Google Search now shows AI-generated weather snapshots for select users: Report
Google is reportedly testing a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that provides users with brief, text-based summaries of current weather conditions directly within its mobile Search experience. The feature, which is currently limited in availability, has been spotted by some users in the United States when searching for city-specific weather information through the Google app on Android and iOS.
According to a report by9to5Google, the AI-powered summary appears between the standard hourly and 10-day forecast sections and aims to offer an at-a-glance understanding of the weather. The brief narrative includes key details such as wind conditions, the likelihood of rain or thunderstorms, atmospheric pressure patterns, and trends in temperature fluctuations.
At present, the feature seems to be in an early testing phase, with visibility restricted to certain regions. Searches for 'weather Los Angeles' and 'weather San Diego' reportedly triggered the new summary, whereas other locations did not yield the same result. Mint was also unable to access the summaries for the mentioned cities, indicating that the rollout is likely limited to a small user group.
In addition to the text description, the AI-generated section includes a small icon linking to external sources for more comprehensive weather information. Beneath the summary, Google has added a disclaimer that reads: 'Generative AI is experimental,' reinforcing that the tool is still in a testing stage.
Currently, the new feature appears only within the Google app and on the mobile web. It does not show up on desktop platforms or when users are not signed into their Google accounts.
Google has not yet announced any plans for a wider rollout or confirmed when the feature might become broadly available. The addition comes as part of the tech giant's ongoing efforts to integrate generative AI into its suite of services, offering more contextual and user-friendly information across its platforms.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Europeans seek 'digital sovereignty' as US tech firms embrace Trump
At a market stall in Berlin run by charity Topio, volunteers help people who want to purge their phones of the influence of US tech firms. Since Donald Trump 's inauguration, the queue for their services has grown. Interest in European-based digital services has jumped in recent months, data from digital market intelligence company Similarweb shows. More people are looking for e-mail, messaging and even search providers outside the United States. The first months of Trump's second presidency have shaken some Europeans' confidence in their long-time ally, after he signalled his country would step back from its role in Europe 's security and then launched a trade war. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Costco Shoppers Say This Wrinkle Cream Is "Actually Worth It" The Skincare Magazine Undo "It's about the concentration of power in US firms," said Topio's founder Michael Wirths, as his colleague installed on a customer's phone a version of the Android operating system without hooks into the Google ecosystem. Wirths said the type of people coming to the stall had changed: "Before, it was people who knew a lot about data privacy. Now it's people who are politically aware and feel exposed." Live Events Tesla chief Elon Musk, who also owns social media company X, was a leading adviser to the US president before the two fell out, while the bosses of Amazon, Meta and Google-owner Alphabet took prominent spots at Trump's inauguration in January. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Days before Trump took office, outgoing president Joe Biden had warned of an oligarchic "tech industrial complex" threatening democracy. Berlin-based search engine Ecosia says it has benefited from some customers' desire to avoid US counterparts like Microsoft's Bing or Google, which dominates web searches and is also the world's biggest email provider. "The worse it gets, the better it is for us," founder Christian Kroll said of Ecosia, whose sales pitch is that it spends its profits on environmental projects. Similarweb data shows the number of queries directed to Ecosia from the European Union has risen 27% year-on-year and the company says it has 1% of the German search engine market. But its 122 million visits from the 27 EU countries in February were dwarfed by 10.3 billion visits to Google, whose parent Alphabet made revenues of about $100 billion from Europe, the Middle East and Africa in 2024 - nearly a third of its $350 billion global turnover. Non-profit Ecosia earned 3.2 million euros ($3.65 million) in April, of which 770,000 euros was spent on planting 1.1 million trees. Google declined to comment for this story. Reuters could not determine whether major US tech companies have lost any market share to local rivals in Europe. Digital sovereignty The search for alternative providers accompanies a debate in Europe about "digital sovereignty" - the idea that reliance on companies from an increasingly isolationist United States is a threat to Europe's economy and security. "Ordinary people, the kind of people who would never have thought it was important they were using an American service are saying, 'hang on!'," said UK-based internet regulation expert Maria Farrell. "My hairdresser was asking me what she should switch to." Use in Europe of Swiss-based ProtonMail rose 11.7% year-on-year to March compared to a year ago, according to Similarweb, while use of Alphabet's Gmail, which has some 70% of the global email market, slipped 1.9%. ProtonMail, which offers both free and paid-for services, said it had seen an increase in users from Europe since Trump's re-election, though it declined to give a number. "My household is definitely disengaging," said British software engineer Ken Tindell, citing weak US data privacy protections as one factor. Trump's vice president JD Vance shocked European leaders in February by accusing them - at a conference usually known for displays of transatlantic unity - of censoring free speech and failing to control immigration. In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened visa bans for people who "censor" speech by Americans, including on social media, and suggested the policy could target foreign officials regulating US tech companies. US social media companies like Facebook and Instagram parent Meta have said the European Union's Digital Services Act amounts to censorship of their platforms. EU officials say the Act will make the online environment safer by compelling tech giants to tackle illegal content, including hate speech and child sexual abuse material. Greg Nojeim, director of the Security and Surveillance Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology, said Europeans' concerns about the US government accessing their data, whether stored on devices or in the cloud, were justified. Not only does US law permit the government to search devices of anyone entering the country, it can compel disclosure of data that Europeans outside the US store or transmit through US communications service providers, Nojeim said. Mission impossible? Germany's new government is itself making efforts to reduce exposure to US tech, committing in its coalition agreement to make more use of open-source data formats and locally-based cloud infrastructure. Regional governments have gone further - in conservative-run Schleswig-Holstein, on the Danish border, all IT used by the public administration must run on open-source software. Berlin has also paid for Ukraine to access a satellite-internet network operated by France's Eutelsat instead of Musk's Starlink. But with modern life driven by technology, "completely divorcing US tech in a very fundamental way is, I would say, possibly not possible," said Bill Budington of US digital rights nonprofit the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Everything from push notifications to the content delivery networks powering many websites and how internet traffic is routed relies largely on US companies and infrastructure, Budington noted. Both Ecosia and French-based search engine Qwant depend in part on search results provided by Google and Microsoft's Bing, while Ecosia runs on cloud platforms, some hosted by the very same tech giants it promises an escape from. Nevertheless, a group on messaging board Reddit called BuyFromEU has 211,000 members. "Just cancelled my Dropbox and will switch to Proton Drive," read one post. Mastodon, a decentralised social media service developed by German programmer Eugen Rochko, enjoyed a rush of new users two years ago when Musk bought Twitter, later renamed X. But it remains a niche service. Signal, a messaging app run by a US nonprofit foundation, has also seen a surge in installations from Europe. Similarweb's data showed a 7% month-on-month increase in Signal usage in March, while use of Meta's WhatsApp was static. Meta declined to comment for this story. Signal did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment. But this kind of conscious self-organising is unlikely on its own to make a dent in Silicon Valley's European dominance, digital rights activist Robin Berjon told Reuters. "The market is too captured," he said. "Regulation is needed as well."
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
The $1,999 Liberty Phone is made in America. Its creator explains how.
Next Story Ben Raab , The Wall Street Journal Purism's Liberty Phone, priced at $1,999, is the most advanced U.S.-made smartphone but lacks competitive specs compared to the iPhone. Limited by domestic supply chains and higher costs, it sources components globally. Despite scaling potential, Purism sells fewer than 100,000 units, as many parts still come from Asia. The phone's unique features cater to security-conscious users. Purism's $1,999 Liberty Phone is assembled in the U.S. with parts from the U.S. and elsewhere, including China. Photo: Purism Gift this article It is possible to build a smartphone in the U.S. right now. But it won't be as sleek or as powerful as an iPhone, and it will cost a lot more. It is possible to build a smartphone in the U.S. right now. But it won't be as sleek or as powerful as an iPhone, and it will cost a lot more. Todd Weaver's company, Purism, developed the Liberty Phone, the closest anyone has gotten. It has specs that would have been more impressive a decade ago, and it costs $1,999. President Trump has threatened steep tariffs on foreign-made smartphones to pressure companies like Apple to shift manufacturing stateside. Meanwhile, the Trump Organization is promoting a 'Made in the U.S.A." phone for $499 with specs that deem it unlikely to be built here anytime soon. Supply-chain analysts agree it's impossible to match Asia's production quality and scale for now. But Weaver's Liberty Phone, not the Trump phone, offers a unique look at the realities of domestic manufacturing. And why nobody else is doing it. The Liberty Phone's motherboard is built in-house, the chip comes from Texas, and the assembly is done at Purism's facility in Carlsbad, Calif. But not all of its parts are U.S. made: Other components come from China and other Asian countries. 'I've been working on this for 10 years and we've done everything we possibly can to build from U.S. manufacturing," Weaver says. 'There are just some parts that don't yet have a supply chain. We're gonna keep incrementing there until we can get to that point." Weaver says he can produce Liberty Phones at a rate of about 10,000 a month, but so far, he's sold fewer than 100,000. By comparison, Apple shipped around 225 million phones in 2024, according to market analyst firm Canalys. The Liberty Phone also doesn't run on Android or iOS. Its processor, produced by Dutch semiconductor firm NXP in Austin, Texas, is designed for cars, not smartphones. It runs on Purism's own PureOS, which is limited to calling, texting and web browsing, plus some basic apps like a calculator. Purism founder Todd Weaver holds up the Liberty Phone's motherboard, manufactured at the company's California facility. Photo: Purism The screen and battery come from China and the rear-facing camera comes from South Korea. Weaver says a fully U.S.-made phone is limited by a lack of domestic infrastructure. There are no companies mass-producing smartphone screens in the U.S., for example. Complications like this, even at Purism's small scale, help explain why Apple and others haven't made a serious attempt at producing premium smartphones in the U.S. 'Even if the specs were less impressive, it would take many, many years to be fully sourced out of the U.S. and not practical," says Jeff Fieldhack, a research director at Counterpoint Research. 'Cost aside, we don't have factories here building application processors, high-end displays or most of the other things in your smartphone." Weaver says the Liberty Phone costs about $650 to make. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, a much more powerful device, was estimated to cost around $550 to make in China last fall, according to TechInsights. Purism's higher U.S. labor costs are partially offset by cheaper, lower-quality parts: a basic camera, low-resolution screen and half the RAM. Weaver says the Liberty Phone isn't built to compete with an iPhone right now. He says the $1,999 retail price reflects a securely sourced phone with a vetted supply chain. About half of Purism's customers are government agencies across the U.S., he says. 'On the consumer side, it's security geeks, parents who want a phone for their kid, elderly people or people who want to avoid big tech," says Weaver. 'Someone who needs a wicked-strong camera is not our audience." Weaver estimates he could scale to building 100,000 phones a month within six months. But getting there would require investment to cover new machines, more line operators and added floor space. He has no traditional venture-capital funding, relying only on revenue and crowdfunding. Tariffs likely won't affect his costs at his current production rates because he ordered a large batch of parts when he started and still has them in supply at his facility. Weaver says that a long-term tariff on imported electronics could make the Liberty Phone's manufacturing cost more competitive, since the cheap components would only see marginal increases, and more components are likely to be built in the U.S. soon. While companies like Intel already manufacture chips in the U.S. and firms like TSMC and Micron are building domestic facilities, Fieldhack says those efforts are a small fraction of global production. Companies lack incentives to move more to American soil. 'A lot of it isn't leading edge, the cost is still high, and it would still take a long time," he says. Write to Ben Raab at Topics You May Be Interested In Catch all the Business News , Corporate news , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
‘Telangana aims to be healing capital of the world through AI-driven healthcare'
Telangana is setting its sights on becoming the 'healing capital of the world' by embedding Artificial Intelligence (AI), advanced data systems, and cutting-edge research into every layer of its healthcare infrastructure, said IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu on Saturday. He was speaking at the 'AI in Healthcare' conference hosted by Yashoda Hospital in Hyderabad. The State's vision to lead a global transformation in affordable and quality healthcare, powered by innovation and technology, was discussed at the meet. 'We have long been the pharmacy capital of the world, now we want to be seen as its healing capital. We are not just following the global healthcare revolution. Telangana intends to lead it, with Hyderabad at the centre,' the Minister said. Pointing to the State's affordability advantage, he said that Hyderabad offers high-quality medical procedures such as IVF, heart surgeries, and joint replacements at 70% to 90% lower costs compared to the West, without compromising on standards. 'It is not just about cost, it's about quality, care, and value. Telangana is delivering all three,' he said. He highlighted the need for proactive investments in innovation, research, and preventive healthcare. 'Our healthcare system cannot be reactive. It must stay ten steps ahead and for that, we must adopt technologies like AI, quantum computing, and data science at scale,' he said. He further added that Telangana is building hyperscale data centres, medical device manufacturing clusters, and a vibrant health-tech startup eco-system. 'We are training 2 lakh AI engineers and nurturing over 900 AI startups. Most of India's AI healthcare startups are based in Telangana,' the Minister said. The conference also featured insights from global technology leaders on the future of AI in healthcare. Chandu Thota, Vice President of Engineering at Google, described AI as one of the 'moonshot' solutions for the future of medicine. Michael D. Howell, Chief Clinical Officer at Google, highlighted the impact of AI on clinical decision-making and drug discovery. 'AI must be integrated into medicine with transparency, accountability, and empathy. Where drug discovery used to take a decade, AI can now identify promising treatments in months by analysing vast datasets, from clinical trials to genomics. This will make personalized medicine not just possible, but practical,' he said in his keynote address. Gorukanti Ravinder Rao, Founder and Chairman of Yashoda Group of Hospitals, reinforced the human-centric promise of AI in surgical care. 'AI is not here to replace doctors, it is here to empower them,' he said.
