#google-gemini

#google-gemini

Among the bigger news items was Google's launch of an e-commerce shopping checkout feature directly from Google Search's AI Mode and its Gemini chatbot app. Among the first takers for the new feature is retail behemoth Walmart, so this is a big deal. Behind the scenes, the AI checkout is powered by a new " Universal Commerce Protocol" that should make it easier for retailers to support agentic AI sales.

It may finally be time to take AI on the iPhone siri-ously. Apple and Google on Monday announced a multi-year partnership that will see Apple Foundation Models standing on the shoulders of Google Gemini models, one that will return a small portion of the roughly $20 billion Google pays annually to be Apple's default search provider. Terms of the tie-up have not been disclosed, but Bloomberg previously reported that Apple was planning to pay about $1 billion per year to utilize Google's AI technology.

Not surprisingly, Google is also looking to make some cash from purchases made via its Gemini chatbot. The company just launched the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open standard intended to make it easier for companies to connect their inventory to Google's AI, allowing you to browse and purchase without leaving Gemini or AI Mode. UCP was built in collaboration with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart and is endorsed by 20 others, including American Express, Best Buy, Flipkart, Macy's, Mastercard, Stripe, The Home Depot, and Visa, Google says.

Earlier this year, we shared our plans to upgrade the Assistant experience to Gemini on most mobile devices by the end of 2025. We're adjusting our previously announced timeline to make sure we deliver a seamless transition, and will continue our work to upgrade Assistant users to Gemini on mobile devices into 2026. We'll share more details on our plans in the coming months. Your feedback matters to us. Feel free to drop any further suggestions here.

Google wanted to remove Assistant from most Android phones by the end of 2025 and replace it with Gemini. But now the company has announced that it needs a bit more time to make its AI assistant the new default digital helper for most of its users. Google said that it's adjusting its previously announced timeline to "make sure [it delivers] a seamless transition" and that updates to convert Assistant to Gemini on Android devices will continue into the next year.

Google Gemini is quickly becoming my favorite versatile AI tool. Not only is the quality of output that the latest AI model, Gemini 3 Pro, generates impressive, but Google has added a few great features that streamline interactions with the AI tool.

The QM9K is available in four different sizes: 65 inches ($2,999.99), 75 inches ($3,499.99), 85 inches ($3,999.99), and 98 inches ($5,999.99). It was the first TV to launch with Google Gemini, it has a presence sensor that can turn on its ambient mode to show artwork (much like an art TV), and TCL claims it's capable of up to 6,500 nits of brightness.

November was the month AI went full gladiator mode: three frontier labs released their best models within a week, Google reclaimed the throne with Gemini 3, and open source proved it can win Olympic gold medals in mathematics. Meanwhile, the agent revolution became official doctrine at Microsoft and Google, and China's AI ecosystem hit escape velocity with 10 million app downloads in seven days.

In addition to some new hardware changes, the Watch 8 Classic is loaded with AI -- the first new Google Wear OS watch to launch with Google Gemini, alongside Samsung's Galaxy AI. Also: Black Friday Smartwatch deals: I'm shopping sales on Apple & Pixel Watches live now The watch provides you with health insights that contribute to your Energy Score, as well as new AI coaches to help you achieve your running and sleep goals. Antioxidant levels, vascular load, ECG, sleep apnea detection, body composition, and more all help make the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic your personal health and wellness advisor.

It was really easy getting Google's Gemini app to make an image of a second shooter at Dealey Plaza, the White House ablaze, and Mickey Mouse flying a plane into the Twin Towers. We asked and it complied. There were few filters or guardrails, another sign that the battle over generative AI content moderation and copyright enforcement is not even close to being over.

Going a step further, users can now shop right inside Gemini and, when searching for products "near me" in AI mode, can access a "let Google call" button. As they browse, Gemini will prompt them for more specifics, and on the backend, call nearby stores to determine availability, price, and information on any special promos.

Now, I can do that thanks to the AI's latest skill. New skill available to all Unveiled on Wednesday, Gemini's Deep Research mode can now pull information from your personal or work Google account. Specifically, the AI can analyze and research your emails from Gmail, your documents from Google Docs, your files from Google Drive, and your conversations from Google Chat.

Clearly, it has a social consequence when you have fewer journalists; clearly, it has a social consequence if the ability to write books in a meaningful, sustainable way is undermined. And there are people who are aware of that, Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai at Google, Tim Cook, you can talk with them in a way that they understand their business needs to have this constant creative flow,

Both Google and Apple are cramming new AI features into their phones and other devices, and neither company has offered clear ways to control which apps those AI systems can access. Recent issues around WhatsApp on both Android and iPhone demonstrate how these interactions can go sideways, risking revealing chat conversations beyond what you intend. Users deserve better controls and clearer documentation around what these AI features can access.

GM's integration with Gemini is the next logical step for the automaker. Vehicles produced by GM brands Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC already have "Google built-in," an operating system that gives drivers access to Google Assistant, Google Maps, and other apps directly from the car's infotainment screen. In 2023, Google began using Google Cloud's Dialogflow chatbot to handle non-emergency OnStar features, including common driver queries like routing and navigation assistance.

GM announced that "eyes-off" highway driving is coming to its electric Cadillac Escalade SUV in 2028. The company is also integrating Google Gemini and conversational AI into its vehicles next year. GM said its eyes-off technology will allow drivers to read or respond to texts, and relies on LiDAR technology.

When Google launched its Gemini 2.5 Flash model - better known by its more fun codename Nano Banana - in August, it became a viral hit. Because of its ability to edit images using AI for free (or at a low cost if you're using it through the API), we wondered if it might spell bad news for Adobe, which sells competing image software. Data provided to Business Insider by Appfigures, an analytics company, reveals that as downloads of Gemini skyrocketed around the time of Nano Banana's release, downloads of Firefly, Adobe's generative AI image and video app, began to slump.

I trained a Google Gemini model on my most effective emails, giving it a large sample of my writing and Devpost context. When drafting important messages, I collaborate with the model to ensure I'm expressing myself as I intend. It's still my tone and ideas, but the model helps me deliver consistently strong communication. I also built a Google Gemini CLI "Executive Assistant" to replace my visual Kanban board with a markdown-based, conversational task manager.