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

Anticompetitive practices, outrageous ticket fees and poor customer service were among the allegations leveled at Live Nation Entertainment Tuesday at a contentious Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing over botched Taylor Swift concert ticket presales by the company’s Ticketmaster subsidiary. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) called the Live Nation relationship to Ticketmaster “the definition of monopoly,” adding that venues fearful of losing the company’s concerts don’t have the ability to push back because Live Nation is “so powerful that it doesn’t even need to exert pressure, it doesn’t need to threaten because people just fall in line.” Continue reading Senators Grill Live Nation on Antitrust After the Swift Debacle

SeatGeek, a ticket aggregator that allows people to compare listings for concerts and sports tickets, has revamped its app and shifted its business toward resale. Their mobile app now lets people transfer tickets to their friends for free. SeatGeek takes a 15 percent cut when users list and sell their tickets. Users can both buy and transfer tickets on SeatGeek’s mobile app, unlike competitors StubHub and LiveNation, which do not offer transferring services on mobile. Continue reading SeatGeek Turns Reselling Tickets Into a Mobile Experience