Category: AI

Google has introduced a new feature that allows Google Maps users to access Gemini hands-free while walking and cycling, as reported by TechCrunch. This update follows the previous launch of Gemini-powered hands-free driving on Google Maps.

By integrating Gemini into more aspects of daily life, Google aims to provide users with real-time, conversational navigation experiences beyond static directions.

With this enhancement, users can now ask Gemini questions such as “What neighborhood am I in?”, “What are top-rated restaurants nearby?”, or “Tell me more about the neighborhood I’m in” while navigating on foot or by bike. Recognizing the challenges of walking and typing simultaneously, Google has enabled users to inquire without interrupting their navigation on Maps. Cyclists can also benefit from this feature by asking questions like “What’s my ETA?” or “When’s my next meeting?”, enhancing safety and convenience during rides.

This update is available globally on iOS devices where Gemini is accessible, with Android rollout underway.

Source: TechCrunch

A group of music publishers, including Concord Music Group and Universal Music Group, has filed a lawsuit against Anthropic, alleging that the company engaged in the unauthorized downloading of over 20,000 copyrighted songs, sheet music, lyrics, and musical compositions. The damages sought exceed $3 billion, marking one of the largest copyright cases in U.S. history.

The legal action follows a previous case, Bartz v. Anthropic, where authors accused the AI company of using their works without permission. While the court ruled that training AI models on copyrighted content is permissible, acquiring such content through piracy was deemed unlawful.

Initially centered on 500 copyrighted works, the publishers discovered the additional alleged infringements during the Bartz case’s discovery phase. Attempts to amend the original lawsuit were rejected, leading to a separate legal filing against Anthropic, including its CEO Dario Amodei and co-founder Benjamin Mann.

Source: TechCrunch

OpenAI’s Sora app, powered by the video generation model Sora 2, gained significant traction upon its iOS release, quickly reaching the top of the App Store charts. However, recent data indicates a decline in app downloads and consumer spending, suggesting a shift in user interest from this AI video social network.

Initially an invite-only experience, Sora garnered over 100,000 installs on its first day, surpassing ChatGPT in reaching 1 million downloads. However, the app’s momentum has waned in the following months.

Market intelligence from Appfigures reveals a 32% drop in downloads in December and a further 45% decline in January 2026, totaling 1.2 million installs. Consumer spending has also decreased by 32% month-over-month.

Sora, which enables users to create AI-powered videos with customizable prompts, casting options, and remixing capabilities, has seen a tapering of user engagement after the initial surge.

OpenAI has not provided an immediate comment on the challenges faced by the Sora app.

Source: TechCrunch

Google DeepMind has introduced Project Genie, an AI tool designed to construct interactive game worlds from text prompts or images. This technology is now available to Google AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S., offering them the opportunity to engage with this experimental research prototype. Project Genie leverages Google’s latest world model, Genie 3, along with the Nano Banana Pro image generation model and Gemini.

The launch of Project Genie follows the research preview of Genie 3 by five months and reflects DeepMind’s commitment to gathering user feedback and training data as part of its ongoing efforts to advance more sophisticated world models. These AI systems create internal representations of environments, enabling the prediction of future outcomes and the planning of actions. DeepMind and other industry leaders view world models as pivotal in progressing towards artificial general intelligence (AGI).

As the competition in the world model space intensifies, with initiatives like Fei-Fei Li’s Marble and Runway’s recent world model release, Project Genie stands out as a significant development. The experimental nature of the tool is acknowledged by DeepMind researchers, who highlight its variable performance in generating playable worlds. This technology opens doors to a realm where user engagement and feedback play a crucial role in shaping the future of AI-driven interactive experiences.

Source: TechCrunch

Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has secured permission to operate its robotaxi service to and from the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) after years of negotiation and setbacks. The company announced its plans in a blog post, stating that the service will initially be available to a limited number of riders before expanding to all customers in the upcoming months.

Rides will commence at the SFO Rental Car Center, with the promise of serving additional airport locations in the future. This development is crucial for Waymo, known for its self-driving technology, as it aims to enhance its geographic coverage and cater to a larger rider base.

Despite this milestone, Waymo has faced recent scrutiny regarding safety issues in its operations. Notably, a Waymo robotaxi was involved in an incident where it struck a child near a school in Santa Monica. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is conducting an investigation into the matter, alongside the National Transportation Safety Board.

Waymo’s expansion into SFO aligns with its broader strategy of growth, which includes entering new cities, expanding its fleet, and integrating additional freeways into its operational areas. The company currently services a significant portion of the San Francisco Bay Area, extending down to Silicon Valley and encompassing the San Jose Airport.

This achievement at SFO represents a significant step for Waymo, as it continues to meet customer demands and strengthen its presence in the transportation sector.

Source: TechCrunch

Google is gaining crucial insights into scaling AI in education, with India emerging as a pivotal market influencing the tech company’s approach. Despite Silicon Valley’s prominence in AI development, it is India’s diverse educational landscape that is proving to be a challenging yet informative testing ground for Google.

India, boasting the highest global usage of Gemini for learning, is shaping Google’s education AI strategy amidst competition from industry rivals like OpenAI and Microsoft. The country’s vast education system, serving millions of students across diverse schools, is providing valuable feedback on AI implementation in classrooms.

During Google’s AI for Learning Forum in New Delhi, the company’s vice president for education, Chris Phillips, engaged with key stakeholders, including school administrators and officials, to understand the practical application of AI tools in Indian classrooms. The decentralized nature of India’s education system, with curriculum decisions at the state level and active government involvement, has compelled Google to customize its education AI for flexible deployment by schools and administrators.

This adaptability in product design signifies a departure from Google’s traditional global-scale approach, highlighting the necessity of tailoring AI solutions to meet the specific needs of diverse educational ecosystems.

Source: TechCrunch

Deezer, a leading music streaming platform, has introduced an AI detection tool that automatically identifies and tags fully AI-generated music, helping to combat fraudulent streams. This innovative tool, initially launched last year, is now being extended to other streaming services, aiming to ensure fair recognition for human artists.

According to Deezer, a substantial 85% of streams from entirely AI-generated tracks have been flagged as fraudulent. The platform encounters a staggering influx of 60,000 AI tracks daily, amounting to a total of 13.4 million identified AI songs. These figures contrast with data from June last year, where AI-generated music accounted for 18% of daily uploads, exceeding 20,000 tracks.

Deezer’s AI music detection tool boasts an impressive accuracy rate of 99.8%, effectively distinguishing AI-generated tracks from major generative models like Suno and Udio. In a move to uphold transparency and equitable compensation within the music industry, Deezer not only excludes AI-generated tracks from recommendations but also withholds monetization and royalty distribution from such content.

Deezer’s CEO, Alexis Lanternier, reported widespread industry interest in the AI detection tool, with successful trials already conducted by prominent entities like Sacem, a major French music management company representing renowned artists.

While specific pricing details remain undisclosed, Deezer’s spokesperson highlighted the variable nature of costs depending on the partnership agreement. This strategic move by Deezer marks a significant step towards promoting authenticity and integrity in music streaming, safeguarding the creative endeavors of human musicians against the encroachment of AI-generated content.

Source: TechCrunch

Google Chrome, the dominant browser globally, is expanding its capabilities to compete with AI-driven browsers. The latest updates include integrating Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, into the browser’s interface and introducing autonomous features for advanced users.

The Gemini assistant, previously housed in a floating window, is now placed in a persistent sidebar, allowing users to seamlessly ask questions related to the current website or other open tabs. One notable feature enables Gemini to recognize different tabs opened from a single web page as a context group, which can be beneficial for online shopping tasks.

Google is also leveraging personal intelligence to enhance user interactions with Gemini. This feature, which integrates with Gmail, Search, YouTube, and Google Photos, enables users to ask personalized questions based on their data. Future updates will allow users to inquire about their family’s schedule or compose and send emails directly from the Gemini sidebar.

Additionally, Chrome will soon introduce Nano Banana integration, enabling users to modify images with new content discovered while browsing. The most ambitious feature, auto-browse, empowers users to delegate tasks to an autonomous feature, which can navigate websites, make purchases, and even search for discount coupons on their behalf, streamlining online activities.

Source: TechCrunch

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has revealed the company’s plans for advancing its AI capabilities in 2026. During an investor call, Zuckerberg shared that Meta users can expect the introduction of new AI models and products in the coming months. Following a foundational rebuild of their AI program in 2025, Meta is set to push the boundaries of AI throughout the year.

One key focus area highlighted by Zuckerberg is AI-driven commerce. Meta aims to introduce innovative shopping tools that will enhance user experiences by assisting in finding the perfect products from Meta’s catalog. The concept of AI-powered shopping assistants is not new, with players like Google and OpenAI already exploring similar technologies. However, Meta believes its advantage lies in leveraging personal data to offer uniquely tailored shopping experiences based on users’ preferences, history, and relationships.

As Zuckerberg emphasized the importance of personal context in AI interactions, Meta’s approach aligns with the growing trend of personalized AI services across various sectors. Tech enthusiasts and industry observers are eagerly anticipating Meta’s AI developments and how they will impact the future of e-commerce and personalized user experiences.

Source: TechCrunch

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has announced plans to implement an image-labeling system aimed at identifying ‘manipulated media’ and combating the spread of misleading content. The announcement, made through a post by X CEO Elon Musk, provided limited details on the specifics of this new feature.

The image-labeling system is intended to flag edited or manipulated images, differentiating them from traditionally edited media. However, the criteria for determining what constitutes ‘manipulated media’ remain undisclosed. This move aligns with X’s efforts to enhance content authenticity and curb the dissemination of misinformation on the platform.

Previously, Twitter had implemented similar labeling measures for posts containing manipulated or deceptive media. The introduction of this new system by X signifies a continued focus on maintaining content integrity and addressing the challenges of misinformation in the social media landscape.

Source: TechCrunch

Apple has unveiled its latest offering, the Creator Studio Pro suite, designed to assist creators in their work by leveraging AI technology without aiming to replace human creativity. This move by the tech company marks a significant step towards integrating AI as a supportive tool rather than a standalone creator.

Unlike generative AI applications that autonomously produce content, Apple’s approach emphasizes enhancing creators’ productivity across various industries such as filmmaking, music production, and visual arts. By focusing on streamlining tedious tasks like sorting through video footage, extracting chord information, or generating slideshows, Creator Studio Pro aims to empower creators to work more efficiently.

Integrating AI into creative processes poses challenges, particularly regarding intellectual property concerns and the fear of AI reproducing similar works without consent. Apple’s strategy is to position AI as a facilitator for mundane tasks, allowing creators to concentrate on the core aspects of their work.

The subscription-based suite includes familiar tools like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for video and music editing, respectively, alongside Pixelmator Pro for image editing. Apple’s foray into AI-enhanced creative software signifies a shift towards democratizing access to advanced tools, making them more approachable to a broader audience.

Source: TechCrunch

Arcee AI, a 30-person startup, has entered the AI model market with a significant release. The company has introduced Trinity, a 400B open-source foundation model, positioning itself against industry leaders like Google, Meta, and Microsoft. According to TechCrunch, Trinity is one of the largest open-source foundation models developed by a U.S. company, challenging the dominance of models like Meta’s Llama 4 Maverick and Z.ai GLM-4.5 from Tsinghua University in China.

While Trinity is currently focused on text-based tasks, Arcee AI is actively working on expanding its capabilities to include vision and speech-to-text functionalities. The company aims to cater to developers and academics, emphasizing the importance of providing a superior open-source model to attract users. By offering an Apache-licensed model, Arcee AI hopes to attract a wide range of customers, particularly in the U.S., steering them away from adopting open models from other regions.

Arcee AI’s move highlights the evolving landscape of AI model development, showcasing how smaller players are challenging established tech giants with innovative solutions. As the competition in the AI market intensifies, the introduction of Trinity signifies a new chapter in the quest for cutting-edge AI technologies.

Source: TechCrunch