Google VP

Google VP of global infrastructure says 'fears' related to data centers are legitimate

As concerns over the rapid growth of AI data centers continue to rise, Google says many public fears about water use are justified — but a lack of information is also fueling distrust. The company on June 3 unveiled a new set of guidelines that it hopes will become an industry standard for managing water consumption at data centers. As reported by Axios, the announcement comes as communities across the United States increasingly question the environmental impact of new AI infrastructure...

Google explains how it will infuse ads into AI answers

Google is integrating new forms of AI-powered advertising into its search engine's AI-generated answers. These new ad types include "Conversational Discovery ads," which tailor ads to specific search queries, and "Highlighted Answers," which appear within AI Mode recommendations. This development allows Google to serve more profit-generating content alongside its enhanced AI search features.

Google is cannibalizing the web to feed AI

Apple partnering with Google and Nvidia for most advanced AI model

Apple on Monday revealed what it's been working on in artificial intelligence at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, Calif. WWDC showed off demos of its redesigned Siri, which can speak back and forth with the user, a major improvement over previous versions of the assistant. In a demo, Siri was able to check concert dates, set a reminder to buy tickets, and even get directions to pick up a friend on the way to the concert venue. But the announcement also highlighted...

Snowflake buys Natoma to help freeze out rogue agents

Snowflake is acquiring Natoma, a startup that provides a gateway for managing AI agent permissions across enterprise applications. This acquisition is part of Snowflake's strategy to establish an "agentic control plane," ensuring that AI agents can interact with business systems while adhering to strict security and governance policies. Natoma's technology enforces identity verification and access controls at the level of individual tool calls, allowing for secure and controlled AI actions.

The Tech Download: Anthropic’s IPO sets up first big test of AI boom valuations

This report is from this week's The Tech Download newsletter. You can subscribe here. This week has been dominated by the hype around the highly anticipated IPOs of SpaceX, Anthropic and OpenAI.

A Russian speaker and jailbroken Gemini went on a hacking spree and emptied at least one MAGA victim's crypto wallets

A Russian-speaking threat actor used a jailbroken Google Gemini to run a sophisticated fraud campaign targeting MAGA and QAnon communities. The attacker impersonated an American veteran, used AI-generated content to build a Telegram channel, and deployed malware to steal cryptocurrency from victims. This operation highlights the growing sophistication of cybercrime when weaponized large language models are employed.

Apple’s Orwellian device controls for tots also mean more work for parents

Apple is turning parents into a corporate IT help desk, with rigid new monitoring and compliance tools for their children’s iPhones and iPads that will prompt for mom and dad's approval each time their kids visit a new website or want a new app. Apple's new trust and safety features for kids and teens will also automatically block nudity and gore from appearing on apps, even during live Facetime calls, while giving parents more control over the amount of time their tots spend glued to...

It's do or die for Apple AI

Apple’s revamped artificial intelligence stack and a revamped Siri were front and center at Monday’s WWDC keynote, making it clear that, this time around, it’s do or die for Apple AI. The keynote itself and the announcements that followed were all about Siri and Apple Intelligence, with platform improvements and child safety updates a blip in the hour-long broadcast. Given the relentless industry hype around AI and Apple's missteps there so far, no one should be surprised.

Apple courts developers with privacy and context in AI comeback bid

At its 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple offered a vision of how to integrate AI with its products that stands out for its sobriety, responsibility, and plausibility. In contrast to the job-killing, security-breaking, human-replacing hype promulgated by the likes of Anthropic and OpenAI, company execs dialed down their usual superlative-laden effusiveness to convey how AI tools can actually help software developers, as well as those using Apple products. Capabilities like Safari's...