Google tests buying from Walmart-owned Flipkart through Gemini and AI Mode in India

The limited test covers select products and users, with a broader rollout planned for later in October.

Google’s India AI hub cleared for 2.51GW, not 1GW, the Guardian reports
Google’s India AI hub cleared for 2.51GW, not 1GW, the Guardian reports

Google’s $15bn AI datacentre project in Andhra Pradesh has state environmental clearance for 2.51GW of capacity, more than double the 1GW announced, according to clearance papers seen by the Guardian. Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Aakash Hassan reported th…

McDonald’s tests Archy, an AI drive-thru voice for English and Spanish
McDonald’s tests Archy, an AI drive-thru voice for English and Spanish

McDonald’s is testing an AI voice assistant called Archy that takes drive-thru orders in English and Spanish. The company presented it at its investor day at its Chicago headquarters on 23 September. Archy has been more than 90% accurate in early tests…

Gemini 3.8 Live with Live Avatar gives Google’s AI a face
Gemini 3.8 Live with Live Avatar gives Google’s AI a face

Google’s new Gemini 3.8 Live update lets users have conversations with the model while watching an animated AI persona respond in real time. The “Live Avatar” will lip-sync and show different facial expressions during conversations, but it’s currently only available to Gemini Enterprise customers. As noted by Google, Live Avatar can transition between the 97 […]

ChatGPT now sends 95.1% of AI referral traffic to websites, BrightEdge says
ChatGPT now sends 95.1% of AI referral traffic to websites, BrightEdge says

ChatGPT sent 95.1% of the traffic that AI chatbots referred to websites in August, its highest share this year, according to new data from BrightEdge. The search marketing company said referral traffic from ChatGPT grew 101% between January and August….

Now Google Chrome shares tabs to new devices that save where you were
Now Google Chrome shares tabs to new devices that save where you were

Google is rolling out some new Chrome browser features that are designed to make it easier to research and study complicated topics. The cross-device tab switching feature is getting a memory upgrade, alongside new capabilities for Gemini in Chrome that can analyze more types of media and generate interactive study quizzes. Chrome has an existing […]

Gemini can now call businesses for you so you don’t have to wait on hold
Gemini can now call businesses for you so you don’t have to wait on hold

Google’s launching an “early experiment” feature on Pixel 11 that lets users delegate local business calls to Gemini, like making a reservation, checking if a product is in stock, or rescheduling an appointment. According to Google, you don’t even need to start the call to have Gemini handle it for you: Instead of dialing yourself, […]

Google tests letting Gemini call businesses for you

Google says the AI-calling feature will first be available to Pixel 11 owners in the U.S. who pay for a Gemini subscription.

Google will launch its first AI chips into orbit next week
Google will launch its first AI chips into orbit next week

Google will send its own AI chips into orbit for the first time next week, in the first flight test of Project Suncatcher. A prototype satellite carrying its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) will fly on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission. Google b…

Google is sending an AI satellite into space next week
Google is sending an AI satellite into space next week

Google is getting ready to launch a satellite with its AI processors to test how well they perform in space, as reported earlier by The New York Times. The move is part of Google’s Project Suncatcher, the company’s experimental initiative that could eventually put AI data centers into orbit. The satellite, equipped with Google’s Tensor […]