Google Requested a Slightly Different AI Statement
Simon Willison's Weblog10 days agoEthicsSimon Willison quotes Emanuel Maiberg of 404 Media about a post-publication request from Google. After the story ran, Google asked the outlet to publish a slightly different version of its statement. The notable change: the revised statement no longer said it was critical to maintain humans in the loop, raising questions about corporate AI accountability language.
Google’s Dreambeans will turn your life into a cartoon
TechCrunch AI11 days agoNew ToolTechCrunch reports that Google’s Dreambeans is a new AI tool with an unusually quirky name. Its core idea is to turn a user’s life into cartoon-like, AI-illustrated stories. Based on the provided article text, Dreambeans builds those curated stories from personal data in the user’s Google account, raising both consumer-content possibilities and privacy questions.
Publishers will be able to opt out of AI Search, thanks to new regulation★ 72
TechCrunch AI11 days agoRegulationUK regulators are requiring Google to provide a tool that lets website publishers opt out of generative AI Search features. The option will be tested in the UK first, then rolled out globally. The report does not specify the exact mechanism, timing, or whether opting out affects standard Google Search indexing.
I put Google’s 24/7 AI assistant Gemini Spark to work, and it’s useful
TechCrunch AI15 days agoNew ToolTechCrunch tested Google’s 24/7 AI assistant Gemini Spark and found it genuinely useful for everyday automation. The article highlights tasks such as inbox summaries and local event planning, suggesting Google is pushing Gemini toward a more persistent assistant experience. Still, the author questions why Google chose to make Gemini Spark a separate product instead of folding it into existing Gemini or Google services.