your default search engine across different browsers and devices, highlighting why it might be worth making the switch. 1. Why consider Perplexity AI as your search engine Unlike Google's increasingly cluttered search experience, Perplexity AI combines traditional search functionality with large language model capabilities, allowing for conversational, context-aware interactions. The platform maintains conversation history, enabling you to ask follow-up questions without starting a new...
read Apr 9, 2025Google reports 344 complaints of AI-generated harmful content via Gemini
Only 344? Google has disclosed receiving hundreds of reports regarding alleged misuse of its AI technology to create harmful content, revealing a troubling trend in how generative AI can be exploited for illegal purposes. This first-of-its-kind data disclosure provides valuable insight into the real-world risks posed by generative AI tools and underscores the critical importance of implementing effective safeguards to prevent creation of harmful content. The big picture: Google reported receiving 258 complaints that its Gemini AI was used to generate deepfake terrorism or violent extremist content, along with 86 reports of alleged AI-generated child exploitation material. Key details: The...
read Apr 8, 2025Do you see what I see? Google’s Gemini adds screen-aware AI to transform Android experience
Google's Gemini is advancing the Android user experience with innovative screen-aware AI capabilities that essentially turn the assistant into an interactive visual companion. Scheduled to roll out to Gemini Advanced subscribers later this month, these features represent a significant shift in how users interact with their devices, moving beyond simple voice commands to contextual visual understanding. This evolution positions Gemini as a more intuitive assistant that can respond to what users see rather than just what they say. The big picture: Google is enhancing Gemini with screen-sharing functionality that allows users to ask questions about content visible on their Android...
read Apr 8, 2025Google’s Pixel 10 to feature Pixel Sense AI that analyzes data across all apps
Google's upcoming Pixel 10 series is set to feature a deeply integrated AI system called Pixel Sense, which will analyze user data across nearly all Google apps to create highly personalized experiences. This evolution of Google's earlier Pixie project represents a significant advance in contextual computing, where smartphones attempt to anticipate user needs by processing vast amounts of personal data and usage patterns. The big picture: Google plans to launch Pixel Sense as a flagship feature for its Pixel 10 smartphones later this year, leveraging data from virtually every Google app to create predictive, personalized experiences. The system represents a...
read Apr 8, 2025Google’s most advanced AI model now free with limited features
Google has rapidly made its most advanced AI model available to all users, shifting its strategy to balance accessibility with premium features. The latest iteration brings significant improvements in reasoning capabilities and performance, positioning Google more competitively in the increasingly crowded AI assistant market while still maintaining incentives for paid subscriptions through usage limitations. The big picture: Google has released Gemini 2.5 Pro (Experimental) to free users just days after making it available to paying subscribers, marking an unusually quick rollout of advanced AI technology. The model represents a significant upgrade over Gemini 2.0, which was only released in late...
read Apr 7, 2025DeepMine: Google’s AI teaches itself to play Minecraft and collect diamonds
Google DeepMind's AI system has demonstrated remarkable self-learning capabilities by mastering Minecraft without explicit instructions or rules. This breakthrough represents a significant advancement in autonomous learning systems that can understand their environment and independently improve over time—showcasing AI's growing ability to navigate complex tasks through experimentation rather than predefined programming. The big picture: Google DeepMind's AI system called Dreamer has successfully learned to play Minecraft entirely through trial and error, without being taught the game's rules or objectives. The AI eventually accomplished collecting a diamond in the game, a complex achievement requiring multiple sequential steps and understanding of the game's...
read Apr 7, 2025Google’s Gemini replacing Assistant by end of 2025—what users need to know
Don't let the phone case slam you on your way out, Assistant. Google's transition from Assistant to Gemini marks a significant evolution in the company's AI strategy, creating disruption for millions of users while promising more advanced capabilities. This shift represents a fundamental reimagining of Google's voice assistant technology, forcing users to adapt to new features and limitations while potentially leaving some older devices without support. Understanding what's changing and how it affects different devices is crucial for the millions who rely on Google's voice assistant technology daily. The big picture: Google is replacing its nine-year-old Assistant with Gemini, an...
read Apr 7, 2025San Francisco forms CEO council of 26 top executives to tackle urban challenges
San Francisco's economic recovery efforts are gaining momentum with a new public-private partnership that brings together 26 top executives from the city's most influential companies. This CEO council, formed at Mayor Daniel Lurie's request, aims to address critical urban challenges through business-government collaboration, focusing initially on street safety and cleanliness before tackling the city's struggling downtown economy and significant budget deficit. The big picture: The Partnership for San Francisco represents a strategic alliance between city government and corporate leaders to revitalize a city facing serious economic challenges. The organization will serve as a CEO council working directly with public officials...
read Apr 7, 2025Lawsuit reveals teen’s suicide linked to Character.AI chatbots as platform hosts disturbing impersonations
Character.AI's platform has become the center of a disturbing controversy following the suicide of a 14-year-old user who had formed emotional attachments to AI chatbots. The Google-backed company now faces allegations that it failed to protect minors from harmful content, while simultaneously hosting insensitive impersonations of the deceased teen. This case highlights the growing tension between AI companies' rapid deployment of emotionally responsive technologies and their responsibility to safeguard vulnerable users, particularly children. The disturbing discovery: Character.AI was found hosting at least four public impersonations of Sewell Setzer III, the deceased 14-year-old whose suicide is central to a lawsuit against...
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