ai-assistant

Perplexity has opened its Personal Computer AI assistant to all Mac users after initially limiting access to subscribers on its $200 per month Max plan. The macOS app can run tasks across local files, apps, and the web, with most processing handled in the cloud rather than locally.

Google is testing a major upgrade to Gemini Agent, internally called "Remy," that can autonomously take actions on users' behalf including making purchases, sharing documents, and communicating with others. The experimental feature, available to Google AI Ultra subscribers, will monitor user preferences and handle complex tasks proactively across connected apps.

Google published COSMO, an experimental AI assistant application for Android, on the Play Store. The 1.13 GB app runs Gemini Nano locally and includes 14 automated skills ranging from calendar event scheduling to document writing and deep research.

Adobe has opened public beta access to Firefly AI Assistant, an AI agent that coordinates workflows across 60+ tools in Creative Cloud apps including Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator, and Lightroom. The assistant is available to Creative Cloud Pro and paid Firefly plan subscribers (Pro, Pro Plus, Premium) starting today.

Adobe is launching Firefly AI Assistant in public beta within the coming weeks, evolving from its October 2024 "Project Moonlight" preview. The assistant orchestrates workflows across Creative Cloud applications including Photoshop, Premiere, Lightroom, Illustrator, and Express, allowing users to control outputs through text prompts, buttons, and sliders.

Microsoft has begun removing Copilot branding and buttons from Windows 11 applications including Notepad and Snipping Tool, replacing them with generic icons like a pen symbol. The underlying AI-powered features remain functional but are now labeled as "writing tools" rather than Copilot. This follows user complaints about forced Copilot integration and inconsistent experiences across apps.

Meta announced Muse Spark, its first major large language model since hiring Scale AI's Alexandr Wang nine months ago for a $14.3 billion deal. The proprietary model emphasizes efficiency and multimodal reasoning over top-tier performance, marking a strategic shift from Meta's previous open-source Llama approach. Muse Spark will power Meta's AI assistant across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Ray-Ban glasses starting in coming weeks.

Google has launched three new Gemini-powered features for Google TV: visual responses that display live scores and tutorials, deep dives with narrated visual breakdowns on complex topics, and sports briefs offering narrated game overviews. The features are rolling out to U.S. and Canada users now, with expansion to Australia, New Zealand, and the UK planned for spring 2026.

Google is testing a native Gemini app for macOS, according to Bloomberg. The app would compete directly with OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude, both of which offer standalone Mac applications. A key differentiator is 'Desktop Intelligence,' which allows Gemini to view screen context and pull content from apps to personalize responses.

Google has begun beta testing a dedicated Gemini app for macOS with select users, according to Bloomberg. The early version includes only critical features and hints at a "Desktop Intelligence" capability that lets Gemini see screen context. The move addresses a competitive gap, as Anthropic and OpenAI already offer native Mac apps for Claude and ChatGPT.

Amazon is rolling out Alexa+, its AI-powered conversational assistant, to the UK as the first market outside North America. The company is offering free early access to new Echo buyers and plans to reach hundreds of thousands of customers in the coming weeks. After the beta period ends, Prime subscribers will get free access while non-Prime users will pay £19.99 per month.

Google has expanded Gemini in Chrome beyond the US to Canada, India, and New Zealand, adding support for over 50 languages. The update brings Gemini to iOS browsers and includes new image editing capabilities via Nano Banana 2, while maintaining existing integrations with Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Drive, Maps, Search, and YouTube.

Google has launched Canvas, a new feature in Search that transforms AI-assisted search into an interactive workspace. The tool allows US users to build documents, dashboards, and code prototypes directly within the search interface, marking a shift toward positioning search as a collaborative AI assistant rather than a query-answer platform.

OpenAI has released its Codex AI coding tool on Windows following rapid adoption on macOS. The app achieved over 1 million downloads in its first week on Mac and now serves 1.6 million weekly active users across platforms.

Google is rolling out its 'Past Chats' personalization feature to free users of the Gemini app globally. The feature allows users to access and reference previous conversations within the app.