Google One subscription service recently crossed 150 million subscribers In 2024, Google introduced a $19.99 a month plan with access to AI capabilities unavailable for free users. The company continues to offer Google One subscription tiers for file storage, but without most AI features, at lower prices.
Netflix unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI) for its advertisers at its Upfront event on Wednesday. The streaming platform is heavily investing in its new in-house ad platform dubbed Netflix Ads Suite, and it showcased some of the features and tools that advertisers can leverage. The company also unveiled several ad formats to help its clients reach their desired targets.
Meta Platforms asked a federal judge on Thursday to throw out the US Federal Trade Commission's case that accuses it of illegal social media monopoly. Meta is now presenting its own evidence at the trial, which may run into June.
Google is adding a new feature to its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, Gemini. Announced on Wednesday, Gemini can now connect to GitHub repositories and perform several coding tasks. These include generating and modifying functions, explaining code, answering queries about the codebase, debugging code, and more. Currently, the feature is only available to the paid subscribers of the platform.
Google DeepMind announced a new artificial intelligence (AI) coding agent on Wednesday that can enhance the capabilities of AI models. Dubbed AlphaEvolve, it is designed to discover and optimise algorithms across complex computing and mathematical tasks. The powerful AI system is built on the Mountain View-based tech giant’s Gemini models, and it combines outputs generated by large language models with automated evaluators to ground the responses in reality and reduce the risk of hallucinations.
Amazon on Wednesday cut about 100 jobs in its devices and services unit. Amazon trimmed some Alexa-related jobs in 2023 and has been conducting small cuts to various groups in recent months,
OpenAI announced the expansion of the recently released GPT-4.1 series of artificial intelligence (AI) models to ChatGPT. These models were so far exclusive to the company’s application programming interface (API), but on Thursday, the San Francisco-based AI firm said that they will also be available within the chatbot. In particular, the GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini models are being rolled out to ChatGPT currently.
Stability AI developed a new text-to-audio generation artificial intelligence (AI) model in partnership with Arm. Announced on Wednesday, the new model is dubbed Stable Audio Open Small, and it is said to generate short audio samples using text prompts. The London-based AI firm said that the model is lightweight and is optimised to run entirely on Arm CPUs.
Microsoft said on Tuesday it was laying off less than three percent of its workforce, or around 6,000 employees. The cuts will be across all levels and geographies and are likely the largest since Microsoft laid off 10,000 employees in 2023.
Google has silently updated its iconic ‘G’ logo with a new design, nearly 10 years after it was refreshed with the modern Product Sans typeface. The previously visible icon comprised sections featuring solid colours in line with the Mountain View-based tech giant’s colour scheme, with each block having a well-defined boundary. Following the update, the Google 'G' logo now has a design that has colours blending into each other, giving it a gradient appearance.
Google is facing at least EUR 12 billion (roughly Rs. 1,13,259 crore) in damage claims from dozens of price comparison websites across the European Union. The complaints blame Google for stealing their customers. Google denies that any of the European civil suits have merit.
Honor 400 series is set to be launched globally on May 22. Ahead of the launch, the Chinese consumer tech brand has teased a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature of the upcoming smartphone series. It will get a new AI-powered image-to-video tool that can animate a static image. While not a lot is known about the new feature, reports claim that it can generate up to five-second-long videos with a single image.
Amazon introduced a new warehouse-focused robot last week that can carefully manipulate a wide range of objects. Dubbed Vulcan, the new class of robots feature force feedback sensors that allow it to understand the amount of force it is applying while picking an object or pushing a cart. These robots will be used in the tech giant’s fulfilment centres globally and are designed to assist the human workers.
Microsoft is expanding Copilot Pages to all users globally. Announced last week, the new artificial intelligence space is a multiplayer collaborative space where the chatbot and humans can work together to edit and create content and documents. Copilot Pages was first introduced in September 2024 as part of the Microsoft 365 Copilot for enterprises. The Redmond-based tech giant is now expanding it to all signed-in users of the platform globally.
ChatGPT is getting a new feature that will enable users to connect their GitHub repository with the chatbot. Announced on Friday, the new feature is part of the Deep Research agent. OpenAI said the new feature will allow the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to prepare comprehensive reports based on the user’s and others’ repositories.
Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) shared a report about a new piece of malware last week. The new malware, dubbed Lostkeys, is described as a data theft malware and is said to be linked with the Russian threat group Coldriver. Lostkeys is considered dangerous because it is being spread at the end of a multi-step chain that starts with a lure website.
LegoGPT, a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that can generate three-dimensional (3D) Lego structure designs, was unveiled by researchers recently. The new AI model is an open-source project to determine whether AI models can generate structures that are consistent with real-world physics and are consistently stable. The researchers have shared details of how the model was built, as well as have made the dataset available to the public domain.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stated on Friday that the Department of Justice's (DOJ) proposal requiring Alphabet's Google to share search data with competitors includes sufficient safeguards to protect user privacy. This assessment comes as the DOJ pursues measures to boost competition, following a ruling in August that Google holds an illegal monopoly in the online search market.
Baidu has filed a patent application for an AI system aimed at translating animal sounds, like meows, into human language. The proposed technology, detailed in a recently published patent document, would analyse animal vocalisations along with their behaviour and body signals to infer emotions and convert them into understandable words.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has released online safety guidelines for citizens in the wake of Operation Sindoor. The advisory aims to educate users about the risks of misinformation and emphasises the need for cybersecurity precautions. Users have been urged to report any misinformation to the PIB via WhatsApp and email.
OpenAI might be working on introducing more duration-based subscription plans. A tipster shared strings of code from the ChatGPT app and found mentions of a weekly and a lifetime subscription for the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. These tiers could be part of the ChatGPT Plus plan. Notably, the pricing details of the tiers are currently unclear.
LockBit, the notorious ransomware group, reportedly suffered a massive data breach on Wednesday. As per the report, the group’s dark web platform’s admin and affiliate panels were compromised to show a message and link to a MySQL database dump. The database reportedly contains 20 tables that include sensitive information around the cybercriminal group’s affiliate network, extortion tactics, details around malware builds, as well as nearly 60,000 Bitcoin addresses.
TRAI has recommended allotting satellite spectrum for commercial communication services for five years. The recommendations come as Elon Musk is working towards launching Starlink in India.
Anthropic announced the release of web search capability in its application programming interface (API) on Thursday. Now, developers and enterprises can use Claude via the Anthropic API to build applications that benefit from up-to-date knowledge and real-time information. The San Francisco-based AI firm said that Claude will use reasoning to automatically determine when a query can benefit from web search.
OpenAI announced a new initiative on Wednesday aimed at helping countries outside of the US build artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. Dubbed OpenAI for Countries, the initiative is part of the Stargate Project it announced in January. While Stargate Project is primarily focused on developing AI infrastructure in the US, the new initiative will help other countries in capacity development.
Mistral Medium 3, a new artificial intelligence (AI) model, was released on Wednesday. The Paris-based AI firm introduced the enterprise-focused model with an emphasis on high performance at lower costs. It is claimed to be state-of-the-art (SOTA) in terms of performance in its class, and is said to be available at significantly lower costs compared to the competition.
Figma, the website and app design platform, launched multiple new artificial intelligence (AI) tools on Wednesday. The San Francisco-based company introduced the new tools at its annual Figma Config 2025 event, expanding its product offerings. The new AI tools include Figma Site, Figma Make, Figma Buzz, and Figma Draw. Site is aimed at letting users create fully functional and interactive websites.
Starlink has been cleared by the Department of Telecom (DoT) to offer satcom services in India. Unlike conventional satellite services that rely on distant geostationary satellites, Starlink utilises the world's largest low Earth orbit or LEO constellation (550 km above Earth).
Google has cut about 200 jobs across its global business unit. Big Tech players have been redirecting spending towards data centers and AI development, while scaling back investments in other areas.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is reportedly working on an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can generate code in real-time. As per the report, the project is internally being called Kiro, and it can tap into AI agents to complete complex coding tasks. The tool is said to be a comprehensive system capable of writing code, designing user interfaces (UIs), identifying glitches and bugs, and optimising existing code.
Hugging Face released a demo of an artificial intelligence (AI) agent on Tuesday that can complete various web-based tasks. Dubbed Open Computer Agent, the tool is available for free, and anyone can go to the website to access the agent. Since it can perform tasks on web browsers, it can access websites such as Google Search, Maps, and even ticket booking platforms to complete tasks autonomously.
Anthropic announced its AI for Science programme on Monday. The new initiative is aimed at accelerating scientific research and discovery. The artificial intelligence (AI) firm said it wants to support researchers and scientists working on “high-impact scientific projects, with a particular focus on biology and life sciences applications” via this initiative.
Google is adding a new quality-of-life improvement to Gemini. On Monday, the company rolled out an update which now allows users to upload up to 10 images or files in one go. Earlier, the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot capped the limit at one image or file per prompt. The new feature is available on both the Gemini web client as well as the Android and iOS apps.
YouTube is testing a two-person subscription plan for its Premium service. The company said that they are piloting the new tier in four countries, including India. It is expected to roll out to all users eventually. This is being seen as a move to push YouTube's subscription growth. Much like the Spotify Duo plan, the two-person YouTube Premium membership will allow two individuals to share a subscription.
The DoT has barred companies from linking connection of users in any form with any terminal or facility located outside the country's border as well as processing of their data overseas. The move assumes significance as the government is, for the first time, gearing up to open satellite communication service for the general public
OpenAI has announced it will not convert into a traditional for-profit company, following legal consultations and external feedback. Instead, the firm will transition its commercial arm into a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), ending its 100x profit cap and allowing more investor returns while maintaining its non-profit governance structure. The non-profit entity will continue to govern the PBC.
Apple in a court notice said it will ask the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals to review the April 30 ruling, which found the company in contempt of an earlier order in a 2020 antitrust lawsuit brought by Epic Games. Apple's appeal notice did include its planned legal arguments.
The US DoJ has proposed that Alphabet's Google divest its AdX advertising marketplace and ad server DFP. Google has said the company supported behavioural remedies such as making real-time bids available to competitors, but that prosecutors cannot legally pursue a bid to force it to sell parts of its business.
Artificial intelligence (AI) technology and automation driven by it could soon impact 40 percent of the global workforce, claims a new report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The report highlights that by 2033, AI could become a multi-trillion-dollar market. However, the economic growth could be highly concentrated, leading to wider inequalities.
Google redesigned Gemini’s side panel on the web client last week. The Mountain View-based tech giant has now added an infinite scrolling feature to let users find older conversations with the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. The new side panel design also pushes Gems higher up the panel, and consolidates previously directly available menu options within the “Settings & help” option.
Samsung has asked the Customs Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal in Mumbai to quash a $520 million (roughly Rs. 4,381 crore) tax demand for allegedly misclassifying imports of networking gear. The South Korean giant has said that Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance also imported the same component in a similar manner for years.
Microsoft will be retiring its legacy video-conferencing platform Skype today (May 5). It offered Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)-based video telephony, video-conferencing and voice calling capabilities. The announcement was made in February, with the Redmond-based tech giant prioritising Teams app as the main free consumer communications offering.
Spotify claims to have submitted an app update to Apple with an external link to buy subscriptions. Both Spotify and Apple have been engaged in a longstanding and contentious rivalry, centered around the Cupertino, California-based company's App Store policies and their impact on the streaming company's business operations.
DeepSeek, the Hangzhou, China-based artificial intelligence (AI) firm, released an updated version of its Prover model on Wednesday. Dubbed DeepSeek-Prover-V2, it is a highly specialised model that focuses on proving formal mathematical theorems. The large language model (LLM) uses the Lean 4 programming language to check if the mathematical proofs are logically consistent by analysing each step independently.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai told a judge that the DoJ's plan to share Google's search data with rivals would be a “de facto” divestiture of the company’s search engine. Pichai was called to testify as part of a three-week trial aimed at determining how Google should restore competition to online search.
Amazon has announced the ninth edition of its biggest sale event of the year, dubbed the Amazon Prime Day Sale 2025, for India and other markets. In line with previous editions, it is expected to be a two-day affair that will be exclusive to Amazon Prime members. Customers will be able to take advantage of price drops on products across a wide range of categories such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, home appliances, fashion, apparel, and beyond.
Google announced the expansion of the Audio Overviews feature in NotebookLM on Tuesday. The artificial intelligence (AI) feature can create an engaging podcast-style audio discussion on any topic, as long as a source is added to a note. Audio Overviews feature two AI hosts, a male and a female voice, who discuss the topic, react to it, and contextualise the information in a conversational manner.
Xiaomi released an open-source reasoning-focused artificial intelligence (AI) model on Tuesday. Dubbed MiMo, the family of reasoning models innovate the optimisation of reasoning capability in a relatively smaller parameter size. This is also the first open-source reasoning model by the tech giant, and it competes with Chinese models such as DeepSeek R1 and Alibaba’s Qwen QwQ-32B.
Apple has launched a new page on its website to help users know more about actors, artists, creators, and athletes they love across devices. Dubbed Snapshot, it collates information from the Cupertino-based tech giant’s three media distribution platforms — Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Podcasts. Pages on the website dedicated to each artist highlight their biography, content hub, and creations, such as films, music, and shows which are listed on various platforms.
Reddit, the discussion forum-style social media platform, announced the expansion of its automatic translation feature on Monday. In September 2024, the company introduced a machine learning (ML) feature that automatically translates posts and comments on the platform to users’ preferred language. It is now expanding the feature to introduce the Hindi language. Additionally, the artificial intelligence (AI) feature will soon support the Bengali language, the company added.
