Google’s 'world-model' bet: building the AI operating layer before Microsoft captures the UI

After three hours at Google’s I/O 2025 event last week in Silicon Valley, it became increasingly clear: Google is rallying its formidable AI efforts – prominently branded under the Gemini name but encompassing a diverse range of underlying model architectures and research – with laser focus. It is releasing a slew of innovations and technologies around it, then integrating them into products at a breathtaking pace.

Matt Marshall
VentureBeat/Ideogram

We need to talk about the F word ('friction' in enterprise, that is)

Today, everything is frictionless. Whether you’re parking your car, selling your home, hitting the drive-thru or drying your hair, there’s a company promising to save you time and eliminate any hassle you might encounter. Frictionlessness is the final form of the American cult of convenience —the culmination of an ongoing effort to satisfy consumers’ desire for faster, easier and more complete satisfaction. 

Jennie Baird, The Ethical Tech Project
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Rosenberg/Midjourney

Enter the 'Whisperverse': How AI voice agents will guide us through our days

A common criticism of big tech is that their platforms treat users as little more than glassy eyeballs to be monetized with targeted ads. This will soon change, but not because tech platforms are moving away from aggressively targeting users. Instead, our ears are about to become the most efficient channel for hammering us with AI-powered influence that is responsive to the world around us. Welcome to the Whisperverse.   

Louis Rosenberg, Unanimous A.I.

Partner Content

How Shift transformed Chromium into a browser for power users

Shift’s interface looks clean, fresh and simple -- but under the hood, it’s a powerful Chromium browser that’s the first of its kind. Shift’s browser merges web apps and search into a single interface, eliminating window-switching and making it easy for users to manage multiple email inboxes. In Shift, users can create custom browser workspaces with separate apps, accounts and tabs, promoting natural organization and reducing tab pile-ups.

VB Staff