With the abundance of AI chatbots that have emerged over the past several years, we wanted to get an idea of what our readers are using and why. Our most recent poll included many of the most popular and accessible options, but the end result was fairly surprising.

According to more than 1,600 responses, Microsoft's Copilot is the preferred chatbot, with 61% of the votes. Google's Gemini was in second place with 17% of the vote, while ChatGPT was in third place with just 8%, and others followed.

What you have to say

One commenter, Agonist87, explains why they prefer Copilot, saying it doesn't hallucinate or gaslight as much as other AI chatbots.

"Copilot because it's integrated into Office and never seems to go off the wall, sure it gets things wrong but it doesn't argue with me and then hallucinate answers like someone I know..." they explain.

Another commenter, James Lawson, agrees that Copilot is impressive, finding it "insanely human-like, especially in voice mode, and great at research too." Despite that, ChatGPT continues to be their daily driver, while Gemini has proven to be "disappointing." Lawson continues, noting that Gemini is "good at generating lifelike images, but who TF does that all day lol. Aside from that it's pretty lame and feels like a glorified Google search."

There are also several readers who use multiple chatbots for different reasons, some of whom highlight Copilot's necessity at work (for better or for worse). A comment from reader Vince Lupe is one such example:

"Here's my trio (yes, trio): Google Gemini for marketing & sales strategy/execution, Perplexity Pro for research & AI agent usage, and Replit Agent for software creation."\

Another commenter, Randall Uyeno, is another example of someone who uses multiple chatbots depending on the situation:

"I use Gemini for most personal stuff. I use Claude for work stuff. I have lots of analysis and spreadsheets, and Claude is killing it! I'm so impressed with it." They continue by saying they "don't really use ChatGPT because it seems to always give me a 'yes' answer. That bothers me and I don't have a lot of faith in its responses. We have Copilot at work but it sucks. It can barely do anything of value."

Others seem to agree that ChatGPT seems too agreeable, while Copilot gets some positive and mixed reviews, with some finding it useful on platforms like Xbox. That said, it's becoming clear that while there may be a preferred chatbot, more consumers are opting for multiple to get things done.

Since the launch of ChatGPT a few years ago, there's been significant growth in AI, including the number of capable AI chatbots available. Large and small companies alike have developed their own chatbots in a race to reach as many people as possible with their latest AI models, in an effort to prove who offers the best experience and the most accurate responses.

Given the ever-growing number of chatbots at our disposal, we want to know which one you prefer to use. Which AI chatbot is your default or go-to when you want to chat, research, generate an image, or brainstorm?

A glimpse at the AI chatbots out there

ChatGPT pretty much spearheaded the AI chatbot boom when it launched back in 2022. Just over three years later, despite even Google's efforts, it holds much of the consumer mindshare when it comes to AI, serving as the AI of choice for many trends, particularly for generating fun, stylistic images. OpenAI, which develops ChatGPT, has continuously worked to improve it with new and more capable models.

The same goes for Google with Gemini. What started as the awkwardly-named "Bard," Gemini has become an integral part of Google's overall AI strategy. The company has integrated it into many of its products, including Workspace apps like Docs and an expanding presence on smartphones. In fact, Gemini has become increasingly popular because of it, according to the latest numbers.

Microsoft has Copilot, which it integrates into its products like Windows and Bing. It's technically based on OpenAI's GPT model, but with the additional context of Microsoft's productivity suite. Then there's Grok, developed by Elon Musk's xAI and integrated into X for easy access for users of the social media platform.

Other AI chatbots include Anthropic's Claude, which users praise for its conversational and coding capabilities, and Perplexity, which Motorola has integrated into its phones for its web search abilities. And of course, there's also Alexa Plus, the upgraded version of Alexa with more conversational capabilities that can handle complex requests.

Let us know which AI chatbot you prefer and let us know why in the comments!

What you need to know

• OpenAI announced an update for ChatGPT's Deep Research feature, which lets users instruct the AI to only pull information for specific sources.
• The update also provides a slight rework to the side menu, adds more connected apps to the AI, and improves the responses for GPT-2.5.
• OpenAI launched ChatGPT Go last month, which has become the AI's cheapest tier at $8.

OpenAI is doing a little more with ChatGPT this week, as the company rolls out an update that researchers may enjoy.

The company's latest Release Notes for ChatGPT highlight an update to its "Deep Research" feature (via The Verge). OpenAI states that it's giving users "greater control" over a report's accuracy within Deep Research. A YouTube video was published alongside this update, showcasing what users can expect from ChatGPT's updated research capabilities.

OpenAI touts "expert-level" reports through this enhanced method. After selecting "Deep Research" in a slightly redesigned side menu, users can type in their query as usual. However, OpenAI has added connected apps for users to choose from, as well as an option to focus the AI's work on specific websites for data.

The video shows the user instructing the AI to only grab information from bea.gov, census.gov, and the like. Additionally, users can add a "follow-up" or an extra set of instructions while the AI is working to fulfill the original request. OpenAI says users can view these "comprehensive" reports directly in ChatGPT. These reports can be viewed in fullscreen.

This update is rolling out already for Pro and Plus users. OpenAI teases that Free and Go users can expect this "in the coming days."

Chasing research

The Release Notes mention a smaller update for GPT-5.2, which aims to improve its "response style and quality."

OpenAI unveiled Deep Research early last year, detailing its ability to truly dive into topics for information. While the company claims the feature is "fast," it was also stated that Deep Research could take anywhere from five to 30 minutes to complete a user's query, likely depending on the heft of the topic. The announcement paints Deep Research as a creation that mimics a human analyst, diving into online sources for "well-rounded" reports.

ChatGPT Go was OpenAI's latest subscription tier—it's cheapest, too. This cheap tier leverages the company's GPT-5.2 model for speedy response times. This tier provides users with 10x more messages, file uploads, and more over the Free tier.

Android Central's Take

It seems like Google and OpenAI are trading blows when it comes to "deep research" AI features. We've got AI Mode and Gemini's enhanced capabilities on one hand, now ChatGPT is coming back with a worthy update of its own. These features are always nice to see, especially when you need to push through heavy text and massive documents. The thing is, that personal touch is still required. To go in and make sure everything truly is factual.

What you need to know

• Google is developing a Gemini feature that lets users directly import chat histories from other AI chatbots like ChatGPT.
• The feature aims to remove friction that keeps users locked into one AI platform due to saved context and past chats.
• Gemini may also add higher-resolution 4K image downloads.

Google is reportedly working on a new feature for Gemini that would allow users to import chats from other AI chatbots directly.

Right now, if you use ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity, you usually stick with whichever tool you started with first, simply because it already has your data and context. Moving chats from one AI chatbot to another isn't straightforward either, unless you manually export conversations and upload them as files elsewhere, which is clunky and time-consuming.

Gemini is working on a way to import ChatGPT conversations

It looks like Google may finally address this limitation. As reported by TestingCatalog, Google is developing a feature for Gemini that would let users import chats from other AI chatbots directly. The publication spotted an 'Import AI chats' button in Gemini, which would presumably download or directly pull conversations from other AI apps into Gemini.

This feature would allow Gemini to pick up context from previous conversations and let users continue from where they left off. There does not appear to be an option to import saved memories yet, but Gemini may still allow users to bring over chats from other AI tools and continue working from there.

The same report also suggests Google is upgrading image downloads in Gemini's Nano Banana Pro. Right now, the model supports 2K image downloads by default, but Google appears to be testing options for 2K and 4K downloads. The new option is reportedly labeled 'Maximum size' and includes subtext that reads 'Best for print,' which should be useful for creators who want higher-quality outputs.

Neither of these features is rolling out just yet, but since they have already been spotted in the app, it is likely only a matter of time before Google makes them official.

Android Central's Take

Finally. With all the recent upgrades Google has pushed to Gemini, I have genuinely started to feel that Gemini is a better tool than ChatGPT in many ways. But because I have been using ChatGPT since the beginning and it already has all my context, switching platforms has never felt worth the effort.

This new feature could finally let me move to Gemini permanently and easily, without spending hours downloading ChatGPT chats and feeding them back into another tool.

It could also be useful for people who rely on different AI chatbots for different tasks. For example, ChatGPT might be better for explanations, while Gemini can feel stronger for coding or Google-integrated workflows. Being able to move chats across platforms would finally make that kind of flexibility painless.

What you need to know

• OpenAI announced that it's rolling out "Age Predictions" in ChatGPT for users in the EU.
• Age Predictions will consider several account-level aspects to make a judgement about the user's age, and if they are deemed under 18, it will impose restrictions to limit sensitive content.
• Last week, OpenAI announced that ads are headed to ChatGPT, as well as its cheaper ChatGPT Go tier.

OpenAI is sticking to its word about bringing additional safety measures to its AI platform this week by "predicting" the user's age.

The company announced in a blog post that it's preparing to roll out "Age Predictions," which reportedly builds upon its existing safety measures. This parameter isn't foolproof, but that's secondary to OpenAI's confirmation that Age Prediction will "help estimate whether an account likely belongs to someone under 18." Your "stated age" is taken into account by the AI; however, OpenAI states its model will also consider the time you're typically active, as well as "usage patterns."

Now, what is all of this for? If ChatGPT determines that the user is (potentially) under the age of 18, it will reduce that person's exposure to sensitive content. Such content includes graphic violence, viral challenges that could pose a health risk, depictions of self-harm, and more.

ChatGPT will also limit content concerning "extreme beauty standards, unhealthy dieting, or body shaming." The innerworkings of ChatGPT's Age Prediction is similar to what Google did on YouTube.

OpenAI acknowledges the trials here, stating that it will utilize Age Prediction to refine the signals that influence its decision-making and minimize mistakes. If ChatGPT wrongly restricts your account, OpenAI states users can quickly verify their age by submitting a "selfie through Persona, a secure identity-verification service." On a related note, the update highlights what parents can do for teen accounts.

Improving AI safety

OpenAI says that parents will find controls to set "quiet hours" in ChatGPT, creating a window of opportunity for their teen to access the AI. Outside of those times, the AI is inaccessible. Additionally, parents can control what the AI "remembers" about their child, alongside tools to control its model training. OpenAI also says parents can opt into notifications if "signs of acute distress" are discovered.

The post adds that OpenAI will take things slow with its Age Prediction for accuracy purposes. This feature is rolling out in the EU "in the coming weeks" for "regional requirements."

OpenAI had a busy week last week, detailing the arrival of its cheapest ChatGPT Go tier. This subscription is meant to give people all the tools they need in the U.S. after observing a "high adoption rate" in other markets. With ChatGPT Go, users have a much higher usage cap than its free tier. Sending messages, uploading files, images, and more becomes a lot easier.

The other main highlight from last week's announcement was ads. OpenAI confirmed that ads are headed to ChatGPT's chats; however, it's more of a test. The post said that ads are designed to be "relevant" to your current conversation with the AI. OpenAI claims it won't use the conversations to influence the ads it shows.

OpenAI is building up an arsenal of design talent as it develops its first hardware product. The company acquired famed Apple designer Jony Ive's startup "io" in a $6.5 billion deal last year. The design lead behind the iPhone and more, plus his entire team, is now under OpenAI's roof working on an innovative hardware product. Now, we have a better idea of when OpenAI actually plans to unveil and release this secretive AI-powered device.

In an interview with Axios, OpenAI's Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane said that the company is "on track" to reveal its first product in the second half of 2026. The confirmation is the closest thing we've gotten to a timeline for OpenAI hardware. The company, including its CEO Sam Altman, has been teasing an upcoming AI device, but details have been sparse.

Notably, Lehane wouldn't commit to OpenAI's hardware product being available for purchase this year — we might see a reveal in 2026 and general availability in 2027. The OpenAI policy leader added that the company was "looking at something in the latter part [of 2026]," per the report.

Information regarding OpenAI's mysterious entry into consumer hardware products has been slowly trickling out since the May 2025 announcement. The Wall Street Journal reported that Altman told OpenAI employees that he and Ive plan to ship 100 million of these products. The report notes that Altman described the opportunity as having the potential to be "the biggest thing we've ever done as a company here."

Shortly after, industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that mass production of the product was expected to begin in 2027.

More recently, Altman and Ive confirmed they had prototypes of the upcoming product and expected to start building it within two years, the duo said in November 2026 at Emerson Collective's Demo Day (via 9to5Mac).

Leading us to the present day, The Information reported this month that OpenAI is strengthening its audio-based models as it nears closer to building its initial product. The product is expected to ship without displays and instead focus on voice input, explaining the audio focus.

Now, we know that OpenAI's timeline might be moving up with a late 2026 reveal and the potential for 2027 availability.

Why I think OpenAI's first product is worth watching

OpenAI's debut hardware product is inching closer to becoming a reality, and that's exciting for tech enthusiasts. We really haven't seen an innovative new form factor find success since the smartphone and the smartwatch. Other emerging wearables, like earbuds and smart glasses, are making noise — but they're far from becoming ubiquitous. Does OpenAI's first consumer product have the potential to change that?

We don't know enough about OpenAI's plans to know for sure. However, the company seems fixed in its position that it will focus on an audio-based device, and that gives me confidence. Screen-based consumer technology products will always compete with existing form factors, like smartphones and smartwatches, which is an uphill battle.

That's true even of products that think outside the box in their implementation of displays, like Humane's AI Pin. That now-discontinued device used a tiny projector to display images on your hand. At the end of the day, a screen is still a screen. Humane's once-hyped AI product fizzled out very quickly, leaving early adopters high and dry.

It's a similar story for the Rabbit R1, another screen-based AI device that never caught on. To Rabbit's credit, the company is still supporting the device and recently overhauled the operating system. Even with that in mind, we're not likely to see the Rabbit R1 — or anything similar — disrupt the smartphone or smartwatch form factor.

Meanwhile, it feels like audio-based devices still have room to grow. AI voice recorders are finding a niche in the business world despite offering the same functionality as your smartphone. Earbuds are slowly becoming AI devices with features like Live Translate. Companies continue to experiment with unique form factors for audio gear, from open earbuds and bone-conduction headphones to pillow speakers.

Consumers are voting with their wallets, telling companies that they want more audio products. OpenAI seems to be listening and rising to the occasion. The company confirmed an audio focus for its upcoming product, and leaks suggest it could take the form of earbuds.

The teasers, leaks, and rumors all point to the same thing. OpenAI is putting its hardware efforts in the right direction, avoiding screen-based devices that'll always lose against the smartphone. Instead, it's supposedly leaning into audio, and it sounds like a winning strategy. Based on today's announcement, we might learn more about what this product might look like later this year.

What you need to know

• OpenAI confirms that ads are headed for ChatGPT; however, it will begin a test with adults in the U.S. first.
• Ads are designed to be "relevant," and OpenAI says that it never collects data about the conversation with its AI in order to produce more ads.
• OpenAI also debuted ChatGPT Go, its newest, cheapest tier at $8 a month.

We've heard the rumors: OpenAI wants to bring ads to your ChatGPT chats, and the company's finally speaking about it.

Today (Jan 16), OpenAI announced that it is preparing to bring ads to its ChatGPT chats. The company states that while users have their views on ChatGPT and the assistance it can bring, it also wants to ensure its ads adhere to those expectations. OpenAI adds that its goal is to bring "truly relevant, high-quality ads," as well as control over them.

User choice/control was a key highlight for OpenAI moving forward with these upcoming ads. According to the post, users will have the option to disable personalization in ChatGPT, alongside the option to clear all "data used for ads at any time." OpenAI claims it will "always" give users a way to not see ads, which will be joined by a paid ad-free tier.

How intrusive ads will be was another talking point.

OpenAI states that ChatGPT's ads won't "influence" the AI's responses to queries. In fact, it states that the ads it will show will be "optimized" to be relevant to what you're doing. An example shows a user asking ChatGPT to help brainstorm ideas for a dinner party. While the AI responded as normal, offering dish suggestions, the "relevant" ad was for hot sauce from a grocery store.

Ads are planned to be clearly separated from the user's chat with the AI. Users will find who the ad is from, the product in question, the price, the stock availability, and feedback buttons.

OpenAI says it's not going to just drop ads into its app. Ads are headed for "logged-in adults" in the U.S. on its free and (new) Go tier. The post states that ads will first show up at the bottom of chats; however, there could be a future where users could query ChatGPT about the ad to make an educated decision before making a purchase.

ChatGPT... Go!

OpenAI's announcements to end the week conclude with its newest (and cheapest) AI subscription plan: ChatGPT Go. After debuting in India, OpenAI is now ready to bring its cheapest AI plan to the U.S. after reportedly observing a "high adoption rate." The post states that ChatGPT Go offers the company's GPT‑5.2 Instant model at a lower cost, which may entice more people to give it a try.

ChatGPT Go is available for $8 a month.

At this lower price, ChatGPT Go gives users "10x more messages," file uploads, and image creation when compared to the free tier's capabilities. Additionally, the AI features a larger memory and context window with this Go tier, meaning it'll remember much more about you if you'd like.

OpenAI reports that many users who've engaged with ChatGPT Go typically leverage its intelligence for writing, learning, image creation, and problem-solving. As previously stated, ChatGPT Go is here for U.S. users; however, it's also made itself accessible globally today, too.

What you need to know

• OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Translate, a new web-based translation tool positioned as a direct competitor to Google Translate.
• ChatGPT Translate supports over 50 languages and offers real-time translations with automatic language detection.
• The tool stands out by offering AI prompts to adjust tone, fluency, and complexity of translated text.

Google Translate has just gained a new competitor, courtesy of OpenAI, in the form of ChatGPT Translate.

Google Translate has long been the go-to tool for quick translations, but there is now a new challenger that aims to raise the bar. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has launched a dedicated website called ChatGPT Translate, putting it in direct competition with Google's translation service.

At launch, the service supports over 50 languages and looks familiar to anyone who has used online translation tools. You get two text boxes, one for input and another for the translated output, along with drop-down menus to select the source and target languages. Like Google Translate, ChatGPT Translate also supports automatic language detection.

OpenAI quietly launches a new Google Translate rival

You can start typing text immediately, with translations appearing live as you type. What sets ChatGPT Translate apart, however, is a set of quick prompts below the text boxes.

These let you refine translations to sound more fluent, business formal, simplified for a child, or tailored for an academic audience. Tapping any of these prompts opens the request directly in ChatGPT, with the original text and refinement instruction already applied.

The website also mentions support for translating images and files, but those options are not yet available. Unlike Google Translate, ChatGPT Translate currently lacks voice input (on desktop) and features such as full website translation.

While ChatGPT could already be used as a translation tool before, this new website gives users a single, dedicated place for fast translations.

For now, there is no sign of a standalone ChatGPT Translate app or a dedicated section inside the ChatGPT app, and OpenAI has yet to make an official announcement about the tool.

What you need to know

• A report by Similarweb, a digital data company, shows that Google's Gemini is starting to gain significant ground on its competitor, ChatGPT.
• Gemini has reached 21.5% of the traffic share for Gen AI products, as of early this year, while ChatGPT has dropped to 64.5%.
• Earlier in 2025, one of Google's goals was to help push Gemini into more of the market share, and it did so by making some paid features free for all.

In the world of generative AI, there's a lot; however, data companies are noticing a shift in where users are spending their time seeking answers.

Reported this week by Similarweb on X, generative AI website traffic is slowly shifting, as a not-so-unknown player gains ground. According to the digital data company's analytics, Google's Gemini has reached 21.5% of the traffic share as of January 2, 2026. What's leading the race? OpenAI's ChatGPT with 64.5% of the traffic share. There's one clear fact here, per Similarweb's data: ChatGPT and Gemini are the "top dogs," one might say, for traffic.

Among the many AI names, ChatGPT and Gemini account for ~86% of the traffic. The remaining 14% is divvied up between DeepSeek, X's Grok, Perplexity, Claude, and Microsoft's Copilot (in order).

Even when we get down into AI tools traffic, ChatGPT and Gemini still lead the pack, though the former holds the majority.

What's interesting about where Gemini is now is that it's been gaining ground (slowly, but surely) over the past few months. In actuality, it's been a trend all throughout 2025. Similarweb's timeline shows how Gemini's traffic share has been slowly rising, going from 5.7% a year ago to 18.2% in December 2025.

Gemini v. ChatGPT

Increasing Gemini's market share has been a goal for Google, as the company made a decision: paid features are now free.

To clarify, this concerned Google making its Gemini 2.5 Pro experiment free for users just four days after it debuted in March. OpenAI's ChatGPT came out of left field, but it's how the general public views that Gen AI chatbot, as opposed to every other company's version. When ChatGPT debuted, it stunned and retained users, reaching 700 million monthly active users.

This is when Google started making shifts toward Gemini, and then, Apple started to wiggle itself into the mix. Here's the thing: everyone was playing catch-up. While most companies are still playing catch-up, Gemini's doing so at a seemingly faster rate, at least, per the data.

Google and OpenAI aren't slowing down one bit, as the former introduced Gemini features for its TV service, turning it into another companion. For OpenAI, the company recently introduced ChatGPT Health, a dedicated chatting experience with its AI that can help users with medical records and app data.

What you need to know

• OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, which is a new chat focused solely on assisting users who are interested in improving their health and wellness.
• Users can upload their medial records and data from health app to the AI for increased assistance.
• OpenAI says it has implemented security parameters to safeguard users data and the information they discuss with the AI.
• Users can sign up for the waitlist now.

OpenAI has announced a major development for ChatGPT that aims to help users interested in experiencing a true health-dedicated chatbot.

OpenAI is kicking off the new year by focusing on users' health—and there's a waitlist, too. This week, it announced ChatGPT Health, "a dedicated experience in ChatGPT designed for health and wellness." The company states this new dedicated way of using ChatGPT was a direct result of how users already lean on the AI. OpenAI states, "Health is already one of the most common ways people use" the AI with "millions of people asking health and wellness questions each week."

ChatGPT Health takes into account all of your submitted wellness information to help you understand the finer details. OpenAI says users can submit their medical records and data from health apps, like Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal.

As you might expect, OpenAI makes it clear that ChatGPT is not intended to replace your doctor; it's simply there to aid your understanding. With that in mind, after you've given the AI your records and app data, ChatGPT can help answer questions you may have about your results, set up future appointments, and offer guidance for workouts and diet.

OpenAI states that it has created ChatGPT Health alongside licensed physicians. The post states that these physicians have also encouraged OpenAI to provide different levels of the AI's responses. From how condensed information is delivered for better understanding to how urgently it should push users to seek their doctor.

Understand what matters most

Uploading sensitive information, such as your medical records, is undoubtedly a fright for many users. To help, OpenAI says ChatGPT Health has received "foundational protections" to safeguard users' data and to give users control over it. Users will have access to temporary chats, the option to remove data from OpenAI's systems within 30 days, and more.

ChatGPT Health has also been trained not to retain users' personal information from chats.

For your medical records, the files themselves are encrypted when moving and when at rest. More than that, OpenAI says there are layered protections, as well as isolation. Essentially, conversations taking place in ChatGPT Health will "not be used" to train OpenAI's foundation models.

As previously stated, users can sign up for ChatGPT Health's waitlist to hopefully gain entry.

OpenAI is already looking to future updates, stating, "We’ll continue to expand what you can connect and the insights Health can support—so ChatGPT can help you feel more informed, prepared, and confident as you navigate your health."

Grade: B

AI had big years in 2023 and 2024, but heading into 2025, consumers and industry analysts began waving caution flags. Some skeptics warned that AI development would hit a "wall" this year. Others worried that companies like Google and Apple were overpromising, leaving them vulnerable to underdelivering.

I made a few predictions at the end of last year, and most of them seem to have panned out. AI has arrived on operating systems in short order, and it's becoming more agentic and actionable. I was wrong about a few things, too — namely, Samsung shocked me by making it clear which Galaxy AI features run on- and off-device, allowing Galaxy users to disable online features with a single toggle.

Now that 2025 is nearing its conclusion, let's grade how the AI industry as a whole and some of its biggest companies fared.

Reviewing my predictions for AI in 2025

Following the colossal failure of dedicated AI devices like the Humane AI Pin or Rabbit R1, I correctly predicted the industry would pivot and try to put AI directly into our mobile operating systems.

Google led the charge, adding Gemini as a permanent Google Assistant replacement across Android, Wear OS, and more. Microsoft's Copilot is the heart of Windows, and Apple is still trying (but failing) to make Apple Intelligence the architect of iOS and macOS.

That said, it's wild to me that Gemini Live's multimodal video and screen sharing only debuted in 2025, considering how quickly it's become an instrumental Android feature. At this point last year, multimodal Gemini Live video was only a prototype as Project Astra. Not only did Project Astra go public on Pixel devices as expected, but it also came to basically every Android device.

Google checked the multimodal box with Gemini Live, and the combination of audio, visual, and text-based inputs has become a common way to use AI. Agentic control developed a bit slower than I expected, with the Gemini Agent and the agent-based Google Antigravity app only materializing of late. OpenAI's AgentKit debuted similarly late in October. Alas, it's clear AI agents are the current goal for the biggest companies.

I was hopeful that we'd see more AI features built right into the OS, ideally using more on-device AI. That doesn't seem to have happened. Gemini Nano still handles some on-device processing for Pixels, and the same is true for Galaxy AI on Samsung phones, but growth is slower than I expected.

In late 2024, both the CEOs of Google and OpenAI pushed back on the idea that AI would hit a "wall." I didn't think progress would stall; rather, I thought companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google would all challenge each other to be better. That happened, with these companies trading places on leading AI benchmarks throughout 2025.

I also expected the lines between on-device and off-device processing would continue to blur. Samsung proved me wrong by adding a toggle that lets you choose whether to process AI data only on your device. I'm still waiting for other companies to follow suit, though.

Google in 2025: A

Google had a major year for AI in 2025. The company seems to be finally firing on all cylinders, and Gemini 3 is the culmination of that. It hit milestone after milestone this year, growing Gemini's monthly active user count to nearly 350 million as of November.

The bigger moment for me was when Gemini briefly became the number one free app on the iPhone App Store. It's easy for Gemini to succeed on Google platforms where it's placed front and center. But on iOS, where users have to actively seek Gemini instead of convenient options like Apple Intelligence with ChatGPT integration? Gemini's success there is an outstanding sign of what's to come for Google.

Over 150 million accounts are subscribed to Google AI Pro. It's monetizing the experience with advertising tests in AI Overviews and AI Mode in Google Search, and it's earning revenue from AI dev tools via Google Cloud.

In terms of features, Google released more than I can recap in this article. Some highlights include Gemini Live's video and screen-sharing support, the Google Antigravity AI-based IDE, and the Nano Banana image generator. I'll also tip my cap to Google for continuing to make tons of AI features available for free, including on discontinued smart home devices.

Really, it's hard to pick apart Google's AI strategy this year, which is why I'm giving it an A grade. If I had to nitpick, I'd say I'm concerned Google isn't making brand partnerships — like Meta's integration with Garmin or OpenAI's deal with Disney — as these may prove important heading into 2026.

OpenAI in 2025: B-

OpenAI feels like a company retooling and looking toward the future rather than aggressively building AI products right now. The company is making a handful of long-term bets that could make its 2026 look a lot better than the B- grade it's looking today. However, as it stands now, OpenAI's market share is being chipped away at by competitors, and its leading GPT-5.1 and now GPT-5.2 models are struggling in benchmarks and among users.

While ChatGPT still has a gigantic user base compared to the competition, at nearly 900 million monthly active users, its priorities feel questionable. ChatGPT recently added group chats, as if we needed another DM inbox. And there are signs the ChatGPT app could be flooded with ads based on early reports.

On the other hand, OpenAI is valued at $500 billion, giving it significant power. The company successfully restructured to become a for-profit entity, a bigger feat than any AI model or feature it could've released in 2025 (even if the departure from non-profit status feels questionable to outsiders).

OpenAI partnered with one of the greatest designers of our lifetime, Jony Ive, and has a working prototype of its upcoming AI device. It made a deal with Disney that turned the Mickey Mouse brand against Google, and in the process, OpenAI received a $1 billion investment from Disney. The fleecing makes Sora easily the best consumer-facing AI video-generation product.

I'll state it plainly — if OpenAI uses its for-profit status to its advantage, builds a killer AI device with Ive, and Disney becomes Sora's ace, we could easily look back on 2025 as a great year for the company. For now, there simply aren't enough results to justify giving OpenAI more than a B- grade.

The rest in 2025: C

The grade "C" is supposedly average, and just about every other AI company not named Google or OpenAI was average in 2025.

The lone exception in my book is Meta, which earns a B grade. It's making the best face-worn multimodal AI technology with Meta smart glasses. Garmin integration with Meta AI is genuinely amazing.

The problem? Meta is shoving AI everywhere its users don't want it, and turned the Meta smart glasses companion app into an endless scroll feed for AI slop. The move is so bad that I'm tempted to give Meta an F grade for this alone, but I'll be fair and give it a B for how far Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta glasses are ahead of the competition.

Apple and Samsung were strictly average in 2025, with neither releasing game-changing new features. Apple correctly avoided overpromising this year, which I give it credit for. The flip side is that it didn't release anything of note on the AI front, either. For Samsung, its best AI features can be traced back to Google.

On the AI model front, there were bright spots from unlikely candidates, like DeepSeek. But it faded into obscurity just as quickly as it became popular.

Final verdict

If it came down to a coin toss, I'm inclined to lower AI's overall grade for 2025, regardless of how far the technology has come. That's why I'm only giving AI a B grade for the year, even though over a billion people are using platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot. The reason? We were sold a bill of goods that simply hasn't materialized.

The year 2025 is now coming to a close, and we haven't seen anything close to artificial general intelligence (AGI). We haven't cured cancer or eliminated poverty. All the while, AI is using more and more finite resources, leading to water drought concerns and global RAM shortages. Layoffs are mounting by the tens of thousands, and even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman now says he's "worried about the rate of change that's happening in the world right now."

So, yes, AI models and interfaces are more powerful than ever in 2025. But let's face it — few are truly excited by AI writing your emails or generating a bad TV commercial. We were sold a life-changing technology, and three years after ChatGPT debuted, it's clear AI is still far from fitting the bill. With this context, an overall B grade is the absolute highest I can give AI for 2025.

2025 has shaped up to be a year of breakthroughs and experimentation for the tech industry; smartphones and wearables don't just look different, but have started to become more user-friendly, thanks to AI. Trifold devices have arrived, ultra-thin designs are on the rise, and smart glasses are gaining popularity.

At the same time, throw in rising prices driven particularly by global tensions, and this year also marked a turning point in consumer tech, giving us a feeling that we are indeed living in the future.

Here are some of the top stories and trends of 2025 that shaped the year.

The foldable glow up: Trifold goes mainstream

While tri-fold devices aren't a new concept, they didn't really catch on, at least not in this part of the world. Huawei's Mate XT was the first to prove that this concept was indeed possible; its limited availability made it more of a distant dream rather than a usable device.

But Samsung may have changed it overnight. The company finally launched the Galaxy Z Trifold on December 1, which is said to bring the power of "the most advanced foldable technologies" right into the palm of your hands.

Essentially, making the form factor more valid and widely available to the broader smartphone market. When Samsung launches a new device, the entire ecosystem follows, from Google optimizing Android for it to carriers that might be willing to subsidize it for consumers. This also means developers will start creating apps compatible with multi-window support on a larger scale. But it doesn't just end there.

Samsung's aim wasn't about adding another screen, but to experiment with whether a trifold could actually be a usable product. While it may not replace traditional slab phones anytime soon, it could double as a tablet and a productivity tool. This kind of shift in thought from "Why would you want this?" to "Who is this actually made for?" is a huge deal. This move by Samsung could push competitors to make their own tri-fold and potentially drive people to consider owning this device.

AI takes center stage as companies shift focus

Google I/O AI Part from r/google

For the past few years, AI has been a buzzword for every major tech company. However, in 2025, we've finally started to see it pulling its weight with models like Gemini 3 Pro, ChatGPT 5.2, Meta's Llama 4, and so on.

Instead of being in the background on many devices so far, generative AI has become a core feature of smartphones, to the point that it has been baked into every aspect of the device. It can literally "see" what you see, help you navigate better, and even let you "try on" clothes while shopping online. From search and photography to productivity tools, AI can even help you create better workflows to manage your day. So much so that we even have an AI Home robot in our midst.

This year wasn't about flashy demos — it was about showing us how AI could work its way into our lives. Companies like Google, Samsung, and OnePlus also redefined the user experience with more intuitive AI. Now it doesn't just respond to your commands, but it learns from your daily routine and gives you personalized suggestions in real time.

AI has rapidly transitioned from optional software to a foundational feature on smartphones. This has altered how we interact with our devices, marking a monumental shift in consumer tech.

The rise of the ultra-slim smartphones

This year, we also witnessed several tech companies obsessed with making super-thin devices like the Galaxy S25 Edge and the iPhone Air, measuring 5.8 mm and 5.6mm, respectively. Fitting all the necessary components into such incredibly slim casings is an engineering marvel in itself.

Despite the hype both companies tried to create with phones, the S25 Edge and the iPhone Air saw underwhelming sales, so much so that Samsung has reportedly decided to ditch the Edge lineup for good.

Yet we feel that the slim-phone era is really just getting started. These devices may serve as crucial stepping stones toward future foldables or even slimmer rollable phones. It almost feels like the manufacturers are using these designs to experiment with new materials, improved battery technology, and more, in a quest to slim down hardware without compromising on performance.

Tariffs, Tariffs and, more Tariffs

Well, all wasn't merry in the town of Tech. Earlier this year, under the Trump administration, the U.S. imposed hefty tariffs that impacted the tech supply chain.

At first, a 10% tariff was levied on all Chinese imports, which was later increased to 20%. At the same time, the U.S. also imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. At one point, tariffs went as high as 145%, which really shook up Apple investors, and the discussion quickly broadened to include all smartphone manufacturers. That imposed a 25% tariff on smartphones, including Apple, Samsung, and other OEMs that manufacture phones outside the country. The result?

This sent all the tech companies into a frenzy, leading Samsung to reportedly ramp up production of this year's Galaxy S25 series in a preemptive move and OnePlus to suddenly increase the price of its Watch 3. These tariffs even targeted semiconductor chips and key electronics, such as memory chips and circuits, which are mostly imported from outside the country, especially from China. After a few days, the White House decided to exempt certain electronics from these tariffs temporarily.

That said, it created enough confusion for consumers and tech companies alike. This means phones aren't getting expensive just because of their hardware, but also the global polices that dictate pricing. For now, Samsung and Google have both stuck to the same price tags with their flagships; however, this could change with your next phone.

XR finally gets its moment

XR had its best moments this year as several companies raced to put the future of tech on your face. Android pushed deeper into XR and VR with the launch of Samsung's much-awaited Galaxy XR headset in October, to challenge Apple's Vision Pro.

Galaxy XR came built on Android XR, and with Google’s Gemini AI baked right in. This means it’s not just a headset running Android apps but also an AI-powered device that understands your surroundings and responds through voice, vision, and gestures.

Meta also launched new AI-powered smart glasses this year, and the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses push the boundaries of wearable tech. As these glasses let you do pretty much anything while keeping your phone tucked away, from checking messages to basically navigating through life, you get to do it all with just one glance at the in-lens display.

Google also didn't shy away from showing off its own innovations in the XR field. It gave us a quick surprise demo of its glasses at I/O and offered a first look at Project Aura from XREAL, which is reportedly equipped with a 70-degree field of view and optical see-through technology, set to launch in 2026.

What you need to know

• A report claims that OpenAI could start showing ads in its ChatGPT on Android in a future update.
• Early code directly mentions an "ads feature," as well as carousels that could display these ads for users, though speculation states they might not appear in one-on-one chats.
• These ads could be produced based on what the AI remembers about the user, bringing that personalized aspect to them.
• A previous ChatGPT update for Android brought Spotify into the mix, giving users the ability to task the AI in playing music or finding new songs.

OpenAI's chatbot on Android is supposedly headed down an ad-filled direction that users might not enjoy.

A deep dive into the ChatGPT app on Android was conducted by Tibor Blaho, who posted their discovery of the chance for ads to greet users (via NotebookCheck). Blaho states they discovered an "ads feature" in the early code of a ChatGPT app beta for Android users. The code contains quite a few mentions of advertisements to hit the app, such as "AdTarget," "SearchAd," "ApiAdTarget," and more. Blaho directly mentions other code mentions, like "bazaar content" and "search ads carousel."

So, while it seems that the ChatGPT app on Android is staring at an ad-filled future on Android, the X post went into more detail, stating this has been in the plans for a while.

A subsequent post highlights a post from October by The Information, which highlights OpenAI's ever-shifting stance on ads in the app. Supposedly, OpenAI is "considering whether ChatGPT could show ads based on its memory or the information it remembers," per an employee. Blaho goes further, stating OpenAI is trying to figure out how to do this in a "careful way."

How this could appear to users isn't known; however, there's speculation that the ChatGPT app could display ads in a card-style without imposing on the chats users have with the AI directly. As one might expect, these ads could only impact users on the free tier of the ChatGPT app, not those who've subscribed to additional capabilities.

ChatGPT's going with the flow

Blaho compares what OpenAI is seemingly moving ChatGPT toward to what Google has done with ads and AI Overviews. Google announced last year that it was preparing to bring ads to results shown to users via AI Overviews. The idea was to be "more helpful," as the little snippets would display ads only if they were relevant to the user's query and to the information provided by the AI.

The company even highlighted some of its data, which reportedly showed that users who've seen ads have found them helpful. There's no doubt that users may have their own personal takes if this actually rolls out for ChatGPT on Android.

Outside of a potential ad bombardment, ChatGPT had an update on Android that brought its AI capabilities to music. Users who've connected their Spotify Premium accounts to ChatGPT can have the AI find songs for them, play tracks, and even throw on their favorite weekly mixes, like Discover Weekly and New Music Friday. The entire update was very similar to Spotify's extension for Gemini, which offers more of the same tools for music discovery and playback.

What you need to know

• Spotify announced that it has arrived in the the ChatGPT app on Android and iOS, bringing AI capability to music discovery.
• Users can ask the AI to find new music from their favorite artists and songs from regularly updated weekly playlists like Discover Weekly and New Music Friday.
• ChatGPT free, Plus, and Pro users can even ask the AI to create playlists based on certain themes and moods.
• Spotify brought an extension to the Gemini app last year, as well as one for YouTube Music, which sports similar capabilities.

Spotify's extending its reach to more places, and this time that expansion includes OpenAI's ChatGPT app.

Spotify announced this week that users can now use the ChatGPT app to find "personalized" music and more, using their prompts. Spotify in ChatGPT is rolling out for the app, and the company states you will need to connect your account during your first prompt. Users with free or Premium accounts can take advantage of the AI's assistance with Spotify, though each tier has varying capabilities.

Users on the Free tier of Spotify can lean on ChatGPT to access the service's music in Discover Weekly and New Music Friday playlists that are updated on their respective days (Monday and Friday). Spotify Premium users in the ChatGPT app can do more, like "collaborating" with the AI to create whole new playlists.

Spotify states users can ask the AI to create a playlist that fits a specific theme, mood, or topic. If you know what you're looking for, such as a genre of music, you can just use that. On a related note, the AI can lean on Spotify's music library for users asking about new music from their favorite artists.

Whatever you ask ChatGPT to do, whether it's surfacing a certain selection of playlists or asking it to create a playlist full of popular Latin artists, it will surface Spotify's results in the app. Users will see what resembles a Spotify widget in the app. The post states users can tap individual tracks, which will toss them into the Spotify app. However, if you've asked ChatGPT to create a new playlist for you, there will be an "Open in Spotify" option, so you can see everything as it is in the app.

Spotify in AI

When it comes to the ChatGPT app, the post states free, Plus, and Pro accounts can utilize Spotify, so long as they're signed in. This feature is reportedly arriving in over 145 countries this week on Android and iOS.

It seems fitting that Spotify would lend its musical knowledge to OpenAI's ChatGPT app, considering it did the same thing with Google's Gemini. Those on Android using Gemini can find a Spotify extension, which lets the AI dive into Spotify to try and satisfy the query at hand (there's also an extension for YouTube Music). In the Gemini app, users can tell the AI to play a specific album, playlist, or ask it to play a song by a specific artist.

On a grander note, Spotify finally (finally) launched its Lossless Listening feature for Premium subscribers in September. While the music you'll hear will be more refined and rich, Lossless Listening comes at the cost of siphoning even more data, so it's worth expressing caution if you're not listening on a Wi-Fi connection. Lossless Listening is available in private playlists and Liked Songs, as well as DJ, Jam, Mix, AI Playlists, and Daylists.

Artificial intelligence is coming for your favorite Android smartphone, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. In fact, finding the best AI apps for your particular use cases and workflows can actually add convenience and save time. Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT are both household names at this point, and they fall firmly into the chatbot and voice assistant category.

If you look a bit deeper, there are plenty of great Android apps using AI for things that go way beyond the conventional chatbot. You can find productivity apps, social media apps, photo apps, and more that all leverage some form of machine learning and artificial intelligence to help you get stuff done. We've done the legwork for you, scouring the Google Play Store to find the AI apps that stand out, and the ones below are the absolute best.

The best AI chatbots and voice assistants

Chances are, chatbots and voice assistants were probably your first introduction to mobile AI. They're the most accessible and helpful form of AI on your Android phone, so that makes sense. The ideal way to use mobile AI chatbots and voice assistants to automate your everyday life is to try out a bunch of them and figure out which performs best for your specific needs. While most people know Gemini and ChatGPT, there are a few other great ones worth keeping an eye on.

The best AI productivity apps

AI is most useful in streamlining workflows and enhancing productivity, and it's built into some of the best productivity apps for Android. Notion is an underdog in the AI game, as the workspace program uses it for summaries, analysis, and answers. Industry staples like Microsoft and Google have also incorporated artificial intelligence into their workspaces, simplifying the learning and productivity process. AI is especially helpful in these apps with large data sets or bases, as it can parse way more information than a human could at a quicker pace.

The best AI social media apps

Artificial intelligence is taking over social media, both in the form of updates to the biggest platforms and the creation of new ones. Meta is leading the charge by adding Meta AI experiences to standout services like Facebook and Threads, as well as offering a standalone app for AI experiences. OpenAI is trying to challenge with a new app released in October 2025 on iOS, and you can try it on Android too.

The best AI camera and photo apps

Your favorite Android phone's default camera app probably uses some form of machine learning or artificial intelligence for post-processing, but there are even more AI photo editing tools to take advantage of after the shot. There are dedicated apps for using AI to adjust color and lighting, remove unwanted objects, or even create brand-new images with generative AI. We love Google Photos, as it's widely-known and free with limits, but options like Adobe Lightroom and Lensa AI are great too.

The AI apps for Android that are essential

There are a bunch of apps on this list, but which ones do you really need? If you only install one app from this guide, it should be Gemini. It's hands-down the best AI app for Android users, thanks to its deep integration with Android and Google services. For those that haven't installed Gemini or replaced Google Assistant yet, you should consider it. We've also got a complete guide to Gemini and all its features if you need a deeper dive into everything it can do on your smartphone.

Otherwise, picking one app from each remaining category should have your bases covered. For productivity, I recommend choosing an AI app based on the platform you use already. If you're deep in the Microsoft or Google productivity ecosystems, go with 365 Copilot or Drive, respectively. Those into Notion should use the AI features built right into the app. In terms of social media and photography, Meta AI and Google Photos are easy recommendations.

Either way, you can't go wrong with any of the AI apps on this list, and people really intrigued by the technology should try them all to find the one that works best for their needs.

As we barrel towards a new age in mobile software, one that eventually aims to essentially be an "agent" that does everything for us, it's crazy to think about how far we've come in such a short time. More and more people are turning to ChatGPT, for better or worse, while Google is attempting to wedge Gemini into every conceivable space possible. Not to mention that we're getting more and more "AI-powered" features with every new flagship phone release.

That said, I realize that when it comes to actually using AI on my various smartphones, Chromebooks, gaming handhelds, and so on, at the end of the day, everyone's AI experience is the same. I should probably modify that to say, "everyone's AI experience can be the same." No matter how you try to phrase it, the general idea remains the same, as someone with an iPhone 17 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro Fold, or Samsung Galaxy A26 can all do the same things with AI.

No, I'm not talking about the features that Apple, Google, and Samsung try to sell you on in the various ads and commercials. That's cool and all, but the commonality between a phone that costs almost $2,000 and one that's less than $200 is that they can all download the same AI apps.

Currently, the most prominent players are Gemini, ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, Perplexity, Grok, and DeepSeek. All of those apps, and many more, are available on either platform, ensuring you'll always have access to your conversations and creations. Yes, there might be times when the iOS version of ChatGPT gets something first, but the same can certainly be true for Gemini on Android.

At the time of this writing, ChatGPT holds the top spot in the Play Store, and the next AI chatbot app doesn't appear until Microsoft Copilot, in tenth place. Surprisingly, the opposite is true on the Apple App Store, where Google Gemini is the current top free app, followed by ChatGPT in second and DeepSeek in fifth. It just goes to show that Google's marketing is paying off, although there's definitely an argument to be made about the iPhone being a better Google phone than Android.

Apple's playing catch up

Of course, there's another side to the coin here, and it's one that re-opens the age-old "iOS vs. Android" debate. Simply put, Siri is awful and can't hold a candle to Gemini, ChatGPT, or even DeepSeek. Apple is so far behind the 8-ball here that it partnered with OpenAI and Google when introducing "Apple Intelligence" last year.

Recently, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reports that Apple "is planning to launch its own artificial intelligence-powered web search tool next year, stepping up competition with OpenAI and Perplexity AI Inc." Based on the report, this just sounds like it will be an Apple-branded version of Gemini, as Gurman says "The companies reached a formal agreement...to evaluate and test a Google-developed AI model to help power the voice assistant."

However, Apple isn't stopping there, as this AI-powered search will also be implemented in Siri. But instead of trying to figure out the score of the game or find the name of a brand, it's said that Siri will finally be able to "tap into personal data and on-screen content to better fulfill queries." By pulling resources from other departments and refocusing its efforts, Apple could deliver this enormous overhaul as soon as March 2026 with iOS 26.4.

Even so, while we all wait for this big AI overhaul, you can still download apps like Gemini, ChatGPT, Copilot, or Perplexity and perform many AI-related tasks we hope to see from Apple and Siri.

Everyone else is widening the gap

Meanwhile, Google has just announced new Gemini models, along with a complete overhaul and revamp of the Google Home app. Additionally, Gemini will be available on our existing smart speakers and Nest Hubs, a feature we've been eagerly awaiting.

At the same time, OpenAI recently announced "Instant Checkout in ChatGPT," allowing users to make purchases using AI. It also introduced "ChatGPT Pulse," which will "deliver personalized updates based on your chats, feedback, and connected apps like your calendar."

Why does any of that matter? Because all of those new features from Google and OpenAI will soon be available on any phone (if they aren't already). So, sure, needing to download an app isn't as seamless as just having it integrated at the OS level. But does it really matter given the abundance of options at our disposal, especially when you can just pick the app that works best for you in any particular instance?

To answer my own question, no, it doesn't really matter. At least for now.

OpenAI has the clear brand advantage in the AI race, and that's something that may prove impossible for competitors to overcome. ChatGPT has more weekly users than Meta or Google has on a monthly basis. Being first comes with benefits, which OpenAI is certainly reaping.

In the time since, though, the competition caught up — at least on a functional level. AI models from Google, DeepSeek, Claude, and xAI have all held top-five spots on LMArena's leaderboard, signaling that the race from basic large language models (LLMs) to artificial general intelligence (AGI) is far from decided. For months, I've been certain that Gemini 2.5 Pro is a better and more versatile thinking model than anything coming out of OpenAI.

Well, OpenAI is hoping to change that narrative with the release of GPT-5, which launched for everyone last week (Aug. 7). It's actually a collection of models that can intelligently pick which one is best for a given prompt on the fly. And at least for now, it's at the top of both the LMArena and WebDev Arena leaderboards — two crucial LLM benchmarks.

GPT-5 doesn't solve all of ChatGPT's hallucination problems, and it's definitely not AGI. There are some areas where Google models still outperform comparable ones from OpenAI. Regardless, GPT-5 looks impressive and free, and that might be all OpenAI needs to maintain its hefty lead over the competition.

Where OpenAI's GPT-5 beats Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro

GPT-5’s smartest feature has nothing to do with compute or its knowledge base. It’s called real-time routing, and it helps pick the right model for your task without any additional user input. Currently, AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini are littered with a variety of new, old, and experimental models best suited for a specific prompt. That’s great, but the onus was on the user to decide which one is best. With names like GPT-o3 and GPT-4o, or Gemini Flash Thinking Experimental, making that decision wasn’t always easy.

Instead, GPT-5 is a simple name for a collection of OpenAI models. It includes a lightweight model for quick, easy prompts and a more thoughtful model called GPT-5 Thinking for complex queries. OpenAI’s real-time router means that all of these models function as one, at least to the user. After inputting a prompt to ChatGPT, the GPT-5 router will decide which one to use, streamlining the UX.

There are still ways to manually control which GPT-5 model responds to your prompt. You can use phrases like “think really hard about this” in your prompt to trigger GPT-5 Thinking. If ChatGPT mistakenly opts for the thinking model, users can tap Get a quick answer to pivot to the lightweight model instead. Both models appear to be very reliable in early testing, clearly citing sources to avoid hallucinations.

These online sources, which include sites like Android Central, are a key reason why hallucinations are down with GPT-5. OpenAI says that with web search enabled on GPT-5 prompts, the model is about 45% less likely to contain a factual error than GPT-4o. Hallucinations are by no means extinct, but they are less prevalent when using GPT-5 in ChatGPT.

Independent tests and benchmarks seem to align with OpenAI’s claims that GPT-5 is better at writing, coding, and health-based tasks. It finally usurps Gemini 2.5 Pro on both the LMArena and WebDev Arena leaderboards, claiming the top spot overall. Specifically, GPT-5 seems to have the edge in text-based and coding prompts. I used a sample prompt from OpenAI to test GPT-5’s coding capabilities in ChatGPT, and came away seriously impressed.

Where Gemini still beats ChatGPT

GPT-5 isn’t better than Gemini 2.5 Pro in every area, and OpenAI still doesn’t seem to be able to match Google’s image and video generation. That’s reflected in LMArena’s text-to-image, text-to-video, and image-to-video benchmarks — Google’s Imagen 4 and Veo 3 tools sweep the graphical suite of generative AI tests.

I wanted to test that outcome in the real world, so I fed ChatGPT and Gemini the same prompt: "Generate an image of Johnny Thunderbird holding up a Big East Tournament trophy at Madison Square Garden." Here’s how the images turned out:

Anecdotally, the generated images align with the benchmark results — Google’s video- and image-generation chops are much stronger than OpenAI’s. For starters, Google gave me a generated image in about 10 seconds, and I had to wait nearly two minutes for an image to come back from ChatGPT.

From an accuracy standpoint, Gemini won handedly. It knew I was talking about my alma mater’s basketball program from the mascot reference, and correctly recreated Madison Square Garden with a ton of detail and flair. Meanwhile, ChatGPT produced an image with the wrong team and I’m not convinced the generic background is really MSG; it looks like it could be any basketball court.

So, if you’re the kind of person who likes to switch between LLMs based on your task, perhaps choose GPT-5 for writing or coding and Gemini for image or video generation.

GPT-5 is great, but GPT-4o just won't go away

A wrinkle in OpenAI’s GPT-5 rollout is user attachment to older models. GPT-5 was more than two years in the making, as OpenAI reportedly struggled to make an AI model worthy of the title. As it turns out, users didn’t want one. OpenAI is bringing back GPT-4o — a model that was supposed to be sunset in favor of GPT-5 — because of user backlash (via Tom’s Guide).

It might seem silly for those of us who touch grass, but ChatGPT users have seemingly created parasocial relationships with OpenAI models. They’d rather use the AI model they “know” over GPT-5, even if the newer one is better in every way.

I think you can extrapolate this premise to the broader AI race. In some ways, it really doesn’t matter whether Google, OpenAI, Claude, or DeepSeek has the best-performing model. People are going to stick to the models they like and are familiar with, and if that’s the case, OpenAI’s lead in this space may be insurmountable for the competition.

What you need to know

• OpenAI is now leaning on Google Cloud to help carry the backend load for ChatGPT and other AI tools.
• Google Cloud will now power ChatGPT’s Enterprise, Edu, Team plans, and the API.
• Sam Altman blamed the ongoing GPU shortage for the pivot to multiple cloud providers.

OpenAI is tapping Google Cloud to help run the backend for ChatGPT and its other AI tools. Basically, Google is stepping in to handle part of the heavy lifting under the hood.

The AI giant has long leaned solely on Microsoft Azure to keep its services running. But with demand climbing, it’s shifting gears and looking to expand its backend setup and avoid putting all its eggs in Microsoft’s basket.

This marks the first big move in that shift. According to CNBC, OpenAI is about to start running parts of ChatGPT on Google's cloud. OpenAI's updated sub-processor list shows that Google Cloud will now help run ChatGPT’s Enterprise, Edu, and Team plans, plus the API side of things.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wasn’t subtle about it, having recently pointed to the GPU shortage as a major reason behind the push to both scale up and branch out to more cloud partners.

Rumors about the OpenAI-Google Cloud deal first surfaced in June, but the fine print was pretty vague at the time.

Google’s quiet win

OpenAI jumping on board with Google Cloud is a solid win for Google. Even though it trails behind AWS and Azure, Google’s cloud setup will now help power OpenAI’s operations in the U.S., UK, Japan, the Netherlands, and Norway.

This change probably flies under the radar for most users, but it’s a pretty bold shift in strategy. OpenAI, backed by Microsoft and often toe-to-toe with Google in the AI race, is now buying compute power straight from Google. Both have spent billions pushing AI forward, competing in everything from chatbots to search, but now they’re sharing some of the same server space.

By spreading out its cloud partners, OpenAI avoids getting too tied to just one provider. More options equals better deals and first dibs on cutting-edge processors.

OpenAI made artificial intelligence mainstream with the release of ChatGPT in 2022. AI and machine learning were around well before then, but ChatGPT's emergence marked a turning point. Soon after, AI would become everywhere — on our phones, in our favorite apps, and part of our most-used services.

Whenever something new pops up, like ChatGPT, it takes a while for researchers to learn its true effects on our minds and daily lives. That process is only beginning, but an early study from MIT's Media Lab highlights some concerning trends regarding AI usage. It hasn't been peer-reviewed yet and has a small scope, including 54 participants aged 18 to 39 years old from the Boston region.

The results found that people regularly using ChatGPT to write essays had the lowest brain engagement of the groups studied and "consistently underperformed" at all levels compared to the other groups, which used either Google Search or only their own brains to write essays. The study demonstrates "the pressing matter of a likely decrease in learning skills" resulting from LLM use, per the report.

If you use AI tools, that probably sounds scary. You might be wondering whether using generative AI and large language models (LLMs) regularly puts your critical thinking skills at risk. While there's reason for concern, using AI for the right things probably won't be as dangerous to your mind as you might think.

What the MIT study found

First, it's important to understand the scope of the study and what its results actually mean. The team of researchers at MIT wanted to figure out how using AI to write an essay affected participants' learning and brain function. The study contained three groups: a brain-only group, an LLM group, and a search engine group.

The participants were asked to write three essays, one per session while remaining in their group. Those who were in the brain-only group could not use any external tools to write their essays in any of the sessions, for example. Then, in the fourth and final session, LLM users were asked to use only their brains to write an essay, and brain-only users were permitted to use LLMs — 18 participants took part in this final test.

All the while, researchers measured brain activity across 32 regions using an electroencephalogram (EEG), a device that records electrical signals firing in the brain. The tests aimed to record not only how cognitive function behaved during essay writing while using brain-only, LLMs, or search engines but also how it changed following prolonged LLM usage.

Aside from measuring brain activity with EEGs, the researchers conducted interviews with participants after each session. They also used human teachers to score essays while having an "AI judge" evaluate the works.

The results painted a clear picture: brain activity and engagement decreased with the amount of external tools needed. The study found that the brain-only group had the strongest level of brain connectivity, with the search engine group displaying intermediate levels and the LLM group performing the weakest.

When the LLM users were asked to use only their brains to write the final essay, the participants "showed weaker neural connectivity and under-engagement of alpha and beta networks." In contrast, brain-only groups who were then permitted to use an LLM for the final essay "demonstrated higher memory recall, and re‑engagement of widespread occipito-parietal and prefrontal nodes."

In layman's terms, those who used an LLM to write the essays produced lower-quality work, couldn't recall what they had submitted, and had lower brain engagement. Additionally, those who had relied on LLMs before being asked to only use their brains performed worse than the brain-only group.

"The use of LLM had a measurable impact on participants, and while the benefits were initially apparent, as we demonstrated over the course of 4 months, the LLM group's participants performed worse than their counterparts in the Brain-only group at all levels: neural, linguistic, scoring," the study found.

What does this mean for you, an AI user?

The study's results are yet to be peer-reviewed, but let's face it, they aren't exactly surprising. Like any other muscle, your brain needs to be used regularly to stay in shape. If you stop using your brain to write essays, reports, emails, or text messages often, those skills will start to deteriorate.

People who often vouch for AI in learning and work environments often compare chatbots and LLMs to a calculator. When the calculator first became prolific, teachers wanted it banned. Now, calculators are allowed to be used in educational settings and are a vital part of our everyday lives — they're on our phones, computers, and even smartwatches.

I do think generative AI is like a calculator, but maybe not in the way its advocates think. As a writer, I haven't used complex math regularly since my early college days, when I was getting my required math courses out of the way. Since then, a calculator has been my best friend, and guess what? I'm not as good at mental math as I was before.

Similarly, I haven't regularly handwritten words in years — I'm an all-digital person now and have been for some time. When I get handed a form at the doctor's office, my penmanship isn't nearly as good as it once was, and I get hand cramps pretty quickly. All that is to say, the MIT study's findings are really just reinforcing common sense. If you create a dependency on artificial intelligence and stop using a particular skill, you will absolutely lose it.

To me, that's not as scary as it might sound. It all depends on how you incorporate AI into your daily life. Want to use generative AI to make a wallpaper or a cool image to share with your friends? Want Gemini to replace Google Assistant as your voice-based helper on an Android phone? Need it to analyze long documents? I don't think any of these use cases present a significant risk of harming your cognitive abilities.

When you use AI to do something you can do yourself, you're at risk of losing those skills. If you use ChatGPT to write all your emails, documents, and reports, there is a good chance your skills will start to fade away — that's essentially what the MIT study found.

But that's not how I use artificial intelligence, and I don't think that's how most people use it, either. I use AI to do things I couldn't possibly do, and that's why it's helpful. That includes analyzing and summarizing documents that are thousands of pages long or generating an image that I couldn't create because I'm no artist. In those instances, AI is expanding your capabilities, not replacing them.

If you look at AI as a way to elevate your possibilities rather than replace the things you'd rather not do, you probably don't need to change your AI usage habits. However, if you want to use AI to eliminate certain parts of your workflow, think about whether you're willing to lose those skills in the process.

OpenAI caught the tech world by surprise, including stalwarts like Apple and Google. However, those two brands responded to ChatGPT’s success in completely different ways. While the former is still trying to find its footing, Google recovered nicely, and Gemini is arguably a better chatbot for most people than ChatGPT in 2025.

If you’re still using ChatGPT, I don’t blame you. Google’s start in the AI race with Bard wasn’t the best, but it has come a long way in the Gemini era. OpenAI’s 12-hour ChatGPT outage could serve as the perfect reason to give a competitor another shot, like Gemini.

I have access to ChatGPT, Apple Intelligence, Perplexity, and more on my suite of devices, but Gemini is the only AI client I need. In fact, I haven’t used ChatGPT in two years, and these three features help explain why.

Fine-tuned models tailed to specific purposes

The wide variety of models and tools available under the Gemini umbrella is a huge reason why I stick to Google AI’s suite. There are just a few main types of Gemini models, including Gemini Nano, Gemini Flash, and Gemini Pro. It gets more nuanced than that in the nitty-gritty, when you consider offshoots like Gemini Personalization, but those three handle most of your AI needs.

Gemini Nano handles on-device mobile AI tasks, Gemini Flash takes care of simple, everyday requests, and Gemini Pro is for advanced, specialized needs. They’re not just competitors to the latest ChatGPT models; they’re winners. Google currently holds the top two spots on LMArena’s leaderboard, and they’re both preview versions of Gemini 2.5 Pro. The Gemini 2.5 Pro preview model is also the champion on LMArena’s WebDev leaderboard, too.

OpenAI’s models tie for second place on the LMArena leaderboard, but can’t be found until seventh place on the WebDev rankings. The days of OpenAI models being the industry leader in every category are over, as Gemini models will beat ChatGPT models in many major benchmarks. There’s a model for every use case, whether you need an efficient model for on-device processing, a lightweight model to reduce token (cost) usage, a thinking model that shows its work, or a specialized model for specific use cases.

If the expansive set of stock offerings isn’t enough, you can build Gems, which are custom AI chatbots similar to OpenAI’s custom GPTs.

Integration with Android and ChromeOS

For most people, knowing which AI model ranks higher on uber-specific benchmarks is inconsequential for their daily needs. That’s why Gemini’s integration with popular mobile operating systems is its true differentiator. With the Gemini app, you can use the service on a variety of platforms, including iOS and iPadOS. However, things really get good if you happen to use an Android phone, tablet, or a ChromeOS laptop.

Gemini is replacing the Google Assistant, so the AI helper is only a button press or a voice command away at any time on the majority of Android phones. With Gemini Live, you can speak to the AI model in natural language and even share your screen or camera feed to add context. It’s not that ChatGPT can’t do these same things; it’s that they’re packaged in a much more convenient way with Gemini.

The easy access makes Gemini a more helpful companion for solving real-world problems. I use Gemini Live to help figure out why my plants aren’t looking right, or what I can substitute for an ingredient in a recipe. And since Gemini tends to do a better job at providing online sources for its answers, I can quickly fact-check it in a way that I can’t while using ChatGPT.

Integration is Gemini’s calling card, and it’s only going to get better at it. Gemini is coming to Android Auto and Wear OS watches soon, so it’ll be even easier to access the AI features.

Works in tandem with Google Search and Google Workspace

OpenAI has the major advantage of a Microsoft partnership, so Copilot and ChatGPT integration with Microsoft 365 services will be better if you happen to use them. However, Google’s free and accessible model for Google Workspace has helped many people ditch Microsoft 365 (formerly Office) for good. If that sounds like you, you’ll be happy to know that Gemini is deeply integrated with Workspace to help you get productivity tasks done.

Gemini’s presence in Workspace apps goes so deep it’s impossible to cover them all at once. It makes three main types of appearances in the Workspace suite: powering individual features, as standalone apps, and as a chatbot sidebar.

For instance, Workspace apps like Google Vids (an AI-powered presentation generator) and NotebookLM (an AI-powered notebook) are new apps with Gemini AI at their core. Legacy apps like Google Docs or Google Slides have a Gemini sidebar for quick help with tasks such as summarization or generation. They also have individual AI-powered features, like contextual smart replies in Gmail, which leverage Google AI behind the scenes.

That sounds like a lot, but it means that Gemini will meet you where you are. With ChatGPT, you’re likely to switch between windows and apps while copying and pasting in order to complete your tasks. Whether it’s on your Android phone with Gemini Live or on the Gmail site with a Gemini sidebar, Google’s AI will be in more places than ChatGPT ever could be.

The reason why novelty AI devices like the Humane AI Pin or Rabbit R1 failed is that people didn’t want to have to switch devices to access AI. With Gemini, you not only don’t have to switch devices, you don’t even have to change apps.

Best of all, it’s free and easy to use

To top it all off, you can do more for free with Gemini than with ChatGPT. Remember those industry-leading Gemini models I mentioned earlier? They’re available more or less for free. Gemini Live with video streaming and screen sharing? Also free. Yes, there are Gemini Pro and Ultra subscriptions with plenty more features, but the vast majority of tools you’ll need on a daily basis don’t cost a dime. Some don’t even require a Google account.

With all that in mind, I’m happily a Gemini user, and I don’t see any reason to use ChatGPT in 2025.

[Update 6/10 2:45 pm]: ChatGPT seems to be slowly coming back online for most people after a 12-hour outage, as DownDetector reports have started to dwindle. However, OpenAI's status page says, "We are still monitoring the fix and we are working towards full recovery."

What you need to know

• ChatGPT is experiencing a massive global outage with users being unable to use the AI chatbot.
• The outage seems to have started at 2 am ET and is still ongoing, people have spotted error messages pop up when they try to type out a query.
• OpenAI has confirmed the outage and are currently working on a fix.
• Several ChatGPT users are looking at AI alternatives like Google's Gemini, Grok, Perplexity AI.

OpenAI's ChatGPT is currently experiencing a massive outage that began early this morning. According to DownDetector, several reports of the outage began trickling in at around 2:20 am ET, with the spike in outage reports at around 5:30 am ET in the U.S.

The outage on the AI chatbot has continued to peak over the past several hours as people across Europe, North America, and Australia face difficulties accessing ChatGPT.

The outage is impacting both free as well as tiers of the AI chatbot, with users seeing error messages when trying to use the service or ChatGPT failing to load altogether.

OpenAI took to X to confirm the outage and stated that they've identified the root cause and are working as fast as possible to fix the issue. Users can also get the latest updates on the outage from OpenAI's status page, which indicates that "We are continuing to work on implementing the mitigation, and we are now seeing recovery on API. Full recovery across all listed services may take another few hours. We will continue to provide updates as progress is made."

That said, every time there's a massive, unexpected outage on one platform, people tend to look for other alternatives. Several people who use ChatGPT took to X to state that they're using AI alternatives like Google's Gemini, Grok, and Perplexity AI that seem to be up and running as usual.

Google's Gemini stands as a top alternative to OpenAI's ChatGPT, as it can perform similar tasks to the latter. Gemini can give users real-time information about their queries as it directly pulls answers from Google Search. The LLM can summarize lengthy texts, generate ideas for any project, and also bring a whole host of multimodal capabilities with Gemini Live that allow users to engage with Gemini conversationally on the go, utilizing voice and visual input to receive customized responses.

The latest Gemini 2.5 Pro and Flash can even tackle complex problems, analyze data for insights and visualizations, and engage in multi-step planning. Gemini's integration into Google's products like Gmail, Docs, and Sheets also enhances overall productivity.

Do you remember the days of needing to go to the store to pick up a game guide because you couldn't figure out how to beat it? Yeah, that still happens to me, except I don't have to go to the store, as the answer is just a Google search away. But I'm not always playing games on my computer, and even if I'm playing a handheld connected to the internet, I don't want to sift through a bunch of links that may or may not have what I'm looking for.

Last month, the Anbernic RG557 was released, and a recent update introduced "Anbernic AI." Essentially, it's a chatbot that resides on your gaming handheld, designed to provide answers and even translations. After a bit of digging, I found that it's reliant on either Deepseek or Alibaba's Qwen LLMs. That doesn't leave me feeling great, but it got me wondering if I could just make one myself.

With tools like Gemini Gems and ChatGPT GPTs, I set out trying to replicate what Anbernic did, but using AI chatbots that I trust a bit more and trying to get them working on the handheld. It didn't quite work out how I had hoped, but fortunately, that's where NotebookLM came to my rescue.

My failed attempts

No, I didn't use Gemini to build a website or even an app. Instead, I decided now would be a good time to create a Gemini Gem. These were introduced last year, with Google describing them as being "your custom AI experts."

My original idea was that I'd be able to create a Gem and then, when I needed some help or had a question, I could talk to it using Gemini Live. With the recent addition of screen recording, it seems like a no-brainer, as I don't have to try and describe what I'm seeing, I can just show Gemini. Or so I thought.

Unfortunately, you can't yet use Gems with Gemini Live, which is a bummer. Instead, you're stuck with "regular" Gemini for the time being, and while it's fine, I liked the idea of having a Gemini experience dedicated to gaming.

Initially, this is where the story would've ended, as I was able to get Gemini running on my aforementioned RG557. However, curiosity got the better of me, so I wanted to see if the same thing could be achieved with ChatGPT. The app won't run on the RG557, as it's technically rooted, despite having a locked bootloader, and there is no current way around this hurdle.

Naturally, the next thing I did was fire up the ChatGPT app on the Galaxy Z Fold 6. After a bit of poking around, I found that OpenAI offers a similar feature to Gemini Live, and it even told me it would share some lore about the Star Wars universe when I opened KOTOR II.

Sadly, it's the same story as Gemini, as you aren't able to use the "Live" experience with created GPTs. Hopefully, this won't be the case forever, as it would be nice to see the feature parity between Gemini and ChatGPT continue.

NotebookLM to the rescue

Then came along another tangentially related idea. Google has been super-charging NotebookLM, but it's one of those tools that I always seem to forget about. There are a few projects that I have in which NotebookLM could be useful for me, but first, I was curious about how it would do as a gaming encyclopedia of sorts.

There are limitations with NotebookLM, as you can upload only 50 "sources" to one notebook. However, thanks to being subscribed to Google One AI Pro, I'm able to add 300 sources. I say "only" because the idea is to source and upload strategy guides for a variety of retro games.

Needless to say, there are many more than 300 out there, so I opted to take a different approach. Instead, I decided to create notebooks based on the series of games, meaning I'll have one for Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Fallout, and so on.

Thanks to the gaming community, a lot of those old Nintendo Power and Prima strategy guides have been archived. It was simply a matter of sourcing, downloading, and uploading them all to NotebookLM.

However, there was the small problem that many of these old strategy guides are stored in either a CBR or CBZ format. This is no good, as NotebookLM only recognizes PDF, TXT, Markdown, or Audio files when uploading. On the bright side, some quick research revealed that you can convert those CBR or CBZ files to PDF using Calibre. And it's much faster than trying to use any of the "free" online conversion tools.

With that out of the way, I started uploading a few files and then just waited for that to finish. You'd be surprised at how large some of these PDF files can be, and NotebookLM has a size limit of 200MB per file, so keep that in mind.

A little while later, I had a one-stop shop for resources pertaining to a few of the Super Mario games that I've played over the years. Now, whenever I can't remember how to get past Bowser, I can just pull up NotebookLM and ask.

I know that this took a bit of a left turn, considering my original goal, but the overall point is to demonstrate that AI tools can be useful in ways you might not have considered. I don't even know where the idea to create these guides came from, but I'm sure glad it came to me.

No, you aren't able to use it while you're playing like you can with Gemini or ChatGPT. But I have to wonder whether that functionality will be implemented in the near future. I'd really love it if there were a way to create a Gem or GPT that could be used with Gemini Live, but used NotebookLM as the source.

Nevertheless, who knows what these companies are going to bring next? Maybe something else will come along that takes all of this to the next level, and we just don't know it yet.

Most of the dust has settled following Google I/O 2025, and since then, we've been messing around with the various new features that are available. This, for me at least, started with Android 16 QPR1, which introduces all of the new Material 3 Expressive design changes.

A recurring theme that I noticed throughout the Keynote was how Google continued pointing out the variety of ways that Gemini can help you. Not just with your phones and tablets, but for other tasks such as browsing the web with Project Mariner, or even creating full-blown websites.

Seeing as I can barely even get "Hello World" to appear correctly, I figured it might be fun to see what Gemini can do. As it turns out, there's a pretty big anniversary right around the corner, as Android Central's EIC, Shruti Shekar, reminded us that it will have been 20 years since Google bought Android. So, what better way to put Gemini to the test and see what it can come up with?

Setting the parameters

On one hand, you could just go all-in and ask Gemini to create a website, which I did. However, Gemini Advanced isn't the only version that I have at my disposal. As such, I decided to set up a comparison of sorts between the following models:

• Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview
• Gemini 2.5 Flash Preview via Google AI Studio
• ChatGPT o4-mini-high
• Claude Sonnet 4

For further reference, I didn't use something like LM Studio to run these models locally on my computer. Everything was done right from Chrome browser tabs on my desktop PC.

With that out of the way, I started with the most basic of prompts: Create a website about the history of Android.

Gemini 2.5 Pro

Gemini 2.5 Pro took a few seconds, then enabled Canvas, and started writing code for the website. It even told me that "it will be a single-page website," before rendering the page in a preview window for me to see.

After the site finished rendering, Gemini provided a brief explanation as to how it created the site, including the frameworks that it used.

Gemini 2.5 Flash Preview

Using the same prompt, I switched over to Gemini 2.5 Flash Preview in AI Studio and was provided with something a bit different. I fed Gemini the same prompt, and was taken to a completely different dashboard. However, it didn't take long for me to realize that this is essentially a coding studio, as the middle pane shows the layout of various files. Meanwhile, the pane on the right is where I watched the code being generated by Gemini.

A few minutes later, I came back to my computer after grabbing some coffee and was met with an error message in the preview window. I have no clue what it was trying to fetch or why, and thankfully, I didn't need to. In the Code Assistant panel, there's a little button that says "Auto-fix." So obviously, I clicked on it and let Gemini fix its own code.

Not only did it figure out what was wrong, but it also provided an explanation, along with the necessary fixes, and just started updating the code itself. Another minute later, and we had another single-page timeline with some rather interesting image choices and brief descriptions.

ChatGPT o4-mini-high

I don't know whether it was OpenAI or Google that started showing the "thought process," but it can be a nice touch. Especially when you're trying to use these services to accomplish a task that you know nothing about.

Nevertheless, ChatGPT took about 40 seconds to figure out how it was going to structure and create the website. Like Gemini 2.5 Pro, it created a single HTML page, opting for a timeline view, just like the others.

While writing the code, a separate panel appeared to the left of the chat conversation. But unlike the Gemini models, ChatGPT didn't automatically show me the preview once the code was created.

Instead, there's a "Preview" button in the top right corner that shows you what was created when clicked. It's not like this is a big deal, but it's just something that I noticed that was done differently.

Claude 4 Sonnet

Rounding out the pack is Claude 4 Sonnet, which is one of Anthropic's newest models. It followed suit, just like the rest, offering up a single landing page that starts with a timeline. And for some reason, it opted for a light purple background, as opposed to choosing a shade of green.

At first, I expected this to be pretty much what I've seen so far, but Claude had a surprise for me. Below the timeline view were additional sections for "Android by the Numbers" along with "Major Android Versions."

The former just shows various statistics about market share, active devices, etc. But the latter highlighted a few of the more important Android releases, while also providing four of the biggest features for each release.

Overall thoughts

Considering that I provided each of these AI chatbots with a simple prompt, I'm not really surprised that it resulted in some pretty basic designs. Some are more complex than others, but each one is just a single static page.

Going into this, I assumed that this Gemini 2.5 Pro-generated website would be the most basic of the four, but as it turns out, that was the wrong assumption. In fact, if all I needed (or wanted) was a single HTML page, this would be the one I would start with.

It doesn't start off with an actual timeline, but begins with neatly organized sections for each timeframe while offering thorough descriptions. Scroll past that, and we have a compressed timeline, along with two more sections about Android's impact and "The Horizon."

Funnily enough, I was actually most disappointed with the Gemini 2.5 Flash Preview model. Gemini 2.5 Flash Preview was the only model that threw back any kind of errors. Of course, this was quickly remedied with the push of a button, but I kind of feel like it shouldn't have happened to begin with.

In terms of design, the award for worst goes to ChatGPT, as it's about as barebones as it gets.

Go big or go home, or just stay home

"You get out what you put in." That's a phrase that I have to constantly remind myself of whenever using LLM models. If I only ask a basic question or provide a basic prompt, I'm only going to get basic results, with the rare and random overachiever response.

So if you want something more in-depth and can't figure out the right prompt to enter, let AI do it for you, which is exactly what I did, as I knew that the basic prompt might not give me the results I wanted. And all I asked was, "Create a prompt to use if I want to create a website about the history of Android."

Funnily enough, Gemini gave me something that looked similar to what the Gemini 2.5 Flash Preview gave me earlier. If you want to check it out for yourself, you can see the prompt here, but I then took this detailed "prompt" and ran it through all four models.

For the sake of brevity, I won't go through each result, but the gallery of screenshots above shows the responses. This time around, things were just a bit different, with Gemini basically regurgitating the prompt. ChatGPT kind of did the same, but at least gave me an HTML snippet for a "Hero Section." Other than that, it just broke down each section further, which obviously, isn't what I was hoping for.

Claude took a similar approach to Gemini 2.5 Pro, featuring sections packed with details and information. And while this is still just a single page, it added shortcuts at the top so you can jump between sections.

I had high hopes for Gemini 2.5 Flash Preview, but after being prompted to leave the page, it threw another error that needed to be fixed. And another, and another, and another, etc. After clicking the Fix Now button at least five or six times, the website finally rendered.

It's easily the most in-depth of the bunch, as there are actually multiple pages, as opposed to everything on one. However, even the home page is chock-full of information, even if the stock images are laughably off the mark.

This was really only the first step

More importantly, this is kind of what I had envisioned when setting out on this project. Partially because that's how my brain operates, but also because I'm a fan of the "completionist" approach to certain websites.

The kicker about this is that it's really just the first step. You can't actually visit any of these websites that were created, as you need a host and a domain. Not to mention that none of the populated information has been fact-checked. Once all of that's done, then I'll go through and replace the placeholder images throughout before pushing the site live.

However, it did help open my eyes a bit to what's possible, even if it's something that seems as basic as building a website. Oh, and by the way, keep your eyes peeled, because we may or may not have something special to share in the very near future.

What you need to know

• Canada gets a dedicated federal Artificial Intelligence minister, marking the creation of this new division as part of the innovation portfolio.
• Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed journalist Evan Solomon to lead this division
• Marking the growing importance of Artificial Intelligence and how it impacts all sectors of society.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed former broadcast journalist Evan Solomon as the new federal Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Minister. This makes him Canada's first federal AI minister (as reported by the Canadian Press).

By creating this new division in his cabinet, he will solely be responsible for overseeing the steadfast growth in the sector and its integration into the country's economy.

Since 2022, the Canadian government has been talking about AI and even introduced bills, like the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA), which was the most comprehensive bill that detailed a national AI framework, but none of these bills have gone to become laws yet.

As of now, Solomon's specific mandates have not been made public. However, according to the National Post, Solomon's responsibilities would likely focus on three main items: "re-igniting Canada’s technology sector, updating its framework policies to deal with a wide range of digital issues, including finding the balance between economic growth and security and privacy concerns, and improving the federal government’s efforts to make better use of digital technology."

The appointment of a dedicated Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation could be a step in the right direction. To note, the Ministry of Innovation has been part of the country for many years; however, it now has an AI sub-section.

It is also important to note that Prime Minister Carney's ties to the U.K. and the E.U., and the E.U.'s approach to tech regulation with the Digital Markets Act, might influence Canada's AI legislative direction.

Canada might take a page from the EU's notebook for some of its principles with tech innovation and addressing the risks beforehand.

It is also important that earlier this year, President Trump appointed venture capitalist David Sacks the first-ever artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency czar. While other countries like France and the UAE also have ministers tending to AI within broader portfolios.

What you need to know

• ChatGPT can now be set as a default assistant on Android phones.
• A beta version of the app revealed that it shows up in one of the options for the device's digital assistant.
• You can wake ChatGPT by long pressing the home button or any other gesture that you'd use for Google.
• However, the downside is that you cannot invoke it with a voice command or a hot word.

While Google is trying to replace Assistant with Gemini, ChatGPT seems to be on the same mission. The newest Beta version of the app reveals that you can do more with ChatGPT on Android Phones.

Spotted on the v1.2025.070 beta of the app on Android(via Android Authority), users can now set ChatGPT as the device’s default assistant app. Not only that, but it will also let them trigger ChatGPT using all the same way you would for Google Assistant or Gemini.

To set ChatGPT as your default assistant, you'd have to head into the device's settings and manually pick ChatGPT as the option under the "Default Digital Assistant App" option.

Once users have done the above, it will enable them to launch the assistant by either long pressing the home button or swiping from the bottom corner of the screen, while using gesture navigation, the publication added.

However, having ChatGPT be your default assistant does have its drawbacks. Users cannot wake it with a voice command like you would say "Hey Google." "As that functionality requires access to privileged APIs only available to trusted, preinstalled apps," Android Authority added.

However, once triggered with a long press of the home button, you see a circular globe-like animation at the center of the screen, after that users can interact with it as you normally would use ChatGPT.

Furthermore, ChatGPT introduced new AI tools last month, that could help users cut their research time in half. It could mimic the process of a human analyst, scouring through online sources to give users an in-depth report based on their prompt. However, this feature is only available to Pro users, unlike Gemini's Deep Research feature which is free for a couple of prompts after the recent app update.

Super Bowl ads usually have two flavors: sentimental, sappy messages about love and acceptance or corny, celebrity-filled comedy routines that stick in your memory. Google took the first route to great effect, while Meta flopped hard with the second approach. And it was ChatGPT's Super Bowl commercial that really stood out amid the usual fare.

Having reviewed the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses — and as a casual fan of Thor and Star-Lord — I was looking forward to some goofy himbos learning about the world through Meta AI and looking stylish doing it.

Instead, both ad spots fixated on mocking modern art for laughs — which feels a bit mean-spirited when you think about AI stealing art and putting artists out of work — and, more importantly, didn't make it clear to non-tech people what the glasses actually do that's helpful in their daily lives.

The Super Bowl ad banked too much on star power and not enough on the inherent need people have to learn more about the world around them. I'd have put the glasses on an inquisitive child actor instead, with a parent relieved that someone else is answering "What's this?" over and over.

It's not like Meta isn't already doing a good job getting these on people's faces. Meta sold one million AI glasses last year and will start selling Oakleys next with the same Meta AI smarts, so this ad seemed like it could jumpstart the journey towards "hundreds of millions" of smart glasses that Mark Zuckerberg wants. But I don't know if anyone watching the ad would have seen a compelling reason to buy the Ray-Bans.

Meanwhile, Google's Pixel 9 with Gemini Live Super Bowl commercial didn't focus that much on the tech specifics either, but it worked more effectively because of the underlying heart behind it. Where so many other commercials tapped into the political landscape and discussed hate and loving your neighbor, Google focused on familial love and believing in yourself, with some subtle AI thrown in there.

The commercial starts with a man practicing for a job interview before reminiscing about his life as a father, with Gemini Live helpfully prompting certain memories and rephrasing statements to make him sound confident and qualified.

Google's other Super Bowl ads may have inspired controversy, but this one tugs at the heartstrings whether you're a parent or a child of loving parents, and it's bookended by the focus on the Pixel 9 and the simple idea that you can have a meaningful and professionally helpful conversation with your phone. Whether the reality lives up to the ad or not, it was effective!

The ChatGPT ad pleasantly stood out in a sea of forced sentimentality and hammy joke cameos. Even for folks who know little about AI, the message is straightforward: this technology is about to explode. It's built to help people with a variety of tasks, and AI is a canvas that lets anyone be creative and give life to ideas they couldn't generate solely on their own.

Plus, you can't deny that the visuals looked very cool — a combination of retro and futuristic. When every commercial has a Matthew McConaughey — whose Salesforce Super Bowl commercial was extremely vague about what AI actually does — the ChatGPT pitch to the world stood out more than the rest.

I also counted a few app and website commercials with celeb or comedian cameos like DoorDash (Nate Bargatze), Homes.com (Morgan Freeman), Squarespace (Barry Keoghan), and TurboTax (Issa Rae) that were all cute and harmless enough, but not necessarily standing out from the pack.

Then there was the T-Mobile/Starlink ad for the "only space-based network" that'll target 500,000 square miles of U.S. dead zones, with free coverage for T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T customers through July.

This partnership has been in the works since 2022, with the beta launching last month. Frankly, this commercial was very straightforward; it didn't have much of a "wow" factor, or a pithy "Can you hear me now?" tagline. I doubt it stuck in very many people's minds, amidst the Chiefs' epic Super Bowl flop and the Eagles' heroics. And that's a shame, because it's certainly a cool promotion.

Our country's collective obsession with Super Bowl commercials aside, I find it interesting to see how different companies are trying to shove AI and smart glasses into the collective consciousness, with varying levels of success.

We've thankfully moved on from the crypto ads that dominated Super Bowl ads in previous years. AI seems more likely to stick around in adverts for years to come, as different brands all strive to beat DeepSeek and convince you that their AI is the smartest and most helpful.

Don't be surprised if the biggest tech brands continue to focus on AI at the next Super Bowl. The challenge will be figuring out how to advertise their AIs getting smarter when these ads already make them sound like they have limitless potential.

What you need to know

• OpenAI just launched Deep Research for ChatGPT, a fast AI tool that cranks out detailed research reports in minutes instead of hours.
• Deep Research mimics a human analyst, scouring and blending online sources for well-rounded reports.
• It’s available for ChatGPT Pro users at $200 a month, with a limit of 100 queries per month.

OpenAI has unveiled a new AI agent for ChatGPT that cranks out detailed research reports in no time. Think of it as your fast pass to pro-level insights, removing the need to wait around for ages to get the info you need.

OpenAI’s Deep Research is designed to take on tough research tasks by diving into multi-step investigations across the web. It slashes the time needed for deep research, pulling off in minutes what used to take hours of manual work (via Android Authority).

Mimicking the careful process of a human analyst, it scours, sorts, and blends tons of online sources to spit out detailed, well-rounded reports, according to OpenAI's announcement.

Once you give Deep Research a solid prompt and iron out a few quick details, it gets to work on its own, crunching data behind the scenes. While it might take anywhere from five to 30 minutes to finish, OpenAI says this smart system can smash through hours of human research in just a fraction of the time.

With rivals, especially Chinese companies like DeepSeek, heating up the race, OpenAI’s launch of Deep Research is a big leap forward in building smarter, more independent AI tools.

Built on OpenAI’s upcoming o3 model, Deep Research is designed for professionals who need solid, in-depth insights. Whether you're in finance, science, policy, or engineering, this tool helps tackle heavy research with accuracy and reliability.

This AI agent works on its own, mapping out and executing multi-step research while staying flexible enough to backtrack and adapt to real-time info when needed.

Rather than solely producing text, this AI lays out its whole research process in a sidebar—citations, methodology, and all—so you see exactly how it got there.

Deep Research looks ready to shake up knowledge work, bringing big benefits to its users. The features it offers seem pretty similar to Google Gemini's Deep Research too.

Google rolled out its own version last year for subscribers, aiming to cut research time down to minutes instead of hours. OpenAI's Deep Research seems to be chasing the same goal.

Deep Research is currently available on the web for ChatGPT Pro subscribers, costing $200 a month, with a cap of 100 queries per month.

What you need to know

• OpenAI's ChatGPT is rolling out a beta for a new feature dubbed "Scheduled Tasks."
• These Tasks let users tell the AI what they need to stay reminded about or for news of a particular subject.
• ChatGPT's Scheduled Tasks are rolling out for Plus, Pro, and Team users on Android, iOS, the web, and MacOS.
• OpenAI recently debuted ChatGPT Search, which is yet another area the company has moved in on that reminds you of Google.

OpenAI is bringing a new feature to its ChatGPT beta testers that might aid them with daily tasks.

Recently, the company detailed the start of its "Scheduled Tasks" beta for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team users (via Gizchina). The changelog states that users can utilize Scheduled Tasks to create "automated prompts" that ChatGPT will run at your specified time and date. The feature is reportedly available after tapping your profile icon and navigating to "Tasks."

From there, users can create a title and an appropriate schedule. However, the most important aspect of this is the "instructions" box.

This box is where users can ask ChatGPT to remind them about something that needs to be done or to scour the internet for information and news. The post gives the following example: "Can you give me a briefing on AI news each afternoon?"

As the beta begins, OpenAI is already detailing the limitations of its AI-based Tasks feature. It states that, due to its utilization of GPT-4o, ChatGPT can handle 10 tasks at a time. Moreover, Tasks does not support voice chats, file uploads, or GPTs.

Some additional details regarding Tasks include the tester's ability to "edit" and "pause" them. Additionally, users can open Tasks up to notifications via the web. The company states that users will likely have to grant the AI the appropriate permissions before it can alert you once a Task is ready.

Speaking of notifications, ChatGPT's Scheduled Tasks are available for testers via mobile (Android/iOS), the web, and MacOS. Users with the Windows app will have to wait until later in Q1.

Users with ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team should begin noticing Scheduled Tasks appear with the "beta" tag.

We've heard of Tasks from Google before and it seems that OpenAI's ChatGPT is moving in (once again) on the former's territory. More importantly, OpenAI moved in on a major part of what Google is known for in October as it debuted ChatGPT Search. At its core, this AI-powered search engine lets users conversate with the AI for "quick, relevant information." OpenAI also highlighted its work with news and data providers to ensure that the information users see is up-to-date.

Elsewhere, ChatGPT Search prominently features "Sources" for users interested in fact-checking the AI's online work.

What makes this feel like Google is that ChatGPT Search's responses are designed to be quick and succinct. Kind of like Google's AI Overviews.

Ever since OpenAI released ChatGPT at the tail end of 2022, the tech industry has been chasing artificial intelligence. For the past few years, tech companies have been ramping up AI development — and you could argue that everyone has been trying to catch OpenAI. Still, it feels like no one has figured out the "killer app" for AI just yet. The year 2024 can be characterized by the tech industry putting AI absolutely everywhere it could, trying to figure out what would stick.

The new year will mark a significant shift, and the way consumers interact with AI in 2025 is poised to change. Currently, you need to go out of your way to use it. Loading up the ChatGPT website or calling upon the Gemini assistant is necessary to converse with AI helpers. Next year, that likely won't be the case. AI will be baked into the operating systems and software you use and will become capable enough that it'll expectedly start doing things completely on your behalf.

The end of this year has brought a few glimpses of what's to come in 2025. Project Astra is being tested by people outside of Google, Android XR is the first operating system built with Gemini at the core, and Apple Intelligence is now available with ChatGPT integration.

We don't have to guess what AI will bring in 2025 — tech companies and their executives have already laid out many of their plans. There are still questions to answer, though. Which companies can actually deliver on their promises, how will they change how we use mobile devices and wearables, and what privacy implications will these shifts have?

AI will become the heart of mobile operating systems

Up until now, artificial intelligence has powered many individual features and apps. Some have been widely successful — OpenAI reported ChatGPT had 200 million weekly users as of August 2024 — and others less so. Gemini, for example, was downloaded about 780,000 times in September 2024, per Statista. The number for ChatGPT? That would be 4.2 million downloads in the same month, despite the ChatGPT app already being available on iOS and Android for more than a year.

Meanwhile, hardware devices created with AI at their center have definitively failed, and the Rabbit R1 and Humane AI Pin are two key examples from this year. Specifically, the Rabbit R1 was a tiny AI device that touted a "Large Action Model" that could take actions on your behalf. Asking the Rabbit R1 to play a song would require it to use Spotify for you, and ordering food would have Rabbit literally use a DoorDash client on a remote server for you.

The reason these devices failed is because, well, people already have great phones. They're more powerful and better suited for AI tasks than specialized hardware devices. In 2025, these mainstream devices will become more akin to the failed AI products. The Rabbit R1 and Humane AI Pin both aim to use AI to complete tasks for you, and soon, your smartphones, tablets, and wearables will do the same.

Rabbit's failed idea regarding the LAM is what Google and others are trying to do right with agentic AI models.

"Over the last year, we have been investing in developing more agentic models, meaning they can understand more about the world around you, think multiple steps ahead, and take action on your behalf, with your supervision," said Google CEO Sundar Pichai in a blog post announcing Gemini 2.0. "With new advances in multimodality — like native image and audio output — and native tool use, it will enable us to build new AI agents that bring us closer to our vision of a universal assistant."

What does that look like? It depends on the company. Google is building Project Astra, a multimodal AI helper that I tried at Google I/O 2024. It's able to take in your surroundings and use external sources to process queries and then respond with multimodal output. For example, you might ask a question verbally with Project Astra using a camera or a search engine to gain proper context. Then, it can respond with written text, a generated image, or spoken word — or a combination of the above.

Though Project Astra is only being tested through Google's "trusted tester program," the company has shown off the software on phones, glasses, and headsets. It also announced Android XR, a brand-new operating system for headsets and wearables with Gemini at the core. It's safe to say that Project Astra will arrive on hardware next year, and that could include Pixel phones and an unreleased Samsung headset.

Separately, Google has Project Mariner, a research prototype that will literally browse Chrome for you in the works. Meta AI already has multimodal support on Ray-Ban Meta glasses, and Apple has Visual Intelligence on iOS 18.2. Last but not least, OpenAI has ChatGPT-4o, a multimodal assistant much like Project Astra.

There's something that all these features have in common: they will all become deeply integrated with smartphone, tablet, and wearable operating systems. When available, Project Astra will all but certainly debut on Pixel hardware in 2025. Similarly, ChatGPT-4o is available now on iOS 18.2 since Apple Intelligence features ChatGPT integration.

ChatGPT is available system-wide in iOS 18.2, since you can invoke it anywhere with Siri. That's just like how Android users can set Gemini as their default assistant. Additionally, Apple Intelligence's Writing Tools are available anywhere you can access the keyboard. Samsung will follow suit with One UI 7.

So, two things are going to happen with AI in 2025. On one hand, AI services like Project Astra, ChatGPT-4o, and Visual Intelligence will use multimodal processing and actions to control your mobile devices for you. On the other, smaller AI features will be ingrained into the operating system, so you won't have to go to individual apps to access services like Gemini or ChatGPT.

Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google DeepMind, told The Verge in an interview: "We really see 2025 as the true start of the agent-based era."

Google, Apple, OpenAI, and others will compete to build the best models

One of the key unknowns for AI in 2025 is whether progress is destined to stall. Some experts believe that AI progress was achieved so quickly in 2023 and 2024 that it is bound to plateau in 2025. Top executives have, on occasion, acknowledged a potential slowdown. However, they're united against the idea of a "wall" or that we've reached the limits of AI progress for now.

"When you start out quickly scaling up, you can throw more compute, and you can make a lot of progress, but you definitely are going to need deeper breakthroughs as we go to the next stage," Pichai said at the Dealbook Summit earlier this month. "So you can perceive it as there's a wall, or there's some small barriers."

In one of his classic cryptic posts on X (formerly Twitter), OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed a similar sentiment, saying, "There is no wall."

Regardless of whether there will or won't be a slowdown, companies like Apple, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google will all be vying to build the fastest and most efficient AI models. While companies such as Google have vastly improved their AI models, OpenAI's headstart and ChatGPT's brand recognition have been significant hurdles for competitors. Even if other companies are better than OpenAI, users might not care enough to switch.

They'll also be navigating uncharted legal waters as the government and society decide what's up for grabs in terms of AI training material. The New York Times is just one example of an entity currently suing OpenAI for what it alleges is a breach of copyright law.

Many of these cases are currently ongoing, and we can expect some to come to a head in 2025. Additionally, it's only a matter of time before more governments and regulators try to institute safeguards and protections around AI development and use.

AI privacy and safeguards will be something to watch in 2025

Finally, we'll end our preview of AI in 2025 with a look at what types of privacy efforts and safeguards will be put in place next year. Unfortunately, I think the lines may become blurred as to what is public and private when it comes to AI.

Apple Intelligence is commonly referred to as the industry standard for AI privacy — the company developed custom Private Cloud Compute servers that run a hardened OS, and Apple dares hackers to try and crack it. If they do, there's up to a million-dollar reward.

The problem is that there are three types of security levels baked into Apple Intelligence. Some tasks run on-device using the NPU inside Apple silicon chips, and others are outsourced to Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers. You won't know whether an Apple Intelligence task is running on-device or not. That's up to Apple, and you have to trust it.

Then, there's ChatGPT integration, which Apple views separately from Apple Intelligence — there are some privacy protections for users, but their requests are still shared with OpenAI, even if they aren't stored. If you link your ChatGPT account with iOS 18, something that's required to use ChatGPT Plus and Pro, you agree to OpenAI's privacy policies, not Apple's.

In 2025, I think there will be so many AI features baked into our essential devices that it'll be impossible to truly think about the privacy policies and safeguards for each. It'll be akin to agreeing to the "terms and conditions" before setting up a new device. We'll have to trust that AI companies are acting in our best interests. The only way we'll know that companies aren't living up to their promises is when they inevitably fall short.

What you need to know

• OpenAI announced the arrival of ChatGPT Search on mobile and desktop for free tier users.
• The post also states that it will display important links before ChatGPT Search's compiled information to aid those who've set it as their default engine.
• Additional features like Maps in the ChatGPT app and "Advanced Voice" search were also teased.
• OpenAI launched ChatGPT Search for Plus and Teams users late in October as it looked to take on Google.

OpenAI expands its recently revealed search engine to more users and highlights upcoming features.

On X, OpenAI posted a thread that initially announced the arrival of its ChatGPT Search engine for "all Free users" today (Dec 18). The post highlights that users on its free tier can utilize ChatGPT Search "globally" on their mobile and desktop devices. However, it seems that you are required to sign in before you're able to utilize it.

OpenAI's announcement continues by detailing three new features inbound, such as what happens if it's your default search engine. Users can do this by clicking the "DE" button at the top right of ChatGPT Search. Moreover, the company is shifting how it displays relevant links to accompany this. Now, after typing your query into your address bar, ChatGPT Search will display links ahead (above) of the "relevant information" found during its lookup.

OpenAI states this should help users navigate the web quickly to find what they need. Users can continue looking through relevant links by tapping the arrow icon in the results to produce a side panel.

Additionally, OpenAI states an arrow placed near the engine's offered links will produce a sidebar. This panel will contain an extensive list of extra, relevant links to your query in a neater space. The company states these small changes are the result of feedback from its Plus users shortly after ChatGPT Search launched.

Elsewhere, the thread detailed an upcoming feature called "Advanced Voice" for ChatGPT on mobile. Users will soon find a new "wave" icon when entering the app and opening its text field. Tapping that will surface ChatGPT's AI, which will await your prompt. In the demo, ChatGPT delivers its results vocally; however, there is a chance to offer a follow-up question to the AI afterward.

The company states Advanced Voice will arrive in the ChatGPT app "over the next week."

The final update concerns a map integration with the AI on mobile. OpenAI says users can "search for and chat" about locations.

OpenAI launched ChatGPT Search late in October, which brought it into contention with Google's version. The company stated the purpose of its search engine is to give users "better answers" quickly. The AI backing this feature is said to understand a person's natural and conversational speech. Moreover, it will consider the "full context" of your query before delivering its results.

There is also a convenient button to access the AI's sources so users can fact-check what they've been given.

While ChatGPT Search takes the fight to Google, it is reminiscent of the latter's AI Overviews.

This is Android Central's News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week's most significant tech stories. This is where we delve into the top headlines that provide the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.

This week, Samsung's earnings reveal its plans for 2025, Google Maps is getting better at navigation, OpenAI launches its Google Search competitor, the OnePlus 13 is official in China, and you can now buy a Certified refurbished Pixel phone.

Samsung's 2025: A cheaper foldable and XR glasses?

Read more here.

Big tech earnings began this week, and Samsung announced its quarterly report on Thursday. While these can be kind of boring, sometimes interesting details can arise from them regarding a company's near-term plans. Samsung's summary of its Q3 2024 financial report highlighted its various businesses and gave us a glimpse into its plans for 2025 regarding phones, XR, and more.

Unsurprisingly, the company plans to launch the Galaxy S25 in the first half of 2025. If we go by last year's schedule, we can expect the phone to launch in January, along with the stable One UI 7 update. However, that may not be the only exciting phone coming next year, as Samsung seemingly teased a cheaper foldable could be in the works to help promote adoption and offer competitively priced devices. Samsung has previously dismissed the idea of a cheaper foldable, so we hope the company provides.

Finally, Samsung made a small mention of "XR devices" and its desire for the Samsung Health platform to take advantage of what we can assume will be Samsung Glasses, along with the Galaxy Ring.

Google Maps gets upgrades you'll care about

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A decade after Google Maps started guiding users to the correct lane during navigation, the company is now making it even easier to see which lane you should be in. With an update to Google Maps coming to Android phones and iPhones this month, users will be able to clearly see which lane they need to be in and when, thanks to a zoomed-in view.

This will initially be available in 30 cities in the U.S., but Google plans to eventually expand the feature outside North America as well as to Android Auto and Carplay.

Gemini is also getting some Maps integration and can provide ideas for activities, showing users various review summaries of places to figure out the vibe. There are a ton of other updates as well, such as help with parking, navigation to places from where you've parked, expanded user reports, and more, which you should start to see rolling out through November.

ChatGPT is moving in on Google's territory

Read more here.

OpenAI's ChatGPT changed the game with generative AI to the point where many saw that Google was playing catch-up with the company. Now, OpenAI is playing catch-up with Google with its latest effort: ChatGPT search.

While you can still converse with ChatGPT naturally to get answers to queries, ChatGPT search will scour the web and display relevant results to users. This can happen within a chat, or users can manually begin a search, as a dedicated button will be integrated into the chat UI, making it a secondary component.

Furthermore, ChatGPT will make it easy to access sources, with links just under the results and accessible via a Sources bar on the side that you can open with just a click.

OpenAI says this will initially be available on the web and its apps for certain users, such as ChatGPT Plus and Team users, as well as those on the SearchGPT waitlist, while all free users will eventually have access to the feature.

The OnePlus 13 looks like the phone to beat

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The OnePlus 13 is officially here, although not for everyone. The phone has launched in China, with a global launch expected later this year or at the top of 2025, but this initial launch gives us a full look at the phone and what we can expect when it comes to the rest of the world.

The OnePlus 13 features a mostly flat 6.8-inch 2K OLED display that has a slight curve on all sides. The display has a 120Hz refresh rate and is incredibly bright, with a 4500 nit peak. On the back is a triple camera setup consisting of three 50MP cameras, including a 120-degree ultrawide and 3x telephoto lens.

The phone runs OxygenOS 15 based on Android 15, meaning you'll have some of the latest features like Circle to Search and more.

Powering everything is Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Elite and up to 24GB of RAM, meaning the phone is well equipped for the AI era and will have plenty of power. And keeping the lights on is a massive 6,000mAh battery that supports 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. There is magnetic charging, but only if you use a case.

The phone is available now for preorder in China, but we'll be on the lookout for a global launch.

Discounted Pixels

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Google has finally launched a Certified Refurbished program where it sells Pixel phones at a discount. These are fully inspected, with Google checking the battery, housing, and screens "for any imperfections" and using "authentic Google parts" to repair them if and when needed.

The Certified Refurbished program consists of the Pixel 6 and newer devices, with the phones discounted as much as 40% off and still getting the same one-year warranty as a new Pixel. Google also says the devices will feature the latest Android software, although it's important to note that as of October 2024, support for OS upgrades on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro has officially ended, meaning the devices will only receive security updates until 2026.

Google isn't the first to offer such a program, with Samsung continuously adding Galaxy phones to its Certified Renewed program. Still, it's good to see Google making the effort to bring more sustainable options, even if we question the pricing of these devices.

More stories this week

Those are some of the biggest stories from this week. Meanwhile, here are some other stories that are worth catching up on:

• Samsung wraps up the One UI 6 Watch beta, drops the stable version for the Galaxy Watch 6
• The future of Google's Pixel Watches is looking mighty powerful
• Samsung's Android 15 update gets an up-close reveal in this One UI 7 hands-on video
• The OnePlus Open 2 could get the one feature we wish its predecessor had
• Galaxy S25 colors leak along with some underwhelming screen specs
• Google is reportedly launching a new Gemini model in December
• Pixel Tablet 3 rumor makes it sound like a more useful laptop replacement
• Latest Google Pixel 9a leak says it might strive for Pro XL power levels
• Early leak claims Samsung is working on a couple of rugged Pro models
• Samsung reportedly considers dropping 'Galaxy' brand for some devices, but the move might not go how it thinks

What you need to know

• OpenAI debuted a new feature called ChatGPT Search to take on Google.
• ChatGPT Search lets users engage in conversation with its AI to find quick, relevant information for their query.
• The feature also displays a "Sources" button so users can fact-check the AI or learn more about a subject.
• OpenAI states this is rolling out to Plus, Team, and SearchGPT waitlist users first before hitting free users "over the coming months."

OpenAI's take on search is here as ChatGPT begins rolling it out today (Oct 31) for Plus, Team, and SearchGPT waitlist users first.

Per a blog post, OpenAI states users can find Search available via ChatGPT's web and mobile apps. When opening the app, users will find the standard "Message ChatGPT" text box with a new globe icon for Search. OpenAI states the AI will decide to scour the web "based on what you've asked;" however, the new button is there to force the model into an online search.

The backbone of this new ChatGPT Search feature is the company's interest in delivering "better answers" quickly.

The post states users can type to ChatGPT using "natural and conversational" speech. After asking a question, the AI will respond with information sourced from other websites. OpenAI highlights its partnership with news and data providers to ensure ChatGPT's answers include "up-to-date information."

ChatGPT Search also piggybacks off partner-provided data and information via third-party search engines and a "fine-tuned" variant of GPT-4o.

OpenAI states its ChatGPT Search offers a button at the bottom of its response labeled "Sources." Initially, the pill-shaped icon will display a few icons from the sources it grabbed its information. Clicking on this button will produce a sidebar with the website names and article titles.

Users can click on these to learn more — and to fact-check the AI model.

Additionally, OpenAI states users can ask follow-up questions after ChatGPT delivers a response. The post claims the AI will take the "full context" of what you said to search for a "better answer."

ChatGPT Search will arrive for Enterprise and Edu users "in the next few weeks." Finally, free users are set to pick it up "over the coming months."

We've been expecting OpenAI's take on search with ChatGPT ever since it was rumored earlier this year. Those rumors were based on a discovery within OpenAI's certificate logs and comments by its CEO, Sam Altman. The company's head was on a podcast and reportedly discussed AI alongside search.

One thing for sure is that ChatGPT Search will sit opposite Google's AI model Gemini and its AI Overviews in Search. Google's AI Overviews are closer to what OpenAI has done with ChatGPT Search. The company launched its quick, bite-sized boxes of information in Search during I/O 2024 in May. Google has upgraded its AI Overviews with backlinking to fact-check the AI's responses and a more "organized" view.

This is Android Central's News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week's most significant tech stories. This is where we delve into the top headlines that provide the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.

This week, we got what could be our first look at the designs of the Galaxy S25 series, Huawei took a step beyond the competition by launching the first tri-fold phone, Google makes Gemini Live free for all, OpenAI is taking a step back by giving its AI time to "think," and Google is seemingly making it harder to sideload apps on Android.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra looks very flat

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There are probably several months before the Galaxy S25 series launches in early 2025, and we're finally getting a glimpse of what the phones may look like. The Galaxy S25 Ultra was the first to break cover, and it will seemingly receive the most visual changes compared to its predecessor.

According to the leaked images posted by OnLeaks, the phone will sport a flat design, which will more closely resemble the lower-end Galaxy S24 phones. This is a stark departure from the previous Ultra phones, which have sported curved displays for a number of years, although they have been steadily flattening out. According to the renders, the display, frame, and back panel appear to be more or less completely flat, although the corners are a bit more rounded.

No S Pen was included in the renders, but we still expect it on the phone.

Additionally, we got a leaked render of the base Galaxy S25, which looks pretty identical to its predecessor, complete with a flat back, flat frame, and flatter displays. It may be slightly smaller and thinner, with a 6.2-inch display, and the cameras may also adopt the same design as the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

These phones are expected to launch in January 2025.

The Huawei Mate XT is the ultimate foldable design

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While companies like TECNO have shown off tri-fold phones before, they've been nothing more than enticing concepts—until now. Huawei is the first company to launch a commercially available tri-fold phone with the Mate XT.

The phone starts with a reasonable 6.4-inch display when completely folded, and the phone is only 12.8mm in this form, just a hair thicker than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 when folded. You can unfold the Mate XT once to unveil a larger 7.9-inch panel and then again if you want the full 10.2-inch tablet-like experience.

While the company hasn't revealed the chipset, it's reportedly powered by a Kirin 9010 (7nm), aided by 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. On the back is a 50MP triple camera setup, with a single selfie camera on the display. There is also a 5600mAh battery with 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.

The phone costs somewhere in the ballpark of $2,800, but it is only available for purchase in China.

Gemini Live lives rent-free on your phone

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When the Pixel 9 launched, Gemini Live was one of the defining new features, which is a version of Gemini that's meant to have more natural-sounding conversations. At launch, this feature was only available to Google One subscribers with Gemini Advanced.

As of Thursday, September 12, Google is unshackling Gemini Live (English) from the subscription, making it available for Android users with the Gemini app.

In our testing, Gemini Live has proven fairly impressive for getting inspiration and bouncing off ideas, although the chatbot isn't perfect (AI is just that; the intelligence is artificial). Android Central senior editor Nick Sutrich had Gemini Live make him a grocery list for a week to test out how it could handle such queries. You can read about his experience here, but we also suggest you give Gemini Live a try on your phone.

OpenAI gives its AI more time to "think"

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In a time when information is expected to be presented immediately, OpenAI is moving in the opposite direction with its new AI models.

OpenAI o1 is currently in preview, but it's designed to handle complex tasks in subjects like science, coding, and math. What makes it unique is that OpenAI o1 is designed to spend more time "thinking" and working out a problem before it churns out an answer. This has actually shown to make it more accurate, with the model managing to get 83% of the International Mathematics Olympiad exam questions correct, a huge leap from 13% with the ChatGPT-4 model.

To learn more about how the AI model thinks, you can check out OpenAI's article, which explains the chain of thought and other technical aspects of the technology.

Google really wants you to download Play Store apps

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One of the benefits of Android is the ability to easily sideload apps without downloading them from the Play Store. However, it seems Google is tightening things up with its new Google Play Integrity API, which highly encourages Play Store downloads when attempting to sideload apps.

According to Android Authority, this is done by performing a series of checks to determine the environment the app was downloaded in, and developers can more or less force users to the Play Store version of the app if it's determined that the app was sideloaded. Going through with this means the unrecognized version of the app will be replaces by the official Play Store version.

Unfortunately, it seems apps that implement this make it difficult to bypass, essentially forcing the official Play Store version of the app.

Sideloading, of course, is a less secure way of installing apps than downloading them from the Play Store. That's because the Play Store has ways of checking apps to ensure they're safe to download, and bypassing this could result in downloading unsafe software that could compromise your device.

A number of popular apps are already using this API, and it seems we may likely see it adopted by more.

Those are some of the biggest stories from this week. Meanwhile, here are some other stories that are worth catching up on:

• Samsung wants you to move to Google Messages, and it's for the best
• HMD is making the phone that Samsung should make
• It seems we're still waiting for One UI 7 following this dreary update
• The OnePlus 13 is making its debut way sooner than expected
• With the Pixel Stand 2 no longer available from the Google Store, is it time for a redesigned Pixel Stand 3?
• Oppo's next flagship phone makes a surprise appearance before its official debut
• The Galaxy S24 FE could see a price bump that no one’s asking for
• OnePlus 13 hits early benchmark with Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 showcasing promising scores
• Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 update hauls in several fixes for Pixel Bluetooth and more
• Google loses major appeal in EU, solidifying its $2.8 billion antitrust fine

OpenAI has done something nobody would have expected: it slowed down the process of giving you an answer in the hopes that it gets it right.

The new OpenAI o1-preview models are designed for what OpenAI calls hard problems — complex tasks in subjects like science, coding, and math. These new models are released through the ChatGPT service along with access through OpenAI's API and are still in development, but this is a promising idea.

I love the idea that one of the companies that made AI so bad is actually doing something to improve it. People think of AI as some sort of scientific mystery but at its core, it is the same as any other complex computer software. There is no magic; a computer program accepts input and sends output based on the way the software is written.

It seems like magic to us because we're used to seeing software output in a different way. When it acts human-like, it seems strange and futuristic, and that's really cool. Everyone wants to be Tony Stark and have conversations with their computer.

Unfortunately, the rush to release the cool type of AI that seems conversational has highlighted how bad it can be. Some companies call it a hallucination (not the fun kind, unfortunately), but no matter what label is placed on it, the answers we get from AI are often hilariously wrong or even wrong in a more concerning way.

OpenAI says that its GPT-4 model was only able to get 13% of the International Mathematics Olympiad exam questions correct. That's probably better than most people would score but a computer should be able to score more accurately when it comes to mathematics. The new OpenAI o1-preview was able to get 83% of the questions correct. That is a dramatic leap and highlights the effectiveness of the new models.

Thankfully, OpenAI is true to its name and has shared how these models "think." In an article about the reasoning capabilities of the new model, you can scroll to the "Chain-of-Thought" section to see a glimpse into the process. I found the Safety section particularly interesting as the model has used some safety rails to make sure it's not telling you how to make homemade arsenic like the GPT-4 model will (don't try to make homemade arsenic). This will lead to defeating the current tricks used to get conversational AI models to break their own rules once they are complete.

Overall, the industry needed this. My colleague and Android Central managing editor Derrek Lee pointed out that it's interesting that when we want information instantly, OpenAI is willing to slow things down a bit, letting AI "think" to provide us with better answers. He's absolutely right. This feels like a case of a tech company doing the right thing even if the results aren't optimal. 

I don't think this will have any effect overnight, and I'm not convinced there is a purely altruistic goal at work. OpenAI wants its new LLM to be better at the tasks the current model does poorly. A side effect is a safer and better conversational AI that gets it right more often. I'll take that trade, and I'll expect Google to do something similar to show that it also understands that AI needs to get better.

AI isn't going away until someone dreams up something newer and more profitable. Companies might as well work on making it as great as it can be.

What you need to know

• OpenAI has debuted its SearchGPT prototype, which is a temporary limited test that users can sign up for on the waitlist.
• The AI is designed to give "more choice" to users seeking information on the web while being "quick and direct."
• Just recently, Google debuted its new 1.5 Flash AI model for Gemini, which focuses on speed and efficiency to deliver results to users.

OpenAI woke up and chose rivalry as it began a limited test for a new prototype to compete with what Google is known for.

In a blog post, the company explained that SearchGPT has arrived and is a "temporary" prototype search engine that combines the "strength of our AI models." OpenAI aims to solve the issue behind users seeking information on the web, which often requires "multiple attempts" to get the right answer.

SearchGPT is said to advance the company's conversational AI work while also providing "quick and direct" answers to your query. Information is said to be up-to-date and the AI will offer links to fact-check its response. The snapshots of information provided by SearchGPT will include a link to the publication or source in parentheses.

The main source of your results will be featured on the right-most portion of your screen. Beneath, users will find a "Ask follow-up" text bar. Additionally, OpenAI has included a sidebar full of extra results and answers that could offer more insight into your query.

The post adds that users will have the ability to ask a follow-up question. OpenAI states that the AI will use the previously provided information as a building block to continue your hunt.

Those interested can sign up for the waitlist to try OpenAI's SearchGPT prototype. Access to the AI is limited and the company states those selected will receive an email detailing their acceptance.

According to OpenAI, SearchGPT is focused on bringing attention to publishers and creators who can deliver what the user seeks. As such, it has partnered with them to polish the experience and bring "more choice" to searching.

Just recently, Google debuted its new 1.5 Flash model for Gemini, which it proclaims is its "fastest." Optimized for speed and efficiency, Google says its AI features a longer context window (4x over its Pro model) to help Gemini handle complex queries a little easier. Moreover, Google is bringing more fact-checking abilities to Gemini, similar to its approach with AI Overviews.

A small chip — chip is the term Google uses for dynamic information snippets, often looking like a button or small chat bubble, that can pull data from third-party apps and services — will be displayed beside the responses Gemini gives. Interacting with those will display Gemini's sources in case users want to double-check its information.

The model started rolling out on the web and Android devices on July 25.

What you need to know

• OpenAI took to X to announce that it will delay the launch of the advanced Voice Mode, which was slated for release this spring. 
• The company is testing the new voice model on a small group of people for feedback and learning before rolling it out to all Plus users.
• If all goes as anticipated, the other Plus users will get access to the advanced voice model in the fall. 

OpenAI quickly tweeted on Tuesday (June 26) that it will be holding off on launching the advanced Voice Mode that was demoed last month. It planned to roll out this feature widely in the software's spring update; however, it looks like people who were looking to experiment with it need to wait a bit more.

The new voice assistant is said to have "human-like" conversations that users can interrupt, emoting and bringing life-like interactions like laughter, sarcasm, and humor that come as a relief from the usual robotic prompts we expect from an assistant. However, despite promising a quick rollout to subscribed users, OpenAI has now announced a delay in releasing the upgraded "Voice Mode" (via Android Police).

While it continues to test this new voice mode, the company says it will be giving access to it to a small group of ChatGPT Plus users in late June, and some of them have already received an update on their phones. One such user who got access took to X to share an invite she received. The invite stated, "advanced voice is in limited Alpha, it may make mistakes, and access (to it)  is subject to change."

OpenAI stated that its systems will use the audio and video content that the user shares via Chat GPT to train the model better. Users can also opt out of sharing their data and training the model by hitting " improve the model for everyone" in settings.

The user also posted a tweet with the new voice of "Sky" that appears to be different from the one we heard at the Chat GPT- 4o announcement. Initially, users on social media pointed out the similarities between the voice of the assistant and Scarlett Johansson, the award-winning actress. However, OpenAI denied that Sky's voice was based on Johansson and even released a blog post explaining how the voices were chosen. The actress countered those claims with a statement about how OpenAI approached her about officially voicing GPT-4o, which she declined, and then the company quickly removed the Sky voice option from its platform.

The new voice has a more "cheery tone," the user states, as the voice model describes the weather in San Francisco. Other users on the same tweet thread seemed unhappy with the new voice. One user said, "It's horrifying; someone help it," while others were particularly "cringed" by it, listen in below.

OpenAI added in its tweet, that based on the feedback they recieved from this small group of testers, they will be planning to roll out the model to Plus users in the fall. 

"Exact timelines depend on meeting our high safety and reliability bar. We are also working on rolling out the new video and screen sharing capabilities we demoed separately, and will keep you posted on that timeline."

So Apple finally caved to the Artificial Intelligence craze and has added it to all the things. I think the company did a good job with it, too, finding ways to build in useful features and present them in a way that makes it sound like you'll love them instead of talking about it with technobabble that leaves people more confused than ever.

One of the things you'll be able to do if you are one of the 8% of iPhone users with the right phone is query OpenAI's ChatGPT service through Siri. It was expected, but that's so unlike Apple. I never expected it to be that integrated.

I'm not saying anything Apple has to offer is good or bad, and since I don't use an iPhone, it doesn't affect me personally. Early excitement about the announcements tells me that most of us see it as a good thing, so that's a win. These companies are supposed to work hard for our money.

Likewise, leaning on ChatGPT and, later, other AI-focused companies like Google isn't a bad thing either. I'm merely surprised that it's done in a way that makes it feel like part of iOS.

There are a few negatives to consider. Apple has to rely on another company to meet its standards for user privacy and diligence to protect the data once it gets sent off. They threw out fancy ways of saying the company does the same things others do, knowing that journalists would quote them instead of asking questions—it's called encryption in transit, and it is an industry standard—and that's great. It's how user data is supposed to be protected.

Still, embedding their small-scale agent on the device and then calling on third parties is not the same as doing it all in-house. Apple has to depend on others to do the right thing, and Apple never does that.

The companies will. When you're someone like OpenAI, you can't afford to play too loose with user data because the internet will call you on it. Using a third party over an in-house solution will be fine, and we've seen Microsoft do it with no real issues. OpenAI or Google or any other AI company isn't going to do anything Apple wouldn't approve of and I'm not implying it. If anything, Apple just gambled and waited too long, and this is how it has to fix it.

Apple knew it had to eventually build out user-facing AI on the iPhone. Not doing so when every competitor offers it makes Apple look lazy, and the reality-distortion field can't work forever. What it didn't do was work on its own generative AI platform.

Did it need to? No, not really. Apple is a different company than Google; outsourcing is easy, cost-efficient, and works well. Ask Microsoft. Apple made the right choice and focused on tools that will mostly work, be easy to implement, and make users happy.

The next logical step would be building out a full-scale generative AI solution as a follow-up. Apple could do this; the company can easily attract the right talent to develop the next Google Gemini or ChatGPT and can afford the infrastructure to power it. People would use it, too—even people without an iPhone. The question is, will they?

Sending calls out to a third party through the operating system isn't the same as bundling in the YouTube app. It leaves an impression that OpenAI is somehow more capable than Apple because Apple is willing to include ChatGPT as part of Siri. Like custom colors for icons, we would have never seen this when Steve Jobs was at the helm.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Neither; it's just a thing. Maybe we should get used to it, and Apple will become more like other tech companies, little-by-little. Or maybe this is an emergency solution while Apple builds the next breakthrough AI platform.

This has done one thing: It has made people who were not interested in Apple's previous phones curious. An iPhone seems like a great product, but it isn't for me. I don't like Apple's way of doing things. But I'm interested in seeing how all the new features work. That means what Apple is doing is good for business and good for the industry as a whole.

Maybe moving on from the Steve Jobs era is an equally good thing for Apple.

In what should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, Humane is reportedly looking to sell. The same can't yet be said for Rabbit, but no matter what, don't buy what these companies are telling you. I did, at least with the Rabbit R1, and it's looking more and more like I was finally bamboozled.

Getting in on the ground floor with AI gadgets

I've been pretty skeptical about devices like the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1. After all, what's the point when my phone, or smartwatch, is capable of doing almost everything these devices aim to deliver? While I never thought twice about getting the AI Pin, I did buy the R1, mainly because the design looks cool. It also helps that the R1 is $199, without a monthly subscription, while Humane charges $699 and then you have to pay another $25 per month.

Although done in different ways, ultimately, both the AI Pin and R1 essentially aim to become their own AI-powered virtual assistant. With the former, there's a bunch of cool and unique tech built-in, as you can use your voice or via the "Laser Ink" display that appears in the palm of your hand. As for the latter, it's more like a phone in that you still have to take it out of your pocket and press the "push-to-talk" button before you can start to use it.

There's definitely an argument to be made about how the AI Pin is the "better" option of the two. It lets you "enjoy the world around you," without cranking your neck down to look at your phone while trying to find the closest coffee shop.

But, I'm not here to talk about how one is better than the other. I'm here because I can't help but feel like I've been scammed for the first time.

What happened

The Coffeezilla video above appeared on my YouTube home page, and I was both excited and terrified. Coffeezilla has a reputation for doing some of the best investigative work on YouTube, covering everything from largely focusing on different types of crypto scams and "get rich quick" schemes.

I never really got into the crypto game, outside of messing around with it in small quantities a few years ago. But, when seeing the thumbnail of the Rabbit R1, I knew it wasn't going to be good. And so far, it hasn't been.

It appears as though this isn't the first time that Rabbit CEO, Jesse Lyu, has been in some sort of spotlight. According to Coffeezilla, Rabbit was previously called "Cyber Manufacture," and raised $6 million in relation to its "next-generation NFT project GAMA."

Using our trusty friend, the Wayback Machine, I pulled up the old GAMA website. In a snapshot from April 2023, the front page shows GAMA as being described as "building the principles of the future through its next generation metaverse, the GAMA Space Station." This included creating "GAMA Coin" which Lyu describes as being "basically Bitcoin 2.0." 

Lyu goes on to say "So the general concept is, let's say if you own a GAMA NFT, that means you own the equal portion in valuation of your NFT's, at that moment of that clean energy grid that we started building in the real world. [...] And that also means that you own that portion of that power and that power will be used to generate GAMA Coins. That means you can earn your GAMA Coins out of this entire clean energy cycle."

Phew. 

Since GAMA has vanished, what happened to those who bought NFT's, believing in GAMA's mission? At the time, Jesse Lyu is quoted as saying "And I better pay my money to collect your NFT back if you think this is just a NFT hype and dump project, I have to say that." 

As it turns out, that last part never happened. In response to the Coffeezilla video, Rabbit provided the following:

"The "coin you refer to never materialized nor was it promised or delivered. The idea was brought up during some conversations with both major investors and community members. The team ultimately decided to not release any "coins." Jesse and the GAMA team have never released cryptocurrency or "coins in any form. The only ownership objects community members could own are blockchain-based digital art and unique gaming avatars."

In response to Coffeezilla's questions regarding the relationship between GAMA and Rabbit, a statement says "GAMA, in our opinion and as stated in the fact sheet, has no connection with rabbit."

You can go further down the rabbit GAMA hole, but it all just reads like the various crypto and NFT scams that promise the world, take your money, and disappear into the night. This is where my skepticism comes into play.

Android Central subsequently also reached out to the company about the investigation, and a spokesperson for Rabbit provided the following:

"The GAMA project concluded when it was open-sourced. Jesse strongly disputes Coffeezilla’s allegations that he and the GAMA team were not forthright about the open sourcing of the project, which had the support of investors, and his shift in focus to AI hardware. Jesse has a long history as an entrepreneur and has been involved in a range of projects over his career, including the GAMA NFT project. It’s a project he has talked about at length in the past, but it ended before he started rabbit. At the end of the day, many companies do pivot."

Overpromise, under-deliver

It's very similar to what tech companies have done for years: promising things to its customers, taking their money for devices, and then either delaying or never shipping the promised features.

Funnily enough, it's exactly the same thing that Rabbit has done with the R1. When the R1 was introduced, it was promised to basically act as a "bridge" between you and the different services you rely on. During the launch video, you briefly see a glimpse of different services, including Amazon, eBay, Best Buy, Postmates, and more.

What's actually available now with the R1 pales in comparison. And in many cases, things just don't work. Sure, it's cool to be able to point the R1's camera at something and have it tell you what it is. You can even set up MidJourney, an AI image generator, as one of the services and then ask the R1 to create images with just your voice. Well, that is, if it actually works. 

Here's the thing, though, that rectangle in your pocket can already do that. Plus, a few of the features shown off during the R1 launch video are still missing. The list of "planned" additions includes the likes of "point-of-interest research," "navigation," and "reservations."

Not to mention that when the R1 arrived, many early adopters couldn't even change their time zone. Even with built-in Wi-Fi, GPS, and cellular, the time zone remained the same. It wasn't until about a week later before a software update fixed that specific issue.

However, I have to give credit where credit is due. 

Since its launch, the R1 has received five software updates "directly addressing customer feedback and launching new features." The most recent of which includes seven new features, such as a new "list view," and the ability to "take pictures on r1 with a single click of the ptt button." There are also five fixes "thanks to rabbit community support," primarily focused on network and Bluetooth connectivity.

When speaking to Rabbit, a spokesperson informed me that there are about "10,000 or so" R1 owners in the wild. Of that number, R1 owners "have generated more than 600,000 interactions over the past thirty days." The spokesperson went on to tell me that it's "being used for more than 20,000 queries per day."

While the number of units might seem like peanuts compared to the number of phones that are being sold, it's not an insignificant amount. Let alone that the R1 resides in a new product category.  

Learning about the alleged origins of Rabbit as a company, paired with what we've seen so far, didn't leave me feeling great about the future. But then, OpenAI kind of put both Humane and Rabbit on notice.

There's no escaping AI

Everywhere we look, the phrase "AI" is being used, even if it's being done improperly. Hell, Google CEO Sundar Pichai even called it out at the end of the I/O 2024 Keynote. Of course, in some instances, it's just a buzzword that companies are using to try and score SEO points and jump on the hype train, or worse, entice investors.

However, companies like Google and OpenAI are taking a different approach to the AI-powered digital assistant. The day before I/O 2024 began, OpenAI held an event where it introduced GPT-4o.

This is a new AI model basically does everything that the R1 and AI Pin promised. That includes using it to "answer questions about your surroundings, talk to you with audio, and respond to text." All from an app on your phone. OpenAI even managed to improve the response speed with GPT-4o, down to 232 milliseconds from the previous 320 milliseconds average response time.

The real kicker for Humane and Rabbit is that OpenAI wasted no time getting this into the hands of consumers. Its improved text and image capabilities were available for everyone in ChatGPT on the day GPT-4o was announced. Meanwhile, ChatGPT Plus members received access to Voice Mode "in alpha."

Then, Google followed up the next day with what felt like the longest I/O Keynote in history. Upgrades were announced across the board, with Gemini gaining multimodality, making it possible to "provide reason for images and videos uploaded" to the model.

Google also gave everyone a tease by showing that those same multimodal capabilities would be coming to our phones. This will be possible via the Gemini Nano model, which is currently available on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

Both Gemini and ChatGPT have the added benefit of either "Extensions" or "GPTs," adding more functionality to these AI-powered assistants. And, any updates or changes that are implemented, are available as soon as these companies decide. Meanwhile, you'll have to wait for Humane or Rabbit to implement the changes, then likely wait for an update to arrive.

I asked Rabbit about what it envisioned for the future of the company and its little orange box. A Rabbit spokesperson provided the following:

“At rabbit, we stand behind our product, technology and vision to build a personalized operating system that can understand users’ intentions and intuitively help them get things done. We firmly believe that we are building something new in a frontier category and that it requires a different approach from the existing personal devices that are already in the market. AI-native products are quickly evolving and improving at exponential rates, and we are looking forward to what we can build in this new industry.”

I should've seen the writing on the wall

Let's try and wrap everything up in a nice bow. Humane is looking to sell, according to a report by Bloomberg. Ignoring the exorbitant asking price of something "between $750 million and $1 billion," it was always going to come to this.

Any piece of hardware that is built with the intention of making AI easier to access will be doomed. Well, that'll be the case for as long as we're able to use the Gemini or ChatGPT apps on our phones. They'll be updated faster, and the only "middle-man" we have to worry about is Apple with its App Store or Google with its Play Store.

While this is all alleged, I'm incredibly disappointed in myself for falling into the rabbit trap. I stepped right into it without looking at where I was going or what was going to happen on the other side. Now, I have a $200 prop that I'll use in pictures just because it looks so sleek, thanks to Teenage Engineering.

Unless someone at Rabbit reads this and turns it into a paperweight, I'll also keep trying out the R1 occasionally. Just to see if the company can prove me wrong. But, based on its history, I won't be holding my breath.

What you need to know

• Scarlett Johansson says she was approached by OpenAI last year about using her voice for a ChatGPT voice assistant. 
• Though Johansson did not agree to the proposition, OpenAI shipped its GPT-4o model with a voice called “Sky” that sounds quite similar to Johansson‘s. 
• After legal pressure, OpenAI removed Sky from GPT-4o, and said that the voice was not based on Johansson‘s. 
• Still, in trying to use a friendly and welcoming voice to make AI feel more comforting, OpenAI ended up doing the opposite. 

OpenAI made waves last week when it announced GPT-4o, a multimodal AI model that may be the most advanced and futuristic one we’ve seen to date. It sounds like a human, can interact with users via vision and audio, and is knowledgeable. OpenAI ended up beating Google to the punch, and GPT-4o seems more advanced than Project Astra, which Google previewed at Google I/O 2024.

But one of the voices OpenAI chose for GPT-4o has been drawing attention online for all the wrong reasons. First, some users on social media pointed out they thought the voice “Sky” was overly flirty and sultry to the point it was unsettling. Then, people started noticing the similarities between the voice of Sky and that of Scarlett Johansson, the award-winning actress. Now, it appears that may have been intentional.

To be clear, OpenAI denies that the voice of Sky was based on Johansson and even released a blog post explaining how the voices were chosen. However, Johansson put out a scathing statement telling the story of how OpenAI approached her about officially voicing GPT-4o, which she declined. After facing legal pressure from Johansson’s lawyers, the company removed the Sky voice option from GPT-4o. 

As distressing as this situation is, it’s almost ironic. OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman told Johansson that her voice, being the official voice of ChatGPT, would be more comforting to users. And yet, by releasing a voice so similar to Johansson‘s without her permission, Altman and OpenAI ended up perfectly encapsulating everything that makes people uncomfortable about AI. 

Did OpenAI steal Scarlett Johansson‘s voice?

Though OpenAI says that it sought out professional voice actors for GPT-4o and did not seek someone who sounded like Johansson specifically, the evidence might tell a different story. It starts in September 2023, according to Johansson, when OpenAI’s Altman reached out about hiring her as a voice actor for ChatGPT. 

“He told me that he felt that by my voicing the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives and help consumers to feel comfortable with the seismic shift concerning humans and Al,” she said in a statement to NPR’s Bobby Allyn. “He said he felt that my voice would be comforting to people.”

Johansson eventually decided not to go forward with voicing GPT-4o. However, it’s easy to hear her resemblance in the Sky voice that ended up being demoed and shipped with the AI model. To say that Johansson was displeased with the result would be an understatement. 

“We believe that AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice— Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice,“ OpenAI said in a blog post. 

The whole reason that OpenAI wanted a voice like Johansson’s, as Altman is said to have told her, is to make AI more comforting. People may be more scared about AI than they are excited about it. Especially those in creative industries are finding that AI is being used to automate writing, visual art, music, and other mediums. This isn’t something unique to OpenAI — Apple recently came under fire and apologized for an advertisement that literally saw instruments being crushed into pieces and replaced with an iPad. 

By using her likeness in a GPT-4o voice without her permission — whether intentionally or unintentionally — OpenAI ended up validating the discomfort associated with AI that it was desperately trying to address. Creatives, from actors and actresses to writers and photographers, are worried about being replaced by AI. The idea that OpenAI could have mimicked Johansson‘s voice for GPT-4o is exactly the kind of thing that worries and alarms people in creative industries. 

“When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference,” Johansson wrote, explaining that she asked OpenAI to show how it developed the Sky voice. “In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity.”

We shouldn’t want AI to sound this human

Aside from the unsettling idea that a company could rip off an actress‘ voice after disagreeing with a deal, there are other reasons why we don’t want AI voices to sound like Sky. All of OpenAI’s GPT-4o voices, and especially Sky, sound very human-like. This is a problem, because there is a high level of trust and familiarity people have with human voices. When you talk to a voice assistant like Siri or Alexa, it’s clear that you’re talking to — for lack of a better word — a robot. After having a conversation with GPT-4o, that level of clarity won’t always be in the back of your mind. 

Right now, AI models have a problem, and it’s that they confidently state their answers as fact even when they are blatantly wrong. People still end up believing AI responses as true despite the array of warnings that come along with them. As voices for AI models become more human-sounding, this problem will only get worse. It’ll be easy for the average user of an AI tool to believe what is being said thanks to the welcoming human voice it uses. 

In trying to make people more comfortable with the future of AI, OpenAI ended up making it feel more dystopian. We shouldn’t want AI to sound as human as GPT-4o, and there are plenty of reasons why. It could foster an unwarranted level of trust between users and AI models, as well as put creatives like Johansson In a precarious position.

This is Android Central's News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week's most significant tech stories. This is where we delve into the top headlines that provide the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape. 

This week was all about Google I/O, as the company showed off several AI-packed products. While everyone was I/O-ed, here are some other stories that are worth catching up on—Motorola Razr's second leak in a week, Chat GPT-4o's debut, a Canadian intelligence director's warning against TikTok, Sony Xperia 1 VI is here, and Android and iOS unwanted tracking notifications roll out.

Motorola Razr specs leak, again

Read more here.

The Motorola Razr's specs have been leaked a couple of times now, but this new leak gives us a glimpse of what it might look like alongside information on a cheaper Razr model. 

According to 91Mobiles, the flagship Razr 50 Ultra (likely marketed as the Razr Plus 2024 in the United States) will sport a larger 4-inch cover screen with a 165Hz refresh rate. Regarding design, renders show a similar design to the Razr 40 Ultra/Razr Plus, but the display is a bit larger, extending to cover nearly the entire front panel with a much smaller bezel. The leaked renders show that the dual cameras and flash unit remain unchanged, although the sensors pop out more. The hinge also looks smaller, but it's unclear if this is due to the image renders.

Other Razr 50 Ultra specs may include the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, a 6.9-inch OLED with a 165Hz refresh rate, dual 50MP cameras, and 12GB of RAM. The publication points to 512GB of storage, although other reports say it could have 256GB. One image also shows a 45W charging adapter, as Motorola will reportedly increase the charging speed to top the 4,000mAh battery more quickly.

Rumors suggest that Razr 50 Ultra/Razr Plus 2024 could come in three colourways— green, blue, and Peach Fuzz, in a vegan leather finish on at least one of them.

Welcome to the world of GPT-4o

Read more here.

This week, OpenAI introduced its new flagship model, GPT-4o, which can reason across audio, vision, and text in real time. According to the company, the "o" in GPT-4o is "omni," referencing the model's multimodal interaction capabilities. Tests and demos of the GPT-4o model have impressed users and AI researchers. 

The new model can answer questions about your surroundings with vision, talk to you with audio, and respond to text. Not just that, OpenAI says that the model can deliver responses to questions asked with a voice in a flash, 232 milliseconds to be exact. The average response time is 320 milliseconds, according to OpenAI.

While all this may seem magical, it could be bad news for the creators of dedicated AI hardware devices. All the features deemed exclusive to new hardware, like the Rabbit R1 and the Humane AI Pin, will eventually be available straight on your phone through ChatGPT. This means that instead of paying $200 for the Rabbit R1 or $700 for the Humane AI Pin (plus $24/month), you can get the same functionality for free on your phone with OpenAI.

Text and image input were rolled out in API and ChatGPT on Monday (May 13), and voice and video will follow in the coming weeks.

TikTok comes under fire in Canada

Read more here.

While TikTok's days are numbered in the U.S. due to its link with a China-owned company, ByteDance, a Canadian intelligence agency, has also given the app a stern warning.

According to an interview with CBC, CSIS director David Vigneault stated that "as an individual, I would say that I would absolutely not recommend someone have TikTok." Vigneault added that China has "a very clear" strategy to use TikTok to obtain data "from anyone around the world."

During Vigneault's appearance on The House, he stated that TikTok is "risky" for adults and teenagers in Canada. The reason is reportedly China's usage of "big data analytics" and computer farms for data processing and crunching. He adds that China could use user data captured in Canada and other places worldwide to create artificial intelligence.

In 2023, the Canadian government banned TikTok from all federal government devices, citing security reasons. The decision was backed by a review conducted by the Chief Information Officer, which found that TikTok's data collection methods could lead to cyber-attacks.

It remains to be seen if Canada will take a similar approach to the U.S. regarding this controversial app.

Google and Apple work together on unwanted tracking

Read more here.

Apple and Google have partnered to deliver an industry-wide specification for detecting unwanted item trackers, and it's called "Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers." Which means, iOS and Android users will all receive unknown tracker alerts when conditions are met, regardless of which Bluetooth tracker or platform is used. 

If either iOS or Android detects that a Bluetooth tracker is moving with a user, they will provide an "[Item] Found Moving With You" notification. The alerts are said to work with AirTags, Find My-compatible devices, and Bluetooth trackers compatible with Google's Find My Device network. Other brands, Chipolo, Eufy, Jio, Motorola, and Pebblebee, have all committed to supporting the Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers standard for future products.

When the notification appears, users can take a few steps. First, they can ignore the notification if they know about the tracker—like if they're traveling with a friend and iOS or Android detects their keys. Or, they can see the device's identifier, play a sound to help find it and take steps to disable it with instructions. These steps will vary based on the type of tracker. 

Sony Xperia 1 VI debuts, but not in the U.S.

Read more here.

Sony launched its new flagship phone, Xperia 1 VI, earlier this week. The company is bringing in a "smarter" display with a 6.5-inch BRAVIA-powered screen that is reportedly 1.5 times brighter than its predecessor. Sony has also worked on "Sunlight Vision," which is designed to give users more screen visibility when outside.

Powering the device's capabilities is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with Sony's in-house Exmor T sensor for the cameras. The company states that the flagship phone features a 52MP (48MP effective) primary lens, a 12MP telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultrawide lens.

The telephoto lens has up to x7.1 zoom with an 85mm to 170mm focal length alongside macro technology. The Xperia 1 VI also offers AF tracking with "human pose estimation." The feature reportedly "recognizes" a human frame (skeleton) to provide the Xperia 1 VI with "precise" tracking even through objects that could cover a person's body.

The device comes with Android 14 out of the box and a 5,000mAh battery. It will hit the market in June for £1,299 (roughly $1,646) and comes in black, Khaki Green, and Platinum Silver colorways. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be launching in the United States.

Along with the Xperia 1 VI, Sony also launched its mid-range Xperia10 VI, with a bigger battery and stereo speakers.

Those are some of the biggest stories from this week. Meanwhile, here are some other stories that are worth catching up on

• Apple isn't Samsung's biggest threat in the tablet market right now
• Gemini gains 3 new ways to help users stay productive across Workspace
• Google Photos is letting you chat with your pictures thanks to Gemini
• You'll soon be able to control Chromebooks with just your face
• Galaxy Z Flip 6 rumored to feature a less noticeable screen crease
• Google Maps gets redesigned bottom bar with a 'You' tab for your trips
• The Honor Magic 6 Pro and Magic V2 are joining the Android 15 beta program
• Wear OS 5 will bring major upgrades to battery life, fitness, and watch faces
• Google hid the future of AR in plain sight at I/O 2024
• Roon has transformed how I listen to music

What you need to know

• Evidence in OpenAI's SSL certificate logs suggests that the company is developing a ChatGPT-based search engine to rival Google.
• The logs show that the company has a new "search.chatgpt.com" domain under its belt, further indicating such development.
• OpenAI has continued to encroach on Google's space by attempting to plug ChatGPT into Android as a new default assistant option alongside a widget.

Rumors swirl about OpenAI potentially developing a ChatGPT-based search engine to take on Google.

Evidence of a possible ChatGPT Search stems from Ashutosh Shrivastava on X, who posted a photo of OpenAI's SSL certificate logs (via Search Engine Roundtable). The logs show that the company has a new "search.chatgpt.com" domain listed.

So, this alone seems to suggest that OpenAI is currently developing a search engine that would piggyback off the capabilities of its ChatGPT software.

The user on X added that OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman recently discussed AI and search in a podcast.

Another user on X, Apples_Jimmy, added to the initial discovery by speculating we could be on the cusp of OpenAI's search reveal. It's currently purported that the company could unveil ChatGPT's Search engine on May 9.

Google has continued to focus strongly on AI in Search, especially since welcoming Liz Reid as the service's new lead. Reid expressed a strong interest in funneling even more "SGE" and AI overviews into Search. The latter recently rolled out for the general public shortly after her new position took place in March.

Aside from these brief glimpses at OpenAI's potential development of a ChatGPT-based search engine, its features are still unknown.

However, the company is on a trend of encroaching on Google's space, such as with on-device AI assistance. It was spotted back in January that OpenAI was working on a way to add its AI bot into Android so users could make its version the default over Assistant (or, rather, Gemini). Since then, a new Android ChatGPT widget has been spotted, giving users easy access to its services.

The widget shows options for easy messaging with the bot, the ability to submit photos to it for information, and voice capabilities. It's not unlikely that a ChatGPT-based search engine would have these features, but more concrete ones during actual queries remain to be seen.

What you need to know

• Users can now use ChatGPT without signing up for an account, aligning with OpenAI's goal of broad accessibility for AI tools.
• Not needing an account allows OpenAI to gather more training data, potentially improving AI models.
• While ChatGPT is available without an account, signing up is required for access to paid services and features like DALL-E.

If you've been hesitant about sharing personal information to chat with ChatGPT, OpenAI is now removing that hurdle for you.

OpenAI's free AI platform, ChatGPT, won't require you to sign up anymore, the company said in a blog post. The goal is to make AI tools like ChatGPT accessible to everyone, so now you can jump right in without the hassle of creating an account.

If you're cool with it, not needing an account means OpenAI gets more training data. It might also encourage more people to sign up and subscribe for even better access to GPT-4 instead of sticking with the older GPT-3.5 model that free users usually get.

"We may use what you provide to ChatGPT to improve our models for everyone," OpenAI said.

But if you're wary about the whole model training thing, you can still opt out, even without an account. Just click on the little question mark on the right side of the text box, then hit Settings, and flip the switch for "Improve the model for everyone" to off.

Since ChatGPT debuted back in late 2022, people who wanted to dive in had to make an OpenAI account. Then, OpenAI started offering paid subscriptions to unlock more powerful services like DALL-E 3.

While OpenAI is letting anyone use its AI chatbot without needing an account, you'll still need to sign up if you're eyeing paid services like DALL-E. Opting for the GPT-4 subscription redirects you to the service's signup page.

To save and review chat history, share chats, or have voice conversations, you'll also need to have an account.

OpenAI said it's beefed up protections for users without accounts, like restricting prompts and image generations in certain categories. However, the company hasn't explained what these categories are.

If you're intrigued by ChatGPT, this could be a neat way to test it out without handing over too much of your information.

What you need to know

• ChatGPT app in beta for Android gets a new 4 x 2 widget.
• There are five new shortcuts on the widget, of which only a few are available for ChatGPT Plus users.
• The feature is available in the 1.2024.052 beta version of the app; an official rollout is expected soon.

The ChatGPT app on Android gets a new nifty feature that is easier for users to access — thanks to a new rich feature that is being added, notes Mishaal Rahman (via The Verge).

According to Rahman, the app bearing the 1.2024.052 version is showcasing the new 4 x 2 widget that features four new shortcuts, including the ability to open up text, camera, image, voice query, or start a conversation mode directly from your Android phone home screen.

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As Rahman notes, the feature is yet to hit the Google Play Store officially, and the previous version appears to be in beta as of now. However, users can try it out by downloading it separately.

For those who are willing to try out the new widget, one thing to note is the fact that a couple of them — the camera and the image search queries on the widget are limited to the paid plan of the ChatGPT app, which is dubbed ChatGPT Plus. It was introduced to U.S. consumers back in February 2023.

It isn't the first time we have seen ChatGPT being showcased on an Android home screen. In late January, Carl Pei announced that ChatGPT's voice assistant was being implemented on the home screen of the Phone (2). The ability was further integrated into the Quick Settings panel to access it hassle-free.

If you are willing to test the above-mentioned beta version, once updated, you can choose the new 4 x 2 ChatGPT widget from the widgets pane for your Android home screen.

ChatGPT has been one of the greater alternatives to Google's Gemini, and it has been from the start for Android devices even before Gemini (previously Bard) was available for Android devices. That said, the availability of the widget on iOS devices is still unclear at this point. It might venture soon into the platform after it officially launches on Android devices in the near future.

Google recently announced that it will begin charging a monthly fee for Gemini Advanced, giving consumers access to its most powerful AI model. This follows similar moves from Microsoft and OpenAI, which have also launched subscription models for their respective AI products. However, it's not immediately clear who is expected to pay upwards of $20 for these services.

Smartphones and other products that leverage AI in new and exciting ways are emerging rapidly, like Samsung's Galaxy S24 lineup, and it won't be long before every major manufacturer has at least one device on the market with built-in AI features. Still, while the prospect is exciting for consumers, these new AI models aren't cheap. In fact, it's extremely costly to produce and maintain on a daily basis, and as a result, the new added costs will be passed down to consumers. 

Some of that added cost may be built into the baseline price of a device, but there is a clear path toward AI moving to a subscription-based model, one that is in line with everyday platforms like Netflix and Spotify. And while there certainly is an audience for streaming services, it is becoming a lot harder to discern who the target audience will be for AI-based subscriptions in the coming years. More so, there exists a reality in which users may not have a choice when it comes to an AI-based subscription. 

Angelo Zino, a senior equity analyst at CFRA Research, believes that there is an audience for these subscriptions, including a rising tide of young tech enthusiasts. 

"We believe all customers are being targeted by AI subscriptions, with an emphasis on individuals that fall under the middle/upper class given the ability for them to more easily afford these services," Zino told Android Central in an email. "The Gen Z population is also a category more willing to try these services over other groups.

How did AI go from concept to subscription? 

From writing entire resumes to having calls translated in real-time, AI is revolutionizing the way we use technology. In the case of devices, AI is quickly being leveraged across multiple manufacturers in a race to provide users with the most comprehensive features possible.

For example, in addition to Samsung's Galaxy AI, the Galaxy S24 series uses both Google AI internationally and Baidu's Ernie AI in China to appeal to more consumers. Additionally, Google recently rebranded Bard in favor of Gemini, thus signaling the company's shift from experimental features to full-court press.

Still, while these features are well and good, they come at a cost. OpenAI's ChatGPT platform reportedly cost $4.6 million to produce, and it's been reported by various outlets that the cost to operate the platform was $700,000 a day, leading many to believe that the larger company could eventually go bankrupt if profits in line with AI use could not match the high cost of hosting the platform. 

It is likely that similar offerings are within the same ballpark of cost. As a result, there is a push for Big Tech to turn investment into profit—which can only mean subscriptions. 

Google's rebrand of Bard wasn't just about the name alone. The company also introduced the new $20 Google One AI Premium subscription tier alongside it, which adds Gemini Advanced to Google's existing plan. The company notes that Gemini Advanced is superior in its ability to handle complex tasks such as coding, logical reasoning, understanding context, and following specific instructions. 

And while the new subscription comes with many features already present in Google One, the caveat is that it cannot be shared with family members. Still, the launch signals a reality where consumers have to pay to use AI on their devices.

"The $20 can be justified given it is near or similar to the price tag that is being offered by competing services (e.g., OpenAI)," Zino noted. "Others, like Apple, have yet to enter the market, but we do believe that they are working on their own LLM that will leverage AI capabilities across its ecosystem (likely via a subscription)."

While the price tag can be justified on account of super users likely already subscribed to Google One Premium, the same necessarily can't be said for solely AI-based subscription models. Zino points out that not all consumers may be able to make the most of these AI services, but there are cases where it makes sense.

"If it can be leveraged for improved productivity purposes at an organization or if students can find significant use for research while attending school, then the price point could make sense for that specific user." Still, he notes a majority of consumers will likely be unwilling to pay up and "remain in wait and see mode."

However, Jules Walker, product manager for Gemini Experiences at Google, says the company is always looking to add more value for its users. "So in terms of pricing, what we're seeing is generative AI has the capability to make people's work lives and personal lives much more productive."

"So that's why we're continuing to invest in Gemini advance in Gemini as well."

Meanwhile, Samsung was noncommittal about its potential for charging users for AI features in the years to come. A footnote found in the Samsung Australia Galaxy S24 posts clarified that features may not always be free. "Galaxy AI features will be provided free of charge until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices," the notation read.

That fear was heightened when a Samsung U.S. product page said the following: "Galaxy AI features will be provided for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices. Different terms may apply for AI features provided by third parties."

In an interview with ET Telecom, the head of Samsung Electronics mobile business, T.M. Roh, said, "According to our analysis, there are various needs for mobile AI. So, there will be consumers who will be satisfied with using the AI capabilities for free."

"Then there could also be customers who wish for even more powerful AI capabilities and even pay for them," he said. "So, in the future decision-making, we will take all these factors into consideration."

Justifying AI subscriptions in a subscription-based world 

An AI-based subscription, while certainly beneficial to some, would continue a recent trend of nearly everything moving toward a quasi-pay-for-play model. However, consumers are steadily being barraged by countless subscriptions in all facets of consumption. 

What originally could be chalked up to monthly costs for streaming services has since morphed into subscriptions for individual content creators or access features on video game consoles and even EVs like those from Tesla. In other words, consumers and their wallets are being pulled in a dozen different directions, and generative AI is just another use case in the race for profit in an increasingly expensive market.

Anshel Sag, a principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, points out that this may be the most effective solution for companies.

"First, I think many of these companies see that many of the ad-driven models have fallen apart recently and that direct payments for features are more sustainable long term if the value is truly there."

He notes that launching subscription services that look more like freemium models will allow companies to monetize their hardware and software investments more quickly. "I think that these companies really have to show value when charging for these services, and I think that Google and Microsoft have shown enough value to justify the subscription cost so far."

Generating value may not be easy, and companies may be forced to get creative with how they roll out AI features, providing enough at the free level while still heightening interest to eventually subscribe. It also may require companies to part with other non-AI-based features in order to loop in curious consumers, like Google incorporating its storage and Workspace features, for example.

However, features that are the most computationally expensive will be the ones that are part of a paid model. "Anything that generates images or video rather than text," Sag offered as an example.

In the use case of the Galaxy S24 line, translating calls in real-time would remain free to users. In contrast, the ability to generate an image or video akin to that of OpenAI's DALL-E model will become paid.

"I think AI features that you add on feel more beneficial and valuable than ones you have that you might lose," Sag explained. "That said, having them for free and realizing their value and choosing to pay for them might be a route some people prefer. I just think AI features that you need to add on need to prove their value more than ones that are pre-installed."

However, until that point, there has to be a hunger on the part of consumers for even limited features while AI models continue to expand. Just how that group will respond remains to be seen, though Sag believes a market does exist.

"I think the target customers right now are early adopters," he said. "People who are looking for ways to speed up their workflows and possibly people who are generally curious/excited about AI."

While those markets definitely do exist, a reality in which subscription creep, or the concept of too many subscriptions being available at one time, continues to rise. At that point, consumers may reject subscriptions altogether, leaving AI-based models scrambling to generate revenue as features become locked.

"I think this is a valid concern, and I do think that subscription creep is a major problem in the media space," Sag said. "But I also think it's driving consumers away, and I think AI companies can build these models and power the [computer] without costs ballooning enough to justify price increases."

Until that point, consumers can only hope that their personal devices remain as valuable as the day they purchased them.

What you need to know

• OpenAI states it is starting a test this week, which will introduce "Memory" to a "small portion" of its free and Plus ChatGPT users.
• Memory will let ChatGPT remember what users have talked about across their devices so they won't have to reiterate the same details.
• OpenAI is also introducing several security and privacy settings to help users stay in control of what is saved.

OpenAI announced that it's testing a form of "memory" for its AI chatbot, ChatGPT.

As detailed in a blog post, the purpose of "memory" in ChatGPT is to help the AI remember conversations you've had across multiple devices. OpenAI states users can specifically ask the AI to remember a certain thing or "let it pick up details itself." For security's sake, OpenAI states it shifts the bot away from remembering sensitive pieces of information, like those involving your health. 

The company adds that the more users interact with ChatGPT, the more they'll notice its memory improve, and certain details won't have to be repeated.

Here are a couple of examples of what ChatGPT can remember through memory:

• You mention that you have a toddler and that she loves jellyfish. When you ask ChatGPT to help create her birthday card, it suggests a jellyfish wearing a party hat. 
• You’ve told ChatGPT you own a neighborhood coffee shop. When brainstorming messaging for a social post celebrating a new location, ChatGPT knows where to start. 

If you're not interested in ChatGPT remembering certain things, OpenAI states users can launch a "temporary chat" with the AI. According to its support page, what you've discussed in a temporary chat won't be saved in your history either. However, OpenAI will keep a copy of it for 30 days for "safety purposes." The company also claims it will not use your temporary discussions to train the chatbot.

Users can get started by tapping the version of ChatGPT you're using and then selecting "temporary chat."

Additionally, OpenAI is bringing additional security and safety tools for users interested in using "memory." Users can turn the feature off completely by heading into your Settings > Personalization > Memory. But, users can clean up what ChatGPT remembers within the "Manage Memory" page of your Personalization settings.

From there, users will find a full list of what the bot remembers, as well as a nifty trash can icon to make it forget.

OpenAI states it uses what users talk to ChatGPT about to train the AI — including your memories. Users can opt out of this within their "Data Controls."

The company is bringing its memory feature to Team and Enterprise customers, as well. This will occur during OpenAI's "wider rollout" of the feature and it's stated to help remember your tone, voice, formatting preferences, preferred coding languages, and more.

Meanwhile, OpenAI's other GPTs, like Books GPT, will gain this feature, too. The company states the feature can assist the AI in offering the correct recommendations for your reading tastes. Memory for other GPTs will arrive during its "wider rollout."

As previously stated, ChatGPT's memory feature is arriving in test form. A "small portion" of ChatGPT free and Plus users will begin noticing it as we finish the week.

Gemini is the catch-all name Google uses for a ton of AI-related software, from large language models (LLMs), to voice assistants, to coding agents. Gemini is also the heart of other Google services, like NotebookLM. Whether you want to vibe code with the latest AI models or you're simply curious why Google Assistant is disappearing, this guide will cover everything you need to know about Gemini and its features.

It turns out there are so many different versions of Gemini — Gemini 3.5 Flash, Gemini 3.1 Pro, 2.5 Flash, Flash-Lite, Pro, and Deep Think, most recently — that it can be confusing where to start! There's also Nano Banana and Nano Banana Pro, which are really Gemini models too (2.5 Flash Image and 3 Pro Image). And you may be wondering how it compares to GPT-5 and other AI.

Follow our detailed guide on how to use the Gemini app if you're looking for step-by-step advice. Otherwise, this Gemini guide will focus on the highlights: how Gemini works, which version you should use, whether you'll want to pay for Google's AI subscriptions, and everything else you should know!

How Google Gemini works

Google Gemini, like Google Search, responds to your questions by pulling from internet sources to answer them. The difference is that Gemini tries to format its own conversational responses instead of highlighting third-party sources.

Using Google's Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA) and its open-source "Transformer" machine-learning model, Gemini "reads" trillions of words from every publicly available source — then uses it to mimic human responses while rewriting information from the internet.

When you see a Gemini AI Overview in your Google Search results, it summarizes data from a few high-ranking sources, with the links visible under the "Show More" button. But the "AI" can't actually determine if these sources are correct; that's why you'll occasionally get incorrect AI responses based on satirical websites or trolling Reddit comments.

Because Gemini can "hallucinate" incorrect information, Google prevents it from discussing sensitive political queries where misinformation could be amplified. Even so, it sometimes is caught spouting gibberish, and you should look into the sources behind Gemini answers whenever possible.

The web version of Gemini is focused on straightforward queries. Gemini is also available on both Android and iOS, where the Gemini app acts as a digital assistant, generates text and images, and performs actions within other Google apps like Maps and Drive.

With Gemini Live in the mobile app, you can have natural conversations with the AI, without wake words, and with past questions and context remembered to answer future questions. It can also interpret multimodal data like your shared phone screen, uploaded photos, and online videos.

Certain Gemini versions can go further, generating code, analyzing and summarizing reference materials, and solving complex math equations. These advanced models use more "tokens," interpreting more data simultaneously with more dependable results, while smaller versions like Gemini Nano and Flash are optimized for simpler questions and on-device applications.

It's hard to cover everything Gemini does, as it's baked into virtually every Google app and device now, from AI-assisted answers on Chrome and Gemini quick replies on the Pixel Watch 4 to deep Gemini integration into your Workspace apps and Gemini-enhanced Google Translate.

Most recently, Google announced that it would overhaul Google Home to add Gemini, with faster responses, AI-based "Home Briefs" of what its smart devices detected the previous day or night, and help with creating automations via Gemini text prompts. It's easy to simply tell the app, "Lock the front door and turn on lights," and have Gemini handle it.

Gemini for Home is rolling out now, and Gemini is also replacing Google Assistant on Android Auto. The assistant is also becoming deeply integrated with watches, phones, and Googlebooks as Gemini Intelligence.

Google Gemini versions and spin-offs

Below, we'll briefly summarize the latest versions of Gemini — both free and paid, consumer- or business-focused, and stable or experimental — that you should know about:

Gemini 3.5 Pro: The next "Pro" model currently in development at Google. We know that it's being used internally, and it'll roll out in June 2026, but no other information is available publicly.

Gemini 3.5 Flash: A go-to Gemini model that balances everyday performance and speed. It's currently available across the Gemini app, AI Mode in Search, Google AI Studio, Android Studio, and enterprise platforms worldwide. Google claims Gemini 3.5 Flash returns responses four times faster than its competitors. You can now use it for advanced queries, like coding tasks, without needing to switch to a "Pro" model.

Gemini 3.1 Pro: The successor to Gemini 3 Pro, Gemini 3.1 Pro is the current "Pro" model in the Gemini app, NotebookLM, Vertex AI, and the Gemini API. It's better at handling advanced reasoning tasks, and more than doubled the benchmark performance of Gemini 3 Pro, with a 77.1% on ARC-AGI-2. This is a gauge of a model's abstract reasoning skills and new logic patterns.

Gemini 3.1 Deep Think: A powerful AI model made for "modern challenges across science, research and engineering." You can try this model in Deep Think mode in the Gemini app, and it performs even better on the ARC-AGI-2 benchmark, scoring 84.6%. It's a complex problem-solving tool designed to help with tricky requests in the fields of mathematics, chemistry, and physics, to name a few.

Gemini Omni Flash: A new AI model that can create anything from any input. It combine images, audio, video and text to produce a single video output from natural-language prompts. You can try it in the Gemini app.

Gemini 3 Pro: The first Gemini 3 model, which is the company's best for multimodal understanding, agentic features, and vibe coding. Gemini 3 Pro became the leader on major AI benchmarks, and it's available across Gemini, AI Mode in Search, Google AI Studio, Vertex AI, Google Antigravity, and Gemini CLI.

Gemini 3 Pro Image (Nano Banana Pro): Google's most powerful image-generation model, Nano Banana Pro, can now implement refined text and language accuracy. It can also tap into Google Search to discover information that can be used to generate images.

Gemini 3.1 Flash Image (Nano Banana 2): Better known as Nano Banana 2, this model generates and edits images using AI. Compared to the original Nano Banana image generator, this version supports dynamic 512px to 4K image outputs in multiple aspect ratios. It's available for free in the Gemini app, AI Mode in Search, Google Lens, and developer apps.

Gemini Nano: Designed for on-device smartphone applications that work using a neural processing unit (NPU) without needing a network connection. It's designed for background and edge tasks in Android apps, originally only Google and Samsung apps but now available for all Android apps through the AI Edge SDK. Its main functions are transcribing conversations, summarizing information, and analyzing images for info.

Gemini Intelligence: A new, premium AI suite only available on supported devices. It'll first launch on the latest Google and Samsung devices, and it's centered around automation. Google says that "Gemini will navigate tasks for you — whether it’s snagging a front-row bike for your spin class or finding your class syllabus in Gmail, then putting the books you need in your cart." It can complete actions in the background, generate widgets from scratch, and autofill forms. Aside from phones, Gemini Intelligence will be available on certain smartwatches and Googlebooks.

Gemini Live: Gemini Live is the conversational AI that you'll see most frequently in Google's marketing blitz for AI and phones. Available on both Android and iOS with multiple languages and voices, Live remembers your past questions within a specific conversation. It provides more information with real-time screen sharing or answers questions via your camera feed. Google has also launched Live Search, a similar multimodal AI tool built into its Search engine.

Gems: Google AI Pro lets you create a customized version of Gemini, called a "Gem." You can give parameters like "you're my running coach, give me a daily running plan and be positive, upbeat, and motivating," and then speak to a "Gem" with that tone and underlying goal. There are premade Gems that can serve as writing or coding partners, or Experimental Gems like a chess champion.

Most recently, Google Workspace added AI Gems to let students or workers create specialized assistants. For example, a "copywriting Gem" can help with using approved language for clients, or a fake CEO can "pressure test" an idea so you're ready to answer questions about it. Google is also bringing Gems to its Classroom app, allowing teachers to create specialized Gems that will help students study with targeted information.

Gemma: Google's open AI spin-off of Gemini. Different Gemma builds "share technical and infrastructure components" with Gemini, except developers can use the code to build their own AI projects. Specific variants like CodeGemma (for coders) and RecurrentGemma (for researchers) are more specialized, while Gemma 2 is more of a general smarts upgrade, with 9-billion and 27-billion variants. They're all available through Google AI Studio.

Vertix AI: An enterprise AI development platform that includes all of the various Gemini versions, as well as over 160 other open-source AI platforms like Gemma and Llama. This is the most robust option, but is only worth it for businesses.

Imagen: Currently on Imagen 4, this text-to-image model is available through the Gemini app and web versions and can produce photorealistic art based on text prompts. Third-party apps like Adobe Firefly also embed Imagen and Veo for image and video generation.

Veo: Google's text-to-video model that "generates high-quality, 1080p resolution videos that can go beyond a minute, in a wide range of cinematic and visual styles." It will come to the VideoFX tool and YouTube Shorts, and is built off of several AI models (including Gemini). Veo 3 is the latest model that adds audio generation.

Lyria: Google's music generation model leverages generative AI to produce a continuous stream of music controlled by user actions. Lyria 2 is the latest model used to power Music AI Sandbox.

Project Astra: Gemini 1.5 Pro can handle multimedia, but is mainly designed to interpret one thing at a time. Project Astra is a multimodal AI that can answer a contextual question like "What am I looking at?" based on visual data. Google recently announced Android XR, a software program for mixed reality headsets and smart glasses, and Astra may end up being a prototype for that platform. Project Astra is officially available now as Gemini Live with screen sharing and live video support.

Project Mariner: A project designed to handle your browsing needs for you, Project Mariner was introduced as a prototype Google Chrome extension. The agents within Project Mariner enable the software to research information, book shows or other events, and research topics all at once. Google DeepMind's CEO hopes to morph Gemini into a "world model," and according to him, it's this level of multitasking that can assist in that transformation. Project Mariner is shut down as of May 2026.

Google AI Studio: This website is where you can go to start working on Gemini projects, with the Gemini API available and tools like a code "Cookbook" and prompts available to help you get started. This is also where Google's Veo 2 video-generation model is available.

Google Antigravity: An AI-powered integrated development environment (IDE) available as a free app on macOS and Windows. It helps users vibe code or build apps from scratch using Gemini models.

Gemini Spark: This is a so-called "24/7 personal AI agent" powered by Gemini 3.5 Flash. It's built on the backbone of Google Antigravity and taps into the Google Workspace ecosystem. It runs in the cloud and is opening up to Google AI Ultra subscribers in beta now.

Gemini Daily Brief: A personal, AI-powered morning digest that pulls information from Workspace apps to surface and prioritize information based on what matters most. It's similar to Daily Hub on Pixel phones or Now Brief on Galaxy phones. Gemini Daily Brief is rolling out now for Google AI Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscribers in the U.S.

Gemini Omni: A conversational video editor built right into the Gemini app. It can create and edit videos using multimodal prompts, like those that include text or images. Simple phrases like "zoom in on the subject in this video" tell Gemini Omni everything it needs to provide a polished edited video.

Search Agents: AI agents in Google Search that run in the background 24/7 and monitor specified information. You can build mini apps in Search that serve as custom dashboards or trackers for tasks. Search Agents will roll out later this summer.

Key Gemini features

On the most basic level, you can send Gemini words (via text or speaking), images, video, or audio and have it generate information from it. You can have it generate an image from a description or tell you to summarize the contents of a book. We have a how-to guide for Gemini that'll help you get started.

Gemini is designed to make using other Google apps easier. It can "Ask Photos" to find specific memories, create YouTube Music playlists with certain prompts, summarize your Gmail inbox and craft auto-replies, or format Google docs into recipes, cover letters, vacation itineraries, and so on.

Gemini typically doesn't remember things you asked previously, but Google added a "Saved Info" feature that lets you avoid having to repeatedly share that you're interested in a specific topic or are allergic to a specific ingredient. The December 2024 Pixel Drop added this tool, as well as auto-transcribed screened calls and quick auto-replies and the ability to control Google Home smart tech through Gemini commands.

Gemini also has unique features targeted towards children and learning. We've already mentioned the AI Gems for older students, while younger kids can read AI-generated storybooks with drawings and text created via a text prompt.

Generally speaking, Gemini can assist with a wide range of situations. One of our writers used Gemini for interior design planning in his apartment, for example. More recently, Google and Samsung showcased Gemini screen automation. It uses agentic AI to complete smartphone actions for you, like ordering drink from Starbucks, without the user having to open the app.

Gemini uses a Personal Intelligence suite to make the experience tailored to your specific needs. It's built upon Personal context, a tool that uses past Gemini chats to create a personalized experience for future ones. Now, it can also account for specified instructions and data found in your Workspace apps for greater personalization.

Where is Google Gemini available?

The standard version of the Google Gemini AI is "currently available in more than 40 languages and over 230 countries and territories," according to a Google Support page. The Gemini mobile app's Support availability page shows nearly the same number of languages, but only about 150 countries so far.

In either case, you need a legitimate Google account to access it. You must be at least 13 to own a personal Google account, but that may be as high as 18 in some countries, and some applications like Gemini Live require you to be 18 or older. Family Link or Google Workspace accounts may not be able to access it.

Go to gemini.google.com/app to access the generative AI on any web browser. Download the Android app or iOS app for the mobile version, including Gemini Live.

If you want Gemini to be able to pull information from other apps like Google Drive, Gmail, and YouTube, go to Gemini Extensions and toggle them on.

Google is slowly extending Gemini out to other devices that previously used Assistant. For example, the Google Home Public Preview has a "Gemini in Assistant" tool for Nest devices, and it'll be the backbone assistant for Android XR smart glasses and mixed-reality headsets.

Google AI subscriptions

By default, Gemini is free. You must pay for the most powerful versions, but it's only really worth it if you're using it for serious research, coding, and cutting-edge versions of Gemini like Mariner.

Google AI Pro, formerly known as Gemini Advanced and Google One AI Premium, is set behind a $19.99 Google One plan, though you can typically get a free trial of 1–2 months first, and college students who can prove enrollment will get free access to AI Pro. The plan also includes other Google one perks like 2GB of storage, unlimited Magic Editor saves, and premium Workspace tools.

Ultimately, your choice on whether to pay for Google AI Pro will depend on whether you use Gemini casually, professionally, or academically. You can get standard Gemini AI answers using the app without paying; AI Pro gives you more rigorous tools.

For those of you who need even more out of your AI experience, the Google AI Ultra plan may be for you. This plan starts at $99 per month, but it grants you access to all of Google's AI services, including early access to preview builds and new models, higher token limits, and other perks like YouTube Premium and 30TB of cloud storage. There's also Google AI Plus, a $9.99 per month option with AI tools and 200GB of cloud storage.

Where the name "Gemini" came from

Google called its AI "Bard" before rebranding it as "Gemini." Bard evoked Shakespeare and focused primarily on the LLM- and GenAI-focused side of AI, responding to your questions by painting a picture.

Gemini's Latin meaning is "twins," and it's famously a Zodiac constellation with pair stars. It's also the name of NASA's original moonshot program before the famous Apollo missions, with Gemini spacecraft having enough room for two.

According to a Google blog post, "How Google’s AI model Gemini got its name," the Gemini AI name stemmed from how two Google departments (DeepMind and the Google Research Brain team) joined forces for the project, and because "the monumental effort of training LLMs resonated with the spirit of launching rockets."

Aside from the fact that Gemini sounds more marketable and futuristic than Bard, the name is less restrictive because the AI isn't just a generative AI, but also performs other tasks.

What you need to know

• Nothing CEO Carl Pei announced that Phone (2) and Phone (1) have picked up ChatGPT's Quick Settings shortcut.
• Additionally, the Phones can easily activate the shortcut through the Nothing OS Quick Settings widget, placing a convenient option on the home screen.
• OpenAI was previously spotted working on a Quick Settings shortcut for Android recently while also developing a way for users to make ChatGPT their default AI helper.

Nothing phones are picking up a new voice assistant, courtesy of OpenAI's chatbot.

Nothing CEO Carl Pei announced on X that Phone (2) owners can now experience ChatGPT's voice Assistant through its new Quick Settings option Pei adds this experience can be activated by installing ChatGPT's official Android app from the Play Store and using its voice chat feature "at least once."

After that, users should be able to add the assistant's button to their Quick Settings panel. Expanding the panel and tapping the shortcut will produce ChatGPT's assistant, ready for vocal queries. However, Pei explains users can add the AI bot to their home screens by leveraging the Nothing OS Quick Settings Widget.

Moreover, Pei adds that the ChatGPT assistant is "much more responsive" than previously theorized and that support has also arrived for the Phone (1).

A ChatGPT Quick Settings toggle was spotted almost a week ago while diving into the app's latest beta. A shortcut in an Android device's Quick Settings panel was discovered, providing an easy route for users to interact with the voice assistant anywhere on their device.

Users can voice their questions while also having the chance to interrupt the AI chatbot if required. Additionally, OpenAI appears to be working on a way for users to make ChatGPT their default assistant on an Android phone. The function wasn't properly available for an early preview, but details showed users would activate it much like Google's Assistant.

Long-pressing your device's power or home buttons would produce ChatGPT's AI for assistance.

ChatGPT's Quick Settings shortcut — and now Nothing OS' home screen widget — both bring convenience to its voice assistant, which was previously only available inside the app. OpenAI launched its official Android app in July 2023, and the rollout brought its GPT-4 language model, creative inspiration, and "quick answers."

What you need to know

• OpenAI's latest beta update for its ChatGPT app on Android delivers a new Assistant shortcut for the Quick Settings panel.
• Users can tap this shortcut anywhere on their device to begin interacting with the AI chatbot.
• Evidence previously discovered shows OpenAI is working on a way for users to set ChatGPT as their Android phone's default assistant.

Android beta testers for OpenAI's ChatGPT have gained a new function that provides more convenient access to the bot.

According to Mishaal Rahman on X, the latest ChatGPT app beta update lets users add a shortcut to their device's Quick Settings panel. Upon tapping, Rahman states you'll see the chatbot's Assistant overlay on the bottom of your display. The AI appears to require a brief moment to "connect" before it is attentive and ready for your query.

ChatGPT will then attempt to respond to your question, but users can interrupt the AI mid-sentence if needed. More importantly, Rahman adds this shortcut to enable users to interact with the AI chatbot no matter what app they're in.

Despite the appearance of the shortcut, the beta doesn't seem to let users set ChatGPT as their default helper on an Android phone. This feature was previously teased, however, it looks like development is still ongoing.

ChatGPT's Android beta update should become available as the day progresses. However, if you're not enrolled as a tester, you can do so from the app's page on the Play Store.

Earlier in January, it was discovered within the code that OpenAI was working on ways for users to set ChatGPT as their default "assistant." The function couldn't be enabled but its details showed users could use their voice to speak to the AI anywhere on their phone. It was also theorized that users could use their voice to trigger the AI assistant alongside other means such as long-pressing their power button.

This would likely aid users as ChatGPT's current voice controls don't allow functionality outside its confines.

OpenAI launched the official ChatGPT app for Android in July 2023 after it first rolled out for iOS devices. Users were treated to the latest AI upgrades such as OpenAI's GPT-4 language model and tools for creative inspiration, professional input, and "instant answers."

What you need to know

• ChatGPT could become a default voice assistant on Android in the future, which would make it easier to access.
• Code spotted in new versions of the ChatGPT app suggests OpenAI is working on adding the feature.
• If ChatGPT could become the default assistant, users could trigger it on Android with their voice and other ways, from any application.

It took OpenAI quite a while to release a ChatGPT mobile app for iOS and Android, and both versions were highly anticipated. Although the ChatGPT app became the fastest-growing app of all time last year, it's not the quickest way to get an answer to every question. Using a voice assistant, like the Google Assistant, is still faster in many cases. 

But according to code found in the newest version of the ChatGPT app, spotted by Android Authority, that might not be the case for much longer. Android researcher Mishaal Rahman found an activity named com.openai.voice.assistant.AssistantActivity, although it is not currently enabled. As the name suggests, it's referencing a ChatGPT mode that would enable it to work as a voice assistant system-wide. 

Rahman was able to enable the activity in version 1.2023.352 of the ChatGPT app. After launching the voice assistant activity, a ChatGPT process shows above the Android Home Screen. This suggests that, unlike current ChatGPT voice control, you will be able to use a ChatGPT voice assistant from any part of Android.

Essentially, this would put the ChatGPT voice assistant on par with Google Assistant. The app currently doesn't have all the necessary code requirements to be set as a default voice assistant in Android, even if you manually enable the activity. However, the incomplete code strings strongly imply that it's a feature that OpenAI is actively developing.

Given how influential artificial intelligence was last year and user demand, there's incentive for OpenAI to roll out support for ChatGPT as a default assistant. The company's moves might also set up a race between Google and OpenAI to create the first AI-powered voice assistant for Android. Google says that Google Assistant with Bard is coming, but we don't exactly know when. 

If OpenAI could beat Google to market with a ChatGPT voice assistant for Android, it would be a serious win for the company. Microsoft could also make some noise, as it just released a Microsoft Copilot app for Android. That's significant because it's the easiest way to access OpenAI's GPT-4 model for free on an Android phone. 

It's unclear when ChatGPT could debut as an Android default voice assistant. However, the feature would certainly give users more choice over what AI-enabled voice assistant can be quickly triggered on their great Android phones.

As I'm sitting down to reflect on everything that's happened in the past year, I feel as though this has been one of the wildest rides I've ever been on. We've seen the rapid decline of one of the most popular social media platforms, AI is rapidly taking over the world, and 2024 is already shaping up to be even wilder.

Originally, I was going to try and put these topics in a certain order, but, I ended up spending too much time going back and forth. Instead, I said, "forget it," and decided to go with the flow. So, without further adieu, these are my favorite things of 2023.

More foldables - OnePlus Open, Pixel Fold

I've been beating the foldable phone drum ever since I got my paws on the Galaxy Z Fold 2, but my interest started to wane a bit. Mainly because Samsung has retained the same design for the past three years, and trying to import any of the cool foldables from overseas isn't exactly fiscally responsible. Thankfully, Google and OnePlus pulled me from the pits of despair, offering two similar, yet completely different, experiences.

For as long as I've been using foldable phones, I've been waiting for the day that Google would release one of its own. The Pixel Fold finally arrived, and I was able to get it on launch day, replacing my broken Galaxy Z Fold 4. It's pretty much everything I wanted from a Google foldable, but I also learned a few things about using non-Samsung foldable phones along the way.

The end of my daily use of the Pixel Fold came courtesy of OnePlus' foray into the market with the OnePlus Open. If you think the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is too narrow and the Pixel Fold is too wide, then the Open is the perfect middle ground. It continues to be the phone I reach for the most, thanks to the incredible cameras and a cover screen that feels more natural to use than the others.

Legion Go, Steam Deck OLED, and gaming handhelds galore

As of late, we've been doing a little bit more coverage in the way of gaming handhelds. This is simply because there are so many fantastic handhelds to choose from, and I'm not just talking about the Razer Edge or Logitech G Cloud. This year alone, Lenovo launched the Legion Go (a Windows handheld), Valve launched the Steam Deck OLED, ASUS came swinging with the ROG Ally, and countless other handhelds were released.

That's not to mention the likes of the Ayaneo Pocket AIR, AYN Odin 2, Retroid Pocket 2S Plus, Anbernic RG35XX Plus, Pimax Portal, and so many more. All of these run some version of Android, making it so you can either load up your favorite emulators or just install the best Android games. All without needing to worry about physically connecting a controller to your phone and worrying about battery life.

Honestly, these gaming handhelds have replaced mechanical keyboards as my current obsession. I just can't get enough, and following Ayaneo's announcement of the Pocket S, I couldn't be more excited to see how much more powerful these handhelds can get.

Framework

Something that I've come to learn in 2023 is that the inner tinkerer didn't actually disappear. I've started spending more and more time outside of Apple's walled gardens and fell right into the arms of Framework. The single Chromebook that I've kept coming back to over the past year is the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition, but it's gone beyond that.

I'm currently working on either getting a new Framework Laptop or Mainboard. The reason for this has to do with the new Framework Chromebox that I built using the Framework Chromebook's Mainboard and the Cooler Master Mainboard Case. Trying to figure out why I couldn't get it to work ended up taking me down a deep rabbit hole, but when I came out on the other side, it was so refreshing and exciting.

Despite having a MacBook Pro using Apple's M2 Max chip and understanding how much more powerful and efficient it is, I can't help but be frustrated. Nothing about the MacBook is replaceable, so instead, I'm trying to "future-proof" myself a bit by moving to Framework. Because I could write about Framework forever, just head over to my Framework Chromebox piece if you want to know more about why I'm moving away from Apple in some regards.

Chromebooks continue to get better

After years of being stuck in what felt like purgatory, Chromebooks have been thrust into the limelight. While I'd like to sit here and gush about the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, Acer Chromebook Spin 714, and Framework, this isn't the place for that.

Google continued to show its commitment to the platform with the announcement of the Chromebook Plus initiative. Not only does this provide a set of guidelines for Chromebook makers, but it also opens the door for even more useful and exciting features down the line. Google also did the right thing and brought Chromebook Plus features to "older" devices, meaning that as long as the requirements are met, you don't need to rush out and buy one just to get specific features.

ChatGPT, Bard, Claude 2

ChatGPT burst onto the scene late last year and, in doing so, turned 2023 into the "year of AI." The prominence of OpenAI's chatbot was so impactful that it seemingly forced Google to launch its public-facing competitor in Bard. But those aren't even the only two LLMs that are easily accessible, as there are a plethora of options such as HuggingChat, Anthropic's Claude 2, and even Elon Musk's "Grok."

Not to mention that as the platform seemed to stabilize around GPT-4, OpenAI introduced extensions, while Google eventually did the same with Bard. Then, Google surprised many by introducing three new models, bringing Gemini Nano to the Pixel 8 Pro and infusing Gemini Pro into Bard. We're also awaiting the arrival of Gemini Ultra, which could be Google's answer to GPT-4, but that won't come until sometime next year.

So many great games (old and new)

I could have just slotted this into the same section as gaming handhelds, but that would be a disservice. 2023 saw the launch of so many incredible games, such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3, Starfield, and the list goes on.

But, my passion for retro gaming was reinvigorated, largely due to the various gaming handhelds that have hit the market. Being able to play some of my favorite childhood classics on pretty much any device I want is simply incredible. The best part about it all, for me at least, is that I don't need to use my phone and can just rely on a dedicated device.

From a single device, I can go from playing Baldur's Gate 3 or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 to firing up Super Mario Bros. Wonder or Tears of the Kingdom. Now, the only thing I need to worry about is making sure that my portable charger has enough juice to last until I get home.

AR/XR glasses are a game-changer

Something that reared its ugly head in 2023 was having to deal with chronic headaches. It's not related to my eyes but instead is because of the pressure that I put on my neck when testing out Chromebooks and tablets or playing games on my phone or other devices. However, I've been fortunate enough to be able to mess around with smart glasses such as the XREAL Air 2s and TCL NXTWEAR S.

These largely work with pretty much any device out there, including the best Android phones and Chromebooks. It has come in handy when taking trips and riding shotgun, as the glasses allow me to get work done (or play games) without needing to stare down at my laptop or tablet screen. I've even started using these at the end of the day when I just want to lay down on the couch but want to finish my daily objectives in Call of Duty on my Legion Go or ROG Ally.

The return of the ultrawide monitor (to me)

One of my big WFH purchases after the pandemic started was an ultrawide monitor, as I needed something larger than what I had. Last year, I gave that up in favor of the LG C2, as it offers 4K/120Hz and can be used as a monitor for Windows, macOS, and even ChromeOS. However, my entire home office setup was again thrown into disarray after I laid my eyes on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9.

This behemoth of a monitor is 49 inches wide, with a 5120x1440 resolution and up to a 240Hz refresh rate, and offers me more flexibility than I even imagined. It gives me the same experience as using two 27-inch QHD monitors without the separation in the middle. Unless something breaks, I don't see myself going back to regular monitors anytime soon.

New tablets in all shapes and sizes

For the most part, I'm still of the belief that if you need a tablet, you should at least consider an iPad. However, the gap between the iPad and the best Android tablets got quite a bit smaller in 2023.

There's the Pixel Tablet that doubles as a smart home hub, even though Google says that wasn't the point. Amazon's Fire Max 11 remains one of my favorite tablets, as long as you get the one that doesn't constantly throw ads in your face. And Samsung's Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is almost perfect if you want a laptop replacement.

I'm not sure whether Android tablets will be able to close the gap any further, as there are rumors that Apple is aiming to revamp its iPad lineup in 2024. This potentially includes using OLED displays for the iPad Pro models and introducing the latest M3 chips to certain models. At the same time, rumors also suggest a larger iPad Air getting thrown into the mix. Even still, I'm excited to see what kind of response there will be from the likes of Samsung and, maybe, Google.

A growing family

I don't talk too much about my personal life here or even on the podcast, but there's another reason why 2023 has been such a roller coaster. After years of pleading with me, I finally caved, and we adopted Leia, who has been the most incredible coworker that anyone could ask for. She's a mix of four different breeds and, unfortunately, has a personality that's a mix between my wife and me.

Just a few months later, I took a break from working only to have my wife share the wonderful news that we were expecting! Things have been a whirlwind since then, and we still have a little ways to go before the big day, but I have never been more excited (and afraid) of anything in my life. It's always exciting to start the next chapter of your life, and shortly after the calendar flips into 2024, my next chapter will begin.

2024 is already shaping up to be exciting

When the year started, I didn't expect to end up where I'm at now. Not only have there been some pretty massive changes in my personal life, but 2023 has helped to change the way that I think about everything.

As we get ready to turn the calendar over and start a new year, I'm excited about what we might see. Gemini Ultra should be making its way to us sooner or later, the Galaxy S24 launch is right around the corner, and who knows what the year could hold for Chromebooks and ChromeOS.

More importantly, I'm extremely grateful to be working with the team here at Android Central. You really couldn't ask for a better band of misfits to work alongside, and if this year has been any indication, it's only going to get better from here.