Hundreds of current employees at Google and OpenAI have added their names to an open letter urging their companies to stand with Anthropic amid a Pentagon dispute over military uses of AI. The letter, titled “We Will Not Be Divided,” calls for both firms to reject Department of War demands for unrestricted model deployment, referencing statements from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Over 450 staff members have signed, with the majority from Google and the rest from OpenAI, while roughly half of the participants have chosen anonymity. The move follows recent pressure from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and discussions involving other AI entities such as xAI. Read more →

Anthropic faces a standoff with the U.S. Department of War over a request for unrestricted access to its AI technology. As the Pentagon’s deadline looms, more than 300 Google employees and over 60 OpenAI employees have signed an open letter urging their companies to stand with Anthropic and reject the military’s push for use of AI in domestic mass surveillance and fully autonomous weaponry. The letter asks executives at Google and OpenAI to uphold Anthropic’s red lines, while company leaders have not yet issued formal responses. Informal comments suggest sympathy for Anthropic’s position, and the dispute highlights broader tensions over AI ethics and government demand. Read more →

Google has introduced Nano Banana 2, an upgraded AI image generator that blends text rendering and web‑search capabilities with faster image creation. Integrated as the default model in the Gemini chatbot, Nano Banana 2 can pull real‑time information from the web to produce infographics and edit existing photos with photorealistic results. The tool is freely accessible through the Gemini app, Google Search, AI Studio, Cloud and other services, and includes watermarks to signal AI‑generated content. Read more →

Google announced a new version of its Nano Banana AI image service that promises better text rendering, real‑time web knowledge, and higher visual fidelity. At the same time, the mechanical‑keyboard community is shifting from loud clicky switches to quieter “thock” sounds achieved with damping foams and lubricated linear switches. Lenovo is reportedly planning a Legion Go handheld that can transform into a Windows tablet with a foldable screen, while Apple has sent invitations for a multi‑day launch event that may showcase new MacBooks and an iPhone 17e. These developments highlight a wave of innovation across hardware and AI software. Read more →

Google has released Nano Banana 2, the latest version of its popular AI image editing tool built on the Gemini platform. The new model combines the speed of the original with the accuracy of the Pro tier, drawing on knowledge from Gemini 3 to reduce hallucinations and improve texture, lighting, and detail. Nano Banana 2 supports 4K resolution, varied aspect ratios, and clearer text generation. To help identify AI‑created images, Google now embeds invisible watermarks called content credentials. The upgrade arrives amid growing concerns about AI‑generated “slop” flooding social media, where many users struggle to spot synthetic content. Read more →

Google introduced Nano Banana 2, the latest AI image generation model, across its Gemini platform and related services. The new model promises higher consistency for multiple characters, improved object rendering, richer textures and vibrant lighting, and expanded aspect‑ratio and resolution options ranging from small square formats to 4K widescreen. Nano Banana 2 will replace earlier Nano Banana variants in the Gemini app, Google Search, AI Studio, Vertex AI, and Flow, serving the Fast, Thinking and Pro settings. Google showcased example prompts that illustrate the model’s ability to create detailed infographics, artistic scenes, and coordinated group images. Read more →

Intrinsic, the Alphabet "Other Bets" robotics venture, will become a distinct group within Google. The move positions the company to use Google Cloud, Gemini models and DeepMind expertise while continuing its mission to make robot software affordable and easy to use. Intrinsic describes its platform as “the Android of robotics,” offering a universal canvas for developers to create applications for a variety of robots, sensors and cameras. The integration aims to accelerate physical AI development for manufacturing and other real‑world tasks. Read more →

Google has introduced Nano Banana 2, an image‑generation model powered by Gemini 3.1 Flash Image. The new system matches the world knowledge and reasoning of Nano Banana Pro while delivering "lightning‑fast" performance. It brings Pro‑level features—real‑time web‑search integration, infographic creation, and text overlay for marketing and greeting‑card designs—to a broader audience. Nano Banana 2 can preserve the likeness of up to five characters in a single workflow, follow precise instructions, and produce images at up to 4K resolution with richer textures and sharper details. The model will replace Pro in the Gemini app and become the default for AI Mode in Search, Lens, and Flow AI creative studio, though AI Pro and Ultra subscribers will retain access to the original Pro model for specialized tasks. Read more →

Tech giants are ending free AI promotions in India as the country emerges as the world’s largest market for generative AI app downloads. While companies like OpenAI, Google and Perplexity have driven rapid user growth with extended free offers, recent data shows a sharp decline in in‑app purchase revenue after those promotions ended. Despite accounting for roughly one‑fifth of global AI app downloads, India contributes about one percent of AI app revenue, highlighting a monetization challenge. Industry leaders are now focusing on lower‑cost tiers, telecom bundles and micro‑transaction models to retain users and convert them into paying subscribers. Read more →

Google issued an AI‑generated push notification that included the N‑word, linking to a Hollywood Reporter story about a recent BAFTA awards incident. The offensive alert was identified by Instagram user Danny Price, leading Google to remove the notification and apologize. The BAFTA incident involved an audience member with Tourette syndrome who involuntarily shouted the slur during a presentation by Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, sparking outrage and renewed discussion about vocal tics. The episode adds to a series of high‑profile AI errors, including earlier missteps by Apple. Read more →

In early 2026 the xAI tool Grok was used to create millions of non‑consensual sexual images, including thousands involving children. The fallout prompted major AI firms to tighten their defenses. OpenAI patched a vulnerability that let adversarial prompts generate intimate imagery, while Google simplified its process for removing explicit images from Search and reiterated its prohibited‑use policy. Both companies emphasized ongoing collaboration with security researchers and a commitment to stronger content‑moderation controls to prevent future abuse. Read more →

Google is constructing a new data center in Texas that will employ advanced air‑cooling technology to sharply reduce water use, limiting consumption to essential campus operations such as kitchens. The project follows the company’s previously announced two‑year, $40 billion investment in the state and includes contracts for roughly 7,800 megawatts of net energy generation to support the Texas grid. While the initiative arrives amid growing public concern over the environmental impact of data centers, industry figures like OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Tesla’s Elon Musk have voiced differing opinions on the water‑use issue and the potential of space‑based facilities. Read more →

Google is pushing for a new approach to evaluate whether artificial intelligence systems truly understand moral reasoning. DeepMind researchers argue that current tests only measure how well a model mimics ethical language, not whether it grasps underlying moral principles. They outline three major challenges—facsimile problem, multidimensionality, and cultural pluralism—and propose adversarial scenarios that force models to demonstrate genuine moral competence. The roadmap calls for tests that go beyond surface answers, requiring AI to navigate nuanced, culturally aware ethical dilemmas before being trusted with real‑world decisions. Read more →