By
Paula ParisiMay 12, 2025
Pinterest has added more AI options for visual search, hoping to drive discovery. The idea is to make it easier to segment elements in Pin image searches, building databases of relevant or personally associated products. When users view a Pin, they’ll now also see AI-generated words that can be used to learn more about elements of an image that interest them, including informationally and to facilitate shopping. “We’re breaking down and decoding images so users can quickly search and shop for the details of an outfit — whether it’s an aesthetic, color palette, fit or product category,” according to Pinterest. Continue reading Pinterest Aims to Improve Discovery with Its AI Search Tools
By
Paula ParisiMay 9, 2025
Netflix is testing a short-form video feature for mobile to compete for the attention of those spending time on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. The news came out of the company’s inaugural product and tech event where it also shared plans for an OpenAI-powered search tool that lets users describe their desired content conversationally. Netflix plans to introduce improved real-time recommendations and a redesigned TV homepage, rolling out globally in the coming weeks and months, according to Chief Product Officer Eunice Kim, who presided over the event with Chief Technology Officer Elizabeth Stone. Continue reading Netflix Highlights Original Shows in New Vertical Shorts Feed
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Paula ParisiMay 1, 2025
OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT’s shopping capabilities, adding product recommendations to help users discover products and brands. The chatbot’s results for shopping queries will now automatically include things like prices, images and ratings, much like searches using Amazon or Google Shopping. The company says that products it features in shopping search results “are chosen independently and are not ads.” With the company under pressure to turn a profit, a challenge for many AI startups, that could of course change. The company is reportedly already working with partners to ensure pricing is up to date. Continue reading OpenAI Improves ChatGPT for Shopping with Built-In Pricing
By
Paula ParisiApril 30, 2025
YouTube is testing a new AI Overviews feature for search and discovery powered by Gemini. A “small number” of YouTube Premium subscribers in the U.S. will notice a video results carousel popping up for some English-language search queries. The feature taps AI to highlight clips from videos deemed most helpful for a particular search. Initially, the feature will appear in response to practical inquiries, aiming for a more helpful response to things like product inquiries and requests for information about a place or activity. The idea is to provide quick highlights from several videos. Continue reading YouTube Testing Gemini-Powered AI Overviews for Searches
By
Paula ParisiApril 29, 2025
Perplexity AI has entered into a deal with Motorola to preinstall its artificial intelligence search engine technology in Motorola smartphones, giving buyers three free months of Perplexity Pro, which costs $20 per month and includes a deep research feature. Earlier this year, Motorola launched a Moto AI beta program to test core features like “Catch me up,” “Pay attention” and “Remember this” prompts. Based on feedback, Motorola says it has enhanced these features further as well as developed new AI experiences that will be available on the new generation of Razr and Edge devices. Continue reading Motorola Will Preinstall Perplexity on New Razr, Edge Models
By
Paula ParisiApril 28, 2025
Alphabet revenue was $90.2 billion in Q1, a 12 percent increase year-over-year that reflects “robust momentum” across Google Search and YouTube ads and Google Cloud, each delivering double-digit growth rates. Google Cloud was up 28 percent to $12.3 billion in divisions including AI infrastructure and generative AI solutions. Net profit surged 46 percent to $34.5 billion while operating income grew 20 percent to $30.6 billion. Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said the quarter was “super exciting” due to breakthroughs in performance by Gemini 2.5, calling it “our most intelligent AI” and a strong foundation “for future innovation.” Continue reading Alphabet Profit Is Up 46 Percent, Driven by AI and Advertising
By
Paula ParisiApril 22, 2025
Roku is partnering with Adobe to integrate its Roku Data Cloud with Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Platform (CDP) for a new real-time advertising data platform. The idea is to allow advertisers to access more in-depth insights that can potentially be used to launch “more personalized and performant advertising” while prioritizing privacy, according to Roku. “This integration will unlock the opportunity for traditional performance marketers — like search and social buyers — to plan, activate, and measure campaigns on Roku,” said Miles Fisher, the streamer’s senior director of strategic advertising partnerships. Continue reading Roku Teams Up with Adobe on a Real-Time Ad Data Platform
By
Paula ParisiApril 17, 2025
As enterprises rely more heavily on AI integration to compile research and summarize things like meetings and email threads, the need for contextual search has become increasingly important. AI startup Cohere has released Embed 4 to make the task easier. Embed 4 is a multimodal embedding model that transforms text, images and mixed data (like PDFs, slides or tables) into numerical representations (or “embeddings”) for tasks including semantic search, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and classification. Supporting over 100 languages, Embed 4 has an extremely large context window of up to 128,000 tokens. Continue reading Cohere’s Multimodal Embed Model Organizes Enterprise Data
By
Paula ParisiApril 16, 2025
Neptune is a new social video app aiming to compete in the short-form space against stalwarts like TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. Currently in beta with a test base of about 1,000 users, Neptune has amassed a waitlist of 400,000, according to the company. The app’s noteworthy features include the ability to hide likes and follower counts, in furtherance of a desire to prioritize creativity over competition. That goal stems from founder Ashley Darling’s past experience working as a talent director at the beauty and wellness agency OPTYX, where her focus was “underestimated influencers.” Continue reading TikTok Challenger Neptune Lets Users Hide Likes, Followers
By
Paula ParisiApril 15, 2025
Netflix is testing a new recommendation engine that uses OpenAI technology to suggest viewing options based on input that goes beyond the usual parameters of cast and genre. The system is being introduced gradually and is already available in Australia and New Zealand where subscribers must opt-in to try it out, reports say, noting it allows input of more nuanced parameters, including mood, to populate search results. The partnership underscores OpenAI’s efforts to have its technology applied practically and commercially as it seeks to transition from a non-profit to a for-profit public benefit business structure. Continue reading Netflix Tests Content Recommendations Powered by OpenAI
By
Paula ParisiApril 9, 2025
Adobe introduced new versions of Premiere Pro and After Effects at the 2025 NAB Show. For the first time, Adobe’s Premiere Pro editing software gets Firefly generative AI powers. Generative Extend lets users elongate scenes by generating a few extra frames at 4K in the Premiere Pro app, which also gains New Media Intelligence to help find the right clip in seconds. There is also drag-and-drop color management and automatic caption translation to over 27 languages. After Effects gets a more powerful preview playback engine, new 3D motion design tools and HDR monitoring. Continue reading Adobe Upgrades Premiere Pro, After Effects with AI Features
By
Paula ParisiApril 8, 2025
Sentient, a year-old non-profit backed by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, has released Open Deep Search (ODS), an open-source framework that leverages existing LLMs to enhance search and reasoning capabilities. Essentially a system of custom plugins and tools, ODS works with DeepSeek’s open-source R1 model as well as proprietary systems like OpenAI’s GPT-4o and Anthropic’s Claude to deliver advanced search functionality. That modular aspect is in fact ODS’s main innovation, its creators say, claiming it beats Perplexity and OpenAI’s GPT-4o Search Preview on benchmarks for accuracy and transparency. Continue reading Non-Profit Sentient Launches New ‘Open Deep Search’ Model
By
Paula ParisiApril 3, 2025
Roblox is working with Google to scale-up advertising, adding the search giant’s immersive ads and allowing users to opt-in to watch full-screen spots of up to 30-seconds to earn in-game perks. The program, known as Rewarded Video, was announced at the IAB PlayFronts where Roblox also touted new partnerships with measurement and brand lift firms including Nielsen, Kantar, IAS, Cint and DoubleVerify “to enable brands to better understand the impact of their investment.” Rewarded Video will be implemented by Google Ad Manager, which offers its own metrics. Gamers will be able to accrue benefits including virtual currency and power-ups. Continue reading Roblox Teams with Google Offering Immersive Ads in Games
By
Paula ParisiMarch 25, 2025
Anthropic’s Claude can now search the Internet in real time, allowing it to provide timely and relevant responses that are also more accurate than what the chatbot previously offered, according to the company. Claude incorporates direct citations for its Web-retrieved material, so users can fact-check its sources. “Instead of finding search results yourself, Claude processes and delivers relevant sources in a conversational format.” While this is not exactly groundbreaking — ChatGPT, Grok 3, Copilot, Perplexity and Gemini all have real-time Web retrieval and most include citations — Claude takes a slightly different approach. Continue reading Real-Time Web Access Informs Claude 3.7 Sonnet Responses
By
Paula ParisiMarch 25, 2025
Search firm Perplexity AI has renewed its push to acquire TikTok, outlining its vision for “Rebuilding TikTok in America.” As ByteDance approaches its extended deadline of April 5 to sell TikTok or see it banned here in the U.S., Oracle and its cohort of investors have emerged the frontrunners. While the three-year-old Perplexity is a longshot — with observers saying it does not have the cash on hand to purchase the social powerhouse — with deep-pocketed investors including Nvidia, Databricks and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, it likely has access to funding should its offer be accepted. Continue reading Perplexity AI Outlines Pitch to Acquire TikTok, Rebuild for U.S.