Determined not to be left behind in the race to own the future of AI-assisted online shopping — which has everyone from Walmart, Amazon and OpenAI to TikTok scrambling for digital shelf-space — Google is adding conversational shopping in Google Search. The new shopping features, accessible in AI Mode powered by Gemini, include agentic checkout and the ability to “Let Google Call” local stores to ask about product availability. “Say goodbye to endless filter clicks and picking perfect keywords” and hello to chatting with your search agent like you’re shopping with a friend, Google says, “just in time for this holiday season.” Continue reading Google AI Shopping Adds Chat Search and Agentic Checkout

Meta is adding a social shopping spin to Facebook Marketplace in an effort to draw more young adults. The upgrade includes group features, AI insights and an easier checkout experience, the company says. Shoppers can now assemble Pinterest-like collections to share with friends, and people can “react and comment directly on Marketplace listings, helping others learn about item quality and discover unique finds,” Meta says. The company is also testing “collaborative buying,” which allows friends to join in the pre-purchase banter, “making it easier to coordinate pickup, negotiate prices, and get answers to your questions.” Continue reading Facebook Marketplace Gets Social Makeover with Help of AI

Bytedance-owned social video platform TikTok is launching a one-to-many bulletin board messaging feature that lets creators share content directly with fans via in-app broadcasts. Bulletin boards support video, text and image posts, but recipients are limited to emoji replies, not comments. The new feature is rolling out globally for creators who are at least 18 years old with a minimum of 50,000 followers. Artists and musicians can use bulletin boards to share new material or send save-the-date invitations for new releases, among other things. Once subscribed, followers will receive inbox notices of new posts. Continue reading TikTok Creators Get One-to-Many Broadcast Bulletin Boards

Google announced the availability of Gemini 3 for select subscribers, with a broader release planned for the coming weeks. The tech giant’s latest AI model will be available via the Gemini app, AI Mode and AI Overviews search tools, and Google’s enterprise products. The model arrives nearly eight months after the launch of Gemini 2.5 as the company looks to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. According to CEO Sundar Pichai, Gemini 3 is the company’s “most intelligent model, that combines all of Gemini’s capabilities together so you can bring any idea to life.” Pichai also announced the Google Antigravity agent platform, that enables developers to code “at a higher, task-oriented level.” Continue reading Google Making AI Search and Coding Smarter with Gemini 3

AMC Networks launched a new streaming service called All Reality yesterday, featuring 2,500 hours of reality television from We TV and other AMC brands. The service is initially being offered as an add-on to Prime Video for $4.99 per month. Available series include “Love After Lockup,” “The Braxtons,” and “The Graham Norton Show,” while an updated version of “Bridezillas” will be the first original series. According to AMC, additional content will be introduced and the service will join more platforms in the near future. All Reality joins AMC’s other targeted streamers including AMC+ (scripted dramas), Acorn TV (international mysteries), Shudder (horror) and HIDIVE (anime). Continue reading AMC Launches ‘All Reality’ Streamer with Unscripted Content

MediaLink chair and chief executive Michael Kassan held a conversation during CES 2021 with WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group chair and chief executive Ann Sarnoff on the impact of COVID-19 on the entertainment industry. Sarnoff, a 30+ year industry veteran, heads the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, HBO and HBO Max, the Warner Bros. Television Group, DC, and other WarnerMedia networks, channels and products. “When [AT&T Communications chief executive] John Stankey hired me a year and a half ago, he talked about breaking down the silos,” she explained of the organization’s new strategy. Continue reading CES: WarnerMedia Chief Ann Sarnoff on Entertainment Shifts

Google unveiled the Deep Planning Network (PlaNet) agent, created in collaboration with DeepMind, to provide reinforcement learning via images. Reinforcement learning uses rewards to improve AI agents’ decision-making. Whereas model-free techniques work by getting agents to predict actions from observations, agents created with model-based reinforcement learning come up with a general model of the environment leveraged for decision-making. In unfamiliar surroundings, however, agents must create rules from experience. Continue reading Google Debuts Deep Planning Network Agent with DeepMind