Google Search May ‘Change Profoundly’ in 2025

image c/o pcmag.com
image c/o pcmag.com

AI is Google's main focus, and Pichai, perhaps unsurprisingly, suggested his company's AI models compete well against those from Microsoft. "I would love to do a side-by-side comparison of Microsoft’s own models and our models any day, any time," Pichai said, adding: "They’re using someone else’s models." Microsoft is backing OpenAI, and the two firms have been working together closely to share resources in AI development (and fight lawsuits).

https://www.pcmag.com/news/google-search-may-change-profoundly-in-2025-sundar-pichai-ai

Welcome to Google’s nightmare: US reveals plan to destroy search monopoly

image via arstechnica.com
image via arstechnica.com

Predictably, Google is not happy with the DOJ's plan, which requires the company to sell its Chrome browser. It also retains the option of forcing Google to divest Android if competition doesn't increase from behavioral remedies, including bans on exclusive default deals with other browsers and device makers. Additionally, Google is prohibited from building any new browsers and must fund an education campaign that shows people how to switch search engines and potentially even pays people to switch. Google may also be restricted from using its data scale advantage to benefit its AI products.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/11/welcome-to-googles-nightmare-us-reveals-plan-to-destroy-search-monopoly/

Google Announces Play Store Tweaks to Entice More of Your Attention and Money

image via pcmag.com
image via pcmag.com

Android developers will get a few more ways to seek your attention and then virtually tug at your sleeve as you browse Google’s Play Store for new Android apps. The most eye-catching change among those Google announced today will be full-screen playback of app portrait videos. In a blog post, Paul Feng, Google Play VP of product management, notes the non-trivial upsides among app developers who tested this format: “+7% increase in total watch time, a +9% increase in video completion count, and a +5% increase in conversions."

https://www.pcmag.com/news/google-announces-play-store-tweaks-to-entice-more-of-your-attention-and

School Districts Notch a Win in Tech Addiction Case Against Top Platforms

image via pcmag.com
image via pcmag.com

School districts across 19 states claim that the companies do not adequately implement features like age verification, parental controls, and session timeouts. Design choices that allow for endless scrolling, coupled with targeted algorithms, mean kids have trouble putting down their phones, creating a doom loop that can interrupt sleep at best and create serious mental health issues at worst. The schools say they've had to dedicate resources to handle this, from confiscating phones to dealing with online behavior that spills into classrooms, including dangerous social media "challenges."

https://www.pcmag.com/news/school-districts-notch-a-win-in-tech-addiction-case-against-top-platforms

Google’s “AI slop” invasion feels like the beginning of the end

image via creativebloq.com
image via creativebloq.com

A Google image search screenshot has ruffled feathers online after it showed more AI-generated results than real-world examples of baby peacocks. Is it a little random? Yes, but the screenshot has sparked mass debate online, with many creatives calling for stricter rules for AI-generated search results to mitigate the spread of misinformation.

https://www.creativebloq.com/ai/googles-ai-slop-invasion-feels-like-the-beginning-of-the-end

US judge orders Google to open up Google Play to rivals

image via techcrunch.com
image via techcrunch.com

According to the filing, Google is not allowed to pay developers to launch their apps exclusively on Google Play starting November 1 for the next three years. The company also can’t force developers to use Google Play’s billing system and must allow them to notify users of other ways to pay.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/07/us-judge-orders-google-to-open-up-google-play-to-rivals/

Google is on the hot seat. Some want to break it up. Good luck

image via qz.com
image via qz.com

Google is in trouble on two major fronts: The Federal Trade Commission says Google has monopolized the internet search industry, and the Department of Justice says Google has monopolized the internet ad industry. There’s a third case in the U.S. relating to Google’s app store, brought by an app maker named Epic Games. In the search case, Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the way Google runs its search business is illegal and monopolistic. He’s scheduled hearings on a solution for next spring and said he’ll issue a ruling next summer. The trial in the ad case began this month in Virginia.

https://qz.com/google-search-advertising-monopoly-antitrust-lawsuits-1851654770