AI Mode

2026-10-01

REGULATION · 1 SOURCE · The Verge AI

Judge dismisses Chegg and Penske Media antitrust suits over Google’s AI Overviews

A US federal judge, Amit Mehta, dismissed antitrust lawsuits filed by Chegg and Penske Media Corporation (parent of Rolling Stone) that alleged Google’s AI-powered search features and AI Overviews diverted traffic and coerced publishers into providing content for free. Mehta found the plaintiffs had pleaded only an expectation of search traffic rather than an agreement and said antitrust law cannot substitute for legislative responses to new innovation; Google has separately been reported to pilot payments to about 100 publishers for AI results.

7.0

2026-10-01

COMPANIES · 1 SOURCE · Google

Google highlights Search AI features to help perfect at-home coffee and latte art

For International Coffee Day, Google outlined five ways its Search product uses AI and multimodal tools — including AI Mode, Lens, and a Live camera feature in the Google app on Android and iOS — to compare brew methods, identify equipment, provide real-time pouring feedback for latte art, surface local product availability, and find classes with personalized recommendations via Personal Intelligence.

4.0

2026-09-30

MONEY · 2 SOURCES · The Decoder · The Verge AI

Report: Google pays about 100 publishers small, uneven fees for content used in Gemini and AI Overviews

The Information reports Google is running a pilot that pays roughly 100 digital publishers for content used in AI Overviews, AI Mode, and the Gemini chatbot, but payments vary widely (from under $1,000 for small sites to more than $1 million for one publisher) and many participants say they don't understand how amounts are calculated or why they change. Some large publishers are refusing to join; independent publishers filed an EC complaint in July 2025, Penske Media sued in September 2025, and the European Commission opened an antitrust probe in December 2025; a German court has also ruled AI Overviews are Google’s own content.

8.0

2026-09-27

COMPANIES · 1 SOURCE · TechCrunch AI

Google tests 'Buy' button for Flipkart in Gemini and AI Mode in India

Google is testing a feature in India that shows a “Buy” button for select Flipkart listings inside Gemini and Google’s AI Mode, taking users to a Flipkart-branded checkout flow without leaving the AI interface. The limited experiment covers a small set of products and users, may expand later in October ahead of India’s festive season, and its underlying technology is unclear though Google has promoted its Universal Commerce Protocol separately.

7.0

2026-09-21

COMPANIES · 1 SOURCE · TechCrunch AI

Google Search VP Robby Stein to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

Robby Stein, VP of product for Google Search, will lead a fireside chat at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco focused on how product decisions must change when serving billions of users, including lessons from introducing generative AI features in Search (Google said AI Mode surpassed 1 billion monthly users in May).

3.0