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Gemini AI coming soon to smartwatches and cars

Google has revealed plans to expand its Gemini AI assistant to a wider range of Android-connected devices later in 2025.

CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed the development during the company’s Q1 earnings call, naming tablets, smartwatches, headphones, and vehicles running Android Auto as upcoming platforms.

Gemini will gradually replace Google Assistant, offering more natural, conversational interactions and potentially new features like real-time responses through ‘Gemini Live’. Though a detailed rollout schedule remains undisclosed, more information is expected at Google I/O 2025 next month.

Evidence of Gemini’s AI integration has already surfaced in Wear OS and Android Auto updates, suggesting enhanced voice control and contextual features.

It remains unclear whether the assistant’s processing will be cloud-based or supported locally through connected Android devices.

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EU criticised for secretive security AI plans

A new report by Statewatch has revealed that the European Union is quietly laying the groundwork for the widespread use of experimental AI technologies in policing, border control, and criminal justice.

The report warns that these developments pose serious threats to transparency, accountability, and fundamental rights.

Despite the adoption of the EU AI Act in 2024, broad exemptions allow law enforcement and migration agencies to bypass safeguards, including a full exemption for certain high-risk systems until 2031.

Institutions like Europol and eu-LISA are involved in building technical infrastructure for security-focused AI, often without public knowledge or oversight.

The study also highlights how secretive working groups, such as the European Clearing Board, have influenced legislation to favour police interests.

Critics argue that these moves risk entrenching discrimination and reducing democratic control, especially at a time of rising authoritarian influence within EU institutions.

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Apple to shift US iPhone assembly to India by 2025

Apple is preparing to assemble all iPhones sold inside the US in India by next year, aiming to produce over 60 million units annually in the country by 2026.

The move comes in response to mounting geopolitical tensions and renewed tariff threats under former President Donald Trump’s trade agenda, which once imposed duties as high as 145% on Chinese imports.

The decision marks a major shift in Apple’s supply chain strategy, which has long depended on China. By doubling production in India, Apple hopes to reduce its exposure to trade-related risks instead of relying on short-term tariff exemptions.

Foxconn’s plant in Tamil Nadu and Tata Electronics are leading the effort, with support from India’s government through manufacturing incentives and subsidies.

While Apple remains dependent on Chinese suppliers for many components, shifting final assembly to India reflects growing urgency. Trump-era tariffs triggered a $700 billion market loss for the company in early 2024, prompting Apple to act swiftly instead of waiting for further shocks.

Around 20% of all iPhones are now made in India, a figure expected to rise sharply in the coming years.

Although challenges remain, such as the complexity of relocating the broader supply chain, analysts believe the shift is crucial for Apple’s long-term growth.

With US production capacity lacking the scale and workforce needed, India presents a more viable solution to ensure continued momentum and price stability in Apple’s most important market.

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TikTok moves into Japanese E-commerce

Chinese social media giant TikTok is preparing to launch its online shopping service in Japan within the coming months, according to a report by the Nikkei newspaper.

The company plans to begin recruiting sellers soon for TikTok Shop, its e-commerce arm that has already made waves in other regions through livestream-based sales of a wide range of products, from footwear to cosmetics.

The move is part of TikTok’s broader strategy to grow internationally, especially while its future in the US remains uncertain. The platform recently expanded into France, Germany and Italy, pushing further into the European market instead of relying solely on existing user bases.

TikTok Shop is known for offering attractive discounts and allowing users to earn commissions by promoting items in live broadcasts.

In contrast, TikTok’s operations in the US continue to face political and regulatory hurdles. A law passed in 2024 requires ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, to sell off its US assets by January 19.

Although President Donald Trump indicated a deal might still happen, he also suggested any agreement could be delayed due to shifting dynamics in US-China trade relations.

Despite not immediately responding to media requests for comment, TikTok seems determined to strengthen its foothold in international markets.

By entering Japan’s e-commerce space, the company signals it intends to expand through business innovation and regional diversification instead of waiting for political clarity in the United States.

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Alibaba launches Qwen3 AI model

As the AI race intensifies in China, Alibaba has unveiled Qwen3, the latest version of its open-source large language model, aiming to compete with top-tier rivals like DeepSeek.

The company claims Qwen3 significantly improves reasoning, instruction following, tool use, and multilingual abilities compared to earlier versions.

Trained on 36 trillion tokens—double that of Qwen2.5—Qwen3 is available for free download on platforms like Hugging Face, GitHub, and Modelscope, instead of being limited to Alibaba’s own channels.

The model also powers Alibaba’s AI assistant, Quark, and will soon be accessible via API through its Model Studio platform.

Alibaba says the Qwen model family has already been downloaded over 300 million times, with developers creating more than 100,000 derivatives based on it.

With Qwen3, the company hopes to cement its place among the world’s AI leaders instead of trailing behind American and Chinese rivals.

Although the US still leads the AI field—according to Stanford’s AI Index 2025, it produced 40 major models last year versus China’s 15— Chinese firms like DeepSeek, Butterfly Effect, and now Alibaba are pushing to close the quality gap.

The global competition, it seems, is far from settled.

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Deepfake victims gain new rights with House-approved bill

The US House of Representatives has passed the ‘Take It Down’ Act with overwhelming bipartisan support, aiming to protect Americans from the spread of deepfake and revenge pornography.

The bill, approved by a 409-2 vote, criminalises the distribution of non-consensual intimate imagery—including AI-generated content—and now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature.

First Lady Melania Trump, who returned to public advocacy earlier this year, played a key role in supporting the legislation. She lobbied lawmakers last month and celebrated the bill’s passage, saying she was honoured to help guide it through Congress.

The White House confirmed she will attend the signing ceremony.

The law requires social media platforms and similar websites to remove such harmful content upon request from victims, instead of allowing it to remain unchecked.

Victims of deepfake pornography have included both public figures such as Taylor Swift and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and private individuals like high school students.

Introduced by Republican Senator Ted Cruz and backed by Democratic lawmakers including Amy Klobuchar and Madeleine Dean, the bill reflects growing concern across party lines about online abuse.

Melania Trump, echoing her earlier ‘Be Best’ initiative, stressed the need to ensure young people—especially girls—can navigate the internet safely instead of being left vulnerable to digital exploitation.

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Duolingo backs AI over manual work

Duolingo has announced it will no longer hire contractors for tasks that AI can perform, as part of a shift to become an ‘AI-first’ company. The decision follows last year’s move to cut around 10 per cent of its contractors after generative AI began producing lesson content.

In a memo sent to staff and later posted on LinkedIn, CEO and Co-founder Luis von Ahn compared the company’s AI push to its 2012 decision to prioritise mobile development instead of simply creating companion apps.

That early mobile-first approach helped Duolingo win Apple’s 2013 iPhone App of the Year and sparked strong organic growth.

The company will now embed AI deeply into its operations. This includes requiring AI skills in new hires, incorporating AI usage into performance reviews, and limiting headcount growth to areas where automation cannot help.

Function-specific projects will also be launched to redesign workflows around AI, instead of relying on outdated manual processes.

Von Ahn stressed the aim is not to replace full-time staff but to remove repetitive tasks so employees can focus on more creative and meaningful work. Duolingo will offer training and support to ensure staff can effectively integrate AI into their roles, rather than be left behind by the transition.

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ChatGPT adds ad-free shopping with new update

OpenAI has introduced significant improvements to ChatGPT’s search functionality, notably launching an ad-free shopping tool that lets users find, compare, and purchase products directly.

Unlike traditional search engines, OpenAI emphasises that product results are selected independently instead of being sponsored listings. The chatbot now detects when someone is looking to shop, such as for gifts or electronics, and responds with product options, prices, reviews, and purchase links.

The development follows news that ChatGPT’s real-time search feature processed over 1 billion queries in just a week, despite only being introduced last November.

With this rapid growth, OpenAI is positioning ChatGPT as a serious rival to Google, whose search business depends heavily on paid advertising.

By offering a shopping experience without ads, OpenAI appears to be challenging the very foundation of Google’s revenue model.

In addition to shopping, ChatGPT’s search now offers multiple enhancements: users can expect better citation handling, more precise attributions linked to parts of the answer, autocomplete suggestions, trending topics, and even real-time responses through WhatsApp via 1-800-ChatGPT.

These upgrades aim to make the search experience more intuitive and informative instead of cluttered or commercialised.

The updates are being rolled out globally to all ChatGPT users, whether on a paid plan, using the free version, or even not logged in. OpenAI also clarified that websites allowing its crawler to access their content may appear in search results, with referral traffic marked as coming from ChatGPT.

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Huawei develops Ascend 910D chip to rival Nvidia

Huawei Technologies is preparing to test its newest AI processor, the Ascend 910D, as it seeks to offer an alternative to Nvidia’s products following US export restrictions. The company has approached several Chinese tech firms to assess the technical feasibility of the new chip.

Extensive testing will follow to ensure the chip’s performance before it reaches the wider market. Sources claim Huawei aims for the Ascend 910D to outperform Nvidia’s H100 chip, widely used for AI training since 2022.

Huawei is already shipping large volumes of its earlier Ascend 910B and 910C models to state-owned carriers and private AI developers like ByteDance. Demand for these processors has risen as US restrictions tightened Nvidia’s ability to sell its H20 chip to China.

Increased domestic demand for Huawei’s AI hardware signals a shift in China’s semiconductor market amid geopolitical tensions. Analysts believe this development strengthens Huawei’s ambition to compete globally in the AI chip market.

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Singapore Airlines upgrades customer support with AI technology

Singapore Airlines has partnered with OpenAI to enhance its customer support services. The airline’s upgraded virtual assistant will now offer more personalised support to customers and assist staff by automating routine processes and improving decision-making for complex tasks.

The partnership comes alongside Singapore Airlines’ ongoing work with Salesforce to strengthen its customer case management system using AI tech. New solutions will be developed at Salesforce’s AI research hub in Singapore, advancing customer service capabilities and operational efficiency.

These moves reflect a broader industry trend, with airlines like Delta and Air India also investing heavily in AI-driven tools for travel assistance and operational support. The Airline emphasised that AI integration will help it meet regulatory demands, enhance workforce management and elevate customer experience.

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