News/Google
Google’s ChromeOS adds practical AI features that outshine competitors
Google has quietly unleashed a suite of artificial intelligence features for ChromeOS that could reshape how business users interact with their computers. Unlike flashy AI chatbots that require separate applications, these tools integrate directly into everyday workflows, offering contextual assistance without interrupting productivity. The standout feature, Text Capture, demonstrates Google's strategic approach to practical AI implementation. Rather than forcing users to learn new interfaces, it works seamlessly within existing applications, analyzing on-screen content and suggesting relevant actions. This represents a significant shift toward ambient computing, where AI assistance becomes invisible infrastructure rather than a separate tool. For business users evaluating...
read Jun 23, 2025Google’s AI overviews slash website traffic 30% since May launch, publishers freaking
Google's AI Overviews feature is dramatically reducing website traffic as users increasingly rely on AI-generated summaries instead of clicking through to source websites. Data from multiple analytics firms shows click-through rates have dropped 30-35% since the feature's May 2024 launch, threatening the revenue model that has sustained web publishers for decades. The big picture: AI search tools are fundamentally breaking the symbiotic relationship between search engines and content creators, with Google crawling far more pages than it refers traffic to. Matthew Prince, CEO of Cloudflare, a web infrastructure company, revealed that Google's ratio of pages crawled to visitors referred has...
read Jun 20, 2025Google adds song identification to Gemini but clunkily kicks users out of the app
Google has added song identification capabilities to Gemini on Android, allowing users to ask "What song is this?" to trigger the same Song Search interface used by Google Assistant. However, the feature currently launches a separate full-screen interface through the Google app rather than staying within Gemini itself, creating a less seamless experience compared to existing alternatives. How it works: The new feature leverages Google's existing Song Search technology but requires users to leave the Gemini interface. Users can ask Gemini "What song is this?" which then opens the Google app's full-screen listening interface. The tool can identify music from...
read Jun 20, 2025Maryland partners with Google to offer free AI career certificates to students
The University System of Maryland has partnered with Google to provide free access to Google Career Certificates for students across the state system, including new AI training programs. The initiative aims to boost career readiness and give students a competitive edge in the job market, while positioning Maryland as a leader in emerging technologies under Governor Wes Moore's tech-forward economic vision. What students get: University System of Maryland students will receive free access to Google Career Certificates that typically cost $49 per month after a trial period. The certificates cover cybersecurity, data analytics, digital marketing and e-commerce, IT support, project...
read Jun 19, 2025Google Maps uses AI to reduce European car dependency with 4 major updates
Google Maps is rolling out four significant updates across Europe, marking the tech giant's most comprehensive push yet to reduce urban car dependency. These changes, powered by artificial intelligence and expanded infrastructure data, aim to make sustainable transportation options more appealing and accessible to millions of European commuters. The timing reflects growing pressure on major tech companies to support environmental initiatives, particularly in Europe where cities increasingly restrict vehicle access through low-emission zones and congestion pricing. For business travelers and daily commuters alike, these updates could fundamentally change how people navigate European cities this summer and beyond. 1. AI-powered transport...
read Jun 19, 2025Minnesota solar firm sues Google for $110M over AI-generated defamation
Wolf River Electric, a Minnesota solar company, is suing Google for $110-210 million in damages after the tech giant's AI Overviews feature allegedly fabricated defamatory claims about the company facing lawsuits for deceptive sales practices. The case represents potentially groundbreaking legal territory as courts grapple with whether AI companies can be held liable for harmful misinformation generated by their large language models. What happened: Google's AI Overviews confidently claimed Wolf River Electric was being sued by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison for "deceptive sales practices," including lying to customers about savings and tricking homeowners into signing contracts with hidden fees....
read Jun 19, 2025Google Photos developing AI “Remix” feature to transform videos into artistic styles
Google Photos is developing a "Remix" feature that will use generative AI to transform both photos and videos into different artistic styles, according to code discovered in the latest app version. The feature, internally codenamed "Bluejay," represents Google's entry into the popular AI-powered content remixing trend that has gained traction on social media platforms. What you should know: The Remix feature will offer three distinct style options for video transformation through generative AI. "I'm Feeling Lucky" provides a random style transformation "Subtle Movements" offers more restrained visual changes "Go Wild" delivers dramatic stylistic alterations How it works: Code strings found...
read Jun 19, 2025Google launches Search Live for real-time voice conversations with AI
Google has launched Search Live, a new voice chat feature that enables real-time conversations with Google Search through AI Mode. The feature allows users to have back-and-forth verbal exchanges with Google's search tools, similar to experiences offered by Gemini Live or ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode, marking Google's push to make search interactions more conversational and intuitive. How to access it: Search Live is currently available through Google Labs' AI Mode signup for US users only. Once enrolled, a Live icon appears under the Search bar in the Google app for Android and iOS as the leftmost option. Users can tap...
read Jun 18, 2025Google Cloud partners with WWT to centralize NBA player performance data
Google Cloud has partnered with World Wide Technology (WWT), a technology solutions provider, to develop an AI-powered playbook for an unnamed NBA franchise, aiming to unify previously siloed data on player performance and health. The collaboration addresses the need for better data interoperability in professional sports, enabling coaches, medics, and sports scientists to make more informed decisions about game strategy and player workloads. What you should know: The AI platform centralizes data that was previously scattered across different systems, making it easier for team staff to access comprehensive player insights. Team members including coaches, medics, and sports scientists will gain...
read Jun 18, 2025Google’s Veo 3 AI will let creators generate videos inside YouTube Shorts
Google will integrate its Veo 3 AI video generator with YouTube Shorts this summer, allowing creators to produce AI-generated content directly within the platform's short-form video format. The move capitalizes on YouTube Shorts' explosive growth, with viewership increasing 186% over the past year to reach 200 billion daily views. Why this matters: This integration could dramatically expand AI-generated content creation, making sophisticated video generation accessible to millions of creators while potentially transforming how short-form content is produced and consumed. The numbers behind Shorts' success: YouTube Shorts has outpaced the platform's overall growth trajectory, establishing itself as a dominant force in...
read Jun 18, 2025Google Meet adds AI-generated backgrounds powered by Gemini. Here’s how to partake.
Google Meet has quietly rolled out one of its most engaging new features: AI-generated backgrounds powered by Gemini, Google's advanced artificial intelligence assistant. This capability transforms the standard video conferencing experience by letting users create custom, unique backgrounds through simple text prompts rather than choosing from the same tired selection of conference rooms and coffee shops that everyone else uses. For professionals spending significant portions of their workday in virtual meetings, this represents more than just visual novelty. Custom AI backgrounds offer a way to maintain professional presentation standards while adding personality to remote interactions. Rather than cycling through Google...
read Jun 18, 2025Pokémon goes wellness: Google’s Veo 3 AI-generated ASMR videos rack up millions of views
AI-generated ASMR videos using Google's Veo 3 are gaining millions of views on platforms like TikTok, featuring surreal content like glass fruit being sliced and people eating molten rock. While these videos trigger some viewers' relaxation responses, they lack the human intimacy that traditional ASMR enthusiasts value, creating a divisive new category in the wellness content space. What you should know: Google's Veo 3 Fast has become the most popular AI video generator for creating ASMR content, producing 720p videos at double the speed of standard models. Gemini Pro users can create three videos per day, while Flow Pro users...
read Jun 18, 2025Canva integrates Google’s Veo 3 AI video generator for $15/month
Canva has integrated Google's Veo 3 AI video generation technology into its design platform, allowing paid subscribers to create eight-second video clips with synchronized audio directly within their projects. The integration extends Canva's AI-powered creative suite and provides users with more affordable access to advanced video generation capabilities compared to Google's direct pricing. What you should know: Veo 3 video generation is now available across all Canva paid plans and the company's Leonardo.Ai platform. Users can generate eight-second video clips complete with synchronized audio that integrates seamlessly into existing Canva projects. The feature is part of Canva's broader AI toolkit,...
read Jun 17, 2025Google gives iNaturalist $1.5M for AI tools—but users threaten to quit over environmental impact
iNaturalist, a nonprofit platform used by 3.7 million nature observers worldwide, received a $1.5 million grant from Google's philanthropic arm to develop generative AI tools for species identification. The announcement sparked significant backlash from the platform's community, who raised concerns about environmental impacts, data accuracy, and the potential devaluation of human expertise in taxonomy. What you should know: iNaturalist operates as a collaborative platform where users submit observations of wild organisms and rely on community expertise for species identification. More than 3.7 million people use the platform to record observations, from weekend naturalists to professional taxonomists The community has logged...
read Jun 13, 2025Google tests AI audio overviews directly in mobile search results
Google has rolled out a test feature that integrates AI-generated Audio Overviews directly into mobile search results, allowing users to generate podcast-style discussions about their queries. The experiment, available through Google Labs, expands the company's audio AI capabilities beyond existing tools like NotebookLM and Gemini, bringing conversational AI content directly to the search experience. How it works: Users can generate AI-powered audio discussions for certain search queries through a new button that appears on the first page of mobile search results. When searching for topics like "How do noise cancellation headphones work?", a "Generate Audio Overview" button appears beneath the...
read Jun 13, 2025POVs from the other side: Google DeepMind and Aronofsky’s AI film visualizes the impossible
Darren Aronofsky has unveiled "Ancestra," the first short film from his new partnership with Google DeepMind to create generative AI-powered cinema. The 8-minute film, directed by Eliza McNitt and premiering at the Tribeca Festival, uses AI to visualize previously impossible narratives, including sequences inside a woman's womb inspired by McNitt's own life-threatening birth complications. What you should know: "Ancestra" represents a groundbreaking fusion of traditional filmmaking and generative AI technology, involving over 200 artists and technologists. McNitt trained AI models on her own baby pictures and family photos taken by her late father to generate a newborn infant whose story...
read Jun 13, 2025Google and Snap push XR mainstream with Android XR and $3B Spectacles bet
Augmented World Expo 2025 concluded in Long Beach, California, with Google's Android XR and Snap's consumer Spectacles announcement driving momentum for mainstream XR adoption. The three-day event, drawing over 5,000 attendees and 250 exhibitors, showcased how AI integration and mature hardware are finally positioning extended reality technologies—which blend digital content with the physical world—for widespread deployment across enterprise and consumer markets. What you should know: Industry leaders declared 2025 the year XR moves from experimental to mainstream, with AI serving as the critical catalyst. AWE co-founder Ori Inbar's keynote emphasized that "the hardware is good enough, the tools are mature,...
read Jun 13, 2025Kalshi’s NBA Finals ad costs just $2K using Google’s AI video tool
The betting platform Kalshi aired a fully AI-generated advertisement during the NBA Finals that cost just $2,000 to produce using Google's text-to-video generator Veo 3. The 15-second spot showcases the growing accessibility of AI video creation tools and signals a potential shift toward AI-generated content in mainstream advertising. What you should know: The ad was created by AI filmmaker PJ Accetturo in just 2-3 days, representing what he claims is a "95% cost reduction vs traditional ads." The advertisement features surreal scenes including an elderly man in a cowboy hat carrying a chihuahua, someone swimming in a pool of eggs,...
read Jun 12, 2025Google’s AI model bears down on traditional weather forecasting in storm track success
Google has launched a new AI model for forecasting tropical storms and created Weather Lab, a website to share its AI weather research, while partnering with the US National Hurricane Center to test the technology. The initiative comes as the Trump administration has cut National Weather Service staff and capacity, raising questions about the future of public weather forecasting versus privatized services. What you should know: Google's experimental AI model can generate 50 different scenarios for a storm's possible track, size, and intensity up to 15 days in advance. The model's five-day predictions for cyclone tracks in the North Atlantic...
read Jun 12, 2025AI deepfakes now fool 90% of viewers as society nears consensus reality crisis
An artificial intelligence deepfake expert warns that current AI video generation tools like Google's Veo 3 are already indistinguishable from real content for 90% of viewers, potentially creating a future where society loses its shared sense of reality. The warning comes as the satirical film "Mountainhead" depicts tech billionaires whose AI video software triggers global chaos through hyperrealistic deepfakes, raising urgent questions about how close we are to such a scenario. What you should know: AI video generation has reached a critical threshold where distinguishing real from fake content is becoming nearly impossible for most people. "For 90% of viewers,...
read Jun 12, 2025AI coding tools boost productivity 50% but struggle with complex software
Advanced AI coding models from companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are fundamentally transforming software development, with some experts predicting AI could write 90% of all code within months. This shift toward "vibe coding"—where developers use natural language prompts to generate entire applications—is creating both unprecedented opportunities and deep concerns about the future of engineering careers. The big picture: What started as simple code autocompletion in ChatGPT has evolved into AI systems capable of building complete apps, websites, and even multiplayer games through conversational prompts. Steve Yegge, a veteran engineer at Sourcegraph (a code search company), now codes on four...
read Jun 12, 2025Google’s Veo 3 Fast doubles AI video generation speed at 720p quality
Google has launched Veo 3 Fast, a significantly faster version of its AI video generation model that doubles the speed of video production while maintaining 720p quality. The upgrade allows both Gemini Pro and Flow users to create videos more quickly and efficiently, with Gemini Pro subscribers getting three daily video generations and Flow Pro users paying just 20 credits per video—a substantial cost reduction from previous pricing. What you should know: Veo 3 Fast represents more than just speed improvements—it's part of Google's broader strategy to scale AI video infrastructure and accommodate more simultaneous users. • Gemini Pro users...
read Jun 11, 2025Google names first chief AI architect to bridge research-product gap
Google has appointed Koray Kavukcuoglu, Google DeepMind's chief technology officer, as its first chief AI architect, a new senior vice president role reporting directly to CEO Sundar Pichai. The position reflects Google's push to better translate its leading AI research capabilities into successful consumer products, as the company faces mounting pressure to compete with rivals like OpenAI while maintaining its dominant search business. What you should know: Kavukcuoglu will oversee how Google integrates its Gemini AI models across the company's product portfolio while maintaining his current CTO role at DeepMind. The former aerospace engineer joined DeepMind in 2012 as a...
read Jun 10, 2025OpenAI diversifies beyond Microsoft with Google cloud partnership
OpenAI has struck an unprecedented cloud computing deal with Google, despite the companies' fierce rivalry in artificial intelligence. The partnership, finalized in May after months of negotiations, allows OpenAI to tap Google's cloud infrastructure to meet surging demand for computing power needed to train and run its AI models, marking a significant shift in AI industry dynamics. The big picture: This collaboration between two AI heavyweights illustrates how massive computing demands are reshaping competitive relationships in the sector, with OpenAI diversifying beyond its primary supporter Microsoft. What you should know: The deal represents OpenAI's latest move to reduce dependency on...
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