News/Google
Google’s Gemini now analyzes YouTube videos with 4 strategic applications
Google's Gemini AI assistant has quietly introduced a powerful capability that transforms how professionals consume video content: direct YouTube analysis. This integration allows users to extract insights, locate specific information, and generate summaries from videos without downloading or manually transcribing content. For business professionals who rely on video content for research, training, or competitive intelligence, this feature represents a significant productivity enhancement. Rather than watching entire presentations or tutorials, users can now query specific aspects of video content and receive timestamped responses that direct them to relevant segments. The integration works seamlessly—simply share a YouTube link with Gemini and begin...
read Jul 8, 2025Google launches AI Mode in India as first international expansion
Google has launched AI Mode in India as its first international expansion of the AI-powered search experience, making it available to all users in English after a successful two-week testing period. This marks a significant milestone in Google's global AI strategy, bringing advanced conversational search capabilities to one of the world's largest internet markets following the feature's US debut at I/O 2025. What you should know: AI Mode offers a more sophisticated search experience than traditional Google Search or AI Overviews, powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.5. The feature uses a "query fan-out technique" that breaks questions into...
read Jul 7, 2025Watch out, Hallmark, Google’s Gemini AI writes personal birthday letters with user data
Google's AI assistant Gemini has demonstrated an unprecedented ability to write personalized content by leveraging the company's vast data ecosystem, as evidenced by its creation of a remarkably authentic birthday letter that drew from years of personal information stored across Google's services. This development signals Google's emerging advantage in the race to build hyper-personalized AI assistants, positioning the company to potentially leapfrog competitors like OpenAI by utilizing decades of user data already within its ecosystem. What happened: A writer discovered that Gemini could craft an unnervingly personal birthday letter using only a nine-word prompt containing her friend's name and age....
read Jul 1, 2025Former Google and Meta engineers launch $3M AI travel assistant
Airial Travel has launched a public beta of its AI-powered platform that automates the entire trip-planning process, from initial brainstorming to final booking. Founded by former engineers from Google, Meta, and Waymo, the company has raised $3 million in seed funding and aims to eliminate the tedious hours typically spent researching and planning vacations. How it works: Airial uses natural language processing to understand travel goals and preferences, then generates customized itineraries based on user input. Users can describe their travel ambitions in conversational language, such as "I'm taking two weeks off of work in October, and want to travel...
read Jul 1, 2025Google launches AI Mode search with animated Doodle across platforms
Google has launched a new Doodle promoting AI Mode, its enhanced search experience that uses artificial intelligence to deliver comprehensive results. The promotion appears across Google's homepage, Chrome New Tab pages, and mobile apps, featuring animated graphics that transform Google's logo letters into the company's gradient 'G' icon to symbolize how AI Mode combines and summarizes information. What you should know: The Doodle campaign represents Google's most visible push yet for AI Mode adoption, appearing in multiple formats across its platforms. On the US homepage, both signed-in and logged-out users see a bouncy animation where the Google wordmark letters combine...
read Jul 1, 2025TripAdvisor pivots to daily app as Google AI threatens search traffic
TripAdvisor is repositioning itself as a daily travel destination rather than just a search utility, anticipating that Google's AI Overviews will significantly reduce traditional search traffic. The travel platform is implementing a three-pronged strategy focused on app improvements, membership program enhancements, and moving higher up the travel planning funnel to maintain relevance as AI transforms how people discover information. The traffic reality: TripAdvisor has already experienced a notable decline in monthly visits, dropping from 146-169 million in early 2023 to around 120 million by February 2025. While some of this decline coincides with Google's AI Overviews rollout, the broader shift...
read Jun 27, 2025Google opens Veo 3 AI video generator with synchronized audio to Cloud users
Google has made Veo 3, its AI video generator capable of producing synchronized video and audio content, available to all Google Cloud customers in public preview. Previously limited to Gemini Ultra subscribers and Google's Flow filmmaking platform, the tool represents a significant technical breakthrough in addressing one of AI's most challenging problems: creating realistic video with matching sound. What you should know: Veo 3 can generate videos with synchronized audio through natural language prompts, including ambient background noise and human voices. Users can create content by describing scenes in text, with the ability to fine-tune creative details "from the shade...
read Jun 27, 2025Google’s carbon emissions surge 51% as AI drives energy demand
Google's carbon emissions have surged 51% since 2019 as artificial intelligence drives massive increases in datacenter energy consumption, derailing the tech giant's climate commitments. The company reported a 27% year-over-year increase in electricity consumption, with AI's power demands growing faster than Google can deploy clean energy solutions to offset them. The big picture: AI's explosive growth is creating an unprecedented energy challenge for tech companies, with datacenters projected to consume as much electricity as Japan by 2026. The International Energy Agency estimates datacenter electricity consumption could double from 2022 levels to 1,000TWh by 2026, roughly equivalent to Japan's total electricity...
read Jun 27, 2025Google’s Doppl app creates virtual try-on videos from any outfit
Google has launched Doppl, an experimental AI app that creates virtual try-on videos by digitally placing users into outfits found across the web. The app represents a significant expansion of Google's existing virtual try-on capabilities, allowing users to generate animated clips of themselves wearing clothes from any online source rather than just Google Shopping results. How it works: Users upload a full-body photo of themselves along with a screenshot of any outfit they find online to generate AI-powered try-on experiences. The app requires a bright, well-lit photo of the user in a natural pose without a hat, plus any outfit...
read Jun 27, 2025Google Photos relaunches Ask Photos AI search with faster performance
Google Photos is officially rolling out Ask Photos, its AI-powered search feature, after pulling back beta testing earlier this month due to performance issues. The enhanced version now combines traditional search capabilities with AI functionality to deliver faster results for both simple and complex photo queries. What you should know: Ask Photos uses Google's Gemini AI models to understand natural language searches and provide more intuitive photo discovery. Users can make conversational queries like "suggest photos that'd make great phone backgrounds" or "what did I eat on my trip to Barcelona?" For the Barcelona food query, the AI identifies photo...
read Jun 26, 2025YouTube tests AI-powered search summaries for Premium users
YouTube is bringing an AI Overviews-style feature to its platform, showing AI-powered search result carousels for YouTube Premium members in the US when they search for shopping, travel, or location-based content. The experimental feature represents Google's continued expansion of AI search capabilities across its product ecosystem, potentially changing how users discover and consume video content. What you should know: The AI-powered search results carousel displays a prominent video clip at the top, thumbnail previews of related videos below, and an AI-generated text summary responding to the user's query. Users can tap the main video clip to watch the full content,...
read Jun 26, 2025Google Sheets now uses AI to auto-generate text from your data
Google has launched a new AI function in Sheets that can automatically generate text to fill empty cells in spreadsheets based on existing data. The feature, powered by Google Gemini, allows users to create customized content, summarize information, or categorize data by referencing specific cells within their spreadsheets. How it works: Users highlight cells where they want AI-generated content and enter a formula that tells the AI what to create based on nearby data. The function uses syntax like =AI("Write a formal ad copy for the product. Cater copy to the objective and target audience.", A2:C2) to generate tailored advertisement...
read Jun 26, 2025Reading Rainbows: Pearson partners with Google Cloud to build AI learning tools for students
Pearson, a British education company, has entered a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud to develop AI-powered learning tools for primary and secondary school students. The collaboration aims to create personalized educational experiences that adapt to individual student needs while helping teachers track performance and customize lessons more effectively. What you should know: The partnership focuses on leveraging Google's advanced AI models to transform traditional classroom education from uniform teaching methods to individualized learning paths. Students will receive AI-driven tools that adjust to their specific pace and learning requirements. Teachers will gain enhanced capabilities to monitor student progress and tailor instructional...
read Jun 25, 2025Google AI Pro now offers annual billing at $199.99, saving users 16%
Google has introduced an annual subscription option for its Google AI Pro service, priced at $199.99 per year—offering a 16% savings compared to the monthly plan. The annual billing option addresses a notable gap in Google's pricing structure, as other storage tiers already offered yearly subscriptions while AI Pro was previously limited to monthly payments. What you should know: Google AI Pro combines 2TB of cloud storage with advanced AI features and costs $19.99 monthly or $199.99 annually. The annual plan saves users $39.89 compared to paying monthly ($239.88 total). This pricing aligns Google AI Pro with the company's existing...
read Jun 25, 2025Google DeepMind’s AlphaGenome predicts genetic mutations without lab tests
Google's DeepMind has unveiled AlphaGenome, an AI model that predicts how small DNA changes affect gene activity and molecular processes. The breakthrough technology represents a significant leap beyond the company's Nobel Prize-winning AlphaFold protein-folding system, potentially accelerating genetic research and medical diagnostics by allowing certain lab experiments to be conducted virtually. What you should know: AlphaGenome unifies multiple genomic analysis challenges into a single AI system that can predict genetic variant effects at the molecular level. The model analyzes how changing individual DNA letters affects gene activity, answering questions that typically require time-consuming laboratory experiments. "We have, for the first...
read Jun 25, 2025Suspicious Google Gemini emails claim phone app access starting July 7
Users have reported receiving suspicious emails claiming to announce major privacy changes to Google Gemini, with the messages stating the AI assistant would gain broad access to phone apps including Messages, WhatsApp, and utilities starting July 7. The emails raise significant privacy concerns due to unclear language and claims that Gemini would access these apps regardless of user privacy settings, though Google has not confirmed these changes are legitimate. What you should know: The reported emails contain several red flags that suggest they may not be authentic Google communications. The emails claim Gemini will access Phone, Messages, WhatsApp, and Utilities...
read Jun 25, 2025Google launches free Gemini CLI tool for developers across platforms
Google has launched Gemini CLI, a free command-line tool that brings its Gemini 2.5 Pro AI model directly to developers' terminals across Mac, Windows, and Linux. The open-source tool provides lightweight access to Google's AI agent with capabilities extending beyond code understanding to include file manipulation, command execution, and troubleshooting, positioning Google to capture developer mindshare in the competitive AI tooling landscape. What you should know: Gemini CLI transforms the traditional command-line experience by integrating AI assistance directly into developers' existing workflows. The tool offers code writing and explanation, debugging assistance, project management, and natural-language documentation queries. Beyond coding tasks,...
read Jun 25, 2025Google APAC chief calls AI a “magic wand” for Asia’s $60B media sector
Google's Sanjay Gupta positioned artificial intelligence as the transformative force that will propel Asia-Pacific to the forefront of global storytelling, calling AI a "magic wand" for the region's media creators during his keynote at the APOS conference in Indonesia. The Google APAC president's vision comes as Asia contributes only 15% to global media revenues despite having 50% of the world's population, suggesting massive untapped potential for AI-driven growth in the region's $60 billion media and entertainment sector. The big picture: Gupta showcased AI's creative potential through Google's collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery to bring "The Wizard of Oz" to the...
read Jun 24, 2025Can you satisfy my query now? Verizon launches Gemini-powered AI customer service with 90% accuracy
Verizon has launched an AI-powered customer service assistant built on Google's Gemini technology, designed to handle complex customer inquiries through the revamped My Verizon app. The initiative represents a significant shift toward AI-driven customer support while maintaining human oversight, as the telecom giant seeks to streamline service operations and improve customer experience efficiency. What you should know: The new Verizon Assistant can manage a wide range of customer tasks that traditionally required human representatives. Customers can use the AI tool to manage upgrades, add new lines, ask billing questions, and find savings opportunities through the My Verizon app. The system...
read Jun 24, 2025Online training wheels come off as Google DeepMind launches cloudless robot AI
Google DeepMind has released Gemini Robotics On-Device, a new AI model that enables robots to operate completely offline without requiring cloud connectivity. This standalone vision-language-action (VLA) model represents a significant step toward truly autonomous robots that can perform complex tasks like tying shoes or folding shirts while maintaining privacy and reliability in environments with poor internet connectivity. What you should know: The new on-device model eliminates the cloud dependency that limited previous versions of Google's robotics AI. Unlike the hybrid system that required both local and cloud-based processing, this standalone model runs entirely on the robot itself. The model maintains...
read Jun 24, 2025Google expands AI Mode to India as first international market
Google has expanded its AI Mode search experience to India, marking the first international rollout of the advanced AI-powered search tool since its March announcement. This expansion follows the wide US launch at I/O 2025 and represents Google's push to bring more sophisticated AI search capabilities to international markets, starting with one of its largest user bases. What you should know: AI Mode offers significantly more advanced capabilities than traditional Google Search or AI Overviews. The tool is powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.5 and uses a "query fan-out technique that breaks your question into subtopics and issues...
read Jun 24, 2025Google to launch 50+ AI satellites for 15-minute wildfire detection
Google has partnered with nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance and satellite manufacturer Muon Space to launch Fire Sat, a constellation of specialized wildfire-tracking satellites that will use AI to detect fires in their earliest stages. The initiative aims to deploy 50+ satellites by 2029, capturing images of fire-prone areas every 15 minutes and processing the data through Google's machine learning systems to distinguish actual fires from false positives like hot roofs or reflected sunlight. What you should know: Fire Sat represents Google's ambitious entry into space-based wildfire monitoring, combining satellite technology with AI processing to transform early fire detection. The first...
read Jun 24, 2025Maing it personal: Google facilitates AI Mode prompts using your search history
Google is now personalizing AI Mode prompt suggestions based on users' search history to encourage more people to try the feature. This targeted approach replaces the generic prompts previously shown to all users, making the suggestions more relevant and likely to drive engagement with Google's AI-powered search experience. What you should know: The personalized prompts appear under "Based on your Google activity" and refresh each time users visit the "Meet AI Mode" page through various entry points. Previous generic suggestions included prompts about gym offers, mattress comparisons, and staycation ideas that were identical for all users. The new system generates...
read Jun 23, 2025Google’s Flow AI creates cinematic videos with sound and dialogue. Here’s how to enjoy it.
Google's Flow AI transforms text descriptions into professional-quality videos complete with sound effects, dialogue, and sophisticated camera work. Unlike basic AI video generators that produce silent clips from simple prompts, Flow offers filmmaking-grade controls that let users specify camera angles, add orchestral soundtracks, and script character dialogue—essentially putting a full video production studio at your fingertips. This comprehensive capability comes with a learning curve, but the results can be remarkably cinematic. After extensively testing Flow's features across multiple video projects, here's a complete guide to creating compelling AI-generated videos that go far beyond basic text-to-video conversion. Understanding Flow's pricing and...
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