AI News

News

Page 37
Anthropic Introduces Voice Mode to Claude Code AI Coding Assistant

Anthropic Introduces Voice Mode to Claude Code AI Coding Assistant

Anthropic has begun rolling out Voice Mode for Claude Code, its AI‑powered coding assistant. The feature, announced by engineer Thariq Shihipar on X, is initially available to roughly 5% of users with a wider release planned in the coming weeks. Voice Mode lets developers toggle a /voice command and speak instructions such as “refactor the authentication middleware,” allowing a more hands‑free, conversational coding workflow. While details on usage limits or third‑party voice providers remain unclear, the launch follows Anthropic’s earlier Voice Mode for its standard Claude chatbot and comes amid fierce competition from GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Google and OpenAI. Recent reports show Claude Code’s revenue surpassing $2.5 billion and weekly active users doubling since the start of the year, while the company’s mobile app surged to the top of the U.S. App Store after refusing Department of Defense usage.

Meta AI Tests Shopping Assistant Feature for US Users

Meta AI Tests Shopping Assistant Feature for US Users

Meta is piloting a shopping research tool inside its Meta AI chatbot for a limited group of U.S. users accessing the service through a web browser. The feature presents a carousel of product images, brand names, prices and merchant links when users ask for recommendations, and tailors suggestions using location data and inferred gender. The move puts Meta in direct competition with other AI chatbots such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, which are also integrating shopping capabilities and checkout options. Meta has not disclosed whether it earns commissions from the merchant links or gives priority to its own advertisers.

Anthropic Gives Claude Free Users Conversational Memory

Anthropic Gives Claude Free Users Conversational Memory

Anthropic has expanded Claude's memory feature to all users, allowing the AI assistant to retain details across conversations without a subscription. The upgrade lets the model recall preferences, ongoing projects, and prior inputs, reducing the need for repeated explanations. Users can pause or delete memories at any time. The move positions Claude alongside competitors like ChatGPT and Gemini, which also offer memory and personalization, and follows recent free releases of file creation, Connectors, and customizable Skills. The enhancement has contributed to Claude’s rise in the U.S. App Store’s free charts.

Claude Adds AI Memory Feature to Free Tier, Boosting Contextual Chat Capabilities

Claude Adds AI Memory Feature to Free Tier, Boosting Contextual Chat Capabilities

Anthropic's Claude chatbot is expanding its free offering by adding the AI memory feature that was previously limited to paid plans. The update lets users reference past conversations for more context‑aware responses and even import chat histories from other AI services. The move comes as Claude enjoys a surge in popularity, topping US app charts and ranking among the top‑10 productivity apps in many countries. Additional free‑tier enhancements include app connectors, file creation, workflow skills, longer chats, and image search, positioning Claude as a stronger competitor in the AI chatbot market.

OpenAI to Amend Defense Deal, Barring Domestic Surveillance Use of Its AI

OpenAI to Amend Defense Deal, Barring Domestic Surveillance Use of Its AI

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that the company will revise its contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to explicitly forbid the use of its artificial‑intelligence system for mass surveillance of Americans. In an internal memo shared on X, Altman detailed new language tying the restriction to the Fourth Amendment and other applicable laws, and said he would prefer jail over complying with an unlawful order. The move follows a broader government debate over AI guardrails, pressure on rival Anthropic to drop safeguards, and a recent surge in Anthropic’s popularity after the policy shift.

ChatGPT App Uninstalls Surge After DoD Partnership, Anthropic Claude Downloads Jump

ChatGPT App Uninstalls Surge After DoD Partnership, Anthropic Claude Downloads Jump

U.S. users removed the ChatGPT mobile app at a dramatically higher rate following OpenAI's announced partnership with the Department of Defense, while Anthropic's Claude saw a sharp increase in downloads after the company publicly declined a similar deal. Market‑intelligence data show a 295% day‑over‑day rise in ChatGPT uninstalls and a 37% to 51% boost in Claude downloads, reflecting strong consumer reactions to the contrasting stances on defense collaboration.

OpenAI Faces Scrutiny Over Pentagon Contract and Industry Tensions

OpenAI Faces Scrutiny Over Pentagon Contract and Industry Tensions

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman fielded public questions on X after the company accepted a Pentagon contract that Anthropic had declined. Users and employees raised concerns about the firm’s involvement in surveillance and autonomous weaponry, while Altman emphasized deference to democratic institutions. The episode highlighted OpenAI’s shift from a consumer startup to a component of national‑security infrastructure and exposed its limited preparedness for the accompanying political and operational pressures. Simultaneously, the Department of Defense’s threat to label Anthropic a supply‑chain risk intensified industry anxieties about government contracts and regulatory scrutiny.

Switching from ChatGPT to Claude: Five Key Differences

Switching from ChatGPT to Claude: Five Key Differences

Users moving from ChatGPT to Anthropic's Claude encounter distinct changes in usage limits, memory handling, cross‑chat visibility, formatting abilities, and conversational style. Claude operates on a rolling five‑hour usage window, offers an import feature to retain prior AI memories, can reference other chats, excels at converting data into spreadsheets, and asks more clarifying questions than ChatGPT. While some features like voice mode and image generation lag behind, the free Claude plan provides robust functionality for many tasks.

Anthropic Extends Claude Memory Feature to Free Users and Adds Import Tool for AI Switchers

Anthropic Extends Claude Memory Feature to Free Users and Adds Import Tool for AI Switchers

Anthropic announced that its Claude chatbot’s memory feature is now available to all users, including those on the free plan. The update also introduces a dedicated tool that lets users import data from rival chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, eliminating the need to relearn context. The memory‑import process involves copying a pre‑written prompt into the previous AI and transferring the output into Claude’s settings. The move coincides with a rise in Claude’s popularity, driven by tools like Claude Code and Claude Cowork, and follows the recent launch of Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6 models.

Users Shift from ChatGPT to Claude Amid Controversy

Users Shift from ChatGPT to Claude Amid Controversy

A wave of users is moving from ChatGPT to Claude after a series of controversies involving OpenAI and its parent company. Concerns over privacy and ethical use of AI have driven many to seek alternatives, leading to a surge in Claude sign‑ups and paid subscriptions. The transition can be managed by exporting chat histories, copying key conversations, or summarizing preferences, then importing that information into Claude. Users are also advised on how to delete their data and close their ChatGPT accounts to ensure a clean break.

Anthropic Adds Free Memory Feature to Claude Amid Government Dispute

Anthropic Adds Free Memory Feature to Claude Amid Government Dispute

Anthropic is expanding Claude's capabilities by offering a free memory feature that lets the chatbot reference past conversations. Users can also import chats from rival bots and control memory storage by pausing or deleting data. At the same time, the company faces a high‑stakes contract dispute with the U.S. government after the Defense Secretary called Anthropic a "supply chain risk" for refusing a Pentagon contract. Anthropic says it will contest the designation while its chatbot enjoys top rankings in the App Store.

Australia Considers Requiring App Stores to Block AI Services Lacking Age Verification

Australia Considers Requiring App Stores to Block AI Services Lacking Age Verification

Australian regulators are weighing a proposal that would compel app stores to block AI chat services that do not implement age‑verification systems. The move aims to protect younger users from mature content and could be enforced as early as March 9. Non‑compliant services may face fines up to A$49.5 million. The policy reflects a broader global debate over who should bear responsibility for safeguarding children online, with the United States seeing platform operators lobby against store‑level restrictions.