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Google is bringing Gemini, its generative AI, to all cars that support Android Auto in the next few months, the company announced at its Android Show ahead of the company’s 2025 I/O developer conference. The company says adding Gemini functionality to Android Auto and, later this year, to cars that run Google’s built-in operating system, will make driving “more productive — and fun” in the blog post. “This is really going to be, we think, one of the largest transformations in the in-vehicle experience that we’ve seen in a very, very long time,” Patrick Brady, the VP of Android for…

During the Android Show on Tuesday, leading up to Google I/O, Google announced that it’s bringing Gemini to Wear OS smartwatches and Google TV. The announcement is part of Google’s plans to replace Google Assistant with Gemini across all of its devices and platforms. Tuesday’s announcement doesn’t come as a surprise, as users have been expecting Google to bring its AI assistant to Wear OS smartwatches and Google TV. The tech giant says this expansion will make its AI assistant accessible beyond phones to allow people to use it when they’re doing things like going on a run or relaxing…

WESTERNPORT, Md. (AP) — Flooding in rural western Maryland forced the evacuation of an elementary school Tuesday afternoon as water began to breach the second floor, according to local officials. Downtown homes and businesses were also inundated with floodwaters following hours of heavy rain.Officials reassured the public that students and staff were safe as concerned parents and other community members posted on social media wondering how long the emergency situation would last at Westernport Elementary School.Allegany County spokesperson Kati Kenney said responders used rescue boats to safely evacuate the school. About 150 students and 50 adults were evacuated during 15…

ChatGPT, OpenAI’s text-generating AI chatbot, has taken the world by storm since its launch in November 2022. What started as a tool to supercharge productivity through writing essays and code with short text prompts has evolved into a behemoth with 300 million weekly active users. 2024 was a big year for OpenAI, from its partnership with Apple for its generative AI offering, Apple Intelligence, the release of GPT-4o with voice capabilities, and the highly-anticipated launch of its text-to-video model Sora. OpenAI also faced its share of internal drama, including the notable exits of high-level execs like co-founder and longtime chief…

The administration of United States President Donald Trump says that Saudi Arabia will invest $600bn in the United States, including through technology partnerships and a weapons sales agreement worth $142bn. A fact sheet shared by the White House on Tuesday explains that the agreement, which also includes collaboration in areas such as energy and mineral development, is the largest-ever weapons sale between the two countries. “The deals celebrated today are historic and transformative for both countries and represent a new golden era of partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia,” the fact sheet reads. The pact represents a deepening…

Raiffeisen Bank International has partnered with Wise Platform to transform the international payment experience for its personal and business customers in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).Operating as a universal bank across 11 markets in the CEE region, Raiffeisen will integrate Wise’s infrastructure across its network. This will enable customers to send money abroad quickly and seamlessly, directly from their existing Raiffeisen accounts. Wise claims that 65% of its transfers settle in under 20 seconds and 95% are completed within 24 hours.By teaming up with Wise Platform, Raiffeisen joins a growing list of financial institutions using the technology provider to upgrade…

FlexPoint, a FinTech company specialising in payments automation for managed service providers (MSPs) and their small to mid-sized business clients, has raised $12m in a Series A funding round.The investment was led by Foundry Group, with participation from Haymaker Ventures, Garuda Ventures, Techstars, Far Out Ventures, and Cascade Seed Fund. This latest round brings FlexPoint’s total funding to $19.5m since its launch in March 2023.FlexPoint provides a payments platform that enables MSPs—who deliver essential technology services to SMBs—to automate and streamline their financial transactions.The newly secured capital will be used to accelerate product development and support the growth of FlexPoint’s…

After a week or so of rumors, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) formally rescinded the Biden administration’s Artificial Intelligence Diffusion Rule days before it was set to go into effect. The Artificial Intelligence Diffusion Rule, which was introduced by former president Joe Biden in January and set to come into force on May 15, introduced limits on exporting U.S.-made AI chips to many countries for the first time while bolstering existing restrictions. On Tuesday, the DOC announced that it instructed staff not to enforce the Biden-era regulation. The DOC plans to issue a replacement rule in the future, likely…

After a week or so of rumors, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) formally rescinded the Biden Administration’s Artificial Intelligence Diffusion Rule days before it was set to go into effect. The Artificial Intelligence Diffusion Rule, which was introduced by former president Joe Biden in January and set to come into force on May 15, introduced U.S.-made AI chip export limits to many countries for the first time while bolstering existing restrictions. On Tuesday, the DOC announced that it instructed staff not to enforce the Biden-era regulation. The DOC plans to issue a replacement rule in the future, likely focusing…

Asuene, a Japan-based climate technology provider, and NZero, a US startup specialising in real-time energy data and emissions tracking, have announced a strategic acquisition deal. Asuene focuses on ESG data management and decarbonisation services, while NZero provides AI-powered energy intelligence solutions. The deal makes NZero a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asuene America Holdings, further strengthening Asuene’s expansion into the US Greentech and corporate sustainability markets.The acquisition is aimed at combining Asuene’s leadership in sustainability compliance in Asia with NZero’s advanced GHG emissions measurement capabilities, as the companies position themselves as a global powerhouse in climate technology. The financial terms of the…