product-update

OpenAI launched Trusted Contact, a feature allowing ChatGPT users to designate a third party who receives automated alerts if conversations indicate self-harm risk. The company claims safety notifications are reviewed by humans in under one hour, with alerts sent via email, text, or in-app notification without detailed conversation content.

Anthropic has released three new capabilities for Claude Managed Agents: dreaming (research preview) for pattern recognition and self-improvement, outcomes for defining success criteria with automated evaluation, and multiagent orchestration for delegating tasks to specialist agents.

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 Docs now allows users to set persistent instructions for Gemini that apply across all documents. The feature, available to Google AI Plus subscribers in the US, supports up to 1,000 active instructions per account for controlling tone, style, and formatting.

OpenAI added a /pet feature to its Codex Mac app that displays animated companion creatures in the interface. Users can choose from preset options or create custom pets that provide status updates while Codex runs in the background.

Google has rolled out notebooks to the Gemini mobile app on Android and iOS, allowing users to organize conversations and files in dedicated spaces. The feature syncs with NotebookLM and supports between 50 and 600 sources per notebook depending on subscription tier.

OpenAI's ChatGPT Images 2.0 has added UI design analysis capabilities, allowing it to review interface designs, flag specific issues, and generate redesigned mockups. The feature is available to ChatGPT Plus subscribers at $20/month and represents an expansion beyond pure image generation into design review.

Google is rolling out direct file generation to all Gemini users worldwide. The chatbot can now export outputs in 11 formats including Microsoft Word, Excel, PDF, LaTeX, and Google Workspace formats directly from the prompt bar.

Google's Gemini for Home voice assistant now executes smart home commands up to 1.5 seconds faster for lights and plugs, the company announced. The update also brings near-instant processing for alarms, timers, and reminders, currently available for English, French, and Spanish users.

Perplexity rolled out native iPadOS support for its Comet AI browser on April 28, 2026. The update adds multiple window support and Split View multitasking, allowing users to run Comet alongside other iPad apps.

Google is replacing Google Assistant with Gemini on approximately 4 million GM vehicles in the U.S. running Android Automotive. The rollout begins with model year 2022 and newer Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles.

Anthropic has expanded Claude's connector system with 16 new service integrations, bringing the total to over 200 partners. The additions include Uber, Instacart, Audible, Booking.com, and Spotify, with the company emphasizing no paid placements or sponsored answers.

Microsoft is rolling out Agent Mode as the default Copilot experience in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint this week for all Microsoft 365 Copilot and Premium subscribers. The feature, previously called 'vibe working,' allows the AI to execute multi-step edits directly in documents with real-time visibility into each action.

OpenAI is replacing Custom GPTs with workspace agents, Codex-powered tools designed for team collaboration that can handle complex tasks and long-running workflows. The feature launches today as a research preview for ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, Edu, and Teachers plans.

Anthropic updated its pricing page on April 22, 2026, removing Claude Code from the $20/month Pro plan and restricting it to $100-200/month Max plans. The company reversed the change within hours after significant backlash across Reddit, Hacker News, and Twitter.

GitHub has announced changes to its Copilot Individual subscription plans, citing the need for reliability and predictability for existing customers. The company has not yet disclosed specific details about pricing adjustments, feature modifications, or implementation timelines.

Google has expanded its Notebooks feature in the Gemini app to free users, allowing them to organize chats and files with up to 50 sources per notebook. The feature, which integrates with NotebookLM, was previously available only to Google AI subscribers.

Cline, the AI coding assistant, released version 3.79.0 on April 16, 2025, adding support for Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.7 model and Azure Blob Storage as a storage provider. The update also patches an action injection security vulnerability and fixes cache reflection issues.

Google has integrated its Nano Banana image generation system with Gemini's Personal Intelligence feature, enabling the AI to create images informed by user data from Gmail, Photos, Calendar, Drive, and other Google apps. The feature rolls out to Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscribers in the US first, with Europe excluded from the initial launch.

Google Home's April 2026 update addresses Gemini voice assistant reliability issues. The update improves speech detection to reduce mid-sentence interruptions, speeds up responses to simple queries, and enhances music playlist recognition even when names are misspoken or in noisy environments.

Anthropic has launched Ultraplan, a new feature for Claude Code that offloads programming task planning to the cloud. The feature enables developers to initiate planning jobs from the terminal while the planning executes in the browser, supporting inline comments, emoji reactions, and revision requests on individual plan sections.

Google has redesigned AI Mode's prompt interface with a bottom sheet layout on mobile and expanded its agentic restaurant booking feature to 8 new markets including the UK, Canada, and Australia. The update rolls out to stable channel on Android and iOS.

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.

Microsoft is removing Copilot buttons from Windows 11 apps including Notepad, Snipping Tool, Photos, and Widgets as part of a broader effort to reduce "unnecessary Copilot entry points." The underlying AI features remain intact, with Notepad's Copilot button replaced by a "writing tools" menu that retains the same AI-powered functionality.

OpenAI has introduced a $100 per month ChatGPT Pro plan positioned between its $20 Plus and $200 Pro tiers. The new tier offers 5x more Codex capacity than Plus and access to the same advanced tools as the $200 plan, with a limited-time promotional doubling of Codex allocation.

OpenAI has introduced a new $100 per month ChatGPT Pro subscription tier offering 5x more usage of its Codex coding tool than the $20 Plus plan. The tier directly competes with Anthropic's Claude Max subscription at the same price point and sits between the $20 Plus and $200 Pro tiers.

GitHub has integrated Copilot directly into its security assessment tools, enabling organization admins and security managers to request real-time explanations and guided remediation steps from detected secret risks and code vulnerabilities without leaving the assessment interface.

Anthropic has expanded Claude Cowork to all paid subscription tiers on macOS and Windows, adding organizational controls including role-based access, per-team budget limits, and usage analytics. A new Zoom connector integrates meeting summaries directly into Cowork, while admins can restrict connector actions like write access. Microsoft is testing an adapted version for Copilot.

Google has rolled out a new feature for Gemini that generates interactive 3D models and simulations in response to user queries. Users can rotate models, adjust variables with sliders, and modify simulation parameters in real-time—available now to all Gemini Pro users.

OpenAI's ChatGPT has integrated Tubi TV, the ad-supported streaming service, allowing users to search Tubi's catalog of over 300,000 movies and TV episodes directly through the AI. Tubi becomes the first streaming service to integrate with ChatGPT's app ecosystem, available across web, desktop, and mobile platforms.

Google Gemini can now generate interactive visualizations directly within the chat interface, allowing users to tweak variables, rotate 3D models, and explore data in real time. The feature activates through phrases like "show me" or "help me visualize" when using the Gemini Pro model. This follows Anthropic's Claude launch of similar interactive diagram capabilities in mid-March.

Anthropic has promoted Claude Cowork from research preview to general availability, adding six enterprise features including role-based access controls, group spend limits, and usage analytics. The company simultaneously launched Claude Managed Agents in public beta—a composable API suite for building and deploying cloud-hosted agents without custom infrastructure work.

Amazon has introduced stateful MCP client capabilities on Bedrock AgentCore Runtime, enabling agents to pause mid-execution for user input, request LLM-generated content, and stream real-time progress updates. The update transforms one-way tool execution into bidirectional conversations between MCP servers and clients, supporting interactive workflows previously impossible with stateless implementations.

Google announced Wednesday that Gemini is getting a "notebooks" feature to organize files, past conversations, and custom instructions in a single space. The feature mirrors OpenAI's Projects and syncs with Google's NotebookLM research tool, starting with web rollout to Gemini Ultra, Pro, and Plus subscribers this week.

Google is introducing 'notebooks' to the Gemini app, a new organizational feature that lets users create personal knowledge bases across chats and files. The notebooks sync directly with NotebookLM and are rolling out first to Google AI Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscribers on web, with mobile and free user access coming in the following weeks.

OpenAI's ChatGPT has launched its first streaming video service integration, partnering with Tubi. The native app lets users search Tubi's catalog of over 300,000 movies and TV episodes using natural language queries.

Miro has launched AI Workflows, a system of AI agents that operate directly on collaborative canvases using full visual and spatial context. The feature includes Sidekicks (conversational agents) and Flows (multi-step automated workflows), accessible through the Business + AI Workflows tier at $20 per member per month with 50 AI credits included.

Google is expanding Gemini for Home, its replacement for Google Assistant, to 16 new countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Oceania. The expansion adds support for 7 new languages and includes significant performance improvements: 40% reduction in smart home latency for common commands, enhanced context awareness for device identification, and new features like real-time Nest camera search for Google Home Premium users.

X is rolling out an updated in-app photo editor that integrates Grok to enable text-based image edits alongside traditional tools like blur, text overlay, and drawing. The feature brings X's editing capabilities closer to Google Photos' conversational editing.

Google is deploying major redesigns to its Gemini overlay and Gemini Live on Android, introducing a floating interface for Live and a consolidated menu system for the overlay. The updates are rolling out in Google app beta version 17.3 and represent the third major visual overhaul in as many months.

Google is redesigning how Gemini handles mental health crises with a one-touch interface connecting users to 988 crisis services. The update comes months after a lawsuit alleged the chatbot encouraged a man's suicide, and includes retrained responses designed to avoid validating harmful beliefs.

Amazon has published a technical guide for building real-time conversational podcasts using Amazon Nova 2 Sonic, its speech understanding and generation model. The solution demonstrates streaming audio generation, multi-turn dialogue between AI hosts, and stage-aware content filtering through a web interface.

Google is deploying Gemini to automatically generate captions when Maps contributors share photos or videos. The feature analyzes images and suggests captions that users can edit or remove before posting. Captions are now live in English on iOS in the U.S., with global and Android expansion planned.

Google has redesigned Gemini's crisis intervention module to provide faster access to mental health resources through a simplified one-touch interface. The update follows a wrongful death lawsuit alleging the chatbot coached a user toward suicide, adding pressure on AI companies to improve safeguards for vulnerable users.

Google announced updates to Gemini designed to detect mental health crises and connect users to hotline resources through one-touch calling, chat, text, or website access. The company is simultaneously committing $30 million over three years to support global hotlines and mental health training platforms.

GitHub has added Rubber Duck to Copilot CLI, a feature that provides alternative suggestions by consulting different AI model families. The feature lets developers get a second opinion on code suggestions directly from the command line.

OpenAI has expanded ChatGPT with native app integrations allowing users to connect accounts from Spotify, DoorDash, Uber, Booking.com, Canva, Figma, Coursera, Expedia, Target, and others. Users can request actions like meal planning with DoorDash grocery delivery, playlist creation with Spotify, and hotel bookings through Booking.com directly within ChatGPT. The feature requires account authentication and data sharing; users can disconnect any integrated app from Settings.

Anthropic is enforcing separate billing for Claude Code subscribers using third-party tools like OpenClaw, starting April 4, 2026. Subscribers can no longer use their subscription limits for these integrations and must pay through a new pay-as-you-go model. The decision follows OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger's move to OpenAI.

Anthropic has identified two primary causes for Claude Code users hitting usage limits faster than expected: stricter rate limiting during peak hours and sessions with context windows exceeding 1 million tokens. The company also recommends switching to Sonnet 4.6 instead of Opus, which consumes limits roughly twice as fast.

Cursor released version 3 of its AI coding tool with a complete interface redesign built around running multiple AI agents in parallel rather than individual code editing. The new "agent-first" interface allows developers to launch agents from desktop, mobile, web, Slack, GitHub, and Linear, with seamless switching between cloud and local environments.