It’s deja vu all over again for Microsoft’s AI-powered Recall tool. After a and then a second one , Microsoft is once more pushing back testing of the feature intended for its Copilot+ PCs. reported that Recall now won’t enter previews for Windows Insiders until December.

“We are committed to delivering a secure and trusted experience with Recall,” Brandon LeBlanc, senior product manager of Windows, told the publication. “To ensure we deliver on these important updates, we’re taking additional time to refine the experience before previewing it with Windows Insiders.”

When it was introduced, Microsoft positioned Recall as a way to give your computer a photographic memory, improving the search process on PCs. But since that photographic memory would demand a high degree of access to a computer’s systems and data, Recall has been the target of privacy and security concerns. Microsoft has tried to those worries by presenting Recall as an opt-in feature, so users will have to give explicit permission for the AI assistant to log their computing activity. The company has also detailed other privacy protections, but today’s third delay could mean that it’s proving more difficult than expected to keep security on lock.

Google launched real-time search capabilities for its Gemini AI platform on Thursday, enabling its language models to access current information from Google Search. The new feature, called “Grounding with Google Search,” targets developers building AI applications, distinguishing it from OpenAI’s consumer-focused ChatGPT Search service launched the same day.

“We’re focused on putting search-augmented responses into developer workflows,” said Logan Kilpatrick, a product leader at Google, in an exclusive interview with VentureBeat. “We’re leveraging what Google does uniquely well — making the world’s information accessible through search.”

Say hello to Grounding with Google Search, available in the Gemini API + Google AI Studio!

You can now access real time, fresh, up to date information from Google Search when building with Gemini by enabling the Grounding tool.https://t.co/oGVTOKHfM8

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— Logan Kilpatrick (@OfficialLoganK) October 31, 2024

The system allows developers to supplement their AI applications with fresh search data, complete with citations and sources. The service costs $35 per 1,000 queries, reflecting the substantial computing requirements for real-time AI search.

The technology uses a “dynamic retrieval” system that automatically determines when to tap into search results. Each query receives a score between 0 and 1 — questions about current events score high (0.97), while creative writing prompts score low (0.13). This helps manage both costs and response times while maintaining accuracy.

Inside the $49 billion battle for the future of search

Google’s move to integrate search with its AI platform comes at a critical moment. The company earned $49.4 billion from search advertising in Q3 2024, but faces growing pressure from AI-powered alternatives. Running these systems requires massive computing resources — OpenAI expects to spend $5 billion on computing costs this year alone.

The integration also raises questions about publisher compensation. Both Google and OpenAI have secured licensing deals with major news organizations, though the financial terms remain private. Several publishers, including The New York Times, have filed lawsuits over AI systems using their content without permission.

Why OpenAI’s new ChatGPT Search could change how we find information online

Hours after Google’s announcement, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Search, taking a different approach by targeting consumers directly. While Google focuses on providing tools for developers to build search-enhanced AI applications, OpenAI’s service offers end users a way to access current information about news, sports, stocks, and weather through a conversational interface – notably without advertisements.

“The journey we’re on is using Google Search in more creative ways, through multiple surfaces,” said Shrestha Basu Mallick, Google’s group product manager for the Gemini API, in an interview with VentureBeat. “You’ll have it through AI Studio, the Gemini APIs, and it may eventually become native in the model itself.”

This new phase of competition could reshape how people find information online. Rather than scrolling through pages of results, users may increasingly rely on AI systems to synthesize answers from multiple sources. However, questions remain about accuracy, publisher compensation, and whether companies can build sustainable business models around these computing-intensive services.

The simultaneous launches suggest AI-powered search may evolve into a three-way race between Google, Microsoft (through its OpenAI partnership), and OpenAI itself.

Google maintains advantages in search infrastructure and advertising revenue, while OpenAI has demonstrated skill in creating compelling consumer AI products. Microsoft, meanwhile, benefits from both through its multibillion-dollar OpenAI investment.

Former NFL quarterback and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 on Wednesday to talk about the challenges facing people who want to disrupt something — both inside and outside of the tech world.

“One of the biggest challenges that you will likely face when you try to disrupt something — or you try to do something you’re passionate about, and it ends up disrupting something in that process, is you face a lot of resistance,” Kaepernick said. “There will be difficult times, and during those times, you want to have those people that you can lean on, the people that can support you, and that’s really what gives you that endurance.”

Kaepernick is no stranger to disrupting the status quo, as he made national headlines in 2016 when he took a knee to protest racial injustice. The former NFL star says that while he faced a lot of resistance, he also saw a push to create a better and more equitable future.

“When you do that and you see such a strong response to it, it really gives you perspective and insight,” Kaepernick said. “We have such a long way to go. But, the other part that I learned during that time period, there are also a lot of people that want to go that long way with you, and I think that has been the beautiful part coming out of that is while there has been resistance to it, there’s also been a lot of organizing.”

As someone who has had thousands of stories written about him, he now wants to help creators take control of their narratives with Lumi. The startup is aiming to empower creators by helping them independently create and publish stories and content.

As for founders who are looking to disrupt and explore their passions, Kaepernick offered a few words of advice.

“Do your homework and know why you’re doing what you’re doing,” he said. “And then two, once you know that, go after it passionately and go after it with everything that you have and bring people with you. I would not be sitting here today and none of you would know me at all if there weren’t a whole lot of people that helped me along the way, and that’s everyone from my wife to family and friends to teammates to coaches, some of the investors and advisors that I’ve had along the way. So have those people with you, because that makes us, that makes you sustainable for the long run.”

Starting today, Google’s ChromeOS 130 update with Quick Insert, Focus Mode, Welcome Recap, and other features is rolling out. Chromebook Plus models with NPU also get exclusive special features in 130, such as the new recorder app with AI, enhanced mic, camera effects, and Gemini AI tools like “help me read” summaries.

There’s a long list of changes in 130, but here are some highlights. Quick Insert is a way to add emoji, GIFs, or links to recently visited sites and access AI features from a menu. On most devices, that means using the launcher or Google button plus f on your keyboard. The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus is the first Chromebook to replace the launcher key with a new button that activates Quick Insert with a single press, but more devices launching next year will have it, too.

Focus Mode lets you activate do not disturb and schedule time to reduce distractions while you work, while Welcome Recap is an opt-in feature that summarizes whatever you were doing last so you can reopen apps and tabs to get back to work quickly.

Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

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