Alphabet has notched its first $100 billion-plus quarter, with revenue of $102.35 billion, a 16 percent increase for the period ending September 30. The result exceeded analyst estimates of $99.89 billion. CEO Sundar Pichai noted the results marked a 100 percent increase in Q3 revenue since 2020, when it was $50 billion. “We’re firmly in the generative AI era,” Nadella said, noting diversification “with successful businesses in Cloud, YouTube and subscriptions.” The company was onboard with the trend in increased spending, upping its capital expenditure range from $85 billion to $91 billion – $93 billion for 2025. Continue reading Cloud and AI Drive Alphabet to First $100 Billion-Plus Quarter

London-based global marketing giant WPP has launched WPP Open Pro, a new edition of its flagship AI marketing platform, WPP Open, aimed at attracting “brands of all sizes” and helping them to plan, create and publish campaigns independently. The product stems from the Gemini-powered AI platform WPP built with Google — a relationship that has been extended by five years and includes a $400 million WPP spending commitment. The spend will drive WPP’s mission to expand the use of AI in its services and technologies. “This partnership will empower WPP clients with groundbreaking AI solutions, transforming how they connect with audiences and achieve business goals,” according to WPP. Continue reading WPP Rolls Out Open Pro AI and Extends Its Deal with Google

Google has made upgrades to its AI Studio development platform, adding a vibe code interface with buttons and retooling the AI Playground as a central hub for the company’s latest AI models. According to Google, users can now easily switch between Gemini, GenMedia (with new Veo 3.1), text-to-speech (TTS) and Live models, “all without losing your place or switching tabs,” while the Chat UI has been conformed more with typical interfaces. The updates allow users to more easily “go from prompt to image to video to voiceover in one continuous flow.”
Continue reading Google Revamps AI Studio with Vibe Coding, Maps Integration

Google has released Veo 3.1 and Veo 3.1 Fast in paid preview, adding new capabilities to the generative video model that is already a leader in the field. Creative and technical upgrades include richer native audio from dialogue to sound effects, greater understanding of cinematic styles and better prompt adherence. The two new models are available via the Gemini API in Google AI Studio and Vertex AI, with Veo 3.1 also available in the Gemini app and the storytelling tool Flow, which now gets native audio. Flow has generated more than 275 million videos since its release at Google I/O in May, according to the company. Continue reading Google Veo 3.1 Advances Generative Video in Flow and Vertex

Samsung debuted its Galaxy XR headset with news that it is on sale now in the U.S. and Korea for $1,799. Developed by Samsung, Google and Qualcomm, the headset runs on the new Android XR operating system, which Samsung EVP of Customer Experience Jay Kim said at Tuesday’s virtual launch event will steer “a new category of devices” powered by Google’s Gemini AI that “uses visual data, voice input and sensors in real time,” making it truly multimodal. Kim said Samsung’s vision for this new “spectrum of XR devices” includes four form factors: headsets, wired and wireless XR glasses, and AI glasses. Continue reading Samsung All-In on Head Gear Starting with $1,799 Galaxy XR

DirecTV is bringing user interaction to its screensavers, which will offer things like shoppable ads, powered by generative AI shopping platform firm Glance AI. The experience will begin rolling out next year to DirecTV subscribers using Google Gemini TV devices. Glance AI says it developed the technology in conjunction with Google. Among the uses are “creating an AI feed of your favorite sports leagues on your idle-screens or helping your kids discover their next dream vacation.” Overall, Glance AI on TV will offer users the opportunity “to engage with content from hundreds of top American brands and millions of catalogs.” Continue reading DirecTV Partnering with Glance AI for Interactive Screensavers

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is expanding its functionality to include in-app shopping. The new feature, called Instant Checkout, is powered by the Agentic Commerce Protocol developed by OpenAI and Stripe. ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users in the U.S. can now buy products conversationally, starting with domestic Etsy sellers. Shopify’s merchants will be added soon, with plans to ramp up to “more than a million” of the e-commerce platform’s clients, including Glossier, Spanx and Vuori. The move lays the groundwork for OpenAI’s segue to agentic shopping. Instant Checkout currently supports only single-item purchases, with multi-item carts coming soon, according to OpenAI. Continue reading OpenAI ‘Instant Checkout’ Adds In-App Shopping to ChatGPT

Apple has reportedly developed a ChatGPT-like iPhone app for internal use in testing its AI overhaul of Siri. Apple’s AI unit is using the app to assess new features for its famous conversational assistant, putting it through its paces for tasks like sifting through personal data, including documents, audio and emails, and performing actions including photo and video editing, according to reports. Called Veritas, Latin for “truth,” the developmental software is garnering attention as a pivotal tool in Siri’s highly anticipated AI makeover, expected to make its public debut next year. Continue reading Apple Creates an AI Chatbot to Help Train the Next-Gen Siri

Google has launched its Gemini-powered AI search tool Search Live in the United States. The mobile integration for iOS and Android can look at the world through your phone’s camera and respond to questions conversationally, in real time, while also offering helpful Web links for a deeper dive. “Just open the Google app and tap the new Live icon under the search bar,” Google explains. Camera sharing will be activated by default and the app also accepts video input. If you’re already pointing your camera with Google Lens, you can select the Live option at the bottom of the screen. Continue reading Google Launches Conversational ‘Search Live’ for U.S. Mobile

Qualcomm has released two new chips within the Snapdragon X Series portfolio. The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and Snapdragon X2 Elite are “the fastest and most efficient processors for Windows PCs,” according to the company. The 3nm chips boast up to 43 percent less power consumption than the prior generation. They were unveiled at the Snapdragon Summit in Maui, where Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon talked about the 6G future, which he described as a “dynamic, adaptive network of intelligence” that will be contextually sensitive, feeding across an ecosystem of personal devices from phones and laptops to smart glasses and connected cars. Continue reading Qualcomm Debuts Chips, Explores 6G at Snapdragon Summit

Google Labs is experimenting with a new AI feature called Mixboard that lets people explore and develop design ideas. Users can visualize concepts ranging from home decor to event themes, or just about anything, for DIY projects or other creative pursuits. New projects can be launched from a text prompt or selected from pre-populated boards and developed by uploading images or using AI to generate them. “Create new versions of your ideas with one-click options like ‘regenerate’ and ‘more like this’,” explains Google, noting you can generate text based on content from any of the board’s images. Continue reading Mixboard: Google Labs Testing Gemini AI Design Tool in Beta

Google TV is introducing Gemini as a conversational AI assistant to help find content and get more information about a favorite TV show or movie. Gemini on Google TV goes beyond the simple queries and commands of Google Assistant, which has been around since 2017, and allows “free-flowing conversations with your big screen,” the company explains. “Just say ‘Hey Google’ or press the microphone button on your TV remote” to tap into Gemini for TV to activate the new feature. Gemini is now available on the TCL QM9K series, with more TCL models coming onboard later this year. Google says additional functionality for Gemini on TV is coming soon. Continue reading Google TV Adding Conversational Intelligence with Gemini AI

Google is rolling out “Gemini in Chrome” to U.S. Mac and Windows desktop users. Business users will get it in the weeks to come, as will Android and iOS mobile devices. The immediate change integrates “Google AI into Chrome across multiple levels so it can better anticipate your needs, help you understand more complex information, and make you more productive when you browse the web.” There are a number of safety features that leverage AI to combat scams and handle things like automatic password resets. And Gemini in Chrome will soon be able to recall websites previously visited without requiring you to scroll through your browsing history. An agentic browsing assistant is also in the works. Continue reading Google Adds Gemini AI Assistant to Chrome Browser in U.S.

In one of the largest cloud computing deals ever, OpenAI has contracted with Oracle for $300 billion in processing power over five years starting in 2027. Oracle has committed to 4.5 gigawatts of capacity. A typical nuclear plant caps at 1 gigawatt of output generated at any given instant. The deal involves risk for both companies. OpenAI’s annual revenue of about $10 billion is far short of the amount needed to cover this tab. Oracle’s exposure comes with depending on a small number of large customers for so much revenue and the expense of expanding infrastructure to fulfill the obligation. Continue reading OpenAI Signs $300 Billion Cloud Computing Deal with Oracle

Apple is reportedly working on an AI-powered search tool that would initially be integrated with Siri and eventually added to the Safari browser and Spotlight, a search app launched from the iPhone home screen. Known internally as World Knowledge Answers, it is expected to debut next spring, possibly with help from Google, which is said to have built a model to power Apple’s AI search. Google is a longtime Apple partner, providing the default search engine for Apple devices. The move is intended to make Apple’s search offerings more competitive with products from OpenAI and Perplexity. Continue reading Apple Said to be Working with Google on AI-Powered Search