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If you’re using an Android phone, you’ve probably noticed that Google’s Gemini AI assistant seems to be popping up everywhere, the same way it’s been popping into Google Search, Docs, YouTube, etc. And this is true even if you aren’t using a Google-branded phone. Turns out, that’s no accident because Google is paying Samsung loads of money to make sure Gemini is front and center on its phones. The information comes from a predictable source: testimony in the ongoing and potentially disastrous Google antitrust case. (No, not that one, the other one. Google has lost two separate antitrust cases brought by the US federal government in the last year.) Bloomberg reports that Google is paying Samsung “an enormous sum of money” to put Gemini on its phones and integrate it into the One UI Android skin, according to Google platform and device partnership VP Peter Fitzgerald. The executive testified that the terms of the deal mean Google pays Samsung for every device that’s preloaded with Gemini and heavily featuring it in the system. Samsung also gets a cut of the advertising revenue generated from Gemini searches and other actions. The contract was set in place for at least two years, though the precise parameters (and how much an “enormous sum” amounts to) aren’t known. It makes sense for Samsung. The company has been pushing its latest Galaxy devices as chock-full of AI capabilities (with a skeptical-at-best response from the technology press), and of course it’s pretty rare for a giant company to turn down dump trucks full of money. And this is a familiar move from Google, who’s known to pay Apple billions every year to keep its search on the iPhone and other devices. Less straightforward transactions—like insisting that phone makers load up their devices with Google services like Docs, Maps, and YouTube in order to keep access to the de facto standard Google Play Store app platform—have gotten the company in regulatory trouble before. Users aren’t exactly thrilled with Gemini. As it fills up Google Search with answers of questionable utility and replaces long-term Google integrations like Google Assistant for smart device management, plenty of people are looking for alternatives. Apropos of nothing, did I tell you I really like the Vivaldi browser? It remains to be seen what’ll happen as a result of the antitrust verdicts. The US Department of Justice wants to force Google to divest itself of the Chrome browser, and the same might happen to Google’s advertising business. Either (or both) would be a crushing blow to the tech giant, possibly knocking it out of its leading category. But it’s far from certain whether these results will come about, and Google will exhaust appeals and every other option to keep them from happening. Read...

Google is having a bit of a moment. It’s not quite an Enron- or FTX-style “abandon ship” situation, but between two separate US antitrust rulings on its core search and advertising businesses, it’s a five-alarm fire. One of the possible outcomes is Google selling off the Chrome browser… and it looks like one possible buyer is OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT. OpenAI’s head of product for ChatGPT is named Nick Turley, and he testified at the remedy phase of the Department of Justice’s successful monopoly suit against Google. When asked if OpenAI would be interested in buying the Chrome browser from Google, Turley didn’t mince words. “Yes, we would,” he responded, “as would many other parties.” That’s according to The Information. The fact that plenty of other companies would be interested in relieving Google of the burden of Chrome isn’t surprising. It’s the most popular browser on the planet, and its open-source Chromium codebase powers most other browsers (including Microsoft’s Edge, Opera, plus smaller players like Brave, Vivaldi, and Arc). The only major players left on the market that don’t use Chromium are Firefox and Apple’s Safari. Divested of its deep ties to Google for search, advertising, and mobile integration on Android, Chrome would be less of a crowning jewel of web properties. But it would still be enormously beneficial, a potentially huge profit-maker all on its own. And more pertinently, it would be even more useful in a broader technology toolbox for a tech giant like Microsoft. They’ve been pretty desperate to gain back ground in the browser wars ever since Internet Explorer lost its dominance. But let’s examine this from the perspective of OpenAI. Despite being in its infancy, the popularity of ChatGPT and the broader rise of “AI” tools has propelled OpenAI to the forefront of the tech industry. OpenAI’s GPT underlies Microsoft’s Copilot system, and it’s integrated into more and more products and services every day (for better or worse). Meanwhile, CEO Sam Altman is rubbing shoulders with elites from industry and government. Even so, some critics have questioned OpenAI’s ability to continue on its current trajectory without some kind of giant technological leap. Despite a massive increase in profile and billions in revenue, the company has yet to turn a profit, and does not expect to for years at least. Suddenly, having the keys to the world’s most popular browser would change a lot of variables in that equation. It would, almost certainly, put ChatGPT and other generative AI tools front and center in the way most users experience the web. It would make OpenAI a direct competitor to companies like Apple and its current partner Microsoft. It would put it on the map for the same kind of advertising and user data tracking that got Google in trouble in the first place. And perhaps most importantly, it would give OpenAI a treasure trove of data from billions of users around the world, all the better to train its models. Most of this is educated guessing, albeit fairly obvious conclusions to draw. The DOJ wants Google to be forced to split off Chrome in some capacity, but we’ll have to see if the federal judge actually goes for that as a punitive option. And assuming that happens, Google will exhaust every legal possibility (and probably spend a small country’s GDP on lawyers in the process) to hold onto one of its most important business assets. If all that comes to pass and Chrome is still put up on the auction block, the buyer might be subject to yet more approval in the US and beyond. The situation is, in a word, complicated. And there’s not much we can do in the meantime but wait and see how it plays out. Read...

Lenovo unveils refreshed ThinkPad range, featuring AI-powered mobile workstations and business laptops starting at EUR €1069, tailored for hybrid professionals. Read...

When just about every tech sector has been touched by AI – yes, even your run-of-the-mill thermal paste (I’m still not sure how, though) – it’s no surprise that VPN operators have found a way to integrate AI enhancements into their software too. In VPNs, AI is being used for everything from threat detection and response to the creation of personalized security profiles for users. You could say it’s changing the toolsets VPNs have to protect their users’ privacy and combat cyber threats online. But are AI-enhanced VPNs any better than traditional VPNs? Further reading: The best VPN services How AI-enhanced VPNs differ from traditional VPNs The quick answer to the above question is: Yes, they are better – because of the benefits that AI-driven VPNs bestow. The main difference between AI-enhanced VPNs and traditional VPNs is that the former incorporate AI-driven bots to manage the VPN connections and other processes, whereas traditional VPNs rely mostly on old-fashioned algorithms. These AI-driven bots are like smart assistants that continuously analyze network conditions and threats on the fly, thereby tightening the screws on network traffic and security and also analyzing your preferences for the most personalized experience possible. The biggest benefit is speed; AI-enhanced VPNs provide faster connectivity than traditional VPNs since they’re able to overcome the slow connectivity that traffic-monitoring and encryption by VPNs can cause. One way they do that is by dynamically monitoring server loads and then shifting connections to less congested servers. But they can also do things like optimize your connection based on your preferences or your browser search history, making your browsing far quicker and more tailored to your browsing needs. Say you’re gaming or streaming and need the quickest connection possible, your AI-driven VPN may pause all updates or background processes so that you get the smoothest data transfer speeds possible – that’s just one example of how it can work. Enhanced encryption is another big benefit of AI-enhanced VPNs. AI bots in these VPNs can quickly and efficiently pinpoint vulnerabilities in existing cryptographic profiles and adopt newer profiles without needing any human intervention, while traditional VPNs need operator input. That means they can adapt quicker to new threats from hackers and malware, thereby enhancing threat detection for their users. They can more easily suggest user-specific responses to threats too. NordVPN is just one VPN using AI tools.  Pexels: Stefan Coders Which VPNs are using AI? Most well-known VPNs have already integrated some kind of AI technology into their software and servers – but some use it more than others. ExpressVPN, for example, uses an AI-powered system that adjusts its encryption methods based on the type of data being transmitted by users. This is especially useful for remote workers, since it provides them with an extra layer of security against hackers. ExpressVPN also uses AI to suggest the quickest server locations. Another popular VPN, Avast SecureLine VPN, uses AI to enhance its threat-detection capabilities – which enables it to more easily identify and block unauthorized login attempts to user accounts. Then there are VPNs that excel at using AI to prevent phishing scams. One of these, Symlex VPN, claims to be the first VPN to use AI to prevent location-based phishing attempts that rely on a users’ geographical location. NordVPN, too, uses an AI-enabled browser extension it calls Sonar to spot potential phishing scams, which are increasingly becoming harder for users to identify. mentioned in this article NordVPN Best Prices Today: $3.39 at NordVPN (Monthly) Are there any limitations to AI-enhanced VPNs? Like other forms of AI, the AI technologies incorporated into VPNs do have their limitations. One problem VPN operators currently have to deal with is when their AI bots make false positive identifications of threats, making it more difficult for users to access legitimate data or communications. Another concern is the fact that AI algorithms require access to considerable amounts of user data to be trained, which could jeopardize user privacy. Although, you could argue that since VPNs are in the business of safeguarding user privacy, some level of trust is required on the part of the user. These are challenges that need to be further addressed, and I’m sure they will be as companies continue to develop and finesse their use of AI technologies in VPNs into the future. Further reading: 5 VPN features you need to start using today Read...

Newly crowned Masters champion Rory McIlroy will have `unfinished business` when the Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush this summer, says R&A chief executive Mark Darbon. Read...

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Oxford Business College says it will legally challenge the government`s decision to remove its funding. Read...

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