Google – Page 13

Google DeepMind creates super-advanced AI that can invent new algorithms

AI, Artificial Intelligence, Google, Tech / Rejus Almole / May 15, 2025

Google’s DeepMind research division claims its newest AI agent marks a significant step toward using the technology to tackle big problems in math and science. The system, known as AlphaEvolve, is based on the company’s Gemini large language models (LLMs), with the addition of an “evolutionary” approach that evaluates and improves algorithms across a range of use cases.

AlphaEvolve is essentially an AI coding agent, but it goes deeper than a standard Gemini chatbot. When you talk to Gemini, there is always a risk of hallucination, where the AI makes up details due to the non-deterministic nature of the underlying technology. AlphaEvolve uses an interesting approach to increase its accuracy when handling complex algorithmic problems.

According to DeepMind, this AI uses an automatic evaluation system. When a researcher interacts with AlphaEvolve, they input a problem along with possible solutions and avenues to explore. The model generates multiple possible solutions, using the efficient Gemini Flash and the more detail-oriented Gemini Pro, and then each solution is analyzed by the evaluator. An evolutionary framework allows AlphaEvolve to focus on the best solution and improve upon it.

Many of the company’s past AI systems, for example, the protein-folding AlphaFold, were trained extensively on a single domain of knowledge. AlphaEvolve, however, is more dynamic. DeepMind says AlphaEvolve is a general-purpose AI that can aid research in any programming or algorithmic problem. And Google has already started to deploy it across its sprawling business with positive results.

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“Google wanted that”: Nextcloud decries Android permissions as “gatekeeping”

android, app permissions, cloud platform, file syncing, Google, nextcloud, Tech / Kris Guyer / May 14, 2025

Nextcloud is a host-your-own cloud platform that wants to help you “Regain control over your data.” It contains products that allow for video chat, file storage, collaborative editing, and other stuff that reads a lot like a DIY Google Workspace replacement.

It’s hard to offer that kind of full replacement, though, if your Android app can’t upload anything other than media files. Since mid-2024, Nextcloud claims, Google has refused to reinstate the access it needs for uploading and syncing other file types.

“To make it crystal clear: All of you as users have a worse Nextcloud Files client because Google wanted that,” reads a Nextcloud blog post from May 13, attributed to its team. “We understand and share your frustration, but there is nothing we can do.”

A notice in Nextcloud’s Android app regarding file uploads. Credit: Nextcloud

Ars has reached out to Google for comment and will update this post with any response. A representative for NextCloud told Ars late Tuesday that the company had no update on its Android app.

Nextcloud states that it has had read and write access to all file types since its first Android app. In September 2024, a Nextcloud Android update with “All files access” was “refused out of the blue,” with a request that the app use “a more privacy aware replacement,” Nextcloud claims. The firm states it has provided background and explanations but received “the same copy-and-paste answers or links to documentation” from Google.

“Google wanted that”: Nextcloud decries Android permissions as “gatekeeping” Read More »

Google introduces Advanced Protection mode for its most at-risk Android users

advanced protection mode, android, Biz & IT, Google, hacking, Security / Mike M. / May 14, 2025

Google is adding a new security setting to Android to provide an extra layer of resistance against attacks that infect devices, tap calls traveling through insecure carrier networks, and deliver scams through messaging services.

On Tuesday, the company unveiled the Advanced Protection mode, most of which will be rolled out in the upcoming release of Android 16. The setting comes as mercenary malware sold by NSO Group and a cottage industry of other exploit sellers continues to thrive. These players provide attacks-as-a-service through end-to-end platforms that exploit zero-day vulnerabilities on targeted devices, infect them with advanced spyware, and then capture contacts, message histories, locations, and other sensitive information. Over the past decade, phones running fully updated versions of Android and iOS have routinely been hacked through these services.

A core suite of enhanced security features

Advanced Protection is Google’s latest answer to this type of attack. By flipping a single button in device settings, users can enable a host of protections that can thwart some of the most common techniques used in sophisticated hacks. In some cases, the protections hamper performance and capabilities of the device, so Google is recommending the new mode mainly for journalists, elected officials, and other groups who are most often targeted or have the most to lose when infected.

“With the release of Android 16, users who choose to activate Advanced Protection will gain immediate access to a core suite of enhanced security features,” Google’s product manager for Android Security, Il-Sung Lee, wrote. “Additional Advanced Protection features like Intrusion Logging, USB protection, the option to disable auto-reconnect to insecure networks, and integration with Scam Detection for Phone by Google will become available later this year.”

Google introduces Advanced Protection mode for its most at-risk Android users Read More »

Google announces Material 3 Expressive, a colorful evolution of Android design

android, Google, material 3 expressive, Tech / Tim Belzer / May 14, 2025

Google accidentally showed off its big Android design refresh last week, but now Material 3 Expressive is official. Google says the new interface will begin with Android OS, but it will eventually expand across the full Google app ecosystem, bringing a more lively vibe to Gmail, Google Photos, and more.

Material 3 Expressive won’t be entirely unfamiliar—it shares some basic design elements with the Material You system Google launched four years ago. Material 3 Expressive is a bolder take on the same aesthetic, featuring “springy” animations, brighter colors, and new shapes.

Material 3 Expressive

As we learned from Google’s slipup, Material 3 Expressive is the result of numerous user studies, which included more than 18,000 participants. Google explored how people parse information on their phone, finding design themes that supposedly support quicker and easier interactions. Often, that seems to result in making certain UI elements larger and easier to spot. Google claims people can find these important buttons four times faster than they can with older Material You interfaces.

What you can expect from Material 3 Expressive

Animations will abound in future versions of Android, and Google emphasizes the springy aspect. The style is supposed to feel natural and fun, with more UI elements connected to dynamic haptics. Colors are also getting an overhaul, but this isn’t a complete rethink of Material You. The theming engine will pick bolder colors to improve the visual separation of UI elements, and you will see those colors in more places.

Google says it’s also updating Android’s typography, featuring more contrast between headers and body text. This will change across Google’s apps to help users parse information faster. Certain buttons will also come in a wider variety of shapes, and the labels will have varying text weights. Likewise, the style and shape of status bar icons will change to be more readable.

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Google’s search antitrust trial is wrapping up—here’s what we learned

AI, antitrust, DoJ, Google, search, Tech / Mike M. / May 10, 2025

Google and the DOJ have had their say; now it’s in the judge’s hands.

Last year, United States District Court Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google violated antitrust law by illegally maintaining a monopoly in search. Now, Google and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have had their say in the remedy phase of the trial, which wraps up today. It will determine the consequences for Google’s actions, potentially changing the landscape for search as we rocket into the AI era, whether we like it or not.

The remedy trial featured over 20 witnesses, including representatives from some of the most important technology firms in the world. Their statements about the past, present, and future of search moved markets, but what does the testimony mean for Google?

Everybody wants Chrome

One of the DOJ’s proposed remedies is to force Google to divest Chrome and the open source Chromium project. Google has been adamant both in and out of the courtroom that it is the only company that can properly run Chrome. It says selling Chrome would negatively impact privacy and security because Google’s technology is deeply embedded in the browser. And regardless, Google Chrome would be too expensive for anyone to buy.

Unfortunately for Google, it may have underestimated the avarice of its rivals. The DOJ called witnesses from Perplexity, OpenAI, and Yahoo—all of them said their firms were interested in buying Chrome. Yahoo’s Brian Provost noted that the company is currently working on a browser that supports the company’s search efforts. Provost said that it would take 6–9 months just to get a working prototype, but buying Chrome would be much faster. He suggested Yahoo’s search share could rise from the low single digits to double digits almost immediately with Chrome.

Break up the company without touching the sides and getting shocked! — Credit: Aurich Lawson

Meanwhile, OpenAI is burning money on generative AI, but Nick Turley, product manager for ChatGPT, said the company was prepared to buy Chrome if the opportunity arises. Like Yahoo, OpenAI has explored designing its own browser, but acquiring Chrome would instantly give it 3.5 billion users. If OpenAI got its hands on Chrome, Turley predicted an “AI-first” experience.

On the surface, the DOJ’s proposal to force a Chrome sale seems like an odd remedy for a search monopoly. However, the testimony made the point rather well. Search and browsers are inextricably linked—putting a different search engine in the Chrome address bar could give the new owner a major boost.

Browser choice conundrum

Also at issue in the trial are the massive payments Google makes to companies like Apple and Mozilla for search placement, as well as restrictions on search and app pre-loads on Android phones. The government says these deals are anti-competitive because they lock rivals out of so many distribution mechanisms.

Google pays Apple and Mozilla billions of dollars per year to remain the default search engine in their browsers. Apple’s Eddie Cue admitted he’s been losing sleep worrying about the possibility of losing that revenue. Meanwhile, Mozilla CFO Eric Muhlheim explained that losing the Google deal could spell the end of Firefox. He testified that Mozilla would have to make deep cuts across the company, which could lead to a “downward spiral” that dooms the browser.

Google’s goal here is to show that forcing it to drop these deals could actually reduce consumer choice, which does nothing to level the playing field, as the DOJ hopes to do. Google’s preferred remedy is to simply have less exclusivity in its search deals across both browsers and phones.

The great Google spinoff

While Google certainly doesn’t want to lose Chrome, there may be a more fundamental threat to its business in the DOJ’s remedies. The DOJ argued that Google’s illegal monopoly has given it an insurmountable technology lead, but a collection of data remedies could address that. Under the DOJ proposal, Google would have to license some of its core search technology, including the search index and ranking algorithm.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai gave testimony at the trial and cited these data remedies as no better than a spinoff of Google search. Google’s previous statements have referred to this derisively as “white labeling” Google search. Pichai claimed these remedies could force Google to reevaluate the amount it spends on research going forward, slowing progress in search for it and all the theoretical licensees.

Currently, there is no official API for syndicating Google’s search results. There are scrapers that aim to offer that service, but that’s a gray area, to say the least. Google has even rejected lucrative deals to share its index. Turley noted in his testimony that OpenAI approached Google to license the index for ChatGPT, but Google decided the deal could harm its search dominance, which was more important than a short-term payday.

AI advances

Initially, the DOJ wanted to force Google to stop investing in AI firms, fearing its influence could reduce competition as it gained control or acquired these startups. The government has backed away from this remedy, but AI is still core to the search trial. That seemed to surprise Judge Mehta.

During Pichai’s testimony, Mehta remarked that the status of AI had shifted considerably since the liability phase of the trial in 2023. “The consistent testimony from the witnesses was that the integration of AI and search or the impact of AI on search was years away,” Mehta said. Things are very different now, Mehta noted, with multiple competitors to Google in AI search. This may actually help Google’s case.

AI search has exploded since the 2023 trial, with Google launching its AI-only search product in beta earlier this year.

Throughout the trial, Google has sought to paint search as a rapidly changing market where its lead is no longer guaranteed. Google’s legal team pointed to the meteoric rise of ChatGPT, which has become an alternative to traditional search for many people.

On the other hand, Google doesn’t want to look too meek and ineffectual in the age of AI. Apple’s Eddie Cue testified toward the end of the trial and claimed that rival traditional search providers like DuckDuckGo don’t pose a real threat to Google, but AI does. According to Cue, search volume in Safari was down for the first time in April, which he attributed to people using AI services instead. Google saw its stock price drop on the news, forcing it to issue a statement denying Cue’s assessment. It says searches in Safari and other products are still growing.

A waiting game

With the arguments made, Google’s team will have to sweat it out this summer while Mehta decides on remedies. A decision is expected in August of this year, but that won’t be the end of it. Google is still hoping to overturn the original verdict. After the remedies are decided, it’s going to appeal and ask for a pause on the implementation of remedies. So it could be a while before anything changes for Google.

In the midst of all that, Google is still pursuing an appeal of the Google Play case brought by Epic Games, as well as the ad tech case that it lost a few weeks ago. That remedy trial will begin in September.

Ryan Whitwam is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering the ways Google, AI, and mobile technology continue to change the world. Over his 20-year career, he’s written for Android Police, ExtremeTech, Wirecutter, NY Times, and more. He has reviewed more phones than most people will ever own. You can follow him on Bluesky, where you will see photos of his dozens of mechanical keyboards.

Google’s search antitrust trial is wrapping up—here’s what we learned Read More »

Kids are short-circuiting their school-issued Chromebooks for TikTok clout

chromebooks, Google, laptops, Social Media, Tech, tiktok, tiktok challenge / Kris Guyer / May 10, 2025

Schools across the US are warning parents about an Internet trend that has students purposefully trying to damage their school-issued Chromebooks so that they start smoking or catch fire.

Various school districts, including some in Colorado, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Washington, have sent letters to parents warning about the trend that’s largely taken off on TikTok.

Per reports from school districts and videos that Ars Technica has reviewed online, the so-called Chromebook Challenge includes students sticking things into Chromebook ports to short-circuit the system. Students are using various easily accessible items to do this, including writing utensils, paper clips, gum wrappers, and pushpins.

The Chromebook challenge has caused chaos for US schools, leading to laptop fires that have forced school evacuations, early dismissals, and the summoning of first responders.

Schools are also warning that damage to school property can result in disciplinary action and, in some states, legal action.

In Plainville, Connecticut, a middle schooler allegedly “intentionally stuck scissors into a laptop, causing smoke to emit from it,” Superintendent Brian Reas told local news station WFSB. The incident reportedly led to one student going to the hospital due to smoke inhalation and is suspected to be connected to the viral trend.

“Although the investigation is ongoing, the student involved will be referred to juvenile court to face criminal charges,” Reas said.

Kids are short-circuiting their school-issued Chromebooks for TikTok clout Read More »

Matter update may finally take the tedium out of setting up your smart home

Amazon, Apple, Google, Smart Home, Tech / Rejus Almole / May 8, 2025

There is no product category that better embodies the XKCD take on standards than smart home. With an ocean of connectivity options and incompatible standards, taming this mess has been challenging, but Matter could finally have a shot at making things a little less frustrating. The latest version of the standard has launched, offering multiple ways to streamline the usually aggravating setup process.

The first public release of Matter was in late 2022, but compatible systems didn’t get support until the following year. Now, there are Matter-certified devices like smart bulbs and sensors that will talk to Apple, Google, Amazon, and other smart home platforms. Matter 1.4.1 includes support for multi-device QR codes, NFC connection, and integrated terms and conditions—all of these have the potential to eliminate some very real smart home headaches.

It’s common for retailers to offer multi-packs of devices like light bulbs or smart plugs. That can save you some money, but setting up all those devices is tedious. With Matter 1.4.1, it might be much easier thanks to multi-device QR codes. Manufacturers can now include a QR code in the package that will pair all the included devices with your smart home system when scanned.

QR codes will still appear on individual devices for pairing, but it might not always be a QR code going forward. The new Matter also gives manufacturers the option of embedding NFC tags inside smart home gadgets. So all you have to do to add them to your system is tap your phone. That will be nice if you need to pair a device after it has been installed somewhere that obscures the visible code.

Matter update may finally take the tedium out of setting up your smart home Read More »

Cue: Apple will add AI search in mobile Safari, challenging Google

AI, Apple, Eddie cue, Google, IPhone, openai, Perplexity, safari, Tech / Paul Patrick / May 8, 2025

Apple executive Eddie Cue said that Apple is “actively looking at” shifting the focus of mobile Safari’s search experience to AI search engines, potentially challenging Google’s longstanding search dominance and the two companies’ lucrative default search engine deal. The statements were made while Cue testified for the US Department of Justice in the Alphabet/Google antitrust trial, as first reported in Bloomberg.

Cue noted that searches in Safari fell for the first time ever last year, and attributed the shift to users increasingly using large language model-based solutions to perform their searches.

“Prior to AI, my feeling around this was, none of the others were valid choices,” Cue said of the deal Apple had with Google, which is a key component in the DOJ’s case against Alphabet. He added: “I think today there is much greater potential because there are new entrants attacking the problem in a different way.”

Here he was alluding to companies like Perplexity, which seek to offer an alternative to semantic search engines with a chat-like approach—as well as others like OpenAI. Cue said Apple has had talks with Perplexity already.

Speaking of AI-based search engines in general, he said “we will add them to the list”—referring to the default search engine selector in Safari settings. That said, “they probably won’t be the default” because they still need to improve, particularly when it comes to indexing.

Cue: Apple will add AI search in mobile Safari, challenging Google Read More »

Google accidentally reveals Android’s Material 3 Expressive interface ahead of I/O

android, android 16, Apps, Google, Tech / Paul Patrick / May 6, 2025

All those studies allegedly revealed that people prefer Material 3 Expressive to the old version. However, that preference varies greatly with age. Zoomers apparently like Material 3 Expressive a lot, with over 80 percent of younger folks saying it was better than the non-expressive design. That drops to 52 percent by the time you get to the 55-plus age group. Yeah, change can be scary. Google also says Material 3 Expressive was rated as subjectively “cooler” than old designs.

One of many

This leak confirms Android will get a stylish overhaul in version 16, but the benefits (and drawbacks) won’t be shared equally. Android is open source, and other OEMs have their own priorities. They can choose to adopt elements of expressive design or not. Just because Google decrees it does not mean it is so.

Depending on the phone you have, the update to Android 16 might not look all that visually different from Android 15. Google creates the open source code and closed-source Google bits, but licensees like Samsung and OnePlus take that and run with it to produce custom versions of the OS with their own branding. It’s common to hear Samsung and OnePlus talk about One UI and Oxygen OS, respectively, but not so much about Android itself.

Material 3 Expressive may bleed into these modified versions of Android, but you’ll need a Google Pixel device for the full effect. Google’s Pixel devices will have system elements attached to this theming system, and most of Google’s apps will be updated to the new system at some point. If you’ve got another phone, you’ll probably see much less of the expressive style. However, Motorola’s Hello UI usually sticks pretty close to Google’s material theming.

Material 3 Expressive isn’t just about the system UI or preloaded apps. Google will also make these design templates available to app developers who can support the bright, energetic theming for all phones. However, uptake of material design in apps has been modest so far. It’s common to see apps that use a few material UI elements or color theming, but almost no one is running the full Google style.

Google struggled for years to unify Android design aesthetics, but it never made much progress. While Material 3 Expressive looks very thoughtfully designed, it’s unlikely it will see any more take-up than the company’s previous attempts. Google’s contracts with OEMs and its management of the Play Store have both come under legal scrutiny, so the company won’t be able to use any heavy-handed tactics to encourage the adoption of Material 3 Expressive.

Google accidentally reveals Android’s Material 3 Expressive interface ahead of I/O Read More »

Claude’s AI research mode now runs for up to 45 minutes before delivering reports

AI, AI agents, AI research agents, Anthropic, Anthropic Claude, Biz & IT, chatgpt, chatgtp, Claude, Deep Research, Google, large language models, machine learning, openai / Kris Guyer / May 4, 2025

Still, the report contained a direct quote statement from William Higinbotham that appears to combine quotes from two sources not cited in the source list. (One must always be careful with confabulated quotes in AI because even outside of this Research mode, Claude 3.7 Sonnet tends to invent plausible ones to fit a narrative.) We recently covered a study that showed AI search services confabulate sources frequently, and in this case, it appears that the sources Claude Research surfaced, while real, did not always match what is stated in the report.

There’s always room for interpretation and variation in detail, of course, but overall, Claude Research did a relatively good job crafting a report on this particular topic. Still, you’d want to dig more deeply into each source and confirm everything if you used it as the basis for serious research. You can read the full Claude-generated result as this text file, saved in markdown format. Sadly, the markdown version does not include the source URLS found in the Claude web interface.

Integrations feature

Anthropic also announced Thursday that it has broadened Claude’s data access capabilities. In addition to web search and Google Workspace integration, Claude can now search any connected application through the company’s new “Integrations” feature. The feature reminds us somewhat of OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plugins feature from March 2023 that aimed for similar connections, although the two features work differently under the hood.

These Integrations allow Claude to work with remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers across web and desktop applications. The MCP standard, which Anthropic introduced last November and we covered in April, connects AI applications to external tools and data sources.

At launch, Claude supports Integrations with 10 services, including Atlassian’s Jira and Confluence, Zapier, Cloudflare, Intercom, Asana, Square, Sentry, PayPal, Linear, and Plaid. The company plans to add more partners like Stripe and GitLab in the future.

Each integration aims to expand Claude’s functionality in specific ways. The Zapier integration, for instance, reportedly connects thousands of apps through pre-built automation sequences, allowing Claude to automatically pull sales data from HubSpot or prepare meeting briefs based on calendar entries. With Atlassian’s tools, Anthropic says that Claude can collaborate on product development, manage tasks, and create multiple Confluence pages and Jira work items simultaneously.

Anthropic has made its advanced Research and Integrations features available in beta for users on Max, Team, and Enterprise plans, with Pro plan access coming soon. The company has also expanded its web search feature (introduced in March) to all Claude users on paid plans globally.

Claude’s AI research mode now runs for up to 45 minutes before delivering reports Read More »

Google teases NotebookLM app in the Play Store ahead of I/O release

AI, Apps, Google, google notebookLM, Tech / Tim Belzer / May 4, 2025

After several years of escalating AI hysteria, we are all familiar with Google’s desire to put Gemini in every one of its products. That can be annoying, but NotebookLM is not—this one actually works. NotebookLM, which helps you parse documents, videos, and more using Google’s advanced AI models, has been available on the web since 2023, but Google recently confirmed it would finally get an Android app. You can get a look at the app now, but it’s not yet available to install.

Until now, NotebookLM was only a website. You can visit it on your phone, but the interface is clunky compared to the desktop version. The arrival of the mobile app will change that. Google said it plans to release the app at Google I/O in late May, but the listing is live in the Play Store early. You can pre-register to be notified when the download is live, but you’ll have to tide yourself over with the screenshots for the time being.

NotebookLM relies on the same underlying technology as Google’s other chatbots and AI projects, but instead of a general purpose robot, NotebookLM is only concerned with the documents you upload. It can assimilate text files, websites, and videos, including multiple files and source types for a single agent. It has a hefty context window of 500,000 tokens and supports document uploads as large as 200MB. Google says this creates a queryable “AI expert” that can answer detailed questions and brainstorm ideas based on the source data.

Google teases NotebookLM app in the Play Store ahead of I/O release Read More »

DOJ confirms it wants to break up Google’s ad business

advertising, antitrust, Google, Policy / Rejus Almole / May 3, 2025

In the trial, Google will paint this demand as a severe overreach, claiming that few, if any, companies would have the resources to purchase and run the products. Last year, an ad consultant estimated Google’s ad empire could be worth up to $95 billion, quite possibly too big to sell. However, Google was similarly skeptical about Chrome, and representatives from other companies have said throughout the search remedy trial that they would love to buy Google’s browser.

An uphill battle

After losing three antitrust cases in just a couple of years, Google will have a hard time convincing the judge it is capable of turning over a new leaf with light remedies. A DOJ lawyer told the court Google is a “recidivist monopolist” that has a pattern of skirting its legal obligations. Still, Google is looking for mercy in the case. We expect to get more details on Google’s proposed remedies as the next trial nears, but it already offered a preview in today’s hearing.

Google suggests making a smaller subset of ad data available and ending the use of some pricing schemes, including unified pricing, that the court has found to be anticompetitive. Google also promised not to re-implement discontinued practices like “last look,” which gave the company a chance to outbid rivals at the last moment. This was featured prominently in the DOJ’s case, although Google ended the practice several years ago.

To ensure it adheres to the remedies, Google suggested a court-appointed monitor would audit the process. However, Brinkema seemed unimpressed with this proposal.

As in its other cases, Google says it plans to appeal the verdict, but before it can do that, the remedies phase has to be completed. Even if it can get the remedies paused for appeal, the decision could be a blow to investor confidence. So, Google will do whatever it can to avoid the worst-case scenario, leaning on the existence of competing advertisers like Meta and TikTok to show that the market is still competitive.

Like the search case, Google won’t be facing any big developments over the summer, but this fall could be rough. Judge Amit Mehta will most likely rule on the search remedies in August, and the ad tech remedies case will begin the following month. Google also has the Play Store case hanging over its head. It lost the first round, but the company hopes to prevail on appeal when the case gets underway again, probably in late 2025.

DOJ confirms it wants to break up Google’s ad business Read More »