Techmeme
December 11, 2024, 12:01 PM

Top News

Bloomberg:
Google releases its new flagship model Gemini 2.0 and plans to test it in search and AI overviews, saying 2.0 makes “it possible to build agents that can think”  —  Company expects AI assistants will follow its users around the web  —  Google debuted a new version …
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Google releases Gemini 2.0 Flash to generate images, audio, and text, and use third-party apps and services, available via Gemini API and developer platforms  —  Google's next major AI model has arrived to combat a slew of new offerings from OpenAI.  —  On Wednesday, Google announced Gemini 2.0 Flash …
Ina Fried / Axios:
Google unveils an updated Project Astra, which can record and summarize videos recorded using an Android app or prototype glasses and answer questions  —  Astra can then summarize what it sees and answer a wide range of questions, drawing on an array of Google services including Search, Maps, Lens and Gemini.
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Google unveils Deep Research, an AI tool to let its Gemini chatbot scour the web and write a detailed report, available in English for Gemini Advanced users  —  Google has just revealed a new AI tool called Deep Research that lets you call upon its Gemini bot to scour the web for you and write a detailed report based on its findings.
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget:
Apple rolls out iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, adding major AI updates, including Image Playground on iPhone 15 Pro, 16, and 16 Pro, Genmoji, and ChatGPT integration  —  ChatGPT integration is also included with this update.  —  Apple has begun rolling iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 to iPhones and iPads.
The Information:
Sources: Apple is working with Broadcom to develop its first AI server chip, codenamed Baltra and set for 2026 mass production, a milestone for its silicon team  —  Apple is developing its first server chip specially designed for artificial intelligence, according to three people …
Emma Roth / The Verge:
A California District Court judge orders Automattic to stop blocking WP Engine's access to WordPress.org resources and interfering with WP Engine's plugins  —  WP Engine just won a preliminary injunction against WordPress.com parent company Automattic.  On Tuesday, a California District …
David Welch / Bloomberg:
GM says Cruise will exit the robotaxi business, combining Cruise's and GM's technical teams to focus on autonomous and driver safety tech for upcoming GM cars  —  Cruise and GM's technical teams will be combined into a single effort focused on developing autonomous technology to offer …
TechCrunch:
Emilia David / VentureBeat:
OpenAI expands Canvas, its side-by-side digital editing space, to all ChatGPT users and adds support for Python, more text pasting, and launching in custom GPTs  —  OpenAI is extending access to its side-by-side digital editing space, Canvas, to all ChatGPT users and added new features …
Scharon Harding / Ars Technica:
Embodied, which made Moxie, an $800 companion robot for kids aged 5 to 10, says it is shutting down after a failed funding round and Moxie will soon be bricked  —  Startup Embodied is closing down, and its product, an $800 robot for kids ages 5 to 10, will soon be bricked.
Aaron Holmes / The Information:
Source: Google asked the US to break up Microsoft's exclusive agreement to host OpenAI's tech on Azure, after the FTC asked Google about Microsoft's practices  —  Google recently asked the U.S. government to break up Microsoft's exclusive agreement to host OpenAI's technology on its cloud servers …
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
YouTube rolls out its auto-dubbing feature, which generates translated audio tracks, to hundreds of thousands of channels focused on knowledge and information  —  YouTube announced on Tuesday that its auto-dubbing feature, which allows creators to generate translated audio tracks for their videos …
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: 2025's Apple Watch Ultra is slated to get satellite connectivity for off-the-grid text messages via Globalstar, and may get blood pressure monitoring  —  - Company also working on blood-pressure tool for future model  — Apple is using MediaTek modems for first time in new watches

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Canadian Press:
Bobby Allyn / NPR: