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Snap confidentially settled a case alleging its platform caused severe psychological distress to two teenage users, following similar settlements by Meta, TikTok and YouTube in the same litigation. Separately, Google was sued this week by parents who say their child suffered a psychological crisis after interacting with the Gemini chatbot through Google Classroom.
Google announced that its education products will default to having AI features turned off, requiring administrators to manually enable them if they want access. The catch is that the AI toggle bundles together Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and Google Search, so schools that want to block AI tools must also give up search functionality.
Google told The New York Times that K-12 schools which opt out of its Gemini AI tools will also lose access to Google Search entirely, unless administrators explicitly turn the features on. The change was detailed in a Tuesday education update, where Google said Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and Search will all be off by default and bundled together as a single setting.
A reader poll of more than 1,200 respondents found over 60% believe Google Gemini's performance has declined in recent months, with complaints of misunderstandings and degraded output. Excluding non-users, nearly two-thirds of respondents reported dissatisfaction, while about 20% said they saw no decline and 14.6% were unsure. Commenters described Gemini as frustrating and said rival assistants now outperform it for everyday tasks.
Google has updated its Vids video editor to let users generate a custom AI avatar from a single uploaded photo, rather than requiring the longer face-scanning and voice-recording process previously needed through Gemini's likeness tool. Users can access this by starting a new AI video project, selecting the Avatar option, and choosing 'Design a custom avatar' to upload an image, which the tool then processes and enhances. Those who use the photo-upload method must still pick from Google's existing preset voice options rather than cloning their own voice.
AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini now search the web on users' behalf, combining live search results with knowledge stored in their training data before presenting a polished, generative-style answer. The reliability of these answers varies: well-documented facts are usually returned correctly, while obscure queries with limited online references are more prone to errors.
Android Authority's Khamosh Pathak tested ChatGPT 6's new Intelligent UI feature, a free, built-in tool for generating interactive interfaces directly in chat, by building four small apps including an F1 tracker. He found the generated mini-apps looked polished but were functionally incomplete, often requiring users to leave the app and visit an official website for fuller data.
Three young hikers on Mount Shasta had to be rescued after planning their climb with help from Google's Gemini chatbot, leading to poor preparation and a dangerous overnight descent. Forest Service officials cited other incidents, including a woman camping illegally based on AI advice and a hiker with an inaccurate AI-generated map, while a teen in British Columbia was also rescued after using Anthropic's Claude to plan a trip.
The 41mm Wi-Fi Google Pixel Watch 5 has dropped to $300 from $400, its lowest price since launch, while the 45mm version is down to $330 from $430. The 25% discount is currently available at Amazon, Best Buy, and the Google Store ahead of the official Black Friday period.
Amazon is selling the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL for $949, a $350 cut from its $1,299 list price and the lowest price seen for the phone so far. The device features a 6.8-inch OLED display, Google's Tensor G6 chip, a 5,115mAh battery with 45W charging, and on-device Gemini AI tools, and currently holds a 4.4-star Amazon rating.
The 41mm Wi-Fi version of Google's Pixel Watch 5 is now selling for $299.99 on Amazon, down $100 from its $399.99 list price. That marks a 25% discount and the lowest price the smartwatch has seen since its release.
Android Authority found hidden strings in the Google app (v17.71.17) referencing an 'Offline mode' for Gemini Live, with subtitle text reading 'Use Gemini Live without an internet connection.' The feature appears tied to the account switcher menu based on its naming, but it is not yet live for users.