Amazon’s AI Chatbot Rufus Boosts Black Friday Sales
New data released over the weekend by market intelligence firm Sensor Tower shows a significant spike in the use of Amazon’s AI chatbot, Rufus, during Black Friday. In the U.S., Amazon sessions that led to a purchase rose by 100% on Black Friday compared with the previous 30-day average, while purchase sessions without Rufus saw a more modest 20%...
Two UK Police Forces Introduce AI-Powered Virtual Assistant
Two British police forces have become the first in the UK to deploy an AI-powered assistant as part of a new trial exploring how the technology can support public engagement. ‘Bobbi’, the AI assistant, is being piloted by Thames Valley Police and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary. The trial aims to assess how effectively Bobbi can handle public enquiries,...
Microsoft’s Copilot AI to Drop WhatsApp on January 15
Microsoft has confirmed that its AI chatbot Copilot will be removed from WhatsApp after January 15. Once the cutoff date passes, WhatsApp users will no longer be able to access Copilot unless they switch to Microsoft’s dedicated Copilot mobile apps or use the chatbot through the web. According to the company, the decision comes in response to WhatsApp’s updated platform...
Facebook Introduces Group Nicknames in Bid to Rival Reddit
Facebook Groups are becoming a bit more like Reddit thanks to a new feature: nicknames. This update lets users post using a custom username instead of their real identity, offering a middle ground between fully anonymous posts and public, profile-linked activity. While anonymous posting hides a user’s identity completely, it also prevents other members from recognizing them, building familiarity,...
Meta Eyes Move Into Electricity Trading
Meta is moving toward entering the electricity trading market as it seeks to speed up the construction of new power plants needed to support its growing network of data centers. According to Bloomberg, both Meta and Microsoft have requested federal approval to buy and sell power — a green light Apple has already secured. Meta says this step will enable...
Spotify Buys Music Discovery Platform WhoSampled
Spotify has purchased the community-driven music database WhoSampled, the company announced on Wednesday. The news was also highlighted in Spotify’s latest blog post detailing its new song credits features. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Spotify confirmed to TechCrunch that the acquisition includes both the WhoSampled team and its extensive database. According to PitchBook and LinkedIn,...
Stack Overflow Transforms Into a Major AI Data Provider
At Microsoft’s Ignite conference, Stack Overflow unveiled a new suite of products on Tuesday, aimed at embedding itself deeply into the enterprise AI ecosystem. This evolved direction, centered on the Stack Overflow Internal enterprise platform, reimagines the well-known Q&A forum as a system that converts human expertise into AI-ready knowledge. At its core, Stack Overflow Internal functions like an enterprise-grade...
Disney, YouTube TV Strike New Deal to Restore Channels
After a two-week blackout, YouTube TV and Disney announced on Friday that they have finalized a new agreement. The deal restores Disney-owned channels — including ABC, ESPN, and FX — to YouTube TV’s lineup. It also brings added benefits for subscribers, with ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer service set to be included on YouTube TV at no extra cost. Additionally, YouTube will...
Google NotebookLM Rolls Out Deep Research Feature With Expanded File Type Support
Google is enhancing NotebookLM, its AI-driven note-taking and research assistant, with a powerful new feature designed to simplify deep, complex research tasks, along with expanded support for additional file types. The platform is introducing “Deep Research,” a tool that automates and streamlines intensive online research. According to Google, it works like a dedicated research assistant—capable of producing detailed reports, identifying...
Spotify rolls out smarter, less repetitive shuffle and adds audiobook recaps
Spotify has announced a new shuffle experience designed to cut down on repeat tracks and bring more variety to users’ listening sessions. The platform first introduced Smart Shuffle for Premium users in 2023, a feature that automatically added recommended songs to a playlist based on a listener’s history and preferences. Until now, this mode couldn’t be turned off. With the latest...
