ai

Apple turns to AI as Google loses ground in Safari searches

Google is seeing a historic dip in search traffic through Apple’s Safari browser, marking the first such decline ever, according to Apple’s Eddy Cue.

The shift comes as users increasingly turn to AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot, which offer direct and conversational responses without the need to browse traditional websites.

In response, Apple is now exploring a major revamp of Safari to better integrate AI-driven search capabilities.

AI is gradually reshaping how people interact with information online, posing a serious challenge to Google’s long-standing dominance. Cue noted that although current AI tools are not perfect, they are rapidly improving and may soon offer compelling alternatives to traditional search engines.

Apple currently supports ChatGPT within Siri and may soon include Google’s Gemini AI, as it continues to diversify the digital search options available on its platforms.

The shift is especially significant given Google’s $20 billion annual deal to remain Safari’s default search engine. The US justice department is scrutinising these types of agreements in its case against Google’s parent company, Alphabet, suggesting such arrangements limit genuine competition.

Cue stressed that AI has opened the door to new players in the search market and that true competition only arises when technological disruption invites innovation.

As large language models grow more advanced, their appeal increases—despite occasional errors known as hallucinations.

AI tools offer richer, more intuitive user experiences, often skipping the step of clicking through to websites. While this threatens traffic for content providers, it also underscores a pivotal shift: AI is no longer just a feature—it is transforming how people seek and consume information.

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Meta brings back Robert Fergus to lead AI lab

Meta Platforms has brought back Robert Fergus to lead its AI research lab, FAIR, which he helped found in 2014 alongside Yann LeCun. After spending five years as a research director at Google’s DeepMind, Fergus returns to replace Joelle Pineau, who steps down on 30 May.

Fergus, who previously spent six years as a research scientist at Facebook, announced his return on LinkedIn, expressing gratitude to Pineau and reaffirming Meta’s long-term commitment to AI.

FAIR, Meta’s Fundamental AI Research division, focuses on innovations such as voice translation and image recognition to support its open-source Llama language model.

The move comes as Meta ramps up its AI investment, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg allocating up to $65 billion in capital spending for 2025 to expand the company’s AI infrastructure.

AI is now deeply integrated into Meta’s services, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and a new standalone app meant to rival OpenAI.

By bringing Fergus back instead of appointing a new outsider, Meta signals its intent to build on its existing AI legacy while pushing further toward human-level machine experiences.

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Gemini Nano boosts scam detection on Chrome

Google has released a new report outlining how it is using AI to better protect users from online scams across its platforms.

The company says AI is now actively fighting scams in Chrome, Search and Android, with new tools able to detect and neutralise threats more effectively than before.

At the heart of these efforts is Gemini Nano, Google’s on-device AI model, which has been integrated into Chrome to help identify phishing and fraudulent websites.

The report claims the upgraded systems can now detect 20 times more harmful websites, many of which aim to deceive users by creating a false sense of urgency or offering fake promotions. These scams often involve phishing, cryptocurrency fraud, clone websites and misleading subscriptions.

Search has also seen major improvements. Google’s AI-powered classifiers are now better at spotting scam-related content before users encounter it. For example, the company says it has reduced scams involving fake airline customer service agents by over 80 per cent, thanks to its enhanced detection tools.

Meanwhile, Android users are beginning to see stronger safeguards as well. Chrome on Android now warns users about suspicious website notifications, offering the choice to unsubscribe or review them safely.

Google has confirmed plans to extend these protections even further in the coming months, aiming to cover a broader range of online threats.

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China launches advanced Tianji 4.0 quantum control system

A Chinese startup, Origin Quantum, has unveiled Tianji 4.0, a cutting-edge superconducting quantum measurement and control system capable of supporting quantum computers with over 500 qubits.

Built in Hefei, Tianji 4.0 enhances scalability, integration, stability and automation, offering major advances over its previous version that powered China’s third-generation superconducting quantum computer, Origin Wukong.

The system, described as the ‘nerve centre’ of quantum computers, improves the precision and speed of controlling quantum chips.

Kong Weicheng, who leads the development team, highlighted that Tianji 4.0 will streamline quantum computer R&D and accelerate delivery timelines significantly.

Since launching in early 2024, Origin Wukong has served users in 139 countries, completing more than 380,000 tasks across industries such as finance and biomedicine. The release of Tianji 4.0 signals China’s growing leadership in quantum computing technology.

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OpenAI launches data residency in India for ChatGPT enterprise

OpenAI has announced that enterprise and educational customers in India using ChatGPT can now store their data locally instead of relying on servers abroad.

The move, aimed at complying with India’s upcoming data localisation rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, allows conversations, uploads, and prompts to remain within the country. Similar options are now available in Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.

Data stored under this new residency option will be encrypted and kept secure, according to the company. OpenAI clarified it will not use this data for training its models unless customers choose to share it.

The change may also influence a copyright infringement case against OpenAI in India, where the jurisdiction was previously questioned due to foreign server locations.

Alongside this update, OpenAI has unveiled a broader international initiative, called OpenAI for Countries, as part of the US-led $500 billion Stargate project.

The plan involves building AI infrastructure in partner countries instead of centralising development, allowing nations to create localised versions of ChatGPT tailored to their languages and services.

OpenAI says the goal is to help democracies develop AI on their own terms instead of adopting centralised, authoritarian systems.

The company and the US government will co-invest in local data centres and AI models to strengthen economic growth and digital sovereignty across the globe.

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CrowdStrike cuts jobs amid AI shift

Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike is laying off 500 employees—5% of its workforce—as it shifts towards an AI-led operating model to boost efficiency and hit a $10 billion annual revenue goal.

In a letter to staff, CEO George Kurtz described AI as a ‘force multiplier’ meant to reduce hiring needs instead of expanding headcount.

The restructure, expected to cost up to $53 million through mid-2026, will still see hiring in customer-facing and engineering roles.

Yet despite its optimism, the company’s regulatory filings flag notable risks in depending on AI, such as faulty outputs, legal uncertainty, and the challenge of managing fast-moving systems. Analysts have also linked the shift to wider market pressures, not merely strategic innovation.

Principal analyst Sofia Ali warned that the AI-first approach may backfire if transparency, governance, and human oversight are not prioritised. Over-reliance on automation—especially in threat detection or customer support—could erode user trust instead of reinforcing it, particularly during critical incidents.

CrowdStrike’s move mirrors a broader tech trend: over 52,000 tech jobs were cut in early 2025 as firms embraced AI to replace automatable roles. For cybersecurity leaders, the challenge now lies in balancing AI’s promise with the human expertise essential to trust and resilience.

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AI spending remains strong despite Trump’s tariffs, says Goldman Sachs

President Donald Trump’s new tariffs may force companies to adjust staffing and marketing budgets, but spending on AI will likely remain protected. That is according to Eric Sheridan, co-business unit leader for technology, media, and telecommunications at Goldman Sachs.

Speaking on the Goldman Sachs Exchange podcast, Sheridan said the latest tariffs are expected to create more volatility in operational costs, particularly affecting head count, marketing, and long-term projects.

However, he predicted that investment in AI would not suffer the same impact. ‘Given the sheer number of players investing both offensively and defensively at AI, I think this spend will get protected for a little longer,’ he explained.

Sheridan cited Meta as a prime example. In its recent first-quarter earnings, Meta raised its annual capital expenditure guidance to between $64 and $72 billion, up from a previous range of $60 to $65 billion.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg reaffirmed that AI remains the company’s top priority, even as Meta cut other expenses such as salaries and marketing.

‘We continue to find ways to find efficiencies inside the organization, but we are not at a point where we want to sacrifice long-duration investments,’ Sheridan noted, summarising Meta’s stance.

The broader business environment is shifting as companies respond to Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs, announced on April 2. These include a 10% baseline levy and additional ‘reciprocal tariffs.’

While most reciprocal tariffs are paused for 90 days as negotiations continue, China faces a hefty 145% tariff. United States and Chinese officials are set to meet for trade talks this weekend in Switzerland, potentially shaping the next phase of global trade dynamics.

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Palantir and partners promise rapid AI deployment in banking

Palantir Technologies, xAI, and TWG Global have announced a new partnership aimed at accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence across the financial services industry. The initiative promises faster deployment and measurable results within just 90 days.

The collaboration seeks to help financial institutions integrate AI into their core operations. As financial institutions strive to modernise, the companies aim to overcome what they call the ‘agentic tech debt bubble’ and deliver real, scalable value.

The offering combines Palantir’s platform, xAI’s advanced language models, and TWG Global’s operational expertise, including a Governance Foundation for data readiness and a suite of AI-driven tools.

TWG Global will lead implementation efforts, focusing on involving senior executives directly to ensure AI integration becomes a central business strategy rather than a sidelined tech project. The partnership builds on an earlier venture between Palantir and TWG Global.

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Google cuts 200 jobs as AI and cloud take priority

Google has laid off around 200 employees from its global business unit as the company sharpens its focus on AI and cloud services. The job cuts, which affected the sales and partnerships team, were first reported by The Information and later confirmed by Google.

The reduction forms part of a wider resource reallocation across parent company Alphabet, reflecting a broader trend in the tech sector.

Big tech firms, facing increased demand for AI development and data centre expansion, have been streamlining operations and shifting investments towards emerging technologies. Earlier this year, Meta also reduced its workforce by around 3,600 employees, citing performance-based criteria for the decision.

In a statement to Reuters, Google described the layoffs as a ‘small’ adjustment designed to streamline operations, improve collaboration, and enhance responsiveness to customer needs.

However, the latest move adds to a growing list of job cuts across Google since early 2023, when the company slashed 12,000 jobs — 6% of its global workforce.

Only last month, Google also reduced roles in its platforms and devices group. That round of layoffs affected teams working on key products such as Android, Pixel, and Chrome. As the company continues to prioritise AI and cloud growth, further workforce adjustments may be expected in the months ahead.

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Google boosts AI coding and video skills with Gemini 2.5 Pro

Google has unveiled Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview (I/O edition), its latest AI model update, ahead of the annual I/O developer conference.

The new version introduces upgrades designed to enhance coding assistance, video comprehension, and web development capabilities, further highlighting the company’s commitment to integrating generative AI across its products.

According to Google, Gemini 2.5 Pro delivers noticeable improvements in software development workflows. The AI model now ranks first on the WebArena leaderboard, which assesses the quality of AI-generated websites through human feedback.

Google reports a 147-point increase in Elo score compared to the previous version. Enhanced features also include better code interpretation and generation, real-time function calling, and lower rates of silent failures in tasks such as bug fixing and editing.

Video analysis is another key area of progress. Gemini 2.5 Pro achieved an 84.8% score on the VideoMMe benchmark, which evaluates AI performance in understanding and answering questions about visual content, particularly educational videos.

This marks another step in Google’s multimodal AI ambitions, which seek to unify text, images, code, audio, and video into cohesive AI systems. However, Google has not detailed how privacy and content safety are managed when processing video data.

Developers can now access Gemini 2.5 Pro via the Gemini API, Google AI Studio, and Vertex AI, as well as through Gemini’s mobile and web apps.

Currently released as a preview, the model will likely receive updates following developer feedback during and after the I/O event. Details about general availability or potential pricing changes have not been disclosed.

The release of Gemini 2.5 Pro comes as AI competition intensifies, with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta also advancing their foundation models. While Google highlights Gemini’s strong performance in coding and web development, broader comparisons between models remain limited for now.

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