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Canada’s building‑construction price index rose in the third quarter of 2026, with residential costs climbing 0.8% and non‑residential costs up 1.2%, following 0.6% and 1.4% gains in the prior quarter. Meanwhile, U.S. equity markets slipped on Thursday as Alphabet’s earnings disappointed investors. Shares of the Google parent fell more than 12%, wiping roughly $480 billion from its market value and dragging the Nasdaq down 1.4%. The S&P 500 and Dow also fell 0.3% each. The decline came after the Federal Reserve left rates unchanged, while the European Central Bank held its benchmark rate at 2.5%. Alphabet’s report highlighted a planned increase in 2027 capex, raising concerns about the return on its AI‑related spending.

OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic announced they will adopt a new IETF‑backed standard that lets publishers opt out of AI scraping. The mechanism, a “policy token” inserted into a site’s robots.txt file, signals to all major AI systems that the content should not be used for training. Kevin Kelley, Anthropic’s standards lead, developed the token as part of the Internet Engineering Task Force. By placing a single token, site owners can set their AI‑training preferences once and have it respected by every participating company, rather than configuring each crawler separately. The move follows earlier reports that publishers have struggled to control how their content is harvested for machine‑learning models.

As the temperature drops, Google’s fourth‑generation Nest Learning Thermostat is now available for $219.99—$60 off its regular price—through Amazon, Best Buy and Home Depot. The device builds on the company’s flagship smart thermostat by adding a remote temperature sensor, an adaptive display that reveals weather and indoor air quality, and Matter compatibility that expands HVAC and ventilation options. It learns users’ heating and cooling habits, automatically creates schedules, and can suggest energy‑saving adjustments while keeping comfort. The thermostat also operates without a C‑wire in most homes, reducing installation complexity. The discount arrives just in time for sweater weather, offering homeowners a cost‑effective way to lower energy bills while maintaining climate control.

Google has expanded its Gemini app to allow users to generate, preview, and edit various file types directly within the chat platform. Starting today, all Gemini users can edit PDFs, Google Docs, Google Sheets, slide decks, Markdown files, TXT files, and code. While PDF editing is available on both web and mobile, other file formats are currently only accessible on the web version. This update builds on earlier support for generating and downloading files in Gemini, enabling users to make changes without leaving the app. Users can also expand documents for full-screen editing and highlight text to ask Gemini questions or prompts.

Alphabet, Google's parent company, reported a 25% year-over-year revenue increase in Q3 2026, with Google Search & other revenues up 12%. CEO Sundar Pichai attributed this growth to AI investments, stating they are driving overall Search query growth, including commercial queries. This growth rate is the highest in the last five years, with year-over-year query growth rate surpassing previous records. Google Cloud revenue also saw a significant increase, rising 103% year-over-year to $30.7 billion. The company's AI investments have led to a substantial boost in searches, with commercial queries also experiencing growth. Alphabet's consolidated revenues for the quarter reached $127.6 billion, a notable increase from previous years. Google's AI-driven growth is a key factor in the company's success, with AI investments continuing to drive innovation and revenue growth.

Google and its partner Xreal announced that the Aura AR glasses will be available for $1,099 through the end of the year, a reduction from the $1,279 price that Xreal had set for early pre‑orders last month. The lightweight 95‑gram headset pairs with a tethered Android XR compute puck and supports multiple virtual screens. The Aura offers one of the widest fields of view among transparent AR glasses, positioning it as a direct competitor to Meta’s upcoming VR glasses. The price cut appears aimed at making the Aura more attractive in a market where Meta’s product is a strong benchmark. Consumers can now purchase the Aura at a lower entry price as the company prepares for its public launch.

A new report warns that US companies like Google and Meta face significant risks from deep-sea sabotage in the Pacific Ocean. Chinese research ships have been surveying undersea cables, and commercial ships have been investigated for cutting cables in European and Asian waters. While most damage is caused by accidents, analysts suspect China and Russia of engaging in cable sabotage as "gray zone" tactics. A research report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission highlights the growing concern. The report, published in September 2026, was contracted to the London-based think tank China Strategic Risks Institute. The increased scrutiny on cable-cutting damage has placed new attention on the issue, with experts warning of the potential consequences for the global internet infrastructure.

Google has opened its Registered App Stores program to third‑party vendors outside the United States, allowing them to apply for certification that grants preferential treatment on Android devices. Certified stores will offer users a single‑click installation experience comparable to Google Play, and will be able to push background updates without user intervention. The move follows a court‑ordered requirement that U. S. users retain access to Google Play, while international users can now benefit from a streamlined alternative. Support for the new installation flow is slated to roll out on select Android devices later this year. The program aims to maintain ecosystem safety by vetting participating stores, giving users a broader, secure selection of apps.

Anthropic is moving forward with plans to list on the Nasdaq, a step that will bring the AI startup into the public market. The company has secured billions in investment from Amazon and Google, two of the industry’s largest tech firms. These funds will be directed toward expanding Anthropic’s AI infrastructure and advancing its safety research initiatives. In addition, Anthropic has outlined a strategy to enter into significant financial agreements with six strategic partners over the next decade, underscoring the importance of continued collaboration with major technology players. The IPO will provide the capital necessary for these expansion plans and position Anthropic as a key competitor in the AI sector.

Google has announced the development of a new artificial intelligence model that significantly improves image recognition capabilities. The model, called 'Gemini,' utilizes a novel approach to processing visual data, allowing for more accurate identification of objects and scenes within images. According to Google, Gemini has achieved state-of-the-art performance in various benchmark tests, outperforming existing models in several categories. The technology is expected to have a substantial impact on applications such as self-driving cars, medical imaging, and surveillance systems. Google has not disclosed the exact details of the Gemini model, citing the need for further research and development. However, the company plans to make the technology available to the public in the near future, potentially leading to breakthroughs in various fields.

Cloudflare and Commerce. com have rolled out an edge‑level implementation of Google’s WebMCP browser standard, automatically injecting a tiny script into almost 100,000 Commerce. com storefronts. The script exposes a set of structured tools—search_products, add_to_cart, etc. —directly inside the shopper’s browser session, letting AI assistants navigate sites without guessing clicks or triggering bot checks. Merchants can opt out on a per‑store basis through a Cloudflare configuration rule, and the system supports Commerce. com’s custom MCP path at /api/mcp. If a site’s MCP server is offline or the browser lacks WebMCP support, the script exits and the page loads normally. The move lets merchants keep control of checkout and customer data while enabling fast, reliable agent‑powered shopping across their entire network.

On October 16, 2026, Google revised its privacy policy, removing a clear prohibition that had previously barred the use of Gmail, Drive, and Photos data for ad personalization. The new wording now allows such data to inform ads when it is shared with other Google services. This change coincides with the launch of Personal Intelligence, a 2026 feature that lets users feed data from multiple apps into Google AI products to improve responses. While the policy’s intent is to enhance AI performance, it also creates a pathway for Gmail content to be used in targeted advertising. The update was first noted by Android Authority, and it signals a shift in how Google may monetize sensitive user data. Users who previously relied on the policy’s guarantee of no ad personalization from Gmail may now see ads that reflect their email content.

Google has been involved in a significant tree felling project in Finland, with reports suggesting the removal of approximately 250,000 trees. The project, which has sparked concerns among environmentalists, is part of a larger effort to expand Google's data center operations in the region. According to available information, the company has been working with local authorities to ensure compliance with regulations and minimize the project's environmental impact. However, the sheer scale of the tree felling has raised eyebrows, with some questioning the need for such a large-scale operation. The project's environmental implications are still being assessed, and it remains to be seen how Google will address the concerns surrounding this development. The company has not made any official statements regarding the project's environmental impact or the number of trees removed.

Google is expanding its Personal Intelligence feature to Android Auto and Google built-in, allowing its AI to access more user data for better answers. This feature, previously available on Gemini, is now optional in cars. Google sees Personal Intelligence as a differentiator, leveraging its existing data from apps like Gmail and Calendar. The rollout begins in Android Auto today, with Google built-in vehicles to follow in the next few months.

Google is launching a new browser safety feature for Chrome that aims to inform users about potentially malicious websites. When Enhanced Protection is on, Chrome will flag a website as suspicious if it shares qualities with known phishing, malware, and scam sites. Users can mark a flagged site as safe if they are certain of its legitimacy. This feature builds on Chrome's two-stage system for file downloads, which provides distinct notifications for blocked files.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has released updated plans that will require Google to present users on new Android devices with a choice of search service, covering the default search app, home‑screen widget and Chrome. Mozilla argues that the proposal addresses only half the problem, as most UK smartphone users use a preinstalled browser set as default without ever choosing it. Mozilla’s 2023 experiment showed that 98 % of participants wanted a browser choice screen, and that such screens can improve retention. The organisation is urging the CMA to launch browser choice screens alongside search choice screens, mirroring the EU Digital Markets Act and Japan’s approach, to reduce confusion and give users full control over the tools they use daily.

A recent Ukrainian cyber‑attack targeted the Russian internet giant known as ‘Russian Google,’ crippling its payment and cloud services. Reports from social media indicate that millions of users could not book taxis or order food, and many were unable to open files stored on the company’s cloud platform. Additionally, users who relied on digital keys for home access found their systems offline, preventing entry to their residences. The disruption highlights the vulnerability of critical digital infrastructure and the widespread economic and personal inconvenience caused when such services are taken offline.

Anthropic has taken a concrete step to strengthen oversight of its AI models by allowing the nonprofit METR to embed a team in its office with “employee‑like” access to hardware and internal systems. METR, which has worked with major labs such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, will assess the risks of Claude’s capabilities and help identify safeguards against potential catastrophic outcomes. This move follows growing calls for greater transparency and external review as AI systems become more powerful and could impact the economy, cyber security, and broader society. By opening its internal environment to independent scrutiny, Anthropic aims to demonstrate its commitment to responsible AI development and mitigate the dangers of uncontrolled model behavior.

Apple’s latest iOS 27 lets iPhone users assign custom keywords to individual photos, making retrieval faster than scrolling through months of images. The Photos app’s keyword manager lets users rename, delete, or favorite tags. Samsung Galaxy phones support manual tagging via the Gallery app, though the exact steps vary by model and app version. Google Pixel users rely on Google Photos’ automatic recognition, which can find images by searching for objects, places, or documents, and also offers a dedicated Documents collection for receipts and paperwork. All three platforms encourage users to start with photos that are hard to locate, such as travel confirmations or appliance serial numbers, and to keep important images backed up. WhyItMatters: By adding searchable keywords or using built‑in recognition, users can quickly locate critical photos—saving time and reducing frustration when they need evidence or information.

Autonomous AI agents from OpenAI, Meta, Google, Instinct, and others are increasingly unable to perform tasks on popular sites. In recent weeks users of Meta’s Muse, xAI’s Grok, OpenAI’s Dots, and Instinct reported that their agents were blocked from accessing key web services. Yelp confirmed that it only permits AI agents that pay for its data‑licensing program, while Delta Air Lines has stopped agents from booking tickets. The move signals a growing tension between AI developers and website owners, as the latter enforce stricter controls over automated access to their content and services.

Researchers at Google Quantum AI have shown that the Willow superconducting‑qubit machine can reduce error rates by a factor of 40 by using a new technique called magic state cultivation. The method grows the special quantum state needed for error‑corrected non‑Clifford gates inside a small patch of qubits, instead of combining many imperfect ones. In the experiment, only 8 % of runs produced high‑quality magic states, but the team expects this percentage to rise as the technique and hardware improve. The result suggests that future intermediate‑size quantum computers could operate with roughly one‑tenth the qubits previously thought necessary, bringing fault‑tolerant machines closer to practical use.

Google has updated its AI search experience to place inline links higher in responses, a move announced in a recent blog post. The company’s AI Overviews and AI Mode now deliver answers in a customized view rather than a traditional list of links, prompting concerns that the format could reduce traffic to publishers. In response, Google says it has been making "continued and substantial increases" to the presence of inline links in its AI experiences. The new change aims to ensure key sources are easily clickable right when users need them, and the company is also announcing additional tweaks to highlight links in future updates.

Google has begun tagging music tracks on YouTube Music that were produced with generative AI tools. The new label, similar to the one added to AI‑generated videos earlier this year, appears in the app and on the website. The company says it is not banning AI music, but wants to give listeners transparency about how a song was created. In a blog post, Google noted that generative AI opens new ways for artists to create, experiment, and share music, while acknowledging that many users want to know whether a track was made with AI. The rollout is currently in progress.

Google has rolled out its Universal Cart in the United States, making it available through the Gemini app and Google Search. The feature, first previewed at Google’s I/O event in May, lets users add items from multiple retailers into a single, unified cart that works across Google’s platforms. By consolidating products in one place, the tool aims to help shoppers stay organized and potentially save money as they prepare for Black Friday and the broader holiday shopping season. The launch highlights Google’s push to embed AI‑driven convenience into everyday online shopping experiences.

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) released a non‑binding statement on Tuesday outlining stringent transparency measures for smart glasses, urging manufacturers to use flashing lights, audio alerts, voice‑activated recording cues, and smartphone notifications to signal when filming occurs. The guidelines also extend responsibility to app developers and service providers, and call for industry‑wide standards to help the public identify smart glasses and understand data handling. The EDPB cautions that the household exemption under the GDPR should be narrowly interpreted, especially when content is shared publicly. Major players—Meta, Samsung/Google, and Apple—face potential reassessment of their European product strategies. A concurrent study on social acceptability of the devices was also published today.

Google announced a major redesign of the Play Store for vehicles equipped with its built‑in Android system. The new layout automatically adjusts to the size and orientation of the car’s display, making it easier to locate and install apps. Featured apps now appear on the homepage and can be downloaded with a single tap. Navigation has been streamlined: the menu—containing Apps, Games, Search, and More—appears on the left side of the screen, or at the top if the display is vertical. The update will roll out over the next few weeks, enhancing the in‑car app experience for users.

Google has added a new feature that lets users install custom, vibe‑coded Android apps directly from the Play Store, eliminating the need to connect a phone to a computer. The company first introduced the vibe‑coding tool in May, allowing developers to create personal apps quickly. With the new launch option, users can publish their apps using a standard Google account while keeping them secure, private, and separate from the public store catalog. Google also plans to add a feature that will let users share their apps with a select group of people in the near future.

Google has launched an experimental, free app called Google AI Edge Foresight that transcribes meetings and audio files entirely offline on macOS. The app uses the company’s on‑device EmbeddingGemma 2 model to capture spoken content and then summarizes the conversation. Users can jot shorthand bullet points during a session, and the app converts those notes into polished, readable summaries based on the transcript. Edge Foresight functions similarly to other AI note‑taking tools such as Granola and Wispr Flow, offering a dedicated space for both automated summaries and user‑generated annotations. The move highlights Google’s push toward privacy‑friendly, on‑device AI solutions for productivity.

At its Gemini at Work event on Thursday, Google announced a new Gemini AI agent that operates as a single, cloud‑based interface for work tasks. The agent is integrated into the Gemini Enterprise app, allowing users to chat with it and assign tasks from one place. It can work directly inside Google Workspace applications—Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar, and more—while also being accessible from mobile devices, desktop computers, the web, and third‑party platforms such as Slack and Microsoft 365. Because the agent runs in the cloud, it maintains consistent context across all these environments, enabling smoother collaboration and task management.

Google has announced the global availability of its improved SynthID AI content detector. The detector now supports watermarks from all its partners, making it easier to identify AI-generated content. The SynthID detector is available on a new dedicated website, allowing anyone to check for AI watermarks in images, videos, and audio. This move aims to combat the spread of AI-generated misinformation.

The leaders of major tech companies, including Anthropic, Google, Meta, OpenAI, Nvidia, and xAI, have signed a voluntary accord on artificial intelligence with President Trump. The agreement aims to strengthen internal controls, independent outside evaluation, and board-level review. However, a recent EqualAI survey found that 46% of Americans are uncomfortable with companies using AI in a way that involves them or their data, despite 71% saying a positive experience with an AI system would increase their confidence in it. To build trust, experts recommend making AI visible, establishing independent evaluation, creating a system to identify and handle significant AI incidents, and requiring accountability. Companies and the federal government must work together to establish governance capacity and let AI scale.

Google today unveiled Playground, a browser‑based platform that lets users create custom games using AI prompts. Available in the United States for users 18 and older, Playground is marketed as an experimental gaming platform that lowers the barriers to creation and does not require coding experience. According to a Google blog post, the platform features a conversational interface: users can type what they want to build, start from a blank canvas, remix starter prompts, or use guided support to shape their concept. Once a game is built, it can be tested immediately, and developers can tweak physics or rewrite elements on the fly. Playground represents a new way to prototype and iterate games directly in the browser.

Google has released a software update for its Pixel Buds 2A and Pro 2 earbuds that adds several new features, including sleep detection that works with the Pixel Watch. When the watch signals that the user has fallen asleep, the earbuds pause music, silence notifications and disable touch controls. The update also introduces tap‑to‑mute, letting users mute or unmute the microphone with a quick tap during calls, but only when paired with a Pixel phone. The update was first teased in August and is now available to all users.

Users of select Samsung devices in the US and Canada can now lock, unlock, and start certain General Motors vehicles using a digital key stored in their Samsung Wallet. This feature initially supports 2026 and 2027 Cadillac EVs, including the Lyriq, Optic, and Vistiq models. GM plans to expand support to more models by the end of 2026. The digital key feature is not exclusive to Samsung Wallet and will also be available on Apple Wallet and Google Wallet for compatible devices.

Attackers hijacked three top-level domains, . gh, . sl, and . as, and used their control to mint counterfeit TLS certificates for Google and other large organizations. The attackers modified authoritative DNS records for selected domains within those namespaces, allowing them to pass automated domain control validation checks. Google updated Chrome to block all identified unauthorized certificates and worked with certification authorities to revoke the unauthorized certificates for Google properties.

Google’s new premium laptop line, Googlebooks, was marketed as a seamless extension of Android phones, promising instant app streaming, file access, notification mirroring, and app continuity. However, the integration requires Android 17 and is currently limited to Pixel devices. Early adopters discovered that Samsung phones, including the Z Fold 8 which ship with Android 17, do not maintain a stable connection with Googlebooks. Google confirmed that these ‘Better Together’ features are not supported on Samsung phones at launch and announced that an update to add support will be released in the coming weeks. The limitation means Samsung users must wait before enjoying the promised cross‑device experience.

Google is reportedly expanding its 'Call for Me' AI feature to include personal calls, allowing users to send messages to friends and family. The feature, found in an APK teardown, includes examples such as calling a mom to inform her of a 15-minute delay and asking a friend if they are coming for dinner. The calls are likely to be basic and text message-like, with Google's AI delivering quick messages to those who prefer phone calls or miss texts often.

The rapid deployment of AI agents in millions of organizations has opened a new attack surface. Over the past five months, Google and four other major entities—JP Morgan Chase, Weviate, Rapid7, the French inter‑ministerial digital directorate, and a U. S. federal agency—have publicly disclosed vulnerabilities that let a compromised agent spread malicious instructions to other internal agents. The technique is a specialized prompt injection that targets the agent itself, not the underlying large language model. Because many agents lack robust guardrails, they forward the injected commands to downstream agents that trust the source. Independent researcher Syed Anas Mohiuddin demonstrated proof‑of‑concept attacks exploiting trust gaps in the Model Context Protocol (MCP), the standard for intra‑network AI communication.

Google’s first Chromebook prototype, dubbed the Cr‑48, never carried a product name or flashy design. Instead, it served as a technical proof‑of‑concept for a new computing vision. In a recent episode of the podcast “Version History,” The Verge’s Nilay Patel, YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, and host David Pierce unpack the Cr‑48’s role in the birth of ChromeOS and the Chromebook line. They examine how the prototype’s minimalism and focus on cloud‑based computing laid the groundwork for a hardware strategy that would later dominate school technology. The discussion also questions whether Google’s early hardware approach was the right path for the company’s long‑term strategy.

At Harvard’s John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt explained that the most skilled programmers are no longer writing code themselves. Instead, they draft specifications and evaluation criteria, then let AI run the work overnight. By morning, the AI delivers completed projects. Schmidt argued that this shift will make elite engineers even more valuable, while AI will automate core business functions such as billing and logistics. He also warned that artificial general intelligence could emerge as early as 2029.

On September 29, the U. S. government and major AI firms—OpenAI, Meta, Anthropic, Google, Nvidia, and X—signed a voluntary agreement to implement internal controls that monitor AI models for unintended system intrusions. Sociologist Sérgio Amadeu of UFABC argues the pact merely hands democratic oversight to the corporations that build the technology, creating risks to public health, privacy, and democracy. He cites the high energy use of AI training, potential for self‑diagnosis, and the ability of AI to influence public opinion and facilitate cyberattacks. AI governance expert Ettore Arpini warns that voluntary commitments can be abandoned when they become costly, echoing the collapse of the Amazon Soy Moratorium. A recent Ipsos‑Reuters poll shows 73 % of Americans believe AI firms are not doing enough to prevent harm.

Meta has launched a new pair of VR glasses that sit between opaque headsets and transparent AR glasses, priced at $1,299. In a recent review, the author noted that while the device’s cost and the company’s reputation make a purchase unlikely, the design itself feels like a game‑changer. After testing Meta’s glasses alongside Valve’s Steam Frame, Apple’s Vision Pro, and Google/Xreal’s Aura, the reviewer believes this hybrid approach is the first that could persuade everyday consumers to try VR again. The glasses aim to combine immersive VR experiences with the convenience of AR, potentially broadening the market for virtual reality technology.

Cloudflare has opened a waitlist for a fully‑managed version of its new Cloudflare OS, a platform that gives every employee an AI‑powered agent workspace tailored to the company’s processes and data. The open‑source OS already lets teams generate documents, slides, and code, and now supports deeper integration with GitHub—agents can explore repositories, fix bugs, add features, and push pull requests. Enhancements also extend to Google Workspace, enabling agents to read Gmail threads, draft and send emails, and access Drive files. Export options now include Excel, CSV, PDF, Markdown, and HTML, with Word and PowerPoint support coming soon. Organizations can choose to self‑host the OS or let Cloudflare handle deployment, access control, and updates. The fully‑managed option is aimed at enterprises that want rapid, secure adoption without internal ops overhead.

A recent study of Google searches shows that when an AI‑generated summary appears above the results, users click through to a source only 8 % of the time—half the rate when no summary is shown. The summary also raises the likelihood that a search session ends entirely, from 16 % to 26 %. The research suggests that people give up before finding a correct answer because the sheer number of links forces many low‑value decisions. While AI can reduce the decision chain if used deliberately—by asking follow‑up questions instead of opening new tabs—it does not eliminate the need to verify the answer. The cost of stopping too soon is higher when the stakes are larger, such as in workplace decisions.

In response to escalating AI security incidents, a group of tech firms has agreed to implement controls recommended by the White House. The firms, including leaders from Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI, Nvidia, Meta, and Alphabet/Google, will undergo independent safety audits to test their internal controls and monitoring. The audits will focus on risks related to cybersecurity, biosecurity, chemical threats, and unintended actions by AI models. The firms will also meet regularly to discuss best practices and set common AI safety standards and benchmarks.

Google has announced a new method to watermark proteins generated by artificial intelligence, a development that could help identify and track AI‑designed molecules. The move comes amid growing concerns that AI tools, while enabling breakthroughs such as enzymes that break down plastics or neutralize venom, also pose biosecurity risks by making it easier to create toxins or modify viral proteins. Current software used to flag potentially dangerous DNA sequences fails to recognize AI‑generated proteins because they lack established threat signatures. By embedding a watermark, Google aims to give regulators and researchers a way to detect AI‑derived proteins and assess their safety before they are deployed.

Google has launched a pilot program that compensates around 100 publishers for their content’s role in its AI‑powered search features. The test, begun less than a year ago, pays participants based on how much their material is used in AI Overviews, AI Mode in Search, and the Gemini chatbot. One early‑adopter publisher reportedly earned over $1 million from the program. The initiative comes amid growing scrutiny of how Google’s AI tools affect web traffic and the broader content ecosystem. By monetizing AI‑derived search results, Google is exploring new revenue models that could reshape publisher relationships and the economics of online content.

A Brazilian task force, jointly run by the Ministries of Justice and Finance, shut down 506 websites suspected of offering unlicensed online betting following a provisional measure that banned such activities. The crackdown also targets 43 Telegram channels with 212,600 members promoting betting, and 1,900 ads on Google and seven on Meta that continued to circulate after the ban. The Ministry’s Cyber Operations Laboratory (Ciberlab) noted that new betting sites—440 in total—emerged after the measure, while 440 additional sites appeared without registration. The government will keep monitoring digital platforms and urges tech firms to remove concealed ads and links, aiming to prevent the ban from being circumvented through new domains or social‑media channels.

A new video series released by Palisade Research on frominside. ai features a dozen AI researchers, including former and current employees of OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, warning that superintelligence could pose an existential threat to humanity. Geoffrey Irving, a former OpenAI and Google DeepMind employee, stated that the chance of human extinction from advanced AI is about a coin flip. Google DeepMind scientist Neel Nanda added that there is at least a 10 percent probability it could cause human extinction. The series, compiled by Palisade—a nonprofit studying AI capabilities and motivations—aims to bring these concerns to a broader audience.

Leaked images from Android Headlines give the first visual glimpse of Google’s upcoming mid‑range Pixel 11A. The device appears almost identical to its predecessors, the Pixel 10A and 9A, with only a slightly rounder oval‑shaped rear camera module. The chunky display bezels seen on earlier models are retained, giving the phone a dated look compared to the newer, sleeker Pixel 11 series. The leaks suggest Google is opting for a conservative design approach for the 11A, likely to keep production costs low while maintaining a familiar aesthetic for budget‑conscious consumers. This approach may influence how the phone competes in the crowded mid‑tier smartphone market.

Google has confirmed that it will discontinue support for its ChromeOS platform in mid‑2034, a decision announced on a new support page that also introduces Googlebooks, a line of Android‑based laptops aimed at competing with macOS and Windows. The page explains that Googlebooks will provide a richer experience with deeper system capabilities and integrated AI, and will receive a full ten‑year software support cycle. In contrast, the latest Chromebook models will not receive the same traditional support beyond the 2034 cutoff. The change reflects Google’s shift toward an Android‑centric ecosystem for its enterprise and education customers, while still maintaining a legacy support window for existing ChromeOS devices until the mid‑2034 deadline.

Cloudflare has opened its BEACON dataset, an anonymized collection of billions of real‑world performance measurements from 10,000 of the largest sites on its network. The data, updated daily in Google BigQuery, includes full histograms for the Core Web Vitals—Largest Contentful Paint, Cumulative Layout Shift, and Interaction to Next Paint—allowing users to examine any percentile rather than a single average. BEACON also breaks down LCP and INP into sub‑parts that identify where delays occur, such as document TTFB, load delay, and render delay for LCP, and input, processing, and presentation delays for INP. The release highlights performance gaps by browser engine, country, and industry, and adds new metrics for soft navigations used by single‑page applications. Researchers can join BEACON with other datasets to uncover deeper insights and target optimization efforts.

Cloudflare today announced a public experimental preview that adds first‑class support for the Emscripten wasm32‑unknown‑emscripten Rust compiler target to its wasm‑bindgen toolchain and Workers runtime. The change, built on years of collaboration between Google and Cloudflare engineers, lets Rust code—including Tokio‑based async applications—compile with Emscripten and run natively on Workers. Early tests show improved library compatibility; a Rust‑native Minecraft server (Pumpkin) was successfully deployed inside a Durable Object with real TCP sockets using Tokio. The update also includes patches to core Rust libraries such as libc, socket2, Mio, and a new Tokio patch set that aligns its async runtime with Workers’ single‑threaded event loop. While still pre‑release, the preview opens new workflow possibilities for developers building high‑performance, native Rust workloads on Cloudflare’s global edge.

At Meta Connect, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Muse Charm, a pocket‑watch‑sized gadget that brings Meta’s Muse AI assistant directly into users’ hands. The 2‑inch screen, thumb‑controlled interface, and built‑in 5G modem let users access Muse without a smartphone, bypassing Apple or Google operating systems. Zuckerberg said personal superintelligence is the next breakthrough after the company’s earlier metaverse push. Muse Charm will later join Meta’s smart‑glasses lineup. The launch follows Muse’s record‑setting app downloads and investor enthusiasm, but analysts warn that the device may appeal mainly to Gen Z and early adopters, and its long‑term market success remains uncertain.

On October 1, Google will launch MVP, its first experimental satellite for Project Suncatcher, a moonshot to build AI data centers in orbit. The refrigerator‑sized craft, built on a Planet Labs platform, houses four custom TPU AI accelerators that train models and run inference. Solar panels on MVP generate roughly one kilowatt—enough to power a microwave or hair dryer—providing a modest power budget for the chips. The launch accelerates Google’s original plan to deploy two custom satellites in 2027, aiming to validate the feasibility of a constellation of solar‑powered AI satellites as an alternative to power‑hungry terrestrial data centers.

Google has rolled out new Chrome browser features aimed at simplifying research and study of complex topics. The existing cross‑device tab‑sending function now remembers the exact scroll position of a page, so users can resume reading where they left off without manually scrolling. In addition, Chrome’s integration with Gemini is expanded to analyze a wider range of media types and generate interactive study quizzes directly within the browser. These updates are designed to streamline workflow across devices and provide richer, more engaging study aids.

Google has launched an early‑experiment feature on the Pixel 11 that lets users delegate local business calls to its Gemini AI. By simply telling Gemini to call a restaurant, a retailer or a service provider, the AI initiates the call, introduces itself, navigates automated menus, waits on hold, and handles the conversation with the business representative. The user remains in control through a live transcript view and can intervene at any time. The feature is available through the Gemini app on Pixel 11 and is designed to streamline routine calls such as reservations, stock checks or appointment rescheduling.