GoKawiil
Tech News
A business contributor argues that many companies are slapping 'AI' onto products and marketing without delivering meaningfully different customer experiences, citing examples from business software and home appliances. The piece compares this to past buzzword cycles like dot-com, Web 2.0, big data and blockchain, where messaging often outpaced actual value delivered to customers.
Switzerland's Federal Chancellery is spending 9 million Swiss francs to move 3,000 government workstations off Microsoft 365 tools like Outlook and Teams, adopting the open-source openDesk suite instead. The decision follows a successful pilot program called PoC BOSS, which tested the software with 172 federal employees who found it workable for standard office tasks, though large-scale video conferencing showed some limitations. The rollout is planned to be complete by the end of 2027, with potential to expand further across the federal workforce.
Meta introduced Muse, a new personal AI agent that can independently send emails, book travel, complete web forms, and negotiate deals using a user's stored email, payment, and account information. Announced by Mark Zuckerberg via Instagram, Muse runs on Meta's new Muse Spark model and is available in the U.S. through a standalone app, WhatsApp integration, and the muse.ai website, with free basic access and paid tiers for more complex tasks. Meta also plans to bring Muse support to its AI glasses.
Google is revising how its Search results appear across the European Union, following an €460 million fine from the European Commission for allegedly favoring its own services over competitors. Under the new format, one specialized comparison engine, such as Expedia or Hotels.com, will appear prominently at the top of results, with two others shown with fewer details, while a carousel for hotels, airlines and restaurants will be stripped of features like real-time pricing. Google's own algorithm will still determine the rankings of these vertical search services.
A randomized controlled trial across 243 French high schools and 9,628 students tested giving teenagers a free one-year digital subscription to a major national newspaper and running media-literacy classes taught by teachers. Researchers tracked actual online reading behavior and found subscriptions sharply increased news consumption and even led some students to pay for subscriptions on their own nearly a year later. Students in poorer schools showed the biggest knowledge gains, and combining free access with media education produced the strongest literacy improvements, especially with experienced teachers.
Following a €460 million DMA fine over self-preferencing in travel and shopping searches, Google has altered its European search results to comply with EU rules. Instant hotel and flight pricing and availability are being removed, replaced by links to specialized search engines and a carousel ranked purely by Google's algorithm rather than business partnerships.
EU regulatory filings under the Digital Markets Act have disclosed that Apple acquired Sonera, a startup developing chip-based magnetic sensors capable of non-invasively detecting brain and muscle activity. Sonera's approach measures magnetic fields generated by neural electrical currents rather than relying on traditional skin-contact electrical sensing, and the company had previously referenced an S1 chip meant to enable new categories of wearables.
Google confirmed it is rolling out major changes to how Search functions across the European Union, following a $1 billion fine tied to alleged Digital Markets Act violations. The update forces Google to display results from competing vertical search services, such as Expedia or Booking.com, ahead of its own Flights and Hotels products in categories like travel and dining. New carousels will rank listings using Google's algorithm, but with details like real-time pricing removed.
Australia's government unveiled proposed legislation that would require social media platforms to let users over 16 choose whether their feeds are shaped by algorithms or simply show content from accounts they follow. The bill also mandates protections for children against harmful content, including material promoting eating disorders, misogyny, pornography, crime and dangerous stunts, and covers apps, games and AI chatbots with addictive design features. Companies that fail to comply could face fines up to AU$109.2 million.
The Albanese Government has released draft legislation for a Digital Duty of Care, requiring social media platforms to notify users and let them choose between algorithm-curated feeds or feeds based only on accounts they follow. The rules would also force games, apps and AI chatbots to shield under-18 users from addictive design features and harmful content such as material promoting eating disorders, misogyny, pornography, dangerous stunts or serious bullying, while giving eSafety power to order removal of nudify apps and sites.
An Entrepreneur opinion piece argues that most chief executives mismanage their company's search engine presence, viewing it as a static reputation gauge rather than an active revenue source. The author notes that page one of search results functions as an informal vetting tool for prospects, investors and job candidates before any direct contact occurs. Citing data showing 93% of online experiences start with a search engine, the piece calls for continuous, deliberate management of digital search visibility.
Researchers using a computer algorithm modeled on cave dwelling traits in south Wales identified similar cave sites in Ireland, aided by caving specialist Shane Diffily and digital mapping consultant Darren Lee. The findings from newly discovered cave art suggest that Ireland's earliest known human inhabitants likely crossed over from Wales rather than arriving by another route.