Chatbot startup Character.AI has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, nearly two years after a Florida mother sued the company, its founders and Google, alleging its chatbots contributed to her 14-year-old son's suicide. The platform, once valued at over $1 billion with backing from investors including a16z, had drawn scrutiny for hosting chatbots centered on suicide themes and offering weak safeguards for young users.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-24
A published guide explains a workaround that lets users turn off Google's AI Overviews feature, which automatically generates AI summaries atop search results. The method reportedly restores a more traditional search experience that prioritizes links to original web sources rather than AI-generated summaries.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-24
At TechCrunch Disrupt, Engine CEO Elia Wallen, Gamma CEO Grant Lee, and Google Ventures general partner Crystal Huang discussed how early-stage startups can win and retain customers without relying on going viral. Lee described Gamma's 'Gambassador' influencer program, which helped the AI presentation software company scale before influencer marketing became common practice among smaller firms, contributing to its multi-billion dollar valuation.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-23
A Frankfurt Regional Court ruled that Google's aerial and satellite imagery on Google Earth and Google Maps breaches German privacy rules when it shows property areas not visible from public streets without owner consent. The case was brought by an anonymous Frankfurt homeowner who had previously won a similar case forcing Google Street View and Apple Look Around to blur his home. Google said it strongly disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal.
courthousenews.com
· 2026-10-23
Google has signed an expanded agreement with energy supplier Voltus to create a 1-gigawatt virtual power plant, growing an earlier 100-megawatt deal made earlier this year. The system doesn't generate electricity but aggregates flexible capacity—batteries and load-shedding arrangements—that can be deployed during peak demand. Voltus pays companies and offers incentives to electricity resellers to temporarily cut consumption, such as pausing industrial processes or adjusting thermostats at scale.
computerworld.com
· 2026-10-23
Whitespark research cited in a new local-SEO analysis found AI Overviews appear on only 15% of traditional local-intent search queries, compared with 93% for Google's Local Pack results. The analysis argues that while AI has disrupted informational search, consumers searching for nearby service providers like roofers or lawyers still rely on Google Maps and Local Pack listings rather than AI-generated answers.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-10-23
Google revised its privacy policy on October 16, softening language that previously guaranteed Gmail, Drive, and Photos content would never personalize ads. The new wording leaves room for that data to influence ads once it's shared with other Google services through the opt-in Personal Intelligence feature, which feeds personal data into Gemini, AI Overviews, and AI Mode search.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-23
Google has released version 5.11 of its Google Health app for Android and iOS, broadening automatic activity detection from roughly 10 workout types to more than 100, including strength training and swimming. The feature works on Fitbit Ace, Pixel Watch 3, 4 and 5, and the upcoming Fitbit Edge, logging workouts automatically once heart rate stays elevated for a set period. The app also adapts its detection over time based on how users correct or manually add workouts.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-23
Android Authority found code in a recent Phone by Google beta (version 244.0.1001930441-publicbeta-pixel2026) enabling an early, non-functional Compact photo menu for Calling Cards. The feature would sit alongside the existing full-screen photo option and shows four colored tile presets but no way yet to add images from Gallery, Google Photos, or Camera.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-23
Android Authority identified an in-development update to Google Messages, found in version messages.android_20261020_00_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic, that reorganizes the app's single long settings list into separate categorized sections. Individual settings pages, such as those for RCS chats and SIM/country selection, are also being redesigned with new graphics and subdivided menus.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-23
Google's Android 17 update introduces the ability to 'bubble' any app, not just messaging apps, keeping its icon floating on top of the screen for quick access. Users can place up to five bubbled apps along the left or right edge of the home screen by long-pressing an app and selecting the Bubble option. The feature currently works only on Pixel devices, though Google says it will expand to other manufacturers.
zdnet.com
· 2026-10-23
Finnish authorities ordered Google affiliate Tuike Finland Oy to halt illegal logging of roughly 1,300 acres of boreal forest near Otanmäki, demanding a report on the clearing. Guardian reporting found that wildlife displaced from the felled land, including wolf packs, has since moved into nearby villages searching for prey, alarming residents.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-23
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