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

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

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.

Google is adding subscription-based agentic features to AI Mode, a Google Search function that lets users query complex questions verbally or with a text interface. AI Mode now answers multipart requests, like researching a dinner reservation at a set time for a specific number of people and with food preferences or dietary restrictions, responding in real time. The feature personalizes responses by drawing on past conversations and has a new “share” button that can circulate information, allowing others to jump in on the conversation. Google is expanding the global availability of AI Mode, which launched in the U.S. in May. Continue reading Google Adds Paid Features to AI Mode, Now in 180 Countries

Google has initiated a flurry of AI activity following the recent collection of Chinese AI releases. The Alphabet company has launched an experimental version of a new flagship AI model, Gemini 2.0 Pro. Its premiere coding and complex questions model is now available in Google AI Studio, Vertex AI and the Gemini Advanced app. The company has also made its general-purpose “workhorse” model, Gemini 2.0 Flash, available in general release via the Gemini API in AI Studio and Vertex. This follows last week’s announcement that Gemini 2.0 Flash is powering the Gemini app for desktop and mobile. Continue reading Google Adds Gemini Flash Thinking to Search, Maps and More

The Eureka Park section at CES 2025 in Las Vegas is an exhibition area dedicated to thousands of startups and early-stage products from across the globe. Our reporting team visited the space organized specifically for Japanese startups and discovered a few that are developing innovative technologies that could potentially be applied to 3D computer graphics modeling, XR, and gaming. Among the standouts were Tokyo-based CalTa that developed the digital twin platform Trancity — and Japanese telecom giant NTT Docomo’s exhibit of its ongoing Feel Tech system. Continue reading CES: Japanese Startups Showcase 3D Modeling, XR, Gaming

Google has introduced Gemini 2.0, the latest version of its multimodal AI model, signaling a shift toward what the company is calling “the agentic era.” The upgraded model promises not only to outperform previous iterations on standard benchmarks but also introduces more proactive, or agentic, functions. The company announced that “Project Astra,” its experimental assistant, would receive updates that allow it to use Google Search, Lens, and Maps, and that “Project Mariner,” a Chrome extension, would enable Gemini 2.0 to navigate a user’s web browser to complete tasks autonomously. Continue reading Google Releases Gemini 2.0 in Shift Toward Agentic Era of AI

AI is apparently whetting appetites for more than creative exploration. Yum Brands, which owns Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut, says its new AI-driven marketing campaigns are driving more customers into stores, increasing purchases and reducing churn. Trials with “personalized marketing campaigns” that leverage artificial intelligence to produce are leading to strong results, according to the company. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola has revamped its circa 1995 “Holidays Are Coming” TV ad with the help of artificial intelligence and production studio Secret Level, though the critical and customer reaction to that has reportedly been mixed. Continue reading Small to Super-Sized Businesses Are Getting a Boost from AI

Google and Samsung have joined forces to make file sharing between Android devices easier and quicker. The companies have unified Google’s Nearby Share and Samsung’s Quick Share, “bringing the best of our sharing solutions together into a singular cross-Android solution under the Quick Share name,” and introducing the new utility across the entire Android ecosystem. “We’ve integrated the experiences and created the best default, built-in option for peer-to-peer content sharing across all types of devices in the Android and Chromebook ecosystems,” Google said at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. Continue reading CES: Google and Samsung Simplify File Sharing with Android

Google is rolling out a suite of AI-powered marketing tools designed to help small businesses make the most of the holiday sales season. Merchants can add a “small business” attribute to their Search and Maps results and generate advertising and promotional materials using something called Product Studio. “Eighty-four percent of people say supporting local and/or small businesses is important to them, so we’re making it easier to find them on Google,” the company writes. Products and businesses with the “small business” label “will make it easier for shoppers to narrow down their searches and be intentional about shopping.” Continue reading Google Debuts Generative AI Tools Aimed to Help Merchants

Earlier this year, Google introduced support for passkeys as part of a larger initiative to improve security and eventually eliminate the need for passwords. Since the launch, consumers have begun using passkeys across Google apps such as Search, YouTube and Maps. As the next step in establishing “a simpler and more secure way to sign into your accounts online,” and following positive feedback from early users, the company is offering passkeys as the default option across personal accounts. When signing into accounts, users will receive prompts for creating passkeys. Additionally, Google account settings will feature a toggle that reads “skip password when possible.” Continue reading Google Makes Passkeys Default Option on Personal Accounts

Google is implementing a plan to help its Bard AI become more competitive with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Bard Extensions will allow English-language users to expand the chatbot’s knowledge repository to data from various Google apps, including Gmail, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Maps, YouTube, and Google Flights and hotels, or even information stored “across multiple apps and services,” Google says. The update boosts search engine capabilities with the travel features, while providing some functionalities of a personal assistant by letting it identify missed emails or summarize the relevant points in a document. Continue reading Google Links Bard AI to Apps Including YouTube, Docs, Drive

While the much-anticipated unveiling of the $1,799 Pixel Fold is generating headlines after yesterday’s Google I/O developer conference, the company made a slew of other announcements, including the $500 Pixel Tablet, the midrange Pixel 7A, AI functionality for Google Search and Android, an AI-powered editing feature for Google Photos, an improved Wear OS 4 (available later this year), and a redesigned Google Home app (available today). In addition, the company announced that its AI-powered chatbot Bard is now available to everyone, whether you were on the waitlist or not. We’ve compiled a helpful list of new products and features, along with links to reviews and related news. Continue reading Google Announces Wide Range of New Products, AI Features

Google is starting to publicly roll out many of the new features introduced at its Search On event in September. Spanning Google Search, Shopping and Maps, the tools let consumers do things like search their favorite restaurant dish by name, like “truffle mac and cheese near me.” A visual search experience for Maps called Live View lets users glimpse street scenes in cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco and Tokyo. And an AR shopping feature invites people to try on everything from makeup to accessories using a library of 148 models. Continue reading Google Intros New Features for Search, Maps and Shopping

Google and Amazon have struck a deal to end simmering hostilities over a battle for control of smart TVs. After a particularly damning report by the Competition Commission of India last week, Amazon announced that TCL — a major player in the drama — will this fall release in Europe two new models equipped with Amazon Fire TV software. The new pax has also paved the way for Amazon to work with consumer electronics companies including Hisense, Xiaomi, and more, who were previously forbidden from using the Amazon OS under Google’s licensing terms. Continue reading Google, Amazon Reach an Accord in OS Battle for Smart TVs