Google Assistant

Google is pushing back against a European Union effort that would require it to open Android to rival AI assistants. The dispute forms part of ongoing enforcement of the EU's Digital Markets Act, under which Brussels has pressed the company to give competitors greater access to its dominant mobile platform. Google argues the changes would harm user security and privacy, while regulators see them as key to fair competition in the fast-moving AI market.

Meta has launched Muse, a new AI agent. Details beyond the announcement remain limited, but the news is drawing attention across tech communities as Meta continues to expand its artificial intelligence offerings alongside rivals such as OpenAI and Google. Users are weighing in on what the agent could mean for Meta's apps and the broader AI assistant market.

A Norwegian science news report describes a study finding that children and teenagers aged 9 to 18 increasingly turn to AI assistants instead of Google for information and answers. Researchers say the shift is happening fast, but the effects on how young people learn, judge sources and handle misinformation are not yet known, prompting calls for closer attention from educators and parents.

Alibaba has launched Qwen Intelligence as a full-stack agentic AI platform designed for smartphones. The platform is positioned to let phone makers run AI agents that can handle tasks on a user's behalf, extending Alibaba's Qwen model family beyond cloud services and into on-device mobile experiences. Coverage so far frames it as Alibaba's push to compete in the fast-moving smartphone AI space, where Google, Apple and Chinese rivals are also racing to embed assistants.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority has revised its plan for Google, proposing a 12-slot search choice screen for Android and Chrome users that would include AI assistants alongside traditional search engines. The proposal also requires clear attribution of publisher sources. It signals UK regulators moving to extend choice-screen remedies beyond search into the AI era.

Google has begun testing a feature that lets users in India buy products from Flipkart, the Indian e-commerce platform owned by Walmart, directly through its Gemini assistant and AI Mode in Search. The trial points to a broader push to turn AI chat and search experiences into shopping channels, as tech companies race to blend conversational AI with online commerce.

Google is using AI tools together with differential fuzzing to rewrite critical C dependencies in Rust, aiming to keep behavior identical while removing memory-safety issues. The approach lets automated comparison between old and new implementations verify correctness, and it marks another step in Google's broader push to move security-sensitive infrastructure from C to memory-safe Rust.

Google is testing AI-powered shopping in India, letting users buy products from Walmart-owned Flipkart directly through its Gemini chatbot and AI Mode. The move allows purchases via conversational AI and is seen as a significant step toward agentic commerce, where AI assistants complete transactions on behalf of users rather than just recommending products.

Google is piloting the ability to purchase products from Flipkart, the Indian e-commerce platform owned by Walmart, directly through its Gemini AI assistant and AI Mode in Search. The test, reported in India, would let users complete purchases without leaving Google's AI interfaces, deepening the company's push into AI-powered commerce and tightening its ties with Flipkart.

Google is phasing out its custom Gemini chatbots known as Gems and migrating their functionality into a new feature called Skills. The change means users will have to adapt as existing Gems are transitioned automatically. German tech coverage notes the move as Google continuing to reshape its Gemini assistant platform.

Google and OpenAI are competing to make voice conversations with AI chatbots feel more natural and less awkward. A new comparison of Gemini Live and ChatGPT Voice, reported by Engadget, examines which assistant handles spoken interaction better, as both companies push to make talking to AI feel closer to a real human conversation.

Experian has become the first personal finance application to launch on Google's Gemini platform. The move places the credit bureau's services within the AI assistant environment, potentially letting users manage or access financial tools through Gemini. The announcement was reported by fintech news outlet The Paypers, with details on functionality and availability not yet fully disclosed.

Google has begun shutting down its Google Assistant on phones, replacing it with the Gemini AI assistant. Reports indicate users holding on to Assistant are losing access as the company pushes its AI successor onto Android devices. The move marks a major shift in Google's mobile voice and AI strategy.

Dassault Aviation is testing artificial intelligence algorithms aboard its Rafale fighter jet, Reuters reports. The news has drawn attention in France and the Netherlands, with the topic also trending on Google in France. The trials point to growing interest in AI-assisted capabilities for combat aircraft, a sensitive area given Europe's defence ambitions and Dassault's central role in French military aviation.

OpenAI has launched a personal AI assistant called 'dots,' which the company describes as built to handle everything for users. The product positions OpenAI directly against rivals including Meta's Muse and Google's Gemini in the increasingly crowded consumer AI assistant market. Coverage of the launch is drawing attention to the escalating competition among the major AI companies over everyday personal assistant tools.

A first look at Google Gemini's upcoming overlay changes shows recent chats and other key tools could soon be directly accessible through the overlay. The details come from an APK teardown of a future Gemini update, suggesting the assistant is set to become quicker to navigate on Android devices.

Google is rolling out its Gemini Skills feature to free accounts while preparing to retire Gems, the custom AI assistant tool. Existing Gems will reportedly be converted into Skills rather than deleted, so users won't lose their custom setups. The move makes the newer Skills capability available to all Gemini users, not just paying subscribers.

Google is fighting efforts to force it to open up its Android AI assistant and Search services to rivals, launching an appeal against regulators' demands. The company argues that being required to share its technology would undermine its business, while critics say it is trying to preserve a dominant position. Observers see the case as a test of how far regulators can go in loosening Big Tech's grip on AI and search markets.

Apple is developing a large language model-based overhaul of Siri intended to make the assistant competitive with ChatGPT. Reports indicate the upgraded voice assistant will not ship until iOS 19, meaning users will have to wait roughly another year. The delay underscores how far Apple lags rivals in generative AI despite heavy investment.

Google has completed a full rollout of voice chat in Gemini Notebook for Google AI Pro subscribers, according to a Japanese tech blog covering Android and Gemini news. The feature lets users hold spoken conversations with the AI notebook assistant, and it is now available across both Android and iOS platforms.

A wave of new AI assistant launches is drawing attention, with Microsoft, Meta, Google and xAI each releasing products — Microsoft Autopilot, Meta Muse, Google Gemini Spark and Grok Bot — and OpenAI now joining with a tool called Dots. Commenters say the entire industry is rushing to stake out ground in the assistant space, with competition between the big AI players intensifying week by week.

Google is legally challenging European Union orders that would require it to open Android to rival AI services and share search data with competitors. The dispute escalates the long-running antitrust conflict between the US tech giant and EU regulators, with implications for how AI assistants and search services reach mobile users in Europe.