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Google Finance Adds Gemini-Powered Deep Search and Prediction Market Features

Google Finance Adds Gemini-Powered Deep Search and Prediction Market Features

Google Finance is receiving a major AI upgrade with the introduction of a Gemini‑powered Deep Search tool that delivers fully cited, comprehensive answers and a research plan for users. The service will also incorporate prediction‑market data from Kalshi and Polymarket, letting traders query future market events and see crowd‑sourced probabilities. The Deep Search feature will roll out in the United States in the coming weeks, with early‑access options via Google Labs and higher usage limits for Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers. An Indian rollout will launch later, offering English and Hindi support but without the new Deep Search capability.

Amazon's Alexa+ Set to Power BMW's In‑Vehicle Assistant

Amazon's Alexa+ Set to Power BMW's In‑Vehicle Assistant

Amazon is extending its next‑generation Alexa+ platform to BMW vehicles, allowing the automaker to enhance its Intelligent Personal Assistant with more natural, conversational capabilities. The integration builds on the existing Alexa Custom Assistant framework that BMW already uses, and will tap into a range of large language models to handle complex driver requests. The rollout will begin with select BMW models, though specific timing and model details have not been disclosed.

Microsoft AI Announces Humanist Superintelligence Team

Microsoft AI Announces Humanist Superintelligence Team

Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman revealed a new team dedicated to creating a "humanist superintelligence" that is deliberately limited in autonomy and designed to serve humanity. The initiative emphasizes keeping humans "at the top of the food chain" and rejects narratives of a race to artificial general intelligence. Suleyman outlined three primary applications: an AI companion for learning and productivity, support for the healthcare sector, and breakthroughs in clean‑energy science. The move follows a new agreement with OpenAI that lets Microsoft pursue AGI independently or with partners, while leveraging OpenAI’s intellectual property.

Inside the Turbulent Ouster of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman: Board Testimony Reveals Deep Concerns

Inside the Turbulent Ouster of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman: Board Testimony Reveals Deep Concerns

OpenAI’s board removed CEO Sam Altman in 2023 after concluding he was not consistently candid with them. A deposition by co‑founder Ilya Sutskever, part of Elon Musk’s lawsuit, detailed accusations that Altman pitted senior executives against each other, offered conflicting information, and pursued merger talks with Anthropic. Sutskever presented memos documenting these concerns, citing examples of alleged manipulation, a toxic workplace, and potential conflicts of interest. The fallout saw several top executives depart and the board undergo significant changes, underscoring a dramatic leadership crisis at the AI leader.

Taskade AI Workspace Review: Streamlining Tasks and Building Apps

Taskade AI Workspace Review: Streamlining Tasks and Building Apps

Taskade, founded in 2017, offers a cross‑platform workspace that blends tasks, notes, outlines, and multiple view options. In 2023 the company added AI features powered by OpenAI's GPT models, enabling project planning, automation triggers, and a "Project Studio" that can generate outlines, workflows, and even full‑stack apps from a single prompt. The platform includes over 300 templates, a chat and video interface for teams, and a new extension called Taskade Genesis that lets users create AI‑driven applications quickly. While the tool shines for early‑stage startups and remote teams, its breadth may exceed the needs of users seeking only basic task‑management.

Google Gemini Adds Deep Research Access to Gmail and Drive

Google Gemini Adds Deep Research Access to Gmail and Drive

Google has expanded Gemini’s Deep Research feature to tap into users' Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, PDFs, and Chat history. The update lets the AI generate more personalized reports by combining public web sources with personal files, giving users the ability to request analyses that reflect their own data. Users can choose which Google services to connect, and the feature is currently available on desktop with mobile support slated for the near future.

Inception Secures $50 Million to Advance Diffusion AI for Code and Text

Inception Secures $50 Million to Advance Diffusion AI for Code and Text

Inception, an AI startup focused on diffusion‑based models, announced a $50 million seed round led by Menlo Ventures with participation from Mayfield, Innovation Endeavors, Microsoft’s M12 fund, Snowflake Ventures, Databricks Investment, and Nvidia’s NVentures. Angel investors Andrew Ng and Andrej Karpathy also contributed. The company, led by Stanford professor Stefano Ermon, aims to apply diffusion techniques—traditionally used for image generation—to software development and natural‑language tasks. Its Mercury model has already been integrated into several development tools, and the team claims diffusion models can deliver higher token‑per‑second throughput and lower latency than conventional autoregressive systems.

Apple Taps Google’s Gemini to Revamp Siri Amid Ongoing AI Struggles

Apple Taps Google’s Gemini to Revamp Siri Amid Ongoing AI Struggles

Apple is close to finalizing a multi‑year agreement with Google that would let the tech giant’s Gemini model power key functions of Siri. The deal, reported to be worth roughly $1 billion per year, is intended to address shortcomings in Apple’s own Apple Intelligence initiative, which has been criticized for limited capabilities. Internally, the project is dubbed “Glenwood,” while the new Siri version carries the codename “Linwood” and is slated for inclusion in an upcoming iOS release. Apple plans to blend Gemini’s capabilities with its private‑cloud infrastructure to preserve user privacy.

Tinder Tests AI‑Powered “Chemistry” Feature That Analyzes Users’ Camera Rolls

Tinder Tests AI‑Powered “Chemistry” Feature That Analyzes Users’ Camera Rolls

Tinder is piloting an AI‑driven “Chemistry” feature that examines users’ camera‑roll photos and asks interactive questions to infer interests and personality. Described by parent company Match Group as a tool to ease swipe fatigue by showing fewer, more compatible matches, the feature currently runs in New Zealand and Australia and will expand to other markets. While the rollout is opt‑in, privacy concerns arise over granting an app access to personal photos. Match Group hopes the addition, alongside other AI tools, will reverse a multi‑year decline in paying subscribers.

Analog Revival Challenges the Rise of AI-Generated Content

Analog Revival Challenges the Rise of AI-Generated Content

A growing cultural movement is embracing analog formats—cassette tapes, disposable cameras, rotary phones and flip phones—while questioning the dominance of AI-generated media. Participants, often described as neo‑Luddites, argue that AI’s polished output lacks the texture, errors and spontaneity that make human‑created art memorable. The trend reflects a broader desire for tangible experiences and a resistance to the increasingly sterile aesthetic of algorithmic content.

AI-Generated Video Ads Spark Trust Concerns Amid Uncanny Valley Appeal

AI-Generated Video Ads Spark Trust Concerns Amid Uncanny Valley Appeal

Brands are increasingly turning to AI‑generated video commercials because they are cheap, fast and endlessly adaptable. While marketers tout benefits such as perfect consistency and freedom from human error, viewers often react with suspicion, describing the synthetic spokespeople as uncanny and untrustworthy. The tension between efficiency and authenticity is prompting a debate over how AI should support, rather than replace, human storytelling in advertising.