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Google May Add Customizable Styles to NotebookLM Video Overviews

Google May Add Customizable Styles to NotebookLM Video Overviews

Google's AI‑powered research assistant NotebookLM recently expanded its Video Overview feature with new visual styles powered by the Nano Banana image model. While seven preset styles are now available, the company is reportedly exploring a custom‑style option that would let users shape the look of videos through prompts. This potential upgrade follows recent enhancements that let users direct the AI host's focus and tone, such as delivering content in an Edgar Allan Poe‑style narrative. Google has not commented on when or if the custom feature will launch.

Disney Partners with Animaj to Accelerate Animation Using AI

Disney Partners with Animaj to Accelerate Animation Using AI

Disney is exploring artificial‑intelligence tools to speed up the creation of animated content. At a recent showcase, startup Animaj demonstrated its AI‑driven “motion in‑betweening” system, which lets artists sketch key frames while the AI fills in the intermediate poses. Disney selected Animaj for its 2025 Accelerator program, noting that the technology cut production time for a five‑minute episode from months to weeks. Executives say the partnership could soon expand across Disney Branded Television and Disney Television Studios, offering faster, data‑informed storytelling while keeping human artists in control.

Google's November Pixel Update Adds AI Photo Remixing, Scam Protection and New Themes

Google's November Pixel Update Adds AI Photo Remixing, Scam Protection and New Themes

Google’s latest Pixel software refresh, rolling out to all supported Pixel phones, introduces AI‑powered photo remixing in Google Messages, enhanced scam detection for texts and calls, notification summaries, VIP contact prioritization, new "Wicked" theme packs, and upgrades to Photos, Maps and Call notes. The update leverages the Gemini image model and Private AI Compute for faster, privacy‑focused suggestions, and expands scam‑call detection to additional countries. Features arrive on Pixel 9 and newer devices, with some enhancements also reaching other Android phones.

Google Launches Private AI Compute to Blend Cloud Power with On‑Device Privacy

Google Launches Private AI Compute to Blend Cloud Power with On‑Device Privacy

Google is unveiling a new cloud‑based platform called Private AI Compute that lets users access more advanced artificial‑intelligence features while keeping their data private. The service mirrors Apple’s Private Cloud Compute by keeping sensitive information visible only to the user, even from Google, and by moving heavy computational tasks to a secure, fortified cloud space. Early implementations will appear on Pixel 10 phones, enhancing tools such as Magic Cue and expanding language support for Recorder transcriptions. Google says the approach will enable richer, more personalized AI experiences without compromising privacy.

Google expands AI photo editing to Messages and rolls out power‑saving, scam detection upgrades in Pixel Drop

Google expands AI photo editing to Messages and rolls out power‑saving, scam detection upgrades in Pixel Drop

Google’s latest Pixel Drop brings a suite of new features to Android devices, most notably Remix in Google Messages, which lets users edit photos with Gemini‑powered AI directly within chats. The update also adds a Power Saving Mode to Google Maps, extends Scam Detection to messages, introduces Notification Summaries, prioritizes Pixel VIP contacts, and launches a new seasonal theme pack. These enhancements aim to broaden AI capabilities beyond Pixel phones and improve user safety and battery life across the Android ecosystem.

Eternos Rebrands as Uare.ai to Offer Personal AI Replicas

Eternos Rebrands as Uare.ai to Offer Personal AI Replicas

After decades leading LivePerson, Robert LoCascio founded Eternos, a legacy service that records voices and stories for loved ones. Following client interest beyond memorial use, the company pivoted to create personal AI models that capture an individual's expertise and personality. Renamed Uare.ai, it introduced the Human Life Model, raised $10.3 million in seed funding led by Mayfield and Boldstart Ventures, and plans to launch a platform where users can train their AI replicas with text, voice, and video. The move positions Uare.ai as a tool for creators and professionals seeking AI-driven content creation and interaction.

Google Photos Rolls Out New AI Editing Tools and Expands AI Search Worldwide

Google Photos Rolls Out New AI Editing Tools and Expands AI Search Worldwide

Google Photos has introduced a suite of AI-powered features that let users edit objects and people in images through voice or text prompts, add AI-generated templates, and use a new Ask button for instant assistance. The updates also bring the app's natural‑language search to more than 100 countries and support dozens of new languages. The enhancements are available on iOS in the United States and are expanding to Android users, leveraging Google’s Nano Banana model to transform photos into styles such as Renaissance portraits or cartoon strips.

AI Chatbots Pose Risks for Individuals with Eating Disorders

AI Chatbots Pose Risks for Individuals with Eating Disorders

Researchers from Stanford and the Center for Democracy & Technology warn that publicly available AI chatbots, including tools from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and Mistral, are providing advice that can help users hide or sustain eating disorders. The report highlights how chatbots can suggest makeup tricks to conceal weight loss, instructions for faking meals, and generate personalized “thinspiration” images that reinforce harmful body standards. Experts call for clinicians to become familiar with these AI tools, test their weaknesses, and discuss their use with patients as concerns grow about the mental‑health impact of generative AI.

AI Companies Face Growing Copyright Lawsuits and Fair‑Use Battles

AI Companies Face Growing Copyright Lawsuits and Fair‑Use Battles

Tech firms developing generative AI are under increasing legal pressure as creators allege that copyrighted works were used without permission to train models. More than 30 lawsuits have been filed, including high‑profile cases involving OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and Meta. While some courts have ruled that the use of copyrighted books can qualify as fair use, creators and industry groups warn that broader exemptions could undermine copyright protections. The debate highlights the tension between rapid AI innovation and the rights of original authors.

Google Photos Adds Six New AI-Powered Features

Google Photos Adds Six New AI-Powered Features

Google Photos has rolled out six new AI-driven tools aimed at simplifying editing and searching within users' photo libraries. The "Help me edit" feature now offers personalized portrait adjustments, using facial data to remove sunglasses or fix closed eyes, and is expanding to iOS in the United States. The Nano Banana editor powers a new "Create with AI" section that supplies customizable templates for artistic restyling, initially reaching Android users in the United States and India. The Ask Photos search tool is expanding to over 100 additional markets and 17 new languages, while a new Ask button lets users ask detailed questions about individual images, currently available in the United States on both Android and iOS.

ElevenLabs Launches AI Voice Marketplace for Brands

ElevenLabs Launches AI Voice Marketplace for Brands

ElevenLabs has introduced an online marketplace that lets companies license AI‑generated replicas of famous voices for advertising and other content. The platform connects brands with the owners of iconic vocal talent, offering a consent‑based, performer‑first licensing model. Voices are created using cloning technology or synthetic reconstruction from archival recordings, and the initial catalog features 28 verified figures ranging from historical icons like Mark Twain to living celebrities such as Michael Caine.