New Siri: Apple Almost Chose a Different Partner Before Google Gemini

Joe Rossignol / macrumors - In a recent interview with the tech podcast TBPN, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman revealed that Apple was initially "going to rebuild Siri around Claude," the large language model and chatbot developed by the company Anthropic. In the end, though, Apple announced…

Back to Top / Friday, January 30, 2026, 1:20 pm / permalink 18573 / 14 stories in 5 wks

Google Maps Now Lets You Chat With Gemini AI While Walking or Biking

Tim Hardwick / macrumors - Google Maps now lets you talk to Gemini while following walking or cycling directions. The latest update is an extension to the AI chatbot's existing conversational navigation feature in driving mode that rolled out in November.You can now ask Gemini hand…

Back to Top / Friday, January 30, 2026, 8:21 am / permalink 18563 / 7 stories in 5 wks

'Encrypt it already' campaign challenges big tech to keep your data secure

appleinsider - The Electronic Frontier Foundation has launched a new advocacy initiative directly targeting Apple, Google, and other tech giants to demand broader adoption of data encryption and more transparent privacy controls.Encrypt it AlreadyThe campaign is known a…

Back to Top / Thursday, January 29, 2026, 9:21 pm / permalink 18559 / 6 stories in 5 wks

U.K. Competition Watchdog Plans New Rules for Google’s AI Overviews Under Tech Law

Edith Hancock / wsj - Under the plans, publishers could stop their content being used to power AI Overviews, or to train AI models outside of Google search and make sure their content is properly cited in AI results.

Back to Top / Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 8:21 am / permalink 18486 / 8 stories in 5 wks

Google's Desktop Operating System "Aluminium OS" Has Leaked

techpowerup - Google's return to the desktop has been now cemented with the latest leak of the so-called "Aluminium OS." Accidentally shared by Google, 9to5Google managed to capture some screen recordings of this new creation that Google has been developing behind the …

Back to Top / Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 7:21 am / permalink 18485 / 12 stories in 5 wks

Google’s Low-Cost AI Plus Plan Launches in 35 New Countries Including the US

Laurent Giret / thurrott - Google's AI Plus is coming to the US and 34 other new countries today, and it's available at just $3.99/month for the first two months for new subscribers.The post Google’s Low-Cost AI Plus Plan Launches in 35 New Countries Including the US appeared first…

Back to Top / Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 1:20 pm / permalink 18451 / 7 stories in 5 wks

Google AI Overviews Now Powered By Gemini 3 via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Matt G. Southern / searchenginejournal - Google is making Gemini 3 the default model for AI Overviews and adding a direct path to ask follow-up questions in AI Mode.The post Google AI Overviews Now Powered By Gemini 3 appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Back to Top / Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 12:21 pm / permalink 18447 / 9 stories in 5 wks

EU Gives Google Six Months to Open Up Android and Search to Rivals

Paul Thurrott / thurrott - The European Commission (EC) announced today that Google has six months to open up Android to rival AI services.The post EU Gives Google Six Months to Open Up Android and Search to Rivals appeared first on Thurrott.com.

Back to Top / Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 11:21 am / permalink 18444 / 7 stories in 5 wks

Gemini In Google Calendar Now Helps You Find the Best Meeting Time For All Attendees

BeauHD / slashdot - Google is adding Gemini-powered "Suggested times" to Google Calendar, automatically scanning attendees' calendars to surface the best meeting slots based on availability, work hours, and conflicts. The feature also streamlines rescheduling with one-click …

Back to Top / Monday, January 26, 2026, 6:21 pm / permalink 18426 / 3 stories in 5 wks

Synthesia raises $200M at $4B valuation to build worker skills using AI avatars

Kyt Dotson / siliconangle - London-based Synthesia Ltd., an artificial intelligence video avatar platform, today announced that it has raised $200 million in a late-stage funding, bringing the company’s valuation to $4 billion. Founded in 2017, Synthesia offers a platform that gener…

Back to Top / Monday, January 26, 2026, 4:20 am / permalink 18396 / 12 stories in 5 wks

Your browser already runs hostile code. Could it sandbox AI agents too?

Marcus Schuler / implicator - Google's Paul Kinlan argues browsers' 30-year security model could sandbox AI agents without container overhead. Here's how Co-do proves the concept.

Back to Top / Monday, January 26, 2026, 1:20 am / permalink 18393 / 4 stories in 5 wks

Gmail’s spam filter and automatic sorting are broken

Terrence O’Brien / theverge - Some Gmail users have noticed that promotional emails that normally go to their own siloed tab have started flooding their inbox. Reports have been hitting the Google forums and Reddit that messages are bypassing the Updates and Promotional filters and go…

Back to Top / Saturday, January 24, 2026, 12:20 pm / permalink 18372 / 8 stories in 5 wks

Google Photos introduces a fun new way to turn yourself into a meme

digitaltrends - Google Photos is rolling out a new AI feature called Me Meme that lets you recreate trending memes with photos of yourself.The post Google Photos introduces a fun new way to turn yourself into a meme appeared first on Digital Trends.

Back to Top / Friday, January 23, 2026, 1:21 pm / permalink 18340 / 7 stories in 6 wks

Google AI Search taps Gmail and Photos for personalized results

Maximilian Schreiner / the-decoder - Google is connecting Gmail and Google Photos to its AI-powered search. Subscribers to Google AI Pro and Ultra in the US can now opt in to share their emails and photos for personalized search results.The article Google AI Search taps Gmail and Photos for …

Back to Top / Friday, January 23, 2026, 8:21 am / permalink 18330 / 8 stories in 6 wks