Google enhances Finance page with AI for real-time data

Google is testing a new AI-powered version of its Finance page, offering users advanced tools to explore stock market, financial, and cryptocurrency information.

The platform enables users to ask natural language questions about finance and receive detailed answers, accompanied by source links.

The new page features three main components: research, charting tools, and real-time data and news. Users can visualise financial data using technical charts such as moving averages and candlestick charts, and access live updates and news feeds related to financial markets and cryptocurrencies.

Google plans to roll out the AI-powered Finance page over the coming weeks via Google.com/finance, aiming to provide a more interactive and insightful experience for users interested in financial data and market trends.

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ShinyHunters breach Google’s Salesforce database

Google has confirmed a data breach during its investigation into the ShinyHunters group, revealing the tech giant was also affected. The attackers accessed a Salesforce database used for storing small business customer information.

The breach exposed business names and contact details during a short window before access was revoked. Google stated no highly sensitive or personal data was compromised.

ShinyHunters used phishing and vishing tactics to trick users into authorising malicious Salesforce apps disguised as legitimate tools. The technique mirrors previous high-profile breaches involving firms like Santander and Ticketmaster.

Google warned the group may escalate operations by launching a data leak site. Organisations are urged to tighten their cybersecurity measures and access controls, train staff and apply multi-factor authentication across all accounts.

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Autonomous AI coding tool Jules now publicly available from Google

Google has released its autonomous coding agent Jules for free public use, offering AI-powered code generation, debugging, and optimisation. Built on the Gemini 2.5 Pro model, the tool completed a successful beta phase before entering general availability with both free and paid plans.

Jules supports a range of users, from developers to non-technical staff, automating tasks like building features or integrating APIs. The free version allows 15 tasks per day, while the Pro tier significantly raises the limits, providing access to more powerful tools.

Beta testing began in May 2025 and saw Jules process hundreds of thousands of tasks. Its new interface now includes visual explanations and bug fixes, refining usability. Integrated with GitHub and Gemini CLI, Jules can suggest optimisations, write tests, and even provide audio summaries.

Google positions Jules as a step beyond traditional code assistants by enabling autonomy. However, former researchers warn that oversight remains essential to avoid misuse, especially in sensitive systems where AI errors could be costly.

While its free tier may appeal to startups and hobbyists, concerns over code originality and job displacement persist. Nonetheless, Jules could reshape development workflows and lower barriers to coding for a much broader user base.

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Game developers fear job loss as Google unveils Genie 3

Google’s new AI model, Genie 3, can generate interactive game worlds from simple text prompts. It creates rich, explorable environments in minutes, which previously took developers weeks to build by hand.

The technology offers eye-catching scenarios like flying over mountains, exploring volcanoes, or swimming through deep oceans. Although the graphics still show AI hallmarks, the functionality is advanced enough to raise concerns across the game industry.

Many fear that Genie 3 could render traditional development tools, such as Unity and Unreal, less essential, especially for prototyping or indie games. With just a few words, AI can now build what teams of artists and designers once did.

Job losses driven by AI are already happening in other sectors. Customer support, design, and language learning platforms have replaced humans with bots. Game developers may be next in line as studios seek to cut costs.

Some players may continue to favour human-made games, but the pressure is growing. Genie 3 shows that AI is no longer just assisting developers; it’s beginning to replace them.

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Google adds clever email safety feature

Thanks to a new feature that shows verified brand logos, Gmail users will now find it easier to spot phishing emails. The update uses BIMI, a standard that allows trusted companies to display official logos next to their messages.

To qualify, brands must secure their domain with DMARC and have their logos verified by authorities such as Entrust or DigiCert. Once approved, they receive a Verified Mark Certificate, linking their logo to their domain.

The feature helps users quickly distinguish between genuine emails and fraudulent ones. Early adopters include Bank of America in the US, whose logo now appears directly in inboxes.

Google’s move is expected to drive broader adoption, with services like MailChimp and Verizon Media already supporting the system. The change could significantly reduce phishing risks for Gmail’s vast user base.

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Google Gemini AI creates personalised illustrated storybooks from your photos and ideas

Google has introduced a new feature in its Gemini AI that allows users to create short, illustrated storybooks from prompts, essays, photos, and drawings. The tool can transform everyday materials into customised children’s books with art and narration.

The company demonstrated how a mother’s CV could be reimagined as a colouring book to explain her career to her children. Gemini can also turn vacation photos, children’s sketches, or personal life events into unique 10-page books in over 45 languages.

Users can select from various visual styles, including pixel art, claymation, crochet, comics, and colouring books.

People describe their desired story and upload optional images or files to use the feature. Gemini then generates a personalised book with illustrations and audio. The service is available worldwide on desktop and mobile through the Gemini app in all supported languages.

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Google DeepMind launches Genie 3 to create interactive 3D worlds from text

Google DeepMind has introduced Genie 3, an AI world model capable of generating explorable 3D environments in real time from a simple text prompt.

Unlike earlier versions, it supports several minutes of continuous interaction, basic visual memory, and real-time changes such as altering weather or adding characters.

The system allows users to navigate these spaces at 24 frames per second in 720p resolution, retaining object placement for about a minute.

Users can trigger events within the virtual world by typing new instructions, making Genie 3 suitable for applications ranging from education and training to video games and robotics.

Genie 3’s improvements over Genie 2 include frame-by-frame generation with memory tracking and dynamic scene creation without relying on pre-built 3D assets.

However, the AI model still has limits, including the inability to replicate real-world locations with geographic accuracy and restricted interaction capabilities. Multi-agent features are still in development.

Currently offered as a limited research preview to select academics and creators, Genie 3 will be made more widely available over time.

Google DeepMind has noted that safety and responsibility remain central concerns during the gradual rollout.

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Google signs groundbreaking deal to cut data centre energy use

Google has become the first major tech firm to sign formal agreements with US electric utilities to ease grid pressure. The deals come as data centres drive unprecedented energy demand, straining power infrastructure in several regions.

The company will work with Indiana Michigan Power and Tennessee Valley Authority to reduce electricity usage during peak demand. These arrangements will help divert power to general utilities when needed.

Under the agreements, Google will temporarily scale down its data centre operations, particularly those linked to energy-intensive AI and machine learning workloads.

Google described the initiative as a way to speed up data centre integration with local grids while avoiding costly infrastructure expansion. The move reflects growing concern over AI’s rising energy footprint.

Demand-response programmes, once used mainly in heavy manufacturing and crypto mining, are now being adopted by tech firms to stabilise grids in return for lower energy costs.

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Google AI Mode raises fears over control of news

Google’s AI Mode has quietly launched in the UK, reshaping how users access news by summarising information directly in search results.

By paraphrasing content gathered across the internet, the tool offers instant answers while reducing the need to visit original news sites.

Critics argue that the technology monopolises UK information by filtering what users see, based on algorithms rather than editorial judgement. Concerns have grown over transparency, fairness and the future of independent journalism.

Publishers are not compensated for content used by AI Mode, and most users rarely click through to the sources. Newsrooms fear pressure to adapt their output to align with Google’s preferences or risk being buried online.

While AI may streamline convenience, it lacks accountability. Regulated journalism must operate under legal frameworks, whereas AI faces no such scrutiny even when errors have real consequences.

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Google rolls out Deep Think to Gemini AI Ultra users

Google has launched Deep Think for AI Ultra subscribers within the Gemini app, with the Gemini 2.5-based model also available to select mathematicians, offering powerful tools for complex problem-solving and mathematical exploration.

Google’s Deep Think AI, improved from its I/O version, offers quicker reasoning and enhanced usability. It achieved Bronze-level performance on the 2025 IMO standard in internal benchmarks.

Select mathematicians are now using Deep Think to test conjectures. Google notes its excellence in creative problem-solving through parallel reasoning for refined outcomes.

The model has been given extended inference time, enabling deeper analysis and more inventive answers. Reinforcement learning techniques guide it to explore longer reasoning paths, improving its problem-solving ability.

Beyond maths, Google considers Deep Think useful for design, planning, and coding. It can enhance web development, reason through scientific literature, and tackle algorithmic challenges, supporting users with strategic and iterative thinking across disciplines.

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