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Amazon Launches Alexa+ AI Features in Amazon Music App

Amazon Launches Alexa+ AI Features in Amazon Music App

Amazon has expanded its Alexa+ artificial intelligence assistant to the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android. The new integration lets users converse with the AI to create custom playlists, request nuanced music selections, and get answers to music‑related questions. Early‑access customers can activate Alexa+ with a tap and explore its AI DJ, playlist curator, and music encyclopedia capabilities across all subscription tiers. Amazon reports that users explore music three times more with Alexa+ and listen to nearly 70% more music when they search for recommendations, indicating strong early engagement.

ChatGPT Users Report Sudden Loss of Saved Memories

ChatGPT Users Report Sudden Loss of Saved Memories

Several ChatGPT users have posted on Reddit that their saved memories have disappeared from the platform. The issue appears across different account types and devices, and OpenAI has not confirmed a widespread problem on its status page. Users are sharing troubleshooting steps, including logging out and backing up memory data manually. While the cause remains unclear, the community recommends creating local copies of stored memories and re‑entering them if they vanish.

Google Maps Adds Gemini AI to Serve as an All‑Knowing Navigation Copilot

Google Maps Adds Gemini AI to Serve as an All‑Knowing Navigation Copilot

Google Maps is integrating Gemini, Google’s AI chatbot, into core navigation features. Users can now ask open‑ended questions, receive restaurant recommendations along a route, and have the route adjusted on the fly. Gemini also pulls data from Calendar, provides proactive traffic alerts, and powers visual cues in spoken directions using billions of Street View images and a massive place database. The system aims to deliver trusted, real‑world answers without hallucinations, offering a conversational, expert‑like experience directly within the Maps interface.

Google Maps Integrates Gemini AI for Conversational Hands‑Free Navigation

Google Maps Integrates Gemini AI for Conversational Hands‑Free Navigation

Google is adding its Gemini AI assistant to Google Maps, enabling users to interact with the app through natural conversation while navigating. The upgrade lets drivers ask for budget‑friendly restaurants along a route, request parking information, and add calendar events without leaving the map. Gemini also provides landmark‑based directions, proactive traffic alerts, and integrates with Lens for on‑the‑spot queries about nearby places. The rollout begins on Android and iOS devices and will later extend to Android Auto.

Google Introduces Gemini AI to Maps, Phasing Out Assistant

Google Introduces Gemini AI to Maps, Phasing Out Assistant

Google is rolling out its Gemini generative AI model within Google Maps, beginning to replace the Google Assistant’s role in the app. Gemini will power new conversational navigation, location information, and a Lens feature that answers questions about nearby places. The company says Gemini’s responses are anchored in its extensive place listings and Street View data, reducing the risk of hallucinations. While the transition will take time, the move signals a shift toward deeper AI integration across Google’s services.

Google Explores Satellite Data Centers for AI with Project Suncatcher

Google Explores Satellite Data Centers for AI with Project Suncatcher

Google is researching the concept of placing AI hardware in low‑earth orbit through a project called Suncatcher. The plan envisions solar‑powered satellites carrying Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) to run machine‑learning models using continuous, clean energy. While the idea promises higher power efficiency and reduced carbon emissions, Google acknowledges significant technical hurdles such as radiation exposure, high‑speed inter‑satellite data links, and precise formation flying. Economic analysis suggests comparable power efficiency to Earth‑based data centers by the mid‑2030s, and the company aims to launch prototype satellites by 2027 to test the concept.

Stability AI Wins UK Court Battle with Getty Images, Leaving Copyright Questions Unresolved

Stability AI Wins UK Court Battle with Getty Images, Leaving Copyright Questions Unresolved

Stability AI, the maker of the Stable Diffusion AI art tool, achieved a partial victory in a British High Court case against Getty Images. While the judge ruled that Stability infringed Getty’s trademark by reproducing watermarks, the core claim of secondary copyright infringement was dismissed. The case, the first major AI copyright dispute to reach England’s High Court, failed to establish a clear precedent on whether AI models need permission to train on copyrighted works. Getty continues its fight in a separate U.S. lawsuit, and the decision adds to a growing wave of legal battles between AI firms and creative rightsholders.

OpenAI Expands Sora AI Video App to Android, Boosting AI‑Generated Content Creation

OpenAI Expands Sora AI Video App to Android, Boosting AI‑Generated Content Creation

OpenAI has released its Sora AI video app for Android devices, following a successful debut on iOS. The app lets users generate short videos from text prompts, add digital avatars of themselves, pets or objects, and share creations in a TikTok‑style feed. New tools such as Character Cameos enable reusable avatars, while a Cameo feature lets users star in their own clips. OpenAI has tightened policies around likenesses, requiring explicit opt‑in consent for public figures and copyrighted characters. The Android launch taps into a market that powers roughly 70% of smartphones, promising rapid growth in AI‑driven video content.

Google AI Mode Adds Agentic Features for Ticket and Appointment Booking

Google AI Mode Adds Agentic Features for Ticket and Appointment Booking

Google has expanded the AI Mode feature in Search with new agentic capabilities that let users request real‑time ticket options and schedule beauty or wellness appointments directly within the search experience. The functionality searches across multiple platforms, curates results, and links users to the appropriate booking pages. The rollout is limited to users who have opted into the experimental Search Labs program in the United States, with higher‑limit access for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. This update follows earlier AI Mode enhancements such as restaurant reservations and study‑plan tools.

OpenAI's Sora AI Video Generator Expands to Android in Multiple Markets

OpenAI's Sora AI Video Generator Expands to Android in Multiple Markets

OpenAI has released its AI‑powered video creation app Sora for Android users in the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The Android version mirrors the iOS app’s features, including the “Cameos” tool that lets users generate videos with their own likeness and a TikTok‑style feed for sharing. The rollout follows Sora’s rapid rise on iOS, where it topped charts and logged over a million downloads in its first week. OpenAI is positioning Sora against competitors such as Meta’s Vibes, TikTok and Instagram while addressing criticism over deep‑fake content and copyrighted material.

Shopify Reports Surge in AI-Driven Traffic and Sales Amid Strong Q3 Results

Shopify Reports Surge in AI-Driven Traffic and Sales Amid Strong Q3 Results

Shopify said traffic from AI tools to its merchants' stores has risen sevenfold since January, while purchases linked to AI-powered search are up elevenfold. The company highlighted AI as a central engine for its platform, citing partnerships with OpenAI, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot. In its third‑quarter earnings, Shopify posted revenue growth of 32% to $2.84 billion and profit of $264 million, though operating income missed estimates, causing the stock to dip.

Amazon Issues Cease‑And‑Desist to Perplexity Over Agentic Shopping Bot

Amazon Issues Cease‑And‑Desist to Perplexity Over Agentic Shopping Bot

Amazon has sent a cease‑and‑desist letter to Perplexity, demanding that its AI‑powered shopping assistant, Comet, be removed from the Amazon marketplace. The e‑commerce giant warned that the bot violates its terms of service by failing to identify itself as an agent. Perplexity responded with a blog post defending its approach, arguing that the bot operates under human direction and therefore should inherit the same permissions as the user. Amazon countered that other third‑party agents openly identify themselves and that Perplexity could simply comply. The dispute revives earlier controversy over Perplexity’s web‑scraping practices and raises broader questions about the future of agentic AI on commercial platforms.